Crypto Live News Today : Feb 18th

The LIBRA token, recently dubbed a rug pull, has further tarnished Solana’s memecoin ecosystem, according to Galaxy Research. Following liquidity issues triggered by the TRUMP token in January, LIBRA’s launch coincided with a steep decline in Solana’s value and a 90% drop from its $4.5 billion market cap peak. Despite endorsement from Argentina’s President Javier Milei—and even impeachment threats—LIBRA’s creator, Hayden Davis, maintained it wasn’t a rug pull, but a plan gone awry with $100 million held in his custody.

OKX is among the first MiCA-licensed crypto exchanges to passport its services across Europe, offering fully regulated, localized crypto trading in the European Economic Area (EEA). Now available to over 400 million users in 28 countries via its Malta hub, users benefit from OTC, spot and bot trading, 240+ tokens, 300+ pairs including over 60 EUR pairs, free EUR deposits, multi-lingual support, local payment methods and more. This milestone under MiCA licensing heralds truly secure, accessible crypto trading for Europe.

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has halted new downloads of the Chinese-developed DeepSeek app from local app stores. Following concerns over the app’s data handling and its ChatGPT-like chatbot launched on Jan. 27, DeepSeek agreed on Feb. 15 to suspend downloads and work with regulators. The PIPC will conduct on-site inspections to ensure the app complies with domestic privacy laws and will advise existing users to exercise caution until the investigation is complete.

Investors have shifted focus to ether ETFs amid expectations that Ethereum’s upcoming Pectra upgrade will boost the cryptocurrency. U.S.-listed ether spot ETFs recorded a net inflow of $393 million this month, while bitcoin ETFs experienced $376 million in outflows. Traders are employing carry trading strategies, betting on improvements from the April 8 upgrade, which aims to enhance Ethereum’s execution and consensus layers. Despite ETH trading between $2,600 and $2,800 following an earlier crash, analysts remain optimistic about its resurgence potential.

Argentine President Javier Milei faces rising political turbulence following the failed $LIBRA launch. Polymarket odds place a 20% chance of his ouster in 2025, reflecting surging public dissatisfaction. Critics blame flawed digital currency policies and unmet economic promises, fueling widespread discontent. Milei’s supporters, however, believe he can weather the crisis by pivoting swiftly on fiscal reforms. As skepticism mounts, global observers question whether Milei’s administration can restore confidence and national stability or if political pressures will force an early departure.

Billionaire Elon Musk announced that xAI’s Grok 3, his advanced AI chatbot and ChatGPT challenger, will debut in a live demo at 9:30 AM IST on Tuesday, February 18. Dubbed the “smartest AI on Earth,” Grok 3 is powered by the Colossus supercomputer with over 100,000 Nvidia GPU hours and employs reinforcement learning to reduce hallucinations. Developed in eight months following Grok 2, the launch comes amid expectations of significant funding and a projected $75 billion valuation amid growing competition.

Argentine Judge María Servini has launched a fraud investigation into President Javier Milei over his promotion of the now-collapsed Solana-based LIBRA token. Lawyers accuse Milei of endorsing LIBRA before its value crashed by 95%, causing millions in losses. Blockchain analysis links the token’s creators to previous failed crypto projects. Milei’s office denies involvement in development, but critics label the episode “Cryptogate.” While Milei says he’s innocent, parallel investigations by the Anti-Corruption Office continue, rattling Argentina’s markets. Minister calls crypto risky.

Pi Network has opened a public poll inviting community members to decide whether Pi should be launched on Binance. Participants must cast a single vote—“Yes” or “No”—and provide comments. According to organizers, the vote will remain open from February 17, 2025, at 14:45 (UTC), until February 27, 2025, at 23:59 (UTC). This poll aims to gather opinions on Pi’s potential presence on one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges. Votes cannot be changed after submission. Final results will be disclosed.