Coinpedia - Fintech & Cryptocurreny News Media| Crypto Guide

Dragonfly Capital has closed its fourth fund at $650 million, even as it describes the current crypto venture landscape as a “mass extinction event.” Despite market challenges, the firm remains focused on key growth areas in crypto, including financial infrastructure, stablecoins, on-chain finance, and tokenized real-world assets (RWA). The move highlights Dragonfly’s long-term confidence in blockchain innovation, positioning the firm to back projects that could shape the future of decentralized finance despite broader market volatility.

Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin treasury company, Strategy, continued its aggressive accumulation by buying 2,486 BTC in its latest purchase, adding roughly $168 million to its treasury. This brings the firm’s total Bitcoin holdings to 717,131 BTC acquired for about $54.52 billion at an average price of around $76,027 per coin as of February 16, 2026, making it one of the largest corporate holders of Bitcoin and underscoring its long‑term belief in BTC despite recent market volatility.

Ethereum’s tokenized real-world assets, including U.S. Treasuries, gold, and private credit, have crossed $15 billion, growing about 200% year-over-year. These blockchain tokens enable easier trading, yields, and fractional ownership. Ethereum holds 58% of the global non-stablecoin RWA market, with major players like BlackRock’s $1.8 billion BUIDL fund fueling growth. Transfer volumes doubled to $26 billion in 30 days, pushing RWAs to No. 4 in DeFi by total value locked at $21.5 billion, with analysts forecasting trillions more by 2030.

XRP is showing signs of a potential major move as it forms key technical setups like triangles and rising channels. Analysts point to breakout levels between $2.80 and $3.30, which could push the price above $5 if buying momentum increases. Strong support around $2.00 to $2.30 is crucial to keep the bullish outlook intact, and rising trading volume along with positive trend indicators suggest the market could see significant gains if these levels hold.

Standard Chartered has cut its XRP year‑end 2026 price forecast from $8 to $2.80, a sharp 65% reduction, citing sustained weakness across the crypto market and waning institutional flows. The bank’s digital assets team noted that XRP’s price recently dipped to multi‑month lows amid broader sell‑offs in major tokens. Persistent ETF outflows, macroeconomic pressure, and risk‑off sentiment across digital assets have forced the reassessment. This downgrade aligns with similar cuts to Bitcoin and Ethereum forecasts, reflecting deep market challenges.

Financial author Robert Kiyosaki says the massive market crash he predicted in his 2013 book Rich Dad’s Prophecy is now close. He believes investors holding assets like gold, silver, Ethereum, and Bitcoin could gain, while those unprepared may face losses. Kiyosaki adds that he is increasing his Bitcoin holdings as prices drop, pointing to its 21 million supply limit and calling market crashes powerful opportunities to buy assets at discounted prices.

Ethereum co founder Vitalik Buterin said in a post on X that Ethereum continues to operate as a fully permissionless and neutral network, beyond the control of any single person, including himself. He noted that labeling certain DeFi, AI, or prediction market apps as low value or profit-driven represents personal opinion and free speech, not censorship. Drawing a comparison to Linux, he said open platforms allow diverse projects to exist, even as debate within the community continues.

Harvard Management Company reduced its position in the iShares Bitcoin Trust by about 21 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, holding 5.35 million shares valued at roughly $265.8 million. During the same period, the endowment initiated a new $86.8 million stake in the iShares Ethereum Trust, marking its first reported exposure to an Ethereum‑based ETF. As of December 31, 2025, Harvard’s combined Bitcoin and Ether ETF holdings totaled $352.6 million, reflecting a rebalancing within its digital asset allocations.

Security researchers have uncovered a new phishing campaign in which fraudsters send physical mail to owners of Ledger and Trezor wallets, impersonating official support. The letters use convincing logos and messaging to push users toward fraudulent websites that ask for recovery seed phrases, which are private keys that grant full control of crypto assets. This offline tactic aims to bypass usual email and SMS filters. Experts strongly advise never sharing or entering seed phrases online and to always verify support contact details through official company channels to avoid theft.

OKX has secured a Payment Institution license from Malta’s financial regulator, giving it full regulatory approval to offer stablecoin payment services across the European Union under the bloc’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) and Payment Services Directive (PSD2) frameworks. This license lets OKX expand OKX Pay and the OKX Card, supporting stablecoins like USDC and USDG in compliant transactions throughout the EU. The move strengthens OKX’s regulated presence ahead of tighter European crypto rules taking effect in 2026 and positions the exchange to bring stablecoins into everyday payments and card spending.