Cryptocurrency News

February, 2026

• 2 February

  Court Halts Polymarket Operations in Nevada — Temporary Ban Imposed

  

  A Nevada state court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on January 31, 2026 (effective into early February), barring prediction market platform Polymarket (operated by Blockratize Inc.) from offering event contracts—including sports and other real-world outcomes—to residents of the state for an initial 14-day period. The order, granted by Judge Jason D. Woodbury in Carson City District Court, stems from …
• 2 February

  Crypto Losses Hit $370M in January 2026, Highest in 11 Months: CertiK

  

  The cryptocurrency sector recorded approximately $370.3 million in losses from exploits, hacks, and scams in January 2026, the highest monthly total in 11 months and a sharp rise from prior periods, according to blockchain security firm CertiK. The figure, detailed in CertiK’s alerts and covered by outlets like Yahoo Finance, Cointelegraph, and Coinpaper, reflects 40 confirmed incidents—a nearly fourfold increase …
• 2 February

  Strategy’s Bitcoin Holdings Face $900M Loss as BTC Drops Below $76K

  

  Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, faced unrealized losses exceeding $900 million on February 2, 2026, as Bitcoin (BTC) briefly dipped below its average acquisition cost amid a sharp market pullback. The company holds 712,647 BTC, acquired at an average price of approximately $76,037–$76,040 per coin (total cost basis around $54.19–$54.2 billion, per filings and trackers like Lookonchain, …
• 2 February

  CEO of BitRiver, Igor Runets, Arrested Over Alleged Tax Evasion

  

  Igor Runets, founder and CEO of BitRiver—Russia’s largest cryptocurrency mining infrastructure provider—has been placed under house arrest on charges of tax evasion, according to court documents from Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky District Court and reports from Bloomberg, TASS, RBC, Kommersant, and other outlets on February 2, 2026. Runets, 39, was reportedly detained on January 30 (Friday) and formally charged the following day …
• 2 February

  $500M UAE Investment in Trump-Associated Crypto Company Sparks Debate

  

  A UAE-linked investment firm quietly acquired a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a cryptocurrency venture tied to the Trump family, for $500 million just days before Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal and other outlets. The deal has ignited debates over potential conflicts of interest, transparency, and geopolitical implications, …
• 2 February

  DeFi Protocol CrossCurve Hit by Smart Contract Exploit, Loses $3M Across Multiple Chains

  

  CrossCurve, a cross-chain liquidity protocol (formerly known as EYWA), confirmed a smart contract exploit on its bridge infrastructure late February 1 into February 2, 2026, resulting in approximately $3 million in losses across multiple blockchain networks. The protocol announced via X that its bridge was “under attack” due to a vulnerability in one of its smart contracts—specifically the ReceiverAxelar contract—which …
• 2 February

  SOL Slips Under $100 After $30M Hack — What’s Next for Solana?

  

  Solana (SOL) dipped below the $100 mark on February 2, 2026, amid a broader crypto market downturn and fallout from a $30 million treasury hack at Step Finance, a prominent Solana-based DeFi portfolio management and analytics platform. The breach, disclosed late January 31 into February 1, 2026, involved attackers compromising multiple treasury and fee wallets, leading to the unstaking and …
• 2 February

  Asia Market Open: Bitcoin Slides to $75K as Stocks Dip and Metals Turn Volatile

  

  Asian markets opened cautiously on February 3, 2026 (corresponding to late February 2 sessions in some time zones), as risk sentiment deteriorated amid macroeconomic headwinds, with Bitcoin dipping toward the $75,000 level during early Asian trading before partial recovery. Bitcoin extended its weekend losses, briefly approaching or testing around $75,000 in thin liquidity conditions (with reported lows near $74,500–$74,800 over …
• 2 February

  XRP Slips to $1.60 as $4B Trading Volume Surges — Is $1.55 the Next Stop?

  

  XRP extended its recent decline on February 2, 2026, slipping to around $1.59–$1.61 amid intensified selling pressure across the cryptocurrency market. The token traded in this range during Asian and early U.S. sessions, down approximately 3–7% over the past 24 hours and reflecting 12–16% losses over the prior week (per data from Yahoo Finance, Investing.com, Kraken, and reports on BingX …
• 2 February

  Warsh Fed Pick Sparks Crypto Sell-Off as Bitcoin Slides Under $80K

  

  The cryptocurrency market faced intensified selling pressure on February 2, 2026, as Bitcoin (BTC) extended its decline below the $80,000 level following President Donald Trump’s January 30 nomination of Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve Chair. Warsh, a former Fed governor (2006–2011) viewed as hawkish on inflation in his past tenure but aligned with calls for lower rates under …