TL;DR

• Bitcoin’s price rose by 0.09% to $96,230.5, while Ethereum’s price increased by 1.76% to $2,729.33.
• Dolomite’s Total Value Locked (TVL) surpassed $735 million, setting a new all-time high.
• Circle has expanded the scale of USDC issuance on Solana, driving ecosystem development.
• Michael Saylor released the “21 Rules of Bitcoin.”
• DWF Labs partners unveil the upcoming launch of Falcon Finance, a new synthetic dollar protocol.
• Brevan Howard Digital deployed $20 million in Kinto, helping to bridge traditional finance’s entry into DeFi.

Market Analysis

• BTC — The price of BTC has increased by 0.09% in the past 24 hours, currently priced at $96,230.5. The price saw support and a brief rebound after testing the support level near $95,000. Currently, BTC is in a wide range of fluctuating prices, with the range roughly between $98,500 and $94,000. Overall trading volume saw a brief uptick during the dip but remains low. Market sentiment is cautious, and without a breakthrough above the resistance level, it may continue to test the lower bound in the short term. [1]

• ETH — The price of ETH has increased by 1.76% in the past 24 hours, currently priced at $2,729.33. ETH is in a consolidation phase, with short-term support between $2,700 and $2,730, and resistance around $2,800 to $2,850. If it breaks above $2,800 and holds, it could resume an upward trend; however, if it falls below the short-term support, it may lead to further decline toward $2,600.

• Altcoins — The sectors of Layer2, NFT, and Payment Solutions have changed by +7.0%, +3.1%, and +0.9%, respectively. [3]
• Spot Gold — The price of spot gold is $2,889.03 per ounce, with a daily increase of 0.20%(as of 12:00 PM UTC+8, February 18).[4]
• US Dollar Index — On February 17, the US Dollar Index stood at 106.95, up by 0.22%(as of 12:00 PM UTC+8, February 18）. [5]
• Fear and Greed Index — The Fear and Greed Index is at 47, indicating that the market is in a neutral state. [6]

Top Performers

According to Gate.io market data [7], based on trading volume and price performance over the past 24 hours, the top-performing altcoins are as follows:

ZBCN (Zebec Protocol) — The price increased by approximately 22.15% in a single day, with a circulating market capitalization of $115 million. \
Zebec Network is a streaming payment protocol built on the Solana blockchain, designed to provide real-time, continuous, and programmable cash flow solutions. The protocol is primarily driven by increased market demand, ecosystem expansion, and market sentiment. As a real-time payment protocol based on Solana, Zebec is attracting more attention from users and developers, with its application scenarios in DeFi, NFTs, and gaming continuing to expand. Additionally, the overall recovery of the crypto market and rising investor interest in emerging projects have further driven the increase in ZBCN’s price.

IP (Story Network) — The price rose by approximately 18.61% in a single day, with a circulating market capitalization of $480 million.
Story Protocol is a Layer1 blockchain protocol aimed at helping creators monetize their intellectual property (IP) assets. The protocol allows creators to transform IPs, such as artwork, music, and AI-generated content, into programmable assets for licensing, secondary creation, and monetization. The IP token, as the native token of Story Protocol, is used for paying on-chain transaction fees, staking to ensure network security, and participating in governance decisions.

Regarding token distribution, the total supply of IP is 1 billion tokens, with 58.4% allocated to the community, including the ecosystem, foundation, and initial incentives. After being listed on multiple CEXs, the price of IP surged by over 80%, showing strong market demand. Additionally, the IP token will be used for staking, paying gas fees, and governance, which may have increased market confidence in the token, driving its price upward.

S (Sonic) — The price rose by approximately 12.9% in a single day, with a circulating market capitalization of $1.791 billion.
Sonic SVM is the first Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) Layer2 network, designed to provide a high-speed, low-cost transaction environment for gaming and other decentralized applications. Its native token, SONIC, plays a crucial role in the platform’s operations, including network security, governance participation, and in-game transactions.

The recent price increase may be attributed to its technological upgrades and the expansion of strategic partnerships. Sonic focuses on high-concurrency and low-latency blockchain gaming experiences, aiming to enhance user experiences. Additionally, Sonic successfully attracted more users to its ecosystem through a partnership with TikTok, leveraging the platform’s vast user base. These factors combined have driven the increase in the price of Sonic’s token.

Data Highlights

Dolomite TVL Reaches $735 Million, Setting a New All-Time High

As of February 18, Dolomite’s Total Value Locked (TVL) has reached $735 million, setting a new all-time high and showcasing strong growth momentum in the DeFi sector. Dolomite, a decentralized finance platform, offers a range of financial services, including lending, trading, and asset management, attracting significant user and capital inflows. The continued growth of its TVL reflects users’ trust in the platform’s features and security. Since Dolomite launched on Berachain on February 7, its BERA token, which offers up to 28% annualized return, has likely contributed to drawing even more funds into the ecosystem. [8]

Circle Expands USDC Minting on Solana, Boosting Ecosystem Development

According to OnchainLens monitoring, Circle minted an additional 250 million USDC on the Solana blockchain on February 18, bringing the total USDC minted on Solana in 2025 to 7.25 billion. This trend highlights the increasing influence of Solana in the stablecoin market, which may attract more stablecoin issuers to deploy on the platform. The widespread issuance of USDC provides ample liquidity for decentralized finance (DeFi) and other applications on the Solana network, fostering ecosystem growth. As the USDC supply continues to increase, trading and payments on Solana will become more convenient, helping attract more developers and projects to join the ecosystem.

It is worth noting that the total market capitalization of USDC is steadily growing, with a circulating supply of approximately $56.5 billion. This demonstrates USDC’s significant role as a stablecoin in the cryptocurrency market, and its widespread use across multiple blockchains further strengthens its market influence. [9]

Bitcoin Miners Have Sold Over 2,000 BTC in the Past Week

According to data from CryptoQuant, Bitcoin miners’ reserves have decreased by more than 2,000 BTC over the past week. The reduction in miner reserves may indicate that miners are selling their Bitcoin holdings to cover operational costs or respond to market fluctuations. This could impact the supply and demand dynamics of the market, potentially affecting Bitcoin’s price movement. Investors should closely monitor miner activity to assess potential risks and opportunities in the market. [10]

Spotlight Analysis

Michael Saylor Releases “21 Rules of Bitcoin,” HIghlighting Bitcoin’s Unique Value

Michael Saylor, founder of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), posted on X a summary of the “21 Rules of Bitcoin.” These rules emphasize Bitcoin’s uniqueness and future significance, including that those who understand Bitcoin will buy it, while those who don’t will criticize it; learning about Bitcoin is an endless journey, and Bitcoin is driven by chaos; Bitcoin is the only “casino game” where everyone can win; and Bitcoin is the only thing you can truly own.

He also mentioned that the funds used to purchase Bitcoin should be from the portion you “cannot afford to lose,” and that Bitcoin is open to everyone, but it requires the ability to think and understand. He called for respect for Bitcoin and spreading Bitcoin with love. [11]

Michael Saylor’s “21 Rules of Bitcoin” strengthen the narrative of Bitcoin as the “ultimate store of value,” which could accelerate the trend of institutions viewing it as a defensive asset on their balance sheets. Additionally, this move may prompt regulators to focus more on investor education.

DWF Labs Partner Announces Launch of Synthetic Dollar Protocol Falcon Finance

Andrei Grachev, a partner at DWF Labs, announced that the synthetic dollar protocol, Falcon Finance, will be launched on February 18. The protocol is backed by multiple assets and employs a hedging and farming system designed to enhance returns and stability. Its native stablecoin, USDf, is also set to launch. What makes Falcon Finance unique is its multi-asset collateral mechanism, allowing users to use a variety of digital assets as collateral to mint the USDf stablecoin. Additionally, the built-in hedging strategies and farming system allow users to earn higher yields while managing risks. This design aims to provide users with a more flexible and secure stablecoin solution. [12]

Brevan Howard Digital Deploys $20 Million in Kinto, Accelerating Traditional Finance’s DeFi Integration

The Abu Dhabi branch of global investment management company Brevan Howard Digital has deployed $20 million into the Ethereum Layer2 network Kinto, participating in its on-chain financial ecosystem. Kinto is a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform based on Ethereum that integrates compliance features such as KYC and anti-money laundering (AML) on the blockchain, aiming to help highly regulated financial institutions engage in the DeFi ecosystem. Kinto’s CEO and co-founder, Ramon Recuero, stated that the platform will operate a decade-long mining incentive program, where participants can earn token rewards by depositing assets on-chain. Furthermore, Kinto offers smart contract wallets with default insurance and enhanced security features, further lowering the participation barrier for institutions. The mining program rewards participants for asset deposits, with rewards being gradually distributed over the next 10 years. Brevan Howard Digital is one of the first traditional financial institutions to engage with this program using digital assets. [13]

Airdrop Opportunities

Nomisma

Nomisma is an AI-driven DeFAI platform and a Layer1 sidechain within the Chromia ecosystem. By leveraging the powerful capabilities of relational blockchain technology, Nomisma aims to address the limitations of traditional blockchains, such as high Gas fees, front-running (MEV), and limited on-chain data processing capacity. [14]

Nomisma’s testnet will launch in Q1 2025, enabling users to participate in ecosystem building through social tasks, trading competitions, and pre-staking to earn eligibility for token airdrops. The testnet phase is a key period for securing early tokens, and active users will receive official tokens when the mainnet goes live in Q2 2025. Additionally, a staking reward mechanism will be introduced, offering extra returns for long-term holders. Early participation in test tasks will not only accumulate airdrop rewards but also provide an opportunity to gain an advantage in token distribution when the mainnet launches.

How to Participate:

• Visit the official website and link your wallet. [15]
• Complete the daily check-in to earn 250 Npoints.
• Complete designated social tasks.
• Invite friends to participate in Nomisma and earn 500 Npoints per referral.

Note:
The airdrop plan and participation methods are subject to change at any time. It is recommended that users follow Nomisma’s official channels for the latest updates. Additionally, users should exercise caution and conduct thorough research before participating. Gate.io does not guarantee the distribution of subsequent airdrop rewards.


References:

1. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/trade/BTC_USDT
2. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/trade/ETH_USDT
3. CoinGecko,https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories
4. Investing,https://investing.com/currencies/xau-usd
5. Investing,https://cn.investing.com/indices/usdollar
6. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/bigdata
7. Gate.io,https://www.gate.io/price
8. Defillama,https://defillama.com/protocol/dolomite
9. X,https://x.com/OnchainLens/status/1891651355129020693
10. X,https://x.com/ali_charts/status/1891639264867385596
11. X,https://x.com/saylor/status/1891492169409593715
12. X,https://x.com/ag_dwf/status/1891665352875995177
13. Coindesk,https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/02/17/brevan-howard-digital-deploys-usd20m-on-ethereum-based-kinto-in-institutional-defi-push
14. X,https://x.com/NomismaNetwork
15. Nomisma,https://nomisma.network/quests

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Disclaimer
Investing in the cryptocurrency market involves high risk, and it is recommended that users conduct independent research and fully understand the nature of the assets and products they are purchasing before making any investment decisions. Gate.io is not responsible for any losses or damages caused by such investment decisions.