Bitcoin climbed back above $65,000 after dropping to $62,500 earlier this week, while Solana gained 7% to reach $82. Ethereum hovered near $1,900 and XRP reclaimed the $1.36 support, as total crypto market capitalization added around $80 billion to hit $2.330 trillion on CG. KITE entered the top 100 with a 20% daily surge and a 135% monthly rise.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal opened a PSI inquiry into Binance's sanctions compliance and alleged Iran- and Russia‑linked transactions. His letter claims the exchange processed $1.7 billion in transfers to Iran and cultivated ties to WLFI; detailed records are requested by March 6, 2026.

US federal agents in North Carolina have seized more than $61 million in USDT allegedly tied to a large pig butchering crypto investment scheme that used fake relationships and bogus trading platforms to target victims. Investigators tracked funds across multiple wallets before freezing addresses that still held significant balances, with Tether assisting in transferring the assets. The action comes amid a sharp rise in AI‑driven impersonation and social engineering scams, as crypto‑related fraud losses reportedly reached $17 billion in 2025.

On February 25, 2026, Senator Richard Blumenthal initiated a Senate inquiry into Binance after reports alleged the exchange permitted roughly $1.7 billion in transfers tied to Iran and Russia. Investigators cited compliance warnings and said crypto money laundering reached about $82 billion in 2025, prompting broader regulatory scrutiny.

Bitcoin Depot, the largest Bitcoin ATM operator in the United States, began rolling out a requirement in February for users to verify their identity for every transaction at its crypto ATMs. The company first introduced ID checks for all new users in October and is expanding this to all transactions to detect suspicious activity and curb misuse such as scams and identity theft. The move comes as multiple U.S. state attorneys general pursue lawsuits and settlements alleging the firm failed to implement sufficient protections against fraud.

Stripe is in early discussions about acquiring all or parts of PayPal Holdings. The talks are preliminary and no deal is assured. Stripe said on Tuesday it was valued at $159 billion after a tender offer, up 74% year over year, while PayPal shares closed at $47.02 after rising 6.74%.

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.