Bitcoin BTC$68,503.15 surged Wednesday, underscoring it’s growing resilience to turmoil in the Middle East, while gold, a traditional safe haven, lagged.

The leading cryptocurrency by market value rose to $71,023 during the European hours, up over 6% on a 24-hour basis, according to CoinDesk data. Other majors such as ether (ETH), XRP (XRP) and solana (SOL) followed bitcoin’s lead, rising 4% to 6%, respectively.

The CoinDesk 20 Index, a broader market gauge, rose over 5% to 2,025 points.

“Bitcoin may now exhibit some defensive characteristics during crisis periods, but gold’s retreat highlights that even classic safe-havens are not immune to market dynamics, positioning Bitcoin as a more flexible yet still high-beta alternative,” Tagus Capital said in its daily newsletter.

BTC’s latest move to multi‑week highs follows even as the crisis has intensified, with Iran blocking oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and raising the spectre of energy‑price inflation around the world. Since the conflict between Israel, the U.S., and Iran erupted on Saturday, bitcoin has proved surprisingly resilient, with the downside capped around $65,000.

Meanwhile, gold, a traditional safe haven, peaked above $5,400 per ounce on Monday and has since declined to $5,160. Asian equity indices, led by South Korea’s Kospi index, have bled heavily as oil imports cost rise.

Offshore prediction market Polymarket has quietly archived a longstanding contract that allowed users to wager on the likelihood of a nuclear weapon detonation within specific timeframes, removing the market from its platform amid mounting public and political scrutiny.

Polymarket’s nuclear bet sparks outcry

The move came hours after the company posted updated odds on X suggesting a roughly 22 % probability of nuclear detonation by year-end, drawing intense criticism across social media and from market analysts.

The nuclear detonation contract, which had been active for years and showed notable trading volumes, including more than $1.7 million in bets on a contract expiring in 2025, has disappeared from Polymarket’s listings without formal announcement.

The removal follows a broader surge in controversy surrounding Polymarket’s geopolitical markets, particularly those tied to the recent U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran.

During that crisis, more than $529 million in bets were placed on contracts related to the timing and outcomes of the attacks, dwarfing typical activity on the platform and fueling speculation about the ethical implications of wagering on war.

Analysts from blockchain surveillance firms flagged a series of newly created wallets that earned over $1 million by placing timely bets just hours before the strikes commenced, prompting accusations that insiders with advance information may be exploiting the unregulated markets.

Critics argue that prediction markets like Polymarket, which require only a crypto wallet and operate largely outside established financial regulations, create incentives for participants to profit from real-world conflicts and tragedies, raising both moral and legal questions.

The controversy has caught the attention of U.S. lawmakers, with several Senators urging regulatory action to curb markets tied to death, war, or high-stakes geopolitical events. Federal regulators, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, are advancing rulemaking aimed at clarifying how such platforms should be supervised.

Polymarket has not issued a public statement explaining the removal of the nuclear market or detailing wider changes to its listings. The platform’s response to criticism generally emphasizes the value of aggregated market insights, but the latest developments underscore intensifying pressure on prediction markets over ethics, transparency and potential insider exploitation.

BTCC is a well-known centralized cryptocurrency exchange. It was founded in 2011, making it one of the veterans in the space.

The platform provides cryptocurrency derivatives trading, as well as traditional services through a mobile application and a web interface.

As of 2026, BTCC reports over 9 million registered users and an expanded product offering, including, but not limited to, futures trading, copy trading, promotional incentive programs, multi-asset trading through its BTCC TradFi initiative, and more.

The following review takes a closer look at the core BTCC products, its security protocols, ease of use, user feedback, and more, and attempts to answer whether it’s a safe crypto exchange to use in 2026.

Main Takeaways

• BTCC was founded in 2011 and currently has over 9 million registered users.
• The platform supports more than 400 trading pairs and leverage of up to 500x on selected major assets.
• BTCC offers copy trading and provides various rewards for new users.
• The exchange also has a TradFi section where users can trade gold, forex, commodities, and more.

Pros:

• Long operational history (since 2011)
• Large number of trading pairs
• Includes additional services such as copy trading and TradFi
• No security breaches since inception

Cons:

• High leverage levels carry inherent risk for beginners.
• TradFi asset trading is limited in its support for USDT settlement only.

Company Background

BTCC was founded in June 2011, during the earliest development periods of Bitcoin and the rest of the nascent crypto industry. Since its establishment, the company has operated through multiple market cycles, witnessing four Bitcoin halving events.

The exchange states that it has seen zero security breaches since inceptions, which is a notable milestone. There are also no public records of any incidents.

As of 2026, BTCC reports over 9 million users registered globally.

Operating under the slogan “Exchange for a better future,” the company states that its vision is to make crypto trading accessible and reliable to everyday users, as well as to experienced traders alike.

It defines its core values as Focus, Growth, Experience, and Fairness, which also supposedly guide product development, service quality, and overall platform support.

Core Products and Trading Services

Naturally, BTCC supports spot trading for a number of different cryptocurrencies. In fact, at the time of this writing, it’s ranked 26 on CoinMarketCap’s list by means of daily trading volume.

The focus, however, seems to be on its derivatives trading section, where the exchange is currently 16th by means of open interest.

Cryptocurrency Futures Trading

Being a well-known centralized exchange, one of the core products that BTCC has to offer is its futures trading platform. As of 2026, the exchange lists more than 400 trading pairs.

Some of the major digital assets, which are available for futures trading include:

• BTC
• ETH
• DOGE
• SOL
• XRP, and more.

Perpetual futures are incredibly popular in the cryptocurrency industry. They are a type of futures contract, but unlike traditional ones, they don’t have an expiration date, meaning that traders can open and close them at any given moment.

For these major assets, the exchange supports leverage of up to 500x. For lesser-known, less popular altcoins, leverage ratios range from 10x to 100x. It’s worth noting that trading with a 500x leverage ratio is incredibly risky and can lead to temporary liquidations. Experienced and disciplined traders rarely use leverage of more than 2-5x, as this significantly increases the risk of losing capital.

USDT-M Perpetual Futures

Those specific perpetual futures contracts are settled exclusively in USDT.

COIN-M Perpetual Futures

These perpetual futures contracts can be settled in select cryptocurrencies, which is convenient for those of you who don’t wish to off-ramp to stablecoins.

Copy Trading

In addition to the above, BTCC also supports Copy trading. For those unfamiliar, this trading feature is very popular in the industry, and it enables users to replicate the trading strategies of other traders on the platform.

As you can see, the interface is relatively simple and easy to use. Users are presented with different traders to copy. Their performance results are clearly indicated.

Moreover, BTCC regularly has different promotional terms to incentivize people to use various products of its platform, including Copy trading.

BTCC TradFi

Launched in February 2025, BTCC TradFi enables users to trade a number of traditional financial instruments through its platform, unifying the broader experience and further expanding its product offering.

Some of the available asset classes include:

• Gold
• Foreign Exchange (FOREX)
• Commodities
• Indices
• CFDs (contracts for difference) and others.

Security and Risk Management

As mentioned above, BTCC’s security hasn’t been compromised since its establishment. The exchange states that their security and risk control measures are properly integrated within the platform’s infrastructure.

It implements a number of best practices, such as storing a portion of user funds in secured cold wallets, as well as asset segregation.

According to the official security page of BTCC, it stores assets 1 to 1. This means that if the user deposits Bitcoin, then BTCC will store Bitcoin. If they deposit USDT, the exchange will store USDT.

In addition, standard security measures such as Two-factor authentication (2FA) are also available, but in addition to that, the BTCC web app has a login history section so that users can monitor when and where they have been logged in.

BTCC also requires identity verification procedures, which are in accordance with its AML and KYC policies. These are designed to identify each user and monitor transactions in line with regulatory compliance practices.

The exchange also states that it conducts regular system monitoring and maintenance to manage operational risk.

Customer Support

It’s important to outline that BTCC has developed a very thorough support page where users are able to resolve a lot of the more frequently faced issues themselves. You can find it here.

Moreover, there is an automated chatbot, which can help you navigate the situation and, if needed, connect you to a representative via live chat.

The support is available 24/7 ,and the assistance is multilingual, so you wouldn’t have to worry about the language barrier.

User Experience

The exchange boasts a familiar interface, which makes it easy for users to navigate the entire platform.

Right from the get-go, the tools feel easy to use and there are no complexities, which are commonly present in a lot of other crypto exchanges.

From the copy trading features to the derivatives trading, it all seems quite cohesive and easy to work with.

At the same time, the trading tools contain the necessary complexities for advanced traders who handle hundreds, even thousands, of orders per session.

How to Create a BTCC Account

Following a similar theme, registering a BTCC account is quite easy.

First, you need to visit the official website and decide whether you want to register with your email or with your phone number – both are fine.

As soon as you have your account officially registered, we highly recommend that you go to your security settings and immediately turn your 2FA on. The importance of security can never be understated.

Once that’s done, you should head to the KYC section and verify your identity. This will lift any restrictions your account may have and as soon as this is done, you can proceed to depositing funds and start trading.

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Conclusion: BTCC Exchange Review in 2026

As of 2026, BTCC operates a popular centralized cryptocurrency exchange, offering all the well-known trading features and beyond.

One of the primary characteristics is its considerably higher leverage, which can both amplify your winnings but also substantially elevate your risk parameters.

The platform includes copy trading functionalities, different margin-settlement options, select traditional financial instruments, and more.

With over 9 million registered users as of the time of this writing, BTCC is a highly-ranked crypto exchange and a prominent player in the industry.

Social media platform X will suspend creators from its revenue-sharing program for 90 days if they post AI-generated war footage without clearly disclosing that the content was created using artificial intelligence.

On Wednesday, X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, said the rule aims to maintain “authenticity of content on Timeline” during wartime events, when misleading media can spread quickly.

“During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground,” Bier wrote. “With today’s AI technologies, it is trivial to create content that can mislead people.”

Related: Bitcoin holders show ‘zero panic‘ as BTC hits $70K amid Middle East tensions

The move adds financial penalties to X’s existing moderation tools, linking disclosure of AI-generated media to monetization eligibility. 

Monetization enforcement tied to AI disclosure

Unlike traditional moderation measures such as labels or removals, the new rule targets the platform’s creator economy by restricting access to revenue-sharing for policy violations.

X said creators who publish AI-generated conflict footage must clearly disclose that the content was created with artificial intelligence. Failure to do so could lead to a 90-day suspension from the program.

Related: 6 Polymarket traders net $1M on US-Iran strike, spark insider fears: Report

Under the update, posts flagged by Community Notes or detected through metadata or other signals from generative AI tools may trigger enforcement.

Accounts that repeatedly post undisclosed AI-generated conflict videos may face permanent removal from X’s creator revenue-sharing program. 

The policy applies specifically to videos depicting armed conflicts and does not amount to a broader ban on AI-generated content posted to the platform.

Middle East conflict raises misinformation concerns

The announcement comes as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to dominate online discussions across social media platforms.

On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iran. Bitcoin (BTC) briefly dropped to about $63,000 but later recovered. At the time of writing, it traded near $70,000, according to CoinGecko.

AI is also becoming more deeply embedded in modern conflict environments. On March 1, the US military used Anthropic’s Claude AI model to assist with intelligence analysis and targeting during operations linked to the Iran strikes.