Billionaire real estate mogul Barry Sternlicht said his firm, Starwood Capital Group, which manages over $125 billion in assets, is ready to begin tokenizing real-world assets but can’t move forward due to regulatory barriers in the United States.
“We want to do it right now and we’re ready,” Sternlicht said Wednesday at the World Liberty Forum in Palm Beach. “It’s ridiculous that our clients can’t do it in token,” he said, referring to transacting real-world assets — like real estate — using blockchain-based tokens.
Tokenization refers to converting ownership of physical assets, like real estate or art, into blockchain-based tokens that can be traded. For firms like Starwood, it could offer a new way to raise capital or give investors access to previously illiquid markets.
Putting real estate on the blockchain isn’t a new idea, and some other firms are already moving forward on a small scale to make the massive market, which still relies heavily on manual processes, more efficient.
One such firm is Propy, which laid out its plans last year for $100 million expansion to acquire mid-size property title firms across the U.S., aiming to streamline the industry processes.
In fact, consulting giant Deloitte said in a report last year that $4 trillion of real estate will be tokenized by 2035, increasing from less than US$0.3 trillion in 2024. If that becomes reality, that’s a 27% CAGR for tokenized real estate.
“Tokenized real estate could not only pave the way for new markets and products, but also give real estate organizations an opportunity to overcome challenges related to operational inefficiency, high administrative costs charged to investors, and limited retail participation,” Deloitte said.
‘It’s a fantastic thing’
Sternlicht also seems to share the vision that tokenization can revolutionize the industry by praising the massive potential of the underlying technology.
“The technology is superior,” he said. “This is the future.
He went so far as to compare the current state of tokenization to artificial intelligence, saying it is far behind where AI is today.
“This is even earlier in the physical world than AI is.” Sternlicht called tokenization “exciting as can be,” saying, “It’s a fantastic thing for the world, the world just has to catch up with it.”
PayNearMe, the fintech known for modernizing the billing experience, has publicly disclosed its revenue figures for the first time, announcing a record-breaking performance for 2025.
The company revealed it closed the year with more than $200million in revenue, representing a 60 per cent increase over 2024.
Scaling up
Alongside the revenue milestone, PayNearMe announced that it now moves more than $50billion in annual payment volume. The platform is currently used by over 20,000 businesses, a client base that spans lenders, utilities, tolling agencies, and other non-commerce billers.
To support this growth, the company secured a $50million investment in 2025 to accelerate innovation and expanded its U.S. footprint with a new office in Dallas.
The rise of ‘Experience Management’
The company attributes this surge in growth to a shift in market mentality, which it terms the emergence of “Payment Experience Management”.
In line with this strategy, PayNearMe renamed its platform to PayXM™ in 2025. The platform is designed to allow businesses to manage the entire payment journey across major payment types and channels through a single integration.
Danny Shader, founder and CEO of PayNearMe
New capabilities added to PayXM in 2025 include Smart Switch™ advancements for ACH redundancy, enhanced agent experience tools, and an Intelligent Virtual Agent (IVA) for automated inbound payments.
Danny Shader, founder and CEO of PayNearMe, commented: “2025 was a defining year for PayNearMe. Organizations are increasingly embracing Payment Experience Management to improve outcomes and deliver better experiences at every payment touchpoint… As we look to 2026, we’re dedicated to helping businesses transform their payment experience.”
PayNearMe also reported significant expansion of its partner ecosystem in 2025. This includes integrations with Emotive Software for auto finance, Solera DealerSocket iDMS for the buy-here-pay-here market, and Constant AI for self-service loan changes.
The company suggests that this banner year serves as “early proof” that businesses are shifting away from viewing payments as mere transactions and starting to view them as experiences worth curating.
Bitcoin remains under pressure, and the downside might accelerate if the $65,118 level is breached.
Several major altcoins are attempting a recovery, but the bears remain sellers on rallies.
Bitcoin (BTC) bulls are attempting to hold the price above $67,000, but the bears have continued to exert pressure. A positive sign for the bulls is that select analysts believe BTC may be bottoming out.
Analyst Jelle said in a post on X that all but one of BTC’s major bottoms had formed between the 200-week simple moving average ($58,371) and the 200-week exponential moving average ($68,065). BTC trading near the 200-week EMA suggests that the bottom formation process may have begun.
Similarly, Matrixport said in a post on X that BTC may be making a durable bottom. Matrixport said that when the 21-day moving average of its daily sentiment indicator dips below zero and starts to turn up, it suggests that the selling pressure is getting exhausted. Although that doesn’t rule out a decline in the near term, the readings indicate that BTC could be approaching another inflection point.
Crypto market data daily view. Source: TradingView
Another positive projection for BTC came from Wells Fargo analyst Ohsung Kwon. In a note seen by CNBC, Kwon said additional savings from tax refunds, mostly from high-income consumers, could flow into equities and BTC, bringing back the “YOLO” trade.
Could BTC and the major altcoins overcome the overhead resistance levels? Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.
Bitcoin price prediction
BTC has been making higher lows in the short term, but the bulls have failed to push the price above the breakdown level of $74,508.
Buyers are likely to make another attempt to pierce the overhead resistance at the 20-day EMA ($72,282) and the $74,508 level. If they can pull it off, the BTC/USDT pair may rally to the 50-day SMA ($83,129).
Sellers are likely to have other plans. They will attempt to defend the 20-day EMA and pull the Bitcoin price below the immediate support at $65,118. If they manage to do that, the pair might tumble to solid support at $60,000.
Ether price prediction
The bulls have maintained Ether (ETH) above the immediate support at $1,897, indicating buying on dips.
Buyers will again attempt to clear the overhead hurdle at the 20-day EMA ($2,183). If they succeed, the ETH/USDT pair may start a stronger recovery toward the 50-day SMA ($2,707).
Contrarily, if the Ether price turns down and breaks below $1,897, it suggests that the bears are attempting to take charge. The pair may then drop to the critical support at $1,750. Buyers are expected to protect the $1,750 level with all their might, as a close below it may sink the pair to $1,537.
XRP price prediction
XRP (XRP) has been trading just below the 20-day EMA ($1.52), indicating that the bulls continue to exert pressure.
That improves the prospects of a break above the 20-day EMA and the breakdown level of $1.61. The XRP price may then climb to the 50-day SMA ($1.80), signaling the XRP/USDT pair may remain inside the channel for some more time.
Buyers will have to thrust the price above the downtrend line to indicate a potential short-term trend change. On the contrary, a deeper fall might begin if the price turns down and plunges below the support line.
BNB price prediction
BNB (BNB) has been trading in a narrow range for the past few days, signaling indecision between the bulls and the bears.
If the BNB price turns down and plummets below the $570 support, it indicates the resumption of the downtrend. The BNB/USDT pair may then extend the decline to the psychological level at $500.
Buyers will have to push and maintain the price above the 20-day EMA ($676) to suggest that the selling pressure is reducing. The pair may then rally to $730 and subsequently to $790.
Solana price prediction
Solana (SOL) is facing resistance near the breakdown level of $95, indicating that the bears are active at higher levels.
The bears will attempt to strengthen their position by pulling the Solana price below the $76 support. If they manage to do that, it suggests that the bears have flipped the $95 level into resistance. The pair may then retest the Feb. 6 low of $67.
Buyers will have to overcome the $95 overhead hurdle to signal a comeback. If they can pull it off, the SOL/USDT pair may ascend to the 50-day SMA ($116), where the sellers are expected to mount a strong defense.
Dogecoin price prediction
Dogecoin (DOGE) has been trading just below the 20-day EMA ($0.10), indicating a lack of selling at lower levels.
That increases the likelihood of a rally above the 20-day EMA. The DOGE/USDT pair may then climb to the 50-day SMA ($0.12). Sellers will attempt to halt the recovery at the $0.12 level, but if the bulls overcome the resistance, the Dogecoin price may soar to the $0.16 level.
Instead, if the price turns down from the $0.12 resistance, it suggests a possible range formation in the near term. The pair might swing between $0.08 and $0.12 for a few days.
Bitcoin Cash price prediction
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) has been stuck between the moving averages, indicating uncertainty about the next directional move.
The upsloping 20-day EMA ($547) and the RSI just above the midpoint suggest a possible upside breakout. If that happens, the Bitcoin Cash price might rally to $600 and, after that, to $630.
Contrary to this assumption, if the price turns down and breaks below the 20-day EMA, it signals that the bears have overpowered the bulls. That might start a correction toward the next support at $500.
Related: 4 data points suggest XRP price bottomed at $1.12: Are bulls ready to take over?
Hyperliquid price prediction
Hyperliquid (HYPE) closed below the 20-day EMA ($30.26) on Tuesday, indicating selling at higher levels.
Buyers will attempt to maintain the Hyperliquid price above the 50-day SMA ($27.74), but if the bears prevail, the HYPE/USDT pair may tumble toward the solid support at $20.82. The flattish 20-day EMA and the RSI just below the midpoint suggest a range-bound action between $20.82 and $35.50 for some time.
The first sign of strength for the bulls is a close above the $32.50 level. That opens the doors for a rally to the $35.50 to $38.42 resistance zone.
Cardano price prediction
Cardano (ADA) has been clinging to the 20-day EMA ($0.29), indicating that the bulls have kept up the pressure.
The possibility of a break above the 20-day EMA remains high. If that happens, the ADA/USDT pair may climb toward the downtrend line, which is expected to act as a stiff resistance. If buyers pierce the downtrend line, the Cardano price may rally to $0.44 and then to $0.50.
Sellers will have to tug the price below the support line to regain control. If they manage to do that, the pair might slump toward $0.15.
Monero price prediction
Monero (XMR) remains below the breakdown level of $360, but a positive sign is that the bulls have not allowed the price to slip below the immediate support at $309.
Buyers will have to thrust the Monero price above the 20-day EMA ($366) to gain the upper hand. The XMR/USDT pair may then climb to the 50-day SMA ($449), where the bears are expected to step in.
On the downside, a break and close below the $309 level indicates that the bears remain in control. The pair may then retest the crucial $276 support. A strong rebound off the $276 level might result in a range-bound action for a few days.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
Coinbase is a “misunderstood” company, its CEO, Brian Armstrong, has said.
Crypto is disrupting Wall Street, so Coinbase will benefit, he added.
Coinbase’s stock has taken a hit with crypto markets.
After posting a slide in profits last week, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has a message for worried investors: People still don’t get the company.
Writing on X Wednesday, Armstrong said that while the Nasdaq-listed company’s stock has dropped in price by 36% over the past year, Coinbase has “never been in a stronger position.”
“I do think Coinbase is a bit of a misunderstood company,” wrote Armstrong. “Crypto is directly disrupting Wall Street, so it makes sense that some on Wall Street would misunderstand crypto/Coinbase.
“The smartest ones are going to embrace it. The laggards are going to be left behind.”
“Why is Coinbase always misunderstood or under-appreciated by Wall Street?” – I got asked this today in our AMA with analysts, and it’s an interesting question. Sharing my answer here.
I do think Coinbase is a bit of a misunderstood company. It’s a classic innovator’s dilemma.…
“Why is Coinbase always misunderstood or under-appreciated by Wall Street?” – I got asked this today in our AMA with analysts, and it’s an interesting question. Sharing my answer here.
I do think Coinbase is a bit of a misunderstood company. It’s a classic innovator’s dilemma.…
Armstrong’s defense comes just as Coinbase is caught between a rock and a hard place. Trading revenue has crashed alongside falling crypto prices, and a longer-term bet on becoming the underlying financial infrastructure for banks and institutions who “don’t understand the company.”
Plus, Wall Street analysts value companies based on their earnings, not just the potential they have or how much passion their management brings to the table. Right now, Coinbase’s numbers are bad. The company posted a quarterly loss in revenue and profits for the last three months of 2025 and its stock is down nearly 60% from the record it touched in July.
For Armstrong, however, the argument is that analysts are looking at all the wrong metrics.
Wall Street embrace
Armstrong said that Coinbase isn’t just a trading platform like some think: with regulators taking a softer approach to watchdogging the space, top US banks are now embracing crypto and increasingly working with Coinbase.
America’s biggest bank, JPMorgan Chase, last year signed a deal with Coinbase to allow customers to directly link their bank accounts to the US-based crypto exchange.
Coinbase also provides custody services to Wall Street giants like BlackRock, and has a contract with the US government to hold onto seized crypto.
Traditional financial institutions that aren’t open to crypto will get left behind, Armstrong said, just like what has happened in the past with previous technological disruptions.
“I think some of these people are just inherently skeptical of crypto because of incentives — their whole careers have been built in the traditional financial system,” he added.
“You don’t go to the cab companies and ask them what they think about Uber. You don’t go to the horse and buggy makers and ask them what they think about the automobile.”
Missing expectations?
Coinbase in its latest earnings underperformed in the eyes of Wall Street analysts. But those who don’t see the company’s potential have “underestimated” the company, claimed Armstrong.
“It’s not yet a consensus view amongst traditional analysts,” he wrote, adding that the firm was “underestimated” and that analysts should look at what other products the company is delivering.
In a note shared with DL News, Benchmark analyst Mark Palmer said that Coinbase is trading in line with crypto right now — dumping in price in October when Bitcoin sold off.
“The stock trades like levered crypto beta, moving tightly with digital asset prices, yet its underlying business is evolving into something more diversified and durable,” wrote Palmer.
He added that Coinbase’s institutional transaction revenue is up, pointing to bigger players using the company’s services.
While right now working with banks, Coinbase is also competing with them, with Armstrong in the past saying that he wants the platform to become “people’s primary financial account.”
Bitcoin is down year-to-date. Source: CoinGecko.
Coinbase is currently at odds with banking executives, who want to ban stablecoin rewards.
Coinbase wants its yield-bearing stablecoin products to continue, which in turn could prove to be a bigger boon in the long-run for the business.
Mathew Di Salvo is a news correspondent with DL News. Got a tip? Email at mdisalvo@dlnews.com.
Ethereum onchain data and a bear pennant on the daily chart suggest that bears may target the $1,100 level. Would a dip to that zone represent a generational buy opportunity?
Ether (ETH) price printed a bear pennant on the daily chart, a technical chart formation associated with strong downward momentum. This weakening technical setup and declining network activity may signal the continuation of ETH’s bear trend and possibly send the altcoin’s price to $1,100.
A bear pennant pattern is a bearish setup that forms after the price consolidates inside an up-sloping triangle following a sharp price drop.
The pennant will resolve once the price breaks below the lower trend line of the pennant at $1,950. If this happens, the ETH/USD pair could drop by as much as the previous downtrend’s height. This places the measured target for ETH price at $1,100, down 43% from the current price.
Ether’s price weakness is also reflected in its onchain activity, with Ethereum’s daily transaction count dropping to 1.95 million on Wednesday, down 33% from 2.9 million on Feb. 5.
A similar sharp drop in Ethereum’s daily transaction count was seen in January 2024, accompanying a 30% drop in the altcoin’s price.
The decline in Ethereum’s network activity is also evident when analyzing the total value locked (TVL) on the network’s smart contracts.
Ethereum’s TVL has dropped to $54.5 billion on Wednesday from $70 billion at the beginning of the month, a decrease of over 22% in just over two weeks.
Ethereum TVL and DEX volume. Source: DefiLlama
Negative signs include a 26% decrease in deposits on the Uniswap decentralized exchange (DEX) and a 35% drop on Ether.fi and EigenLayer.
The daily trading volume on Ethereum-based DEXs also plummeted to $1.5 billion, from $3.72 billion, over the same period.
In addition, global Ethereum investment products saw a total of $85.1 million in net outflows between Feb. 9 and Feb. 13, adding to the price downtrend.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
Altcoins, excluding Ether (ETH), have recorded $209 billion in net selling volume since January 2025, marking one of the steepest declines in speculative demand for crypto assets this cycle.
On Binance, altcoin trading volumes dropped roughly 50% since November 2025, reflecting a steady dip in activity. The decrease also coincides with an increase in Bitcoin’s volume share on the exchange.
Analysts said that the contraction in altcoin demand, alongside elevated stablecoin dominance, signals that the broader market is shifting its capital toward BTC during the current downtrend.
Altcoin spot volume imbalance deepens against Bitcoin
Crypto analyst IT Tech noted that the cumulative buy and sell difference for altcoins, excluding BTC and Ether (ETH), reached -$209 billion. The metric measures net spot demand across centralized exchanges for altcoin trading pairs. A positive reading indicates rising spot demand, which was briefly observed back in January 2025.
1-year cumulative buy-sell volume for Altcoins (excludes ETH). Source: CryptoQuant
A negative cumulative delta at this scale signals the absence of consistent spot buyers. The analyst noted that the metric tracks net flow imbalance rather than price valuation, so it does not indicate a market bottom. Over the past 13 months, capital has exited the altcoin markets without significant counterflows.
Volume data from Binance reinforces the shift. As BTC tested the $60,000 level in early February, the total trading volume was redistributed. On Feb. 7, Bitcoin volumes rose to 36.8% of total activity. Altcoin volumes dropped to 33.6% by mid-February, from a high of 59.2% in November.
According to crypto analyst Darkfost, similar rotations appeared in April 2025, August 2024, and October 2022. During these corrective phases, capital consolidated into Bitcoin while altcoin volumes contracted.
Related: New Bitcoin whales are trapped underwater, but for how long?
Tether dominance rises to its all-time high level
Tether’s USDt (USDT) market cap dominance reached the 8% level on the one-week chart, aligning with prior highs which lasted between June 2022 and October 2023. The rising stablecoin dominance typically coincides with capital moving into dollar-pegged assets rather than deploying into tokens like BTC (BTC) and Ether (ETH).
USDT.D and BTC price chart comparison. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
As observed, the elevated USDT dominance coincided with Bitcoin consolidating near bear market lows, as observed in 2022 and 2023. A decline in dominance has often marked one of the earliest signals of a renewed bullish trend.
Previously, the USDT dominance chart formed lows around 3.80-4% in March 2024, December 2024, and October 2025. These periods coincided with Bitcoin setting new all-time highs near $72,000, $104,000, and $126,000, respectively.
Related: Wells Fargo sees ‘YOLO’ trade driving $150B into Bitcoin and risk assets
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
AI startup Cohere on Tuesday released a new family of tiny AI models, Tiny Aya, to address a need for more diverse, multilingual models in the AI market.
Tiny Aya is an open weight model that helps researchers, developers and communities build AI technology that is more reflective of their language and cultural contexts, Cohere said. TinyAya-Base is a 3.35B-parameter model that covers over 70 languages. TinyAya-Global is an instruction-tuned multilingual model built on top of the base model.
Cohere said the model’s tokenizer, or translation layer that converts text into language that models understand, reduces breakup across different linguistic structures, thereby requiring fewer tokens per sentence across languages. This reduces the need for additional tokens, improving the model’s inference efficiency. Cohere also introduced specialized variants of TinyAya, such as TinyAya-Earth, which is strong across Africa and West Asia; TinyAya-Fire, which is effective for South Asian languages; and TinyAya-Water, designed for languages in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.
Related:Nvidia and Meta Agree to Wide-Ranging new AI Chip Deal
The release of Tiny Aya reflects a trend in the AI market toward linguistically and culturally diverse models. Many vendors are working to create models that can both understand different languages and their nuances and respond in culturally relevant ways. For instance, earlier this year, Google released TranslateGemma. However, translation models often miss cultural context because most are trained on either Chinese or English.
A Need in the Market
“It’s a massive deal because if you’re not able to train on the subtleties of a language, then you end up with a training data set that does not represent some of the subtleties that might exist in that language,” said Bradley Shimmin, an analyst at Futurum Group.
He added that, because Tiny Aya is so small, Cohere is providing access to models in different languages and democratizing the technology itself, as the model is small enough to run on edge devices in remote locations.
“This can work on translations for you without having to call cloud APIs, which is nice,” Shimmin said. “I applaud them for doing this, and I feel like it’s definitely a needed area of investment that we’ve been without very much, with a few exceptions.”
Some Challenges
However, Tiny Aya’s small size could also mean limited use cases, said Mark Beccue, an analyst at Omdia, a division of Informa TechTarget.
“I’d love to know what they think the sweet spot is for use cases,” Beccue said. “What’s the market for this thing that they’re offering? Is it a US market? What are people going to buy this for?”
Related:Major Funding Deals Kick off India AI Impact Summit
He added that if Cohere has designs on other regions outside the U.S., it must be sovereign AI-compliant, meaning the data it uses must be local to the area.
“They have to have a local presence to do these things,” Beccue said
Cash App, the popular digital wallet and payments app, announced a series of changes to its Bitcoin offering, including a massive increase in withdrawal limits, lower fees, new funding rails, and lots more in an exclusive interview with Miles Suter, Product Lead at Block Inc.
“Our mission is to make living on bitcoin simple and practical,” Suter told Bitcoin Magazine. The company, which today serves over 58 million active users, recently announced a deep set of upgrades to the app, further integrating Bitcoin into the user experience while improving quality of life for Bitcoiners on the app, and unlocking further functionality.
The most awaited and noteworthy update is likely the expansion of the withdrawal limits, which were raised to 10,000 a day from 2,000 and 25,000 a week from 5,000 for eligible customers. This update was rolled out by default to the vast majority of users, who should have access to it now. Suter also mentioned that those who do not see the withdrawal limit expansion can reach out to him or support for further review of eligibility.
However, a lot more changed under the hood. Fees and clearing prices also improved with “no spreads” on pricing, according to Suter, one of many user experience updates that may lead the charge across the industry in terms of interface design.
Spreads are gaps in the price of an asset like Bitcoin, depending on whether you are buying or selling. Usually, they are the result of order books that match buyers and sellers on a list sorted by exchange rate. A small spread between the most anyone is willing to pay for some bitcoin and the least anyone is willing to accept for theirs, is normal in most exchanges. But it can also be confusing and appear like inconsistent pricing. Many exchanges hide a small commission in this spread, as they look for low-friction profits. Cash App appears to be eliminating this from the user experience, in turn giving users a single price point for both sides of the market.
This pricing update, alongside the 0% fees, might make Cash App the most cost-effective way to buy and sell Bitcoin within the United States. Suter goes as far as to say Cash App now has the “best price in the world” for purchases over 2,000 dollars.
source: https://cash.app/bitcoin
Funding Rails and Stablecoins
Funding rails also got an expansion in this update. Historically, Cash App was built to work with debit cards, a strategy that likely unlocked fast retail adoption but came with various funding limits. Suter was excited to share that new funding rails have been added to Cash App, including ACH, which unlocks deposits as high as 10,000, and also integrated wires for large purchases. As such, this is more than a quality of life upgrade for Bitcoiners inside Cash App, it is a historic milestone for the company, which has been servicing retail and small to medium merchants since 2013.
When asked about Cash App’s relationships with banks, an area of the Bitcoin industry that many companies and users still struggle with, even during the friendly Trump administration, Suter said that users should have no issue sending and withdrawing from Cash App to U.S. banks. Suter explained that banks are very conservative and hyper-focused on preventing fraud, an understandable business choice for them, but one that highlights “the brittle nature of our current system, where everything is permissioned,” and a clear example of “why we believe having zero intermediaries in Bitcoin is very important.”
Putting a finer point on the topic of funding rails, Suter also expressed interest in stablecoin integration, though no timelines were given on the release date of this particular feature. He was also very clear about how stablecoins would be integrated into the app and that users would not be exposed to a myriad of choices in terms of blockchains or ticker name denominations. Instead, all values would be presented as dollars, and all major stablecoin blockchains would be supported in the background. This implies that fees paid in blockchain’s native token will not be shown to users, removing a long-standing pain point that the broader industry has failed to address. Included in this stablecoin integration discussion was the mention of dollars on top of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, though no details were discussed.
2026 Road Map
Looking ahead for the year as we enter 2026 at full speed, Suter expressed a clear vision to further integrate Bitcoin into Cash App, making it available in seamless ways to its large userbase, “we want Bitcoin to be a foundational currency within Cash App. So you can live your life on Bitcoin.”
In order to achieve that, Cash App is laying the groundwork to make not just accepting Bitcoin but paying with Bitcoin completely automated. That means any store using Square payment terminals should be able to accept bitcoin via Lightning payments, using the same QR codes and payment flow as with fiat. While any Cash App user should be able to pay lightning invoices by scanning QR codes, even if they don’t have bitcoin on their account. That’s right, automated conversion of USD to BTC, and BTC to USD at checkout, so that everyone can pay how they want and receive the currency they choose. In Suter’s words, “we want all customers and users to be able to receive and send bitcoin without needing to know about it or hold it.”
This approach solves a few friction points that have held back the payments use case of Bitcoin since its inception. On the one hand, if users are not holding bitcoin when they spend, there’s no tax event, Cash App does the conversion on behalf of the merchant, so the sender has no bitcoin sale tax event. Suter did not go into details but mentioned this particular issue as an important piece of the puzzle, saying that “Block Inc will pay the lightning invoice on your behalf. No tax liability, no price fluctuation”.
On the other hand, merchants who choose to accept bitcoin as payment are likely to get it more often, as anyone using Cash App will effectively have it to pay with. If a merchant, for example, decides to only accept Bitcoin as payment, all Cash App users will be able to purchase from them, even if they don’t have Bitcoin on their account. Merchants may also give discounts on purchases with Bitcoin, something customers will be able to benefit from by using Cash App without having to hold any Bitcoin.
This whole design may introduce millions of Americans to Bitcoin who otherwise are not really familiar with it, “there’s moms out there who have never used bitcoin,” Suter noted, “I want to make it so every Cash App user has a lightning URL that matches their Cash App username”.
On the active Bitcoiner side of the market, Suter commented briefly on the growing market for Bitcoin-backed loans, saying that the company is actively “exploring” and “engaging customers online” on the use case, and “customers want it”. The company is exploring various ways of offering Bitcoin collateralized loans, including perhaps a line of credit, though details remain scarce. Suter highlighted this use case as an important financial tool for Bitcoiners to “live on bitcoin”, thus aligning with the company’s vision. While no more was said on the topic, Suter did casually add that an announcement was coming for Bitcoin Vegas in May.
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. used a CNBC interview this week to renew their public support for Bitcoin, calling it the defining asset class for a new generation and predicting a major price expansion ahead.
Speaking during a wide-ranging discussion that touched on stablecoins and broader cryptocurrency adoption during the World Liberty Forum, Eric Trump said he remains “a huge proponent of Bitcoin” and argued the asset could eventually reach $1 million.
He pointed to Bitcoin’s long-term performance, touching on its recovery from lows near $16,000 two years ago and claiming it has delivered strong average annual gains over the past decade.
Trump framed volatility as a natural feature of an emerging asset with significant upside, contrasting BTC with lower-yielding traditional investments such as municipal bonds or U.S. Treasuries.
“I’ve never been more bullish on bitcoin in my life,” Trump said.
The Trump sons also highlighted what they see as accelerating institutional acceptance. Eric Trump cited major financial firms including Fidelity, Charles Schwab, JPMorgan, BlackRock, and Goldman Sachs as examples of Wall Street’s increasing engagement with digital assets.
He claimed private wealth clients are being allocated higher percentages of crypto exposure than in past years, positioning Bitcoin as an investment theme for people under 50.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 President Trump’s son Eric says “I’ve never been more bullish on bitcoin in my life.”
“I do think it hits $1 million…You’re going to have volatility with something that has tremendous upside” 🚀 pic.twitter.com/uxToAluAGs
The comments came as traditional finance leaders signaled a cautious shift in tone. Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Officer David Solomon disclosed that he now holds a small amount of BTC, speaking at the World Liberty Forum held at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Solomon described his holdings as “very, very limited” and said he is not a “great Bitcoin prognosticator,” casting himself as more of an observer than an advocate.
His remarks reflect the growing proximity between established financial institutions and the crypto sector after years of regulatory constraints that kept firms like Goldman largely on the sidelines.
Solomon has previously expressed skepticism about BTC’s practical role. In a 2024 CNBC interview, he characterized the asset as speculative and questioned its real-world use case, while acknowledging its volatility and investor interest.
Coinbase Chief Executive Officer Brian Armstrong also addressed Bitcoin’s recent price weakness during his appearance at the forum. Armstrong said the latest decline appears driven more by market psychology than by underlying fundamentals.
He dismissed speculation that macro political factors were behind the move and argued that volatility remains part of crypto’s normal cycle.
Armstrong maintained that BTC remains one of the best-performing assets of the past decade and said Coinbase does not take a short-term view of price swings.
Armstrong also pointed to the policy environment in Washington, suggesting crypto legislation could advance under President Donald Trump’s administration.
He described a potential “win-win-win” outcome for the industry, banks, and consumers if regulatory clarity is achieved, adding that proposed measures could reach Trump’s desk within months.
Yesterday, Armstrong said the company expects a market structure bill to pass and argued that statutory clarity would provide long-term certainty beyond shifting leadership at agencies like the SEC.
If legislation stalls, he said Coinbase would continue operating under existing rules while seeking clarity through regulators or the courts.
“I think the bill will get done,” Armstrong said. “It’s in everyone’s interest at this point.”
BTC is trading at $66,800 today, with $33 billion in 24-hour volume. The asset is down 1% over the past day as price action remains tight inside its weekly range.
BTC is sitting about 2% below its 7-day high of $68,328 and essentially flat from its 7-day low of $66,834, signaling continued consolidation rather than a decisive breakout.
Bitcoin’s circulating supply stands at 19,991,396 BTC, against a fixed maximum of 21 million. The total market capitalization is now roughly $1.34 trillion, down 1% from the previous day.
Eric Trump says bitcoin will reach $1 million per coin, telling CNBC on Feb. 18 that he has “never been more bullish” on the leading cryptocurrency despite the recent market pullback. Eric Trump Touts Stablecoins, Reaffirms Bitcoin Price Outlook Appearing alongside Donald Trump Jr. in an interview with CNBC anchor Sara Eisen during coverage of […]
