Crypto market February 25, 2026: Bitcoin is under pressure, and blockchain projects are moving forward

Despite the difficult macroeconomic background, the crypto industry continues to generate significant news. Bitcoin is trading around $65,000 after briefly dipping below $63,000, and major blockchain projects are announcing technical updates and institutional records. Here’s what’s important to know today.

Bitcoin: price under pressure from tariff wars

According to CoinDesk, at the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading around $65,100, while the day before the price fell below $63,000 – by more than 5% per day. Ethereum dropped to $1,826, and the total capitalization of the crypto market fell to approximately $2.22 trillion.Analysts attribute the decline not to intra-crypto market factors, but to a global shift away from risky assets amid growing tension tariffs and geopolitical risks. Bitcoin has lost about 50% of its value since its October maximum of $125,000, but experts are inclined to classify what is happening as a “tactical unloading” of positions, rather than a structural exit of institutions from crypto assets.

XRP Ledger launched Permissioned DEX for banks and brokers

One ​​of the key technical events of the week was the activation of the XLS-81 update on the XRP Ledger main network on February 18. The upgrade adds the so-called Permissioned DEX – a closed decentralized exchange, available only to verified participants with confirmed KYC/AML statuses. The update was supported by 82.35% of network validators.

This is a direct response to the request of banks and brokerage houses that cannot operate fully open DeFi systems due to regulatory restrictions. In parallel, last week the XLS-85 standard was activated, expanding the functionality of the escrow system to all tokens, including stablecoins and tokenized real assets.

Bitmine sets a record for Ethereum reserves

Bitmine Immersion Technologies (NYSE: BMNR) reported that as of February 22, its holdings reached 4.423 million ETH, worth about $8.6 billion at current rates. This is the largest institutional storage of Ethereum in the world – the company already controls 3.66% of the entire issued ETH supply. The total portfolio including Bitcoin, cash and “lunar investments” amounted to $9.6 billion.

Pi Network is preparing to launch PIDEX

The Pi Network ecosystem is attracting community attention with the announcement of the internal decentralized exchange PIDEX, which is tentatively scheduled to launch in March 2026. According to the team, the platform will allow the exchange of Picoin for stablecoins USDC and USDT. A key DEX update is expected on March 12, and the traditional “Pi Day” with the announcement of partnerships and new ecosystem projects is expected on March 14.

The USA continues to form a global crypto-regulatory standard

On the regulatory front, the SEC and CFTC continue to work together under “Project Crypto.” The CLARITY Act is being promoted in Congress, designed to delimit the jurisdiction of the two regulators regarding digital assets. At the same time, the GENIUS Act on stablecoins is being implemented – implementing rules must be released before July 2026.

News highlights

• Bitcoin is trading around $65,100, Ethereum – around $1,826 amid global risk aversion
• XRP Ledger has activated Permissioned DEX (XLS-81) for regulated institutions
• Bitmine became the world’s largest holder of ETH: 4.423 million tokens worth $9.6 billion
• Pi Network announced the launch of PIDEX in March 2026 with support for USDC/USDT
• SEC and CFTC are implementing a joint “Project Crypto”, the adoption of the CLARITY Act is expected

The information is for informational purposes only and under no circumstances constitutes individual investment advice. Investing in cryptocurrencies involves a high level of risk. Please consult a professional financial advisor before making any financial decisions.