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South Korean exchanges Upbit and Bithumb have announced that they are placing IoTeX (IOTX) on their delisting watchlists. Bithumb explained that the designation follows the confirmation of a security incident, such as a hack with an unconfirmed or unaddressed cause. The exchange specified that the incident affected the virtual asset itself, a wallet managed by its issuer, or the distributed ledger where the asset is issued, transmitted, or stored.

Matt Hougan, CIO of crypto asset manager Bitwise, has pushed back against claims that Bitcoin is merely a speculative asset, arguing instead that it is an emerging store of value. The comments were a direct rebuttal to Tom Essaye, a former Merrill Lynch trader and founder of Sevens Report Research, who had previously asserted that Bitcoin is neither a substitute for gold nor an inflation hedge. In a post on X, Hougan stated that while Bitcoin was a purely speculative asset at its inception in 2009, it is now in a transitional period. He argued that once central banks universally hold it like gold, its speculative nature will disappear. Hougan added that if one believes in the possibility of a digital store of value, it is necessary to accept that Bitcoin must go through an "adolescence."

BTC perp long/short ratios on top exchanges by open interest The following are the 24-hour long/short ratios for BTC perpetual futures on the world’s three largest crypto futures exchanges by open interest: Overall: 48.5% long, 51.5% short - Binance: 48.64% long, 51.36% short - OKX: 46.79% long, 53.21% short - Bybit: 48.76% long, 51.24% short

South Korea’s financial authorities have reiterated their intention to limit the ownership stake of the largest shareholders in domestic cryptocurrency exchanges, Money Today reported. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) summoned executives from the country's five major exchanges—Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit, Coinone, and Gopax—to inform them of the policy. The move is seen as a final notification before the government finalizes its version of the Digital Asset Basic Act, the second phase of virtual asset legislation. During the meeting, the FSC explained the main contents of the proposed government bill and reaffirmed its commitment to legislating the shareholder cap. The five exchanges and the Digital Asset eXchange Alliance (DAXA) reportedly expressed their concerns about the plan.

A man has been indicted while in custody for attempting to murder his business partner by giving him a drink laced with pesticide, Munhwa Ilbo reported. The man is accused of the murder attempt, which took place around 12:00 p.m. UTC on Nov. 23 of last year at a cafe in Seoul. The two men operated a business that managed investment funds through a Bitcoin investment program. According to the investigation, a conflict began after the accused personally invested and failed to recover company funds of around 880 million won (about $638,000), part of a total personal investment loss of 1.17 billion won (about $848,000). South Korean prosecutors believe the man decided to commit the crime after the company's financial situation deteriorated due to a decline in Bitcoin's price, which led his partner to take over management of the firm's funds.

Binance's primary goal in South Korea is not market share but building a compliant, trusted, and sustainable business, according to SB Secker, the company's head of Asia-Pacific (APAC). In an interview with ZDNet Korea, Secker emphasized this focus. Binance is currently the largest shareholder in the South Korean virtual asset exchange Streami (Gopax), holding a 67.45% stake with the approval of financial authorities. Regarding GoFi repayments, Secker stated that the process must comply with South Korean commercial law and meet other legal and administrative requirements. He added that a schedule cannot be set unilaterally as discussions with regulators are ongoing. Secker also revealed plans to pursue business in institutional investment and stablecoins in cooperation with the authorities.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have experienced five consecutive weeks of net outflows, totaling approximately $3.8 billion, marking the longest such streak since February 2025, CoinDesk reported, citing data from SoSoValue. The outlet attributed the trend to a conservative shift among institutional investors following a sharp market drop last October, when concerns over risks at overseas exchanges and heightened volatility dampened sentiment. CoinDesk added that current market conditions, including rising U.S.-Iran tensions, President Donald Trump's announcement of a global tariff policy, and technical chart factors, are further fueling risk-averse sentiment.

MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor hinted at an upcoming Bitcoin purchase on his X account last night, posting a Saylor Tracker chart with the comment, "The Orange Century." Saylor has previously followed a pattern of making similar posts shortly before announcing additional BTC acquisitions.

The risk of a correction in global asset markets, including cryptocurrency, has grown, according to Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody's Analytics. He stated that despite recent price adjustments, cryptocurrencies, gold, and silver remain exposed to downside risks. Zandi pointed to several factors, noting that U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) growth is below its 2.5% potential, employment is stagnant, and the unemployment rate is gradually rising. He added that the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, a key inflation gauge for the Fed, remains high at around 3%, while tariff uncertainties and military tensions related to Iran also pose a burden. Zandi further explained that as the Fed and global investors withdraw from the Treasury market, hedge funds engaged in leveraged arbitrage are filling the void. This situation, combined with a large fiscal deficit and substantial financing demands, could lead to a sharp rise in interest rates. "While the market is currently overheated by speculation, asset prices are instead falling sharply, delivering a shock to an already fragile economy," he concluded.

South Korea's National Assembly Budget Office (NABO) has launched a study into the key issues surrounding virtual asset taxation, Digital Asset reported. The move comes ahead of the planned implementation of a capital gains tax on digital assets, which is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, at a rate of 22%, including local taxes. The commissioned research will focus on three main areas: - An analysis of domestic and international regulatory environments and the current taxation status of digital assets. - A study of taxation issues based on the economic, technical, and legal characteristics of digital assets. - A review of taxation standards for non-standard acquisitions and transactions.

South Korean police plan to establish separate management guidelines for seized cryptocurrency following an incident where the Seoul Gangnam Police Station lost Bitcoin it had secured during an investigation, Newsis reported. The station had previously stated that 22 BTC, voluntarily submitted in connection with a crime around November 2021, had been transferred externally. An inspection revealed that while the physical cold wallet, a USB-type device, was not stolen, the Bitcoin it contained had vanished.

The following shows estimated liquidation volumes and position ratios for major crypto perpetual futures over the past 24 hours: - BTC: $210.56 million liquidated (97.9% longs) - ETH: $111.91 million liquidated (94.99% longs) - SOL: $19.07 million liquidated (98.05% longs)

Bitcoin is expected to retest the $60,000 level amid an ongoing crypto market downturn and macroeconomic uncertainty, Bloomberg reported. Caroline Mauron, co-founder of Orbit Markets, stated that the crypto market remains fragile, with participants closely watching the $60,000 support line. She added that macro uncertainties, including tensions in Iran and confusion over U.S. tariffs, are pressuring the market and could trigger a retest of that price. Meanwhile, BTC Markets analyst Rachael Lucas suggested that for Bitcoin to turn bullish, it must first reclaim the $70,000 mark.

The circulating supply of USDT has fallen by $1.5 billion in February, marking its largest decline since the collapse of FTX in 2022, Bloomberg reported, citing data from Artemis. The report noted that while stablecoin growth expanded under the crypto-friendly Trump administration, its pace has slowed since last October amid a broader crypto market correction. As of February, the total circulating supply of all stablecoins stands at approximately $304.6 billion, an increase from the previous month. USDC's supply grew by about 5% to roughly $75.7 billion. In contrast, USDT's circulation, which peaked at around $187 billion in early January, had dropped below $184 billion by Feb. 18. Meanwhile, total stablecoin trading volume last year reached $33 trillion, a 72% increase from 2024. USDC also led in this category, with its trading volume of $18.3 trillion surpassing USDT's $13.3 trillion.

South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has signaled its intent to actively review mergers and acquisitions in innovative industries, including big tech and digital asset platforms, to prevent the entrenchment of monopolies. In a report to the National Assembly's National Policy Committee on Feb. 23, the FTC stated it would investigate and correct fundamental anti-competitive practices, according to a report from Digital Asset. The announcement comes as the regulator is reportedly reviewing Naver Financial's proposed acquisition of Dunamu, the operator of the South Korean crypto exchange Upbit.

Bitcoin has been declining for five consecutive months since October of last year, according to CoinGlass data. If the current trend holds through the end of the month, it will mark the second-longest losing streak in the cryptocurrency's history. The longest period of consecutive monthly declines was six months, lasting from August 2018 to January 2019.

The total cryptocurrency market capitalization has fallen by approximately $100 billion today, CoinGecko reported via its official X account. BTC is currently trading 48.3% below its all-time high, while ETH is down 62.1%, XRP is down 63.2%, BNB is down 56.9%, and SOL is down 73.2%. The total crypto market cap now stands at around $2.2 trillion.

DonAlt, an anonymous crypto trader with around 710,000 followers on X, has described Bitcoin's recent price action as disappointing once again. He said that even the most aggressive traders should wait for the price to surpass $71,000 before taking long positions, warning that doing otherwise would only lead to slowly accumulating losses. He added that he is not in a hurry and is waiting for either a drop to $42,000 or a breakout above $86,000 to signal a change in the market structure. According to CoinMarketCap, BTC is currently trading at $64,411.22, down 4.76% from yesterday.

A bill in the U.S. state of Missouri that would create a strategic reserve of Bitcoin (HB2080) has been referred to the House Commerce Committee for review, Cointelegraph reported via its official X account. If the bill passes the committee, it will proceed to a full vote in the House of Representatives. Following that, it would need to be sent to the Senate and signed by the governor to become law. The proposed legislation aims to diversify the state's investment portfolio by establishing a separate fund to purchase or hold Bitcoin. The fund could also acquire Bitcoin using donations from government agencies and residents.

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has disclosed his current investment portfolio. He stated that his holdings include stocks (gold, silver, copper, and uranium mining; defense; and South American energy), cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, ZEC, and HYPE), and physical gold.

Major exchanges have seen $367 million worth of futures liquidated in the past hour. In the past 24 hours, $453 million worth of futures have been liquidated.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has fallen below $65,000. BTC is trading at $64,981.63 on the Binance USDT market.

An address that has held Ethereum (ETH) for the past two years appears to have sold off a portion of its holdings 15 minutes ago, according to on-chain analyst ai_9684xtpa. The sale of 3,313 ETH realized a profit of $338,000. The address had previously accumulated a total of 6,569.27 ETH, worth $11.77 million at the time, between September 2023 and February 2024 at an average purchase price of $1,792.1. Amid the recent decline in ETH's price, the whale's remaining holdings are now near the break-even point.

Major exchanges have seen $238 million worth of futures liquidated in the past hour. In the past 24 hours, $314 million worth of futures have been liquidated.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has fallen below $66,000. BTC is trading at $65,857.93 on the Binance USDT market.