Ripple has upgraded its Ripple Payments platform to let businesses manage cross-border transfers in both fiat currencies and stablecoins through a single interface. The system, used in more than 60 markets and handling over $100 billion in transactions, now bundles custody, virtual accounts, collections, and liquidity tools into one infrastructure for banks and fintech firms. With over 75 licenses worldwide, Ripple positions the service as a compliant option for institutions seeking near real-time international payouts and unified fund management.

Iran's crypto ecosystem reached $7.78 billion in 2025, with IRGC-linked addresses handling over half of inflows, and the central bank purchasing at least $507 million in USDT. Russia signed a law enabling court-ordered crypto seizures, while the Bank of Korea urged banks to lead KRW stablecoin issuance. Japan's FSA backs AML trials from March to May 2026.

Bitcoin fell below $64,000 after reports of Israeli strikes on Iran coincided with sharp liquidations in leveraged crypto positions. The price dropped to around $64,027.54, with over $100 million in long positions reportedly cleared in minutes as key support near $65,000 failed. Traders are now watching whether Bitcoin can reclaim the prior breakdown zone after recent geopolitical headlines and rising volatility.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.5% in January 2026, lifting the unadjusted annual rate to 2.9%. Services rose 0.8% while goods slipped 0.3% on weaker energy. Bitcoin traded at $66,115.41, down 2.95% in 24 hours, as one-year inflation expectations registered 3.4% in February.

Vitalik Buterin has reduced his ETH holdings by 17,196 tokens since early February, taking total sales to nearly $35 million and exceeding a previously stated 16,384-ETH allocation. Ethereum rose almost 9% to $2,066 over 24 hours, while U.S. spot ETH ETFs posted $157.08 million in net inflows led by Fidelity ($61.94 million) and Grayscale's ETHE ($33.87 million).

Bitmine Immersion Technologies said that as of Feb. 22, 2026, its combined crypto and cash assets totaled $9.6 billion. The company now holds 4,422,659 ETH after buying 51,162 tokens in the past week, with 3,040,483 ETH staked and current annualized staking revenues of $171 million.

Michael Saylor hinted at another Bitcoin purchase by posting the firm's accumulation chart on X with the caption "The Orange Century" as BTC traded below $68,000. On February 17, Strategy bought 2,486 BTC for $168.4 million at $67,710, bringing holdings to 717,131 BTC acquired for $54.52 billion, with a $76,027 average and about $5.8 billion unrealized decline.

This week's market roundup highlights Base's plan to detach key components from the OP Stack while doubling its annual upgrade schedule, alongside ether.fi moving its Cash card product to OP Mainnet. Moonwell suffered a $1.78 million exploit tied to AI-generated Solidity code, and Jupiter DAO is voting on whether to cancel its planned 2026 JUP airdrop. Additional developments include protocol fee changes, strong revenue figures, and wind-downs at several DeFi projects.

Binance launched a USD1 rewards initiative distributing 235 million WLFI tokens over four weekly airdrops between February 20, 2026 and March 20, 2026. Eligible users holding USD1 across Spot, Funding, Margin, or USDⓈ-M Futures accounts can earn weekly allocations, with Margin and Futures collateral balances receiving a 1.2x multiplier and a 0.01 USD1 minimum balance required.