February 18, 2026 @ 10:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Recent economic research and forecasts paint an insightful and detailed picture of the Eurozone’s recovery, distinguishing between lasting and short-lived inflationary pressures while projecting modest expansion ahead. A new Bank of England staff working paper, released on 13 February 2026, offers fresh analysis of post-pandemic… Read More

February 18, 2026 @ 10:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In a significant trilateral operation on November 19, 2025, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), working closely with authorities in the United Kingdom and Australia, imposed sanctions on a network of Russian bulletproof hosting providers central to worldwide cybercrime, particularly ransomware campaigns…. Read More

February 18, 2026 @ 8:05 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK private equity firm Hypha has completed the acquisition of Pass, a fast-growing education technology company headquartered in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The move was enabled by a £5 million loan from digital bank OakNorth, highlighting the increasing role of specialist financing in fueling sector consolidation… Read More

February 18, 2026 @ 7:36 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken continues to strengthen its position in the digital asset market with four significant announcements this week, blending cutting-edge technology, community support, user incentives, and robust regulatory practices. These developments underscore the platform’s focus on accessibility, innovation, and long-term value for both retail… Read More

February 18, 2026 @ 7:33 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Aave has indicated that the decentralized finance landscape is maturing and that liquidations serve as an essential safeguard, protecting lenders and maintaining protocol integrity even when borrowers face challenges. Since its inception in 2020, the Aave protocol has managed more than 310,000 liquidation events, amounting… Read More

February 18, 2026 @ 7:29 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK Finance has indicated that the landscape of financial transactions has evolved considerably and the United Kingdom has witnessed a remarkable transformation over the past 20 years. According to insights from UK Finance, this month marks the anniversary of when Chip and PIN technology fully… Read More

February 18, 2026 @ 1:19 am By Omar Faridi  |  

KPMG has indicated that the global fintech sector experienced a notable recovery in 2025, with total investments climbing to $116 billion across approximately 4,700 deals, marking an increase from the previous year’s $95.5 billion. Research from KPMG  and other pointed out that this uptick, driven… Read More

February 18, 2026 @ 12:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

In a move impacting alternative investments, Banco Itaú International and Banco Itaú (Suisse) SA—collectively known as Banco Itaú—have deepened their alliance with Fintech platform iCapital. Announced recently, this enhanced partnership introduces various types of digital tools to streamline private markets investments for Banco Itaú’s affluent… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 10:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A recent announcement impacting the insurance technology sector by Branch, an insurer based in Columbus, Ohio, aims to further strengthen an existing collaboration with Akur8 by integrating the latter’s Discover tool. This expansion, announced this month, now aims to enhance Branch’s access to real-time regulatory… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 9:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

As part of the ongoing global effort to effectively bridge traditional finance (TradFi) and the digital asset ecosystem, Binance has recently teamed up with investment firm Franklin Templeton to introduce a new institutional collateral program. This development, which went live recently, enables qualified institutional clients… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 9:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SlowMist has indicated that in a recent surge of interest surrounding the open-source AI agent framework OpenClaw, its official plugin repository, ClawHub, has become a hotspot for developers. However, this rapid growth has drawn the attention of cybercriminals, leading to widespread supply chain attacks through… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 4:28 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital assets firm Circle has formally responded to the Bank of England‘s consultation on establishing a regulatory framework for systemic sterling-denominated stablecoins. This move underscores the UK’s efforts to balance financial stability with the promotion of various payment solutions. The debate over payment stablecoins, or… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 3:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR), a leading AI, data integration, and analytics firm used by large corporations and the federal government, has relocated its headquarters to Miami. The move is part of a broader migration away from high-tax, less business-friendly jurisdictions to the booming South Florida market. It has been widely… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 2:59 pm By JD Alois  |  

A battle line has been drawn between states that want to maintain control over wagering and betting and prediction markets that offer event-driven markets for a wide range of binary outcomes. Earlier today, CFTC Chairman Mike Selig threw down the gauntlet, declaring that the Commission is ready… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 2:47 pm By JD Alois  |  

Elemental Royalty (TSX-V: ELE, NASDAQ: ELE) is now offering its investors the option to receive dividends settled in Tether Gold (XAU₮). The  company expects to declare an annual cash dividend to its shareholders of US $0.12 per common share, to be paid in quarterly instalments… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 2:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

Anchorage Digital and B2C2 are expanding their partnership as the latter firm joines Chanorage’s  Atlas platform. Atlas is a two-way settlement platform for institutions that supports crypto transactions on a regulated platform. B2C2 will custody assets with Anchorage and settle trades directly through Atlas. B2C2’s… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 2:26 pm By JD Alois  |  

ZeroLend is the next DeFi platform to cease operations. In a post on X, the platform stated that its protocol is “no longer sustainable.” ZeroLend is a DeFi lending market that offers carry trades that enable yield leveraging. The website touts, Here Today. Here Tomorrow…. Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 12:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CertiK has indicated that in the advancing ecosystem of blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT), enterprises face significant obstacles in integrating real-world data with on-chain operations, while the broader crypto ecosystem grapples with sophisticated threats amplified by artificial intelligence. CertiK also pointed out that recent… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 12:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In a recent interview on Bloomberg from Hong Kong, Joseph Lubin, the founder and CEO of Consensys as well as a co-founder of Ethereum, provided his perspective on the current state and future trajectory of cryptocurrency markets, with a particular focus on Ethereum’s role and… Read More

February 17, 2026 @ 10:53 am By JD Alois  |  

A wealth confiscation tax has never been widely successful anywhere it has ever been attempted. Yet, some policymakers and pundits continue to support the concept of taxing unrealized gains and wealth thresholds. As the Laffer Curve explained decades ago, excessive taxation will have the opposite… Read More