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Bitcoin slipped below $66,000 as weakness across crypto spilled into U.S. equities, extending the recent risk-off move. At the same time, Lightning Labs rolled out new tools enabling AI agents to access the Bitcoin Lightning Network, U.S. banks pushed regulators to slow crypto charter approvals, and SEC Chair Paul Atkins flagged prediction markets as an emerging concern.

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News Roundup

Artificial Intelligence

  • AI Talent Exodus and Safety Alarms Rattle Industry’s Inner Circle (Decrypt)

  • Tether CEO Teases ‘QVAC’ AI Assistant With Local Inference Capabilities (Paolo Ardoino)

  • Lightning Labs Launches AI Agent Tools for Native Bitcoin Lightning Payments (The Block)

  • IronClaw Targets OpenClaw’s Security Flaws as Olas Launches Polymarket Bots (Cointelegraph)

  • Oxford Study Warns AI Chatbots May Deliver ‘Dangerous’ Medical Advice (Decrypt)

Decentralized, Centralized, & Traditional Finance

  • ICE Brings Prediction Markets to Wall Street With Exclusive Polymarket Data Deal (ICE)

  • Musk Says X Money 'External Beta' to Launch Within Two Months (Cointelegraph)

  • UK Taps HSBC to Lead Digital Gilt Pilot in Blockchain Debt Push (CoinDesk)

  • US Banks Urge OCC to Pause Crypto Charters Amid Regulatory Uncertainty (Decrypt)

  • Ark Invest Extends Buying Streak in Bullish to 10 Days (The Block)

  • Trump-Backed World Liberty Financial Plans FX Remittance Platform (The Block)

  • Coincheck Returns to Profit With $915M Q3 Revenue as CEO Transition Looms (The Block)

  • SWIFT Joins Bank of England Lab to Test Tokenized FX and DvP Settlement (SWIFT)

  • Russia Pushes Digital Ruble to Cut Dollar From BRICS Trade (DL News)

Exchanges

  • Paxful Ordered to Pay $4 Million After Guilty Plea in Money Laundering and Sex Trafficking Case (Decrypt)

  • Coinbase Unveils ‘Agentic Wallets’ to Power Autonomous AI Transactions (The Block)

  • Binance SAFU Fund Adds 4,545 BTC, Completing $1B Bitcoin Plan (Arkham)

  • Binance to List Espresso (ESP) With Seed Tag on Feb. 12 (Binance)

Exchange-Traded Funds

Infrastructure

  • Sonic Labs Pivots to Vertical Integration to Bolster S Token Value (Sonic Labs)

  • Zerohash Integrates Monad Support to Expand USDC Stablecoin Payments (The Block)

  • Aster Sets March Launch for Aster Chain Mainnet (Aster)

  • WBTC Team Selects Hyperlane to Bridge Ethereum and Solana (The Block)

  • Optimism Partners With Succinct to Roll Out Instant L2 Withdrawals (The Defiant)

  • Bitcoin Proposal BIP 360 Introduces Quantum-Resistant P2MR Output (Bitcoin Magazine)

  • ERC-8004 Sparks Surge of Over 20,000 AI Agents Deployed Across Ethereum, BNB Chain and Base (8004scan)

Markets

  • Bitcoin’s Rebound Unravels as Weak Inflows and Spot Selling Drive Volatility (Cointelegraph)

  • Ethereum Staking Surges Past $72B as Investors Lock Tokens Despite Price Slide (DL News)

  • Aster, Hyperliquid and Hedera Lead Altcoin Bounce (Decrypt)

  • Bitcoin Slips Below $66K as Crypto and U.S. Stocks Tumble (CoinDesk)

Mining

  • Bitcoin Hashrate Rebounds as Miners Return After Storm Disruptions (DL News)

  • Bitcoin Miner Cango Secures $75M to Fund AI Infrastructure Push (The Block)

  • Bitdeer Returns to Profit as Revenue Triples, Shares Slide After Earnings (The Block)

Politics & Regulation

  • SEC Chair Atkins Calls for IPO Revival, Crypto Framework, and Leaner Regulation (SEC)

  • Russia Blocks WhatsApp, Pressures Users Toward State-Backed ‘Super App’ (Decrypt)

  • Thailand's SEC Approves Crypto-Linked Derivatives (Decrypt)

  • Global Tax Task Force Warns Crypto OTC Desks Enable Illicit Flows (Decrypt)

  • SEC Chair Atkins Flags Prediction Markets as ‘Huge Issue’ (The Block)

Treasuries

  • Strategy to Issue More Preferred Stock to Ease Concerns of Investors (Bloomberg)

  • Strategy Dominates as Bitcoin Treasuries Add $3.5B in January (Decrypt)

Other News

  • Bitcoin Ransom Trail Emerges as Nancy Guthrie Investigation Intensifies (Decrypt)

  • Kyrgyzstan’s Crypto Sector Outpaces Largest Bazaar in Tax Revenue (Cryptopolitan)

  • Coinbase CEO Sold $550M in Shares Over Nine Months (Matthew Sigel)

  • Alleged Crypto Fraudster Used AI-Generated Transaction Records to Mislead South Korean Court (DL News)

  • Israel Charges Suspects Over Alleged Insider Polymarket Bets on Military Strike (Decrypt)

Check This Out!

The global World Uncertainty Index has reached an all-time high, reflecting a surge in references to uncertainty across country reports published by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Meme of the Day

Source: kirtash93

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