On February 26, 2026, Representatives Zoe Lofgren, Ben Cline, and Scott Fitzgerald introduced the Promoting Innovation in Blockchain Development Act of 2026 to adjust how federal criminal law treats blockchain software creators. The bill focuses on Section 1960 of the Federal Criminal Code and defines "non-controlling developers" to distinguish coders from money transmitters. It follows high-profile Tornado Cash and Samourai Wallet convictions and complements a separate Senate bill introduced in January 2026.

The United Kingdom's Gambling Commission is examining how cryptoassets could be used as payment methods at licensed online gambling platforms, according to a speech by executive director Tim Miller. Any such option would still require firms to obtain FCA authorization under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and be subject to strict affordability and suitability checks, with implementation aligned to the FCA's new crypto licensing framework targeting October 2027.

On 27 February 2026, Cardone Capital announced a plan to move $5 billion of U.S. real estate equity onto blockchain tokens. The firm is evaluating an Ethereum Layer 2 partner to support high-volume activity, with offerings structured under SEC rules for accredited investors and a goal of enabling controlled secondary trading by mid-2026.

In 2025, Chainalysis reported that ransomware incidents climbed by about 50%, with attackers shifting their focus toward small and mid-sized businesses instead of major corporate targets. Nearly 8,000 leak events were logged, yet on-chain ransom payments fell to $820 million, down eight percent year-on-year. Analysts linked the falling payouts to stricter enforcement against laundering networks, cheaper dark‑web access, and AI‑driven tools that have boosted low‑cost but less profitable attack campaigns, while separate data showed crypto theft of $370.3 million in January 2026.

On February 27, 2026, up to eight major wallets on Polymarket's ZachXBT prediction market were flagged for unusually large gains after backing Axiom. The market drew over $39M in volume, with 3,630 wallets participating and early odds near 15% enabling outsized profits; one leading wallet bridged USDC to Ethereum.

Chainalysis' annual report finds ransomware leak events climbed 50% in 2025 to nearly 8,000, while on-chain ransom payments slipped 8% to $820 million. The firm cites regulatory pressure, enforcement against laundering infrastructure, and more refusals to pay, prompting a pivot toward small and mid-sized targets.

On February 26 2026, Foom.Cash, an Ethereum-based privacy protocol promoted as an evolution of Tornado Cash, suffered an exploit that led to losses of roughly $2.26 million in tokens. An attacker allegedly abused a misconfigured Groth16 zkSNARK verifier across Ethereum and Base, enabling forged proofs that drained 24.28 trillion FOOM tokens, with about $427,000 taken by the exploiter and around $1.83 million shifted in a white-hat rescue. The team has not yet publicly outlined remediation steps or the full impact.

On Thursday, Representatives Scott Fitzgerald, Ben Cline and Zoe Lofgren introduced the Promoting Innovation in Blockchain Development Act to curb prosecutions of developers without custody or control of others' crypto assets by narrowing Section 1960. The Blockchain Association and the DeFi Education Fund backed the proposal, which they say could influence cases involving Roman Storm and Samourai Wallet.