On February 20, 2026, Sam Bankman-Fried used a proxy to publish a "10 Myths" X thread from prison, disputing that FTX was insolvent and challenging aspects of his fraud case. He claimed customers are receiving 119%–143% of November 2022 claim values and rejected personal-life rumors, while critics point out his conviction stands and findings on customer fund misuse remain.

Darknet marketplaces and drug vendors took in nearly $2.6 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025, with inflows to drug-linked addresses slightly above $2.5 billion. From mid-2023, payments for fentanyl precursors fell sharply, and larger transfers over $500 correlated with worse Canadian health outcomes, underscoring how on-chain activity can act as an early warning for public health and enforcement.

On Feb. 20, US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $88.1 million in net inflows, led by BlackRock's IBIT with $64.5 million and Fidelity's FBTC with $23.6 million. The move followed a $165.8 million outflow on Feb. 19, while Ethereum flows were broadly flat and Solana funds added $3.7 million.

Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller reallocated $290,836,000, increasing Duquesne Family Office's positions in Alphabet by 277% to 385,000 shares and in Amazon by 69% to 737,940 shares. Filings also show he exited Citigroup, Bank of America and Capital One, reducing each holding to zero.

On February 21, 2026, the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets updated guidance to permit broker-dealers to apply a 2% capital haircut to proprietary positions in qualifying payment stablecoins under Exchange Act Rule 15c3-1. Many firms had treated these assets with a 100% haircut; the change, subject to strict reserve, transparency and regulatory criteria, may enhance liquidity.

On Friday, the US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that President Trump could not rely on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to maintain broad import tariffs, leaving around $130 billion in paid duties unresolved. Hours later, Trump invoked Section 122 to introduce a temporary 10% tariff on goods from all countries, while bitcoin held near $68,000 despite previous market sell-offs during earlier tariff moves. Crypto investors are now watching to see whether this new trade action will trigger another sharp downturn similar to those seen in February and April last year.

Heading into the weekend, Bitcoin trades near $68,000, Ethereum around $1,960, and XRP close to $1.42. On February 20, 2026, Ali Charts said whales accumulated over 30,000 BTC in the past week and nearly 200,000 BTC over the last month, aligning with hidden bullish signals and resistance at $69,500–$70,000.

Deutsche Bank plans to leverage Ripple's blockchain-based infrastructure to speed up and reduce the cost of its cross-border payments. Around Feb. 19, XRP slipped under its 200-week moving average near $1.419 and lost support at $1.42, while the UAE has reportedly mined about $453.6 million in Bitcoin and holds over $1 billion in BTC, a push Binance's Changpeng Zhao says he supported. These developments highlight institutional interest in Ripple's solutions, shifting XRP price dynamics, and the UAE's growing role in Bitcoin mining.