On 21 February 2026, Russian authorities reported that more than 5,500 crypto miners had registered with the Federal Tax Service after mining was legalized on 1 November 2024. From 2025, cryptocurrency is taxed as property, with income from mining subject to personal and corporate profit tax while remaining exempt from VAT. Individuals may mine without registration only below a 6,000 kWh monthly electricity threshold, and draft 2026 rules could introduce fines up to 2.5 million rubles and prison terms of up to five years for large-scale unregistered operations.

According to Arkham, Vitalik Buterin holds more than 240,000 ETH worth about $467 million and ranks as the largest accessible individual holder. In late January 2026 he withdrew 16,384 ETH, followed by sales totaling around 2,961 ETH over three days in early February routed via CoW Protocol.

On February 21, 2026, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center highlighted a surge in ATM "jackpotting" attacks in the US. The agency says more than 1,900 incidents have been recorded since 2020, with over 700 cases in 2025 alone causing losses exceeding $20,000,000. Criminals allegedly use generic keys and malware to override bank authorization and trigger ATMs to dispense cash, prompting the FBI to urge financial institutions to strengthen physical and software security.

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court curtailed President Donald Trump’s IEEPA tariff authority, and he later announced a new 10% global tariff. Lawmakers and analysts argued the measures function as taxes on families and small businesses, while Bitcoin rose about 3% and broader crypto gauges showed little movement after the announcement.

BlackRock is preparing the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB), an ETF designed to generate yield via Ethereum staking. The fund plans to stake 70%–95% of holdings, maintain a 5%–30% liquidity sleeve, and distribute 82% of staking rewards to investors, with a 0.25% sponsor fee. It is widely expected to launch in H1 2026.

In the last 30 days, memecoin market capitalization has dropped by nearly $10 billion as capital exits crypto instead of rotating into high-risk tokens. Key Trump-linked coins have plunged over 90% from their highs, leaving retail investors with multibillion-dollar losses and reinforcing a shift toward safer alternative assets.

Bitcoin is trading in a tight range where liquidity is being cleared on both sides, leaving price direction uncertain. Market observers note that after nearly three months of subdued activity, a key demand gauge has moved back above zero to around +1,200 BTC, suggesting selling pressure is easing and long-term accumulation may be returning.

On 20 February 2026, Tether announced it will discontinue its offshore yuan-pegged stablecoin CNH₦ as part of a broader product reshuffle. New token issuance has already been halted, and holders have until February 2027 to redeem, while the company shifts resources toward USD₦, USA₦ and its Hadron tokenization platform and continues liquidating EUR₦.