Secure Digital Markets (SDM) sent a $1 million payment to Kraken via Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, demonstrating the speed and low cost the company has achieved at an institutional scale. The transaction, routed and backed by Voltage, was completed in approximately 0.43 seconds with near-zero fees in an unprecedented move.
Author: chloe
chloe
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Layer 1 infrastructure are at the center of Chloe’s coverage. She follows protocol upgrades, network changes, and technical decisions that affect how major blockchains evolve over time, with particular attention to long-term reliability and adoption.When relevant, she also tracks regulatory developments and market reactions tied to core blockchain systems.
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The crypto mining sector is facing one of its most critical stages in years as the price of Bitcoin has dropped toward $70,000. This current valuation places the asset approximately 20% below the estimated average Bitcoin production costs, which are currently calculated at around $87,000 per unit according to recent industry data.
The Ethereum lending ecosystem has achieved a historic milestone by surpassing $28 billion in active loans at the start of 2026. This figure, representing a tenfold increase since the 2023 lows, solidifies the network’s hegemony against direct competitors, which still maintain a significant liquidity gap compared to the smart contract giant.
Binance’s reserve position remained stable amid rumors of an “FTX 2.0”. However, the company did disclose its reserve status and increased its Bitcoin holdings.
BBVA bank announced its partnership with the Qivalis consortium to develop a euro-pegged stablecoin, aiming to create a regulated alternative to dollar-denominated digital tokens. The banks submitted an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license application to De Nederlandsche Bank in late 2025 and are targeting a launch in the second half of 2026.
The blockchain-based platform Opinion has announced a successful $20 million pre-Series A funding round. According to the company, this capital arrives at a time when prediction markets are absorbing much of the institutional interest, successfully attracting funds from firms like Hack VC and Jump Crypto despite the current negative sentiment across the digital asset sector.
The Solana price tested the psychological level of 100 dollars on February 2, 2026, coinciding with deeply oversold technical readings across major timeframes. According to market reports, this historic demand zone is once again attracting interest from traders and institutions looking to capitalize on a potential trend reversal.
On Tuesday, Bitcoin maintained sideways price action near $76,000, coinciding with Matt Hougan’s recent remarks regarding the 2025 crypto winter. The Bitwise executive stated that this bearish phase is closer to ending than many market participants currently believe. Meanwhile, gold attempted to strongly reclaim the key psychological milestone of $5,000 per ounce.
Following one of the largest liquidation events on record in the crypto market, the Cardano price has retraced to the $0.2775 level. This zone, identified by analyst Harvey Hunter as a crucial turning point, has historically served as a launchpad for significant bullish movements since late 2023, marking a proving ground for the asset’s resilience.
BitMine Immersion chairman Tom Lee defended this week the more than $6 billion in unrealized losses on its balance sheet, describing them as an expected outcome. According to the executive, his Ethereum treasury strategy is designed to track the asset’s price and outperform it over a full market cycle, without representing any operational failure or execution flaw.
