In early February 2026, the Coinbase Premium Index declined to -167.8, the weakest level since December 2024, signaling pronounced selling pressure from institutions using Coinbase. US spot Bitcoin ETFs shifted from accumulating 46,000 BTC in 2025 to offloading 10,600 BTC in 2026, creating a 56,000 BTC demand gap and aligning with sustained negative Coinbase premium readings since mid-October 2025.

On 4 February 2026 and 30 January 2026, Bhutan executed two Bitcoin transfers to QCP Capital totaling more than $22 million, reducing its holdings as on-chain data attributed to Arkham Intelligence shows. Since the April 2024 halving cut block rewards from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC, the country's average production cost per Bitcoin has climbed to $37,856, while its overall reserves have declined from 13,295 BTC in October 2024 to 5,700 BTC by February 2026.

India will begin exchanging crypto-asset transaction details under the OECD's CARF on 1 April 2027. Penalties effective 1 April 2026 set ₹200 per day for failing to file required statements and ₹50,000 for inaccurate submissions. The existing 30% tax on gains and 1% TDS on certain transactions remain unchanged.

On 2 February 2026, Tether introduced MiningOS, an open-source operating system tailored for Bitcoin mining and licensed under Apache 2.0. The platform, presented at the 2026 Plan ₿ forum in El Salvador, aims to replace proprietary mining tools, with a community-driven Mining SDK planned for future release.

Hong Kong Monetary Authority aims to approve the first batch of fiat-referenced stablecoin licenses by March 2026, following a disclosure by Chief Executive Eddie Yue on 02 February 2026. The regulator has received 36 applications but intends to grant only a very small number initially to prioritize prudence and financial stability.

A UAE-backed investment vehicle acquired a 49% interest in World Liberty Financial, the Trump family's cryptocurrency firm, for $500 million under a deal signed on January 16, 2025, four days before Donald Trump's second inauguration. The investment was structured in two $250 million tranches, altered the Trump family's equity stake, and granted the Emirati side a 49% holding via Aryam Investment 1. The company issues the USD1 stablecoin, which was later used to settle a $2 billion crypto investment, while separate U.S.-UAE agreements covered access to Nvidia AI chips in 2025.

On 30 January 2026, Tether issued 192,657 Tether Gold (XAUT) tokens on the Ethereum blockchain, with the batch valued at roughly $946 million. Each XAUT represents one troy ounce of gold stored in Swiss vaults, and the new issuance equals about six metric tons of physical gold, expanding Tether's position in the tokenised gold market.

On 01 Feb 2026, a Delaware judge allowed a shareholder derivative lawsuit over alleged insider trading by Coinbase directors to move forward. The case challenges more than $2.9 billion in stock sales tied to Coinbase's April 2021 direct listing and claims insiders avoided over $1 billion in losses when the share price later declined.

Bitcoin fell to about $82,300 on 30 January 2026, marking a two-month low as risk assets weakened. Traders reacted to reports that Kevin Warsh could be named the next Federal Reserve chair, while U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs saw roughly $1.1–$1.14 billion in net outflows during 20–26 January. Leveraged long positions faced heavy liquidations around the late-January slide.