On 25 February 2026, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency outlined how it intends to enforce the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act, including strict limits on branded and white-label tokens. Under the proposal, permitted issuers would be capped at a single stablecoin brand, barred from offering yield, required to hold fully liquid 1:1 reserves and meet capital and reporting standards as the roughly $318 billion market shifts toward more heavily regulated players. The framework also opens a 60-day comment period ahead of rules that could become effective before January 2027.

On 27 February 2026, Citigroup detailed plans to introduce a comprehensive digital asset platform that will place Bitcoin directly within its core banking and custody systems. The initiative includes on-balance-sheet custody, 24/7 operations, Swift and API connectivity, and integration with internal tools such as CIDAP and Citi Token Services. The move aims to let institutional clients manage Bitcoin alongside traditional assets under the same risk, compliance, and reporting framework.

On February 26, Senate Democrats held a closed-door session to revisit the CLARITY Act ahead of a March 1 deadline set by the White House. The draft would split oversight between the SEC and CFTC, while rules on stablecoin yields remain the chief sticking point. a16z escalated GOP outreach and pledged $50 million to a new $100 million super PAC.

On 26 February 2026, Sygnum Bank launched Sygnum Select, an institutional asset management service focused on corporate and crypto-native treasuries, starting with about $200 million in assets under management. The platform offers mandates combining spot crypto, staking, hedging, and tokenized securities, initially for Swiss-based clients, as institutions reportedly move toward diversified, actively managed digital asset portfolios.

On 26 February 2026, World Liberty Financial introduced a proposal to launch a WLFI Governance Staking System that links token-holder voting rights to staking with a minimum 180-day lock-up. The plan sets a square root formula for calculating voting power, introduces Node and Super Node tiers requiring 10 million and 50 million WLFI respectively, and ties USD1 stablecoin incentives to staking participation. If approved by token holders within a seven-day voting window, the system would roll out in three phases and redirect arbitrage opportunities toward long-term participants.

On 26 February 2026, Indiana lawmakers approved HB1042, a bill to safeguard Bitcoin usage, prohibit discriminatory taxation of digital assets, and allow them in state retirement portfolios. The measure now awaits the governor's signature. Bitcoin traded near $68,437 around the announcement.

On 26 February 2026, Ripple took part in a $5 million seed round for San Francisco‑based t54 Labs, which builds identity and risk infrastructure for autonomous AI agents across XRPL, Solana and Base. The financing, co-led by Anagram, PL Capital and Franklin Templeton, will fund engineering growth and developer outreach.

On 25 February 2026, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the seizure of more than $61 million in Tether (USDT) allegedly tied to a large-scale "pig butchering" cryptocurrency scam. The operation, led by Homeland Security Investigations in Raleigh, relied on blockchain tracing tools and cooperation from Tether, which froze suspect wallets and moved the funds to government-controlled accounts. Authorities indicated the assets are now in federal forfeiture proceedings amid a wider surge in AI-driven and social engineering-based crypto fraud losses.

On 25 February 2026, Pi Network remained under pressure, with PI trading around $0.15–$0.16 after dropping about 95% from its February 2025 peak near $2.98. Co-founder Dr. Chengdiao Fan emphasized long-term utility, full KYC and real-world integration as the project prepares for a Pi DEX upgrade on 12 March 2026 and tests Protocol v23, while token unlocks and weak technicals keep sentiment fragile.