Dubai, UAE, Feb. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pepeto just crossed $7.28M raised in presale. That number tells a story most crypto projects can't tell right now. While presales across the board struggle to hit basic targets, Pepeto is 70% filled at $0.000000185 per token with something almost nobody else can show. Three working product demos that investors can test before the full launch. That's not a roadmap promise. That's proof. PepetoSwap handles cross chain meme coin trades. Pepeto Bridge routes tokens ...

Dubai, UAE, Feb. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pepeto just crossed $7.285M in presale with three working product demos while most projects in 2026 are still shipping promises. That's not the interesting part. The timing is. Bernstein's Gautam Chhugani put it in writing. Bitcoin to $150,000 this year, cycle peak at $250,000 by 2027 (CoinDesk, January 2026). His team called the $80,000 bottom in November. They were right. Fundstrat's Tom Lee agrees. He said Bitcoin could hit $250,000 once the trend flips (The ...

Key TakeawaysNASDAQ 100 extends decline to 1% as investors weigh the sustainability of massive AI infrastructure spending among "Magnificent Seven" tech giants.MicroStrategy (MSTR) acquires an additional $168.4 million in Bitcoin, bringing its total corporate treasury to 717,131 BTC at an aggregate cost of $54.52 billion.US Housing Market Index misses estimates, falling to 36 in February against an expected 38, signaling a second consecutive month of declining builder confidence due to affordability hurdles ...

Company Overview - Proactive provides fast, accessible, informative, and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience [2] - The news team operates from key finance and investing hubs including London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney, and Perth [2] Market Focus - Proactive specializes in medium and small-cap markets while also covering blue-chip companies, commodities, and broader investment stories [3] - The content includes insights across various sectors such as biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto, and emerging digital and EV technologies [3] Technology Utilization - Proactive is a forward-looking company that adopts technology enthusiastically to enhance workflows [4] - The company utilizes automation and software tools, including generative AI, while ensuring all content is edited and authored by humans [5]

Company Overview - BlockFills is a crypto trading platform that primarily functions as a crypto lending platform for hedge funds and other asset managers, using crypto as collateral to provide liquidity [3] - The company has over $60 billion in transaction volume and more than 2,000 institutional clients [3] Recent Developments - BlockFills has temporarily prohibited customers from depositing and withdrawing funds, citing the need to protect clients and the firm amid a downturn in the cryptocurrency market [1][2] - This decision reflects a broader trend in the digital assets industry, which is experiencing significant price declines and uncertainty about its future [1] Market Context - Bitcoin has seen a decline of approximately 48% from its all-time high in October, currently priced around $66,000, and has dropped about 29% in the past month [2] - Other cryptocurrencies are also facing downturns, with Ethereum down 40% in the past month to about $1,919 and Solana down 45% to about $78 [6] Historical Comparison - The actions taken by BlockFills are reminiscent of the crypto winter of 2022, during which several prominent lenders, such as Celsius and BlockFi, also halted customer deposits [4]

Ethereum has passed a new milestone with over 30% of circulating token supply now staked, ValidatorQueue data shows. That means nearly one-third of all Ethereum is now illiquid, earning just under 3% yield — modest by crypto industry standards. Yet the staked Ether represents a $72 billion bet on the blockchain network’s long-term future. And investors are queueing up another $8 billion worth of tokens in the validator line, a record high. Bitmine rushed to stake another $282 million worth of tokens on ...

Group 1 - The "age of speculation" in the crypto market is ending, transitioning towards real-world assets with lower returns [1] - The recent dynamics in the crypto market reflect broader changes in the finance sector, with comparisons made to significant past events like the FTX bankruptcy and the October 2025 flash crash [1][2] - The price of Bitcoin has decreased over 47% from its all-time high of over $126,000 to around $66,551, with a recent decline of 10% in the last week [4] Group 2 - Galaxy has launched a $100 million crypto hedge fund, which will allocate up to 30% of its assets in crypto tokens and the rest in financial services stocks influenced by digital asset technologies [3] - The growing interest in tokenization is driving a shift in crypto market dynamics, moving off-chain assets onto the blockchain [3] - Tokenized stocks are expected to have a different return profile compared to traditional crypto trading gains [4]

Core Viewpoint - Cryptocurrency stocks, including Robinhood, Coinbase, and others, are experiencing a decline due to a broad selloff in digital assets, but there is potential for a rebound in the future [1]. Group 1: Company Performance - Robinhood, Coinbase, and other crypto-exposed stocks were lower in early trading, indicating a negative trend in their market performance [1]. - The decline in these stocks is closely tied to the fluctuations in digital asset prices, highlighting the interconnectedness of the cryptocurrency market and related equities [1]. Group 2: Market Context - The overall market is experiencing a broad selloff in digital assets, which is impacting the performance of cryptocurrency-related stocks [1]. - Despite the current downturn, there is a sense of hope for a potential rebound in the cryptocurrency sector, suggesting that market conditions may improve in the future [1].

Core Insights - BlackRock is entering the decentralized finance (DeFi) space by bringing its Treasury-backed digital token BUIDL onto Uniswap, a leading DeFi platform, indicating a significant convergence between traditional finance and crypto [1][3] - The partnership with tokenization firm Securitize marks a milestone for the DeFi sector, which is seen as a valuable application of cryptocurrency, with approximately $100 billion currently on DeFi platforms [2] Company Developments - BlackRock's BUIDL token, launched in 2024, has a total market value of around $1.8 billion, showcasing the firm's confidence in the DeFi market [3] - The arrangement involves creating a whitelist of eligible institutions for trading BUIDL, with access restricted to qualified purchasers who have assets of $5 million or more [4] Industry Impact - The initial impact of adding BUIDL to Uniswap is expected to be minor due to the limited number of traders able to participate, but it serves as a test case for future DeFi trading of traditional assets [5] - Securitize's CEO noted that while the current focus is on qualified purchasers, the infrastructure being developed will also support retail products in the future [6] Market Dynamics - The collaboration between BlackRock and Uniswap highlights the contrasting positions of traditional finance and the crypto industry, with BlackRock representing established Wall Street practices and Uniswap embodying innovative DeFi solutions [7]

Group 1: Hong Kong's Crypto Regulation - Hong Kong is set to issue stablecoin licenses next month and will publish a framework for perpetual contracts to develop its local crypto economy [1] - The Chief Executive, Financial Secretary, and CEO of the Securities and Futures Commission emphasized their regulatory priorities for the crypto sector [1] Group 2: AI and Financial Trends - Financial Secretary Paul Chan highlighted AI as a maturing trend, suggesting the emergence of a "machine economy" where AI agents can manage digital assets and transact on-chain [2] - Predictions for Bitcoin's price reaching $150,000 were reiterated by Skybridge Capital's Anthony Scaramucci, citing potential legislative changes in the U.S. [2][3] Group 3: Decentralized Finance (DeFi) - Joe Lubin from Consensys described Ethereum as "anti-fragile," which is crucial for supporting decentralized finance and enabling developers to create more robust financial systems [3] - DeFi is considered to be as safe as traditional finance, according to industry insights [4] Group 4: Market Integrity and Regulation - Smaller jurisdictions are focused on maintaining market safety and integrity in the crypto space, as stated by Gibraltar's minister for justice, trade, and industry [4][5] - The importance of reputation in the crypto market was emphasized, noting that a single market failure could have widespread repercussions [5] Group 5: Market Opportunities - Bitmine's Tom Lee suggested that investors should focus on opportunities rather than selling, despite significant unrealized losses in ether holdings [6] - The final day of Consensus will feature discussions on scaling Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana blockchains, indicating ongoing interest in blockchain technology [7]