Crypto News

- Ledn Closes $188M Bitcoin-Backed Bond Deal – Is Crypto Credit Back From the Dead? Ledn just pulled off something big. The company closed a $188M sale of Bitcoin-backed bonds. It is the first time institutional-style asset-backed securities have been built from consumer crypto loans. Part of the deal includes investment-grade notes priced at 335 basis points over the benchmark rate, placing it firmly in the realm of traditional finance. The Deal Ledn sold $188 million in bonds secured by over 4,000 BTC, bridging retail lending with capital markets. The Rating S&P Global rated the majority of the notes BBB-, citing volatility risks despite significant over-collateralization. The Player Investment banking heavyweight Jefferies...

- Goldman Sachs CEO reveals his Bitcoin holdings A couple of months ago, billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio revealed he owns a "little" bit of Bitcoin (BTC). For a veteran who has often shared his pro-gold opinions, the portfolio reveal came as a surprise. Now, as crypto becomes a part of the Wall Street parlance, another long-time skeptic has revealed their Bitcoin stash. This time, it is Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon. Goldman’s steady move toward digital assets Goldman Sachs has been quietly deepening its engagement with crypto infrastructure. In 2024, Goldman participated in tests on Canton Network, an interoperable blockchain system built for institutional assets. That same year, executives began openly discussing...

- Robinhood loves crypto and really wants to get on-chain as soon as possible. The company’s new Layer-2 testnet just processed 4 million transactions in 7 days. CEO Vlad Tenev confirmed the milestone, framing the chain as a bridge between traditional finance and on-chain markets. Built on Arbitrum, the network is designed for high throughput financial apps. And the timing is interesting. Even as crypto revenue fell 38% year over year in Q4 2025, Robinhood is doubling down on tokenization and 24/7 trading infrastructure. They are building for the ‘next cycle’. Key Takeaways Why Is This Surge Significant? Four million transactions in one week suggests serious developer interest or deliberate stress testing of the network...

- Coinbase CEO Says Quantum Computing 'Solvable Issue' for Crypto Quantum computing will not “break the blockchain,” Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said Wednesday, calling the concern “a very solvable issue” and pointing to ongoing work with major networks to prepare for future advances. Armstrong spoke to CNBC at the World Liberty Forum in Mar-a-Lago alongside Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), when interviewer Sara Eisen asked, “One thing I’ve heard is that quantum is going to break the blockchain. Is that true?” “No, that’s not true,” Armstrong replied. “I think that’s a very solvable issue.” He said Coinbase has been “very front-footed on this,” noting the company has put together a quantum advisory council and is “in regular contact...

- As Muslims around the world enter Ramadan in 2026, many are reviewing their finances ahead of Zakat season — but for a growing number, that includes assets beyond cash or savings accounts. Bitcoin and Ethereum are increasingly becoming mainstream investments, raising a practical question for many Muslims: does crypto count as zakatable wealth — and if so, how do you calculate it? What Is Zakat? Zakat is one of Islam’s five pillars, a compulsory form of charity that eligible Muslims must pay each year during Ramadan on qualifying wealth above a minimum threshold, known as the nisab. Traditionally, Zakat applies to liquid and tradable assets such as cash, gold, silver, business inventory and investment holdings. The standard rate...

- "Buy the dip" is a common mantra on social media during cryptocurrency slumps, though actually taking the plunge can be challenging when all-time highs feel distant. As of February 18, Ethereum has seen a descent of over 34% in the preceding three months, with smaller altcoins experiencing even greater declines. When fear prevails, hoping for a rebound can seem daunting, especially with relatively unproven assets like cryptocurrency, where recovery is not assured. Despite this, advancements in regulation and adoption suggest that well-established projects with utility, strong developer ecosystems, and solid histories are poised for long-term success. Here are two potential rebounders worth noting: Solana Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) has...

- Chinese New Year 2026: Can You Send Red Envelopes (Hongbao) With Crypto? As families across Asia prepare to usher in the Year of the Horse in 2026, a centuries-old Lunar New Year tradition is colliding with digital finance: the red envelope. Known as hongbao in Mandarin, the practice of gifting cash in red packets has already migrated from paper to smartphones via mobile payment apps. But can you send red envelopes with crypto — and if so, is it the future? What Are Red Envelopes? Red envelopes are monetary gifts traditionally given during Lunar New Year by married couples and elders to children, unmarried relatives, and sometimes employees. The red color symbolizes good fortune and warding off evil spirits, while the money...

- Who Was Crypto Designed For? An Expert Argues It’s Not Humans Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly, argues that crypto’s persistent friction stems from a deeper mismatch: its architecture appears better aligned with artificial intelligence (AI) agents. In his view, many of crypto’s perceived failure modes are not design flaws but signals that humans were never the ideal primary users. The Human-Crypto Disconnect In a detailed post on X, Qureshi argued that a fundamental divide exists between human decision-making and blockchain’s deterministic architecture. He said the early vision of the industry imagined a world where smart contracts would substitute legal agreements and courts, with property rights enforced directly...

- Iren Limited (IREN) is a Buy Amid Pivot from Bitcoin Mining to Data Centers IREN Ltd (NASDAQ:IREN) is one of the best stocks to buy and hold for the next 6 months. On February 6, analysts at Compass Point reiterated a Buy rating on IREN Ltd (NASDAQ:IREN) and settled on a $105 price target. The positive stance follows the company expanding its secured power base to 4.5GW of grid-connected power with the addition of 1.6GW from the Oklahoma campus. The company is increasingly advancing deployments in Canada and Texas. Amid the expansion drive, on February 6, research firm Citizens reiterated a Market Outperform rating on IREN Ltd and an $80 price target. Citizens have expressed confidence in IREN Ltd’s long-term prospects amid a...

- Ex-Binance Insider Reveals Shocking Circumstance For Bitcoin ATH in 2026 Chase Guo, a former business development executive at Binance, has made a bold prediction: Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high (ATH) in 2026 — but not for the reasons most market participants expect. Liquidity Engineering — Not Hype — Could Drive Bitcoin’s 2026 Breakout Instead, he believes the catalyst will come from liquidity positioning and structural dynamics within the crypto market itself. According to the former executive, crypto asset pricing is governed by three dominant forces: These elements, he argued, determine price trends over short- to medium-term cycles ranging from seven days to three months. In this framework, long-term fundamentals...

- Is Bitcoin Price Entering a New Bear Market? Here’s Why Metrics Say Yes Bitcoin has extended its recent pullback, raising concerns across the crypto market. While the correction appears orderly, underlying data signals deeper structural stress. Historically, similar patterns have marked early bear market transitions. Current on-chain metrics suggest capital rotation remains weak. Yet, some indicators show conditions have not fully deteriorated, creating a complex picture for investors. Bitcoin May See An Extended Bear Market The Realized Profit/Loss Ratio offers key insight into Bitcoin’s capital flow dynamics. This metric measures the proportion of realized gains relative to realized losses. Its 90-day moving average has...

- Coinbase and Ledn Strengthen Crypto Lending Push Despite Market Slump Digital asset lending company Ledn has completed the first-ever transaction of its kind in the asset-backed debt market, selling $188 million in securitized bonds backed by Bitcoin (BTC). This development emerges as the lending market confronts a volatile environment. Active loans have fallen to around $30 billion, and liquidation risks are rising with persistent price declines. Coinbase and Ledn Double Down on Crypto Lending Bloomberg reported that the deal consists of two bonds. One portion, rated investment-grade, was priced at a spread of 335 basis points above the benchmark rate. According to a report from S&P Global Ratings, the bonds are secured by a...

Bitcoin Caught Between Hawkish Fed and Dovish Warsh The Federal Reserve's January meeting minutes revealed a surprisingly hawkish committee. Several officials openly discussed rate hikes, setting the stage for a dramatic policy clash when Kevin Warsh takes over as chair this summer. A Committee Tilting Hawkish — Right Before a Leadership Change The FOMC voted 10-2 on Jan. 28 to hold rates at 3.5%-3.75%. Governors Christopher Waller and Stephen Miran dissented, preferring a quarter-point cut due to labor market risks. However, the broader committee leaned the other way, warning that further easing amid elevated inflation could signal a weakened commitment to the 2% target. Several officials even suggested possible "upward...

- ETH Denver 2026 Opens With Builder Energy Despite Crypto Slump Crypto prices may be down, but the mood inside ETH Denver on opening day is up. Despite the cold, a line formed outside the new venue, the National Western Center, well before doors opened. For ETH Denver founder John Paller, the event reflects a year’s worth of work that began immediately after last year’s event. “A lot of people think this is the beginning, but for our team, we actually didn’t stop from last year,” he described the first day as “the crescendo.” While the cryptocurrency market downturn has dominated headlines, Paller said ETH Denver thrives during downturns. “ETH Denver has always benefited from bear markets,” he noted, adding that sponsors narrow...

Kraken Acquires Magna as Crypto Deals in 2026 Expected to Smash $37bn Record Payward, the parent company of US crypto exchange Kraken, has bought token management platform Magna for an undisclosed amount. Payward said the deal would help Kraken offer more than just trading infrastructure. Moving forward, the exchange would feature a “fully verticalised product suite.” “This acquisition accelerates Kraken’s evolution into a platform where issuers, builders, and investors can rely on institutional-grade infrastructure from inception through scale,” Kraken’s head of onchain, Calvin Leyon, said. The move comes after Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi indicated that the crypto exchange had more deals lined up ahead of its planned IPO. Kraken made...

Coinbase’s Crypto-Backed Lending Product Expands to XRP and DOGE Coinbase signaled on Wednesday that its crypto-backed lending product is expanding in the U.S., unveiling support for XRP, Dogecoin, Cardano, and Litecoin. By posting their holdings as collateral on decentralized finance protocol Morpho, customers can borrow up to $100,000 in Circle’s USDC stablecoin. The service is available throughout the U.S., excluding New York. It marks a continuation of Coinbase’s efforts to broaden the product’s appeal, as it approaches $2 billion in originations. The product began accepting Ethereum in November, after accepting Bitcoin more than a year earlier. XRP, Dogecoin, Cardano, and Litecoin had a combined market cap of $117 billion on...

Institutions Aren’t Buying Crypto, They’re Buying the Rails Institutional capital is flowing into digital markets. But it is not chasing speculative altcoins. Instead, it is targeting tokenization, custody, and on-chain infrastructure. That was the clear message from a recent BeInCrypto Digital Summit panel, where executives from exchanges, infrastructure, and tokenization platforms discussed how traditional finance is approaching crypto. The discussion featured Federico Variola, CEO of Phemex; Maria Adamjee, Global Head of Investor Relations and Market Structure at Polygon; Jeremy Ng, Founder and CEO of OpenEden; and Gideon Greaves, Head of Investment at Lisk. Operating Exposure, Not Speculation Maria Adamjee, Global Head of...

Law firm sues bankrupt crypto company's committee over fees U.S. law firm Lehotsky Keller Cohn filed a lawsuit against a committee of the bankrupt Bitcoin miner Rhodium Enterprises’ board and an investor group on Feb. 13. The Texas-based law firm sued the miner for allegedly blocking the legal fee of $11 million and attacking its reputation. Rhodium filed for bankruptcy protection in August 2024 Rhodium is a Bitcoin mining firm that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas in August 2024. The filing mentioned six subsidiaries. Chapter 11 is a type of bankruptcy that reorganizes a struggling company's debts to allow it to stay open and become solvent. A court-appointed trustee...

Bitcoin Miner Riot Must Embrace $21 Billion AI Opportunity, Says Activist Investor Publicly traded Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms “has a tremendous opportunity for value creation” via the empowerment of AI data centers to power the growing high-performance computing industry, activist investor Starboard Value wrote in a letter to Riot’s CEO and Executive Chairman. But the clock is ticking, it claimed. “By removing distractions and streamlining expenses, Riot is now positioned to focus on executing its AI/HPC strategy,” Starboard Value Managing Member Peter Feld wrote. “But to get the full benefit of this strategic transformation, Riot must complete its governance and operational transformation.” The Bitcoin miner is one of a handful...

- Weeks-Long War With Iran Could Start Within Days: Bitcoin Under Pressure, But Gold, Silver, Oil Prices Surge Global markets are reacting sharply to rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, as reports suggest the US could be moving closer to a direct military confrontation with Iran. Safe-haven assets such as gold and silver are climbing, oil prices are rising on supply fears, and Bitcoin is slipping as traders rotate away from risk-sensitive assets. Iran Military Buildup Fuels Market Anxiety Recent intelligence and media reports indicate that any potential conflict would not be a limited strike. Rather, it would be a broader, weeks-long campaign if launched, raising concerns about prolonged volatility across commodities...