SnapShot 247

Hello SnapShotters,

A constitutional back-and-forth over the weekend plunged global markets into fresh geopolitical anxiety. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the administration’s existing tariff framework, U.S. President Donald Trump moved to bypass the ruling by declaring a new national economic emergency. Invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, the White House announced a sweeping 15% global "reciprocal" tariff on all imports, effectively re-establishing trade barriers dismantled by the Court.

Although the "Tariff 2.0" shock sent BTC tumbling to the week’s low of almost US$63,000, it rebounded quickly to about $69,000 by mid-week, while SOL notably surged more than 12%. According to The Block, analysts attributed the strong rally to an alleged case of Jane Street price manipulation; at the same time, NVIDIA’s latest earnings report posted strong revenue numbers of over $68 billion, which lent a hand in lifting tokens in the AI sector and the overall markets.

Institutional appetite is seemingly returning; BTC spot ETF flipped back to strong inflows of about $258 million as of mid-week, while ETH spot ETFs had inflows of almost $10 million. It ended a five-week outflow streak that saw global spot ETFs shedding $4 billion.

February has historically been a relatively strong month for crypto, but 2026 is bucking the trend. Instead of a "moon mission,” traders are watching an extended struggle between the mid-$60,000s and $70,000 as the Fear & Greed Index remains trapped in the single to low double digits. Looking ahead, mid-March presents a macro blitz of CPI and GDP data that may determine if the market finds a way forward.

Here are the week's top stories as crypto marches through bearish grounds.

Market Spotlight

Note: Market prices captured in USD at the time of sending. Explore more on Crypto‌.com/Price. 

Want more? Get weekly Market and DeFi Updates from Crypto.‌com’s Research Team.

News Snaps

🏛️ SEC Eases Stablecoin Capital Rules
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said it will not object to broker-dealers applying a 2% haircut to payment stablecoins; firms can count 98% of their stablecoin holdings toward net capital instead of treating them as fully discounted. The clarification effectively aligns stablecoins more closely with cash equivalents, as the White House simultaneously pushes banks to compromise on stablecoin rewards under the stalled CLARITY Act.

🏦 Crypto.com Gets Conditional National Trust Bank Charter
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted conditional approval for Crypto.com to charter Crypto.com National Trust Bank. This milestone sets the stage for the platform to become a federally regulated qualified custodian.

🧱 Ethereum Adds FOCIL to 2026 Roadmap
Vitalik Buterin said he is building a more “cypherpunk principled” Ethereum as developers officially scheduled the Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) (EIP-7805) mechanism for the Hegota hard fork in late 2026. The proposal will require validators to include public-mempool transactions via fork-choice rules to reinforce censorship resistance.

⚛️ Quantum Threat Back in Focus
At ETH Denver, developers raised concerns that future quantum computers could one day break the digital signatures that secure Bitcoin wallets. While today’s machines aren’t powerful enough, researchers warned that millions of BTC could be at risk if the network doesn’t upgrade before the technology catches up.

🌐 NEAR Debuts "Super App"
NEAR launched Near.com, a consumer-facing wallet and "super app" designed to merge blockchain infrastructure with AI agents. The platform abstracts away gas fees and private keys while introducing a "confidential mode" for private transactions.

What’s Ahead

🗓️ March 11 to 13: U.S. Macro Data Blitz
Markets get a heavy mid-month data release starting with February CPI on March 11, following a January print that saw inflation cool to 2.4%. This is followed on March 13 by a dual release: the second estimate for Q4 2025 GDP (previously 1.4%) and January Core PCE.

Number of the Week

Source: CoinDesk

Chart of the Week

The Great Bitcoin Absorption

While BTC price action has been choppy, "accumulator addresses" — wallets with no outflows and no exchange ties — are on a historic buying spree. Monthly accumulation skyrocketed from 153,000 BTC in early January to 360,000 BTC on February 21, representing a 135% increase in sidelined conviction in just seven weeks.

While traditional "weak hands" might be sweating the dip, long-term whales are treating this price decline as a massive liquidity event, effectively removing nearly $25 billion worth of BTC (at current prices) from the tradable supply.

As of February 26, 2026

Source:s: CryptoQuant, Crypto.com Research

Crypto Trivia

Which legendary crypto term originated from a typo in a 2013 Bitcointalk forum post? 

A) BUIDL

B) HODL

C) REKT

Find the correct answer at the end of this newsletter.

NFT Spotlight

The impossible becomes possible on March 4 in “Magic Universe,” a 200-piece NFT collection that blends fantasy with abstract composition to create stunning worlds of surreal wonder.

Created by multidisciplinary artist The Fafi, each collectible makes a bold statement designed to stir emotions, spark curiosity, and pull you headfirst into the magic.

Collectors can enter a giveaway and unlock access to an exclusive Discord community.

Step into the surreal. Get all the details before the drop.

CryptoIRL

Life is a bed of roses. Just ask @cromayoole — he has the Rose Card.

Hashtag #CryptoIRL with your Crypto.‌com Card on your social profiles to get featured! Your 15 minutes of fame in the #CROFam awaits you!

Security Tips

Fake VC Advisers Target High-Value Crypto Executives

A sophisticated wave of scammers is targeting crypto founders and executives by posing as venture capital (VC) partners and strategic advisers.

Scammers create polished online profiles, spoofed communications, and fabricated track records to offer funding, partnerships, or advisory roles. Under the guise of “due diligence,” they attempt to extract confidential documents, sensitive financial data, or even wallet access.

How to Keep Funds and Data Safe:

• Verify VC identities directly through official firm websites or known contacts
• Never share private keys, seed phrases, or sensitive internal documents
• Independently confirm investment offers before granting access or transferring funds

Crypto Trivia Answer

B) HODL ✅ 

The term was coined by user "GameKyuubi” who, during a massive price crash in December 2013, posted a drunken, typo-ridden rant titled "I AM HODLING.” He argued that "bad traders" like himself should simply hold their positions rather than try to time the market, unknowingly creating the most famous mantra in crypto.

That's it for this week's SnapShot. Want more? Find out what’s trending in the crypto world.