KuCoin listed CReaToR (CRTR) on its spot market, with a call auction from 10:00 to 11:00 UTC on Feb. 23, 2026, and trading to begin at 11:00 UTC the same day, the exchange announced. Deposits are available now via BSCBEP20, withdrawals open at 10:00 UTC on Feb. 24, 2026, and the CRTR/USDT pair will support Spot Grid, Infinity Grid, DCA and other bots. CReaToR is a Web3 company focused on the creator economy and fan engagement, using blockchain and AI tools to connect creators, IP owners and fans.

Vitalik Buterin withdrew 3,500 ETH from Aave worth approximately $6.95 million to $7 million and sold 571 ETH valued at $1.13 million on Feb. 22, 2026, onchain data from Arkham Intelligence and Lookonchain show. Buterin sold 6,183 ETH worth $13.2 million throughout February at an average price of $2,140, with earlier reports indicating he sold 2,961 ETH valued at $6.6 million over three days. Arkham Intelligence data show Buterin held more than 240,000 ETH worth around $467 million before the latest transactions, while ETH trades below $2,000 after reaching near $5,000 in late August last year.

Global markets face heightened event risk next week amid uncertainty over Trump's tariff stance and rising indications the U.S. may take military action against Iran, coinciding with NVIDIA's earnings release, PANews reports on Feb. 22. Federal Reserve Governor Waller speaks at 21:00 Beijing Time on Monday, followed Tuesday by Chicago Fed President and 2027 FOMC voter Austan Goolsbee at 21:00, Boston Fed President Collins and Atlanta Fed President Bostic at 22:00, another Waller speech at 22:10, and Fed Governor Lisa Cook on AI at 22:35. NVIDIA, the world's largest company by market capitalization, reports earnings Wednesday at a time to be announced, while Richmond Fed President Barr and Boston Fed President Collins join a panel at 4:15 that day. On Thursday at 2:20, 2028 FOMC voter and St. Louis Fed President Musalem speaks on the Federal Reserve's role, followed by U.S. initial jobless claims for the week ending Feb. 21 at 21:30, and on Friday at 21:30 the U.S. publishes January PPI data on a year-over-year and month-over-month basis.

Bitcoin has entered an "extreme fear" phase, with sentiment gauges now weaker than during the Covid market crash and the FTX collapse, crypto market indicators show. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has fallen deep into the extreme fear zone as panic selling, shrinking liquidity and higher volatility weigh on confidence. Analysts note past episodes of extreme fear in March 2020 and late 2022 were followed by strong Bitcoin recoveries, and some long-term investors view current conditions as a potential buying window, though they caution outcomes are not guaranteed and thorough research and risk management remain essential.

HTX transferred 700,000,001 USDT (worth $700,045,501) to Aave in a single transaction. The funds moved directly from the HTX address to the Aave protocol.

Vitalik Buterin proposed a framework in which personal AI agents, trained on individual user values, could automate voting across thousands of DAO governance decisions. The design uses zero-knowledge proofs and secure computation to protect voter identities and prevent bribery, while prediction markets would filter spam proposals and AI agents would escalate only critical issues for human review. Buterin said personal LLMs could address the "attention problem" created by high governance volumes facing DAO participants.

Johann Kerbrat, head of Robinhood's crypto division, said many investors view the current market as a buying opportunity and are increasingly exploring alternatives beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum, Cointelegraph and ChainCatcher report. Kerbrat noted that Robinhood's crypto holders are actively engaging with use cases such as staking and DeFi despite market uncertainty. However, the Altcoin Season Index shows a Bitcoin Season Score of 33/100, indicating the broader market still primarily favors Bitcoin. Separately, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have posted net outflows for five consecutive weeks, with cumulative withdrawals totaling approximately $3.8 billion.

Hyperliquid rose 6% to $29.23 on Friday after launching the U.S. Hyperliquid Policy Center, a nonprofit focused on regulatory clarity. Total value locked fell to $4.2 billion from $4.7 billion, while revenue dropped 55% to $11.83 million. A 9.92 million HYPE unlock worth $291 million is scheduled for March 6, representing 2.72% of total supply.

USD/JPY swung from near 160 to around 153.02 on Feb. 12, 2026, putting the yen on track for a weekly gain of close to 3% by Feb. 13, a speed and scale that can trigger margin and VAR cuts and force cross-asset deleveraging that reaches Bitcoin via thinner liquidity, wider spreads and fast position reductions, Reuters and BIS Bulletin No. 90 report. On Feb. 12, Japan's top currency diplomat Atsushi Mimura said Tokyo "has not lowered its guard" against FX volatility and is watching markets with "high urgency" while staying in close contact with U.S. counterparts, Reuters reported. BIS data show yen-denominated loans to nonbanks outside Japan rose to about ¥40 trillion by March 2024, roughly $250 billion using BIS' conversion at the time, and that cross-border yen bank claims on certain offshore nonbank segments exceeded ¥80 trillion before the August 2024 episode, when Bitcoin and Ethereum posted losses of up to 20%.