Author: Tristan Lodenberg

Shares of eToro climbed more than 20% after the online trading platform reported stronger than expected fourth quarter earnings driven largely by growth in its cryptocurrency business. The stock closed at $33.07 following the results reflecting renewed investor confidence despite broader volatility in digital asset markets. For the fourth quarter, eToro posted net income of $68.7 million, marking a 16% increase compared to the same period a year earlier. Earnings per share came in at 71 cents, outperforming analyst estimates of 60 cents. Revenue for the quarter totaled $3.87 billion with crypto-related activity contributing $3.59 billion of that figure. Crypto…

BlackRock has taken a concrete step toward launching a yield-generating Ethereum ETF in the United States according to an amended S1 filing. An affiliate of the asset manager purchased 4,000 seed shares at $25 each, injecting $100,000 in initial capital into the proposed iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF expected to trade under the ticker ETHB. That capital will be used by the trust to acquire Ethereum (ETH). Staking Strategy and Yield Expectations Unlike BlackRock’s existing spot Ethereum ETF iShares Ethereum Trust ETF which passively tracks ETH’s price, the new product aims to generate yield through staking. The filing states the…

Solana based memecoin launchpad Pump.fun has introduced a new rewards structure that redirects platform incentives from token creators to active traders. The update allows coin deployers to choose between the traditional 0.3% Creator Fee or a new “Cashback Coins” model before launching a token. Once selected, the decision cannot be reversed. Under the revised system Cashback Coins are generated on every trade and are accessible exclusively through Terminal, the trading interface integrated into Pump.fun. The move follows criticism that the previous structure disproportionately rewarded token deployers while most traders struggled to break even. Pump.fun Revenue Decline Signals Pressure on Model…

Michael Selig, chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), said the agency is pushing back against what he described as an “onslaught of state-led litigation” targeting prediction market platforms. In a public statement, Selig confirmed the CFTC filed an amicus brief to defend its exclusive jurisdiction over event-based contracts, which the agency considers part of the derivatives market. Selig argued that prediction markets have operated under CFTC oversight for more than two decades and serve legitimate economic purposes, including risk hedging and price discovery. He warned that attempts by state regulators to assert authority over these platforms would be…

Dutch electronic money institution Quantoz Payments has become a principal member of Visa, enabling the company to issue virtual debit cards backed by its regulated e money tokens across Europe. Through the agreement, Quantoz can launch Visa branded virtual cards linked to balances held in its USDQ, EURQ and EURD tokens. These tokens are issued as regulated electronic money within the European Economic Area and are fully backed 1:1 in safeguarded accounts via a bankruptcy remote foundation structure. The company is also required to maintain at least a 2% additional reserve buffer. Stablecoin Debit Cards and BIN Sponsorship Model As…

Stablecoin infrastructure platform Bridge, acquired by Stripe in 2025, has received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to operate as a federally chartered national trust bank. Once final approval is granted, the charter would allow Bridge to provide digital asset custody, issue stablecoins and manage related reserves under direct federal oversight. Bridge said the approval strengthens its regulatory foundation as businesses increasingly seek compliant stablecoin solutions. The company referenced alignment with the GENIUS Act, the stablecoin legislation enacted in July 2025, positioning itself to scale services within a clearer federal framework. Crypto Firms Seek…

Decentralized SocialFi platform Zora has introduced a new “attention markets” product on Solana, allowing users to trade positions on trending topics, memes and online buzzwords. The feature enables participants to speculate on whether specific ideas or hashtags will gain traction across social platforms. According to co-founder Jacob Horne, deploying a “Trend” requires 1 SOL, currently around $85, a mechanism designed to limit spam. While Trends themselves do not offer creator rewards, users can launch tradable “Pairs” under each Trend that provide incentives for creators. Early activity shows traders experimenting with tickers tied to themes such as longevity, bitcoin, artificial intelligence…

Bitcoin miner Hive Digital Technologies posted record revenue of $93.1 million for its fiscal third quarter ending December 31, 2025, marking a 219% increase year-over-year and a 7% rise from the previous quarter. The growth was driven by expansion across Hive’s Bitcoin hashrate fleet and its BUZZ HPC platforms. Executive Chairman Frank Holmes highlighted that the company scaled its renewable-powered Tier-I hashrate platform to 25 EH/s and accelerated its AI strategy. Net Loss Driven by Accelerated Depreciation Despite strong revenue growth, Hive reported a net loss of $91.3 million, attributed to accelerated depreciation on its Paraguay expansion and non cash…

The Monad Foundation has strengthened its leadership team with three senior hires from major crypto and financial institutions as it accelerates institutional adoption following its November mainnet debut. Urvit Goel joins from the Optimism Foundation as vice president of go-to-market. Joanita Titan, previously overseeing custody and staking at FalconX, becomes head of institutional growth. Sagar Sarbhai, formerly with BVNK, takes on the role of head of institutions for Asia-Pacific. The appointments bring experience spanning JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Anchorage Digital, Fireblocks and Amazon, adding traditional finance and institutional crypto expertise to Monad’s expansion plans. Layer-1 Blockchain Targets Capital Markets and…

XRP has recorded a sharp decline in network activity, with active addresses falling 26% between Feb. 12 and Feb. 15, 2026, to 40,778. The drop comes amid broader crypto market volatility and points to weakening short term demand. Fewer active wallets suggest reduced transactional usage, lower liquidity and softer retail participation. These metrics often reflect declining momentum, raising concerns about near term price stability. XRP slipped from an intraday high of $1.51 to $1.46 and is currently trading around $1.46, down 0.09% over 24 hours. Trading volume also fell 38.6% to $2.74 billion. Technical Patterns Offer Mixed Signals for XRP…