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Summer Of Bitcoin Opens Applications For University Students

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Summer of Bitcoin (SoB), a global, remote program designed to train university students as contributors to Bitcoin open-source projects, has opened applications for its 2026 cohort. 

The program provides mentorship, real-world development experience, and a stipend paid in Bitcoin. 

Applications will remain open until February 15, 2026.

Summer of Bitcoin offers students a structured environment to contribute directly to Bitcoin and related open-source projects. 

Participants work with experienced mentors and project maintainers, develop technical and collaboration skills, and create verifiable proof of work in public repositories. 

Selected students receive a stipend of approximately $6,600, paid in BTC, with the exact amount depending on their location, the program shared with Bitcoin Magazine.

“Bitcoin’s long-term resilience depends on the health of its open-source contributor pipeline,” said Adi Shankara, Program Lead at Summer of Bitcoin. “Summer of Bitcoin 2026 is designed to accelerate real open-source adoption by turning high-potential students into capable, durable contributors.”

The 2026 program emphasizes the ability to validate, reason, and ship software, reflecting changes in AI-assisted software development. 

Shankara said candidates will be assessed on programming skills, security thinking, and understanding of Bitcoin’s technical foundations, along with responsible use of AI tools.

Bitcoin Developer or Designer Track

Applicants can choose between two tracks. The Developer Track is for students who want to contribute code to Bitcoin projects, including protocol-adjacent tooling and infrastructure. 

The Designer Track is for students focused on improving usability, product experience, and interface design for Bitcoin applications. Candidate selection prioritizes verifiable proof of work, such as meaningful open-source contributions, technical workshops, or shipped tools with users.

Summer of Bitcoin alumni have pursued roles across the Bitcoin industry and open-source ecosystem. 

About 35% of graduates now work in the industry, either at Bitcoin companies or as open-source contributors funded through grants, totaling roughly 69 alumni. 

Many alumni return as mentors, guiding new students on projects including Alby, bcoin, Galoy, libsecp256k1, Bitcoin Core, Zeus, Bitcoin Design, Fedimint, and Floresta.

Alumni also engage in education and advocacy, supporting student and developer networks such as Vinteum in Brazil and Bitshala in India. 

The program provides students a credible entry point into Bitcoin, producing graduates who carry technical knowledge and experience into their careers while often promoting Bitcoin within their universities and communities.

Tech Rout Drags US Equities Lower as BTC Breaks Below $67K

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U.S. equities extended their selloff Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, as technology shares led broad declines across major benchmarks amid renewed risk-off sentiment. Nasdaq Leads Market Declines as Risk-off Sentiment Returns U.S. stock markets opened sharply lower, continuing a multi-session pullback that has weighed heavily on growth-oriented sectors. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was among the hardest […]

XRP Price Prediction for 2026: Why Pepeto Is Appearing on More Investor Radars

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XRP Price Prediction: Can a Mature Asset Still Deliver Life-Changing Returns? XRP remains one of the most closely watched cryptocurrencies as 2026 approaches. With regulatory pressure easing and institutional use cases expanding, many investors are revisiting the XRP price prediction and asking a familiar question: how much upside is realistically left?

XRP is no longer a speculative experiment. It is a large, established network tied to cross-border payments, banking infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks. That maturity brings stability, but it also changes the math. And that math is exactly where investor attention begins to shift.

So where does that leave XRP in the next cycle, and why are some investors now looking earlier for opportunity?

XRP Market Position Going Into 2026

As of early 2026, XRP sits at a pivotal stage. The conclusion of Ripple’s long legal battle removed a major uncertainty, opening the door for wider institutional engagement. On-Demand Liquidity volumes have continued to grow, and partnerships with banks and payment providers give XRP a real utility foundation that many tokens lack.

This has reshaped how analysts approach XRP price prediction. Instead of hype cycles, forecasts now focus on adoption metrics, transaction volumes, and market share within the global payments industry. These are solid drivers, but they also imply gradual growth, not explosive multiples. And that distinction matters.

The Realistic Path to $5, And What It Actually Means

Many long-term XRP forecasts point to a possible move toward the $5 range under optimistic conditions between 2026 and 2030. But it’s important to pause and look at what that implies.

At $5, XRP’s market capitalization would move into territory comparable to some of the world’s largest financial institutions and payment networks. We’re talking valuations similar to major banks, global remittance firms, or even entire fintech sectors combined.

Could that happen? Possibly, over time, with massive adoption. Could it deliver 100× returns from here? Realistically, no.

For XRP to achieve a 100× move, it would need to surpass the valuation of entire global payment industries, something no analyst seriously models. That doesn’t make XRP a bad investment. It simply defines it as a mature asset, not an early-stage one. And this is where investor psychology starts to change.

When Bitcoin and XRP Stabilize, Where Does Capital Look Next?

Crypto cycles follow a familiar pattern. Bitcoin moves first. Large caps like XRP follow with measured gains. Then capital begins searching for assets that are still early, underpriced, and structurally capable of outsized returns. History supports this clearly.

When Bitcoin delivered 2× or 3× gains in previous cycles, early meme coins like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and Pepecoindelivered 50×, 100×, or more, not because they were safer, but because they were early.

That raises an important question: if XRP’s upside is structurally capped, where does asymmetric upside now live?

This Is Where Pepeto Enters the Conversation

Pepeto is not positioned as a replacement for XRP. It sits in a completely different phase of the cycle. While XRP represents infrastructure already priced into the market, Pepeto exists at the stage where price discovery hasn’t begun yet. It combines meme-coin culture with something earlier winners didn’t have: real infrastructure from day one.

Pepeto launches with a zero-fee PepetoSwap, a cross-chain bridge, and a Pepeto Exchange built to host only verified meme-utility tokens. Every trade, swap, and liquidity action routes through the PEPETO token, creating built-in demand instead of relying purely on hype.

This is why some investors see Pepeto as the kind of project that historically absorbs capital before the wider market catches on.

Why the 100× Question Looks Different for Pepeto

Here’s the real contrast investors need to understand. For XRP to deliver a 100× return from here, it would need to grow into a valuation larger than entire global banking and payment networks combined. That kind of outcome isn’t just optimistic, it would require structural changes across whole industries and many years of execution.

Pepeto operates under completely different math. For Pepeto to reach 100×, it doesn’t need to replace banks or reshape global finance. It only needs to repeat what already happened in the meme sector when attention, liquidity, and timing aligned. PEPE delivered more than 100× returns with no real utility, no ecosystem, and no demand engine behind it.

Pepeto was designed as the upgraded version of that same formula. It keeps the cultural DNA and instant recognition that powered PEPE’s rise, but adds what was missing from the start: Technology and Optimization. Real tools, real usage, and a system where every swap, trade, and listing routes demand back into the token.

When investors look at it this way, the question shifts naturally. It’s no longer “is 100× possible?” but “why would an upgraded version of a proven 100× meme cycle struggle to do what its predecessor already achieved without utility?”

The Takeaway for 2026 Investors

XRP remains a credible long-term asset, anchored by regulation, institutional adoption, and real-world usage. Its path forward is built on steady expansion, not sudden, life-changing multiples. That makes XRP a solid hold, but no longer the place where exponential gains are born.

Pepeto sits at the opposite end of that curve. It represents the phase XRP passed through years ago, early, overlooked, and still open to meaningful price discovery. The difference is that Pepeto enters this phase with lessons already learned, pairing meme culture with real infrastructure designed to capture demand as attention shifts.

Every crypto cycle rewards those who move before certainty feels comfortable. By the time outcomes are obvious, the upside is usually gone. For investors studying XRP price predictions today, the more important question may not be how far XRP can go, but which early-stage project is positioned to deliver the kind of returns XRP no longer can.

That question is exactly why Pepeto is starting to appear on more radars, quietly, early, and at a moment when opportunity still exists. Get Pepeto now before official launch.

 

Make Sure To Use The Official Website: https://pepeto.io/







U.S. Senator Pushes For Bitcoin Tax Breaks With Treasury

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Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) signaled that she would be open to meet with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s office to explore potential clarity on Bitcoin taxation, including a de minimis exemption for small transactions and guidance on calculating capital gains.

Lummis was one of the lawmakers who pressed Bessent today on digital assets and clear U.S. regulation. 

Bessent was speaking to the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee about the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s annual report — essentially a high‑profile Senate hearing on U.S. financial stability where he is being questioned on economic policy and oversight issues.

The hearings have been semi-heated at times, with Senator Mark Warner chiming in, saying that “I feel like I’m in crypto hell.” 

Senator Lummis’ crypto-focused questioning

Lummis began her time in the session by asking whether China is leveraging digital assets and blockchain to challenge American financial leadership. 

Bessent said it is unclear, noting that while there are rumors of Chinese digital assets potentially backed by gold or other mechanisms, the U.S. Treasury has not observed such instruments. 

He acknowledged China’s active exploration of digital asset frameworks, particularly through Hong Kong’s financial sandbox and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.

The conversation quickly turned to U.S. regulation. Lummis emphasized the need for clear rules of the road, particularly legislation governing stablecoins and market structure. 

“It’s impossible to proceed without it,” Bessent said.

He expressed support for the proposed Clarity Act, which seeks to provide regulatory clarity for digital assets, urging industry participants who oppose regulation to consider relocating to countries with looser oversight.

“We have to get this Clarity Act across the finish line,” Bessent said. “Any market participants who don’t support it should move to El Salvador.”

Both officials highlighted the benefits of embedding the digital asset industry within the U.S. economy. 

Bessent stressed that the goal is a balance between fostering innovation and maintaining “safe, sound, and smart practices” under U.S. government oversight. He noted ongoing efforts to engage community and small banks in the digital asset ecosystem, acknowledging concerns that new legislation could trigger deposit outflows. 

“Deposit volatility is very undesirable because it is the stability of those deposits that allows them to lend into their communities,” Bessent said.

Will there be a Bitcoin tax exemption? 

Lummis also raised questions about digital asset taxation, particularly the treatment of small transactions — known as de minimis — and the calculation of capital gains for users with mixed portfolios of Bitcoin purchased at different prices over time. 

Bessent acknowledged the complexity of the issue and offered to have the Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy work with Lummis’ team to provide guidance. Nothing definitive was said on a bitcoin tax exemption, but the idea was floated between the two lawmakers.

Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told lawmakers that the U.S. government has no authority to bail out bitcoin or direct banks to hold crypto. 

During testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, Bessent emphasized that taxpayer funds cannot be deployed into BTC and that the government’s only exposure comes from law enforcement seizures. 

He noted that retained bitcoin has appreciated significantly, citing $500 million in seized BTC growing to over $15 billion, but stressed this does not involve active investment. 

Bessent also confirmed that the U.S. will stop selling seized bitcoin, adding it to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in line with Executive Order 14233.

Nevada Judge Rejects Ex Parte Bid to Halt Coinbase Markets

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A Nevada state court denied regulators’ request for an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO) to immediately halt Coinbase’s new prediction market offering.

Instead, the court set a hearing for next week so the exchange can respond, according to Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) filed a civil enforcement action in Carson City on Monday, accusing Coinbase of offering unlicensed wagers on sports event contracts and asking for a TRO and preliminary injunction to block the products for Nevada residents.

Coinbase fights case in state and federal court

​In a Tuesday filing, Coinbase argued that Nevada’s requested order was broader than sports betting and would effectively bar it from offering any Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulated “event contracts” in the state, including those tied to financial or commodity outcomes.

Coinbase preliminary opposition. Source: Paul Grewal

The company also told the court there was no genuine claim of irreparable harm because Kalshi, the CFTC‑registered market whose contracts Coinbase lists, can continue to offer the same products directly to Nevada users while litigation proceeds.

Related: Crypto.com launches standalone prediction market app ‘OG’

​Grewal said that Coinbase has now gone to federal court in Nevada as well, seeking to block the state’s enforcement effort as a violation of federal law.

“Congress gave CFTC exclusive jurisdiction over these listed contracts,” he said, “and it’s Congress that calls the shots.”

In its brief, Coinbase contends that the Commodity Exchange Act grants the CFTC “exclusive jurisdiction” over swaps and event contracts traded on regulated exchanges, and that Nevada’s attempt to recharacterize those instruments as state regulated gambling is preempted by Congress’s derivatives framework.

The clash comes just days after a Nevada judge granted a 14‑day TRO forcing Polymarket to suspend certain event markets in the state.

Nevada isn’t the only US state pushing back against prediction markets. In January, Tennessee’s Sports Wagering Council ordered a group of platforms, including Kalshi and Polymarket, to halt sport event contracts for its residents.

In December, Coinbase followed Kalshi’s lead and sued regulators in Connecticut, Illinois and Michigan, arguing that prediction markets listed on a CFTC-regulated venue fall under federal jurisdiction.

Big Questions: Did a time-traveling AI invent Bitcoin?