Gold above $5,227 and silver past $92 an ounce mark a "new normal," Eric Sprott said in a Kitco News interview recorded on February 27, 2026. He discussed a CME Globex technical interruption, Western inventory drains, and Eastern markets dictating global price discovery.

Jack Dorsey's payments company Block plans to reduce its workforce by 40% as part of its artificial intelligence strategy. Separately, Barclays is testing blockchain technology for settlement, while Senate Democrats have called for an investigation into Binance. The developments reflect corporate restructuring, financial infrastructure experimentation, and regulatory scrutiny of major crypto platforms.

USDC Treasury burned 107,273,299 USDC tokens valued at $107,267,399. The burn removed the tokens from circulation, according to reported figures.

MoonPay, M0 and PayPal launched PYUSDx, enabling developers to create application-specific stablecoins backed by PYUSD. PYUSDx supports applications that issue their own tokens while retaining backing in PYUSD.

The United States deployed combat aircraft to Israel for operational use for the first time, with twelve F-22 Raptor stealth fighters landing at Ovda Air Base on Feb. 24 and another dozen staged at RAF Lakenheath expected to follow; retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula told the New York Times this "indicates preparation for a more aggressive stance toward Iran" if Tehran does not comply. Ovda lies beyond the range of Iran's short-range ballistic missiles and is covered by Israel's layered air defenses, effectively providing the U.S. "a third aircraft carrier in the Middle East," security analysts said; the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group is off Israel's coast near Haifa, and the USS Abraham Lincoln is positioned near Iran's coastline. As of Feb. 27, the State Department authorized departure of all nonemergency personnel and family members from the U.S. Mission in Israel citing "safety risks," with an email from Ambassador Mike Huckabee directing staff to leave today, while China issued similar warnings, Israeli municipalities opened public bomb shelters, and airlines KLM and Lufthansa adjusted operations. Risk intelligence analysts say current U.S. preparations are "deeper and more sustained" than those preceding last June's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, and the third round of Geneva talks concluded yesterday without a breakthrough, with technical discussions to resume in Vienna next week.

Cardano recorded 14 million USDCx minted on February 27, ahead of the stated February launch deadline for the stablecoin integration, on-chain data from Cexplorer show. Circle USDC integration with Cardano was signed and announced by Charles Hoskinson at the end of January 2026, with the asset on Cardano identified by the ticker USDCx, U.Today reported. USDC on Cardano will be non-native and backed one-to-one by original USDC via Circle Xreserve infrastructure, a setup aimed at non-EVM chains like Cardano and one that emphasizes transaction privacy using Zero Knowledge Proofs; the X suffix reflects that structure. Direct fiat redemption through a Circle bank account is available only to institutional clients, while retail users are expected to convert via centralized exchanges or DEXes.

OpenAI has completed a $110B funding round at a $730B valuation, with Amazon contributing $50B, Nvidia $30B, and SoftBank $30B, CryptoBriefing and Incrypted report. The company said proceeds will fund compute capacity, infrastructure expansion, and broader product access amid surging demand from consumers, developers, and businesses. TechCrunch and The Washington Post have highlighted risks including the valuation-revenue gap, capital-intensive infrastructure spending, and scrutiny of OpenAI's hybrid nonprofit and capped-profit governance structure, while Foundation Capital and Boston 25 News noted ongoing competition from Meta, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic, as well as calls for stronger nonprofit oversight and broader democratic participation in governance.

A former Israeli defence minister said the coming weeks will define the Middle East for decades, marking a critical period for the region. The statement has fueled speculation about potential military action against Iran, though no specific plans or timelines were disclosed.