On February 16, 2026, a Florida federal judge awarded Kevin O’Leary $2.8 million in a default defamation judgment against Ben “BitBoy” Armstrong and The Block. The ruling stems from Armstrong’s March 2025 social media posts falsely accusing O’Leary and his wife of murder related to a 2019 boating accident, including doxxing O’Leary’s phone number. The court granted $2M in punitive damages, $750K for emotional distress, and $78K for reputational harm. Armstrong’s defence, citing incarceration and mental health, failed due to a delayed response, adding to his legal woes, including felony charges and SEC scrutiny.
Harvard Management Company reduced its BlackRock IBIT Bitcoin ETF stake by 21% in Q4 2025 but retained $265.8M, its largest public position, surpassing Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon. Simultaneously, Harvard initiated a $86.8M position in BlackRock’s ETHA Ethereum ETF, bringing its crypto ETF holdings to $352.6M. This adjustment amid market volatility and academic criticism reflects ongoing institutional conviction in Bitcoin and Ethereum. BTC holds at $113,234, with $112,000 as a key support level, according to TradingView.
Global crypto ETPs recorded $173M in weekly outflows, extending to four weeks with $3.7B total exits, driven by U.S. products ($403M outflows), while Europe and Canada saw $230M inflows, according to CoinShares. Bitcoin and Ethereum funds led redemptions ($133M and $85M), though short-Bitcoin products also bled, often signalling bottoms. XRP and Solana ETPs bucked the trend with inflows. Metaplanet reported a $619M net loss for FY2025 due to a drop in Bitcoin’s valuation, despite holding 35,102 BTC.
deBridge launched its Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling AI agents like Claude and Copilot to execute non-custodial cross-chain transactions across EVM and Solana. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, a Polymarket investor, warned prediction markets risk collapse if focused on “dumb opinions,” advocating AI-powered hedging for real-world expenses. Upcoming events include FOMC member Mary Daly’s speech and ETHDenver.
