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CoinMarketCap's Altcoin Season Index has increased by six points to a value of 35. The index measures the comparative price performance of the top 100 cryptocurrencies, excluding stablecoins and wrapped coins, over the past 90 days against Bitcoin. An altcoin season is identified when 75% of these coins outperform Bitcoin, with a higher score closer to 100 indicating stronger altcoin dominance.

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied Kalshi's emergency request to block Nevada's enforcement action. Nevada argues that Kalshi's event-based contracts, especially those linked to sports, qualify as illegal sports betting under state law. Nevada can now proceed with a civil lawsuit and seek a temporary restraining order to halt Kalshi's operations within the state.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair Mike Selig stated that the agency holds federal jurisdiction over U.S. prediction markets, overriding state authorities. The CFTC plans to file an amicus brief to assert this authority in ongoing legal disputes involving platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi. Additionally, the CFTC is preparing new regulations specifically for prediction markets.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong addressed why Wall Street often undervalues the company, attributing it to traditional finance's resistance to crypto disruption. He noted that while some leading financial institutions are actively adopting crypto, others remain skeptical due to entrenched traditional business models. Armstrong also shared strong Coinbase growth metrics including a 156% rise in trading volume and tripling of custodial assets, urging investors to focus on long-term execution rather than short-term analyst models.

A wallet connected to K3 Capital has bought 20,000 ETH valued at approximately $40.08 million from Binance. This sizable purchase was identified through on-chain analysis by Onchain Lens. The acquisition signals renewed large-scale interest in Ether from significant market participants.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed an amicus brief asserting its exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets offering sports betting across the U.S. This move supports crypto exchanges like Crypto.com, which face state-level litigation for their sports event betting products. The conflict highlights ongoing legal turf wars between federal regulators and states over whether certain prediction market contracts should be regulated as financial derivatives or traditional sports gambling.

Bitcoin's derivatives market open interest has dropped 55% from a peak in October 2025, marking the largest decline since April 2023. The decrease is attributed to risk aversion driven by a stronger U.S. dollar, geopolitical tensions, and concerns over AI's impact on tech stocks. Despite subdued investor confidence, some spot buying triggered by easing inflation remains, suggesting cautious long-term accumulation opportunities.

The USDC Treasury has minted 250 million new USDC tokens, according to Whale Alert. This significant issuance of stablecoins typically indicates higher demand for liquidity or market activity. Investors should watch closely for subsequent trading volume changes or market reactions tied to this minting event.

Dutch fintech Quantoz Payments has become a principal member of Visa, allowing it to issue Visa-branded virtual debit cards linked to its stablecoins USDQ, EURQ, and EURD. Quantoz can now also act as a BIN sponsor to help other fintech firms in Europe integrate stablecoin-based card issuance into their own platforms. This partnership aims to simplify stablecoin payment service launches for small and medium-sized fintech companies across Europe by bypassing complex licensing requirements.

Crypto analyst Jamie Coutts forecasts a revival of decentralized finance (DeFi) in the next market cycle despite recent token declines. He highlights that top DeFi protocols generating significant blockchain fees, mainly on Ethereum and Solana, suggest resilience. Coutts further expects future cycles to emphasize tokenization of financial assets and AI-driven on-chain transactions, leading to more sustainable growth.

Bitwise has filed an application to launch a new ETF centered on prediction markets, called PredictionShares. The information comes from Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart. This move reflects growing interest in integrating blockchain-based prediction markets into mainstream financial products.

Intel shares have fallen 7% recently due to increased competition in AI from Nvidia and others, as well as ongoing supply chain challenges. The company is investing heavily in AI, including a $100 million stake in SambaNova and progress on AI hardware projects like the Saimemory ZAM prototype. Despite these efforts, Wall Street consensus remains cautious with a 'Reduce' rating overall and concerns about foundry inefficiencies and supply constraints limiting near-term growth.

Bridge, a stablecoin company acquired by Stripe, has received conditional approval from the OCC for a national trust banking charter. This charter will allow Bridge to custody digital assets, issue stablecoins, and manage reserves under federal oversight. The approval follows similar moves by other crypto firms and comes amid regulatory and lobbying debates on crypto banking frameworks.

Elemental Royalty will offer dividends to investors in Tether’s tokenized gold (XAUT), presenting an innovative use case for tokenized assets in corporate finance. XAUT's market cap increased significantly alongside gold’s recent price surge, reaching $2.5 billion. Market makers like Wintermute have started facilitating over-the-counter trades of tokenized gold, predicting the market could grow to $15 billion this year amid de-dollarization trends.

Two major Abu Dhabi wealth funds, Mubadala Investment Company and Al Warda Investments, collectively held more than $1 billion in BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin ETF at the end of 2025. This investment reflects continued institutional interest in bitcoin exposure through regulated ETF products. Their significant position highlights growing confidence in Bitcoin as a strategic asset within sovereign wealth portfolios.

Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng stated that CZ, as a major shareholder, continues to have influence over major decisions at Binance after stepping down. Daily operations remain unchanged and are managed by Teng and Yi He, who work closely with a seven-member board including independent directors. Yi He continues to play a crucial role alongside Teng as co-CEOs, emphasizing teamwork and stable leadership.

Bridge, a stablecoin issuance platform acquired by Stripe, has received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to operate as a nationally chartered trust bank. This federal charter would facilitate Bridge’s ability to issue stablecoins and offer related banking services under U.S. regulatory oversight. The approval signals growing regulatory acceptance of fintech firms integrating with traditional banking infrastructures.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong addressed concerns about Bitcoin ETFs being backed by 'paper Bitcoin,' affirming that spot Bitcoin ETFs are fully backed by real assets. Armstrong highlighted Coinbase's dominant 80% market share in U.S. Bitcoin ETF custody and explained the company's secure cold storage infrastructure. Additionally, Coinbase executives discussed regulatory developments surrounding the proposed CLARITY Act and expressed confidence in future regulatory clarity for crypto markets.