DeepSeek, a prominent Chinese AI platform, has outlined a Bitcoin scenario in which early 2026 marks one of the cryptocurrency's most challenging stretches, with a potential drop toward about $41,000 before a recovery. After an accumulation phase and what it describes as a historically reflationary fourth quarter, the model envisions BTC trading around $100,000 by the end of 2026, following a decline from highs above $125,000 to roughly $66,013. The forecast also suggests that Bitcoin's low for 2026 may form in the second or third quarter before any strong rally takes hold.

Bitcoin fell about 3.3% within four hours on February 27, sliding from $68,000 to $65,770 after failing to reclaim $70,000 during the rebound that began on February 24. The $64,000 area is flagged as pivotal support, and a breach is seen as risking deeper losses and potential spillovers to U.S. equities.

After surging to nearly $3.50 in July 2025 and then dropping about 60%, XRP has been sliding through early 2026. The DeepSeek AI model now anticipates a renewed upswing, projecting XRP at $2.80 by the close of 2026, roughly 102% above its current $1.38 level, and aligning with Standard Chartered's revised forecast.

In the early hours of February 24, BlackRock moved about 1,800 BTC (worth about $115 million) and more than 24,000 ETH (worth about $44 million) to Coinbase Prime, based on data Finbold retrieved from Arkham Intel. The transfers could precede selling roughly $160 million in crypto as the market dropped $140 billion between February 22 and February 24 and BTC neared 2026 lows.

On February 24, 2026, Finbold said addresses with at least $1 million in Bitcoin fell by 20,564 (15.68%) since January 1, sliding from 131,125 to 110,561. The drop comes as BTC has retreated roughly 50% from its early October 2025 peak above $125,000 and as 2026 erased $800 billion from crypto, including $510 billion from Bitcoin.

On February 20, 2026, Bitcoin traded at $67,307, according to Finbold. A $2.3 million Polymarket market prices a 21% chance of a new ATH by December 31, with 15%, 7%, and 2% for September 30, June 30, and March 31, respectively, and resolves on Binance’s 1‑minute BTC/USDT highs. Views diverge: Ali Martinez and Michael Burry outline downside risks, while Bernstein and Standard Chartered project rebounds.

In a Thursday note, Standard Chartered reduced its XRP 2026 year-end price target by 65% to $2.80, down from $8. On February 17, XRP traded at $1.45, meaning the new target still implies a 91% upside. The bank also now projects Bitcoin at $100,000 in 2026 after lowering its prior $150,000 view earlier in February.

On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, Robert Kiyosaki, author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad," reiterated his long-standing forecast that the largest stock market crash in history is now "imminent." Referring back to his 2013 book "Rich Dad's Prophecy," he said he expects the next major downturn to be the worst ever and disclosed he holds gold, silver, Bitcoin (BTC), and Ethereum (ETH) and plans to buy more during a collapse. While his warnings align with the market turbulence of early 2026, observers have questioned the consistency of his statements about his own investments, even as his preferred assets have performed strongly in recent years.

An advanced AI model has projected that Bitcoin will mostly trade sideways in the coming weeks, with a modest upward bias after the recent correction. Following several weeks of sharp volatility that erased about $450 billion from the crypto market, BTC has stabilized between $64,000 and $71,000 and is currently near $68,900. Based on these conditions as of February 16, ChatGPT estimates Bitcoin could reach $72,300 by March 1, 2026, implying a 4.93% gain from the prevailing price.