On 4 March 2026, South Korea's Financial Services Commission proposed capping individual and corporate ownership in major crypto exchanges at 15–20%, with limited exemptions up to 34%. Large shareholders at platforms such as Upbit, Bithumb, and Coinone could be required to divest significant stakes over three to six years, while industry groups argue the plan violates property rights and may push businesses abroad. The initiative is part of the Digital Asset Basic Act (Phase 2), which will be reviewed by parliament in early 2026.

On 3 March 2026, Core Scientific confirmed it sold about 1,900 BTC in January for $175 million and aims to liquidate nearly all remaining Bitcoin to finance AI infrastructure. The company is channeling this capital into a $10 billion-plus, 12‑year hosting agreement with CoreWeave and additional data center capacity in Texas. Its Q4 2025 results missed revenue and earnings expectations, but AI colocation income surged 268% year‑over‑year while liquidity stood near $530 million.

On 28 February 2026, former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès released a draft plan for a Bitcoin hard fork aimed at recovering 79,956 BTC tied to the 2011 exchange hack and held in the “1Feex” address. The proposal would redirect the coins, worth over $5.2 billion at current prices, into Japan’s court-led civil rehabilitation for Mt. Gox creditors, but has reignited debate over immutability, potential chain splits, and short-term downside risk for Bitcoin’s price.

On 28 February 2026, Barclays said it is engaging technology vendors to develop a blockchain platform for payments, deposits, and settlements. The bank targets a partner decision by April 2026 and has taken a stake in Ubyx, while the stablecoin market is close to $300 billion and a tokenized sterling pilot with HSBC and Lloyds is scheduled through mid-2026.

On February 28, 2026, Bitcoin fell to nearly $64,000 on Coinbase after headlines of an Israeli strike on Iran sparked a swift risk‑off move. Roughly $100 million in crypto long positions were liquidated within 15 minutes as the drop accelerated, while the CoinMarketCap 20 Index slid 4.70% over 24 hours.

On 26 February 2026, Wallet in Telegram launched on-chain yield vaults for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT within its messaging app. The update extends the Earn section with DeFi strategies, including a USDT vault that currently advertises up to 18% annualized returns and builds on earlier TON staking and Affluent protocol integrations. The rollout follows recent cross-chain deposit support and adds to a growing roster of supported assets and wallet options.

On 26 February 2026, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency published a proposed rule under the GENIUS Act to set prudential standards for payment stablecoin issuers under its oversight. The draft framework covers permitted U.S. and certain foreign issuers, as well as related custody activities, while leaving BSA, AML, and OFAC requirements to be handled separately with the Treasury. Public comments on the proposal are expected to guide the final rules that will shape how stablecoins operate within the U.S. banking system.

On February 25, Hut 8 reported Q4 and full‑year 2025 results, with revenue rising 179% year over year to $88.5 million but coming in below an approximately $95.6 million consensus. The company posted a $301.8 million net loss, driven largely by a $401.9 million non‑cash Bitcoin revaluation, while gross margin improved to 60% as AI and compute contributed 92% of Q4 sales.

On 26 February 2026, Kraken introduced Flexline, a fixed-rate lending product secured by crypto and available exclusively to Kraken Pro users. The service lets traders borrow crypto or stablecoins for periods from 2 days to 2 years at APRs between 10% and 25%, while keeping collateral in segregated wallets that are included in Kraken's Proof of Reserves. Flexline is not offered in the United States, the United Kingdom, and some other jurisdictions due to regulatory restrictions.