Federal Reserve officials are keeping interest rates unchanged while seeking sustained evidence that inflation is moving toward the 2% objective. FOMC minutes signaled caution, with discussion of potential additional tightening, and a stronger January jobs print has complicated the timing for any cuts. The outlook favors patience until disinflation appears durable.

On February 24, ESMA said all leveraged crypto instruments must meet EU rules on leverage caps, risk warnings, and investor protections, regardless of how they are labeled. The agency treats perpetual futures like CFDs, requiring position limits, auto-close, negative balance protection, and access controls. Kraken said its new tokenized-stock perpetuals will not launch for EU users.

Bitwise acquired staking provider Chorus One, a firm overseeing more than $2.2 billion in staked assets, and said on Tuesday that 50 Chorus One employees will join Bitwise Onchain Solutions. The deal expands Bitwise’s staking reach to over 30 proof-of-stake networks, including Solana, Hyperliquid, Monad, Avalanche and Sui; terms were not disclosed.

Bitcoin fell below $62,720 and the $63,000 mark as market conditions weakened. XRP is nearing a potential stabilization area around $1.20, while Shiba Inu trades with thin participation and limited historical support. Any rebound across these assets may depend on stronger volume and clear defenses at key levels.

PayPal shares climbed almost 7% on Tuesday after reports said Stripe is evaluating a full or partial acquisition of the payments group. The move followed a steep slide that has left PayPal down more than 19% this year and nearly one third lower for 2025, even as Stripe’s valuation hit $159 billion in a secondary sale. Analysts argue PayPal’s global network and nearly $2 trillion in annual transaction volume could make it a valuable strategic asset despite broader market worries over AI’s impact on payment fees.

The European Securities and Markets Authority said in a public statement that leveraged crypto derivatives, including perpetual contracts, fall under existing EU Contract for Difference rules. The watchdog reaffirmed the bloc's "same risk, same rules" approach, meaning leverage limits, risk warnings, margin close-out and negative balance protection apply to retail offerings.

Over the last 24 hours, crypto liquidations reached $485 million and XRP's trading volume rose 77%, while its price slipped. Dogecoin is nearing a 2026 golden cross against Bitcoin as the 23-day average approaches the 50-day. Vitalik Buterin sold 3,788.57 ETH in 72 hours, totaling about $7.3 million.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Stripe has shown preliminary interest in purchasing all or part of PayPal. Also on Tuesday, Stripe said it signed agreements for an employee liquidity tender valuing the company at $159 billion. PayPal's stock jumped on takeover chatter but remains down nearly 40% over the past year.