Geopolitics

February 14 News, the U.S. cryptocurrency regulatory system is accelerating the integration of industry-leading technical talent. Anatoly Yakovenko, the founder of the high-speed blockchain Solana, was recently selected for the newly established Innovation Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), becoming one of the few blockchain protocol designers directly involved in federal policy discussions. This appointment indicates that U.S. regulators are shifting from an “external review” approach to a new path of “collaborating with developers to set rules.” The Innovation Advisory Committee is composed of 35 members, focusing on cutting-edge issues in blockchain infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and digital asset markets, and providing regulatory agencies with advice on technology and market trends. The committee is led by Michael S. Selig, with the goal of helping the U.S. market adapt more efficiently to the rapidly evolving fintech environment. Yakovenko’s practical experience in low-latency, high-throughput network architecture is seen as offering a realistic perspective for derivatives settlement, on-chain transparency, and system stability assessment.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has opened up virtual asset margin financing and perpetual contracts, limited to professional investors to enhance market liquidity and risk management. Measures include allowing Bitcoin and Ethereum as collateral, while establishing transparent design and information disclosure principles to assist investors in risk management. Affiliates can act as market makers to further increase liquidity.

ChainCatcher News, the General Office of the State Council issued the Implementation Opinions on Improving the National Unified Electricity Market System, which points out to improve the functions of the electricity market, accelerate the establishment of a green electricity consumption certification mechanism, and fully introduce technologies such as blockchain to conduct full-chain certification for green electricity production, consumption, and other links.

Russian Deputy Finance Minister Chebeskov stated that Russia's daily cryptocurrency trading volume is about 50 billion rubles, with millions of citizens participating, reflecting a significant increase in public interest in digital assets as a savings tool.

Non-profit organization Motiv Peru combines humanitarian aid and Bitcoin finance in Peru, successfully establishing a Bitcoin circular economy in impoverished communities. Since 2011, Peruvian merchants have accepted Bitcoin transactions and promoted digital currency in response to local demand. Motiv Peru promotes Bitcoin through education and practical application, reaching over 6,000 people by 2025 and facilitating 150,000 transactions.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen stated that advancing the CLARITY Act in a sluggish market environment may help improve market sentiment, but the progress of the bill is affected by concerns from industry executives. She pointed out that if the Democrats take control of the House, the prospects for reaching an agreement will be shattered. Yellen emphasized the need to push the bill forward quickly to address potential changes in power.

PANews February 14 News, according to TASS, Vladimir Chistyukhin, First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, stated at the Alfa Talk conference that the Russian Central Bank plans to conduct a study on the feasibility of creating a Russian stablecoin by 2026. Chistyukhin said that the traditional stance of the Russian Central Bank is not to allow such operations, but considering practices in multiple countries, they will reassess the related risks and prospects and submit the research results for public discussion.

Brazil may buy 1M BTC over 5 years, creating the largest national Bitcoin reserve globally. Companies can hold, mine, and pay taxes in Bitcoin under the new bill. RESbit includes strict rules, transparency reports, and safeguards for citizen custody rights. Brazil is taking a step

Analyst Alex Mason warns that Japan's potential exit from its substantial stock holdings could significantly impact global markets. The Bank of Japan's actions may lead to increased market volatility and risk reassessment, affecting both equities and cryptocurrencies.

The Brazilian House of Representatives has introduced a bill planning to accumulate at least 1 million Bitcoins over the next five years to establish a national-level "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve." The bill expands on the original proposal and, if passed, would have a significant impact on the Bitcoin market, but its implementation still faces funding sources and regulatory challenges.

_Ripple ex-CTO says Bitcoin may need a hard fork for quantum security, while XRP Ledger can upgrade without new addresses._ Ripple Ex-CTO: Bitcoin May Need Hard Fork to Survive Quantum. That was the warning shared by David Schwartz, also known as Joel Katz, during a recent discussion on

Seoul Gangnam Police Station in South Korea has discovered that 22 Bitcoins stored since 2021 have been transferred under unknown circumstances, worth over $1.4 million, with the cold wallet still at the police station. Previously, the Gwangju Prosecutor's Office also lost approximately $47 million worth of Bitcoin due to a phishing attack. This has raised questions about internal personnel or cybersecurity vulnerabilities, leading to a crisis of trust in the management of encrypted assets by Korean law enforcement agencies.

On February 12, 2026, a special store appeared at 137 Seventh Avenue South, West Village, New York. The store is called "The Polymarket," with a sign that reads: New York City’s first free grocery store. Built by New Yorkers. For New Yorkers. The shelves are stocked with tomatoes, eggplants, milk, and bread. There is no checkout counter, and all items are free. This is an offline store planned for months by the cryptocurrency prediction platform Polymarket, accompanied by a $1 million donation, specifically donated to the New York City Food Bank.

February 13 News, geopolitical tensions continue to impact global risk assets. Since the beginning of this week, financial market capitalization has evaporated by approximately $120 billion, with major stock indices retreating to pre-election levels. Amid rising risk aversion, gold initially rebounded but experienced a 3.19% decline on February 12, indicating that market sentiment is still rapidly shifting. On the same trading day, Bitcoin fell by 1.2%, and the U.S. stock market's S&P 500 index dropped by 1.57%, showing a synchronized weakening trend. Bloomberg reported that Russia is re-expanding the use of the US dollar in cross-border settlements, a move seen as an important signal for the global currency landscape. From a technical perspective, the US dollar index, after more than a year of correction, has returned to the 2022 range, and the potential for a rebound could enhance the attractiveness of dollar assets.

On February 13, news broke that an old tweet from 2020 was recently rediscovered in the crypto community. Michael J. Casey, then an executive at CoinDesk and now Chairman of DAIS Global, once commented "Game Over" on a platform suspending XRP trading after U.S. regulators sued Ripple. At the time, this statement was seen as a final judgment on XRP's fate and deepened market concerns about its prospects in the United States. However, the reality did not unfold as predicted. In mid-2023, a U.S. federal court ruled that XRP traded on secondary markets does not qualify as a security. This ruling marked a turning point, and subsequently, several major U.S. trading platforms restored XRP trading permissions. Since then, XRP has gradually emerged from regulatory shadows and re-entered the mainstream market.

A bill proposing the acquisition of up to 1 million BTC has been introduced to the Brazilian Congress, significantly expanding a previous national strategic bitcoin reserve. The draft, which will need to be greenlit, would put Brazil among the countries holding the most bitcoin. New 1 Million BTC

February 13 News, as the Bitcoin network continues to expand, a global "invisible race" around computing power is underway. According to the latest disclosures from VanEck, several countries are no longer just regulating but are actively participating in Bitcoin mining through direct or indirect means. This shift indicates that Bitcoin is gradually evolving from a grassroots digital asset into a piece of infrastructure with national strategic significance. From an economic perspective, mining is increasingly seen as a tool for energy monetization. For countries with surplus hydropower, geothermal, or idle electricity generation capacity, converting electricity into Bitcoin offers a more resilient way to output value. Instead of purchasing digital assets on the open market, governments prefer to "native acquire" Bitcoin through their own hash power to build long-term digital reserves, which has practical implications in the geopolitical financial landscape.

February 13 News, the Dutch House of Representatives passed the "Third Pillar Actual Yield Act" (Wet werkelijk rendement box 3) this week, planning to reshape the country's investment tax system starting January 2028. The new system will tax the "actual yield" of most investment assets such as stocks, cryptocurrencies, bonds, and others, at an approximate rate of 36%. This means that even if investors have not sold their assets, they are still required to pay annual taxes on unrealized gains. Under the current framework, taxes are largely based on assumed rates of return, whereas the new legislation will directly tax actual returns. This change is seen as a significant shift in the Dutch tax system. For highly volatile cryptocurrencies, the mechanism of taxing unrealized gains could lead to noticeable liquidity pressures. Some community members warn that if the market experiences a correction, investors may face the risk of their paper profits being rapidly eroded after paying taxes.

Kazakhstan is cautiously entering the crypto market, with its National Bank allocating up to $350 million for a national investment fund focused on crypto hedge funds, ETFs, and related companies, rather than directly purchasing Bitcoin. This strategy diversifies exposure while maintaining reserve security.

Several Taiwanese financial institutions, including private banks and pure online banks, have completed negotiations with partnered VASPs over the past year to submit applications to the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) for a trial virtual asset custody business. However, they have been repeatedly rejected. The FSC's reason is that "the number of warning accounts is too high," and they require banks to significantly reduce the number of warning accounts before their applications can have a chance of success.