Cryptopolitan

OpenAI announced on Monday that it is deploying a custom version of ChatGPT on GenAI.mil, the Department of War’s secure enterprise AI platform. The partnership will equip 3 million civilian and military personnel with AI tools to enhance mission readiness, research, and administrative workflows.

OpenAI is extending its collaboration with the Pentagon by joining other frontier AI laboratories on GenAI.mil. The AI company has previously collaborated with DARPA to support cyber defense initiatives. 

Earlier this year, OpenAI also started a pilot program with the Department’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) to investigate how frontier AI may improve Pentagon operations.

OpenAI deploys ChatGPT with safeguards for the military

OpenAI stated that those in charge of national defense ought to have access to the most advanced resources available. The company emphasized how crucial it is to assist the U.S. and other democratic nations in comprehending how AI, when properly protected, can protect people, dissuade enemies, and avert conflict. 

OpenAI revealed that it is integrating ChatGPT into GenAI.mil. to facilitate safe and efficient government use and give American service members dependable AI capabilities.

“We believe we can best achieve that by participating in efforts like GenAI.mil⁠(opens in a new window), where we help shape the technical norms for how AI is deployed across government,” the company said in the announcement.

OpenAI said that the GenAI.mil version of ChatGPT will operate on a government cloud infrastructure that has been cleared for unclassified Defense Department usage. According to the company, the system includes safeguards designed to protect sensitive data.

The tech firm further stated that integrating ChatGPT into GenAI.mil reflects how the firm approaches government work more widely, in focused, practical, safety-forward, and grounded in real-world use.

However, Public Citizen’s Big Tech Accountability Advocate J.B. Branch cautioned that an excessive dependence on AI by users may compromise those safeguards.

Branch argued that research indicates that when individuals use these huge language models, they tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. He added, “So in high‑impact situations like the military, that makes it even more important to ensure they get things correct.”

Although OpenAI stated that the customized version of ChatGPT is exclusively intended for unclassified data, Branch cautioned that entrusting AI systems with sensitive data exposes them to attackers, noting that users frequently confuse these technologies for safe havens.

He argued that only a select few are supposed to view classified material. He further said that even a military-only cut-off system does not alter the reality that access to secret information is still limited.

Pentagon accelerates AI integration to maintain superiority

The deployment occurs as AI developers aim for financial success and the Pentagon speeds up the integration of commercial AI across military networks.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated in January that the Pentagon intends to use leading AI models in both secret and unclassified military networks.  Hegseth said that the War Department wants to create “an AI-first warfighting force across all domains,” including frontline operations and internal planning systems.

According to Hegseth, the strategic fight for technological superiority in the twenty-first century must be won by the United States. He cited long-range drones, autonomous systems, quantum technology, hypersonics, and artificial intelligence as important fields.

“If you talk to Elon Musk long enough, he will tell you how important hypersonics and long-range drones are, and he’s 100% correct. Space capabilities, directed energy, and biotechnology are the new areas of global competition.”

-Pete Hegseth, United States Secretary of Defense.

He further stated that the Pentagon would start utilizing Grok, a reference to the reestablished ties between Musk and the Trump Administration. Hegseth said the aim is to maintain U.S. military advantage as AI capabilities spread globally.

Hegseth added that the War Department must guarantee America’s military AI superiority to stop rivals from abusing the technology and endangering American citizens or national security. Hegseth emphasized that as AI capabilities continue to expand globally, it is imperative to preserve this advantage.

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One of the world’s most influential investment banks, Goldman Sachs, said it has $2.36 billion in crypto, and people are noticing just how much Ethereum it holds in its portfolio.

According to its filing, the bank said it has  $1.0 billion in Ethereum and $1.1 billion in Bitcoin.

Goldman Sachs is putting more money into Ethereum in its crypto investments

Global investment bank Goldman Sachs has disclosed a $2.36 billion cryptocurrency portfolio in its most recent quarterly regulatory filing. What’s catching attention across markets is not just the size of the holding, but just how closely Ethereum (ETH) trails Bitcoin (BTC) in the bank’s crypto breakdown.

The bank disclosed that its largest holding is Bitcoin, worth about $1.1 billion, followed closely behind by $1.0 billion in Ethereum. Goldman also reported $153 million in XRP and $108 million in Solana, but what made the report so interesting was that they held almost the same number of Ethereum as Bitcoin.

Normally, conservative firms like Goldman favor market size when building their portfolios, and since Bitcoin is the largest crypto asset by market value, these companies will hold more of it than any other digital asset. That’s why Goldman is getting a lot of attention because it seems the firm isn’t following the rules and is leaning more on Ethereum.

This disclosure stirred up a lot of reaction from the crypto industry, with figures like Moonrock Capital founder Simon Dedi saying the allocation was “very interesting,” and that Goldman was behaving “significantly more bullish on Ethereum than Bitcoin.” In short, he thinks the bank has a lot of confidence in Ethereum compared to the crypto asset most institutions trust.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao wasn’t left behind, because he pointed to an important detail from Goldman’s filing and said that the company’s crypto exposure grew by about 15% from the previous quarter. 

The filing shows just how serious Goldman is about making digital assets a big part of its strategy, as its overall portfolio dipped slightly from $817.4 billion in Q3 to $811.1 billion in Q4, yet the bank still expanded its crypto position during the same period. 

Goldman Sachs buys crypto ETFs even though crypto prices fluctuate a lot

Instead of just buying Bitcoin and Ethereum and holding the coins directly on its own balance sheet, Goldman is growing its crypto holdings through spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs. With this approach, the bank can still participate in the crypto market while remaining within the financial system that big institutions trust. 

the digital currency. Instead, Goldman Sachs is holding shares in funds that track Bitcoin’s price, which is why the filing shows the crypto holdings but doesn’t represent ownership. Banks feel safer in this system because the price of crypto moves too fast to keep up with, or even predict, at times. 

A large part of Goldman’s Bitcoin-related positions is through one of the largest spot Bitcoin ETFs currently trading, the iShares Bitcoin Trust, or IBIT, offered by BlackRock. Goldman has also disclosed other smaller positions through leading ETF issuers, including Fidelity, Grayscale, and Bitwise. While Goldman’s crypto positions are diversified, they are still largely concentrated with the largest and most respected ETF names.

Even with banks using ETFs, the price of crypto goes up and down rapidly because it tracks the market. Therefore, the filing also reminds everyone that crypto is still a risky investment. There have also been reports that Goldman’s Bitcoin ETF exposure has fallen significantly since the late 2025 peak, which shows how quickly things can change even for a large firm like Goldman Sachs.

These figures indicate that Goldman Sachs’ indirect position equates to approximately 13,741 Bitcoin, which were worth approximately $1.71 billion at the time the filing was made. However, since Bitcoin’s current price is closer to $68,700, the same position would be worth approximately $944 million. 

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Citadel Securities and ARK Invest have thrown their weight behind LayerZero Lab’s launch of Zero, a heterogeneous blockchain architecture designed to power traditional finance. ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood will join the project’s advisory board, with LayerZero Labs CEO Bryan Pellegrino claiming Zero could bring the entire global finance on-chain.

Pellegrino also announced that the launch of the L1 blockchain Zero secured strategic backing from Google Cloud and the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC). The collaboration with Google Cloud aims to combine blockchain infrastructure with cloud services, while DTCC’s collaboration will enhance Zero’s security, scalability, and interoperability for tokenized markets. Intercontinental Exchange will join the mix with plans to evaluate how the Zero chain could support around-the-clock trading. 

Meanwhile, LayerZero also noted that while Citadel Securities has previously invested in crypto-related companies like Kraken and Ripple, directly buying tokens is not a common practice for the firm. Citadel and ARK strategically bought the protocol’s ZRO token, with Citadel framing the relationship as a way to explore how Zero’s technology fits into core market workflow. However, only ARK became a shareholder in LayerZero’s equity. 

Wood calls it a historic opportunity for finance and the internet

ARK’s Cathie Wood has publicly stated that the joint venture is a historic opportunity at the intersection of finance and the internet. She also added that she was committed to accelerating the adoption of Zero by the world’s largest companies and markets as part of LayerZero’s advisory board, emphasizing her long-term relationship with LayerZero’s CEO, Bryan. Michael Blaugrund, the VP of strategic initiatives at Intercontinental Exchange, and Caroline Butler, the former head of digital assets at BNY Mellon, will be joining Wood on the advisory board. 

Meanwhile, LayerZero’s Bryan Pellegrino says the Zero initiative aims to extend blockchain infrastructure to a much broader range of economic activities. ICE executive Blaugrund echoes Bryan’s sentiment, claiming that his company’s exploration of Zero’s blockchain aims to evaluate how on-chain technology could unlock new opportunities and use cases across trading, clearing, settlement, and capital formation. 

“Zero’s architecture moves the industry’s roadmap forward by at least a decade…Our mission is to build permissionless infrastructure for a better world – this is the beginning of that world.”

–Bryan Pellegrino, CEO of LayerZero Labs

On the other hand, Richard Widmann, the head of Web3 strategy at Google Cloud, says his company’s collaboration with LayerZero aims to explore how to expand the definition of the internet to include value. He emphasizes that LayerZero is rethinking how blockchains work from the ground up, adding that a convergence between cloud computing and blockchain is now happening.

LayerZero claims Zero’s performance far exceeds Ethereum and Solana

Zero introduces four 100x breakthroughs across storage (QMDB), compute (FAFO), networking (SVID), and zk proving (Jolt Pro).

It lives up to everything we stand for:
– Decentralized
– Permissionless
– Censorship-resistant pic.twitter.com/x5ve1PqAyc

— LayerZero (@LayerZero_Core) February 10, 2026

LayerZero’s Bryan recently threw shade at Ethereum and Solana, claiming that his company’s new protocol will far outperform both chains. The company says its Zero heterogeneous architecture is designed to significantly improve throughput. 

According to LayerZero, the protocol is scalable to 2 million transactions per second and offers up to 100,000x the performance and throughput of Ethereum, and approximately 500x that of Solana. These performance targets are meant to support demanding use cases across trading, settlement, and other on-chain applications. 

Meanwhile, Tether’s earlier investment in LayerZero, as part of its interoperability-focused infrastructure, reflects LayerZero’s effort to evolve from its role in cross-chain messaging to operating a Layer 1 blockchain that connects traditional finance players, tokenization, and cloud services within a single infrastructure stack. Zero will be permissionless to validate, build, and transact on, according to LayerZero.

LayerZero also stresses that its Zero protocol reinvents what is possible on-chain: from a general-purpose EVM environment compatible with any solidity contract, to a canonical environment for trading across all asset classes and markets, to a privacy-focused payments infrastructure. ZRO, the network’s native token and LayerZero, will provide interoperability between the three initial “zones” and across over 165 connecting blockchains. Zero is expected to roll out in the fall of 2026.

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Robinhood Chain has entered its public testnet phase, a major step forward in the company’s efforts to bring tokenized real-world assets and onchain financial services. The U.S.-based trading platform confirmed that the new blockchain is an Ethereum Layer 2 built on Arbitrum with Chainlink as the oracle infrastructure provider.

As a result, developers can now start testing applications on infrastructure with financial-grade use cases. Chainlink will offer data feeds, interoperability tools, and compliance standards to drive advanced tokenization products.

Robinhood activates public testnet 

According to the blog post, the public testnet enables developers to test, identify vulnerabilities, and stress-test network stability before deploying to the mainnet. Robinhood confirmed that infrastructure providers, such as Alchemy, Allium, Chainlink, LayerZero, and TRM, are already integrating into the network.

Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s SVP and General Manager of Crypto, said that the testnet sets the stage for an ecosystem centered around tokenized real-world assets and liquidity in decentralized finance. He added that the company wants to work together with infrastructure partners to bring more financial services onchain.

In the coming months, developers will have access to testnet-only assets, including Stock Tokens, for integration testing. Direct testing via Robinhood Wallet will also be supported. Notably, the company earlier introduced tokenized stocks for its European customers in June 2025 on Arbitrum One, which provides access to over 2,000 stocks listed on U.S. exchanges with 24/5 trading.

Robinhood Chain is also planning to support 24/7 trading and self-custody via its native crypto wallet. Users will be able to cross-chain bridge assets and interact with Ethereum-based decentralized finance applications. As a result, the platform is positioning itself to be more directly competitive in the tokenization and DeFi infrastructure space.

Offchain Labs CEO Steven Goldfeder said Robinhood Chain is set to enable the next step of tokenization and permissionless finance. He noted, “Working alongside the Robinhood team, we are excited to help build the next stage of finance.” 

Like most test environments, the testnet allows experimentation and stress testing ahead of a mainnet launch planned later this year. Therefore, builders can detect technical problems and perfect applications before deploying them for production.

Social media debate highlights visibility concerns

The announcement sparked immediate reactions throughout X. One user commented that the LINK token appeared “unfazed.” Another commenter asked why Robinhood’s original post focused on Arbitrum but did not specifically mention Chainlink in the announcement.

Why does Robinhood not mention you guys in their original post?

They only brought up $ARB
Kinda sad you guys always need to piggyback…..

— {eᶜ ꛅo. 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘} (@PLTRKILLCHAIN) February 11, 2026

Despite the announcement, Chainlink’s native token did not show an immediate response. LINK had traded at $8.44, down 2.94% in 24 hours and 12.88% for the week. Price action showed rejection around the $8.70 level, with intraday highs of $8.71 and lows of $8.47, resulting in consolidation. In addition, LINK is still well below its all-time high of $52.88, a drawdown of almost 84%.

Robinhood’s broader crypto strategy plays out amid mixed financial results. The company said revenue from cryptocurrency transactions declined 38% year over year to $221 million in the fourth quarter. That figure was a slowdown from the previous quarter, when crypto revenue totaled $268 million.

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South Korea’s National Assembly lit into Bithumb CEO Lee Jae-won after the exchange mistakenly transferred 620,000 Bitcoin, a number more than 12 times its actual holdings.

That mistake, worth around $40 billion, triggered sharp questions about the exchange’s sloppy internal systems and how this kind of mess was even possible.

Appearing before the National Policy Committee on the 11th, Jae-won admitted that Bithumb only reconciles its internal ledger with actual crypto assets once per day. “The time it takes for Bithumb to align its virtual currency holdings and circulation volume is one day,” he said.

The exchange basically collects transaction data for 24 hours, then adjusts the real holdings the next day, meaning there’s always a full-day blind spot.

“We acknowledge that the system for cross-verifying the amount to be transferred and the held amount was not reflected in this incident,” Jae-won added.

Regulator blasts Bithumb’s outdated system and demands new laws

Meanwhile, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS)’s chief Lee Chan-jin told lawmakers that real-time verification must become the standard.

“Even 5 minutes is not short but rather very long,” Chan-jin said, referring to Upbit, a rival exchange that reconciles holdings every five minutes. He called for lawmakers to include mandatory real-time systems in the next stage of digital asset regulation.

“Only when interlinked systems are in place where actual holdings and ledger balances align in real time can systemic safety be ensured,” Chan-jin told the Parliarment.

The core problem is that Bithumb stores all its data in internal ledgers, not directly on-chain. Unlike blockchain records that are distributed across users’ computers and take time to confirm, Bithumb’s ledgers work more like spreadsheets. That delay is what allowed them to send out 620,000 Bitcoin they never actually owned. And that’s a lot more than just a technicality.

Jae-won had earlier admitted that the company had no system in place to prevent that transfer in real time.

Bitcoin fire sale triggered price drop, liquidations, and lawsuits

In the 35 minutes before Bithumb froze affected accounts, 86 users sold about 1,788 Bitcoin. Some transferred proceeds to personal bank accounts.

Others used the crypto to buy different tokens, according to local reports. This unexpected dump tanked prices temporarily on Bithumb’s platform.

Jae-won acknowledged the two biggest areas of damage were the “panic selling” and the forced liquidation of over 30 users who had pledged Bitcoin as collateral. The CEO said, “We are considering two areas as targets for damage relief.”

The sharp price fall triggered automatic margin calls and liquidations for people who had no clue the platform was malfunctioning.

Chan-jin called the whole thing “catastrophic” for affected customers. Since Bitcoin has since bounced higher, anyone who has to return coins now might lose money. The government fears lawsuits may follow.

Bithumb says it has already fixed 99.7% of the errors internally by reversing ledger entries. It’s now talking directly with around 80 customers who cashed out, asking them to return the Korean won equivalent… voluntarily, for now.

The exchange is trying to avoid lawsuits, because under civil law, courts could demand that customers return the original Bitcoin rather than the cash.

In a public apology, Bithumb said, “Bithumb takes this incident very seriously and will do its utmost to prevent recurrence by redesigning the entire asset payment process and enhancing the internal control system.”

The company also claimed, “This incident is unrelated to any external hacking or security breach, and does not pose any issues with system security or customer asset management.”

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There’s been new activity inside the Bitcoin wallet listed in the first ransom letter tied to the Guthrie kidnapping. TMZ says it happened just 25 minutes before their report.

The outlet didn’t share how much was sent or received, but this is the first sign of any movement on that address since February 1. That wallet was included in the first ransom note, which was sent to TMZ and two television stations in Tucson.

Nancy Guthrie, who’s 84 and has a pacemaker, was taken from her home in Arizona. She needs daily medicine, and she’s been missing for over a week.

Her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, co-hosts the Today Show on NBC and has been speaking out ever since her mother was abducted.

Ransom note pattern points to suspect living near Tucson

Two ransom letters were sent out. The first went to TMZ and two Tucson stations. The second only went to one of the Tucson stations. That choice wasn’t random. Federal agents think the person who wrote the notes knows the local media well. That’s why they believe the suspect lives in the Tucson area.

The ransom notes said Nancy would be returned within 12 hours if $6 million was paid. The kidnapper said they were somewhere within 700 miles of Tucson. But both deadlines passed, and Nancy wasn’t brought back. Savannah even tried to offer the money herself. It didn’t help. Nothing happened. No sign of her.

New images of the suspect were released by the FBI on Tuesday. TMZ says the pictures had just been handed to law enforcement. The FBI didn’t hold on to them. They sent them out as soon as they got them.

Savannah posted the photos on Instagram and wrote, “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.” The post spread across social media within minutes. Investigators say they’re still treating the case like Nancy could be found alive.

FBI gets tip, arrests suspect in Arizona 9 days later

Nine days after Nancy was reported missing, a suspect was arrested in Arizona. The arrest happened Tuesday. That’s all that’s been confirmed. No name. No details. Nothing more.

At the White House, Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, said she and President Donald Trump had both seen the new images that were released. She opened the briefing by talking about the case. The president is personally following the investigation.

The FBI is offering $50,000 for any tip that leads to finding Nancy or arresting the person behind this. People can call 1-800-CALL-FBI or go to tips.fbi.gov.

The Guthrie story has pulled in the media, the federal government, and now the crypto crowd.

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Blockchain hardware manufacturer Ledger announced its expansion of secure access to decentralized trading within its wallet ecosystem with a new integration designed to streamline multichain swaps. 

The business stated on its blog on Tuesday that it has integrated OKX DEX, allowing customers to run cross-chain trades straight from their Ledger Wallet while storing private keys offline and accessing aggregated liquidity.

The company also said that, under the agreement, customers will be able to leverage the capabilities of one of the most sophisticated multichain aggregators in the world, facilitating a safe and easy transition into DeFi.

Ledger enables seamless on-chain trading via OKX DEX

OKX DEX is a potent cross-chain bridge and multichain aggregator. It functions as a fully decentralized tool, even though it is part of the larger OKX ecosystem. It acts as a kind of commerce search engine.

According to Leger, the integration of OKX DEX will enable users to sign each transaction using a Ledger device and trade tokens on-chain using OKX DEX. The Leger team emphasized that this solution maintains both the hardware-enforced security the firm wants to promote and complete self-custody.

The wallet provider revealed that the goal of the integration is to eliminate the friction that is frequently present in decentralized trading, as users frequently hop between platforms and manually bridge assets. 

The firm added that consumers will retain complete control over their assets, as trades will be executed directly from their Ledger Wallet. It also noted that the feature will facilitate swaps across Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Polygon, and BNB Chain. Notably, OKX DEX aggregates liquidity from over 400 sources across more than 25 blockchains to maximize price and execution without the need for middlemen.

Ledger’s executive vice president of consumer services, Jean-François Rochet, stated that the integration enables OKX to connect with security-conscious users who value self-custody while providing Ledger users with more access to competitive exchange pricing.

The hardware wallet maker also explained that users must first securely authorize the trade by verifying and confirming the transaction on their Ledger hardware wallet before executing a swap. They then open the Ledger Wallet app and head to the Swap section to begin the process.

After that, users will pick OKX DEX as their provider and decide the assets they wish to trade. Before final confirmation, the interface will display the best aggregated rates sourced from various liquidity pools.

Ledger expands DeFi access with new yield features

Leger integration with OKX DEX follows a number of Ledger Wallet enhancements unveiled at Ledger Op3n in 2025, as the business strives to establish its software as a safe access layer for swaps, yield strategies, and decentralized apps.

The wallet provider has increased in-wallet DeFi access over the past two years.

Exodus Movement partnered with Leger on a crypto swap aggregator on September 17, 2024. The swap feature was integrated into the Leger Live application and enabled connections to third-party APA exchange providers. Exodus revealed that the integration prioritized user control and security, distinguishing it from centralized exchange platforms.

The crypto security firm also announced in April of last year that it would work with Kiln, a DeFi infrastructure platform, to enable stablecoin yields directly from self-custody. This would allow users to earn between 5% and 9.9% on USDC, USDT, USDS, and DAI through lending protocols such as Aave, Compound, Morpho, Sky, and Spark, while retaining control of their assets. 

According to Ledger VP of Consumer Services, the business clarified that Kiln was the backend supplier, providing consumers with access to these protocols via Ledger Live. Rochet, Jean-Francois, in a statement.

Leger also announced last month the rollout of a bitcoin yield product in partnership with Lombard and Figment. The company said that the Bitcoin yield integration will allow users to explore yield opportunities connected to the foremost cryptocurrency.

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The recent crypto downturn has cost Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong his place among the world’s 500 wealthiest. Since reaching $17.7 billion over seven months ago, the executive’s net worth has plunged by more than $10 billion, to $7.4 billion, according to Forbes. 

The crypto slump battered his company as well, sending its shares down over 50% since Bitcoin’s October record above $126,000, with 27% of those losses coming in 2026 alone. 

Adding to the pressure, JPMorgan on Tuesday slashed its Coinbase price target by 27%, over weakness in the crypto market and slower growth in stablecoin issuance. Ideally, the downgrade has done very little to ease the pressure on Armstrong or the company and only aggravated their more recent losses.

Crypto billionaires have lost over $60 billion since October last year

Forbes now ranks Armstrong at No. 520 following his recent losses, though he is far from the only crypto billionaire to be affected. The broader crypto downturn began with Bitcoin’s sharp reversal — what started as a record-breaking rally to $126,000 in early October turned into a pullback of over 40%, with around 20% of those losses coming in early February. In addition, the overall crypto market has shrunk by 40% since October, erasing roughly $2 trillion in value, according to CoinGecko. 

Unfortunately, that crypto slump has decimated the fortunes of the industry’s richest, vaporizing $60 billion in wealth since October and stripping at least 10 moguls of over $1 billion each. The losses extend to Armstrong, whose shares are down 56% since the October peak, and Strategy’s executive chairman, Michael Saylor, whose company is now facing a 62% drop in market value. 

Saylor’s net worth has dropped to $3.4 billion, a two-thirds reduction from its July 2025 peak. The hardest hit, however, is CZ, Binance’s founder, whose personal Bitcoin and BNB token holdings devalued by over $29 billion. At the same time, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have seen their combined wealth fall to $1.9 billion from $8.2 billion in October. Not to mention, their company, Gemini Space Station Inc., just announced last week that it would lay off approximately a quarter of its employees and curtail some international activities.

Moreover, the Galaxy Digital CEO Michael Novogratz’s wealth contracted by approximately 66% in the months following the October crypto market peak.

Ken Worthington projects lower revenue figures for Coinbase over weak market factors

Meanwhile, ahead of Coinbase’s Q4 earnings, analysts still anticipate lower trading volumes. On Tuesday, JPMorgan’s Ken Worthington cut the price target on COIN to $290 from $399. Still, his reduced target points to a potential 75% gain from the current $1655 price.

However, he anticipates the company’s EBITDA will fall to $734 million from $801 million in Q3, largely due to weak crypto prices, lower trading volumes, and slower USDC balance growth. He also estimated its stablecoin revenue will settle at just $312 million, citing the lower USDC in circulation.

Furthermore, falling short of Coinbase’s previous guidance of $710–$790 million, the bank projects only $670 million in subscription and services revenue for the firm. Operating expenses are also expected to come in lower than anticipated, even as the company continues its cost management efforts.

Similarly, citing a downturn in retail participation and blockchain-related earnings, Benjamin Budish of Barclays expects the firm’s EBITDA to miss the consensus estimate by 10%. He commented, “We are notably lower on retail trading revenues, based on read-throughs from Robinhood, and blockchain rewards revenues.”

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Coinbase has added RaveDAO, a leading Web3 entertainment protocol, and its native token, $RAVE, to its New Asset Listings roadmap and confirmed that spot trading for RaveDAO ($RAVE) will go live on February 11, 2026, subject to liquidity conditions.

According to Coinbase Markets, the $RAVE-USD spot trading pair is expected to open on or after 9:00 AM PT in regions where trading is supported. $RAVE will be available on coinbase.com, the Coinbase mobile app, and Coinbase Advanced, while institutional clients will be able to access trading directly via Coinbase Exchange.

Coinbase has specified that the Base network contract address for RaveDAO ($RAVE) is:

0x1aa8fd5bcce2231c6100d55bf8b377cff33acfc3

Users have been advised not to send $RAVE over other networks, as unsupported transfers may result in permanent loss of funds.

RaveDAO’s Cultural and Community-Driven Model

RaveDAO emerged in 2024 as a live entertainment and cultural network built at the intersection of music, community, and Web3 infrastructure. Since its first sold-out event in Dubai in 2024, the project has expanded rapidly across Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Asia, hosting large-scale experiences that consistently draw thousands of attendees per event.

Rather than treating live events as isolated moments, RaveDAO uses them as an entry point into an ongoing on-chain ecosystem. Event participation is recorded through NFTs that function as proof of attendance and evolving identity markers, connecting real-world cultural experiences with digital ownership and long-term engagement. This model allows participation to persist beyond a single night, city, or lineup.

Beyond entertainment, RaveDAO integrates social impact into its operational design. A portion of proceeds from its events is directed toward philanthropic initiatives, aligning community participation with measurable outcomes. To date, RaveDAO-supported efforts have helped restore sight for more than 400 cataract patients through the Tilganga Eye Centre in Nepal and funded meditation and Buddhist education programs for over 150 participants through Nalanda West in the United States.

The Role of the $RAVE Token

$RAVE is designed for participation. Its purpose is not to incentivize short-term activity, but to align ownership with contribution across RaveDAO’s cultural and operational ecosystem. The token functions across three interconnected layers: business infrastructure, community experience, and decentralized governance. At its core, $RAVE allows participants to take part in building, operating, and shaping the culture they support, creating a shared framework where value is generated through involvement rather than passive consumption.

On the infrastructure and experience layers, $RAVE enables both scale and continuity. Event organizers, artists, and partners use the token to access RaveDAO’s intellectual property, activate local chapters, and collaborate under a shared global standard. Community members use $RAVE to unlock access, participate in events, engage with artists, and interact with digital collectibles. Participation is treated as contribution, whether through attendance, chapter-building, or sustained engagement across the network.

Governance forms the third layer, anchoring the ecosystem in collective decision-making. $RAVE holders participate in shaping the direction of RaveDAO, including event locations, programming priorities, ecosystem grants, and philanthropic initiatives. As the network expands across regions and formats, the token functions less as a speculative instrument and more as cultural infrastructure, recording participation and enabling coordination over time.

From Cultural Protocol to Global Infrastructure

Since its launch, RaveDAO has hosted world-class experiences for more than 100,000 total attendees, with average event attendance exceeding 3,000 participants. The project has collaborated with internationally recognized artists including Vintage Culture, Don Diablo, Chris Avantgarde, Lilly Palmer, Charlotte de Witte, Miss Monique, Eli Brown, MORTEN, Bassjackers, and GENESI, and has received support from leading Web3 organizations such as WLFI, Binance, OKX, Bybit, Bitget, and Polygon. RaveDAO also maintains active partnerships with leading entertainment platforms and global partners including 1001Tracklists, AMF, and Warner Music.

With spot trading for $RAVE set to begin on Coinbase on February 11, 2026, the token’s availability on a major regulated exchange marks a significant milestone in RaveDAO’s evolution from a global cultural movement into a widely accessible digital asset with real-world utility and community-driven foundations.

Long term crypto investing is no longer about chasing quick hype cycles. As the market matures, investors are focusing more on strong fundamentals, real use cases, and projects that can grow steadily over time. Choosing the right crypto for long term growth now requires deeper analysis, not just price charts.

In this article, experts compare three cryptocurrencies with long term potential, looking at network strength, adoption trends, and future development. From established blockchains to emerging protocols, this breakdown highlights which crypto projects may be best positioned for sustained growth in the years ahead.

Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin (BTC) is still the main store of value in the crypto market, and its recent price performance has been driving most investors crazy. Digital gold is currently trading at about $69,000 and has a market value of $1.30 trillion, which is undergoing heavy headwinds. The asset is facing challenges in hitting its past peaks after having swung unpredictably at the beginning of February 2026.

Bitcoin is technically in high resistance at $72,000 and $74,650. Any move to promote upward has been greeted with the greed of institutional holders. Bearish analysts have made a price forecast with a low price to the effect that in case BTC did not manage to support the level of $60,000, it would fall back to $50,000. It is one of the possible downside risks of individuals seeking explosive short-term returns.

Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum (ETH) remains the foundation of decentralized applications, although its value has been negatively impacted by the rise in competition and ETF movement. ETH has a market capitalization of about $250 billion and is presently trading at an approximate of $2,000. Although it has been a major long-term investment, its 20% fall in the recent past has cast doubts on its short term trend.

The two main areas of resistance of Ethereum are concentrated at $2,250 and $2,500. The asset is left exposed without a clear outburst above these levels. The downward trend points to the fact that Ethereum may go down to a point of $1,750 or $1,400 by the end of 2026 provided it fails to regain its position at $2,300. This would reflect a long term consolidation and not growth.

Mutuum Finance (MUTM)

Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is emerging as a strong alternative in decentralized lending at a time when many long standing projects are losing momentum. Instead of relying on promises, Mutuum is focused on building a working lending system designed for real world use. The project has already raised over $20.4 million and grown its community to more than 19,000 holders, showing steady interest and adoption.

Mutuum Finance is currently in Phase 7 of its presale, with the MUTM token priced at $0.04. This stage follows the successful V1 protocol launch on the Sepolia testnet, where the protocol demonstrated its core lending functions. 

The V1 version includes live liquidity pools for major tokens, mtToken minting, and automated risk controls, proving the system can operate as intended. With a confirmed launch price of $0.06, Mutuum Finance is positioning itself as a high utility project ahead of future exchange listings.

Price Analysis 2026-2027

Mutuum Finance’s official whitepaper highlights an advanced revenue mechanism and rewards its community. By providing assets, users are issued with yield-bearing mtTokens that increase in value due to the accumulated interest by the system. This is backed by a buy-and-distribute model in which platform fees are utilized to purchase MUTM tokens in open markets as a reward to stakers.

The protocol is combined with the best oracles of real-time prices to be precise. This revenue-based structure is very optimistic to analysts. The current price projections are an estimate of between $0.40 and $0.50 towards the end of 2026 as long as the protocol’s roadmap unfolds as expected. This would be an increment of 900%-1150% of the present level as the platform takes over a bigger portion of the DeFi market..

MUTM is also emerging as a leading top crypto candidate to grow in the long run with its institutional-grade security and a working testnet and with a well-defined revenue model. When Phase 7 is selling out, it is running out of time to buy at a 50% discount. The incumbent code and high demand are what make the experts compare it to the very beginning of what can be called the biggest hits in the market.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://www.mutuum.com
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

The American digital currency asset management company Grayscale says Bitcoin is behaving less like gold and more like a tech stock, as its price has recently dropped sharply, prompting investors to quickly sell their holdings. 

In its latest research report, Market Byte: Bitcoin Trading More Like Growth Than Gold, Grayscale says Bitcoin’s short-term movements are more like those of growth-oriented markets than those of precious metals like gold.

Bitcoin falls like tech stocks when markets sell off

The price of Bitcoin dropped to about $60,000 on Feb. 5 before rising again. While this trajectory is normal for the token, it’s worth noting that the coin reached its peak in October at prices above $126,000, and has since dropped by more than 50%. 

Because Bitcoin is one of the largest and most closely monitored cryptocurrencies worldwide, investors will naturally ask questions about the forces driving its price movements. They want to know the causes and how BTC behaves during stressful market periods.

And that’s where Grayscale’s new research comes with answers. The firm quickly dismantled the claim that BTC and gold are both safe havens for investment, saying the crypto asset is risky and that people rush into it only during periods of high hype. 

The company also mentioned that the same investors will quickly sell off their holdings when fear enters the market, so instead of absorbing the shock and standing still like gold, the token moves with it.

Grayscale explained that more traders don’t view Bitcoin as a safe investment that can withstand market pressure. According to the report, as the stocks of high-growth software companies dropped, investors also pulled funds out of Bitcoin. 

Also, the report revealed that Bitcoin’s price has been moving with the performance of the stocks of software companies with extremely high valuations over the last 12 months. This simply indicates that the market expects significant future growth from the companies, as their stock is heavily influenced by confidence and risk-taking. It therefore declines quickly if investors suddenly become wary.

The firm also stated that investors have expressed concerns that AI could disrupt or even replace traditional software services, which has led to the decline in technology stocks. As a result of this close association between Bitcoin and technology stocks, Bitcoin has fallen almost in step with them.

Grayscale says Bitcoin could become digital gold someday

In its report, Grayscale still said that Bitcoin hasn’t reached its full potential yet and that it has several long-term features that make it a strong store of value and worthy of the title “digital gold.”

For example, Bitcoin’s limited supply helps protect its value even as demand rises, and because it runs on a decentralized network, investors see it as different and more favorable than traditional money, whose control is not with the holder. 

However, Grayscale has also indicated that Bitcoin does not behave like gold at the moment, at least not in the short term. According to Zach Pandl, the report’s author, the recent movements in Bitcoin price have not closely correlated with those of gold and other precious metals.

While gold and silver have seen strong rallies over the past few months, Bitcoin has not behaved the same way and has actually fallen alongside riskier growth assets rather than holding steady as a safe haven. Therefore, while Bitcoin may be “gold-like” in some ways, the market does not treat the cryptocurrency the same way at the moment.

This difference, according to Pandl, should not be surprising, as Bitcoin is still in its infancy compared to gold. Gold has been used as money for thousands of years and was the foundation of the entire monetary system up until the early 1970s. 

Today, gold is still held by central banks and governments as one of the world’s largest reserve assets. Bitcoin is still just 17 years old and is still proving itself as a global monetary asset.

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Samsung Electronics has officially confirmed that its next‑generation Galaxy S26 flagship lineup will debut at a global Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25 in San Francisco.

The announcement sets the stage for Samsung’s biggest challenge yet to Apple’s smartphone dominance, as the Korean tech giant is placing greater emphasis on artificial intelligence and software smarts rather than just traditional hardware improvements.

Rather than just responding to commands, the phone’s AI will learn from how people use their devices and offer more useful suggestions and tools. Samsung is working to enhance these capabilities for the Galaxy S26 and to provide users with a wider range of AI options. Many Galaxy AI features currently use Google’s Gemini platform for their information. But even so, Samsung is also looking to partner with other AI suppliers such as OpenAI and Perplexity AI to expand its AI ecosystem. 

Choi Won-Joon, Samsung’s president and chief operating officer of its mobile division, said yesterday that it is willing to work with any AI partner that can provide the most effective user experience. It demonstrates that Samsung wants its smartphones to make more intelligent suggestions than serve as communication devices. 

Samsung is investing in its AI capabilities to be at least as (or better) functional as the AI tools that Apple has been incorporating into its own products.

New privacy display and hardware improvements stand out

Although the Galaxy S26 is expected to resemble the latest Galaxy S models, Samsung is introducing new features intended to enhance personal privacy and the user experience. 

Among the most notable additions is a built-in privacy display that prevents people nearby from seeing the screen. This technology limits the viewing angle by blocking side views. 

Though the same effects can be achieved with special screen protectors, Samsung seems to have included this feature right on the phone’s display, making it more user-friendly and efficient. 

Samsung is expected to include hardware upgrades such as faster processors, improved cameras, and better battery performance. Such upgrades align with Samsung’s strategy of keeping its flagship phones competitive with Apple’s iPhone and other premium Android devices. 

While Apple recently introduced major design changes and an ultra-thin model in its latest lineup, Samsung seems more focused on enhancing functionality and intelligence than on dramatic updates to the phone’s appearance, which is the biggest difference between the two.

Galaxy S26 strengthens Samsung’s push to compete with Apple

Even as the company develops advanced folding devices, the Galaxy S series remains Samsung’s most important smartphone lineup. Foldable models like the Galaxy Z Fold and experimental products like the TriFold showcase Samsung’s engineering prowess, but they still post lower sales than traditional smartphones. 

This is why every Galaxy S launch is so significant to Samsung’s business. These phones reach far more people and drive more sales than foldable models. A successful Galaxy S26 launch would open opportunities for Samsung to attract new customers and help retain existing customers planning an upgrade. 

The company could also post a promotion after Feb. 25, with new accessories like wireless earbuds or other connected device products to go with the Galaxy S26. These products help shore up Samsung’s larger ecosystem and make its smartphones more attractive for end consumers who have many Samsung products to choose from. 

Samsung’s focus on AI follows the emerging role of AI as a primary battleground in the smartphone business. Samsung and Apple are both racing to make their devices smarter, more helpful, and more personalized. 

With the Galaxy S26, Samsung also bets that higher-level AI, privacy, and consistent hardware upgrades would support its strong competition with Apple’s latest iPhones. 

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FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has filed a pro se motion for a new trial of the firm’s bankruptcy case, for which he already serves a 25-year sentence. He argued that new witnesses can refute the prosecution’s case that he defrauded the exchange’s customers.

The pro se motion, meaning SBF is representing himself, was filed on February 5 but was docketed today in Manhattan federal court. SBF’s mother, Barbara Fried, who is a retired Stanford Law Professor, sent the motion to the clerk. The motion is also separate from Bankman-Fried’s appeal of his 2023 conviction.

Could FTX’s previous executives save SBF’s trial case trajectory? 

CRYPTO CRIMES: After Sam Bankman-Fried Got a 25 Year Sentence, Now Files a Pro Se Motion for New Trial, via his professor mother, Saying Why Salame No Testimony- Inner City Press story https://t.co/N4rKdoCCpq 35 page motion on Patreon here https://t.co/zhFyvY0Zlu

— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) February 10, 2026

Barbara revealed that the appeal has been in the works for a long time. She also disclosed that SBF planned to write the motion in his own voice.

SBF’s motion is currently being considered by a three-judge appeals panel. Bankman-Fried claims that the trial judge’s previous ruling tainted the verdict. During a November hearing, the judges also appeared skeptical of his lawyer’s arguments.

Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty of seven criminal counts, including fraud and conspiracy. He told U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversaw the trial, that he illegally transferred billions of dollars from FTX customer accounts to the firm’s affiliate, Alameda Research. Risky investments by the affiliated hedge fund contributed to FTX’s collapse.

SBF stated in his appeal that two former FTX executives who didn’t testify at trial, Daniel Chapsky and Ryan Salame, could refute the prosecution’s narrative about the firm’s financial status at the time. However, Salame had previously pleaded guilty and received a 7½ prison sentence.

SBF claimed on Monday that Salame had evidence backed up with emails, memos, and legal work. He argued that the recent administration couldn’t let Salame present the evidence, and instead threatened his pregnant fiancée to force him to plead guilty.

Salame also revealed on February 2 that there was no mention of prosecutors explicitly advising the executives that Alameda didn’t need U.S. money-transmitting licenses for the non-U.S. work. He claimed that’s what got him to prison.

Shapiro also stated during SBF’s appeal hearing that Kaplan had wrongly prevented the defense from telling jurors about FTX’s financial position. He claimed that the crypto exchange had ample funds to repay investors, despite its 2022 collapse.

Kaplan also prevented SBF’s lawyers from presenting evidence about the advice they had given the former CEO. The incident occurred after an unusual hearing in which a judge put Bankman-Fried on the stand for 3 hours to preview his proposed testimony, without a jury present.

SBF calls for a different judge for his new trial

Sam Bankman-Fried has requested a different judge to be assigned to consider his motion for a new trial. He argued that Kaplan had demonstrated manifest prejudice toward him. 

“So they lied, said I stole billions of dollars and bankrupted FTX. But the money was always there, and FTX was always solvent.”

–Sam Bankman-Fried, Former CEO of FTX.

SBF also claimed that the Biden administration threw bogus charges at him and prevented the executives from responding to make the charges stick. He also argued that the Biden administration hated him because they hated crypto, and he was one of the faces of crypto in the U.S. 

SBF believes the Biden administration hated him because he was a former Democratic donor who turned and started donating to Republicans. He added that the administration didn’t like his ties to the former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair, Gary Gensler.

The former FTX CEO also revealed that his prosecutor, Sassoon, who was later fired under Trump, wrote a 70-page document on all the evidence that the administration didn’t want the jury to see.

SBF has also been seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump. Trump said earlier this year that he has no intention of freeing the former FTX CEO.

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MoonPay, a leading financial technology company, struck a deal that could grant about 40,000 businesses the opportunity to streamline payroll via stablecoin transactions. 

In a statement dated Tuesday, February 10, the firm noted that, “With the help of our fiat infrastructure division, Iron, MoonPay will collaborate with Deel, a payroll and human resources platform. This partnership will enable companies to pay their workers directly in stablecoins that are sent to their wallets.”

This service is scheduled to begin in the UK and the EU, but reports from reliable sources indicate that MoonPay has also signaled its intention to expand into the US.

Several firms embrace cryptocurrency as a payroll option for workers 

Regarding MoonPay’s recent agreement, the Founder and CEO of Iron, Max von Wallenberg, shared an X post noting that, “Deel will utilize Iron’s system to provide stablecoin payroll services, enabling quick and smooth worldwide payments on a large scale.” According to the industry executive, “ The figures tell a clear story: Deel handled $22 billion in global payroll in 2025 and is making a strong move toward crypto solutions.” 

Reports highlighted that Deel has been involved with digital assets since 2021, when they began offering crypto-based payroll, specifically USDC or Solana, to employees. Following the adoption of this new payment option, Deel secured $425 million in a Series D funding round.

While the tech platform celebrated this significant milestone, sources alleged that it had already backed BTC, ether, and XRP as salary payment options. However, for its employees to effectively activate the new capabilities, Deel required them to create an account with Coinbase,  a leading, regulated, and publicly traded cryptocurrency exchange.

The platform argued that its decision to adopt a crypto-based payroll option for its workers as its preferred payment method stemmed from its belief that cryptocurrency enables faster contractor payments with lower transaction fees. 

To break this point down for better understanding, Deel mentioned that crypto exchange Coinbase imposed a 1.5% provider fee on crypto payroll withdrawals. In addition, USDC payments applied a 1% variable fee while Solana payments applied an additional 1.5% charge. 

Meanwhile, in December of last year, self-custody wallet company Exodus Movement successfully collaborated with MoonPay and  M0 to enter the stablecoin market with a USD-pegged offering.

Visa embraces stablecoin payouts amid global cryptocurrency acceptance

Towards the end of last year, Visa Inc., an American multinational payment card services corporation, released a statement hinting at a new pilot initiative that enabled businesses and platforms to settle payments directly into recipients’ stablecoin wallets. Notably, the multinational payments tech company made these remarks at the Singapore Fintech Festival.

Regarding this new pilot initiative, the company further elaborated that businesses using Visa Direct were permitted to fund payouts with regular funds. At the same time, recipients could receive payouts in USD-backed stablecoins, such as USDC. This change played a key role in accelerating and easing global payments.

Moreover, analysts acknowledged that this new feature enhances the value of Visa Direct by providing creators, freelancers, and marketplaces with a secure alternative for storing value and faster access to funds, even in environments characterized by high currency volatility or restricted access to banking services. 

Chris Newkirk, President of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions at Visa, commented on this change. He argued that they decided to launch stablecoin payouts to give everyone worldwide the opportunity to access their funds swiftly, in minutes, avoiding the delays that had previously occurred. 

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Strategists at State Street Corp. say the dollar could slide as much as 10% this year if the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates more sharply than expected. 

The caution comes as investors remain vigilant for potential shifts in policy and the Fed’s leadership. Easing monetary policy, the firm’s researchers said, will likely weaken the dollar by dampening its appeal to international investors and further pressuring the currency. 

State Street, one of the world’s largest asset managers, reports that the US dollar is already in its weakest stretch in almost a decade. Strategist Lee Ferridge articulated this outlook at a conference in Miami, where he explained that further declines could happen if financial conditions become more relaxed. 

Ferridge said that the firm’s main outlook for the year was that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates twice. However, he added that there was a real possibility of additional cuts beyond that. He explained that two cuts were a reasonable base case, but noted that three cuts could also happen depending on how the economy develops.

When US rates are high, global investors hold dollar-based assets because they provide superior returns. But when rates drop, returns become less attractive, and investors run from it, pulling out of the sector and moving elsewhere.

When the interest rates go down, borrowing becomes an affordable option for many. As a result, spending habits and investment patterns rise. And while this might boost economic growth, it can dampen the dollar’s strength and demand, particularly from foreign investors seeking better returns elsewhere.

Possible Fed leadership shift raises rate cut expectations

Another factor that could affect the dollar’s strength is a potential leadership shake-up at the Fed. President Donald Trump has nominated Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell. If he is appointed, Warsh is widely accepted as someone who can also support faster and deeper rate cuts. 

A leadership shift like that might signal that the country would be aggressively easing its monetary policy stance. Such a shift in mindset would raise expectations of lower rates and could further weaken the dollar. 

Currently, the Fed’s target interest rate is between 3.50% and 3.75%. Financial markets are now anticipating a cautious approach as well, with two cuts expected this year. 

According to data from CME Group’s FedWatch Tool, investors are betting the first cut will occur in June, notwithstanding two policy meetings to come before. If the Fed eventually cuts rates more than previously expected, the dollar could face even more downward pressure. 

Investors react rapidly to changes in interest rate expectations, and even indicators of future rate cuts can have a significant impact on the exchange rate market.

Dollar weakness could reshape demand for Bitcoin and other assets

A weaker US dollar often boosts riskier assets, such as Bitcoin. Historically, BTC prices tend to move inversely to the dollar index, meaning that when the dollar drops, Bitcoin and other alternative investments can become more attractive to investors.

Dollar weakness has played the same role as good performance in crypto markets. Some investors see Bitcoin as a hedge against the risks of fiat currencies, particularly during periods of loose monetary policy. This relationship, however, is not always the case. 

There have certainly been periods when Bitcoin has fallen as the dollar weakened. Other factors, such as investor mood, profit-taking, and general economic uncertainty, can also affect crypto prices. 

For now, State Street’s warning reflects the extent to which the dollar is sensitive to policy choices and investor expectations.

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The crypto market is going through a major rotation as capital moves aggressively across the space. Many experienced traders are starting to look beyond long-standing names that once dominated previous cycles. As competition grows and returns tighten, attention is shifting toward newer projects with room to expand.

With Ripple (XRP) still struggling to reclaim its former momentum, a new protocol has begun to draw serious interest from analysts and early adopters. This project has already tripled in value at a very early stage, raising questions about whether it could follow a similar breakout path seen in past market cycles. Investors are now closely examining the numbers, comparing its growth potential against established giants, and searching for the next opportunity capable of delivering strong returns in an increasingly crowded market.

Ripple (XRP)

Ripple (XRP) is still among the top ten assets with a market capitalization of approximately $85 billion. It achieved popularity with its initial boom when it was set to take over the SWIFT banking scheme. The token has however experienced years of sluggishness and stiff opposition. It is currently trading around the $1.40 mark and it is extremely difficult to push it up. The enormous supply and the unending dumping of tokens out of escrow forms a permanent sell wall which prevents the price explosion.

A lot of analysts are currently giving a bad price forecast on XRP. Its market cap is already so large that it would require billions of dollars of new money to gain the value to double. There are some analysts who feel that the XRP might fall to around the $1.10 price as it cannot hold its support. The upside of XRP is extremely low to investors who are interested in a high return. It is now considered a slow mover which might fail to keep pace with the quicker segments of the crypto world.

Mutuum Finance (MUTM) 

Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is a decentralized system focused on lending and borrowing through smart contracts. The protocol is being developed to support fast and low cost transactions by leveraging Layer 2 infrastructure, while allowing users to borrow or earn yield without giving up control of their funds.

The project is currently in its presale phase and has shown steady progress. The MUTM token launched at an initial price of $0.01 and has gradually increased to $0.04, representing a 3x rise before any public exchange listing. The team has confirmed a planned listing price of $0.06, which gives current participants a structured entry below the expected market debut.

So far, the presale has raised over $20.4 million and attracted more than 19,000 holders, indicating broad participation rather than concentrated demand. Mutuum Finance aims to build a professional lending hub where all rules are enforced by code, not intermediaries. The total token supply is capped at 4 billion MUTM, with distribution outlined in advance to support long term development and user incentives.

Why MUTM May be More Effective than XRP

The largest opportunity MUTM has to outperform XRP is its ability to grow in the early stages. The protocol just released its V1 protocol to the Sepolia testnet. This demonstrates that the team is living up to its promises. The system is supported by the use of mtTokens that generate salary to the holders. It also possesses a buy and distribute model which is supportive of the token value throughout the time.

E.g. a comparison of a $600 allocation. In the case of XRP, having invested $600, one can only have an increase of 50% as long as XRP gets $50B in market cap, which is extremely unlikely in 2026-2027. 

Nevertheless, in the case of MUTM, an investment of 15,000 tokens is expected to be grounded with a cost of $600 at a cost of $0.04. As long as the expected post-launch price of several analysts reaches $0.40, that would transform into $6,000. It is this 10x potential that is making the newer protocol popular among the experts. MUTM has a low market cap which implies that it can grow significantly in comparison to a multi billion dollar asset such as XRP.

Security and Market Urgency

The presale, Phase 7 is currently sold out fast. Before the price hits new levels, investors are scrambling to get their tokens. Already, the protocol has undergone a complete security audit by Halborn. This company is a blockchain security pioneer. The dashboard on the project also comprises a 24 hour leaderboard. The best producer of the day achieves a token bonus of $500 in MUTM.

It has been very easy to join Mutuum Finance. MUTM is payable with major cryptos or even a direct card purchase. This eliminates the pressure of the complicated exchanges. The urgency is increasing as the supply is decreasing. Whales already make huge positions in order to outpace the mainnet launch. According to many currency investors this is the best crypto opportunity since it has a testnet that works and confirms security to people who are leaving XRP.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://www.mutuum.com
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

Stock traders are holding their breath this week as January employment numbers arrive. The data threatens to derail a recovery that’s pushed the Dow Jones to historic heights.

After bouncing back from a brutal technology selloff just days ago, investors face a critical question: will Friday’s jobs data keep things moving or send markets tumbling?

JPMorgan’s trading team mapped out five possibilities for how stocks might react when the Labor Department releases nonfarm payrolls data. The market’s walking a tightrope. Numbers coming in too strong or too weak could both spell trouble.

Here’s what JPMorgan sees:

If employers added more than 110,000 workers last month, the S&P 500 could drop 0.5% to 1%. JPMorgan thinks there’s only a 5% chance of that. Strong hiring might convince the Federal Reserve to hold off on cutting interest rates. That’d disappoint investors who want easier monetary policy.

Between 90,000 and 110,000 jobs has a 20% chance and could lift stocks 0.25% to 1%.

The sweet spot sits between 60,000 and 90,000 new jobs. JPMorgan gives this a 40% probability, the most likely scenario. The S&P 500 might climb between 0.25% and 0.75% there. This “Goldilocks” outcome would show the economy cooling without crashing.

The 30,000 to 60,000 range carries a 30% chance. Stocks might wobble between a 0.25% decline and a 0.5% gain.

Fewer than 30,000 jobs would probably hammer stocks down 0.5% to 1.25%, though there’s just a 5% shot of that.

Michael Feroli is JPMorgan’s chief economist for the United States. He expects 75,000 jobs created in January. Better than December’s paltry 50,000. Unemployment probably stayed flat at 4.4%.

“We think the print falls in the Goldilocks zone but one that is too hot will trigger a repricing of the yield curve higher and the elevated bond vol likely produces a down for stocks and one that is too cool will have the market on edge that the Fed is late to resuming its easing cycle and with Powell unlikely to cut before his term as Fed Chair ends, means that first cut would be in June,” JPMorgan’s trading desk wrote as quoted by CNBC.

Recent employment signals have turned worrying

Private sector hiring nearly stalled in the latest ADP report. Job openings plummeted to levels not seen since September 2020. January layoffs hit their worst mark since 2009, per outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Investors are nervous the labor market might be cracking.

There’s a twist though. Lower immigration has slowed labor force growth. The economy now needs only about 30,000 jobs monthly to keep unemployment steady. Way down from the 250,000 monthly pace needed back in 2023. Markets haven’t fully absorbed this. Explains why seemingly weak numbers might not be alarming.

Options traders are betting on a 1.2% swing either way when the data drops. Shows how uncertain Wall Street feels.

The jobs report comes as stocks undergo a massive shift

The Dow crossed 50,000 on February 6. Money’s flooding out of expensive technology stocks into cheaper, overlooked companies. Small-cap stocks in the Russell 2000 index jumped 7.6% this year. Crushes the S&P 500’s roughly 2% gain. Energy stocks surged 14.2% in January. Materials climbed 8.6%. Financials stumbled 2.4%.

If jobs come in just right, this rotation from growth to value could speed up. Companies sensitive to economic cycles tend to do better when the economy shows resilience without overheating. Manufacturers, commodity producers, retailers.

Technology giants are planning to spend between $650 billion and $700 billion on artificial intelligence infrastructure in 2026. Amazon pledged $200 billion. Alphabet’s around $175-185 billion. Meta $115-135 billion. Microsoft roughly $145 billion. Software stocks have crashed 24% this year though. Investors are questioning whether these investments will pay off.

Amazon fell 8-10% after reporting earnings despite the spending spree. Alphabet declined even after beating expectations. Investors want proof AI will generate profits, not just consume capital.

The jobs report could determine where money flows next. Into beaten-down value stocks or back into technology shares if economic data suggests growth is fading.

JPMorgan says it’s “tactically bullish” and expects stocks to continue their broadening rally. Everything hinges on getting that Goldilocks number. Strong enough to show economic health. Weak enough to keep rate cut hopes alive.

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A few hours after winning $1 million in X’s recent article contest, an online user popularly known as Beaver was caught in a blockchain investigation alleging that he profited over $600,000 from launching meme tokens that would instantly collapse.

The allegation comes from blockchain intelligence firm Bubblemaps, who published a detailed thread on February 5, 2026, tracing some on-chain activity to wallets that are allegedly linked to the contest winner, an X user known as Beaver with the handle @beaverd. 

The analysis claimed that those wallets repeatedly launched meme coins majorly through Pump.fun before selling immediately after launch, causing the value to drop near zero.

Did X contest winner launch and rugpull memes? 

Findings from Bubblemaps’ investigation uncovered Solana blockchain explorer data finding multiple “Create Token” actions connected to wallets that allegedly form part of the same cluster connected to Beaver. 

An example involves a token called $SIAS, which surged up to $6 million market cap for a short period before crashing.

Bubblemaps estimated that wallets in this cluster generated approximately $600,000 in profit across multiple meme coin launches. This follows a pattern of repeated instances where tokens would launch, enjoy a short price spike period, before collapsing after holding wallets sold their assets. 

This scheme is known as a “pump and dump”, where fraudsters try to drive a buying frenzy among the public to increase the value of an asset, before “dumping” it by selling their own assets or shares at the increased price.

Pump.fun, originally created as a Solana-based project that simplifies the process of creating tokens, has now become a popular platform for these scams. 

The platform allows anyone to create and launch tokens in minutes, which also contributes to an environment where 97% of meme coins fail in their first year.

Beaver’s response to the allegations

A few hours after Bubblemaps’ thread started gaining traction, @beaverd responded by saying “cry me a river,” even adding that the allegations brought forward were “not even the top 5 greatest hits.” This response did not refute the wallet links, nor the on-chain transactions Bubblemaps released.

This reply sparked even more controversy as parts of the crypto community began to question the ethics of meme coin launches connected to influential creators. 

Most argue that when creators with large followings and some form of “credibility” from winning high-profile contests launch tokens, they hold an unfair advantage over regular investors, which allows them to profit while others are left with crumbs of their investment.

As of now, Beaver has yet to issue a formal statement addressing the specifics of Bubblemaps’ allegations aside from the initial response.

X contest rewards engagement over ethics

The X article contest was announced on January 17, 2026, as part of X’s strategy to encourage high-quality, long-form content on its platform. The contest promised $1 million to the author of the most popular long-form article posted between January 16 and January 28.

However, the selection criteria left a lot to be desired. The criteria used “Verified Home Timeline impressions” as the main metric, which critics believe essentially rewards engagement farming instead of quality content. 

The winning article was titled “Deloitte, a $74 billion cancer metastasized across America,” which dissected data about government contracts with the consulting giant.

While the contest’s guidelines explicitly stated that submissions “must not contain political or religious statements,” NBC News noted that over $2 million in prize money went to users ranging from popular right-wing influencers to anonymous accounts. They also highlighted a history of controversial and racist content from @beaverd’s account history.

These allegations add yet another layer of controversy to an already disputable prize announcement. 

While Elon Musk (X’s owner) has positioned the platform as an avenue for quality content creation and fair monetization, others argue that basing rewards majorly on engagement metrics can incentivize harmful behavior against regular users, whether through controversial/racist content or scams.

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Ford missed Wall Street expectations by a wide margin in the fourth quarter, delivering earnings per share of just $0.13 when analysts expected $0.19.

That’s a 32% miss, the worst the company has reported since 2021. It was also the first quarterly earnings miss since 2024.

Ford blamed unexpected $900 million in tariff costs, saying those charges hit harder than expected because credits for parts didn’t apply as early as planned. Before that hit, Ford had anticipated $7.7 billion in EBIT for the quarter. The final figure dropped to $6.8 billion.

Even though Ford’s automotive revenue hit $42.4 billion, which was slightly above the $41.83 billion consensus, total company revenue fell 5% to $45.9 billion.

Ford’s net income collapsed from a $1.8 billion profit in Q4 2024 to a massive $11.1 billion loss in Q4 2025. That’s a swing of $12.9 billion. Diluted EPS turned negative too, going from $0.45 to a brutal loss of $2.77. The margin for net income plunged from 3.8% to -24.1%.

Ford’s 2025 performance shows weakness across every major segment

On a full-year basis, Ford posted revenue of $187.3 billion, up 1%, but that’s where the improvement stops. The company booked a full-year net loss of $8.2 billion, swinging down from a $5.9 billion profit in 2024.

Ford’s diluted EPS for the year collapsed by $3.52, from $1.46 to -2.06. Adjusted EBIT also dropped from $10.2 billion to $6.8 billion, and adjusted free cash flow fell from $6.7 billion to $3.5 billion.

Every major business segment showed cracks. Ford Blue, the legacy gas-powered division, saw revenue drop 1% to $101 billion, with EBIT down $2.2 billion to $3.0 billion. Wholesale units slipped 5%.

Bronco hit a new sales record, and F-150 and Maverick led hybrid pickup sales, but that wasn’t enough to lift the entire segment.

Ford Pro, the commercial unit, lost steam too. Revenue fell to $66.3 billion, while EBIT tumbled by $2.1 billion to $6.8 billion. Margins slid from 13.5% to 10.3%.

Super Duty pickups had their strongest year since 2004, and Transit vans posted a record volume, but those high points didn’t stop the bleed. Paid software subscriptions did rise 30% during 2025.

Ford Model e, the electric vehicle unit, continued to rack up losses. The segment reported a $4.8 billion EBIT loss, slightly better than 2024’s $5.1 billion loss. Model e revenue jumped to $6.7 billion, up 73%, but margins are still ugly: -72.1%. The company sold 178,000 units, a 69% jump from the prior year, yet still can’t get this business out of the red.

Company outlines bigger 2026 targets despite brutal earnings miss

Despite everything, Ford laid out a more aggressive plan for 2026. The company expects adjusted EBIT to land between $8 billion and $10 billion, which would be a decent jump from 2025’s $6.8 billion.

They also guided for $5 to $6 billion in free cash flow, up from $3.5 billion, and capex to rise to $9.5 to $10.5 billion, including $1.5 billion to ramp Ford Energy.

Segment guidance also shows bold projections. Ford Pro is expected to deliver $6.5 to $7.5 billion in EBIT, Ford Blue is targeting $4.0 to $4.5 billion, and Model e is still expected to lose $4.0 to $4.5 billion.

Ford Credit, which reported a strong 2025 with $2.6 billion in earnings before taxes (up 55%), is expected to book $2.5 billion in 2026.

CEO Jim Farley said, “We made critical strategic decisions that set us up for a stronger future.” CFO Sherry House added, “A disciplined approach to capital efficiency will drive stronger results in 2026 and beyond.”

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