On Friday, Polygon collected around $407,100 in fees, overtaking Ethereum's roughly $211,700, marking its first recorded lead. A burst of Polymarket activity drove the shift, with about $15 million bet on a single Oscars market and over $1 million in fees generated in seven days. Typical transaction costs were about $0.0026 on Polygon versus ~$1.68 on Ethereum.

Germany's Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel voiced support for euro-denominated private stablecoins and a wholesale CBDC under the EU's MiCA framework, speaking in Frankfurt. He argued these tools are needed to reduce reliance on USD-dominated payment rails and improve cross‑border efficiency. The stance marks a policy pivot toward building competitive euro options.

On February 17, 2026, President Donald Trump signaled that a comprehensive U.S. crypto market structure bill is close to passage, after prior Senate efforts had stalled. The proposed framework, which includes S. 3755 and H.R. 3633, would divide responsibilities between the SEC for securities and the CFTC for commodities, and grant exchanges a 180 day provisional registration period once enacted.

XRP rallied 8.09% to trade around $1.53 after news that Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse joined the CFTC’s Innovation Advisory Committee, which expanded to 35 members. Later price action showed XRP near $1.57609, testing $1.60 as short‑term averages at $1.47–$1.48 formed support. Institutional filings indicated Goldman Sachs held about $152 million in crypto ETFs.

On 29 January, Bitcoin logged seven consecutive spot ETF outflow days and traded near $89,500, down 4%, with the low $80,000s in view if it remains under the mid-$90,000s. Ethereum is testing $2,750–$2,850, while XRP is retesting $1.80 support, with ETH eyeing $2,500 and XRP $1.60.

Bitcoin found support at $93,000 but remains down 2.66% on the day, while the total crypto market cap is about $3.14 trillion, off 2.61%. Price was rejected again at $94,500–$95,000 and slid back into the range. Liquidity appears heavier below spot, particularly near $90,000, keeping downside risks elevated.

As 2026 begins, Alibaba's latest Qwen3-MAX AI model outlines bullish and bearish price paths for XRP, Solana, and Bitcoin, highlighting the potential for sharp volatility. The system sketches XRP trading between roughly $1.50 and $5, Solana targeting a possible $300 to $400 range, and Bitcoin eyeing levels above $150,000 in optimistic scenarios. These projections hinge on factors such as support and resistance zones, ETF flows, and broader market conditions, while also flagging downside risks below key price thresholds.

ChatGPT 5.2 outlined dual bullish and bearish paths for XRP, PEPE, and Shiba Inu for 2026. For XRP, it highlighted $1.80 support, $2.00 resistance, and RSI around 48, with a bull case up to $8 and a revisit to the $3–$5 range. PEPE's upside exceeds 200%, while SHIB's bull scenario tops 500% and the bear case points to a possible 70% drop.

In a new experiment, ChatGPT 5.2 was asked to project potential price paths for XRP, Dogecoin and Shiba Inu heading into 2026, presenting both upside and downside scenarios. For XRP, the AI's view ranges from a decline toward $1.20 to a possible return to the $3.50–$4.20 zone following Ripple's legal win and growing adoption. It also anticipates that a renewed memecoin cycle and broader risk-on sentiment could lift Dogecoin toward $0.30–$0.35 and help Shiba Inu recover if key price levels are reclaimed and its planned 2026 network upgrade is completed.