Ripple Expands Institutional Tools With Hardware Security and Staking Support
Ripple has expanded its institutional custody platform through new security and staking integrations announced on Monday, February 9.
The update supports regulated banks and custodians seeking compliant digital asset services.
The San Francisco-based blockchain firm said the upgrade strengthens key management, staking access, and compliance tooling for institutional clients.
Analysts view the move as a step beyond payments toward broader financial infrastructure services.
Custody platform gains hardware security and staking tools
Ripple confirmed collaborations with Securosys and Figment to enhance its institutional custody offering.
The integrations allow clients to secure cryptographic keys using hardware security modules on premises or in the cloud.
The platform now supports staking without requiring institutions to operate validators or manage complex key systems.
This structure lowers technical barriers for banks entering proof-of-stake services.
Analysts said the design reduces operational risk while meeting regulatory expectations.
Following the acquisition of Palisade, the platform also incorporates compliance tooling from Chainalysis.
These features enable real-time monitoring and policy enforcement during custody and staking operations.
Expansion beyond payments into institutional infrastructure
The company stated that the upgrades simplify deployment and shorten launch timelines for custody services.
It added that institutional demand now extends beyond cross-border payments.
With the update, clients can offer staking on networks such as Ethereum and Solana while maintaining compliance controls.
The firm said this approach aligns with rising institutional interest in proof of stake assets.
Ripple also noted its broader strategy to support custody, treasury, and post-trade services.
The firm issues the XRP token and RLUSD, a dollar-pegged stablecoin launched in late 2024.
It recently introduced a corporate treasury platform linking traditional cash systems with digital assets.
Industry competition intensifies around staking services
Elsewhere in the market, Figment expanded staking access through a partnership with Coinbase last October.
That integration enabled institutional clients to stake assets across multiple networks through a single system.
Other providers have taken similar steps. Anchorage Digital launched staking support for the Hyperliquid network late last year. Validator operations were handled by Figment.
Beyond staking, firms are exploring yield models tied to Bitcoin.
Fireblocks announced plans to adopt the Stacks blockchain to support lending and yield products.
These developments reflect growing competition to provide compliant yield access for institutions.
Ripple’s latest update positions its platform to serve that demand within regulated frameworks.
The post Ripple expands institutional tools with hardware security and staking support first appeared on Coinfea.
Alibaba Halts Coupon Issuance As AI Bot Suffers From Surging Demand
Alibaba’s AI chatbot Qwen, digital coupons, and AI-powered shopping were tested during China’s Spring Festival as the e-commerce group experimented with a new way for customers to shop entirely through conversational prompts.
The experiment was designed to move Qwen beyond question-answering and into full transactions. However, it quickly ran into capacity limits after a surge in user demand. Shoppers could use the coupon capabilities, together with a chatbot, to purchase products directly from Alibaba’s retail stores. The program is a component of Qwen’s 3 billion yuan ($433 million) investment, which is aimed at enhancing Qwen’s uptake during one of the busiest online retail seasons in China – the holiday period, and has an overall goal to drive up Qwen’s usage.
Alibaba pauses new experiment after demand overload
According to reports, Qwen‘s servers received over 10 million purchase requests through the chatbot in less than nine hours after it launched. The request completely overwhelmed the systems of the Qwen chatbot. By Saturday, the chatbot had stopped fulfilling orders, issuing automated replies to customers stating that no new credits could be given due to too many people signing up for the campaign.
On Qwen’s official Weibo account, it acknowledged the demand on their systems, stating. “The enthusiasm from people wanting to try out AI shopping is above our expectations!” the company said. “There are too many participants for ‘ Qwen free order ‘ at this time,” noting that their staff would do everything possible to stabilize operations. In another note, Qwen sought to reassure customers that the campaign had not been terminated and was still ongoing.
“We are doing everything to facilitate your continued participation in the campaign,” Qwen said. The coupons are still expected to work through February 28, 2026, so that customers will have additional time to redeem them after service has been stabilized. This development comes after Alibaba recently released the updated Qwen mobile app in January 2026. Most users reported a pleasant experience with the application.
Wu Jia, the company’s vice-president for consumer AI, showcased the app’s features as she ordered 40 cups of milk tea via Qwen at the launch event. Alibaba’s Qwen large language models (LLMs) were used to develop the mobile app. The Chinese tech company is trying to create an easy-to-use interface via its AI agent features. After linking Qwen to apps like Taobao and Alipay, users can tell it to do tasks such as ordering drinks or paying bills, instead of swiping the screen repeatedly.
Alibaba’s campaign is the first public test of their new AI strategy, dubbed “Agentic AI”, which aims to develop a version of Qwen equal to the role of Google’s Assistant as the main point of access for all of Alibaba’s apps and products. Users will use Qwen as their only way to navigate, buy, and pay across the entire Alibaba app ecosystem.
The post Alibaba halts coupon issuance as AI bot suffers from surging demand first appeared on Coinfea.
French Authorities Arrest Six in Connection With Crypto Kidnapping
French authorities have arrested six suspects, including a minor, after a magistrate and her mother were held captive last week for around 30 hours in a cryptocurrency ransom plot.
In a statement released by prosecutors on Sunday, four men and one woman were detained, three overnight and two on Sunday morning. Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran later confirmed to AFP that a minor was also arrested on Sunday afternoon. The individuals were taken into custody following the discovery of the 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother on Friday morning, who were found injured in a garage in the southeastern Drome region.
French authorities nab crypto kidnappers
According to French authorities, two of those arrested overnight were detained as they attempted to take a bus to Spain, according to a source close to the case speaking on condition of anonymity. Authorities continue to actively search for further suspects, a second source close to the case said, adding that the woman in custody is the partner of one of the four male suspects.
During a press conference on Friday after the pair’s escape, prosecutor Dran said the magistrate’s partner, who was not home when the two victims were abducted, has a leading position in a cryptocurrency start-up. A massive police search involving 160 officers was launched after the magistrate’s partner had received a message and a photo from the kidnappers demanding a ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency.
The captors threatened to mutilate the victims if the transfer was not made quickly, Dran told reporters, declining to specify the amount demanded. But the two women managed to free themselves and call for help without any ransom being paid by banging on the garage door. “Alerted by the noise, a neighbour intervened. He was able to open the door and allow our two victims to escape,” Dran said.
French authorities have been dealing with a string of kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting the families of wealthy individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies. In May 2025, a violent attempt was made in Paris against the family of Pierre Noizat, the CEO and co-founder of the French crypto exchange Paymium. Attackers targeted Noizat’s daughter and young grandson in broad daylight, though the abduction was thwarted.
In May, the father of a man who ran a Malta-based cryptocurrency company was kidnapped by four hooded men in Paris. The victim, whose finger was also severed by the kidnappers and for whom a ransom of several million euros was demanded, was released 58 hours later in a raid by the security forces. This trend of targeted physical violence highlights a shift in criminal tactics.
The post French authorities arrest six in connection with crypto kidnapping first appeared on Coinfea.
Elon Musk has slammed Apple for going after Tesla workers when the iPhone maker was trying to build its own electric car. He claimed the company even offered them twice their salary without even doing interviews first.
The Tesla chief made the comments during a recent conversation with Stripe’s John Collison and podcast host Dwarkesh Patel. The wide-ranging talk covered everything from computers for space to artificial intelligence and Musk’s work with the Department of Government Efficiency. When the discussion turned to building teams and hiring people, Musk brought up how other companies tried to steal Tesla employees during the carmaker’s best times.
Elon Musk slams Apple for its recruitment tactics
During the talk, Elon Musk pointed to Apple as one of the worst offenders when it ran its electric car program. “When Apple had their electric car program, they were carpet bombing Tesla with recruiting calls,” Musk said. “Engineers just unplugged their phones.” He explained that Apple recruiters would make opening offers worth double what Tesla paid.
Musk added that most of the offers came before even sitting down with workers for interviews. The constant phone calls got so bad that Tesla engineers started disconnecting their phones just to avoid hearing from Apple one more time. Musk called this the “Tesla pixie dust” problem. Other companies thought that if they hired someone from Tesla, success would automatically follow.
Tesla’s spot in Silicon Valley also made things worse because workers could jump to a new job without having to move their families. Apple worked on building a car for years through something called Project Titan, but the company never actually made one. Still, it clearly put a lot of money and effort into trying to bring Tesla people over to its side.
Musk admitted he had made the same mistake when hiring for his own businesses. “I’ve fallen prey to the pixie dust thing as well, where it’s like, ‘Oh, we’ll hire someone from Google or Apple, and they’ll be immediately successful,’ but that’s not how it works,” he said. “People are people. There’s no magical pixie dust.” The talk also covered Musk’s plans for something he calls a “TeraFab.”
He wants Tesla to build this because he thinks there are not enough computer chips being made to reach his goals. He even joked about his hands-on way of doing things, saying he would “smoke a cigar inside the fab” instead of following normal clean room rules. Looking at where artificial intelligence is headed, Musk thinks the main problem is changing.
Elon Musk said It used to be about software, but now it’s about hardware and power. He said that in the next year, “people are going to hit the wall big time on power generation.” There will be more chips than the world can actually turn on and use. His answer? Move AI to space. “In 36 months, the cheapest place to put AI will be space,” Musk predicted. He pointed to cheap solar power and no air getting in the way as reasons this makes sense.
The post Elon Musk slams Apple’s aggressive recruiting moves first appeared on Coinfea.
PayPal and Coinbase Become the Most Oversold Stocks on Wall Street
PayPal and Coinbase are the most oversold stocks on Wall Street. The data is derived from the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which traders use to see how hard a stock has been hit.
A reading below 30 means a stock is oversold. But this week was so brutal, both of them fell way under that. PayPal dropped to an RSI under 11. On top of that, the stock lost more than 24% this week, which represents its worst weekly drop ever. The crash came after PayPal gave a weak earnings forecast for 2026 on Tuesday. The company also announced that Alex Chriss will leave his role as CEO. The news hit investors hard. Most analysts aren’t calling it a buy, but they aren’t dumping it either.
PayPal and Coinbase become oversold on Wall Street
According to LSEG data, the average analyst rating on PayPal is “hold.” That said, price targets show a possible 40% upside over the next year. No guarantees, though. The bloodbath this week was real. Coinbase also made the oversold list with an RSI of around 14. It got crushed this week as shares fell 25% by Friday morning.
The development happened amid the drop in price of Bitcoin. Since Coinbase depends so much on crypto trading volume, it got dragged down right with it. The stock bounced a little on Friday as Bitcoin recovered some of its earlier loss. But even with that bounce, Coinbase still ended the week deep in the red. Analysts are still betting big on it. Most of them rate it a buy. And the average target price shows a possible 100% gain from here. Whether or not it actually happens depends on where crypto goes next.
The selloff this week didn’t stop with just those two. KKR & Co., a big name in alternative assets, also ended the week oversold. Its RSI fell below 20, and the stock dropped more than 13%. The fear here is about artificial intelligence. Investors are nervous that it is about to shake up the software industry. Since KKR is tied to that space through its credit investments, the worry spread to them.
Even with that fear, most analysts haven’t bailed. LSEG data shows that a majority still have buy ratings on KKR. And the average price forecast shows the stock could rise over 53% in the next twelve months. Again, that’s if nothing else goes wrong. Palantir also dropped 13% this week. It had a huge rally over the last year, but the good times stopped fast. Just like KKR, the panic was about AI.
People are worried that new models will eat into older software companies’ profits. Palantir reports earnings on Monday after the close, so everyone’s watching. Rishi Jaluria from RBC Capital Markets is still bearish. Back on January 26, he kept his “underperform” rating on Palantir and stuck with a $50 target. He warned that unless something major happens in the next earnings report, the current price doesn’t make sense.
The post PayPal and Coinbase become the most oversold stocks on Wall Street first appeared on Coinfea.
Polymarket Tops Most Visited Decentralized Apps in January
Polymarket was the most visited decentralized app in January. The app almost caught up with the traffic on Robinhood, reaching a peak on-chain traffic as well, while expanding its mainstream presence.
Polymarket was the most visited crypto-native app, logging both peak on-chain volumes and site ranking. The app’s founder, Shayne Coplan, marked the achievement. Polymarket was among the most popular on-chain use cases in January, as activity shifted to the most liquid markets. The app also posted peak USDC volumes, leading to a partnership with Circle for using the native stablecoin version.
Polymarket ranks ahead of Kalshi in site visits
Polymarket is still ahead of Kalshi on several metrics, including nearly four times as many site visits. Most of the Polymarket traffic comes from the USA, after the app started offering prediction pairs. Polymarket is still drawing international traffic, but has complied with US regulations to offer its brand of probability trading.
Multiple prediction apps are competing for the top spot. Polymarket has broadened its outreach on social media while also encouraging smart betting. The platform gained an edge on Kalshi by allowing smart betting and not playing against ‘sharps’. The two apps are competing for user appeal with shopping vouchers and even a free grocery store.
Most of the expansion in the past month came from retail predictions, totaling over $12B in trading volumes. Polymarket remains the leader in current events and politics predictions, with a big lead against Kalshi outside the sports predictions market. Mobile usage picked up for Polymarket in the past three months, with gradual growth on all devices.
Polymarket search volumes also moved ahead of Kalshi in the past three months. The platform’s activity was driven by the most diverse prediction markets, categorized as ‘other’. Sports, politics, and crypto made up the bulk of activity. Top bets as of February 6 included sports events, the potential US strikes against Iran, as well as a short-term 15-minute market on the performance of BTC.
Polymarket is growing based on highly active players making more than five predictions on average. The platform uses a mix of bots and organic activity, while being heavily promoted through copy-trading and influencers. Most of the active trading on Polymarket happens on contested issues, where the odds are between 40% and 60%. The other big subset is almost-resolved issues with a probability of 80% to 90%.
The post Polymarket tops most visited decentralized apps in January first appeared on Coinfea.
China Goes After Fake ChatGPT and DeepSeek AI Services
The top market regulator in China has fined several firms for impersonating ChatGPT and DeepSeek services. The fine comes as Beijing tightens oversight in the country’s artificial intelligence sector.
The State Administration for Market Regulation said Friday it punished several companies for unfair competition, falsely imitating and advertising AI services from other brands. One of the fined companies is Shanghai Shangyun Internet Technology, which was found running a sham ChatGPT service through Tencent’s WeChat platform. The regulator fined the company 62,692.70 yuan, equivalent to about $9,034.
China fines firms impersonating ChatGPT and DeepSeek
According to the agency, the service had been advertising itself as the “official Chinese version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT,” and charged users for AI conversations, a conduct that breached the country’s Anti-Unfair Competition Law. “The company was fully aware of the industry status and influence of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. They deliberately created a false impression that they are providing the official service to mislead users into making purchases,” it said during a press briefing on Friday.
According to the AI Market Regulation government arm, a wave of DeepSeek mini-programmes and websites imitating the original platform appeared in early 2025. The watchdog penalized the services for trademark violations and for trying to deceive the public through falsified promotional language. “This investigation served as a deterrent to illegal operators … and guided the AI market towards a standardised and orderly path of development,” the agency said.
Another firm, Hangzhou Boheng Culture Media, was fined 30,000 yuan for running an unauthorized website that allegedly offered “DeepSeek local deployment.” The regulator said the site copied fonts, icons, and layout from DeepSeek’s official platform and tricked users into paying for the service.
In the regulator’s campaign roundup, an engineer was slapped with a 360,000 yuan penalty for illegally accessing company servers that held confidential code and algorithm data. Furthermore, a Shanghai firm received a 200,000 yuan penalty for building AI phone-call software used by loan agencies to carry out scams.
A Beijing-based company was also fined 5,000 yuan for “freeriding” on DeepSeek’s name to promote its own local deployment software. China’s innovation regulators have been trying to balance out the growth of AI companies and fair competition in a market where developers are aggressively competing to topple American entities. Just over a year ago, DeepSeek became the talk of the globe after it launched a chatbot with lower user fees and development costs compared to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The post China goes after fake ChatGPT and DeepSeek AI services first appeared on Coinfea.
Indian National Falls Victim to Bitcoin Scam on Telegram, Loses $77K
A man in India has become a victim of a Bitcoin investment and lost around $77 thousand.
The fraud was committed via the Telegram messaging service, where a woman who contacted him claims to have made a mistake.
Governments have since put out warnings regarding the increasing number of crypto-related frauds in India.
Scammer initiates contact with pretenses
The victim is a 50-year-old Bengaluru resident who was first contacted by a woman called Priya Agarwal on November 30, 2025.
She alleged that she had made a wrong call to contact him rather than a man called Rahul. The victim did not stop the communication despite this weird introduction.
With time, the woman changed the conversation to WhatsApp, where she started developing a sense of trust with the victim, who thought that she was a citizen of Liverpool, UK.
A Bitcoin investment scheme leads to a major loss
The more she communicated, the more the victim was presented with a Bitcoin investment opportunity by the lady.
Priya alleged that she had been making large profits out of Bitcoin investments in the last several years and would help him achieve the same.
Relied on her advice, the victim invested. His first investment, amounting to Rs. 50,000, was on December 5, 2025, when he transferred money to a physical account offered by a customer support representative of the trading application she suggested.
The victim encouraged himself with his first earnings and went ahead to invest more and more until he had put in a total of 2.6 crores of his personal savings and loans.
Fraud Fizzles out as retaliation is not possible
The victim tried to withdraw some of his earnings after seeing his account multiply substantially on the trading app.
Nevertheless, he was faced with several obstacles, such as a frozen account.
In seeking the support of the customer care, he was informed to add money to pay the government in terms of tax and handling charges.
It was at this stage that he knew that he had been a victim of an advanced crypto-fraud.
Police issue Cryptocurrency fraud warning
The victim reported the scam to the national cybercrime portal after he discovered it. The case is registered by the police under the Information Technology Act and Section 318 (cheating).
The government has cautioned citizens about the increasing cases of cryptocurrency fraud, especially those targeting people on chat apps such as Telegram.
Another trick adopted by scammers, which has also been noted by the police, is that they usually pretend to contact people on some false pretext, and then they try to lure them to invest in places, with the help of establishing a false relationship.
The case of the victim acts as a warning to others in India, where crypto scams are increasingly high.
Governments are still reminding their citizens that they should be careful and avoid unverified crypto-investment options.
The post Indian National Falls Victim to Bitcoin Scam on Telegram, Loses $77K first appeared on Coinfea.
Metaplanet Committed to Bitcoin Purchase Despite Price Dip
Metaplanet is looking to push ahead with its Bitcoin accumulation strategy despite the market conditions seeing the price of the asset decline to touch a 12-month low of $62,000. The asset traded at $66,000, down more than 47% from an all-time high reached just four months ago.
The Tokyo-listed company’s chief executive, Simon Gerovich, told investors through a post on X that “there is no change from the treasury’s Bitcoin accumulation strategy.” “We are fully aware that, given the recent stock price trends, our shareholders continue to face a challenging situation…We will steadily continue to accumulate Bitcoin, expand revenue, and prepare for the next phase of growth, ” the translated statement read.
Metaplanet CEO calls for calm as company shares drop 5.56%
Metaplanet’s shares closed Friday down 5.56% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange at 340 yen. The stock has fallen 18.27% over five days and is down 33.33% over the past month, according to data from Google Finance. Even with losses piling up, the company has promised to continue buying Bitcoin. The firm is the fourth-largest public corporate holder of Bitcoin globally.
Metaplanet held 35,102 BTC on its balance sheet at the time of this publication. The company significantly expanded its holdings during the final quarter of 2025, purchasing $451 million in Bitcoin. According to BitcoinTreasuries.Net, Metaplanet’s average purchase price is $107,716 per Bitcoin, which places the firm at an unrealized loss of about 39% at current prices.
“To all our shareholders who continue to support us unwaveringly despite the daily fluctuations, we sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your understanding and support are a tremendous source of strength for us”, Metaplanet CEO said. BTC’s dreadful price performance since last October has caused losses for every corporate holder, with the software business Strategy taking the largest slice of the stale cake.
The world’s largest public Bitcoin holder reported a $12.4 billion net loss in last year’s fourth quarter. The profit shedding came from Bitcoin’s price slump below the firm’s average purchase price of $76,052. Strategy’s shares dropped 17% following its earnings call on Thursday, but the company’s lead, Michael Saylor, said there are no major debt maturities scheduled before 2027.
Earlier this week, the Tokyo-listed firm revised its full-year fiscal 2025 forecast and released its outlook for fiscal 2026. The revenue for fiscal 2025 reached 8.9 billion yen, exceeding an earlier prediction of 6.8 billion yen by 31%. Meanwhile, operating income went up 34% to 6.3 billion yen during the same period.
The post Metaplanet committed to Bitcoin purchase despite price dip first appeared on Coinfea.
Goldman Sachs Partners With Claude to Develop AI Agents for Banking Tasks
Goldman Sachs is working with Anthropic to build AI agents that can do real banking work. This includes checking trades, handling accounting, and onboarding clients. Engineers from Anthropic have been sitting inside Goldman for six months, writing the software together with the bank’s tech team.
The tool they’re using is Claude, which can read, reason, and follow detailed rules like a real employee. Marco Argenti, Goldman’s tech chief, said they’re still testing the agents but plan to roll them out soon. He said these bots will speed up tasks that normally take forever, like reconciling transactions or going through compliance paperwork. “Think of it as a digital co-worker for many of the professions within the firm that are scaled, are complex, and very process-intensive,” Marco said. That’s not theory. It’s already being tested inside the bank.
Goldman set to expand Claude’s role after early testing
Goldman actually started with a coding bot called Devin. It worked well enough for engineers, but Marco said they quickly noticed Claude was better at more than just code. The team tested Claude on accounting and compliance jobs and was caught off guard when it actually handled them. “Claude is really good at coding,” Marco said. “Is that because coding is kind of special, or is it about the model’s ability to reason through complex problems, step by step, applying logic?”
They tried it on massive documents, hard rules, and messy spreadsheets. Claude was able to understand the rules, apply judgment, and finish the job. Marco said the team was surprised by how strong it was in areas like compliance, not just tech. That’s when they decided to use Anthropic’s model on trade reconciliation and client vetting, too.
David Solomon, the CEO, is already turning the whole bank toward AI. He announced last year that Goldman is starting a long-term plan to bring in generative AI across the company. This isn’t about experimenting. It’s about cutting down on new hires and doing more with fewer people. That includes using AI to run operations without needing armies of junior staff. The plan is simple: do more, hire less.
Marco said they aren’t firing anyone yet. He called it “premature” to assume jobs will disappear. But he did say that third-party contractors might get cut out as the AI gets stronger. That means companies that help Goldman with compliance or accounting might not be needed anymore. And Claude isn’t done. Marco said the next use cases might include internal surveillance or making pitchbooks for deals.
The post Goldman Sachs partners with Claude to develop AI agents for banking tasks first appeared on Coinfea.
Bitcoin Security Program Launched to Tackle Quantum Computing Threats
Michael Saylor, the CEO of Strategy, has presented a Bitcoin security program, which is meant to overcome the possible threats of quantum computing.
The company will also engage with the international cyber, crypto, and Bitcoin security communities to seek ways of dealing with these new threats.
The problem associated with quantum computing is that, despite being in its infancy, the technology has been used to cast doubt on the security of Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
The Bitcoin Quantum Leap: Quantum computing won’t break Bitcoin—it will harden it. The network upgrades, active coins migrate, lost coins stay frozen. Security goes up. Supply comes down. Bitcoin grows stronger.
— Michael Saylor (@saylor) December 16, 2025
Addressing quantum computing vulnerabilities
The new program of strategy is based on the increasing worries that quantum computing is set to crack the cryptography that protects Bitcoin.
Studies of the Chaincode Labs show that 20-50% of Bitcoin may be endangered, which is tantamount to as much as $900 billion in worth.
Although it is believed that quantum technology is more than 10 years away from becoming a threat, the program is going to equip Bitcoin security in the future.
Saylor reiterated the need to have coordinated actions in the various sectors to forge a consensus on the ways in which to fend off the quantum computing network.
He also recognized the contribution of the Bitcoin community in coming up with quantum-resistant solutions and reported that the world is already channeling investments in the development of quantum-resistant protocols.
Saylor thinks that the security of Bitcoin will become responsible and knowledgeable enough to endure the technological difficulties that will be faced in the future.
Global collaboration to develop solutions
This program, led by Strategy, will have the firm collaborate with cybersecurity and blockchain professionals to find a common ground in dealing with quantum threats.
Saylor has been optimistic that the partnership would result in viable solutions that could be adopted when quantum computing threatens to be real.
Saylor emphasized the issue of quantum computing as an emerging but promising technology, but the security of Bitcoin is essential to its future.
He emphasised that despite the dangers of quantum attacks in the future, such industries as financial services continue to be highly dependent on classical cryptography.
Strategy is focused on being ahead of the curve, in the process keeping Bitcoin safe while continually inculcating good stewardship of the crypto space.
Concerns and criticisms from industry leaders
Regardless of the optimism that can be attributed to the initiative of Strategy, certain Bitcoin specialists have expressed concerns about certain weaknesses.
According to Tom Lee, the CEO of Bitwise, some wallets, e.g., the wallet that Satoshi uses and taproot wallets, are vulnerable to quantum attacks.
The question that Lee proposed was how these vulnerabilities would be dealt with by the Bitcoin developers and experts.
To this, Saylor explained that Strategy does not dictate a particular approach or time to follow, but assists the global community in the development of solutions.
He underlined that there is no urgent protocol change to be made, and the measures are to be undertaken based on a global agreement that would provide security to the Bitcoin network.
Although it remains unclear how quantum computing will affect Bitcoin, the proactive approach of the strategy to construct a security program is an important measure in reducing future risks.
The cooperation of cybersecurity, and crypto, and Bitcoin professionals will be important in the future of the network as the quantum threat is evolving.
The post Bitcoin Security Program Launched to Tackle Quantum Computing Threats first appeared on Coinfea.
Binance and ByBit Pause Withdrawals Amid Crypto Sell-Off
Leading cryptocurrency exchanges Binance and Bybit have halted their withdrawals after a significant decline in Bitcoin prices, which would cause investors to be concerned.
This was triggered by Bitcoin crashing through a market sell-off of above 13% below $64,000.
Binance saw the temporary halt as caused by technical challenges, and the withdrawal halt of ByBit is still associated with the prevailing market conditions.
Binance was the first to raise the concern on X, saying there were technical problems that impacted withdrawals.
An interruption of approximately 20 minutes then ensued, and this caused panic among the traders.
The exchange rapidly reinstated the services and promised users that it had fixed the problem.
Although the outage was short-lived, on-chain records showed that the balance in Binance accounts had increased, as some new users deposited more money than withdrew during the incident.
Binance co-founder He Yi reacted to the scenario, accepting that enormous withdrawal surges can serve as valuable pressure tests to pressure systems.
She also stressed the use of individual wallets as a way of providing extra security, especially in turbulent times such as this one.
Yi also cautioned against premature blockchain transfers that might lead users to make expensive errors.
Investor concerns triggered by social media campaigns
The latest shutdown of withdrawals aroused a rapid panic among cryptocurrency investors.
The social media movements were calling upon clients to withdraw their deposits from Binance and ByBit, increasing the panic regarding the exchanges.
This was coupled with a wider market decline in which Bitcoin had reached its lowest since October 2024, and this is a 50% drop after its peak in the previous year.
The price decline of Bitcoin cast doubts on the security of the money stored on the centralized platforms.
In light of the social media push, Binance experienced a net growth in deposits, and its balance increased.
The Binance CEO, Zhao, disregarded rumors about the exchange manipulating the market, saying claims like that were imaginative FUD.
He repeated that the amount of money transferred was that of users and not the exchange itself.
Binance reassures financial health and solvency
The recent market turmoil has also led to a greater level of scrutiny of Binance, with critics making comparisons to the 2022 collapse of FTX.
Nevertheless, Binance still claims that its liquidity is solid, with the exchange possessing some $155.64 billion in reserves as of January 2026, as the CoinMarketCap report reveals.
Zhao has also assured users that Binance remains the market leader with respect to liquidity, and this cushions against such market trends.
The reaction of the exchange to the technical problem and the withdrawal push caused by social media was rapid, and its reserve position helps to increase confidence in the ability of the platform to overcome the storm.
The current reduction in Binance and Bybit withdrawals indicates the difficulty of centralized crypto exchanges during market volatility.
Although the issues of the safety of exchanges still persist, both sites still declare their financial stability and robustness. Self-custody in times of increased uncertainty is an option that is encouraged for investors.
The post Binance and ByBit Pause Withdrawals Amid Crypto Sell-Off first appeared on Coinfea.
UNICEF Calls for Tougher Laws Against AI-generated Child Abuse Content
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on regulators to make tougher laws to address the rise in AI-generated child abuse content. UNICEF made the call on Wednesday, pointing to reports of a rapid surge in the volume of AI-generated sexualized images circulating on the internet.
Those AI-generated images mainly included cases where photographs of children have been manipulated and sexualized. The agency also argued that the rise in AI-powered image or video generation tools producing child sexual abuse materials escalates the risks to children through digital technologies. The agency is asking governments for urgent action to prevent the creation and spread of AI-generated sexual content of children.
UNICEF wants a tougher stance against AI-generated abuse content
In its report, UNICEF noted that less than 5 years ago, high-quality generative models required significant computing power and expertise. However, the current open-source models make it easier for perpetrators to create sexual abuse content. The agency also believes that although no real child is directly involved, such content normalizes the sexualization of children and complicates victim identification.
UNICEF argued that perpetrators can create realistic sexual images of a child without their involvement or awareness. The body said such content can violate a child’s right to protection without even knowing it has happened. The agency also stated that children are faced with shame, stigma, more judgment from peers and adults, social isolation, and long-term emotional harm.
UNICEF also revealed that the rise in accessibility of AI-powered image or video generation tools has led to a surge in the production and spread of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). The UK’s Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) found approximately 14,000 suspected AI-generated images on a single dark-web forum dedicated to child sexual abuse materials in just one month.
Study reveals extent of the rot
The report disclosed that a third of the materials were criminal and the first realistic AI videos of child sexual abuse. IWF also discovered 3,440 AI videos of child sexual abuse, a 26,362% surge from the 13 videos found the previous year. 2,230 (65%) of the videos were categorized as Category A for being so extreme, while a further 1,020 (30%) were categorized as Category B.
The agency also identified AI CSAM on mainstream platforms, which included deepfake nudes created in peer-to-peer contexts targeting girls. The organization also pointed to an instance in Korea where law enforcement reported a 10x surge in sexual offenses involving AI and deepfake technologies between 2022 and 2024. The AI and deepfakes mainly included teenagers, constituting the majority of the accused.
Thorny’s survey discovered that 1 in 10 teens in the U.S. knew of cases where friends had created synthetic non-consensual intimate images of children using AI tools. UNICEF, ECPAT International, and INTERPOL also found that across 11 countries, around 1.2 million children found their images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes through AI tools in 2025.
The agencies also reported that up to two-thirds of children in some 11 countries worry that AI could be used to create fake sexual images. UNICEF argued that parents and caregivers need to be informed about AI-enabled sexual exploitation and abuse. The agency also called for schools to educate students about AI-related risks and the harm they cause to affected individuals.
The post UNICEF calls for tougher laws against AI-generated child abuse content first appeared on Coinfea.
South Korean Regulators Investigate Suspected Manipulation of ZKsync
South Korean regulators have kick-started investigations into the manipulation of ZKsync after the token surged by 970% on the Upbit exchange. The surge sparked concerns over possible price manipulation, triggering an investigation by South Korean financial regulators.
According to their statement, the regulators believe the spike was a result of suspicious trading activity. South Korean financial regulators have opened investigations into the Upbit exchange after the ZKsync token surged in three hours before dropping back to its initial price. Regulators believe the spike was the result of price manipulation and said they are investigating the matter.
South Korean regulators kickstart investigation as ZKsync token surges by 970%
ZKsync was trading at $0.023 on Sunday morning, South Korean time, as the Upbit exchange prepared for scheduled system maintenance. At 11:30 AM, just before maintenance began, the price rose significantly to $0.24 over the next three hours, only to drop back to around $0.023 by 6:30 PM the same day, after the maintenance period ended.
A spokesperson for the Financial Security Service’s Virtual Asset Investigation Bureau said that the financial watchdog had noticed the peculiar price behavior ZKsync experienced that day and was looking into the matter, after which things “may quickly transition to a formal investigation after determining the severity of the case.”
Experts told a local South Korean newspaper that traders on the exchange set up a “buy wall” just before the maintenance period began, as part of a coordinated effort to artificially spike demand for the coin and push its price higher. According to data from the Upbit exchange, trading volumes in ZKsync surged by over 4,200% at the time of the incident.
In comparison, the token’s trading volume on Coinbase rose by a more modest 150% on the same day, while prices increased by just under 40%. The volume on Binance rose by 180%, while the crypto asset’s price moved by just 38-42%. According to legal experts, the action falls under the Virtual Asset User Protection Act, which came into effect in July 2024.
Jin Hyeon-su, managing partner at Decent Law Firm, said that “a large number of buy orders being concentrated in a short period of time, followed by a release of the volume afterwards” likely results in “price manipulation, collusive trading, and unfair trading.” The action is illegal under South Korean regulations, and perpetrators face over a year in prison and fines totaling up to five times the realized profits if found guilty. In addition, fines are also issued in applicable cases.
The post South Korean regulators investigate suspected manipulation of ZKsync first appeared on Coinfea.
Crypto Platforms Get Regulatory Relief As CFTC Drops Event Market Ban
The proposal that was controversial in the proposition of banning sports and political prediction markets by the Biden administration has been repealed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
The move is a relief and a breakdown of clarity to crypto platforms working within event markets that are picking up pace in the digital asset market.
The move was confirmed by CFTC Chair Mike Selig, who said the ban was contrary to the interests of the people.
CFTC lifts prohibition on event markets
The fact that the CFTC reversed the plan to prohibit the sports, politics, and war-related event contracts can be called a major change in the attitude of the agency towards the prediction markets.
Selig declared the recall of the 2024 notice and that the prior push of the previous administration to issue strict oversight would never become final regulations.
This move is a success by prediction market sites like Polymarket and Kalshi that have been under pressure lately following the grey area in legalizing event contracts.
Selig also cited that this was one of a larger initiative to establish responsible innovation in derivatives markets, which was in line with the intent of the Commodity Exchange Act.
The CFTC is planning to develop new regulations that will help serve the increased demand for real-time, in-play betting of events (mainly in sporting events) without violating the legal frameworks.
Legal certainty on Crypto and prediction markets
The crypto platforms, such as large players like Coinbase and Crypto.com, had been subject to lawsuits by states in the United States accusing them of operating unlicensed in the past.
The ruling by CFTC gives these corporations a lot of legal ample space and time to innovate and operate in a controlled setting.
Such platforms will not be under unnecessary restrictions because the withdrawal of the proposal will guarantee that the event markets will not be strangled by the previous administration.
This action also does away with the confusion that was created by the CFTC on some event contracts that had been ambiguous on the position taken by the regulator.
The ruling opens up the way to more efficient regulatory processes of companies involved in prediction markets so that they may continue their work without the fear of being banned.
Ongoing oversight and plans of the CFTC
Although the ban has been withdrawn, the CFTC is determined to ensure that the markets in contracts of events are monitored.
The agency is making efforts to ensure that these platforms are undertaking their activities in a responsible manner within the prevailing legal framework.
Selig claims that the CFTC will still work in coordination with other regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to put in place far-reaching regulations on digital assets.
Besides this, Selig also mentioned that the CFTC will be streamlining its attitude towards sports event contracts through engaging with the corresponding market stakeholders.
This would be done through the development of more definitive guidelines so that such contracts are made such that they not only suit the interests of the people but also the law.
The move by CFTC to rescind the event market prohibition is an important regulatory development that will free crypto platforms and prediction market operators.
This action offers an improved legal direction for these platforms, creating innovation in an uncertain regulatory environment.
It can be predicted that in the future, the agency will be engaged in developing balanced laws that will promote the further development of event contracts without losing their legal value.
The post Crypto Platforms Get Regulatory Relief as CFTC Drops Event Market Ban first appeared on Coinfea.
XRP Sees a Sharp Jump in Optimism As Bitcoin and Ethereum Sentiment Tanks
XRP has been one of the brightest stars in the sentiment of the online world, as Bitcoin and Ethereum experience an increasing bearish pressure.
According to recent data submitted by Santiment, XRP’s positive sentiment was suddenly increasing, whereas trader confidence in both Bitcoin and Ether reduced significantly.
XRP seems to attract more and more investors with enormous outflows of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs.
Source: Santiment
Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs fighting losses
On February 4, Bitcoin ETFs experienced a drastic drop and had outflows of up to $171.5 million within just one day.
Fidelity FBTC, one of the largest losers, lost 86.44 million, and Grayscale GBTC and ARKB also recorded huge losses.
Despite the massive withdrawals, Bitcoin ETFs collectively possess 95.51 billion of assets, which is 6.35% of the market capitalization of Bitcoin.
Equally, Ethereum ETFs had difficulties of 20.53 million outflows.
The most significant loss was in Fidelity FETH, which lost the entire amount on the same day.
Consequently, Ethereum ETFs were down 5.60-5.80, and the total assets stand at the present point of 13.04 billion.
Nevertheless, Ethereum ETFs cover 4.82% of the Ethereum market capitalization.
XRP bucks trends and has a good sentiment
Despite the fact that Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs have gone on experiencing outflows and price drops, XRP has enjoyed a market momentum.
On February 4, XRP ETFs experienced inflows amounted to $4.83 million, propelling total inflows to one billion and two hundred million.
The total assets of XRP ETFs have reached 1.07 billion, and this figure occupies 1.15% of the market cap of XRP.
This is a significant difference from the battles witnessed in Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The Franklin XRPZ ETF had the highest inflows of $2.51 million daily, then there was the XRP product offered by Bitwise at $1.72 million.
Even the TOXR of 21Shares raised more than $600,000, and it helped to increase the optimism around XRP.
Compared to the amount observed in Bitcoin and Ethereum, these figures are still small, but the upward trend is good news, with other high-ranking coins still plagued by their difficulties.
XRP options traders are breathing easy
The traders of the XRP options are also feeling very confident about the asset. Bullishly, according to Binance data on February 4, 86.87% of all XRP open interest options were call contracts.
The biggest open interest contracts were calls that expire on February 6 with the strike prices in the range of $1.70 to 2.15.
The strike of 1.70 had more than 42,000 contracts, whereas the call of 2.15 had more than 31,000 contracts.
According to these trades, traders do not anticipate a massive breakout but a small profit in the near future.
XRP is gaining growing confidence because traders are turning their eyes away from Bitcoin and Ethereum.
There is still a lack of stability in the wider crypto market, but inflows into ETFs and a significant number of call options are on XRP, indicating a possible rebound in the short-term.
With the overall market experiencing uncertainty, XRP keeps gaining the interest of traders as its sentiment increases and the inflows remain consistent.
The post XRP Sees a Sharp Jump in Optimism as Bitcoin and Ethereum Sentiment Tanks first appeared on Coinfea.
TRON Network Integrated By CoolWallet to Deliver Lower-Cost, High-Speed Transactions With Full Se...
Taipei, Taiwan, February 4, 2026 — CoolWallet, a leading self-custody hardware wallet provider, today announced the integration of energy rental services in the TRON blockchain ecosystem into its platform. This integration allows CoolWallet users to reduce transaction costs while securely managing TRX, the native utility token of the TRON network, and other TRC-20 assets through the CoolWallet hardware wallet paired with its user-friendly mobile application, all while maintaining full self-custody and control over their private keys and funds.
TRON is one of the most actively used blockchains among CoolWallet users. By combining TRON’s high-performance infrastructure with CoolWallet’s card-like hardware wallet, users can access TRON’s low-cost, high-speed transaction capabilities without compromising the self-custody principles that define the CoolWallet experience. The integration further expands TRON’s accessibility to retail users and self-custody-first wallets globally.“TRON plays a critical role in the global stablecoin ecosystem, particularly for users who prioritize cost efficiency and transaction speed,” said Michael Ou, CEO of CoolBitX. “This integration reflects our commitment to supporting the blockchain networks our users depend on most, while ensuring they retain full security and control over their assets.”
“CoolWallet’s integration represents an important step in making TRON’s infrastructure more accessible to users who prioritize security and self-custody,” said Sam Elfarra, Community Spokesperson for the TRON DAO. “By bringing TRON support to one of the most portable and user-friendly hardware wallets available, we are expanding access to TRON’s blockchain infrastructure and DeFi applications.”
Key features of CoolWallet and TRON’s integration:
The integration significantly reduces TRX burned during token transfers, allowing users to retain more of their TRX while maintaining full transaction functionality on the TRON network.
Users can benefit from lower transaction costs compared to directly paying fees in TRX, making frequent transfers and DeFi activities more economical.
Users can choose to pay for Energy with either USDT on TRON or TRX, offering greater flexibility and cost control.
This collaboration reflects a shared commitment between CoolWallet and TRON to reduce barriers to blockchain adoption while maintaining the highest standards of security and user sovereignty. By combining TRON’s scalable infrastructure with CoolWallet’s hardware wallet security, the integration delivers secure, cost-efficient, self-custodial access to blockchain services, further strengthening TRON’s position among retail users and self-custody-first wallet solutions.About CoolWallet
CoolWallet is a secure hardware wallet designed for self custody and everyday crypto use. With a focus on security, portability, and ease of use, CoolWallet supports a wide range of blockchains and on-chain applications, enabling users to manage, stake, and Web3 services while maintaining full ownership and control of their funds.
Media Contact
Yahan Zhuang
marketing@coolbitx.comAbout TRON DAO
TRON DAO is a community-governed DAO dedicated to accelerating the decentralization of the internet via blockchain technology and dApps.
Founded in September 2017 by H.E. Justin Sun, the TRON blockchain has experienced significant growth since its MainNet launch in May 2018. Until recently, TRON hosted the largest circulating supply of USD Tether (USDT) stablecoin, which currently exceeds $83 billion. As of January 2026, the TRON blockchain has recorded over 362 million in total user accounts, more than 12 billion in total transactions, and over $25 billion in total value locked (TVL), based on TRONSCAN. Recognized as the global settlement layer for stablecoin transactions and everyday purchases with proven success, TRON is “Moving Trillions, Empowering Billions.”
TRONNetwork | TRONDAO | X | YouTube | Telegram | Discord | Reddit | GitHub | Medium | Forum
Media ContactYeweon Parkpress@tron.network
Disclaimer: The content within the Sponsored Insights and Press Release category has been provided by our partners and sponsors. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our website. While our team takes care to share valuable and reliable content, we do not take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or validity of any claims made in these sponsored articles and Press Releases. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and due diligence before making any decisions based on the information provided in Sponsored Insights.
The post TRON Network Integrated by CoolWallet to Deliver Lower-Cost, High-Speed Transactions with Full Self-Custody first appeared on Coinfea.