Institutional adoption of the XRP Ledger is accelerating as a major global asset manager moves traditional funds onchain, signaling growing momentum for tokenized finance and setting the stage for scaled blockchain integration by 2026. Ripple Executives Outline Bold 2026 Forecasts for Institutional Crypto Growth Ripple President Monica Long shared on social media platform X on […]
Paytently Strengthens Fraud and AML Capabilities with SEON Partnership
Paytently, a licensed payment institution authorised by the Malta Financial Services Authority, has partnered with SEON to deploy advanced fraud prevention and anti-money laundering controls across its payment orchestration platform.
As a regulated payment institution connecting merchants to acquirers, Paytently needs enterprise-grade fraud and AML capabilities built into its infrastructure. SEON’s command centre for fraud prevention and AML compliance provides real-time fraud detection, risk scoring, sanctions and PEP screening, device intelligence, velocity checks, and centralised case management. This enables Paytently to monitor transactions, investigate suspicious activity, and meet regulatory reporting requirements from a single platform.
Beyond regulatory compliance, the partnership delivers measurable merchant value. By intercepting fraudulent activity earlier at the platform level, merchants benefit from reduced chargeback exposure, protection against card testing and abuse, and potentially higher approval rates as cleaner transaction traffic flows through payment networks.
“Operating as a regulated payment institution requires robust fraud and AML infrastructure at the core of the platform,” said Samuel Barrett, CEO and Co-Founder at Paytently. “SEON gives us the real-time monitoring, intelligence, and case management we need to meet regulatory standards while protecting our merchants more effectively.”
“Payment orchestration platforms need fraud and AML capabilities that work at infrastructure scale,” said Matt DeLauro, President, GTM at SEON. “By embedding SEON’s command centre directly into their platform, Paytently gives merchants centralised protection and compliance monitoring without adding another vendor to manage.”
Denies $1B Iran Sanctions Breach, Investigator Firings
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Binance and news reporters are locking horns over a set of serious claims that have put more heat on the exchange’s compliance record. The matter centers on alleged transfers tied to Iran and on the treatment of staff who flagged those moves. At stake is how a giant platform handles risk when past missteps still hang over it.
Allegations And Denials Collide
According to reporting by Fortune, internal teams found more than $1 billion in transfers linked to Iranian entities that moved through the exchange between March 2024 and August 2025.
The pieces named stablecoin flows on the network run by Tron and pointed to a familiar issuer, Tether.
Reports say several investigators who documented those flows were later let go. That claim, if true, would raise questions about how warnings from inside a company are handled.
Binance pushed back hard. The platform, represented by its leadership, called the claims false and said a full internal review with outside counsel found no sanctions breaches.
The record must be clear.
No sanctions violations were found, no investigators were fired for raising concerns, and Binance continues to meet its regulatory commitments.
We’ve asked for corrections to recent reporting. pic.twitter.com/glA9bdGaw1
— Richard Teng (@_RichardTeng) February 16, 2026
“This is categorically false. No investigator was dismissed for raising compliance concerns or for reporting potential sanctions issues as there are no violations,” the exchange disclosed in an email circulated by Binance CEO, Richard Teng.
“The record must be clear. No sanctions violations were found, no investigators were fired for raising concerns, and Binance continues to meet its regulatory commitments,” Teng said in an X post.
The response noted that none of the wallets in question were sanctioned at the time the activity took place. Still, critics say the real test is evidence and outside oversight, not statements from either side.
An anti-government protest in Iran. Source: Policy Options.
Questions Around Internal Reviews
A separate set of reporting by Financial Times added fuel to the debate last December by showing internal data that, according to that outlet, suggested suspicious accounts continued to move big sums after Binance’s 2023 settlement with US authorities.
That 2023 agreement led to a $4.3 billion penalty and to changes in leadership. The firm’s founder, Changpeng Zhao, later faced legal consequences.
As of today, the market cap of cryptocurrencies stood at $2.35 trillion. Chart: TradingView
Legal experts say there is a meaningful legal line between knowingly processing funds tied to sanctioned entities and handling transactions that later turn out to be problematic.
Records and timestamps matter. So do who knew what, and when they knew it. In this case, the exchange says internal checks found no violations and that monitoring continues under the terms of its US settlement.
Regulators Watch Closely
Reports note that the story adds to an ongoing narrative: big crypto firms operating under close scrutiny, where any hint of lax controls draws attention.
This dispute may end with more documentation, an independent probe, or simply with each side standing by its version.
Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView
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American Bitcoin, Backed By Trump Family, Holds Over 6,000 Bitcoin
Trump family-backed American Bitcoin Corp. (ABTC) has pushed its Bitcoin reserves above the 6,000 BTC mark, building one of the largest corporate treasuries in the public market and placing the firm among the top 20 listed Bitcoin holders worldwide.
Blockchain data tracked by Arkham Intelligence shows American Bitcoin now holds 6,060 BTC, valued near $413 million. The company added or mined roughly 217 BTC over the past month, expanding its reserve during a period as bitcoin tries to reclaim levels above $70,000.
The accumulation reflects a strategy that blends mining output with direct market purchases, a model that has gained traction among firms seeking long-term exposure to bitcoin as a treasury asset.
American Bitcoin’s bitcoin stash is closing in on Galaxy Digital’s holdings, according to data from BitcoinTreasuries.net. The site lists Galaxy Digital as holding 6,894 BTC.
It’s been a rough couple of months for the company’s shares. ABTC shares traded around $1.14 after Friday’s close up about 1.75%, though the stock remains lower on the year.
ABTC shares have slid over the past two months. The stock traded above $2 in early January but has declined as bitcoin’s price weakened into the new year. Shares are now down roughly 45% year to date.
The firm has framed its approach as a “mining to treasury” pipeline rather than a pure mining business, aiming to outperform traditional operators by retaining bitcoin rather than selling production into the market.
American Bitcoin’s bitcoin yield
Earlier this year, American Bitcoin reported reserves near 5,843 BTC and cited a bitcoin yield of roughly 116% since its Nasdaq debut in September 2025 through late January 2026. Bitcoin yield tracks growth in holdings from mined or purchased coins, separate from capital raising activity.
With reserves now above 6,000 BTC, American Bitcoin joins a growing cohort of public companies treating bitcoin as a core treasury asset.
On Saturday, Bitcoin rebounded above $70,000 following a sharp February increase, aided by cooler-than-expected U.S. inflation data that boosted risk appetite.
Softer inflation strengthened expectations of earlier Federal Reserve rate cuts, lifting crypto markets and pushing Bitcoin’s market cap back above $1.4 trillion.
Last year, American Bitcoin Corp. (ABTC) debuted on Nasdaq in September following a spin-off from Hut 8 Corp. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. helped launch the company as Eric serves as co-founder and chief strategy officer. Donald Trump Jr. is listed as an investor.
Crypto Markets Slump Following Disappointing US Jobs Report
Total market value slipped 2% on the day as most large-cap tokens traded lower.
Crypto markets opened the week on softer footing, with prices slipping lower after last week’s brief rebound.
On Monday, Feb. 16, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading around $67,500, down about 2% on the day and 1.7% over the past week, though it briefly rallied to $70,000 earlier today.
Since dropping to as low as $60,000 the first week of February, BTC has mostly been trading in a tight range between $68,000-$70,000. Trading volumes remained around $40 billion over the past 24 hours, suggesting active but indecisive positioning.
Ethereum (ETH) is down slightly more over the past 24 hours with 3% losses, while down 3.5% on the weekly timeframe.
Total crypto market capitalization fell 2% over the past 24 hours to $2.39 trillion, with most of the top-10 tokens moderately lower on the day. TRON (TRX) was the lone exception, posting slight gains on the day, while Dogecoin (DOGE) lost the most, down 7.5% in the past 24 hours, but still nearly 7% in the green on the week.
‘Macro Hedge Narrative Remains Challenged’
Despite pockets of resilience, analysts continue to flag a lack of strong directional conviction. In a Monday note, analysts at Keyrock said Bitcoin remains tightly correlated with risk assets.
“Our Take: Bitcoin continues to trade as a high-beta extension of tech, struggling to decouple during growth-led drawdowns,” Keyrock wrote. They added:
“Rather than hedging fiat risk, its rising correlation with software stocks continues to weaken its diversification case. Until it begins responding inversely to dollar weakness, its macro hedge narrative remains challenged.”
As for the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, it still remains in “extreme fear” territory, where it’s been for most of the past month.
Big Movers and Liquidations
Looking at the top-100 assets by market cap, Cosmos (ATOM) led gains on the day, up just 2.4%, followed by Bittensor (TAO), which rose 1%.
On the downside, Rain (RAIN) slid over 8%, while Dogecoin was today’s second biggest loser among large-caps after its recent outperformance.
According to CoinGlass data, total liquidations of $232 million over the past 24 hours, with long positions accounting for roughly $159 million. Bitcoin and Ethereum liquidations were nearly even, with $105 million and $90 million, respectively.
ETFs and Macro Conditions
Flows into U.S. spot crypto exchange-traded funds remained negative on a weekly basis, despite a net positive day on Friday.
According to SoSoValue data, last week, spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of nearly $360 million, similar to the previous week’s total, bringing total net assets at $87 billion by Feb. 13.
Spot Ethereum ETFs also posted weekly outflows of $161.2 million, with total net assets of $11.7 billion.
On the macro front, revised labor data reinforced caution. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed on Friday, Feb. 13, that employers added just 181,000 jobs in 2025. That is far below the previously estimated 584,000 and the 1.46 million added in 2024.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday in an interview for CNBC that Congress should advance the CLARITY Act to set federal rules for digital assets, calling it a source of “great comfort” for markets, while cautioning that bipartisan support could weaken later this year.
Germany‘s Central Bank President Touts Stablecoin Benefits for EU
Joachim Nagel said euro-pegged stablecoins would offer the bloc more independence from US dollar-pegged coins soon to be allowed under the GENIUS Act.
Joachim Nagel, president of Germany’s central bank, the Deutsche Bundesbank, supported the introduction of a euro-pegged central bank digital currency (CBDC) and euro-denominated stablecoins for payments.
In remarks prepared for a speech at the New Year’s Reception of the American Chamber of Commerce in Frankfurt on Monday, Nagel said EU officials were “working hard” toward the introduction of a retail CBDC. Euro-denominated stablecoins, according to the central bank president, could also contribute to “making Europe more independent in terms of payment systems and solutions.”
“Notably, a wholesale CBDC would allow financial institutions to make programmable payments in central bank money,” said Nagel. “I also see merit in euro-denominated stablecoins, as they can be used for cross-border payments by individuals and firms at low cost.”
Nagel’s remarks come months after US President Donald Trump signed a bill into law establishing a framework for payment stablecoins in the country, potentially setting US dollar-pegged stablecoins on a path to challenge any possible rollout of a euro-pegged peer. The law is expected to be fully implemented 18 months after it was signed or 120 days after related regulations are finalized.
Related: ING Germany expands crypto ETP and ETN offerings with Bitwise, VanEck
The German central bank president’s comment on stablecoins did not include risks he mentioned last week at the Euro50 Group meeting. Nagel warned domestic monetary policy “could be severely impaired, not to mention that European sovereignty could be weakened” if US dollar-denominated stablecoins were to have significantly larger market share than a euro-pegged coin.
Stablecoin yield at issue in US bill under consideration
Washington lawmakers and White House officials have been meeting with representatives from the banking and crypto industries ahead of a potential vote on the CLARITY Act in the US Senate. The bill, expected to provide a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets, has been dividing many crypto industry and banking leaders due to its approach to stablecoin rewards, which has yet to be finalized in the legislation.
Magazine: Brandt says Bitcoin yet to bottom, Polymarket sees hope: Trade Secrets
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Crypto Trading Isn’t Coming to Elon Musk’s X (Yet), Says Product Head
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Payjoin Foundation Gains 501(c)(3) Status, Enabling Tax-Deductible Donations For Bitcoin Privacy Development
The Payjoin Foundation, a U.S. organization advancing the development of Bitcoin privacy software protocols, has just received 501(c)(3) Status, enabling tax-deductible charitable contributions for some U.S. taxpayers.
“Receiving 501(c)(3) status establishes a framework to sustain the Payjoin Dev Kit and future developments,” said Dan Gould, Executive Director of Payjoin Foundation. “It allows us to prioritize the development of infrastructure designed to endure, accountable to the public interest.”
Payjoin Foundation is a nonprofit research and development organization maintaining the Payjoin Dev Kit. It is dedicated to developing and distributing open-source software and standards that improve privacy, security, and usability in peer-to-peer digital transactions with a primary focus on Bitcoin.
The Foundation conducts research, publishes freely available software and educational materials, and supports the adoption of the technology it develops by providing reference implementations, technical documentation, and integration guidance to developers and infrastructure operators. The Foundation also works to advance public understanding of privacy-preserving financial infrastructure.
“Now that the IRS has recognized Payjoin Foundation as a 501(c)(3), donations from U.S. taxpayers are generally tax-deductible. The exact treatment depends on the donor’s circumstances. Consult your tax advisor,” said Gould of the announcement.
With more sustainable funding, the efforts of the foundation can accelerate, as it improves protocols like Async Payjoin, which protects Bitcoin users from indiscriminate or targeted surveillance of various kinds. Bitcoin has long been criticized for having poor privacy for users not savvy to its more advanced tooling, and the Payjoin dev kit makes it easy for wallets to upgrade the privacy of all its users with a high-quality open source software library.
The adoption of Payjoin as a privacy solution is not done at the Bitcoin protocol level and so does not require any kind of consensus change, soft fork or hard fork, instead, wallet providers can integrate the dev kit into their software, and unlock the capability to their users, which is backwards compatible with normal onchain address QR codes and intelligently identifies if the sender or receiver also supports the standard or not.
Users interested in easier and more broadly adopted Bitcoin privacy should reach out to their favorite Bitcoin wallet providers and encourage them to integrate the Payjoin Devkit, or consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the Payjoin Foundation.
A variety of wallets already offer some support for the Payjoin dev kit, including but not limited to:
Paradigm Challenges Bitcoin Mining Narrative Amid AI Data Center Boom
The rapid buildout of AI data centers has revived a long-running debate over energy consumption, with critics arguing that large computing operations, including Bitcoin mining, strain power grids and drive up electricity prices.
As Cointelegraph previously reported, the surge in AI data center construction has fueled local resistance in several US regions, with residents and lawmakers raising concerns about power demand and rising electricity costs. Bitcoin (BTC) mining has increasingly been linked to the broader debate over high-density computing infrastructure.
In a recent research note, crypto investment firm Paradigm pushed back on that narrative, arguing that Bitcoin mining is frequently misunderstood and often mischaracterized in public energy debates. Rather than treating mining as a static energy drain, Paradigm frames it as a participant in electricity markets, one that responds to price signals and grid conditions.
Paradigm’s Justin Slaughter and co-author Veronica Irwin also challenge several common assumptions used in energy modeling. For example, they note that some analyses measure Bitcoin’s energy use on a per-transaction basis, even though mining energy consumption is tied to network security and competition among miners, not transaction volume.
Other models assume energy production is effectively limitless or that miners will continue operating regardless of profitability, assumptions Paradigm argues are unrealistic in competitive power markets.
According to Paradigm, Bitcoin mining currently accounts for about 0.23% of global energy consumption and about 0.08% of global carbon emissions. Because the network’s issuance schedule is fixed and mining rewards decline about every four years, Paradigm argues that long-term energy growth is constrained by economic incentives.
Related: Bitcoin miner production data reveals scale of US winter storm disruption
Bitcoin mining as flexible grid demand
A central pillar of Paradigm’s argument is demand flexibility.
Bitcoin miners typically seek out the lowest-cost electricity, often sourced from surplus or off-peak generation.
Mining operations can scale consumption based on grid conditions, reducing usage during periods of stress and increasing it when supply exceeds demand. In that sense, Paradigm describes mining as a flexible load, similar to energy-intensive industries that respond to real-time pricing signals.
The debate has taken on new urgency as AI data center expansion accelerates. As Cointelegraph recently reported, some crypto-era infrastructure is now being repurposed to support artificial intelligence workloads, with companies shifting from Bitcoin mining to AI data processing to pursue higher margins. Several traditional Bitcoin miners, including Hut 8, HIVE Digital, MARA Holdings, TeraWulf and IREN, have begun making partial transitions.
By framing mining as responsive demand rather than constant consumption, Paradigm’s report shifts the debate from environmental alarmism to grid economics. The implication for policymakers is that Bitcoin mining should be evaluated within the broader electricity market rather than through simplified energy comparisons.
Related: The real ‘supercycle’ isn’t crypto, it’s AI infrastructure: Analyst
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently. Read our Editorial Policy https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy
Macro to dictate Bitcoin’s next $10,000 move as traders watch for price breakout – DL News
- Macroeconomics to drive next Bitcoin price swing.
- Interest rates, Treasury financing, and institutional demand are key factors.
- The crypto market currently lacks a narrative.
Traders are waiting on macroeconomic factors to signal Bitcoin’s next price move as the crypto market consolidates following its biggest fall in almost four years.
Over the past month, Bitcoin slid some 28%, revisiting the levels it traded at before President Donald Trump’s 2024 election win. Since then, the top cryptocurrency has ping-ponged between $74,400 to $65,000 as investors wait for the dust to settle.
Ben Harvey, a researcher at crypto investment firm Keyrock, told DL News he expects the next big Bitcoin move to be driven by factors outside of the crypto market.
“Firstly macro data that shifts the rates path,” Harvey said. “Secondly, there’s changes in Treasury financing expectations, and the final catalyst would be an inflection in institutional demand, visible through spot ETF flows.”
Financial markets traders typically look to interest rate forecasts when managing their risk.
Rate cuts, which often come in response to poor economic data, are usually viewed as bullish for risk assets like cryptocurrencies as they make borrowing less expensive and inject more liquidity into the financial system.
Yet, it’s unlikely that the Federal Reserve will cut rates before its June meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
No narrative
The reason macroeconomic data is seen to be so important is because the crypto market currently lacks a narrative.
Last year, Trump’s crypto-friendly policies coupled with the passing of key stablecoin legislation helped buoy Bitcoin to an all-time high of over $126,000 in October.
But with further efforts to legislate digital assets stalling, and commodities like gold and silver dominating the so-called debasement trade, investors have been left questioning Bitcoin’s role in the broader economic landscape.
The result? Droves of traders have abandoned the crypto market, resulting in low liquidity and muted price movements.
“The market is catching its breath after some significant downside liquidity and targets were tagged last month,” Nathan Batchelor, managing partner at crypto trading data platform Biyond, told DL News.
According to Batchelor, tax season and a cyclical moving of funds back into the traditional financial system, have weighed on Bitcoin in recent weeks.
“A sustained range breakout from the $74,400 to $65,000 range could set about the next $10,000 directional move,” Batchelor said.
Room for optimism?
Some are optimistic that Bitcoin can break out of that range to the upside.
“Inflation remains moderate, GDP growth looks healthy and I see Fed rate cuts being moved up to June, which should support risk sentiment,” David Duong, global head of investment research at Coinbase, told DL News.
Duong said his market analysis shows $82,000 as a key level of resistance for Bitcoin which it will need to reclaim in order to move higher.
The low liquidity in the crypto market works both ways. If capital flows back in, Bitcoin’s price plunge could turn around quickly.
“We saw positive netflows this week, so that’s an immediate catalyst to watch,” Keyrock’s Harvey said. “Separately, a large options expiry or a sharp rebuild in futures leverage can quickly turn a range into a trend.”
Finally, there’s the Clarity Act, a broad crypto market structure bill that has stalled while passing through the US Senate.
If lawmakers move the bill forward, it could help shore up the battered crypto market, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Thursday interview on CNBC.
Still, a crypto market recovery this soon after such a large price plummet would be unusual by historical standards.
“Given the substantial technical damage done last month, remaining sceptical about upside moves is favourable,” Batchelor said.
Tim Craig is DL News’ Edinburgh-based DeFi Correspondent. Reach out with tips at tim@dlnews.com.