Hyperliquid will delist OM voting will be open to on-chain validators on February 23rd

On February 19, Coinglass data shows Bitcoin remained range-bound. Mainstream centralized (CEX) and decentralized (DEX) exchange funding rates indicate weakening bearish sentiment. Specific funding rates are available in the attached image. BlockBeats Note: A funding rate is a fee set by crypto exchanges to balance contract prices with the underlying asset’s value, typically for perpetual contracts. It facilitates fund exchanges between long and short traders—exchanges do not charge this fee themselves. The mechanism adjusts traders’ holding costs or profits to keep contract prices aligned with the underlying asset. Key rate benchmarks: - 0.01% = baseline rate - Above 0.01% = generally bullish market - Below 0.005% = generally bearish market

**February 19th — According to The Block, South Korean prosecutors have recovered approximately $21.4 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC) stolen from their custody last year.** Last December, the prosecutors discovered that Bitcoin seized in a prior raid on a gambling platform had gone missing. An internal probe found that in August 2023, investigators mistakenly accessed a phishing website and entered a recovery seed phrase, letting the hacker steal the cryptocurrency. On Tuesday, the hacker returned 320.8 BTC to a wallet controlled by South Korean law enforcement. Prosecutors noted they had previously blocked the hacker’s wallet on centralized exchanges to prevent the BTC from being cashed out. The hacker’s identity remains unknown. The prosecutors have transferred the returned Bitcoin to a local exchange for safekeeping and will continue investigating the hacker’s identity.

On February 19th, The New York Times reported that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering striking a North American trade deal that excludes Canada.

Feb. 19 — Per an official announcement, Binance Wallet revealed the reward pool for this round of its Alpha Blind Box airdrop includes tokens from two projects: Janction (JCT) and Impossible Cloud Network (ICNT). Users with a minimum of 242 Binance Alpha Points are eligible to claim their airdrop via the Alpha event page. Upon successful redemption, participants will receive either 20,600 JCT or 95 ICNT, with rewards distributed on a first-come, first-served (FCFS) basis. If rewards remain unclaimed, the points threshold will drop by 5 points automatically every 5 minutes. Claiming the airdrop consumes 15 Binance Alpha Points. Users must confirm their claim via the Alpha event page within 24 hours; failure to do so will result in automatic forfeiture of eligibility.

Feb 19 — The U.S. has deployed its largest air force presence in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion, The Times of Israel reported. The eight-plus-year Iraq War kicked off with the “Shock and Awe” bombing campaign. Now, the U.S. is building up military forces in the region as President Trump weighs strikes on Iran. The deployment includes dozens of aircraft (F-16s, F-22s, F-35s) and multiple aircraft carriers. This buildup enables the U.S. to carry out a longer-lasting campaign than last June’s strike on Iranian nuclear facilities — which involved B-2 bombers during the Iran-U.S. conflict.

U.S. initial jobless claims for the week ending Feb. 14 will be released tonight (Feb. 19) at 21:30. Prior reading: 227K; Expected: 225K.