Category: Coins

• Meta is working on a stablecoin project that should become concrete in the second half of the year. Four years after the failed Libra/Diem project, it is the second attempt.
• However, it is a completely different approach than Libra. Instead of its own token, this time Meta wants to integrate the stablecoins of external, specialized partners.

While Libra, later renamed Diem, was designed as a stablecoin to be issued and managed by Meta itself, the company is now pursuing a comparatively risk-free concept. It is not intended to become its own stablecoin, but rather to integrate existing stablecoins such as USDC.

The technical and organizational processing should be carried out by partners who already have the appropriate licenses and operate infrastructure. In this way, Meta avoids all the problems that caused the original project to fail in February 2022.

Wallet payment functionality for billions of customers

However, Meta itself is working on a new wallet architecture that will enable stablecoin payments in its own apps. The goal is a uniform payment system for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Features range from peer-to-peer transfers to creator payouts to international micro-transactions. There should already be tenders for the technical implementation.

Stripe is considered a particularly promising candidate, not least because of its acquisition of the stablecoin infrastructure provider Bridge and the close connection between Stripe CEO Patrick Collison and the Meta leadership team.

Why now?

The timing is no coincidence. The stablecoin market has evolved significantly since the Libra/Diem debacle. Stablecoins are now a central part of global crypto liquidity. Back then, in February 2022, a lot of things were still experimental.

Today, a regulatory environment is emerging in the USA that facilitates the practical use of existing stablecoins. Added to this is the growing pressure from competitors such as X and Telegram, who are themselves working on their own payment systems.

With more than three billion potential customers thanks to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Meta has a market that could give the entire stablecoin sector a new dimension.

To do this, however, the project must reach the operational phase and not the residual ramp, like Libra/Diem once did.

The stablecoin project, which was not even half finished, was sold off to the US bank Silvergate for the bargain price of $182 million.

It then went bankrupt, not because of that, but as collateral damage from the FTX collapse – but that’s another story.

• The IOTA Foundation now provides news on sustainability, energy consumption and regulatory compliance of IOTA projects on its website. The information includes technical assessments and the status of compliance with the MiCA regulations.
• The background is the specific requirements of the EU Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation, which must be implemented by July and provides for detailed disclosure obligations for organizations in the crypto industry.

Die IOTA Foundation provides for the first time a consolidated overview of sustainability indicators that are collected in collaboration with the Crypto Carbon Ratings Institute (CCRI), on whose data the EU bodies involved also rely. The data is based on the MiCA specifications and includes:

• the energy consumption of the network
• the efficiency metrics of the protocol architecture
• the comparison values ​​to computationally intensive blockchain systems
• the documentation of the underlying methodology

The key figures are intended to enable developers and companies to transparently disclose environmental impacts and meet regulatory requirements. The foundation points out that, due to its architecture, the IOTA project has a significantly lower energy requirement than classic blockchains, which is particularly relevant for applications in the industrial and public sectors.

Proof of conformity and technical documentation

In addition, proof of conformity is published. These include in detail:

• Certificates and audit documents
• Technical white papers
• MiCAR-relevant documents for developers, trading venues and service providers
• Documents on the regulatory classification of the technology

The documents are intended to help decision-makers in the market check regulatory requirements and adapt their own processes accordingly. According to the foundation, IOTA is in contact with authorities and political decision-makers to clarify questions about the legal classification of distributed technologies such as DLT.

Industry dialogue

The new IOTA information also describes the technical orientation of the project as well as cooperation with universities and public institutions.

In addition, the IOTA Foundation takes part in consultations and specialist events to explain technical backgrounds and regulatory issues in public dialogue.

• Spain has granted Bit2Me the MiCA license. This makes the crypto exchange one of the first companies in the EU to be able to offer all crypto services under the new legal framework.
• This includes custody, trading and issuance of crypto assets and the provision of corresponding infrastructure. It is expected that a number of institutions in the EU will take advantage of the offer.

For Bit2Me The MiCA license is the start of an expansion within the EU, as the license is valid in all member states and no additional national approvals are required.

Many European banks are faced with the task of giving their customers access to digital assets, but do not have the complex technical systems themselves. Bit2Me comes in right here. The company offers integration modules that fit into existing banking systems and map MiCAR-compliant processes.

The MiCA license means that banks that choose Bit2Me as a service provider no longer have to deal with the regulatory details themselves. You can still provide your customers with a MiCAR-compliant offering.

Tether provides liquidity and stability

Bit2Me has been working closely with Tether since 2023, and this connection plays a central role in the attractiveness of the offering. Tether provides liquidity, technical infrastructure and compliance resources that make Bit2Me usable in the EU.

Banks thereby benefit from stable settlement mechanisms based on USDT and simplify international transactions. At the same time, Tether is strengthening its presence in a market that is defining clear rules for stablecoins for the first time through MiCAR.

All of this gives Bit2Me an edge over competitors who are still waiting for approvals or have to adapt their systems. This creates a B2B service provider for institutional customers that offers a legally secure and immediately usable infrastructure from a regulatory perspective.

“Instant MiCA infrastructure” for EU institutions

The MiCAR approval for Bit2Me shows how the EU market is being restructured. Providers with a clear compliance structure and institutional focus are gaining in importance, while unregulated providers are sidelined.

Banks, other institutions – and also authorities – receive a “turnkey” infrastructure that makes it possible to plan innovations without legal risks.

This should motivate a number of institutions to get into digital assets and offer their own customers more benefits.

• The Ethereum Foundation is taking a significant step: for the first time, it is using its own treasury holdings productively: 70,000 ETH are staked. The move implements a declaration of intent made in 2025.
• ETH reserves should no longer rest passively, but rather be used to finance one’s own operations. 100% of the profits generated flow back into the treasury.

For the Treasury Staking Initiative There are two motives: Firstly, one’s own holdings of Ethereum should generate income that can be planned independently of market cycles. Second, you want to experience firsthand the operational reality of staking – the technical complexities, the risks and the day-to-day frictions.

The Ethereum Foundation wants to move from a passive observer to an active project participant. This is intended to create more internal transparency and show that institutional staking is possible even without central custodians.

At the same time, the foundation strengthens the credibility of its recommendations to all the other stakers, as it is now “in the same boat”.

Multi‑client with distributed signatures and own hardware

The foundation relies on a robust open source stack to operate the validators. The heart of the system is a system that runs across multiple regions and prevents single points of failure.

It is complemented by a subsystem that supports multiple beacon and execution client combinations and actively contributes to client diversity. The infrastructure consists of both our own hardware and hosted systems in several countries.

Minority clients are deliberately used in order to reduce the dependency on dominant implementations. External PBS sidecars are dispensed with and instead you operate your own block building components.

Transparent onchain structure

The foundation uses Type 2 Withdrawal credentials, which have played a central role since Pectra/MaxEB. They ensure the transfer of validator balances, reduce administrative effort and allow flexible exits even when validators are offline.

By limiting it to 2048 ETH per validator, the foundation only needs 35 keys for the staking program. The first validator is already publicly visible, further deposits will follow gradually. The organization emphasizes that transparency, a core principle of the project, will not be compromised.

Signal an die Community

With the start of treasury staking, the Ethereum Foundation is sending a clear signal. It professionalizes its treasury management and strengthens the technical resilience of the network.

For the community, this is more than just financial optimization. It is a commitment to the long-term stability and further development of the Ethereum project.

• The bankruptcy liquidator of crypto company Terraform Labs has sued Jane Street in New York, accusing the company of insider trading and front-running surrounding the 2022 Terra collapse.
• At the heart of the lawsuit are UST transactions on the verge of collapse, possible non-public information, and direct contacts with Terraform employees.

The bankruptcy liquidator of Terraform Labs is taking legal action against Jane Street. In a lawsuit in New York, he accuses the financial giant of trading on insider information and accelerating the collapse of the Terra ecosystem in 2022.

It was submitted Complaint on Monday, February 23, 2026, in a federal court in Manhattan. The plaintiff is Todd Snyder, the court-appointed wind-up administrator for Terraform Labs. In addition to Jane Street, co-founder Robert Granieri and employees Bryce Pratt and Michael Huang are also named as defendants.

The partly redacted statement of claim concerns, among other things, the accusation of having used material nonpublic information. There is also suspicion of front-running in connection with the collapse of TerraUSD (UST) and LUNA. As is well known, the crash triggered the Bitcoin and crypto winter in 2022.

Was Jane Street involved in the crypto crash?

The focus is on the hot phase shortly before the collapse. According to lawsuit details cited in media reports, Terraform withdrew approximately 150 million UST from the Curve3pool on May 7, 2022 at 5:44 p.m. EST. Less than ten minutes later, a wallet associated with Jane Street is said to have withdrawn another 85 million UST from the same pool.

The central point of the lawsuit: The first deduction was not yet publicly known at that time. Snyder therefore argues that Jane Street may have had an informational advantage.

Additionally, the lawsuit reportedly references direct communication channels between Jane Street and Terraform employees. Among other things, a chat called “Bryce’s Secret” is mentioned. Snyder deduces that it was not just about normal business relationships, but also possibly an informal source of crypto market-moving information.

Snyder formulates the accusation as follows:

“Jane Street abused market relationships to manipulate the market in his favor in one of the most consequential events in crypto history. On behalf of those injured, we will pursue all avenues supported by the facts and law against those who exploited their position and made significant profits at the expense of Terraform Labs’ creditors.”

Jane Street firmly denies the allegations. A spokesman told Reuters:

“This desperate lawsuit is a transparent attempt to obtain money, even though it has long been established that the losses suffered by Terra and Luna owners were the result of a multi-billion dollar fraud by the management of Terraform Labs. We will vigorously defend ourselves against these baseless, opportunistic allegations.”

The collapse of Terraform is estimated to have destroyed around $40 billion in market value in 2022, setting off a chain reaction in the industry. As a result, FTX, BlockFi and other US crypto companies, among others, went bankrupt. Terraform itself filed for bankruptcy in January 2024.

In addition, the company agreed to a $4.47 billion settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after a jury found liability for fraud.

As early as December 2025, he sued Jump Trading and other people in a US federal court in Illinois and demanded around $4 billion. In this lawsuit, he accuses Jump of not only profiting from the Terra ecosystem, but also contributing to its eventual collapse through allegedly secret support measures for UST and advantageous insider agreements. Jump also rejects the allegations.

• The WLFI stablecoin USD1 decoupled from the dollar to start the week, falling 6% $0.994 before stabilizing again.
• Issuer World Liberty Financial classified the incident as a coordinated attack in several public statements.

According to company information, social media accounts of several WLFI founders hijacked and misused for false reports.

At the same time, influencers were bribed to undermine the stability of USD1. In addition, noticeably large short positions on WLFI tokens appeared, which should benefit from the uncertainty generated in the market.

Hijacked accounts and targeted propaganda against WLFI

World Liberty Financial made it a point to state that wallets, smart contracts and internal systems were not tampered with. The attack was aimed exclusively at communication channels in order to create a negative public perception.

However, the short-term price collapse was cushioned by the existing redemption mechanism, meaning that the damage caused remained manageable.

Price stabilization mechanisms worked

Customers were still able to redeem USD1 against the dollar at a 1:1 ratio, which quickly stabilized the rate and brought it back up to $0.999.

Experts see this as an indication that the project’s liquidity structure is working.

At the same time, the incident shows how vulnerable stablecoins are to targeted disinformation, which is much easier to pull off than technical attacks that override security mechanisms.

Political dimension and market environment

With a market capitalization of around five billion dollars, the USD1 is a relevant but not dominant player in the stablecoin sector. The project’s proximity to the Trump family has attracted additional attention and political friction since its launch.

World Liberty Financial sees the attack as an attempt to weaken the project at an early stage of growth. What is crucial for the market is whether the USD1 will survive similar stress tests in the future without major price reactions and whether the company will reliably secure its communication channels in the future.

• Digital investment products lose $288 million worldwide, but Germany is a stable buyer’s market. Institutions and private investors are buying undeterred.
• With inflows of over $16 million, Germany not only ranks first in the EU, but is also one of the few regions in the world with positive signs.

The discrepancy between global and German demand illustrates the structural strength of the market, which is increasingly decoupling from short-term fluctuations. Overall, Europe shows a more robust picture than the USA, where the majority of global outflows originate.

In addition to Germany, Switzerland and, outside Europe, Canada have the most tributaries. In the EU, legally secure regulation through MiCAR and a growing infrastructure for custody and trading create an environment that offers investors security.

Germany benefits particularly from its early regulation of digital assets and its already well-advanced integration into the traditional financial sector. Banks, brokers and exchanges are continually expanding their offerings, accelerating the market penetration of crypto assets.

Tax advantage as a customer magnet

A key factor driving continued demand is the tax treatment of cryptocurrencies. Profits from private sales transactions remain tax-free after a holding period of twelve months. This makes Germany the country of choice for long-term investors.

At the same time, the consumer market is growing: savings banks and regional banks trade in crypto products, thereby giving millions of private customers access to Bitcoin and numerous altcoins.

Germany as an EU crypto hub

According to Chainalysis, Germany is a dynamic EU crypto market with significantly increasing sales.

The current inflows confirm this and underline its role as a growth engine in the EU. While many regional markets in America and Asia are under pressure, Germany is resilient and willing to invest.

The mix of reliable regulation, tax planning and growing infrastructure for private investors makes the location a leader in the European crypto industry.

• Bitcoin slipped below $65,000 – and even long-term investors are no longer playing along. Onchain data suggests that the first have started selling or moving their BTC to exchanges.
• The last Bitcoin weekly closing price below $65,000 was the last straw. His undershooting has aautomated sales were triggered, which briefly pushed the price down to $64,000.

It is little consolation that the price drop to $64,000 was triggered less by substantial new facts than by technical factors and position adjustments. In any case, the behavior of large investors is beginning to change.

What is striking is the increase in Bitcoin exchange inflows from particularly bulging wallets. Such transfers are seen as harbingers of selling rounds and increase downward pressure. At the same time, several on-chain indicators show that investors who have held their coins for at least a year are increasingly taking profits. This is seen as a sign that a large part of this group does not expect a quick price recovery. Exceptions prove the rule.

The economy and geopolitics are not very helpful

Apart from the price decline, risky assets are having a harder time anyway. Potential new trade barriers, weak economic activity and geopolitical tensions are making investors cautious. Bitcoin often reacts in such phases as what it is: a highly volatile technology asset – and in times of uncertainty they are sold off faster than anything else.

Mood reminds of forgotten scenarios

The crypto industry sentiment index has fallen to one of its lowest levels in months. Many analysts see the reason why a large proportion of investors threw in the towel was the unusually high sales of long-term investors.

Some observers now expect further lows to be reached in the range between $50,000 and $52,000, while others expect it to stabilize above $60,000. Optimists would be satisfied with reaching the $65,000 mark again – for now anyway.

• The movie2k complex is currently being negotiated before the Leipzig Regional Court as to whether Saxony can legally keep the 49,858 Bitcoins that have already been sold for around 2.64 billion euros.
• The crucial issue is the question of confiscation after the partial statute of limitations on central charges.

In the case of the illegal streaming portal movie2k, proceedings with great financial significance are beginning for the Free State of Saxony. The Leipzig Regional Court is not only concerned with criminal allegations against those suspected of being behind the crime. At the core is also the question of whether Saxony can keep the proceeds from the sale of 49,858 Bitcoin.

The Bitcoins seized in the movie2k process were considered the largest BTC seizure in Germany. They were sold as part of an emergency sale between June 19 and July 12, 2024 by the Saxon Central Office for the Safekeeping and Exploitation of Virtual Currencies at the Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office together with the Frankfurt bank Scheich Securities Specialist AG and with the support of the BKA.

Can Saxony keep the money?

From Tuesday, the Economic Criminal Chamber of the Leipzig Regional Court, chaired by Judge Karsten Nickel, will be dealing with the future of the confiscated assets. About it reported DAY24. According to the report, Josef F. handed over a total of 49,858 Bitcoin to the Free State after his arrest.

Particularly tricky: Saxony sold the inventory in the summer of 2024. TAG24 describes the process like this:

“Since Saxony’s judiciary feared a loss in the value of the cryptocurrency, it silvered the Bitcoin treasure in the summer of 2024. In the 24-day transaction, the Free State received around 2.64 billion euros. The money has been in a Bundesbank custody account since then.”

Now it’s a question of who can legally dispose of this proceeds. According to the report, in its opening decision the chamber has already classified a large part of the original charges as time-barred. Specifically, this affects 219,928 cases of commercial copyright infringement, which are therefore no longer being litigated.

As things stand, what remains are allegations of commercial money laundering, serious tax evasion and incitement to false suspicion. This is exactly what the question of confiscation depends on. Because the criminal law basis has become narrower, but the money is still available.

A court spokesman formulated the legal question to TAG24 as follows:

“In the independent confiscation procedure, confiscation can also be carried out beyond the statute of limitations. The prerequisite is that the defendants are found guilty on the remaining counts.”

If the chamber does not confirm the confiscation in the desired form, Saxony’s access to the proceeds would be significantly weaker. However, if the court confirms the confiscation, the dispute is unlikely to be over: large film companies could then file claims for part of the money due to copyright infringement.

In Leipzig it is practically about two things at the same time: a criminal case against two defendants and an amount worth billions. The procedure is intended to clarify whether the Bitcoin proceeds that have already been realized can be used for the Saxon budget or whether a long dispute between the state and possible rights holders will follow.

Repayment in Bitcoin?

Remarkably, the profit for Saxony could have been significantly higher. At Bitcoin’s record high in October 2025, the price was 107,745.13 euros. This means that 49,858 BTC would have been mathematically worth around 5.37 billion euros; Saxony had previously sold the position for 2,639,683,413.92 euros, which corresponds to an average sales price of around 52,944 euros per BTC.

After the subsequent price increase, the sale was commented on with derision in parts of the Bitcoin community because Saxony had not taken advantage of the subsequent upside. The same inventory would currently be around 2.73 billion euros, which is only slightly higher than the sales proceeds at the time.

But one thing is already clear: If the court decides that the Free State is not entitled to the proceeds, Saxony would not have to buy back Bitcoin on the market; the dispute is about fiat money, not coins.

• Long-time Ripple partner SBI is further expanding its XRP presence in Japan with two new initiatives. The first includes blockchain-based bonds that reward retail investors with XRP.
• The second, a cooperation with the Asia Web3 Alliance Japan, is a venture studio for projects based on XRPL. Both promote the integration of digital assets into classic financial products.

At the center is a new tranche of tokenized bonds worth ten billion yen. The securities are issued by SBIdistributed across its digital infrastructure, and they are aimed at retail investors who receive annual XRP rewards in addition to the fixed interest rate.

Payments run until 2029 and require an account with SBI VC Trade. In this way, SBI combines traditional forms of investment with access to digital assets and at the same time strengthens its own trading.

Tokenization as a growth engine

The new bonds are an example of efficient RWA tokenization. Technical processing via blockchain reduces operational hurdles and creates transparency for everyone involved. At the same time, the XRP premium combines a traditional investment with digital asset management.

The model is part of SBI’s long-term strategy: SBI has been relying on XRP for years as the basis for international payment processes and capital market innovations. The mix of tokenized bonds and digital premium shows how TradFi and Defi combine advantageously.

Venture studio as a coach for XRPL startups

The second SBI initiative, Venture Studio, is operated jointly with the Asia Web3 Alliance Japan. The aim is to support new companies developing applications based on XRPL. Venture Studio offers technical support, access to infrastructure and advice in the regulatory environment.

Japan is probably the most stable Asian digital asset market. That’s why SBI sees this as an opportunity to build a regional network of XRPL projects and expand the developer base.

Importance for Ripple and XRP

With the new bonds and the venture studio, the Japanese Ripple partner SBI is sending a clear signal. The company combines retail access, capital market innovation and startup funding in a consistent framework.

For Ripple and XRP, this means more presence, more applications and a growing number of projects built on the XRP ledger.