Crypto News Today [Live] Updates

ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood has blamed a Binance software issue for last year’s crypto flash crash, which saw Bitcoin fall from $122K to $105K, triggering $28 billion in forced margin calls and wiping out $19 billion in leveraged positions. The crash coincided with U.S. stocks losing $1.5 trillion amid China tariff fears. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao refuted the claim, citing that investigations found no core system outage. Binance has provided full compensation and established a $400 million relief fund for affected users. The debate highlights ongoing scrutiny over crypto platform stability during market turbulence.

The number of Bitcoin ($BTC) coins in profit has dropped sharply from 19.8M to 11.2M, signaling that high-entry holders are selling at a loss. Long-term metrics suggest the market is entering a stress zone, historically a point where smart money starts accumulating. Analysts note that as weaker hands exit, stronger hands step in, making this a potential buying opportunity for institutional and long-term investors.

Bank of America (BofA) has disclosed owning 13,000 shares of the Volatility Shares XRP ETF, worth around $224,640, according to a Feb 3 SEC filing. The move shows BofA’s growing engagement with XRP, complementing its ongoing work with Ripple on cross-border payments and the RLUSD stablecoin. Spot XRP ETFs also saw $19.46M in inflows recently, though XRP remains under $1.60 amid market pressure. BofA continues to explore regulated crypto exposure for its clients.

According to QCP analysis, Bitcoin ($BTC) dipped to a post-election low of $72.9K before bouncing back to test $75K. The move saw falling futures open interest and negative funding, signaling deleveraging. Options data shows high short-term volatility and steeper downside risk, hinting at potential near-term weakness. Analysts say $75K is a key level: holding it encourages buying, while a break could trigger a more defensive market stance.

Bitcoin ($BTC) saw wild price swings in under an hour, dropping below $73,000 and liquidating $285M, before quickly rebounding to $76,000, triggering another $100M in liquidations. Analysts note strong liquidity around $72,000–$74,000, which could be tested again, while the $78,000–$82,000 zone has significant liquidity, making it a likely target for the next move. Traders are closely watching these levels for short-term opportunities.

The XRP Ledger has activated its Permissioned Domains feature, allowing accounts with proper KYC and AML credentials to access certain zones. Approved by over 80% of validators, this change lets banks set up safe transactions with up to 10 approved issuer pairs. Ripple CTO David Schwartz said it helps institutions, including Ripple’s 300+ partners, use the ledger confidently. A related Permissioned DEX upgrade is close to activation, further supporting compliant institutional adoption.

Blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs has closed a $70 million Series C funding round led by Blockchain Capital, with participation from Goldman Sachs, Bessemer, Brevan Howard, Thoma Bravo, and Citi Ventures, pushing its valuation to $1 billion. The firm provides blockchain intelligence software that helps track crypto-related crime, serving law enforcement agencies and private clients worldwide. This funding will accelerate TRM Labs’ growth and expand its global compliance and investigation solutions.