USDC Market Cap Nears $80B as UAE Capital Flight Drives Demand

The market capitalization of the USDC stablecoin is approaching a record high near $80 billion as demand surges in the Middle East, with one analyst linking the spike to capital flight from the United Arab Emirates. According to data from CoinMarketCap, USDC (USDC)’s circulating supply has risen to roughly $79.2 billion, marking a new all-time high for the dollar-pegged stablecoin. The stablecoin’s market cap previously hit a high of below $79 billion in December last year. The increase comes after supply expanded by billions of dollars in recent weeks. The…

Spot Bitcoin ETFs Log Their First Five-Day Inflow Streak of 2026

US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) logged their first five-day inflow streak of 2026, bringing in roughly $767.32 million this week. The funds recorded $180.33 million in net inflows on Friday, extending the run of positive flows that began earlier in the week. The strongest day of the streak came on Tuesday, when spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs attracted $250.92 million, according to data from SoSoValue. The last time the funds saw a comparable streak was in late November 2025, when spot Bitcoin ETFs logged five consecutive days of net inflows…

BlackRock Won’t Consider Exotic Crypto ETFs

BlackRock’s digital assets head, Robert Mitchnick, said the $14 trillion asset manager won’t get too creative with the types of crypto exchange-traded funds it offers, even as it launched a staking-focused Ether ETF on Thursday. Speaking on CNBC’s Crypto World segment on Friday, Mitchnick acknowledged that some of the crypto ETF structures that other asset managers are experimenting with may appeal to certain investors, but said BlackRock will continue to take a more measured approach: “Will we see some more exotic structures coming into the space? I think no question,”…

BlackRock says over 90% of Bitcoin ETF investors are long-term accumulators

BlackRock’s digital assets chief Robert Mitchnick said that more than 90% of Bitcoin ETF investors, including retail, financial advisors, and institutions, have followed a steady accumulation strategy. Speaking to CNBC today, Mitchnick said retail investors “are some of the most long-term focused” and have tended to “buy the dip” when markets decline, while hedge funds account for a smaller share of more tactical trading activity. “The only part of the demand base where we do see some tendency towards short-termism is the roughly 10 or so percent that is actually…

Stablecoins Could Power Global Payments: Druckenmiller

Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller said blockchain and stablecoins may only be a decade away from powering the global payments system — though he isn’t sold on the idea of crypto functioning as a store of value. In an interview with Morgan Stanley recorded on Jan. 30 and released on Friday, the former hedge fund manager said blockchain-based tokens — particularly stablecoins — boost productivity in the payments space: “Blockchain and the use of stablecoins, if you want to throw crypto into that, tokens, incredibly useful in terms of productivity,” Druckenmiller…

Bitcoin Strength Stuns Bears But They Haven’t Given Up Yet

Key takeaways: Bitcoin sits above $71,000 as weak US economic data and the US and Israel-Iran war drive investors toward scarce assets. Tech stocks’ correlation to BTC and rising oil prices suggest that the 5-month correction from $126,000 might not be over. Bitcoin (BTC) jumped above $73,000 on Friday, successfully locking in the 70,000 support for the week. These gains occurred as the US reported weak economic activity data, triggering concerns of an impending recession while the war in Iran continues to drag on. While socio-economic events and institutional inflows…

Circle‘s USDC Overtook Tether‘s USDT in Adjusted YTD Volume: Mizuho

Analysts at the investment company said the change was significant because the stablecoin “winner” will be the one people use for everyday transactions. Japanese investment bank Mizuho reported that stablecoin issuer Circle’s USDC overtook Tether’s USDt in transaction volume for the first time since 2019. In a research note released on Friday, Mizuho said it had raised its price target for Circle stock from $100 to $120 after comparing transaction volumes between the two major stablecoins. According to Mizuho, USDC (USDC) had about $2.2 trillion in adjusted transaction volume for…

‘Window Is Narrowing’ To Pass BTC Tax Exemption

The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), an industry advocacy group, is eyeing a target window between March and August 2026 to pass a de minimis tax exemption for Bitcoin through Congress, warning that time to pass meaningful legislation is running out. BPI said it has engaged with 19 Congressional offices in both the House and Senate over the last three months to pitch US lawmakers on a tax exemption for Bitcoin (BTC) transactions below a certain threshold. Expanding the de minimis tax exemptions beyond dollar-pegged stablecoins has bipartisan support, but the…

ETH Bulls Target $2.8K But Data Highlights Many Hurdles

After reaching a monthly high of $2,209 on Friday, Ether (ETH) price fell back below a key monthly resistance, which has been tested five times since February. While onchain data highlights a large cluster of investors near $2,800, Ether’s futures market data shows traders are scaling back positions after this week’s rally. Investors’ $2,800 cost basis highlights a major accumulation zone Data from Glassnode indicated that ETH’s cost-basis distribution heatmap shows a heavy accumulation near $2,800, where more than 3 million ETH were previously purchased. The cost-basis clusters identify the…