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USDC issuer Circle announced via X that it has joined the Agentic AI Foundation. Within the foundation, member companies will collaborate to address ecosystem fragmentation, improve interoperability, establish technical standards, and promote the development of open protocols. Circle stated that as AI agents move beyond research and experimentation into real-world service environments, the importance of open standards and interoperable infrastructure has become greater than ever. The company added that programmable, internet-native money will be the foundation of the agentic economy.

South Korea's Korea Customs Service announced on Feb. 25 that it is completely redesigning the training system for its special judicial police to respond to the changing environment of trade crime investigations, Dailian reported. The overhaul includes an expanded focus on foreign exchange investigations involving virtual assets. The new plan features enhanced professional education at the agency's Customs Border Control Training Institute and expanded on-the-job training at customs offices nationwide. A new long-term course will be established for the foreign exchange investigation field, covering topics such as virtual asset tracking and analysis and case studies on investigation techniques. This is intended to strengthen the agency's ability to counter new criminal methods, including illegal currency exchange and money laundering that utilize virtual assets.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has risen above $66,000. BTC is trading at $66,133.65 on the Binance USDT market.

Major exchanges have seen $103 million worth of futures liquidated in the past hour. In the past 24 hours, $362 million worth of futures have been liquidated.

Bitcoin Depot, the world's largest Bitcoin ATM operator and a Nasdaq-listed company, will now require customers to present a valid ID for all transactions, Decrypt reported. The move is seen as an effort to bolster regulatory compliance amid pressure from state prosecutors. Prosecutors in Massachusetts previously filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing it of knowingly facilitating cryptocurrency fraud.

BTC has risen by 1.51% in the past five minutes on the Binance USDT market. Currently, BTC is trading at $65,331.91.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has risen above $65,000. BTC is trading at $65,137.72 on the Binance USDT market.

The Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Index turned positive for the first time in 40 days, reaching 0.0525% at 12:30 a.m. UTC today, according to Coinglass data. This index measures the price difference between the U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and the global market average. A positive reading can be interpreted as a sign of strengthening buying pressure from the United States.

Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas has pushed back against claims that Bitcoin is not a store of value. On X, he posted a table of annual returns from 1972 to 1981, sarcastically noting its extreme volatility and four-year cycles before revealing the data represented gold's performance 50 years ago, not Bitcoin's. The chart was originally created by Bitwise Chief Investment Officer (CIO) Matt Hougan. Hougan had previously used it to counter an argument from Tom Essaye, founder of Sevens Report Research, who claimed Bitcoin is more of a speculative asset than a substitute for gold or an inflation hedge. In response, Hougan argued that Bitcoin is an emerging store of value whose speculative nature will diminish once it is universally held by central banks, similar to gold.

CoinMarketCap's Altcoin Season Index has risen five points from yesterday to 35. The index determines market sentiment by comparing the price performance of the top 100 coins, excluding stablecoins and wrapped tokens, against that of Bitcoin. An altcoin season is declared when 75% of these top 100 coins outperform Bitcoin over the preceding 90 days. Conversely, a period where Bitcoin outperforms the majority of top altcoins is considered a Bitcoin season. A reading closer to 100 suggests the market is in an altcoin season.

Cryptocurrency asset manager Bitwise has completed its acquisition of institutional staking platform Chorus One, Cointelegraph reported. Chorus One employees are set to join the Bitwise Onchain Solutions division. Following the acquisition, Bitwise will be able to offer staking services on more than 30 proof-of-stake (PoS) chains.

KRWQ, a won-based stablecoin jointly launched by decentralized AI and blockchain developer IQ and Frax Finance, has begun purchasing South Korean government bonds custodied at Shinhan Investment & Securities. The bonds were incorporated into the stablecoin's reserves in a tokenized form through EtherFuse's Stablebond framework, marking the first time South Korean government bonds have been included in the collateral structure of a won-based stablecoin. KRWQ operates on Frax's frxUSD infrastructure and uses an on-chain financial structure similar to other tokenized government bond strategies, such as BlackRock's U.S. Treasury-backed tokenized fund BUIDL and Superstate's USTB, though it incorporates the South Korean bonds through an independent reserve system. A representative for KRWQ stated that as stablecoin payments expand, so does the demand for high-quality reserve assets. They added that including government bonds enhances the stability and reliability of the reserves, potentially creating a new pathway for global digital capital to flow into the South Korean won and government bond markets.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, compiled by Alternative, has risen three points from yesterday to 11, maintaining its "Extreme Fear" rating. The index measures market sentiment on a scale from 0 (Extreme Fear) to 100 (Extreme Greed). It is calculated based on volatility (25%), market volume (25%), social media (15%), surveys (15%), Bitcoin dominance (10%), and Google trends (10%).

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has launched an official investigation into Binance's alleged violations of Iran sanctions. According to The Block, Blumenthal has demanded that Binance submit internal documents related to service usage by Iranian residents and the dismissal of compliance personnel. The move follows earlier reports from The New York Times, Fortune, and The Wall Street Journal, which stated that Binance's compliance department had found evidence that partner firms Hexa Whale and Blessed Trust had facilitated money laundering for Iran and permitted transactions with Iranian government agencies.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong stated on X that the UK's stablecoin regulation, now in its final stages, could undermine the country's competitiveness in the digital economy. He noted that the Bank of England has proposed limits on stablecoin holdings for both individuals and businesses. Armstrong emphasized that while the UK has long been a financial hub, embracing and encouraging innovation is crucial to maintaining that status, especially as other nations are moving quickly. He argued, however, that the current regulatory direction is moving in the opposite direction and will "clearly act as a factor that hinders innovation."

The European Union's financial market supervisor, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), has determined that derivatives offering cryptocurrency leverage could be subject to regulation. According to Cointelegraph, ESMA stated that derivatives linked to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, such as perpetual futures and perpetual contracts, could fall within the regulatory scope of Contracts for Difference (CFDs). The authority also requires firms to identify and manage potential conflicts of interest that may arise when offering these products. ESMA further explained that if these instruments are classified as CFDs, they could be subject to existing regulations, including leverage limits, mandatory risk warnings, and forced margin liquidations.

Online payment infrastructure firm Stripe is considering an acquisition of PayPal, Bloomberg reported. Discussions are still in the early stages. A successful deal would bring two payment giants, both of which have been expanding their stablecoin businesses, under a single entity. PayPal launched its dollar-based stablecoin, PYUSD, in 2022 through Paxos, with a market capitalization of around $4 billion. Stripe has also been growing its crypto operations. In 2024, the company acquired Bridge, a tool that helps businesses issue their own dollar-based tokens. It is also developing a payment-focused blockchain called Tempo in partnership with venture capital firm Paradigm.

Cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com donated an additional $5 million in January to MAGA Inc., a Super PAC supporting U.S. President Donald Trump, Decrypt reported. The contribution brings the company's total donations to the group over the past year to $35 million. The move was followed by favorable actions from agencies within the Trump administration. Last week, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) intervened in a Nevada lawsuit concerning sports prediction markets, submitting a brief in support of Crypto.com. This action came after CFTC Chairman Mike Selig had stated in a Senate hearing that he would respect the court's decision on the matter. Furthermore, on Feb. 24, Crypto.com received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish a national trust bank.

The three major U.S. stock indices closed higher today. - S&P 500: +0.77% - Nasdaq: +1.04% - Dow Jones: +0.76%

Haseeb Qureshi, a partner at crypto investment fund Dragonfly Capital, has refuted concerns that capital is permanently flowing from crypto to the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. In an interview with CoinDesk, he stated that he completely disagrees with this view. Qureshi argued that comparing the explosive consumer adoption of AI with crypto's growth trajectory misunderstands the nature of both technologies. He noted that less than 1% of AI service users are paying customers, whereas crypto has no free services. He pointed out that there is no free Bitcoin or Ethereum. According to Qureshi, while venture capital is moving to AI, this is a natural market flow and not a critique of crypto, whose underlying fundamentals remain strong even as market sentiment has cooled. He further explained that stablecoins, in particular, have shown steady growth regardless of price volatility, with their supply increasing by 50% annually, which he described as exponential growth. Qureshi added that volatility, from ETF-driven rallies to tariff-induced downturns, has been a feature of the crypto industry for over a decade and is neither new nor fatal. He called the idea that people would stop using stablecoins because of a price drop "absurd."

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Russian company Operation Zero and its affiliates for allegedly trading hacking tools developed for use by the U.S. government. The tools were reportedly developed by a defense contractor, and an employee of that firm stole the technology and sold it to Operation Zero. The transaction was conducted with millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency. However, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) did not disclose the cryptocurrency addresses involved in the deal.

U.S. fintech and insurance company TruStage has announced plans to issue a dollar-pegged stablecoin, TSDA, The Block reported. The company will launch the stablecoin in partnership with blockchain technology firm Block Time Financial. Under the arrangement, Block Time will support operations, including security protocols, while a TruStage affiliate will act as the issuer and manage the token's 1:1 cash reserves. TruStage works with over 93% of U.S. credit unions, providing insurance products, investment solutions, retirement plans, and other financial products.

Whale Alert reported that 250 million USDC has been minted at the USDC Treasury.

Most companies filing 13F forms sold their Bitcoin ETF holdings in the fourth quarter of last year, according to Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart. He said via X that this was an expected outcome, with asset managers and hedge funds—the largest holders—being the most significant sellers. Seyffart added that these firms sold ETF shares equivalent to approximately 25,000 BTC during the quarter.

Pro-cryptocurrency U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno said in an interview with CNBC that while he does not currently own any crypto, he would buy Bitcoin instead of gold if he had spare funds. According to Wu Blockchain, he added that although Bitcoin is volatile, investments should be viewed from a long-term perspective. Regarding claims that stablecoins threaten the U.S. dollar, Moreno argued they could significantly increase demand for U.S. Treasurys, potentially saving hundreds of billions of dollars in debt annually. He warned that if the United States fails to seize this opportunity, the center of innovation will shift elsewhere.