Federal Reserve Governor Jefferson: No Need to Hurry to Further Cut Interest Rates, Strong Economy Makes Caution Appropriate

On Friday, February 14, Trump Media & Technology Group resubmitted applications to launch Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs—days after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) delayed multiple crypto ETF proposals. The company also plans to roll out the Truth Social Cronos Yield Maximization ETF, which will track CRO—the native token of crypto exchange Crypto.com, tied closely to the Trump family. While the SEC has significantly accelerated crypto ETF approval timelines, the agency delayed decisions on multiple proposals last August, including a series of Truth Social-linked funds. Currently, only a handful of funds with underlying asset staking have been approved, whereas funds tracking small-cap meme coins still face hurdles to listing. If approved, the new Truth Social ETFs will carry a 0.95% management fee. Purchases will be available via broker-dealer Foris Capital US LLC, which is owned by Crypto.com.

On February 14th, per HTX market data, MORPHO jumped roughly 10% in the short term driven by news of its partnership with Apollo. The token is currently trading at $1.25 as of press time. Previously, BlockBeats reported that Morpho announced a partnership with Apollo Global Management — a $900 billion asset management giant. Apollo plans to purchase up to 90 million MORPHO tokens over a 48-month period, and the two parties will collaborate to support the on-chain lending market of the Morpho protocol.

February 14 — Official sources confirm Morpho has announced a partnership with asset management firm Apollo Global Management, which oversees $900 billion in assets. Under the deal, Apollo or its affiliates may acquire MORPHO tokens via open market purchases, over-the-counter (OTC) trades, and other contractual arrangements. The total purchase cap is 90 million MORPHO tokens over a 48-month period, with transfer and trading restrictions in place. Apollo and Morpho will collaborate to support the on-chain lending market on the Morpho protocol. Galaxy Digital UK Limited will serve as Morpho’s exclusive financial advisor.

On February 14, The Block reported that Grayscale has filed an application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to convert its closed-end AAVE Trust into an exchange-traded fund (ETF), with plans to list the ETF on NYSE Arca. The ETF will charge a 2.5% sponsorship fee based on net asset value (NAV), payable in AAVE, and will be custodied and primarily brokered by Coinbase.

February 14 — Hedera today announced that FedEx has joined its Governing Council. The Council comprises leading global organizations focused on fostering trust, security, and innovation across the Hedera network. FedEx’s goal in joining the Council is to advance trusted digital infrastructure that supports the evolving global shipping lifecycle, making supply chains smarter for everyone. As a Governing Council member, FedEx will bring its operational expertise and architectural insights to help build open, collaborative distributed infrastructure—empowering the long-term digital transformation of global supply chains. Its key focus areas include: ? Advancing future-ready, trusted digital infrastructure for global supply chains ? Reducing cross-border commerce friction through secure, shared data validation across organizations and jurisdictions

On February 14, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said advancing the CLARITY Act could help lift market sentiment amid the ongoing prolonged market slump. Speaking in a Friday interview with CNBC, Bessent noted that progress on the CLARITY Act has been stalled by concerns from crypto industry executives, which has negatively impacted the sector. “Amid this historic market selloff, clarity on the CLARITY Act would deliver a major confidence boost to markets—and we can build on that momentum going forward,” he said. However, Bessent added: “If the Democratic Party wins control of the House (an outcome I certainly don’t want), any chance of reaching an agreement would be totally dashed.” Bessent emphasized that given the potential power shift following the 2026 midterm elections, it is “critical” to speed up passage of the bill and get it to President Trump for signing by the U.S. spring (late March through late June). Current House data shows Republicans hold a narrow maj