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

Wisconsin lawmakers have removed a controversial VPN ban provision from an age-verification bill, following criticism from residents and digital rights experts. Despite this change, concerns about privacy and free speech issues in the broader bill persist, according to experts.

Upbit and Bithumb listing Aztec (AZTEC) with KRW pairs caused an 82% surge in 24 hours to $0.035, attracting South Korean retail investors and creating arbitrage opportunities. The "kimchi premium" between South Korean and international prices widened before narrowing as arbitrage flow caught up.

Bitcoin ETFs have experienced five weeks of outflows, totaling nearly $4 billion, with the latest withdrawals reaching $165.76 million on February 19. Analysts are divided on whether this reflects a cooling institutional interest or a controlled deleveraging process.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse expressed growing confidence in the Clarity Act passing by April's end, citing increased engagement from U.S. lawmakers and the White House. The bill aims to clarify digital asset regulations, addressing concerns over securities laws and stablecoin rewards.

Bitcoin mining difficulty has surged by 15% to 144.4 trillion, marking the largest increase since the 2021 China mining ban disruption. The adjustment follows a 12% decline after a drop in hashrate due to a severe winter storm in the U.S.

Controversy surrounding Trump-associated meme coins and crypto ventures has hindered bipartisan support for the CLARITY Act, which aims to regulate digital assets in the U.S. Introduced in 2025, the bill passed the House but faces uncertainty in the Senate due to disputes over DeFi and stablecoin provisions.

Tokenized real-world assets have shown steady growth, with distributed asset value in the RWA sector increasing by 8.68% to $24.84 billion. DeFi's total value locked has dropped by 25% to $94.84 billion, with major protocols experiencing double-digit declines.

An Australian executive received over $1.26 million in crypto for selling cyber tools to a Russian broker, endangering Five Eyes intelligence capabilities. Prosecutors seek a nine-year prison sentence, $35 million restitution, and argue that crypto facilitates national security threats.

A meeting at the White House involving U.S. officials, banking representatives, and crypto industry groups focused on stablecoin rewards and their regulatory treatment under proposed digital-asset legislation. The discussions aimed to determine if offering stablecoin incentives could blur the line between payment instruments and traditional deposits.

Ethereum has been experiencing its sixth consecutive month of decline, with a nearly 40% drop in the past month. Analyst Max Shannon predicts a potential crash to $1,500 due to Bitcoin's influence on Ethereum's price movements.