Payward To Acquire CFTC-Regulated Crypto Derivatives Platform Bitnomial

Payward, the parent company of the Kraken cryptocurrency exchange, announced on Friday that it has entered into a “definitive agreement” to acquire Bitnomial, a US-licensed cryptocurrency and derivatives exchange; the deal values Bitnomial’s equity at $20 billion. Bitnomial is the “first” crypto-native exchange in the United States to hold all three regulatory licenses from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), including exchange, clearinghouse, and brokerage permits, according to Payward’s announcement. “Settlement mechanics, margin models, and contract structures define what products can exist and who can access them. The US has…

Bitcoin Liquidates $660M In Shorts As BTC Price Rallied Past $78K

Bitcoin (BTC) rallied above $78,000 to hit another 10-week high on Friday as crypto and equity markets reacted to cooling tensions in the US and Israel war in Iran. The rally above range highs also resulted in a large liquidation of leveraged Bitcoin positions. BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView More than $660 million in short positions were liquidated, with Bitcoin accounting for $353 million of that total. Ether (ETH) followed with $160 million in short liquidations. Related: Three things Bitcoin must do to hold highs above $76K: Analysts Across the…

Bitcoin, Altcoins Soar After Iran Opens Strait of Hormuz

Key points: Bitcoin soared above $76,000, opening the doors for a further rally toward $84,000. Several major altcoins are showing strength, signaling broad-based buying by the bulls. Bitcoin (BTC) skyrocketed above the $76,000 resistance on Friday after Iran’s foreign minister said that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open for the remainder of the ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran. Another positive sign for the bulls is that BTC’s rise has been supported by solid accumulation by the whales. According to CryptoQuant data, BTC whales holding more than 1,000…

Singapore Gulf Bank Adds Fiat-to-Stablecoin Conversion Feature

Singapore Gulf Bank (SGB) has introduced a service that lets institutional clients mint and redeem stablecoins directly from their bank accounts, using the Solana layer-1 blockchain network to enable round-the-clock settlement between fiat and digital assets. The service will initially support Circle USDC (USDC) transactions above $100,000 and includes temporary fee waivers for minting and redemption on the Solana network, according to SGB’s announcement. Additional assets such as Tether’s USDT (USDT), Ethena’s USDe (USDe) and Global Dollar (USDG) are expected to follow, the company said. The new feature is integrated…

French Finance Minister Backs Euro-Pegged Stablecoins in Response to US

Roland Lescure, France’s finance minister, backed an initiative by European banks to launch a euro-pegged stablecoin in 2026 to compete with US dollar-backed tokens, which currently dominate the market. According to a Friday Reuters report, Lescure supported the euro-pegged Qivalis stablecoin plan launched in September 2025 by EU banks, including Dutch lender ING and Italy’s UniCredit. The goal of the banks was to create a stablecoin in compliance with the EU’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework; the MiCA-compliant euro stablecoin is expected to be launched in the second…

13 Years Of Data Says Bitcoin Price Has Not Bottomed Yet, Analyst Explains The Trend

Bitcoin is now printing green candlesticks on the weekly and daily timeframes, and this raises the question of whether the worst has already passed or maybe the floor is still months away.  An interesting analysis of Bitcoin’s price action over a multi-year time span pushes back against the growing optimism, pointing to a pattern that has held for more than a decade and suggesting that time, not just price, may still be working against a confirmed bottom. Every Bitcoin Bear Market Has Taken Over A Year To Bottom Going back…

Bitwise Research Shows How Much Loss Your Bitcoin Incurs Depending On How Long You Hold

Bitwise Research has shed light on how holding durations can impact the ROI and outcomes of Bitcoin (BTC) investments, revealing a major distinction between short-term risk and long-term performance. The data shows that while short holding periods carry significant chances of loss, extended investment timeframes dramatically reduce downside risks. The findings are drawing significant attention in the crypto community as investors reassess their strategy in the ongoing bear market.  Why Holding Bitcoin For Long Carries Less Risk New research compiled by Bitwise and shared by crypto analyst Bitcoin Archive indicates…

Bitcoin Breaks $76K As Iran Reopens Strait Of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to announce that the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open for passage — a declaration that came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, confirmed the waterway would be unblocked for all commercial vessels during the remaining period of the US-Iran ceasefire. Related Reading Trump Weighs In As Bitcoin Climbs Bitcoin reacted fast. The leading cryptocurrency jumped sharply after Araghchi’s announcement and rose above $77,000 — its highest mark since February. At the time of reporting, it was trading around $77,300,…

Dogecoin Breakout Mirrors Past Trend — Bigger Move Coming?

Dogecoin is showing signs of history repeating itself as a recent breakout begins to mirror a previous trend that led to a major rally. With structure aligning and momentum slowly building, the current setup is raising expectations that a larger move could be on the horizon. Descending Triangle Breakout Signals Trend Shift Charting Dogecoin on the daily timeframe, analyst Trader Tardigrade revealed that DOGE has successfully broken out of a descending triangle pattern, a structure typically associated with bearish continuation but one that can signal a strong reversal when invalidated.…

Record Stocks Highs And Cooling Volatility Spark $88K Bitcoin Price Target

Bitcoin (BTC) refreshed February highs on Friday as attention focused on the upcoming weekly close and a longer-term rally to $88,000. Key points: Bitcoin hits its highest levels in ten weeks as markets abandon geopolitical nerves. BTC price strength may bring back $88,000 in just two to four weeks, a trader predicts. $72,800 becomes the level to watch for the next weekly candle close. Bitcoin price local peak brings hope of $88,000 Data from TradingView confirmed new ten-week highs of $77,027 on Bitstamp. BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView BTC price…