Crypto Market Surges: BTC, ETH Lead Gains as Altcoins Rally on Regulatory Shifts

I. Crypto Market Overview

Key Takeaways

Macro Environment

The US Senate is debating the CLARITY Act to clarify crypto regulation, potentially reducing market uncertainty. Dutch lawmakers advanced a 36% capital gains tax on crypto, raising concerns over investor outflows. Russia's central bank will study a domestic stablecoin in 2026, reflecting shifting policy amid US and EU regulatory advances.

Crypto Market

The crypto market rebounded in the past 12 hours, with BTC up 3.5% to $69,567 and ETH rising 5.5% to $2,075, driven by easing inflation and renewed risk appetite. Altcoins outperformed, led by PIPPIN (+34.4%), Bittensor (+22.5%), and Zcash (+20.3%), fueled by meme coin momentum, AI narrative, and privacy demand.

Today's Outlook

No major token unlocks or protocol launches are scheduled for today, but market focus remains on regulatory developments and macroeconomic signals, which may drive volatility and sector rotation.

Fear and Greed Index

28.00% Annual Percentile

8 Fear

Total Crypto Market Cap

$2.38T

3.30%

Total Market Trading Volume

$96.73B

2.97%

Altcoin Season Index

83.33%

Quarterly Percentile

32 / 100

Total Futures Market Open Interest

3.67B

1.83%

Futures

537.52B

3.01%

Perpetuals

II. Industry Updates

Macro-economic Policies

US January CPI data showed inflation cooling to 2.4%, increasing expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut in 2025. This has led to renewed risk appetite, supporting BTC and DeFi liquidity amid lower yield pressures.

The Federal Reserve is expected to keep rates unchanged at the March FOMC meeting, with the first rate cut window now pushed to summer. This cautious stance maintains a tight macro environment, limiting upside for crypto assets in the short term.

Singapore's Ministry of Finance has implemented targeted budget measures to reinforce SGD stability and boost equity market development. These policies enhance capital inflows and may increase institutional participation in Asian crypto markets.

Norwegian krone (NOK) remains resilient but is highly sensitive to domestic CPI data. Any softening in Norwegian inflation could trigger currency weakness, impacting BTC/NOK trading pairs and cross-border DeFi flows.

Tight US labor market data and moderating inflation have reinforced expectations of no immediate Fed policy change, keeping crypto market volatility elevated as traders await clearer signals for risk-on positioning.

Cryptocurrency Regulatory Trends

The US Senate is debating the CLARITY Act, aiming to define SEC and CFTC roles, regulate stablecoins, and clarify DeFi oversight, which could reduce market uncertainty.

Dutch lawmakers advanced a 36% capital gains tax on CRYPTO, including unrealized gains, sparking concerns over investor outflows and potential negative impact on the local CRYPTO market.

Canada introduced a tiered crypto custody framework, setting new standards for digital asset storage and investor protection, likely increasing compliance costs for platforms.

Russia's central bank will study the feasibility of a domestic stablecoin in 2026, reflecting a policy shift amid US and EU regulatory advances and potential geopolitical impacts.

Virginia's legislature passed a bill to regulate crypto ATM kiosks, introducing licensing, transaction limits, and anti-fraud measures to enhance consumer protection and market integrity.

PIPPIN (PIPPIN): PIPPIN surged 33% in 24h to $0.67 with $87M volume, driven by meme coin momentum and AI narrative, reaching a new all-time high.

Bittensor (TAO): Bittensor jumped 22% in 24h to $194.5 with $298M volume, fueled by renewed AI token interest and high on-chain activity.

Zcash (ZEC): Zcash rose 20% in 24h to $283.5 with $563M volume, as privacy coin demand spiked amid increased regulatory discussions.

Smart Money Movements

A Bitcoin whale transferred 5,000 BTC worth $384.82 million to Binance, signaling potential selling pressure and drawing significant market attention.

ARK Invest purchased $15.2 million in Coinbase stock, acquiring approximately 92,800 shares through three ETFs, following a recent $39 million sale earlier this month.

Ethereum whale addresses holding 60,000 and 45,000 ETH, valued at $123 million and $92.82 million respectively, turned cumulative floating profits exceeding $2.16 million as ETH prices rebounded.

XRP whales accumulated 3 billion tokens, nearly 5% of circulating supply, as XRP's market cap dropped from $170 billion to $86 billion, reflecting $84 billion in value loss since Q4 2025.

A whale deposited 2 million PIPPIN tokens worth $1.04 million to MEXC, realizing a $3.6 million profit, and still holds 2.03 million PIPPIN valued at $1.29 million.

Events to Watch

Feb 17 (Tue)

Canada to release January CPI data; Germany to publish January Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices; UK to announce December ILO Unemployment Rate; RBA to release latest meeting minutes.

Feb 18 (Wed)

UK to release January CPI report, offering key inflation insights; US Federal Reserve to publish January FOMC meeting minutes.

Feb 20 (Fri)

US to release December PCE Price Index, Q4 GDP data, and University of Michigan Sentiment Report; preliminary Q4 GDP readings and PCE inflation index expected.

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