Altcoin Surge: Polkadot Leads Crypto Rally as Bitcoin and Ethereum Rebound

I. Crypto Market Overview

Key Takeaways

Macro Environment

The Federal Reserve signaled an extended rate hold amid persistent inflation and a stable labor market, maintaining a mildly restrictive stance. Australia's higher-than-expected CPI delays RBA cuts, sustaining global yield pressure. Hong Kong's upcoming stablecoin licensing is set to boost institutional adoption and regional crypto liquidity.

Crypto Market

The crypto market rallied in the past 12 hours, led by altcoins. Bitcoin rose 4.06% to $68,513, while Ethereum surged 7.96% to $2,060, both buoyed by renewed ETF inflows and risk-on sentiment. Polkadot soared 30.5%, Morpho Labs gained 4.89%, and Virtuals Protocol jumped 12.77%, driven by strong trading volumes and sector momentum.

Today's Outlook

Today, US Initial Jobless Claims and Advance Durable Goods data will be released, potentially impacting economic outlook and crypto market sentiment. The Bureau of Economic Analysis will also provide its final update of US Q3 GDP, offering key insights into US economic growth performance.

Fear and Greed Index

88.00% Annual Percentile

11 Fear

Total Crypto Market Cap

$2.36T

6.16%

Total Market Trading Volume

$129.61B

41.27%

Altcoin Season Index

50.00%

Quarterly Percentile

35 / 100

Total Futures Market Open Interest

3.24B

2.87%

Futures

399.02B

11.48%

Perpetuals

II. Industry Updates

Macro-economic Policies

The Federal Reserve signaled an extended hold on interest rates, citing persistent inflation and a stabilizing labor market. This cautious stance supports a neutral to mildly restrictive liquidity environment, limiting immediate upside for Bitcoin and DEFI markets.

Australia's CPI inflation surged to 3.8% in January, exceeding expectations and delaying prospects for RBA rate cuts. Elevated inflation in developed economies may sustain higher global yields, impacting crypto market risk appetite and stablecoin demand.

The Bank of England reaffirmed its hawkish approach, emphasizing the need to 'bear down' on inflation. Prolonged high rates in the UK could dampen GBP-denominated crypto flows and reduce leverage in DeFi protocols tied to sterling.

The U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of broad tariffs led to new 10% global tariffs under Section 122, raising effective U.S. tariff rates. This move may increase inflation volatility and indirectly affect crypto as a hedge against fiat instability.

Hong Kong announced it will begin issuing stablecoin licenses in March and expand digital asset legislation. This policy shift is expected to boost institutional stablecoin adoption and enhance liquidity in Asia-focused crypto markets.

Cryptocurrency Regulatory Trends

The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has issued a proposed rulemaking to implement the GENIUS Act, seeking public input on stablecoin regulations. This signals imminent federal oversight, boosting institutional confidence in compliant stablecoin products.

Payoneer has applied for a US national trust bank charter to issue and manage its own USD-pegged stablecoin, PAYO-USD. This move highlights the trend of fintechs seeking direct regulatory approval, potentially accelerating stablecoin adoption in cross-border payments.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a stablecoin regulatory sandbox, selecting four firms to pilot stablecoin issuance. This initiative aims to shape comprehensive UK crypto regulations by 2027, supporting innovation while ensuring consumer protection.

Recent US stablecoin regulatory negotiations show progress on limiting rewards for passive holdings, with a compromise likely by March 1. This could resolve a key legislative hurdle and provide clarity for stablecoin issuers and investors.

The surge in fintech and crypto firms applying for US trust bank charters reflects a regulatory shift, as federal charters offer clearer compliance pathways for stablecoin issuance and custody, likely increasing market stability and investor trust.

Polkadot (DOT): DOT surged 19% in 24h, leading altcoin gains ahead of Nvidia earnings; trading volume spiked 129%, driven by renewed market optimism and increased activity.

MORPHO Labs (MORPHO): MORPHO rose 24% in 24h with $69M volume, ranking among top gainers; price action likely fueled by DeFi sector momentum, though no specific catalyst was identified.

Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL): VIRTUAL climbed 20% in 24h, entering top gainers list; strong price move attributed to overall altcoin rally, but no unique project event was confirmed.

Smart Money Movements

The whale 'pension-usdt.eth' closed long positions in ETH and BTC, securing a $1.16 million profit, bringing total realized gains to over $25 million.

Vitalik Buterin sold 15,479 ETH for approximately $30.94 million at an average price of $1,999 per ETH, with 94% of a planned 16,384 ETH sale completed.

A 2,000 BTC transaction worth about $138.1 million was transferred between unknown wallets, highlighting ongoing large-scale Bitcoin movements.

BlackRock deposited 1,134 BTC valued at $74.18 million into Coinbase, signaling continued institutional activity in the crypto market.

MicroStrategy's short interest surged to 14% of its market cap, driven by arbitrage trades involving spot Bitcoin ETFs and MSTR shares, as traders exploited price discrepancies.

Events to Watch

Feb 26 (Thu)

US Initial Jobless Claims and Advance Durable Goods data will be released, potentially impacting economic outlook and crypto market sentiment.

Feb 26 (Thu)

The Bureau of Economic Analysis will provide its final update of US Q3 GDP, offering key insights into US economic growth performance.

Feb 27 (Fri)

First release of US Gross Domestic Product data for Q4 2025; US PCE Price Index data for January 2026 will also be published.

Feb 28 (Sat)

Major token unlocks: Jupiter (JUP) will release over $36M in tokens; Grass will unlock $9.33M, potentially affecting token prices.

Mar 1 (Sun)

CLARITY Act deadline: Banks and crypto industry must resolve stablecoin yield dispute and agree on new US crypto regulation bill draft.

III. Phemex Market Focus

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Feb 12: (AZTEC/USDT)

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Feb 11: (ESP/USDT)

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Feb 11: (NVDAON/USDT)

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Table of Contents

I. Crypto Market Overview

Key Takeaways

Macro Environment

Crypto Market

Today's Outlook

II. Industry Updates

Macro-economic Policies

The Federal Reserve signaled an extended hold on interest rates, citing persistent inflation and a stabilizing labor market. This cautious stance supports a neutral to mildly restrictive liquidity environment, limiting immediate upside for Bitcoin and DEFI markets.

Australia's CPI inflation surged to 3.8% in January, exceeding expectations and delaying prospects for RBA rate cuts. Elevated inflation in developed economies may sustain higher global yields, impacting crypto market risk appetite and stablecoin demand.

The Bank of England reaffirmed its hawkish approach, emphasizing the need to 'bear down' on inflation. Prolonged high rates in the UK could dampen GBP-denominated crypto flows and reduce leverage in DeFi protocols tied to sterling.

The U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of broad tariffs led to new 10% global tariffs under Section 122, raising effective U.S. tariff rates. This move may increase inflation volatility and indirectly affect crypto as a hedge against fiat instability.

Hong Kong announced it will begin issuing stablecoin licenses in March and expand digital asset legislation. This policy shift is expected to boost institutional stablecoin adoption and enhance liquidity in Asia-focused crypto markets.

Cryptocurrency Regulatory Trends

The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has issued a proposed rulemaking to implement the GENIUS Act, seeking public input on stablecoin regulations. This signals imminent federal oversight, boosting institutional confidence in compliant stablecoin products.

Payoneer has applied for a US national trust bank charter to issue and manage its own USD-pegged stablecoin, PAYO-USD. This move highlights the trend of fintechs seeking direct regulatory approval, potentially accelerating stablecoin adoption in cross-border payments.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a stablecoin regulatory sandbox, selecting four firms to pilot stablecoin issuance. This initiative aims to shape comprehensive UK crypto regulations by 2027, supporting innovation while ensuring consumer protection.

Recent US stablecoin regulatory negotiations show progress on limiting rewards for passive holdings, with a compromise likely by March 1. This could resolve a key legislative hurdle and provide clarity for stablecoin issuers and investors.

The surge in fintech and crypto firms applying for US trust bank charters reflects a regulatory shift, as federal charters offer clearer compliance pathways for stablecoin issuance and custody, likely increasing market stability and investor trust.

Trending Tokens

Polkadot (DOT): DOT surged 19% in 24h, leading altcoin gains ahead of Nvidia earnings; trading volume spiked 129%, driven by renewed market optimism and increased activity.

MORPHO Labs (MORPHO): MORPHO rose 24% in 24h with $69M volume, ranking among top gainers; price action likely fueled by DeFi sector momentum, though no specific catalyst was identified.

Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL): VIRTUAL climbed 20% in 24h, entering top gainers list; strong price move attributed to overall altcoin rally, but no unique project event was confirmed.

Smart Money Movements

The whale 'pension-usdt.eth' closed long positions in ETH and BTC, securing a $1.16 million profit, bringing total realized gains to over $25 million.

Vitalik Buterin sold 15,479 ETH for approximately $30.94 million at an average price of $1,999 per ETH, with 94% of a planned 16,384 ETH sale completed.

A 2,000 BTC transaction worth about $138.1 million was transferred between unknown wallets, highlighting ongoing large-scale Bitcoin movements.

BlackRock deposited 1,134 BTC valued at $74.18 million into Coinbase, signaling continued institutional activity in the crypto market.

MicroStrategy's short interest surged to 14% of its market cap, driven by arbitrage trades involving spot Bitcoin ETFs and MSTR shares, as traders exploited price discrepancies.

Events to Watch

Feb 26 (Thu)

Feb 26 (Thu)

Feb 27 (Fri)

Feb 28 (Sat)

Mar 1 (Sun)

III. Phemex Market Focus

New Listings

Phemex Promotions