Crypto World
Why is the crypto market rallying today? (Feb. 25)
The crypto market cap rebounded 2.7% to $2.32 trillion on Wednesday after recovering some of the previous days’ losses as investors bought the dip.
Summary
- The crypto market recovered from Tuesday’s losses as institutional investors capitalized on the dip.
- A rally in tech stocks and improving geopolitical conditions have acted as a tailwind for risk assets like crypto.
Bitcoin (BTC), the industry’s primary bellwether, climbed 5.5% to hit an intraday peak of $66,233 before consolidating near $65,000, a level now serving as a vital psychological floor.
Ethereum (ETH) followed suit with a 4% rise, stabilizing around $1,900, while other major assets, including XRP, Tron (TRX), and Dogecoin (DOGE), recorded more modest gains between 1% and 3%.
Leading the large-cap pack, Solana (SOL) outperformed with a surge of nearly 7% and had successfully reclaimed the $80 threshold at the time of writing.
Crypto prices rebounded amid millions of liquidations across leveraged markets. Data from CoinGlass shows that around $154 million in short positions were liquidated across the futures market. Over the past 24-hour session, nearly $343 million was liquidated from the broader market, with the majority coming from short liquidations.
When short positions get liquidated, they force the exchange’s liquidation engine to buy back the underlying assets at current market prices to close out the positions, and thus result in an upward short squeeze that accelerates the price recovery.
Crypto market rebounds amid institutional dip buying
The crypto market recovery was primarily supported by investors buying into the recent dip.
Notably, Bitcoin plunged more than 7.5% yesterday, as it moved closer to the critical $60,000 support level. The move sparked a relief bounce, during which BTC successfully reclaimed the $65,000 threshold. The biggest tailwind for the jump was a surge in institutional buying spearheaded by Michael Saylor’s Strategy, which acquired additional BTC during the pullback.
Another key catalyst fueling the market rally came in the form of the Coinbase Premium becoming positive for the first time in 40 days. A positive reading on this metric means Bitcoin is more expensive on Coinbase than on global exchanges. Such a significant price gap is a classic signal of strong buying pressure from American investors and institutions.
As Bitcoin reclaimed the support that analysts believe is essential to avoid more downside volatility, the positive momentum rippled across the broader market.
Market rebound was supported by tech stocks rally
Crypto prices also rose after several Asian tech stocks rallied. South Korea’s KOSPI Index rose to record highs, signaling a broader risk-on sentiment among investors across global markets.
Major traditional U.S. stock indices, such as the S&P 500 and Russell 2000, also stood higher on the day. Cryptocurrencies often tend to rally when such equity markets show signs of strength and stability.
Meanwhile, the crypto market’s tight correlation with technology stocks remained evident, with software shares (IGV) rebounding nearly 1.7% over the past day after recent losses triggered by fears that generative AI tools could disrupt traditional software business models.
However, these concerns are easing as industry leaders like Intuit and DocuSign announce strategic partnerships with AI firm Anthropic, signaling that established companies may successfully adapt to the technology rather than being displaced by it.
Hopes of de-escalation in U.S. and Iran conflict
Another major catalyst for today’s rally is market hopes of a potential de-escalation of conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Reports cited that Iran’s deputy foreign minister has hinted that the country is looking to take any required step to reach a deal with the U.S., reducing fears of an imminent military conflict.
Earlier last Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to launch an attack within ten days from that time, spooking investors and reducing risk-on appetite.
With the latest positive headlines, investors are likely taking a breather as they await more clarity on the diplomatic front. As the geopolitical tensions eased, traditional safe-haven assets such as gold and crude oil lost the momentum they had been riding on, giving crypto assets the room to regain footing.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
DOT, STABLE, and UNI have rocketed the most in the past day, with gains of over 20% in some instances.
After dumping to a new local bottom of $62,500, bitcoin went on a tear yesterday, surging by over eight grand to $70,000, where it faced immediate selling pressure.
Many altcoins have produced even more impressive gains over the past day, with ETH reclaiming the $2,000 level, and ADA surging by double digits to almost $0.30.
BTC Tapped $70K
After last week’s rejection at $70,000, bitcoin spiraled down for a few consecutive days and dipped to $65,600 last Thursday. It reacted well to this decline and jumped toward $69,000 during the weekend, where it was stopped again after the latest developments on the tariff front, prompted by the US Supreme Court and the subsequent Trump actions.
Although BTC remained relatively still at first, it plunged when the legacy futures markets opened. In just over an hour, the asset plummeted to $64,400 before it rebounded to $66,400.
That appeared to be a dead-cat bounce, and BTC quickly began to lose value again. This time, the nosedive drove it to a three-week lot of $62,500. The bulls finally stepped up decisively at this point and prevented another leg down. Just the opposite; bitcoin exploded out of the gate and soared to $70,000 for the first time in over a week.
It couldn’t break above that level, and has declined by two grand since. However, it’s still 4.5% up on the day, and its market cap has returned to $1.360 trillion on CG. Its dominance over the alts remains inches above 56%.
Alts Rocket
Ethereum, which some analysts believe might have already bottomed out, is back above $2,000 after an impressive 8% daily surge. XRP has reclaimed the $1.40 line after a 5.5% pump. SOL, DOGE, CC, BNB, and HYPE have marked similar gains, while LINK has soared by 9%.
ADA has outperformed the rest of the larger-cap alts. A 10% surge has driven it to almost $0.30. DOT is today’s top performer, having soared by 24% to roughly $1.60. STABLE, UNI, and NEAR follow suit.
The total crypto market cap has recovered $120 billion since the recent low and is up to $2.425 trillion on CG.
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A convincing bullish reversal setup and hints of easing whale distribution may push the price of XRP up by 20% or more in March.
XRP (XRP) is down more than 50% since October 2025, with five consecutive monthly losses. Can March finally snap the bearish streak?
Key takeaways:
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XRP’s double-bottom setup targets 20% upside in March.
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Whale selling has cooled and larger-holder balances are rising, improving the bullish outlook.
Double bottom hints at 20% XRP rally
As of Thursday, XRP was forming what appeared to be a double bottom pattern after holding the $1.30–$1.35 support area twice in February.
A double bottom forms when the price hits the same floor twice an rebounds. It resolves on a breakout above the neckline, often setting an upside target equal to the pattern’s height from the breakout level.
For XRP, the neckline sits near $1.50. A decisive break above it increases the odds of XRP rising to $1.68–$1.70 by March, roughly 20% above the current levels.
XRP whale flows improve recovery chances
XRP net flows are shrinking toward neutral levels after spending months in distribution phase, according to data resource CryptoQuant.
As of Thursday, the total whale flow on a 90-day moving average was around -3.29 million XRP compared to roughly -33.50 million XRP in December. This shows that whale outflows have substantially decreased despite the 25% price drop in the same period.
At the same time, XRP supply held by wallets with at least 1,000 tokens has resumed its upward trajectory in recent weeks, suggesting that whales have stopped selling and may be re-accumulating near current lows.
A similar easing in whale flows occurred in April 2025, which preceded an XRP rebound of over 50%.
Therefore, a clean flip above zero would signal net accumulation and strengthen the case for XRP to follow through toward its $1.68–$1.70 double-bottom target in March.
What could spoil the bullish XRP scenario?
The $1.68–$1.70 area is above XRP’s 50-day exponential moving average (50-day EMA, the red trendline), a level the price has failed to break throughout February.
A pullback from the 50-day EMA could keep XRP from hitting its double-bottom target. That may further trigger a bear pennant scenario with the price target at around $1, down about 30% from the current price levels.
Related: $209B exited altcoins over the last 13 months: Did traders rotate into Bitcoin?
Macro risks are another headwind. The return of the AI-driven risk-off trade and US–Iran tensions can drain liquidity from high-beta assets, making it harder for XRP to sustain a breakout even if the chart setup currently looks promising.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
A large crypto trader lost roughly $8.2 million after a leveraged bet on the ARC perpetuals market unraveled on the decentralized derivatives platform Lighter, forcing the exchange to tap its backstop liquidity and trigger auto-deleveraging to manage risk.
In a series of posts on X, the platform explained that the whale built a very large long position over several days, pushing total open interest in the ARC (ARC) market to about $50 million, while roughly 600 traders and market makers took the opposite side.
The trade began to fail when ARC’s price dropped around 6:00 pm ET on Wednesday. About $2 million of the position was liquidated on the order book, and the remaining position was moved into Lighter’s liquidity provider pool (LLP), where it was handled under a high-risk strategy category.
The platform then activated auto-deleveraging (ADL), meaning some profitable short traders were partially closed so the system could safely unwind the position. At one point, the LLP briefly absorbed about 200 million ARC, worth roughly $14.7 million, before the position was reduced further as prices continued falling.
Related: How South Korea is using AI to detect crypto market manipulation
Risk caps limit LP losses to $75,000
Even with the large liquidation, losses to liquidity providers were limited. Lighter said only about $75,000 was affected because the ARC market was isolated in a separate risk bucket rather than exposing the exchange’s entire liquidity pool. Short traders who held positions against the whale were profitable.
“In the end, the big long trader lost around 8.2M USDC (USDC), LLP lost 75k, and the short traders who took the risk of betting against this position were profitable,” Lighter wrote.
Following the incident, Lighter added new safeguards to the market. In a pop-up message on its website, the platform said it introduced a $40 million open interest cap on ARC and moved the pair under a capped liquidity strategy with approximately $100,000 USDC in allocated capital. If that liquidity is exhausted, the system now automatically transitions to ADL to close risk.
The exchange also said similar caps may be applied to other assets.
Related: How pig-butchering crypto scams turn trust into a financial weapon
Manipulation concerns on decentralized platforms
The incident comes amid concerns over price manipulation on decentralized trading platforms. In August last year, four whales were accused of manipulating the price of Plasma (XPL) token on Hyperliquid after the asset jumped about 200% to above $1.80 within minutes.
In June, DeFi protocol Resupply also suffered a security breach in its wstUSR market, resulting in roughly $9.6 million in losses after an attacker manipulated prices through its integration with the synthetic stablecoin cvcrvUSD.
Magazine: Bitcoin may take 7 years to upgrade to post-quantum — BIP-360 co-author
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined sweeping changes to the network’s core consensus design following the release of the Ethereum Foundation’s new “strawmap,” a long-range technical roadmap aimed at accelerating layer-1 upgrades through the end of the decade.
Summary
- Vitalik Buterin outlined plans to reduce Ethereum slot times from 12 seconds toward as low as 2 seconds, with finality potentially dropping to 6–16 seconds.
- The Ethereum Foundation’s “strawmap” sketches seven forks through 2029, targeting faster UX, gigagas throughput, post-quantum security, and privacy.
- Upgrades include erasure-coded P2P networking, reduced attester counts, Minimmit-based finality, and eventual quantum-resistant cryptography.
Vitalik Buterin explains Ethereum Strawmap vision
In a detailed post, Buterin walked through one of the roadmap’s central goals: “fast L1,” which seeks to progressively reduce slot times and dramatically cut finality. Ethereum’s current average finality sits at roughly 16 minutes.
Under the proposed trajectory, slot times could gradually fall from 12 seconds to as low as 2 seconds, while finality could shrink to between 6 and 16 seconds using a one-round BFT-style algorithm known as Minimmit.
Buterin emphasized that slot time reductions would occur incrementally, potentially following a “sqrt(2) at a time” formula, and only when proven safe. Key enablers include peer-to-peer networking upgrades using erasure coding to improve block propagation efficiency, as well as architectural adjustments that reduce signature aggregation overhead by limiting the number of attesters per slot.
The strawmap, introduced by Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake, presents five long-term “north stars”: fast L1, gigagas L1 throughput, teragas L2 scaling, post-quantum security, and native privacy. It spans seven projected forks through 2029, with upgrades grouped across consensus, data, and execution layers.
Buterin noted that many of the most invasive changes, including quantum-resistant hash-based signatures, may be bundled together in a gradual “ship of Theseus” style replacement of Ethereum’s consensus system.
While the document is described as a coordination tool rather than an official roadmap, it signals a push toward faster user experience, stronger cryptography, and end-to-end formal verification.
Bitcoin price is up nearly 5% in the past 24 hours, briefly touching the $70,000 level before pulling back toward $68,000. This rebound helped Bitcoin recover almost 12% from its February 24 low.
But despite this strong move, Bitcoin could not hold above $70,000. This hesitation is not random. It reflects a deeper issue that Dessislava Ianeva, Research Analyst at Nexo, says is still limiting Bitcoin’s recovery. Multiple data points now show that while buy signals are appearing, conviction remains weak. And until Bitcoin clears the $70,000 to $70,800 zone, this recovery may remain incomplete.
Smart Money Signals Price Recovery, But Breakout Still Needs Confirmation
Bitcoin’s recent rebound did not happen without warning. One key indicator called the Smart Money Index (SMI) began rising on February 24. This indicator tracks the trading behavior of informed traders, often linked to strategic positioning. When this index rises, it suggests experienced investors may be positioning early.
The last time this happened was February 13, when the SMI started moving toward the signal line. Back then, the Bitcoin price climbed about 7% over two days.
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This time, the move was stronger. Bitcoin jumped nearly 12%, briefly touching $70,000. At the same time, Bitcoin is now forming what appears to be a cup and handle pattern. This is a bullish structure. It often appears before breakouts.
But the breakout is not confirmed yet. Because Bitcoin is still stuck below the critical upsloping neckline zone between $70,000 and $70,800.
This range now acts as the trigger level. Until Bitcoin crosses it, the pattern remains incomplete.
Nexo Analyst Explains Why Bitcoin Price Recovery Still Lacks Conviction
Despite bullish technical signals, the underlying demand is still weak. Trading volume shows this clearly.
Earlier in February, Bitcoin trading volume reached $125.5 billion. That was during the previous price move. Today, trading volume is around $52 billion. That is more than 58% lower.
Even more importantly, Dessislava Ianeva confirmed this broader trading participation weakness.
“In 2026, BTC average trading volumes are down roughly 17% versus the 2025 average, reflecting subdued market participation,” Ianeva mentioned
This means fewer participants are supporting the move. This is critical because price rallies need strong participation to sustain themselves. At the same time, open interest has also dropped sharply.
Open interest measures the number of futures positions that are active. Earlier in January, open interest stood near $37.5 billion. Now it is around $21.5 billion. That is a 43% drop. This tells us fewer traders are willing to take large positions.
Ianeva added to this finding by saying that:
“Derivatives positioning has normalized and funding conditions have cooled, pointing to orderly deleveraging rather than systemic stress.”
This means the market is stabilizing. But it also means aggressive buying pressure is missing. This helps explain why Bitcoin recovery remains slow.
Long-Term Bitcoin Holders Are Still Selling Despite the Price Bounce
Another major sign of weak conviction, apart from the lack of aggressive buying, comes from Bitcoin’s long-term holders.
The Long-Term Holder Net Position Change metric tracks whether long-term investors are accumulating or selling Bitcoin over a 30-day period. These holders are considered the strongest hands because they typically buy during crashes and sell during market tops.
But right now, they are still selling.
February 24 showed a net reduction of 78,583 BTC on a 30-day rolling basis. That selling has only slightly slowed to 75,911 BTC recently. This is still significantly higher than the 61,431 BTC reduction seen on February 23.
This shows that even as the Bitcoin price rebounded nearly 12%, long-term holders did not shift into accumulation. Instead, they continued distributing supply.
This creates a major problem for the rally. Because sustainable Bitcoin price recoveries usually begin when long-term holders start buying aggressively, not selling.
Dessislava Ianeva also pointed to this broader lack of conviction as part of the macroeconomic (global economic) concerns.
“Macro uncertainty continues to constrain liquidity, even as crypto-specific excess has largely been cleared and the market is in a healthier position.”
This confirms that while Bitcoin’s structure is improving with excess like leverage being cleared out, strong conviction has not fully returned. Until long-term holders stop selling and begin accumulating again, Bitcoin’s upside may remain limited — especially near major resistance zones like $70,000.
Supply Cluster at $70,000–$70,800 Is the Real Bitcoin Price Barrier
The strongest reason Bitcoin stalled near $70,000 comes from on-chain supply data. This data is called URPD, or UTXO Realized Price Distribution. It shows where investors last bought their Bitcoin.
Two major supply clusters exist right now. The first sits near $69,400 and holds about 0.93% of supply. The second sits at $70,600 and holds about 0.60% of supply. Together, this zone contains about 1.5% of the total Bitcoin supply.
That makes it one of the strongest resistance zones. This explains why Bitcoin touched $70,000 but could not stay above it.
Investors who bought earlier at these levels are likely selling to break even. This creates selling pressure. But this also explains why breaking $70,800 could change everything.
Above $70,800, supply becomes significantly thinner, as the last key cluster sitting at $70,600 breaks. This means fewer sellers exist, and if Bitcoin breaks above $70,800, the next major target sits near $78,600. This represents a potential upside of over 11%, as projected by the cup-to-neckline distance.
Also, this level is not random, and the technical resistance aligns with a key URPD cluster as well at $78,200.
However, downside risks still exist as the broader trend for the BTC price points lower. Bitcoin must hold above $65,700 to maintain this bullish structure. If Bitcoin falls below $62,400, the bullish pattern would fail completely.
For now, Bitcoin is stuck at a decision point. Smart money signals show early positioning. But falling trading volume, lower open interest, and strong supply at $70,000 are still blocking the breakout. As the Nexo analyst Dessislava Ianeva explained, the market structure is improving. But conviction is not fully back yet.
AllUnity, a stablecoin platform backed by Deutsche Bank, has launched a new stablecoin denominated in Swiss francs (CHF).
After introducing its euro-pegged EURAU stablecoin last year, AllUnity is rolling out CHFAU, a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the franc, the company said in an announcement shared with Cointelegraph on Thursday.
Initially available to institutional and professional investors, CHFAU launches on the Ethereum blockchain as an ERC-20 token, with plans to expand to additional networks later this year.
CHFAU enters the market fully aligned with the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), as AllUnity secured an E-Money Institution (EMI) license from the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in July 2025.
“The launch of CHFAU is a fundamental milestone in our mission to build Europe’s regulated digital payments ecosystem,” AllUnity CEO Alexander Höptner said.
Regulated digital Swiss franc for institutional settlement
CHFAU will be exclusively available to institutional and professional clients through the AllUnity Mint Platform, a spokesperson for AllUnity said.
“We are currently finalizing exchange and trading venue integrations and will communicate specific listings as they go live,” the company said, adding that CHFAU is technically live, but broader availability across venues will be rolled out progressively through integrations.
“The primary purpose of CHFAU is to serve as a trusted, regulated digital Swiss franc for institutional settlement,” Höptner told Cointelegraph, adding:
“Whether for cross-border payments, digital asset markets, or treasury and liquidity management, CHFAU enables secure, real-time value transfer within a fully compliant framework.”
EURAU grows to $1.2 million since launch
AllUnity was founded in early 2024 as a joint venture by Deutsche Bank’s asset management arm DWS, market maker Flow Traders and crypto company Galaxy Digital with the aim of issuing fully regulated stablecoins.
Since its debut in July 2025, AllUnity’s EURAU stablecoin has seen its market capitalization rise to $1.2 million, ranking 16th by market cap among 22 euro‑pegged stablecoins listed on CoinGecko.
Related: ECB targets 2027 digital euro pilot as provider selection begins in Q1 2026
The stablecoin is available on a limited number of exchanges, with CoinGecko listing public centralized exchange Bullish and the decentralized exchange Aerodrome as venues trading EURAU at the time of publication. The stablecoin is also available on platforms including Bitpanda, Rulematch and WAWEX, AllUnity told Cointelegraph.
The total market capitalization of all euro-pegged stablecoins is now at $895 million, with EURC (EURC), issued by USDC (USDC) provider Circle, leading with $459 million.
Not the only Swiss franc stablecoin
Although AllUnity says CHFAU is the first MiCA-compliant Swiss franc‑pegged stablecoin, multiple companies have experimented with similar initiatives in recent years.
According to data from DefiLlama, there are at least three CHF‑denominated stablecoins, including Frankencoin (ZCHF), VNX Swiss Franc (VCHF) and Hedera Swiss Franc (HCHF). The combined market capitalization of these coins is about $38.6 million.
The largest of these, Frankencoin, is a decentralized stablecoin launched in 2023. The project is based in Switzerland and backed by the Frankencoin Association.
Other CHF stablecoin initiatives include CryptoFranc (XCHF), issued by crypto financial services provider Bitcoin Suisse. Launched around 2018, the stablecoin was later discontinued due to insufficient market adoption.
Magazine: 6 massive challenges Bitcoin faces on the road to quantum security
Crypto World
UK politician proposes ban on political crypto donations over foreign interference risks
Some Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom, led by the chairman of the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy, Matt Western, are pushing for a temporary ban on political crypto donations due to concerns over foreign interference.
Summary
- UK MPs have proposed a temporary moratorium on crypto donations to political parties until the Electoral Commission issues statutory guidance.
- The proposal calls for the use of FCA-registered platforms, mandatory source verification and a ban on mixer-linked funds among other provisions.
A letter directed to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, has proposed a temporary moratorium on cryptocurrency donations to political parties until the Electoral Commission produces statutory guidance.
In the letter, Western raised concerns around “foreign state intent to interfere in UK political finance” as there is “no clear national enforcement lead for political finance and foreign interference risk.”
“As the security environment worsens and the UK’s military role in Europe grows, the value of influencing the UK’s political positions (for example, on Ukraine, or US/EU relations) is likely to increase,” Western said.
He has urged the Electoral Commission to introduce interim safeguards, such as only allowing political parties to process crypto donations through Virtual Asset Service Providers registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, and accepting contributions where there is high confidence in identifying the ultimate source of the funds.
He also suggests prohibiting the use of crypto mixers or tumblers that can be used to obscure the provenance of assets, alongside a mandate that political parties should convert donations into pound sterling within 48 hours of receipt.
Further, Western recommended stricter source of wealth checks for donors and a review of sentencing for electoral finance offences, alongside higher penalties for breaches involving foreign money and expanded powers for regulators to pursue violations.
Last month, Western, along with a group of other committee chairs, lobbied for a full ban on cryptocurrency donations by including a provision in the Representation of the People Bill. That, however, was not included in the legislation when the bill was introduced to the House of Commons on Feb. 12.
According to a BBC report, Reform UK was the first party at Westminster to accept political cryptocurrency donations in the UK, led by pro-crypto figure Nigel Farage, who announced the move after appearing at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas.
However, details on the party’s official website state that it does not accept anonymous donations and applies permissibility checks to ensure funds originate from UK-registered companies or individuals listed on the electoral register, with contributions above £500 subject to standard compliance procedures.
Across the globe, crypto donations became a defining feature of the U.S. election cycle last year, with several political figures, including current President Donald Trump, having embraced digital asset fundraising. Trump’s campaign began accepting cryptocurrency contributions during the 2024 race.
As previously reported by crypto.news, Representative Mike Collins from Georgia also announced plans to accept cryptocurrency donations last year.
The Federal Election Commission permits cryptocurrency contributions to political committees, provided they adhere to existing contribution limits, disclosure standards, and other reporting requirements.
Former Ethereum treasury firm EthZilla has officially rebranded as Forum Markets as it moves ahead with its pivot towards a full-fledged tokenized real-world assets-focused firm.
Summary
- Rebranded as Forum Markets, the company will trade under the ticker FRMM from March 2.
- Under the Forum Markets brand, the company is repositioning itself as a tokenised real-world asset platform.
- Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund exited its position in the company earlier this month as the stock remained deeply below its August 2025 peak.
According to the official announcement, the company has updated its corporate name and brand to Forum Markets as it moves away from its earlier positioning as an Ethereum treasury company. As part of the rebranding, it has also changed its Nasdaq ticker symbol to FRMM and is expected to begin trading under the new symbol on March 2, subject to Nasdaq approval.
Forum framed the move as the “next development in the company’s planned strategic evolution” and said it plans on “connecting traditional capital markets with blockchain-based financial infrastructure.”
“Forum embodies our belief that the next generation of financial markets will be built around institutional-grade, on-chain products backed by real assets, governed by transparency, and delivered through regulated infrastructure,” the company’s chairman and CEO, McAndrew Rudisill, said in an accompanying statement.
The company said its platform is designed to aggregate, structure, and tokenize cash generating real world assets that were previously inaccessible to a broader base of investors. Forum will leverage its subsidiaries and strategic partners to create a repeatable pipeline to originate and distribute tokenized investment products across multiple asset classes.
Forum has already begun phasing out its balance sheet crypto strategy and announced earlier this month that it had acquired two commercial jet engines leased to a “leading US air carrier,” which will underpin its first aviation-backed offering, the Eurus Aero Token I.
ETHZilla shares climbed more than 13% after the company announced the rebrand and ticker change. However, on a year-to-date basis, the company’s shares were down over 20% as crypto treasury stocks have struggled to gain traction over the past months.
ETHZilla, formerly a biotech company known as 180 Life Sciences, transitioned into an Ethereum treasury firm last year while crypto treasury stocks were trending. Subsequently, it acquired as much as 102,246 ETH at the height of the strategy, but as the initial enthusiasm faded and share prices retreated, the company later announced its intent to pivot toward the tokenized real-world asset market.
Earlier this month, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, an early backer of the company, exited its position. ETHZilla has also moved to sell portions of its assets to scale back its crypto exposure and initiate share buybacks in an effort to stabilise its equity performance.
Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum (ETH) will achieve quantum resistance soon via post-quantum hash-based signatures in the Strawmap, a four-year Layer 1 (L1) upgrade plan.
Why it matters:
- Quantum computers could break Ethereum’s current encryption; hash-based signatures would close that gap before the threat arrives.
- Buterin’s confirmation moves quantum resistance from a research topic to a scheduled Ethereum upgrade target.
- The Strawmap’s six-month fork schedule means quantum-resistant slots could ship within the plan’s first two upgrades.
The details:
- Buterin confirmed the timeline via X on February 26, 2026, citing the Ethereum Foundation’s Strawmap.
- The Strawmap was published at strawmap.org after an Ethereum Foundation workshop in January 2026.
- The name blends “strawman” and “roadmap,” meaning the plan is experimental and built to be revised.
- The four-year plan targets ~7 forks every six months; Glamsterdam and Hegotá are confirmed for 2026.
- Buterin also proposed cutting block time to 2 seconds and finality from ~16 minutes to 6–16 seconds.
The big picture:
- Bitcoin and Solana ecosystems are also running post-quantum research, making it a growing priority across blockchains.
- A fixed six-month fork schedule marks a faster, more structured upgrade cadence for Ethereum’s L1.
- The Strawmap is explicitly a draft — timelines, including quantum resistance, could shift as development progresses.
The post Vitalik Buterin Says Ethereum Will Soon Achieve Quantum Resistance appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Indiana lawmakers have passed House Bill 1042, commonly referred to as the Bitcoin Rights Bill, clearing both legislative chambers and sending the measure to Governor Mike Braun for final approval.
Summary
- Indiana’s HB 1042 Bitcoin Rights Bill has passed both legislative chambers and now awaits Governor Mike Braun’s signature.
- The bill would allow cryptocurrency investment options in public retirement plans and protect individual digital asset access.
- If signed, the law will take effect July 1, 2026, reflecting growing institutional adoption of Bitcoin.
Indiana passes Bitcoin Rights Bill as crypto adoption accelerates
If signed into law, the bill will take effect on July 1, 2026, and would allow cryptocurrency investment options within public retirement plans while affirming the rights of individuals to access and use digital assets.
The legislation marks a significant step in formalizing Bitcoin and broader digital asset participation within state-backed financial structures.
The news comes as Arizona lawmakers advanced Senate Bill 1649, which would create a Digital Assets Strategic Reserve Fund allowing the state to hold, invest and potentially lend seized cryptocurrencies.
By permitting exposure to cryptocurrencies in public pension portfolios, Indiana joins a growing list of jurisdictions responding to sustained institutional interest in Bitcoin (BTC), particularly following the strong performance and capital inflows into spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds over the past several years.
Supporters argue the bill ensures that Indiana’s public institutions and citizens are not disadvantaged as digital assets increasingly become integrated into global financial markets. The measure also reinforces protections for individuals to hold and transact in cryptocurrencies without undue restriction, signaling a pro-innovation stance from state lawmakers.
The push comes amid mounting pressure from financial markets to modernize investment frameworks. Since the launch and expansion of Bitcoin ETFs, institutional adoption has accelerated, prompting policymakers to revisit existing rules around retirement portfolio diversification and digital asset access.
Governor Braun has yet to announce whether he will sign the bill, but if enacted, Indiana would position itself as one of the more crypto-forward states heading into the second half of 2026.
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