The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

On February 17, cryptocurrency market analyst Axel took to social media to note that the current bear market cycle kicked off from the October 2025 all-time high (ATH) of roughly $125,000. The Entity-Adjusted Liveliness metric has confirmed this, hitting a cycle peak of 0.02676 in December 2025 (a typical lag behind price movements) and now trending downward. Historically, this downward reversal typically signals the start of an accumulation phase spanning 1.1 to 2.5 years. The accompanying chart highlights the prior two accumulation cycles: the 2020 bear market lasted 1.1 years, while the 2022–2024 cycle stretched to 2.5 years. Both kicked off identically: the green line peaked, then entered a sustained decline, followed by a price drop. The current setup is structurally identical. If history holds, the current cycle’s accumulation phase will extend at least through late 2026—with mid-2027 being a more realistic timeline. A key confirmation signal will be when the 90-day moving

February 17 The U.S. dollar edged higher for a second straight trading day, fully shrugging off market pricing that had factored in roughly three Federal Reserve rate cuts this year. Options markets signal a easing of recent bearish dollar sentiment: the front-end risk reversal index has dropped to its lowest negative level in nearly a month. Currency markets now price in ~64 basis points of Fed rate cuts by year-end. Some strategists warn this outlook is overdone—three cuts may stretch beyond data-supported reasonable ranges, creating upside risk for the greenback. “Fed rate cut expectations look somewhat overdone, leaving room for a short-term dollar bounce,” said Elias Haddad, Global Head of Market Strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman. He noted growth momentum remains solid and inflation has stayed consistently above the Fed’s 2% target. (Source: FXStreet)

February 17th – Andrew MacKenzie, CEO of GBP stablecoin issuer Agant, said the UK’s crypto regulatory framework is on the right track—but progress is moving too slowly to support the country’s ambition of becoming a global digital asset hub. The UK government has repeatedly pledged to make London a global hub for crypto and digital asset activity. However, legislation covering stablecoins and broader crypto activities isn’t expected to get parliamentary approval until later this year, with formal implementation likely not happening until 2027. MacKenzie noted this timeline conflicts with the government’s goal of keeping the industry globally competitive. Speaking at the Consensus Hong Kong conference, he stated: “The most frustrating thing right now is how long it’s taken us to get where we are. People just want clarity… If I have one expectation of regulators, it’s to speed up how we do things.” Agant recently joined a small group of crypto firms registered with the UK’s Fina

February 17: A February survey from Bank of America (BofA) found investors’ bearish bets on the U.S. dollar have fallen to their lowest level since 2012, with dollar allocations at a historically low level. Traditionally, a weaker dollar tends to benefit risk assets like Bitcoin—but the report notes that since early 2025, Bitcoin has shown an unusual positive correlation with the U.S. Dollar Index, with the 90-day correlation coefficient peaking at 0.60. Analysts say if this correlation holds, a further dollar decline may not necessarily help Bitcoin and could instead pressure it. Conversely, if the dollar rebounds on short covering, Bitcoin may rise alongside it, and market volatility could spike significantly. (CoinDesk)

On February 17th, Coinglass data shows Coinbase’s Bitcoin Premium Index has remained in negative territory for 33 straight days, currently at -0.0477%—marking the longest consecutive negative stretch since May 2023. This exceeds the roughly 30-day negative premium period during the 2023 “1011 Crash.” The Coinbase Bitcoin Premium Index measures the gap between Bitcoin’s price on Coinbase and the global market average. A negative premium typically signals U.S. market selling pressure, reduced investor risk appetite, rising hedging sentiment, or capital outflows.

Per an official announcement, Binance will kick off an airdrop campaign for eligible users holding World Liberty Financial USD (USD1) on its platform starting at 08:00 UTC+8 on February 20, 2026. Qualified users will split a total prize pool of 235 million World Liberty Financial (WLFI) tokens. Throughout the event, WLFI rewards will be distributed weekly to users holding USD1. The first airdrop distribution will take place on March 4, 2026, covering rewards for the period from 08:00 UTC+8 on February 20, 2026, to 08:00 UTC+8 on February 27, 2026. Subsequent rewards will be sent out every Friday. Event Duration: 08:00 UTC+8 on February 20, 2026, through 08:00 UTC+8 on March 20, 2026.