Vitalik Buterin pushed back against an X user's suggestion to abandon Ethereum's base chain, outlining a tightly integrated "bolt-on" rebuild that keeps the network live. He described a cypherpunk-focused redesign that grows alongside the current chain, and said a roughly five-year timeline could be shortened with AI-assisted coding and verification.

A crypto commentator links rising U.S.–Iran conflict risk and pending U.S. tariff decisions to potential volatility for XRP and other large‑cap digital assets. While a Trump adviser is cited as seeing a high chance of a limited strike on Iran that could drag markets lower, Ripple executives and Molt Media point to surging odds for the Clarity Act, with probabilities discussed at 84% by 2026 and up to 90% by the end of April. The video frames any war‑driven pullback as a possible entry point ahead of what it portrays as a regulatory‑driven uptrend for XRP.

By February 20, 2026, Tether's USDT had fallen by about 1.5 billion dollars this month, after supply peaked near 187 billion dollars in early January and slipped below 184 billion on February 18. The pullback follows MiCA-related restrictions across Europe and exchange delistings, while USDC's supply has grown nearly 5 percent to roughly 75.7 billion dollars.

According to the analysis, XRP continues to post lower highs and lows inside a descending channel while trading under the 100-day and 200-day moving averages near $1.90 and $2.30. A rebound from $1.20 did not retake $1.80, and on the BTC pair price hovers around 2,000 sats after rejection at 2,200–2,400.

Following a drop toward $1.8K, Ethereum has moved into a choppy range and a 4-hour triangle squeeze is nearing its apex. Key resistance sits at the 0.5 Fib at $2,396, with upside levels at $2,549 and $2,658–$2,767 if reclaimed, while a downside break could revisit the $1,800–$1,746 base.

Ripple Labs has minted 20,000,000 new RLUSD tokens on the Ethereum network, adding to a series of recent issuance moves and burns. RLUSD’s circulating supply has climbed to 1.55 billion, an increase of over 2% in 24 hours, and the token has moved into the crypto top 50 by market capitalization. Ripple is pushing RLUSD growth through active treasury operations and new partnerships, including an integration-focused deal with Zand in the UAE.

Dogecoin’s first U.S. spot ETFs, launched on Nov. 24, 2025, have gathered about $8.8 million in assets while DOGE trades near $0.096, below the $0.10 and $0.15 levels. Net inflows totaled $6.67 million by Feb. 19, but there has been an 18-day stretch with no new inflows and recent daily trading volume of roughly $247,000, highlighting subdued institutional interest compared with leading Bitcoin and Ethereum funds.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse forecasts a 90% chance the U.S. Digital Asset Market Clarity Act will pass by the end of April, citing a March 1 White House target for stablecoin negotiations. He contrasted this with prediction markets near 78% by year end and argued clearer SEC–CFTC roles could ease headwinds for utility tokens such as XRP.