Strive vice president of Bitcoin strategy Joe Burnett projects that AI-driven technological deflation could pressure central banks into long-term monetary expansion, potentially lifting Bitcoin to $11 million per coin by the first quarter of 2036 and a $230 trillion market cap. His base case assumes Bitcoin's share of global financial assets rises from about 0.2% to roughly 12% and that global wealth compounds at 7% annually, implying around a 53% compound annual growth rate for BTC over the coming decade.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, Bybit reported that its AI-assisted risk monitoring system disrupted or stopped more than $300 million in suspected scam-related withdrawals. The platform said around $500 million in withdrawals were flagged overall, protecting over 4,000 users, many of whom canceled transfers after receiving real-time alerts.

Foom Cash, a decentralized lottery protocol using zero-knowledge proofs, suffered a $2.26 million exploit linked to a Groth16 verifier deployment error. A white hat identified the vulnerability and helped secure and return $1.84 million, with the protocol later paying a $320,000 bounty and $100,000 security fee. The incident highlights the expanding role of ethical hackers in defending Web3 projects against cross-chain attacks.

The United Kingdom's Gambling Commission is examining how cryptoassets could be used as payment methods at licensed online gambling platforms, according to a speech by executive director Tim Miller. Any such option would still require firms to obtain FCA authorization under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and be subject to strict affordability and suitability checks, with implementation aligned to the FCA's new crypto licensing framework targeting October 2027.

Crypto traders have accused Jane Street of driving a recurring 10:00 am Eastern Time Bitcoin price drop through programmatic selling linked to its IBIT holdings and a prior Terraform Labs lawsuit. Market analysts counter that blockchain and price data do not support a systemic dump pattern and argue that Bitcoin's large, fragmented market cannot be steered into a prolonged bear phase by any single trading firm.

Bitcoin and the wider crypto market are facing selling pressure as stablecoin supply contracts and investors rotate into precious metals and tokenized commodities. Analysts highlight that shrinking liquidity and renewed US tariff uncertainty are capping digital asset upside until clearer policy and rate-cut signals emerge.

Corporate Bitcoin treasury firms have recorded three straight weeks of net selling, while BTC trades near $66,191 and US spot Bitcoin ETFs see persistent outflows. Analysts warn that continued selling and weak fund inflows could drag Bitcoin toward prior bear market levels, though some view the drawdown as a healthy reset of leveraged positions.

Tether's USDT circulating supply has fallen by about $1.5 billion so far in February, after a $1.2 billion decrease in January. The pullback puts USDT on track for its steepest monthly contraction since the aftermath of FTX's collapse in November 2022. Large holders have been reducing balances while new wallets also added USDT.

In a Wednesday report drawing on roughly 2,500 internal investigations, AMLBot found that 65% of the 2025 crypto incidents it handled involved social engineering and user access or response lapses rather than protocol flaws. By case count, investment scams led at 25%, followed by phishing at 18% and device compromises at 13%.