The post Tether Co-Founder: AI Agents Will Transform Stablecoins and Crypto Wallets appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

The man who built the first stablecoin thinks AI agents are about to change how the entire crypto economy works.

Reeve Collins, co-founder and first CEO of Tether, sat down with analyst and MN Capital founder Michael van de Poppe to explain why AI is not just another crypto narrative. Collins compared AI’s role in blockchain to what the web browser did for the internet in 1993, calling it the moment crypto finally becomes usable for everyone.

“AI is going to make that very easy because you’re going to entrust your agent to make those transactions for you,” Collins said.

Talk Into Your Wallet

Collins described a future where users interact with their crypto wallets through conversation, not clicks. AI agents would handle investing, portfolio rebalancing, and payments on a user’s behalf, routing every transaction through the fastest, cheapest, and most profitable path available.

The complexity that still keeps most people away from blockchain gets abstracted away.

The infrastructure is already being built. Coinbase launched Agentic Wallets on February 10, giving AI agents autonomous spending and trading capabilities. Stripe co-founder John Collison predicted a “torrent” of AI agent commerce running on stablecoins days ago. Binance CEO Richard Teng called AI agents and stablecoins one of the defining trends of 2026.

Also Read: “The Biggest Question for Crypto”: Sam Bankman-Fried Triggers AI Payments Debate

Why Stablecoins Become the Default Currency for AI

Collins argued that stablecoins are uniquely positioned to power AI-driven payments because they combine price stability with programmable, 24/7 settlement. Large corporations could distribute fractional payments to millions of people, enabling incentive models that were previously impossible due to accounting limitations.

The numbers back this up. Stablecoin transactions hit $33 trillion in 2025, up 72% year-over-year and double Visa’s annual volume, according to Bloomberg and Artemis Analytics.

On-Chain Companies That Pay Users, Not Platforms

Collins’ most pointed claim targeted the platform economy itself.

“There will be bespoke companies that don’t have the level of overhead like Facebook has that gets to start from scratch purely on chain that has a business model that puts all of the rewards or the profits back into the user’s pocket via a token,” he said.

Analyst van de Poppe pointed out that content creators are drastically underpaid, citing roughly €1,000 for a million YouTube views. Collins agreed, saying multiple well-funded initiatives are building decentralized platforms to change that.

“The content creators are the ones that are putting all of that value into the system. And they should reap a lot more of the rewards,” he said.

Collins is not just talking. He launched STBL, a next-generation stablecoin protocol backed by OKX Ventures, designed to return yield to users instead of centralized issuers.

Read More: Jack Dorsey’s Block AI Layoffs Spark Backlash: What This Means for Cash App Bitcoin Users

The post Who Dumped $5B in Bitcoin as Israel Strikes Iran? Binance and Wintermute Wallets Flagged Again appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Nearly $5 billion in Bitcoin left major exchange wallets in just 30 minutes on Saturday, right as the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran under what the Pentagon is calling Operation Epic Fury.

Arkham Intelligence data captured it in real time. Binance’s hot wallet led with 15,944 BTC ($1.05 billion). Bybit followed at $897 million, Bitfinex at $814 million, then Kraken, Coinbase, Wintermute, and FalconX each pushing hundreds of millions out within the same window.

Over 154,000 traders were liquidated. Total losses reached $522 million in 24 hours.

Operation Epic Fury Sparks Regional Chaos

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed a “preemptive strike” on Iran. President Trump followed with a Truth Social video, stating the US had begun “major combat operations.”

Iran fired back. The IRGC confirmed strikes on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and military sites in Kuwait and the UAE. Explosions hit Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where one person was killed by debris from intercepted missiles. The UAE shut its airspace.

LIVE UPDATES: U.S. military begins 'major combat operations in Iran,' President Trump says.

• Iran is retaliating against multiple U.S. military facilities in the Middle East, a U.S. official says

• Iranian state media reports explosions in central Tehran

• Israel declares…

— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) February 28, 2026

Same Wallets, Same 30-Minute Window

Saturday’s sell-off echoes a pattern now seen three times.

On October 10, 2025, on-chain analysts flagged that Wintermute moved $700 million into Binance hours before $19 billion in leveraged longs were wiped out in 90 minutes. That crash coincided with Trump’s 100% tariff announcement on China. Two weeks ago, another $2.5 billion in BTC was sold within 30 minutes, again traced to Binance, Coinbase, and Wintermute wallets.

Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy previously dismissed the October accusations, calling it a “flash crash on mega leveraged market on illiquid Friday night driven by macro news.”

Former CFTC regulator Salman Banaei took a different view: “Whether you love or hate crypto, there should be an investigation by regulators into Oct 10, 2025.”

No exchange has commented on today’s outflows.

How Low Can Bitcoin Fall?

Bitcoin is now 49% below its October 2025 all-time high of $126,000. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index is now at 14.

Key support sits at $63,100. A break below opens the path to $60,000, where Deribit’s largest put position holds over 5,200 BTC in open interest.

Also Read: Is the Crypto Bottom In? Jane Street Sued and 2 More Signals Flagged

History suggests a bounce. After Iran’s April 2024 missile strike, BTC fell to $61,000 and recovered to new highs. After Israel’s June 2025 strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, BTC dropped to $103,000 before climbing above $125,000 by October.

But this market was already fragile going in. US spot Bitcoin ETFs flipped to net sellers this month, according to CryptoQuant. The next moves are currently unknown.

The post Is 2026 the Year Banks Finally Adopt XRP? Clarity Act and Ripple’s Next Move appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

The Clarity Act is heading toward a make-or-break moment. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has put the odds of the bill passing by April at 80%, and the White House has set a March 1 target to resolve the stablecoin yield dispute holding it up.

If it passes, XRP would be classified as a digital commodity. That single shift would greenlight U.S. banks for On-Demand Liquidity adoption and open the floodgates for ETF products.

If it doesn’t clear before midterm election season, Jake Claver of Digital Ascension Group warns the window could close. Passing legislation gets much harder once the political cycle takes over.

Banks Went From “No” to “Yes” in 12 Months

A year ago, Claver would have said banks were not ready. That changed after he attended the Ondo Summit and several recent industry events. BNY Mellon is already custodying RLUSD. Fidelity, Citi, and Franklin Templeton are all leaning in.

JP Morgan runs Onyx for internal settlement but needs interoperability with external chains, something only full regulatory clarity unlocks.

Ripple CTO David Schwartz has framed the real barrier differently. According to Claver, Schwartz has stated the main obstacle is not clarity itself but asset volatility. Banks want a high, stable XRP price, not a volatile one.

The early signals are already showing. XRP saw $5 million in inflows within the first five minutes of a recent morning session. Payment volume between accounts surged roughly 400%.

Ripple Built the Full Stack While Everyone Waited

Ripple has assembled an end-to-end infrastructure. Hidden Road is now Ripple Prime. G Treasury is now Ripple Treasury. Ripple 1 bundles stablecoin issuance, custody, and digital identity into one integrated product.

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•   ,

Paraphrasing Garlinghouse, Claver said: “It really doesn’t matter which way it goes as long as we have something in place and we’re going to be able to run because we’re so far ahead of everybody else.”

Once the Clarity Act passes, NDA expirations could unleash a wave of partnership announcements. Deutsche Bank has already gone public. Ripple President Monica Long expects full-scale institutional adoption for the XRP Ledger in 2026.

The Rotation Is Already Starting

Bitcoin dominance has fallen from 61% in November to roughly 58%, signaling capital is beginning to shift toward large-cap alts. But Claver warns this cycle’s rotation will look different.

Bitcoin is now held primarily through ETFs and structured products, not on exchanges. The liquidity leaving BTC will likely flow into structured vehicles, not traditional altcoin markets.

For XRP, that distinction matters. If clarity arrives and institutional products scale, XRP sits at the front of that queue.

FAQs

The post Crypto Crash Today: Should You Buy the Bitcoin Dip as US and Israel Strike Iran? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Bombs, not bears, just dragged Bitcoin to its lowest level since the Feb. 5 crash.

US and Israeli forces launched a joint strike on Iran early Saturday, sending BTC spiraling from $65,500 to $63,000 in under an hour. Ethereum slid to around $1,850. Roughly $75 billion in total crypto market cap vanished before most traders even woke up.

Over 154,000 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours, with total liquidations hitting $522 million. Of that, $449 million came from longs alone. The largest single wipeout was an $11.17 million BTC position on Aster.

But the real tell is in the derivatives data. BTC futures volume hit $76.27 billion in the past 24 hours while spot volume sat at just $7.62 billion, per CoinGlass data. This was not organic selling but leveraged positions getting force-closed all together.

Every Iran Strike Has Crashed Crypto. Then What?

Here’s where it gets interesting.

In June 2025, when Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities, BTC dropped to around $103,000. By October, it had climbed back to new all-time highs above $125,000. In April 2024, when Iran fired missiles at Israel, BTC fell to $61,000. Months later, it broke previous highs again.

War crashes have historically acted as springboards. But there’s a catch.

Why “Just Buy the Dip” Could Backfire This Time

The market walking into this strike was already broken.

Bitcoin is down nearly 50% from its October 2025 peak of $126,000. The Fear and Greed Index sits at 14, deep in extreme fear territory. More critically, CryptoQuant confirmed that US spot Bitcoin ETFs have flipped to net sellers in February 2026, reversing last year’s trend when they were net buyers of 46,000 BTC.

On Deribit, the $60,000 put remains the largest put position by open interest at over 5,200 BTC, with the $55,000 put close behind at 4,657 BTC. Put volume in the last 24 hours has edged past call volume at 50.85% vs 49.15%.

The big players are betting on more pain.

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•   ,

One Signal Worth Watching

Not everything points down. Exchange netflows show roughly 522 BTC leaving platforms, which is an accumulation signal even as retail panics. Someone is buying what others are panic-selling.

The key level now is $63,100, where descending channel support sits. A clean break below that opens the door to $60,000. On the upside, $73,000 to $74,000 remains heavy resistance.

The pattern says bounce. The structure says caution. Which one wins likely depends on what Iran does next.

FAQs

The post Are Bitcoin ATMs Being Banned? Minnesota Bill Targets 350 Kiosks After $333M Fraud Crisis appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Minnesota lawmakers want every Bitcoin ATM in the state gone.

DFL Rep. Erin Koegel introduced House File 3642, a bill that would ban all crypto kiosks statewide and repeal the entire regulatory framework built just two years ago.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce is backing the move, with government relations director Sam Smith confirming the agency “strongly supports HF 3642” and plans to roll out even broader consumer protections in the coming days.

About 350 licensed Bitcoin ATMs from 8-10 companies currently operate across Minnesota. If this bill passes, every single one gets shut down.

Why Minnesota’s 2024 Crypto ATM Laws Weren’t Enough

Minnesota already tried regulating its way out of this problem. A 2024 law set $2,000 daily transaction limits for new customers and required fraud refunds. It didn’t work.

Woodbury Detective Lynn Lawrence told the House Commerce Committee that scammers simply adapted.

“These machines remain one of the most effective tools that scammers are continuing to use to steal money,” she said.

Worse, some victims are now being instructed by scammers to drive to Wisconsin to bypass Minnesota’s limits entirely.

Police Sgt. Jake Lanz described a case where a 78-year-old woman on a fixed income was coerced into sending roughly $80,000 over six months, leaving her facing housing instability.

“These cases, for us to investigate, are incredibly difficult based off how the money moves from the ATM and then transactions that typically lead overseas,” Lanz said.

Bitcoin ATM Scams: A National Problem Growing Fast

The FBI recorded over 12,000 crypto kiosk fraud complaints and $333 million in losses through November 2025 alone, up from $250 million the year before. Adults over 60 accounted for 86% of those losses.

Minnesota is far from alone. Indiana lawmakers voted 7-0 to convert a regulation bill into an outright Bitcoin ATM ban. Iowa’s Attorney General sued both Bitcoin Depot and CoinFlip after finding at least 95% of kiosk transactions in the state were fraudulent. Vermont extended its moratorium on new machines until July 2026.

What Happens Next

The bill only targets physical kiosks. Online crypto transactions remain legal. CoinFlip, which operates 50 kiosks in Minnesota, pushed back, arguing the state should tighten regulations rather than impose a blanket ban.

HF 3642 remains in committee with no vote scheduled yet. But the direction is unmistakable: states are not waiting for Washington to act.

Also Read: SEC ETF Deadline, CLARITY Act, New Fed Chair: 5 Events That Will Define Crypto in 2026

The post “The Biggest Question for Crypto”: Sam Bankman-Fried Triggers AI Payments Debate appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted FTX founder serving a 25-year sentence for wire fraud and conspiracy, posted a thread on X asking what he called “the biggest question for crypto”: will AI use it?

SBF argued that AI models like ChatGPT and Claude need compute, and traditional finance cannot serve them.

“How do they KYC? They have no passport, address, social security number, or even name,” he wrote, calling crypto the natural fit because it is “already digital” and “permissionless.”

The community was not interested in the philosophy. One user responded, “I just want to know how someone can be serving time for Wire Fraud gets access to the internet.”

Why Is SBF Still Posting From Prison?

Federal inmates are barred from social media access. SBF’s X account bio states posts are “posted through a proxy” This is not new. A simple “gm” tweet in September 2025 sent FTX’s token FTT surging 30%.

He has since used the account to praise the CLARITY Act, argue FTX was solvent at collapse, and file for a new trial on February 10, 2026. Trump has confirmed he will not consider a pardon.

Read More: SBF Demands New Trial, Claims Biden’s DOJ Silenced Key FTX Witnesses

The AI and Crypto Debate

This same week, Stripe co-founder John Collison predicted a “torrent” of AI agentic commerce running on stablecoins. Coinbase launched Agentic Wallets built on the x402 protocol, designed to let AI agents transact in USDC without human approval.

At NEARCON 2026, Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley called AI “an unstoppable freight train” and said public blockchains stand to be “an unmitigated benefactor” of AI adoption.

Not Everyone Thinks Crypto Is Ready

Hussein Faraj, NuGenesis Chief Expansion Officer, pushed back sharply.

“Crypto as it exists today is structurally corrupted,” he wrote. “It has no meaningful governance, no enforceable accountability, no fraud controls.”

Faraj argued AI needs “deterministic, programmable, compliant payment rails,” stable digital currencies, and regulated settlement. “That’s Web3 infrastructure. Not crypto,” he added.

Haun Ventures general partner Diogo Monica offered a different counter.

“You are telling me that a superhuman intelligence cannot use the current payment rails, the current credit cards… to pay for things and to figure it out on their own,” he said.

This Might Interest You: Goldman Sachs, Coinbase, CFTC Chair Join Trump’s World Liberty Forum as CLARITY Act Eyes April Deadline

What Comes Next

Stripe, Coinbase, and MoonPay are already building AI agent payment infrastructure. The question now is whether crypto matures fast enough to serve autonomous systems before traditional finance adapts.

The post Jack Dorsey’s Block AI Layoffs Spark Backlash: What This Means for Cash App Bitcoin Users appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Jack Dorsey’s company, the parent behind Square, Cash App, and Afterpay, slashed its workforce from over 10,000 to under 6,000 on Thursday. The announcement came alongside Q4 2025 earnings showing 24% gross profit growth to $2.87 billion. Cash App alone surged 33%.

Dorsey wrote in a shareholder letter, “Intelligence tools have changed what it means to build and run a company. A significantly smaller team, using the tools we’re building, can do more and do it better.”

Block’s stock jumped over 20% after hours, adding nearly $6 billion to its market cap.

AI or AI-Washing? Critics Weigh In

Not everyone is convinced AI is the real driver here.

Also Read: Crypto Bull Run 2026: Analyst Says AI Bubble, Silent Recession, Record Fear May Trigger a Rally

Will Slaughter pointed out that Block tripled its headcount from 3,900 to 12,500 between 2019 and 2022.

“Unwinding less than half an insane COVID overhiring binge has much more to do with Jack Dorsey’s managerial incompetence than whether AI is going to take your job,” he wrote.

It is abundantly clear that "AI is allowing us to be more efficient!" is a much more appealing cover story than "Uh, I have no idea how to manage a budget or achieve operating leverage, just like at Twitter!"

— Will Slaughter (@BamaBonds) February 26, 2026

Dorsey acknowledged the overhiring directly.

“Yes we over-hired during covid because I incorrectly built 2 separate company structures (Square & Cash App) rather than 1,” he posted, adding that Block is now targeting “$2M+ gross profit per person, 4x our pre-covid efficiency.”

Bull Theory also flagged that Block spent $68 million on a single company event in September 2025, recorded in its earnings as a spike in general and administrative expenses, calling it “roughly the annual payroll for 200 employees at $340,000 each.”

Satirist Alex Cohen added fuel with a viral fake layoff post: “I was fired from Block today. I was the PM in charge of changing the default tip option on the Square terminal to start at 40%. Jack replaced me with an AI agent that decides which tip amount to show based on your age, weight, and race.”

What Does This Mean for Cash App Bitcoin Users?

Block runs one of the largest retail Bitcoin platforms in the U.S. Cash App serves millions of users buying, selling, and holding BTC. The company also operates Bitkey, a self-custody Bitcoin wallet, and Proto, a Bitcoin mining hardware division.

Cash App generated $1.83 billion in gross profit last quarter, up 33% year over year, making it Block’s dominant revenue engine.

With 40% fewer employees managing that infrastructure, crypto markets will be watching whether a leaner Block accelerates its Bitcoin strategy or struggles to sustain it.

The post Japan Unveils First Trust Bank-Backed Yen Stablecoin JPYSC as Asia’s Crypto Rules Take Shape appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Japan just made a bold move in the global stablecoin race. SBI Holdings and Startale Group officially unveiled JPYSC, a Japanese yen stablecoin issued by SBI Shinsei Trust Bank, making it the first trust bank-backed stablecoin in the country.

The token is targeting a Q2 2026 launch, pending regulatory approval.

Unlike the existing JPYC stablecoin approved last October, which operates as a prepaid payment instrument, JPYSC sits in a completely different regulatory category. A trust bank issuing it means direct yen reserves, stronger governance, and full compliance under Japan’s Payment Services Act.

SBI VC Trade, the group’s licensed crypto exchange, will handle distribution. Startale Group, the Web3 firm behind the Astar Network with ties to Sony, is leading the technical build.

Why SBI and Startale Are Betting on a Digital Yen

The partners made it clear this is not just a payments play.

Startale Group CEO Sota Watanabe said, “Our yen-denominated stablecoin is not just a means of everyday payment – it will play a central role in a fully onchain world.”

He added that the team sees “enormous potential in enabling payments between AI agents and powering distributions for tokenized assets, both of which will soon become reality.”

The project is also built for interoperability across blockchain networks and traditional financial infrastructure, positioning JPYSC as a bridge between legacy banking and Web3.

Japan’s Stablecoin Regulation Is Moving Fast

Japan has been building toward this moment for years. The 2022 amendments to the Payment Services Act defined stablecoins as “Electronic Payment Instruments” and restricted issuance to licensed banks, trust companies, and fund transfer providers.

The country’s three megabanks, MUFG, SMBC, and Mizuho, already received FSA approval for a joint stablecoin pilot. In March 2025, lawmakers passed a bill allowing trust stablecoin issuers to invest up to 50% of reserves in short-term government bonds.

Japan’s Finance Minister has called 2026 a “Digital Year,” and the FSA is preparing to reclassify crypto assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.

Asia’s Stablecoin Race Intensifies

Japan is not moving alone. Hong Kong confirmed it will issue its first batch of stablecoin issuer licenses in March 2026 under its new Stablecoins Ordinance. South Korea is pushing won-denominated stablecoin adoption.

Also Read: Why Is Bitcoin Dropping? South Korea’s Record KOSPI Rally Shows Where Crypto Capital Is Going

With over 90% of the $309 billion stablecoin market currently pegged to the U.S. dollar, JPYSC represents a deliberate push by Japan to build regulated, non-USD digital rails for institutional settlement and cross-border payments.

The Q2 2026 launch window is now the date to watch.

The post Is the Crypto Bottom In? Jane Street Sued and 2 More Signals Flagged appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

The crypto market just staged one of its strongest single-day recoveries in weeks. Bitcoin surged from $63,000 to above $68,000, altcoins posted double-digit gains, and nearly $400 million in short positions were liquidated in 24 hours.

In a recent video analysis, crypto analyst Dan Gambardello connected three signals behind the move: the Jane Street lawsuit, historically oversold RSI levels, and macro indicators most traders are ignoring.

Jane Street Sued Over Terra Insider Trading

Terraform Labs’ estate filed a lawsuit against Jane Street, alleging the trading firm used insider information to profit from the $40 billion TerraUSD collapse in 2022. According to the suit, Jane Street sold its UST holdings on May 7, 2022, just hours before the stablecoin lost its peg.

What caught Gambardello’s attention was the timing. The day after the lawsuit dropped, the recurring “10 AM manipulation” pattern that traders had been tracking for months reportedly stopped. BTC jumped $2,000 and $120 million in shorts were liquidated.

He was clear that this is conspiracy-level speculation, not a confirmed thesis. Jane Street has called the allegations “baseless” and “desperate.”

Bitcoin RSI Drops to Lowest Level in History

Bitcoin’s weekly RSI has dropped to around 25.6, the most oversold reading in BTC’s entire history. The only two times it fell below 30 before were January 2015 near $200 and December 2018 near $3,500. Both came right before cycle bottoms.

But Gambardello warned against jumping to conclusions. In 2022, a similar oversold signal appeared, but the actual bottom came months later.

“Don’t sit here and be so certain the bottom is in. Time to go 10x, 20x, right? We’ll track that journey as it happens, but manage your risk,” he said.

Also Read: Bitcoin Bear Market Bottom or Another Leg Down? 5 Signals That Will Decide

Is This the Start of Altcoin Season?

XRP gained 7%, ADA surged 12%, LINK jumped 13%, and ETH climbed 9%. The OTHERS/BTC chart is sitting at record oversold levels, and the MACD line has crossed above the signal line for the first time in months.

That said, BTC dominance still has not broken down. The Altcoin Season Index is at 35, well below the 75 mark needed to confirm an altseason.

Gambardello also pointed to the Russell 2000 mirroring 2015-2017 pre-breakout structure, a pattern that has historically lined up with altcoin bull runs. PMI data arriving Monday could be the next macro trigger.

What Crypto Holders Should Watch Next

Bitcoin is currently trading at $68,190. The Jane Street legal battle continues, PMI data lands Monday, and whether this bounce turns into a real reversal comes down to follow-through.

“We are, in my opinion, nowhere near the top of the move, even though maybe it looks like it,” Gambardello said.

The post Telegram Wallet Launches DeFi Vaults With Up to 18% APY on BTC, ETH, and USDT appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Telegram’s crypto wallet just went from a simple send-and-receive tool to a full DeFi gateway. Wallet in Telegram has rolled out on-chain yield vaults through its self-custodial TON Wallet, letting Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT holders earn returns directly inside the app.

The top USDT strategy delivers a blended APY of up to 18%, powered by Re7’s DeFi strategy. ETH and BTC vaults are also live, though their yields are variable and no specific rates were shared.

Three protocols run the backend. Morpho, a lending network sitting on over $10 billion in deposits, provides the infrastructure. TAC, an EVM execution layer, brings wrapped Ethereum (wETH) and Coinbase-wrapped Bitcoin (cbBTC) into the TON network. Re7 handles risk management and curates the yield strategies.

TON’s Pivot Away From Tap-to-Earn

The timing here matters. After the tap-to-earn gaming craze flooded Telegram with mini-apps in 2024, user interest dropped off fast once the token reward hype cooled. The TON ecosystem has been searching for a reason to keep people engaged.

This vault launch looks like the answer. Two weeks ago, Wallet in Telegram added cross-chain deposits through MoonPay, allowing users to fund their TON Wallet with crypto from Ethereum, Solana, Tron, and other major chains. Now those users have somewhere to deploy that capital.

Andrew Rogozov, founder and CEO of The Open Platform and Wallet in Telegram, said, “With Vaults in TON Wallet, we are bridging the gap between sophisticated DeFi protocols and hundreds of millions of users.”

“Access to self-custodial vault strategies for ETH, BTC and USDT directly within TON ecosystem is a massive step toward making decentralized finance truly universal,” he added.

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What Users Should Know Before Depositing

The vaults are self-custodial, so users keep control of their assets. But the 18% APY on USDT is a blended rate from Re7’s strategy, not a fixed guarantee. Returns shift based on market conditions and strategy performance.

BTC and ETH vaults carry the same variable structure. No fixed numbers were announced for either.

What’s Next for Telegram’s Crypto Wallet

Wallet in Telegram plans to let users deposit native BTC and ETH directly, with automatic conversion to cbBTC and wETH once inside TON Wallet.

The platform currently has over 150 million registered users, positioning it as one of the largest crypto wallet operations tied to a messaging app.

FAQs

The post Why Is Bitcoin Dropping? South Korea’s Record KOSPI Rally Shows Where Crypto Capital Is Going appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Bitcoin has lost 45% of its value since October, currently trading at $68,617. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index dropped to 5 this month, its lowest reading ever recorded. Meanwhile, South Korea’s stock market just hit a new all-time high.

The KOSPI index broke past 6,000 this week, now up nearly 175% over the past year. That makes it one of the strongest rallies among major global markets right now. And it is being fueled largely by one sector: semiconductors.

Samsung, SK Hynix Behind South Korea’s Stock Market Rally

Chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix carry massive weight inside the KOSPI. When semiconductor earnings expectations rise, the entire market moves higher.

South Korea’s early February data backs this up. Daily average exports surged +47% year-over-year, even with fewer working days due to the Lunar New Year holiday. Semiconductor exports alone jumped +134% YoY, making up more than a third of total shipments.

Since semiconductor exports directly drive revenues for Korea’s largest listed companies, rising global AI demand is quickly translating into higher earnings expectations across the stock market.

Korean Retail Investors Are Moving From Crypto to AI Stocks

South Korea has historically been one of the most retail-driven crypto markets in the world. During bull markets, local demand often gets so strong that Bitcoin trades at higher prices on Korean exchanges compared to global markets. This price gap is known as the Kimchi Premium, and it has long been viewed as a sign of aggressive retail money entering crypto.

That premium has now compressed significantly.

Since the October crash, retail capital that previously flowed into crypto appears to be shifting toward domestic equities, particularly AI and semiconductor stocks tied to the global AI investment boom.

The retail money in Korea hasn’t disappeared. It may simply be chasing AI instead of crypto.

South Korea Proposes Disclosure Rules for Crypto Influencers

On the regulatory side, South Korean lawmaker Kim Seung-won introduced a proposal that would require crypto influencers to publicly reveal their holdings and any compensation received for promoting projects. Violations would carry penalties on par with market manipulation and unfair trading practices.

Also Read: South Korea Nears Landmark Crypto Regulation With Digital Asset Basic Act

South Korea’s stock market is breaking records. Bitcoin is still trying to recover from its worst drawdown since 2022. And the retail capital that once powered the Kimchi Premium is fueling a very different rally in 2026.