Today's Cryptocurrency News (February 24) | Gate's spot market share remains among the top three globally; Russia investigates Pavel Durov
This article summarizes cryptocurrency news as of February 24, 2026, focusing on the latest Bitcoin updates, Ethereum upgrades, Dogecoin trends, real-time crypto prices, and price forecasts. Major Web3 events today include:
Strategy announced an additional $40 million investment in Bitcoin, despite prevailing market pessimism about Bitcoin price forecasts. The company currently holds $55 billion worth of Bitcoin, with an average cost of approximately $76,020. At Bitcoin’s current price of $63,000, unrealized losses approach $10 billion. CEO Michael Saylor stated that the company employs a dollar-cost averaging strategy and is not concerned about short-term price fluctuations.
Recently, Bitcoin has been impacted by geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainties driven by AI development, and policy shifts under the Trump administration, leading to continuous price declines. Matt Howells-Barby, Vice President of Growth at CEX, indicated that Bitcoin could potentially fall to $50,000 in the short term. Data from DefiLlama shows that in February, investors sold over $1 billion worth of Bitcoin ETFs, bringing the total ETF decline since November last year to $7 billion. CF Benchmark data shows that major hedge funds reduced their Bitcoin ETF holdings by 28% between Q3 and Q4.
In addition to trade tensions, Citrini Research’s report “Global AI Crisis 2028” has caused market upheaval. The report warns that AI development could lead to mass layoffs of white-collar workers, weakening consumer spending and slowing economic growth. Following the report’s release, stock markets declined sharply, with the Dow Jones dropping over 800 points in a single day, and IBM’s stock experiencing its largest single-day decline in 25 years. Tech ETFs overall fell 24%, and the S&P 500 could plummet by up to 38% under certain scenarios.
However, some analysts believe that AI’s impact on employment might ultimately benefit Bitcoin. Maelstrom’s Chief Investment Officer Arthur Hayes pointed out that rising unemployment could increase debt burdens, forcing the Federal Reserve to adopt easing monetary policies, which could create upward momentum for Bitcoin.
Market sentiment remains complex and volatile. Strategy’s increased Bitcoin holdings indicate institutional long-term positioning, but whether prices will rebound to $50,000 depends on the combined effects of geopolitics, AI development, and macroeconomic policies.
Russia has launched an investigation into Telegram founder Pavel Durov, accusing him of “assisting terrorist activities,” indicating a serious deterioration in his relationship with the Kremlin. According to official media outlets Rossiya and Komsomolskaya Pravda, Telegram is accused of being a tool for Western and Ukrainian intelligence agencies and of being used to plan multiple attacks against Russia. The reports cite materials from the Federal Security Service (FSB), stating that Durov’s actions are under criminal investigation.
Since leaving Russia in 2014, Durov has built Telegram into a platform centered on privacy and independent of state control. He has acquired French and UAE citizenship and successfully resisted Moscow’s attempts to ban the platform in 2018. Nonetheless, Russia continues to pressure Telegram, including restricting traffic, blocking certain features, and encouraging users to switch to the state-controlled messaging app Max.
Telegram reportedly has over 105 million monthly active users in Russia. Even during the Ukraine war, when many Western social media platforms were blocked, government agencies and military units relied on Telegram for official communications and frontline coordination. President Putin’s spokesperson also communicates with the media via Telegram.
The latest Russian action was triggered by Telegram’s refusal to store user data domestically and censor content. Boris Titov, last week, stated that he had previously negotiated with Durov but “achieved no results,” accusing him of tolerating numerous illegal activities. Durov responded that the move aims to force citizens to use a state-controlled, surveillable platform.
Observers suggest that Russia’s measures against Telegram could lead to significant changes in the domestic information ecosystem. As an independent communication channel, Telegram’s role in public life, military coordination, and information dissemination makes this investigation into its founder potentially far-reaching for the entire digital communication environment. The current situation shows deepening rifts between Durov and the Kremlin, with Telegram’s operations in Russia facing new uncertainties.
World Liberty Financial (WLFI) has declined approximately 8% over the past 24 hours, weakening after falling below the critical $1 level. Previously, WLFI was forming a bullish cup-and-handle pattern, but recent volatility has been mainly driven by leveraged liquidations rather than long-term investor selling.
On-chain data shows that WLFI’s largest holder wallet increased holdings from 8.23 billion to 8.56 billion tokens since February 19, adding about 330 million tokens, roughly $35 million. This indicates that whales have actively entered during the price decline, reflecting confidence in a future recovery. Meanwhile, exchange inflows have decreased from 128 million to just 8.9 million tokens, a nearly 93% drop, suggesting reduced retail selling pressure.
Technically, WLFI’s key resistance is at $0.125. Breaking above this level could confirm the handle formation and push the price toward $0.166, with potential to reach $0.200 if buying continues. On the downside, falling below $0.101 would weaken the pattern, and dropping below $0.095 would invalidate the bullish outlook. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) previously showed a hidden bearish divergence, indicating that short-term rebounds may be limited, but current market sentiment has improved from lows, with panic gradually easing.
This decline relates to the Silvergate event from February 16–18, where the price surged 32% before experiencing a short-term correction due to leveraged long liquidations. Despite this, whale accumulation and reduced retail selling provide support, and the market remains at a critical juncture.
Overall, WLFI’s short-term trend depends on whether buying can rebuild confidence and break through $0.125. Success could trigger a technical rebound; continued downward pressure, especially below $0.101 or $0.095, would increase bearish risks. Whale activity and exchange fund flows will be key indicators of market recovery and potential rebound.
As the US advances its regulatory framework for stablecoins, the “Genius Act” is viewed as a key policy to reshape the stablecoin industry landscape. Analysts suggest that under this legislation, the leading compliant CEX’s stablecoin-related revenue could grow by 2 to 7 times, with some institutions interpreting this as a potential “tenfold” long-term growth story, making it a major narrative for the 2026 crypto market.
Signed by President Trump, the act aims to establish a clear compliance system for US stablecoins, including requirements for issuers to hold reserves in high-quality liquid assets like US Treasuries at a 1:1 ratio, and to strengthen anti-money laundering and transparency measures. This design will significantly reduce regulatory uncertainty around stablecoins, encouraging institutional participation and expanding their use in payments, settlements, and on-chain finance.
From a revenue perspective, stablecoin operations have become a key growth driver for the leading CEX. Data shows that by 2025, stablecoin-related income accounted for about 19% of total revenue. With clearer regulation, trading volume, custody demand, and institutional partnerships are expected to rise, boosting transaction fees, custody services, and ecosystem revenue. Its robust compliance infrastructure gives the platform a first-mover advantage in a friendly regulatory environment.
However, growth potential also involves policy trade-offs. The act’s requirement for issuers to hold large US Treasury reserves could push stablecoin reserves into the trillions of dollars, increasing the interconnectedness with traditional finance. If profit-sharing is restricted by regulation, user incentives might weaken, potentially slowing adoption.
Market consensus sees this as a step toward integrating crypto with traditional finance. Improved regulatory clarity should boost institutional confidence and expand the US dollar stablecoin ecosystem. In the coming months, stablecoin regulation, institutional capital inflows, and compliant stablecoin growth will be key factors influencing the valuation of this CEX and the broader crypto market structure.
The Federal Reserve announced a 60-day public consultation to remove “reputation risk” as a key criterion in bank oversight, a move widely seen as an important signal to improve banking services for crypto firms. If approved, banks will no longer face additional regulatory burdens based on subjective reputation concerns when providing accounts and settlement services to digital asset companies, alleviating the longstanding “debanking” problem.
In recent years, US regulatory environments have been criticized for creating implicit barriers to banking crypto firms, with some institutions closing accounts over compliance or reputation fears, leading to difficulties in opening bank accounts and limited fund channels. This policy shift aims to reduce banks’ non-quantitative concerns about crypto, allowing financial institutions to base decisions on clear compliance standards rather than vague reputation judgments, thereby improving financial access for the digital asset industry.
At the policy level, Fed Vice Chair Bowman publicly stated that the proposal would help protect firms from unfair financial exclusion and promote a more neutral and transparent financial system. Senator Lummis also expressed support, calling it an important step toward ending “debanking” disputes. Market analysts suggest that this regulatory signal could stabilize long-term banking relationships for crypto startups and blockchain infrastructure firms, improving liquidity access.
From an industry perspective, a more stable banking environment would make it easier for crypto startups and blockchain companies to access fiat channels, settlement services, and corporate accounts, which is crucial for Web3 innovation, stablecoin settlement, and compliant digital asset operations. Clearer banking regulations are also likely to attract institutional capital to reassess crypto investments.
This policy adjustment indicates that the US is recalibrating the balance between crypto regulation and financial inclusion. As banks’ service predictability for digital asset firms improves, the industry’s compliance development could accelerate, further integrating digital assets into mainstream finance.
The SEC’s Cryptocurrency Task Force has announced a significant personnel change, with Chainlink Deputy General Counsel Taylor Lindman officially joining as Chief Legal Advisor, succeeding Michael Selig. This appointment is viewed as a sign of increasing professionalism in US digital asset regulation.
On February 23, Chainlink confirmed Lindman’s departure via X (Twitter), thanking him for his five years of legal and compliance contributions. Public records show Lindman was responsible for US and international regulatory compliance, focusing on token classification, smart contract legal frameworks, and digital asset record-keeping, engaging frequently with policymakers.
Notably, last March, Lindman served as the primary liaison between Chainlink and the SEC during crypto regulation meetings, discussing token attributes and compliance record requirements, demonstrating deep experience in crypto compliance and blockchain regulation.
This personnel change also involves Selig, who has now become Chair of the CFTC, further highlighting talent movement and policy coordination among US regulators. Meanwhile, former Coin Center Policy Director Landon Zinda remains a senior advisor, and Veronica Reynolds participates as a legal expert in digital assets.
The crypto task force was established in January 2025, led by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, with the goal of developing clearer regulatory frameworks, promoting token compliance, and systematizing blockchain legal standards and Web3 policies. Since its inception, the group has held multiple roundtables and engaged with industry stakeholders, shifting from an enforcement-first approach to a more forward-looking regulatory path.
With industry-experienced legal experts onboard, the US’s crypto regulatory environment, digital asset classification standards, and smart contract compliance rules are expected to accelerate significantly in 2026.
The Ethereum Foundation has officially launched its treasury staking program, with approximately 70,000 ETH already staked, and the rewards directly flowing into the foundation’s treasury. This move aligns with its previously announced treasury management policies, marking the start of institutional-grade native Ethereum staking and enhancing long-term sustainability.
Technically, the foundation selected an open-source distributed signing solution Dirk and verification coordination software Vouch. Dirk deploys cross-region signing nodes to reduce single points of failure and increase resilience; Vouch supports hybrid configurations of multiple beacon and execution clients to mitigate client centralization risks. Its validator infrastructure uses minority-client strategies and combines hosted resources with self-deployed hardware across jurisdictions to improve decentralization and stability.
Validators use Type 2 (0x02) withdrawal credentials, offering greater flexibility. These credentials allow balance transfers via account merging, simplifying key management, and increasing each validator’s maximum effective balance to 2,048 ETH, significantly reducing the number of required signing keys to about 35. Even if validators go offline, they can trigger exit via withdrawal addresses, enhancing operational security. Notably, the system builds blocks locally rather than relying on proposer-builder separation, further improving autonomous control.
From an industry perspective, the foundation’s direct participation in Ethereum consensus staking not only earns native ETH rewards to support ecosystem development and research but also entails costs and risks associated with staking operations. This “self-validating, self-rewarding” model offers a reference for institutional Ethereum staking, treasury asset allocation, and on-chain revenue management, setting new standards for validator transparency and operational benchmarks. The remaining validators are expected to deploy gradually over the coming weeks.
Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings announced it will issue a ¥10 billion unsecured digital bond, “SBI START Bond,” open for retail investors in Japan with a minimum investment of ¥10,000. The issuance size is approximately $64.6 million, comparable to recent large Japanese digital bond offerings, marking an important step toward retail participation in Japan’s digital securities market.
The product incorporates crypto asset incentives, with investors receiving XRP tokens as rewards. Eligible domestic investors must register accounts with SBI VC Trade to receive rewards. The XRP rewards will be distributed in May 2026, with partial interest payments scheduled from 2027 to 2029. Industry analysts see this as a move to expand digital asset account registrations and boost retail engagement in blockchain financial products.
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