Coinpedia - Fintech & Cryptocurreny News Media| Crypto Guide

On Feb. 13, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted a modest $15.20 million in net inflows, reversing recent outflow pressure seen earlier in the week, with Fidelity’s FBTC leading with about $11.99 million collected. Meanwhile, spot Ethereum ETFs also saw $10.26 million in net inflows, as Grayscale’s Ethereum Mini Trust ETF recorded the largest single-day gain of $14.51 million, marking a short-term rebound in institutional appetite for core crypto products amid ongoing market volatility and rotation in investment flows.

Russia’s Central Bank will study the risks and benefits of a ruble-pegged stablecoin this year, First Deputy Governor Vladimir Chistyukhin said at the Alfa Talk conference in Moscow. The research will learn from other countries and lead to public discussion. The move comes as crypto use in international trade grows amid sanctions, with a daily turnover of 50 billion rubles. A ruble stablecoin could give the private sector more flexibility, complementing the ongoing digital ruble pilot, while foreign-pegged private coins remain restricted.

A Florida federal judge has awarded Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary $2.8 million in a defamation lawsuit against crypto influencer Ben “BitBoy” Armstrong after Armstrong failed to defend the case. Armstrong’s March 2025 social media posts falsely accused O’Leary of murder related to a 2019 boating accident, in which O’Leary was never charged, and his wife was acquitted, and shared his private phone number, leading to harassment. The damages include reputational harm, emotional distress, and punitive awards, highlighting the risks of false online accusations.

A Virginia federal judge sentenced the 61-year-old CEO of Praetorian Group International to 20 years in prison for orchestrating a $200 million Bitcoin Ponzi scheme that ran from late 2019 through 2021. He lured investors with phony daily returns of 0.5%-3% via a fake online trading portal, but no real trading ever occurred. Prosecutors detailed how he spent millions on luxury homes in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, high-end cars, designer goods, and family transfers. The court also ordered $62.7 million in restitution and forfeiture of $12.2 million in cash and properties as victims pursue compensation.

Seoul authorities disclosed that about $1.5 million in Bitcoin seized in a 2021 fraud case was transferred out of a secure wallet without detection and only uncovered during a nationwide audit. Although the device itself remained physically intact, the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency has opened an investigation into possible internal involvement. The case follows a separate incident in which the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office lost 320 BTC in a phishing attack, raising fresh concerns over how confiscated crypto assets are protected in South Korea.

South Korea’s leading exchanges Upbit and Bithumb announced they will remove Loopring ($LRC) from trading on March 16, 2026, at 1500 KST. The decision comes after ongoing concerns over disclosure transparency, project operations, and development progress. Withdrawals will remain available until April 16, but deposits and services such as airdrops will no longer be supported. The announcement caused $LRC to drop about 10%, reflecting growing regulatory oversight and stronger protections for crypto users in South Korea.

A social media post claimed Binance earned 60,000 BTC by shorting Bitcoin on BitMEX ahead of the March 2020 Black Thursday crash. Binance co‑founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao dismissed it as fake news, stating Binance never traded on BitMEX and there’s no proof or official record of such activity. He also noted BitMEX’s withdrawal system wouldn’t support a huge single exit. Most in the crypto community called the rumor baseless FUD, with no evidence offered to back it.

The Royal Government of Bhutan has been steadily selling Bitcoin, including another $6.7 million this week, as part of ongoing periodic liquidations that follow heavier sales in September and beyond. After expanding mining plans with Bitdeer Technologies to boost capacity toward 600 MW, on-chain data shows Bhutan’s mining output dropped after the April 2024 halving, making mining less efficient. Despite these sales, identified government wallets still hold roughly $372 million worth of BTC, reflecting a gradual shift from mining accumulation toward strategic reserve management amid market challenges.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino shared a demo of QVAC, the company’s new AI assistant designed to run entirely on users’ own devices, not in the cloud. QVAC utilizes the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to support multiple skills and can complete tasks such as creating assignments in apps, all through local inference and reasoning, even on a modest laptop GPU. The design emphasizes privacy by keeping data on the device, and Tether plans to release QVAC as an open-source project for developers soon.

Strategy has announced the purchase of 1,142 Bitcoin for roughly $90 million, at an average price of about $78,815 per BTC. This latest acquisition brings the company’s total Bitcoin holdings to 714,644 BTC, bought for around $54.35 billion at an average cost of $76,056 each. The move reinforces Strategy’s long-term commitment to accumulating Bitcoin, even as prices fluctuate, highlighting its continued confidence in the world’s largest cryptocurrency as a store of value.