News
17 Feb 2026, 17:33
DerivaDEX LAUNCHES ITS LICENSED DERIVATIVES TRADING PLATFORM, MARKING THE FIRST DAO-GOVERNED DEFI EXCHANGE TO OPERATE WITH A REGULATORY LICENSE

BitcoinWorld DerivaDEX LAUNCHES ITS LICENSED DERIVATIVES TRADING PLATFORM, MARKING THE FIRST DAO-GOVERNED DEFI EXCHANGE TO OPERATE WITH A REGULATORY LICENSE HAMILTON, Bermuda , Feb. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — DerivaDEX today announced the launch of its platform and the start of derivatives trading following approval by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. With the approval of DerivaDEX’s T license, DerivaDEX has become the first DAO-governed decentralized exchange to receive licensure from a respected financial regulator while preserving the core benefits of decentralization. With the commencement of crypto perpetual swaps trading on a platform that achieves performance comparable to centralized exchanges and far faster than other decentralized alternatives, DerivaDEX is pioneering a new path forward for decentralized finance. “Today’s DerivaDEX launch marks a milestone in the relationship between traditional finance and decentralized trading,” said Aditya Palepu, Founder of DerivaDEX developer DEXLabs and leading R&D for DerivaDEX . “As the first decentralized exchange to receive a regulatory license, we’re proving that decentralization and institutional standards are not mutually exclusive. Institutional traders will have, for the first time, access to an exchange that brings the performance and liquidity of TradFi together with the security and transparency of DeFi.” DerivaDEX is a decentralized derivatives platform supporting user-empowered, peer-to-peer trading of major derivatives with high-performance execution and security. Under its current Bermuda license, DerivaDEX will support a limited number of advanced retail and institutional traders, offering centralized exchange-level execution speeds alongside on-chain settlement and noncustodial funds. At launch, DerivaDEX supports trading in major crypto perpetual products, with aims to expand to additional markets and assets ranging from prediction markets to traditional securities. DerivaDEX provides execution speeds, durability, and performance comparable with those of leading centralized platforms, including sub-5 millisecond order acknowledgment latency, fast deposits and withdrawals to Ethereum, and real-time price feeds. DerivaDEX also incorporates front-running resistance through encrypted order handling and trusted execution environments, helping to prevent market manipulation and extractive trading behavior. At the same time, as a decentralized, non-custodial exchange, DerivaDEX allows users to retain direct control of their assets rather than relying on a centralized intermediary. Trades are governed by transparent rules, enabling greater resilience during periods of market stress while preserving the efficiency and sophistication required by professional traders. “DeFi is just getting started. High-performance execution, on-chain settlement, and a clear regulatory framework are what is needed to unlock institutional participation at scale. DerivaDEX has pulled all of these pieces together and we are excited to see it launch,” said Avichal Garg , Co-Founder and General Partner of Electric Capital. “It is exciting to see DerivaDEX with decentralization as its North Star launch – demonstrating how thoughtful, sound innovation and regulatory clarity can drive user adoption and long term sustainability,” said Michael Mosier and Jane Khodarkovsky, Partners of Arktouros, pllc, a boutique law firm dedicated to emergent technology and civil society. Contact: [email protected] This post DerivaDEX LAUNCHES ITS LICENSED DERIVATIVES TRADING PLATFORM, MARKING THE FIRST DAO-GOVERNED DEFI EXCHANGE TO OPERATE WITH A REGULATORY LICENSE first appeared on BitcoinWorld .
17 Feb 2026, 17:00
XRP ranks second to Bitcoin in institutional interest, but why is it lagging?

Upbit has recorded over $5 billion in XRP sell-off
17 Feb 2026, 16:25
85% of 2025 token launches now trade below TGE price

Crypto markets in 2026 look ugly for new tokens. About 85% of token launches in 2025 now trade below their TGE price, according to a chart from Galaxy Research lays it out clearly. Having a “Top VC” on the cap table used to spark rallies. That boost is fading fast. Back in Q2 2022, crypto venture funds raised nearly $17 billion in one quarter. More than 80 new funds launched. LPs poured money into anything with “crypto” in the pitch deck. That rush is gone. VC ROI has dropped every year since 2022. The number of new funds just hit a five-year low. Fundraising last quarter reached only 12% of Q2 2022 levels. At the same time, some point out, “But VCs invested $8.5 Billion last quarter, up 84% QoQ!” Source : Galaxy Research VCs burn old cash as Bitcoin slides and spot selling intensifies The money going into crypto deals is not exactly new, though, according to Galaxy. Companies are using capital raised in 2022. Total capital deployed from 2023 through 2025 is roughly equal to what was raised in 2022 alone. The old model was simple. Raise a round. Launch a token. Dump on retail. That model is fading. As VC influence shrinks, projects with real users and real revenue are the ones left standing. Launches look fairer. Insider selling slows. Fewer chains pop up. More teams focus on the product instead of the next raise. Pressure spread to crypto majors. Bitcoin fell to $60,000. That drop hit so-called diamond hands hard. The mood felt similar to the May 2022 LUNA crash. In both periods, the 7D EMA of Long-Term Holder SOPR dropped below 1 after staying above it for one to two years. Long-term holders realized losses. That kind of shift usually appears in deeper bear phases. Since October 6, when Bitcoin marked its last all-time high, price is down 46%. The drawdown at one point passed 52%. That makes this the largest pullback of the current cycle. The slide reflects normal crypto volatility. It also lines up with a rough external backdrop. Macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions worsened. Risk assets felt the strain. Last summer told a different story. Strong buying dominated the tape. Delta volume analysis showed steady demand. Prices climbed. Since October, that flipped. Spot net volume Delta turned sharply negative on major exchanges. Source: CryptoQuant Binance and Coinbase both show heavy selling. On Coinbase, monthly flows average negative $89 million. On Binance, the average sits near negative $147 million. Sellers control the spot market. Sharpen your strategy with mentorship + daily ideas - 30 days free access to our trading program
17 Feb 2026, 16:08
Binance Controls 65% of CEX Stablecoin Reserves – What It Means for Liquidity

After tough week, Binance still tightining its grip on crypto. The exchange now controls 65% of all stablecoin reserves sitting on centralized platforms. Right now, it holds about $47.5 billion in USDT and USDC alone. That is a massive chunk of crypto liquidity parked in one place. What makes it more interesting is the timing. Broader market outflows have cooled to around $2 billion. So while capital is not flooding in aggressively, Binance is quietly tightening its grip on the stablecoin supply. In crypto, liquidity is power. And Binance is stacking a lot of it. Key Takeaways Dominant Market Share: Binance now holds $47.5 billion in stablecoins, representing 65% of all CEX liquidity. Outflows Stabilize: Monthly stablecoin outflows have slowed to $2 billion, a sharp drop from the $8.4 billion seen in late 2025. Competitors Trail: Nearest rival OKX holds just 13% of reserves, highlighting a widening gap in exchange liquidity depth. Why is Capital Consolidating? Money is not running away from crypto. It is moving to where it feels safest. At the peak of the late 2025 panic, redemptions hit $8.4 billion. Now outflows have cooled to around $2 billion this month. That shift suggests rotation, not abandonment. Source: Cryptoquant Instead of exiting the ecosystem, investors appear to be consolidating around deeper liquidity and faster execution. In tight conditions, traders care more about slippage and reliability than spreading funds across smaller venues. That is why capital is clustering on the biggest platforms. When uncertainty rises, perceived safe havens attract the bulk of the flow. Binance Stablecoin Data Breakdown The scale of Binance lead is hard to ignore. Data shows the exchange now holds about $47.5 billion in stablecoins, up from $35.9 billion a year ago. That is a 31% jump in twelve months. The growth followed a clear pivot after the BUSD wind down, with liquidity rotating heavily into USDT and USDC. Source: CryptoQuant Meanwhile, rivals are far behind. OKX holds around $9.5 billion. Coinbase sits near $5.9 billion. Bybit trails with roughly $4 billion. The gap is not small. It is structural. Recent reserve reports show Binance total reserves, including crypto assets, above $155 billion. When liquidity shifts on Binance, it tends to ripple across the market. That is how dominant its position has become. The post Binance Controls 65% of CEX Stablecoin Reserves – What It Means for Liquidity appeared first on Cryptonews .
17 Feb 2026, 16:05
Some Wild Data About XRP/KRW On Upbit You Should See

Cryptocurrency markets often seem chaotic, but careful analysis can uncover persistent patterns that drive price behavior and liquidity flows. XRP trading on Upbit , South Korea’s leading exchange, offers a striking example. Here, algorithmic activity, retail buying, and structural market constraints converge, producing dynamics largely invisible on global markets. Understanding these forces provides key insight into localized price anomalies and broader XRP movement. Crypto analyst Dom recently examined over 82 million trades on Upbit and 444 million trades on Binance, uncovering a continuous, large-scale selling pipeline on the XRP/KRW pair. His forensic analysis—including bot fingerprinting, wash-trade detection, and iceberg order identification—revealed that algorithmic sellers dominate the venue, operating almost around the clock and executing trades within milliseconds. 1) After analyzing 82 million trades on Upbit XRP/KRW, I found something very interesting… A $5 billion one directional selling pipeline running 24/7 for almost a year Read along — Dom (@traderview2) February 16, 2026 A Massive Algorithmic Selling Pipeline Dom’s findings show Upbit has experienced a net outflow of approximately 3.3 billion XRP over ten months, equivalent to roughly 5.4% of XRP’s circulating supply. The activity runs 24/7, largely ignoring market swings, with round-number trades such as 10, 50, 100, or 1,000 XRP executed mechanically. This persistent selling establishes a baseline pressure that consistently interacts with local market demand, shaping price trends independently of global exchanges like Binance, where selling is far less intense and sometimes net positive. Retail Behavior Shapes Market Dynamics While algorithmic systems dominate the sell side, Korean retail investors show a contrasting profile. They place fractional buy orders, often tied to KRW-denominated amounts, which accumulate steadily during positive price movements. On “moon days,” retail activity slightly outpaces selling, while on crash days, algorithmic pressure intensifies downward movement. This asymmetric behavior highlights how systematic selling and retail panic amplify price swings, especially given Upbit’s occasional premium over Binance due to local capital controls. We are on X, follow us to connect with us :- @TimesTabloid1 — TimesTabloid (@TimesTabloid1) June 15, 2025 Exchange-Specific Market Structure Comparison with Binance underscores Upbit’s unique microstructure. Correlation between XRP flows across the two venues remains low, showing that Upbit’s liquidity largely reflects domestic dynamics. The premium on KRW-denominated trades incentivizes sellers to operate locally, while retail accumulation during upward moves adds another layer of complexity to market behavior. Implications for Traders and Analysts Dom’s analysis demonstrates that structural factors often outweigh daily sentiment. Traders interpreting XRP/KRW activity must account for mechanical selling, retail accumulation, and exchange-specific pricing to avoid misreading market signals. Upbit’s case illustrates how algorithmic infrastructure, local demand, and capital constraints can define price behavior, offering a rare window into the mechanisms shaping a major digital-asset market. Understanding these dynamics equips investors to navigate localized liquidity pressures, anticipate asymmetric flows, and evaluate XRP price movements with greater precision than conventional global comparisons allow. Disclaimer : This content is meant to inform and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author’s personal opinions and do not represent Times Tabloid’s opinion. Readers are urged to do in-depth research before making any investment decisions. Any action taken by the reader is strictly at their own risk. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses. Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Telegram , and Google News The post Some Wild Data About XRP/KRW On Upbit You Should See appeared first on Times Tabloid .
17 Feb 2026, 16:00
First Licensed DAO Derivatives Exchange Launches Amid Volatility

The DAO-governed derivatives exchange DerivaDEX launched its platform today under a T license from the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA).












































