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Traders betting against the prices of major cryptocurrencies are feeling the pain Wednesday as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other top assets are well in the green, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of short position liquidations.Bitcoin (BTC) has rebounded to nearly $69,000 for the first time in more than a week, recently trading for $69,869 after falling below the $63,000 mark on Tuesday. While up more than 7% on the day, the price of the leading cryptocurrency remains down more than 21% over the last 30 days.Altcoins Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) are the biggest gainers among the top…

In brief Senator Richard Blumenthal has opened an investigation into alleged sanctions violations at Binance. A Wall Street Journal report claimed that $1.7 billion flowed from Binance accounts to Iran-linked entities. Binance has denied wrongdoing and accused the WSJ of defamatory reporting. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, has opened a preliminary inquiry into Binance following reports that the cryptocurrency exchange allowed $1.7 billion in transactions tied to Iranian entities and Russia’s sanctions-evading oil trade.The probe follows reporting by The Wall Street Journal alleging that internal Binance investigators uncovered transfers from…

Bitcoin spent the last two days sliding down familiar shelves, and the order book kept printing lower bids as liquidity thinned.However, by Wednesday afternoon, the price traded back toward $65,000 after sweeping the low $63,000s, with the last 24 hours spanning roughly $62,800 to $66,200.The bounce depicts a market that hit the air pocket, found the next ledge, and then checked whether the wrapper still had buyers behind it. Related ReadingBitcoin defends $61k as spot ETF flows swing — if we lose this floor and $56k opens fastBitcoin risks fast repricing toward $56k soon if $61k support gives way. Feb…

In brief The Financial Conduct Authority has selected four firms for a stablecoin regulatory sandbox. The program will help shape final UK stablecoin rules due later this year. The sandbox will let the companies test stablecoin issuance in real-world conditions without regulatory penalties. The UK’s top financial regulator announced Wednesday that it has selected four crypto firms to participate in a risk-free regulatory sandbox that will inform how the agency shapes stablecoin rules later this year.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) chose neobank startup Revolut to participate in the sandbox, along with three other companies: Monee Financial Technologies, ReStabilise, and VVTX.…

Thanks to a surge in bitcoin’s price, Strategy (MSTR) is having a great day on Wall Street despite some alarming balance sheet data. Among global equities valued above $25 billion, Strategy Inc. (MSTR) now carries the largest short position relative to its size. Roughly 14% of its $41.6 billion market capitalization has been sold short, placing it at the top of rankings compiled by firms including Goldman Sachs and FactSet. This is not a typical short story. Strategy trades as a corporate balance sheet wrapped around Bitcoin. Its equity functions as a leveraged instrument on BTC, shaped by debt issuance…

Social media giant Meta is quietly plotting a return to stablecoins. This time, however, the primary beneficiary may not be Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse, but the US Treasury market.On Feb. 24, Coindesk reported that Meta was exploring stablecoin-based payments for a possible rollout in the second half of 2026, likely through a third-party provider rather than a Meta-issued token.The structure marks a break from the Libra era and suggests Meta is pursuing the utility of digital dollars, cheap and instant settlement, without reviving the full political backlash that followed its earlier attempt to build a private global currency.If the effort moves…

In brief Kalshi shared information about two insider trading cases. They involved a YouTube video editor for MrBeast and a California political candidate, the company said. Both individuals faced suspensions and fines. Kalshi revealed enforcement actions against two traders on Wednesday, saying a political candidate in California and YouTube video editor who worked for MrBeast conducted insider trading on its prediction markets platform.The cases are among the first that Kalshi has made public after sifting through a monthslong backlog of suspicious trading activity. They resulted in fines and disciplinary actions, as well as referrals to the CFTC, according to a…

Bitcoin spent the last two days sliding down familiar shelves, and the order book kept printing lower bids as liquidity thinned.However, by Wednesday afternoon, the price traded back toward $65,000 after sweeping the low $63,000s, with the last 24 hours spanning roughly $62,800 to $66,200.The bounce depicts a market that hit the air pocket, found the next ledge, and then checked whether the wrapper still had buyers behind it. Related ReadingBitcoin defends $61k as spot ETF flows swing — if we lose this floor and $56k opens fastBitcoin risks fast repricing toward $56k soon if $61k support gives way. Feb…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure The Bitcoin price continues to be stuck in a drawdown trend and broke below the $64,000 support at the start of this week. This move solidified the bears being in charge, thereby signaling the possibility of more sell-offs as investors move to avoid more losses. Amid the chaos, a major historical trend looks to be at risk of being broken. This has to do with the monthly close high of the previous cycle, a level that Bitcoin has now fallen dangerously close to. Bitcoin Threatens To Break…

Two regulators converged on the same market from opposite directions in February 2026.The European Securities and Markets Authority warned that derivatives marketed as “perpetual futures” or “perpetual contracts” tied to Bitcoin and Ethereum likely fall within the scope of contracts-for-difference regulations, regardless of what firms call them.Days earlier, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Michael Selig announced his agency would use its tools to “onshore” perpetual and other novel derivative products with appropriate safeguards. Related ReadingCrypto faces an offshore liquidity imbalance as US derivatives policy stalls ahead of 2026 showdownLobbying is turning into a moat as lawmakers draft crypto…

In brief Solana led majors with 8.1% gains as total liquidations hit $324M Nvidia faces a $65.7 billion revenue forecast as traders wait for the earnings calls. Analyst warns structural bear market remains despite short-term rally Cryptocurrencies including Polkadot, Solana, Bittensor, and Uniswap led a broad altcoin rally Wednesday ahead of Nvidia’s highly anticipated earnings report, with the tech-focused bounce extending across major tokens.Among the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market cap, Polkadot led with gains of 11.5% in the past 24 hours, while Solana jumped 8.1%, “AI-proxy” token Bittensor rose 6.8% and high-beta major coin Uniswap gained 7.7%, per CoinGecko…

Morning Minute is a daily newsletter written by Tyler Warner. The analysis and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Decrypt. Subscribe to the Morning Minute on Substack.GM!Today’s top news: Crypto majors rebound sharply, up 4-8%; BTC at $65.7k Meta confirms plans to re-enter stablecoins across Facebook, Whatsapp and IG Coinbase launches 24/5 stock trading with no fees & fractional shares Tether teased an upcoming product, with speculation of card or neobank Virtual rebounds 20% as Base continues to drive the onchain AI meta ? Stablecoins Are Eating EverythingForget crypto winter.The stablecoin market doesn’t care.? What HappenedOn…

Public Bitcoin miners collectively held 115,335 BTC as of Feb. 20, worth roughly $7.4 billion at the recent price, but that treasury dropped 4.44% month-over-month, the first sustained contraction since miners began stockpiling coins as balance-sheet assets.The decline wasn’t an accident. Riot Platforms sold 1,818 BTC in December 2025 for $161.6 million in net proceeds. Bitdeer liquidated its entire treasury, selling 189.8 BTC it mined plus dumping 943.1 BTC from reserves to fund a pivot into AI infrastructure backed by $300 million in convertible notes.The pattern suggests miner treasuries are shifting from strategic reserves to working capital, and the timing…

In brief A federal judge has dismissed xAI’s trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, finding the complaint failed to connect the company itself to any alleged theft by former employees. The court acknowledged that it found no evidence that OpenAI induced the theft or used the stolen material in its products. xAI has until March 17 to refile an amended complaint; a parallel suit against engineer Xuechen Li personally remains active. A federal judge has tossed xAI’s trade-secrets case against OpenAI, ruling that Elon Musk’s startup didn’t plead enough facts tying OpenAI itself to any theft—while still leaving the door open…

Bitcoin is entering a period where macro sequencing matters more than narrative.Equity markets are trading near record valuations, real yields remain elevated, and credit markets are expanding into increasingly opaque corners of the financial system. None of these conditions guarantees an imminent break. But together they form the backdrop for what could become a high-volatility window for risk assets.For Bitcoin, the key question centers on whether stress emerges in the financial plumbing beneath elevated asset valuations and how quickly policymakers move to contain it.Macro strategist Michael Pento describes the current setup as a “triple bubble”: equities priced near historic extremes,…