Bittrex Seeks Refund of $24 Million Penalty After SEC's Shift on Crypto Regulations

BitMine Immersion Technologies acquired an additional 51,162 ETH last week, totaling 4,422,659 ETH valued at $8.4 billion. Despite unrealized losses exceeding $8.1 billion, the firm remains committed to steadily accumulating Ethereum.

Elliptic's report reveals that Russian-linked crypto exchanges facilitate transactions for sanctioned entities, enabling ruble-to-crypto conversions and cross-border fund transfers outside traditional banking systems. The report emphasizes how these pathways can evade sanctions and complicate enforcement efforts.

Despite the recent crash in Bitcoin's price, Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas remains unfazed, advocating for buying while the price is low. With a net worth of $4.9 billion, Salinas has been a vocal supporter of Bitcoin, viewing it as protection against inflation and theft.

Based, a Web3 consumer app, secured $11.5 million in a Series A round led by Pantera, with backing from Coinbase Ventures, Wintermute Ventures, and Karatage. The funding will support expansion into new markets and development of onchain financial infrastructure.

Strategy has bought a further 592 BTC for approximately $39.8 million, the Bitcoin treasury firm's chair Michael Saylor tweeted. The average purchase price was around $67,286 per Bitcoin. As of February 22, 2026, Strategy holds 717,722 BTC acquired for $54.56 billion at an average purchase price of $76,020 per Bitcoin.

Stablecoin issuers are projected to become significant buyers of short-term U.S. government debt, potentially creating excess demand for Treasury bills. Standard Chartered analysts forecast stablecoin market capitalization to hit $2 trillion by 2028, leading to a need for increased T-bill issuance.

A 42-year-old man in Sydney has been charged in connection with a $3.5 million crypto scam targeting over 190 vulnerable Australians. The police seized electronics and documents during raids at multiple locations, with a second suspect also taken into custody.

KuCoin's European arm faces a ban on new business due to missing key compliance staff, violating the terms of its MiCA permit. The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) in Austria imposed the freeze until the necessary roles are filled for AML and terrorist financing prevention.

The number of bitcoins held in wallets linked to Binance has increased to 676,834.84 BTC ($44.53 billion), reaching a level last seen in November 2024. Rising balances indicate potential selling or using coins for trading, leading to price volatility.

A $61.5 million leveraged bullish bet on Bitcoin was liquidated by HTX, the largest single liquidation in 24 hours. The market saw a total of $467.64 million in liquidations across 137,422 traders, with long positions accounting for 93% of the total.