🚨 Breaking: Michael Saylor’s Strategy Buys 1,286 BTC, Increases USD Reserves To $2.25B

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💰 Bitcoin Options Traders Eye $100,000 Amid Market Recovery

📈 Bitcoin options traders are increasingly optimistic about a potential rebound to the $100,000 mark following a significant selloff at the end of 2025. Improving flows into crypto investment products and a broader risk-on market environment are contributing to this renewed confidence.

According to Bloomberg, data shows that open interest in bitcoin options is heavily concentrated around contracts expiring on January 30 with a $100,000 strike price.

These call options carry more than twice the notional value of the next most popular position, which is put options at an $80,000 strike for the same expiry. This positioning suggests traders are looking past the fourth-quarter crash and toward a renewed upside move.

📉 This shift in sentiment marks a significant change from late 2025 when bitcoin experienced a 24% decline over the quarter. During that period, demand for downside protection surged, pushing put option premiums sharply higher. However, prices have since stabilized.

🚀 On January 5, bitcoin rose as much as 3.6% to trade near $94,800, its highest level in almost a month. This rebound has been supported by renewed inflows into crypto investment products. On January 5, bitcoin ETFs recorded $697 million in inflows, following a $471 million inflow on January 2. Similarly, ether ETFs saw inflows of $174 million and $168 million on January 2 and January 5 respectively.

📊 The improving tone in crypto mirrors strength across other asset classes. Gold has pushed to a record high, while equity markets have been lifted by gains in technology stocks, reinforcing a broader risk-on environment.

⚠️ However, analysts urge caution. Bitcoin has repeatedly failed to hold key technical levels in recent months, often triggering sharp pullbacks and liquidations. Options data suggests a relatively quick move through the $90,000 range, with the next potential consolidation zone around $105,000.

Whether the rally can extend further may depend on whether speculative capital fully returns to crypto derivatives markets.

📝 Colombia's New Reporting Requirements for Virtual Asset Service Providers

📈 The National Directorate of Taxes and Customs (DIAN) in Colombia has introduced Resolution 000240, which establishes a new reporting regime for virtual asset service providers (VASPs). Starting in 2026, VASPs will be required to act as informants for the agency, reporting on user transactions and related details.

📊 This resolution aligns with the Crypto Assets Reporting Framework (CARF) initiated by the OECD, aimed at promoting international data exchange to combat tax evasion associated with digital assets. Under the new rules, VASPs must report transactions involving cryptocurrency assets, particularly those exceeding $50,000. Even transactions below this threshold will be recorded in an electronic report for DIAN.

⏳ Although the resolution was issued in December 2025, VASPs have until May 2027 to comply with these reporting requirements. Failure to adhere to these measures could result in penalties of up to 1% of all non-reported payments. As a precaution, Colombian users are advised to maintain detailed records of their crypto transactions to explain the origin of their holdings if required by DIAN.

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🌐 Salad Partners with Golem Network for Decentralized Infrastructure Trial

📌 Salad, a GPU cloud platform, has teamed up with Golem Network to test if decentralized Web3 infrastructure can handle its large-scale commercial workloads. This partnership involves an engineering trial where Salad will replicate part of its cloud activity using Golem’s permissionless compute layer.

🔍 The main objective is to see if Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePINs) can support Salad’s diverse workload profiles, including AI inference, 3D rendering, and drug-discovery simulations. Currently, Salad relies on traditional payment processors and billing systems. By incorporating crypto payments and decentralized execution, it aims to reduce operational costs and improve settlement efficiency.

💬 Bob Miles, CEO of Salad, emphasized the collaboration's potential:

By pairing Salad’s distributed infrastructure with Golem’s decentralized compute layer, we’re exploring how customer workloads, revenue, and rewards can flow through DePIN.

Kyle Dodson, Salad’s CTO, noted the technical compatibility:

Golem’s architecture overlaps significantly with how Salad operates today.

🚫 Salad began exploring DePIN protocols in Q3 2025 and identified Golem as a suitable partner. To address concerns about decentralized protocols handling enterprise-grade traffic, Miles stated that the trial will start by mapping a single customer's transactions before expanding.

💰 The shift to Golem’s native token (GLM) also presents economic benefits. Miles explained that using a decentralized settlement layer could eliminate middleman fees, potentially improving Salad’s margins or allowing for more competitive pricing in the GPU market.

📈 The progress of this engineering trial can be tracked in real-time at stats.salad.

🚀 The Rise of Crypto Cards: Bridging the Gap Between Digital Assets and Global Commerce

📈 According to Artemis' latest stablecoin report, crypto cards have evolved from a niche product to a significant player in the cryptocurrency payments market. The report highlights that crypto card payments now rival peer-to-peer (P2P) stablecoin payments in volume.

💳 Crypto cards, which link payments to stablecoins or other digital assets, have seen substantial growth. Artemis found that payments made with crypto cards increased from $100 million monthly in early 2023 to $1.5 billion by 2025, nearly matching the $1.6 billion in stablecoin P2P payments. This represents a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 106% for crypto card payments, reaching over $18 billion annually, while stablecoin P2P payments grew only 5% to $19 billion during the same period.

🔗 The report suggests that this trend is likely to continue. Stablecoin payments face several challenges that hinder their adoption, such as infrastructure limitations, merchant integration issues, accounting complexities, and new compliance measures. In contrast, crypto cards can leverage an established payment system and use fiat-backed rails to facilitate seamless transactions with merchants.

Direct acceptance fully replacing card networks in the near term is unlikely, as seen by their slow relative growth in volume in comparison to cards

Artemis explained.

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📈 Bitcoin's Potential Decline: A Warning from Bloomberg's Mike McGlone

📉 Mike McGlone, a senior macro strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, recently cautioned that Bitcoin could face a significant decline towards $10,000 if it fails to maintain levels above $100,000. He suggests that this could indicate a late-cycle peak and a broader reversal in risk assets.

“$10,000 bitcoin path – 2025 fail may suggest prudent 2026 short,”

McGlone stated. He linked Bitcoin's long-term performance to broader liquidity and risk-asset cycles, noting its historical correlation with aggressive monetary stimulus and investor risk appetite. However, he warned that current technical conditions are markedly different from previous cycles.

🚨 He pointed out that staying below $100,000 could signal an end-game for Bitcoin, leading to a normal reversion towards $10,000. McGlone also highlighted the rolling over of long-term moving averages during 2025 and a rebound attempt in early 2026 as signs that Bitcoin has entered a "prove-strength" phase rather than a renewed bull market.

📊 He shared a chart comparing Bitcoin's yearly candles with the S&P 500 index and 120-day equity volatility. This chart shows declining volatility alongside elevated equity benchmarks, a combination McGlone views as historically unfavorable for sustained crypto upside.

“Bitcoin is a leading candidate to guide post-inflation deflation,”

he added, framing his discussion within a macroeconomic context. Despite the downside risks he outlines, Bitcoin continues to benefit from institutional participation, spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and ongoing network security. Its fixed issuance schedule contrasts with concerns about unlimited supply, and past cycles have shown repeated recoveries following deep drawdowns.

📉 Crypto ETF Sell-Off Intensifies: Bitcoin and Ether Face Major Outflows

🚨 The midweek trading session saw a significant acceleration in the sell-off of crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs), particularly affecting bitcoin and ether funds. Investors continued to withdraw from these assets, leading to aggressive exits while XRP and Solana experienced limited inflows amidst the broader market turmoil.

What began as post-holiday caution quickly hardened into full-scale capitulation,

the report stated, highlighting the intensifying pressure on crypto ETFs as investors sought to reduce their risk exposure.

💔 Bitcoin ETFs were hit the hardest, suffering a net outflow of $708.71 million. Major contributors to this decline were Blackrock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC, which lost $356.64 million and $287.67 million respectively. Other funds like ARKB and Bitwise’s BITB also reported significant losses.

Three days of successive outflows for Bitcoin ETFs worth $1.58 billion

emphasized the ongoing trend of withdrawals from these assets.

📉 Ether ETFs followed suit, with a net outflow of $297.51 million. The decline was led by Blackrock’s ETHA, which saw an exit of $250.27 million. Despite Grayscale’s Ether Mini Trust attracting $10.01 million in inflows, it was not enough to counteract the overall selling pressure.

💪 In contrast, XRP ETFs managed to post a net inflow of $7.16 million, driven primarily by Bitwise’s XRP which led with an addition of $5.26 million. Solana ETFs also reported positive performance, pulling in $2.92 million across various funds.

🔍 Overall, the day's trading reinforced a clear trend: bitcoin and ether ETFs are under sustained pressure as investors reduce their exposure. However, the modest inflows into XRP and Solana suggest a degree of selective positioning among investors rather than widespread confidence in the market.

📌 Brazil Eases Crypto Market Entry for Banks; Colombian Pension Fund Prepares Bitcoin Product; Revolut Seeks Banking License in Peru

🔔 Brazil is simplifying the entry process for banks and brokers into the cryptocurrency sector. The Central Bank of Brazil has issued IN 701/2026, which outlines new compliance requirements for these institutions. Before commencing operations, they must engage an independent, qualified company to verify their adherence to the bank's regulations for virtual asset service providers (VASPs).

These independent companies must certify that the institutions segregate assets, meaning that user funds cannot mingle with the company’s own resources, and provide proof of reserves for all the digital assets owned by customers and the company.

❗️ In Colombia, pension fund manager Proteccion is set to launch a bitcoin investment product. This move aims to leverage the growing popularity of digital assets in the country. Proteccion’s President, Juan David Correa, stated that this product is part of a broader strategy for institutional diversification.

Beyond a particular product, our ongoing conversation is about having in our portfolio all the investment alternatives that are part of the local and international financial markets.

Customers with a risk profile adapted to bitcoin’s particularities will be able to take advantage of this instrument with a percentage of their portfolio,

Correa declared.

‼️ Meanwhile, Revolut, a London-based financial neobank with over 70 million customers, is expanding into Peru. The company has applied for a banking license to offer financial services in the country. This expansion targets a population with high smartphone usage but significant unbanked adults.

📈 Bitcoin Hashrate Declines Amid Arctic Storm in the U.S.

📉 As an Arctic storm impacts several U.S. states, bitcoin mining activity has significantly decreased. Operators are reducing their operations to alleviate pressure on the power grid, leading to a notable decline in Bitcoin's network hashrate, which now ranges between 800 and 875 exahash per second (EH/s).

🌪 The storm is particularly severe in the South and lower Ohio Valley, affecting states like Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, and West Virginia. These states host large bitcoin mining facilities, with Texas being a major hub.

⏳ Three days prior, Foundry USA, the world's largest mining pool, reduced a significant portion of its hashrate in anticipation of the storm. Since then, the downward trend has continued. Over a one-year window, Bitcoin has lost 385 EH/s since October 15, 2025.

📊 The most significant decline occurred after January 22, 2026, when the total hashrate was 1,053 EH/s. Today, it stands at 805 EH/s using a three-day simple moving average (SMA). Of the total decline of 385 EH/s from the all-time high of 1,190 EH/s, approximately 248 EH/s were lost between January 22 and January 28.

⏱️ This slowdown in hashrate has resulted in longer block intervals, exceeding the usual 10-minute target. Average block times have surpassed 12 minutes and are currently around 12 minutes and 12 seconds. If this trend continues, the upcoming difficulty epoch around February 8, 2026 could see one of the largest adjustments in years.

📉 Recent projections indicate a potential difficulty reduction of more than 18% due to the ongoing Arctic storm. This adjustment could provide immediate relief for bitcoin miners facing lower BTC exchange rates and thin revenue margins. A significant decrease in difficulty would ease competitive pressure and improve the chances of earning block rewards with existing infrastructure.

📌 Ripple Co-Founder Leads $40M Push to Counter California Wealth Tax

🌐 Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and venture capitalist Tim Draper have launched Grow California, a $40 million political initiative designed to elect moderate state legislators and push back against labor unions, with a proposed wealth tax serving as the primary catalyst for Silicon Valley’s latest political mobilization.

❗️ According to NYT, the effort, which began with $5 million checks from each founder in September, represents one of the most significant financial commitments from the tech and crypto sectors to reshape California politics. The ballot measure that triggered this response, backed by Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, would impose a one-time 5% tax on net worth exceeding $1 billion, including unrealized gains on assets not yet sold.

📊 “Whoever designed that wealth tax in the unions — wow,” Larsen said. “They woke up the sleeping giant like I have never seen.“

⚠️ Larsen, whose net worth is nearly $15 billion from Ripple holdings and crypto assets, said he expects to personally commit $30 million to the organization.

🔼 “If it takes a couple of cycles, fine — that’s what we’re here for,” he told The New York Times when asked about potential November losses.

🔔 The group plans to target about a dozen state legislative seats this year, focusing on public safety, homelessness, and budget discipline, according to Shaudi Fulp, the former Sacramento lobbyist leading daily operations. While Democrats control more than two-thirds of seats in both legislative chambers, Grow California will not engage in the 2026 gubernatorial race or expensive ballot proposition campaigns.

➡️ Both founders come from the crypto industry, though they stress that the initiative does not represent the interests of the crypto sector specifically.

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⚠️ Bitcoin Enters Bear Market Territory as Institutional Demand Reverses

⚡️ Bitcoin may be entering a renewed bear market phase, according to new research from CryptoQuant, as on-chain indicators, weakening institutional flows, and tightening liquidity conditions point to broad structural downside risk. In its latest Crypto Weekly Report, CryptoQuant said multiple on-chain metrics now confirm a bear market regime. The firm noted that Bitcoin peaked near $126,000 in early October, when its Bull Score Index stood at 80, indicating a strong bullish environment. CryptoQuant pointed out a material reversal in institutional demand, particularly through U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs. At the same point last year, ETFs had purchased roughly 46,000 BTC, but in 2026, they have instead become net sellers, offloading around 10,600 BTC.

❗️ That shift represents a 56,000 BTC demand gap compared with 2025, contributing to persistent selling pressure across the market. Despite lower prices, CryptoQuant said U.S. investor participation remains weak. The Coinbase Premium, often used as a proxy for American spot demand, has stayed negative since mid-October. Historically, sustained bull markets have coincided with a positive Coinbase Premium driven by strong U.S. buying. CryptoQuant noted that this pattern has not returned, suggesting retail and institutional dip-buying remains limited.

❓ Liquidity conditions are also tightening, according to the report. CryptoQuant pointed to USDT’s 60-day market cap growth turning negative by $133 million, marking the first contraction since October 2023. Stablecoin expansion peaked at $15.9 billion in late October 2025, and the reversal is consistent with liquidity drawdowns typically seen in bear markets.

📊 The firm added that one-year apparent spot demand growth has collapsed 93%, falling from 1.1 million BTC to just 77,000 BTC, reinforcing the slowdown in new capital entering the market.

☄️ Coinbase UK CEO Says Tokenised Collateral Is Moving Into Market Mainstream

❗️ Tokenised collateral is shifting from experimental pilots into core financial market infrastructure, according to comments from Keith Grose, UK CEO of Coinbase, as central banks and institutions accelerate real-world deployment. Grose explains growing engagement from central banks signals that tokenisation has moved beyond the crypto-native ecosystem and into mainstream financial plumbing, particularly around liquidity and collateral management.

📌 “When central banks start talking about tokenised collateral, it’s a sign this technology has moved beyond crypto and into core market infrastructure,” Grose said. He pointed to new data from Coinbase, showing that 62% of institutions have either held or increased their crypto exposure since October, despite periods of market volatility.

🔔 According to Grose, this sustained institutional presence reflects a shift in priorities. Rather than speculative exposure, firms are increasingly focused on operational tools that allow them to deploy digital assets at scale within existing risk frameworks. Coinbase said it is seeing growing institutional demand for services such as custody, derivatives and stablecoins, which Grose said are essential for managing risk and supporting day-to-day financial activity. “That tells us the market is building for real-world use,” he said.

🕯 He added that tokenised assets and stablecoins are expected to move from being conceptual possibilities to becoming everyday instruments for liquidity and collateral management. This transition, Grose said, will define the next phase of market development through 2026 as infrastructure matures and regulatory clarity improves.

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🌐 Post-Quantum qONE Hyperliquid Token Sells Out in 24 Hours, Raises $950,000

⚠️ If the record sell-out of the qONE token presale is anything to go by, the interest in Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) solutions is off the charts right now.

📊 qONE token lists today at around 2pm UTC. To claim tokens, presale contributors are recommended to use the Hyperliquid-compliant Rabby Wallet. More details about the token generation event can be found at the official qLABS website. qLabs is the company behind a new token that has just raised $950,000 from contributors in a public sale that sold out in 24 hours. Two percent of the total token supply was available to contributors.

🔔 qONE is the first quantum-resistant token on Hyperliquid. It is an ERC-20-focused PQC solution developed in partnership with publicly listed Canadian quantum-resilience-focused cybersecurity company 01 Quantum. In what has been an unusually strong presale, given the bearish backdrop that has descended on crypto markets, the project may have made a wise choice in going for what it describes as a ‘limited’ presale.

🔴 qLABS says that the relatively small allocation was designed to reduce early speculative volatility, preserve long-term alignment, and ensure sufficient treasury and ecosystem funding. Arguably, the crypto industry is belatedly waking up to the threat it poses. Although tech notables such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang think that useful quantum computers will not be with us for 15-30 years, others believe it could be more like 5-10 years.

✨ Either way, companies need to start planning now, in crypto and beyond, wherever public-key cryptography is being used.

📈 Argentina's Labor Law Reform: Digital Wallets Excluded Amid Bank Pressure

🚫 Argentina's recent labor law reform has resulted in the exclusion of digital wallets as a payment option for workers' wages. This decision came after significant pressure from banks on lawmakers. The approved reform only permits wage payments through traditional banking institutions, effectively sidelining fintech companies.

➡️ The initial draft of the reform included a provision that allowed for wage payments through Payment Service Providers (PSPs) that met regulatory requirements set by the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA). However, banks opposed this clause, arguing that it would drain liquidity from the banking system.

Marcelo Mazzon, executive manager of the Association of Public and Private Banks (Abappra), stated that this measure would jeopardize the liquidity of the system and the existence of productive credit facilities.

⚠️ Abappra also raised concerns about the safety of funds held by fintech companies. They claimed that these funds do not have the same protections as those in banks and could be included in bankruptcy proceedings without priority in case of insolvency.

In the event of insolvency, workers’ funds would be included in the bankruptcy estate without priority

it declared.

💔 The Argentine Fintech Chamber criticized the decision, arguing that it prioritizes banks' interests over user security. They warned that this reaction does not protect users' funds but rather ensures that banks have access to free funds for their business model.

Their business model relies on maintaining regulatory privileges rather than offering better services than fintech companies

the chamber concluded.

🔖 Prospera's Future in Jeopardy After Supreme Court Ruling

⚖️ Prospera, a self-governing city in Honduras that utilizes bitcoin as legal tender, faces significant uncertainty following a recent ruling by the Honduran Supreme Court. The court declared the Zone for Employment and Economic Development (ZEDE) law, which enabled Prospera's establishment, unconstitutional. This decision was made by a majority vote and has raised questions about the governance of such operating zones.

➡️ The ZEDE law allowed for the creation of autonomous zones with their own political, judicial, economic, and administrative systems, while still being subject to the Honduran government. However, the new administration under President Nasry Asfura may approach Prospera differently due to its connections with former President Donald Trump and his administration.

💼 Prospera has filed a dispute with the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), seeking billions in damages as it navigates this changing legal landscape. The city has attracted significant investment from U.S. figures like Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen, who would benefit from a favorable outcome that allows Prospera to continue operating as it has.

🚨 Top Reasons Why Crypto Market is Down Today (Feb 16)

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