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9 Feb 2026, 12:16

Bitcoin Price Today as Binance Adds $300M, SAFU Hits 10,455 BTC

Bitcoin trades at $ 68,871 as of writing , following a volatile start to February that reshaped sentiment across crypto markets. Against this backdrop, Binance confirmed a $300 million Bitcoin purchase for its Secure Asset Fund for Users, or SAFU, converting stablecoins into 4,225 BTC. This latest transaction lifted the fund’s total holdings to 10,455 BTC and placed renewed focus on how exchanges structure safety reserves during sharp market swings. SAFU Conversion Plan Moves Forward Binance announced the SAFU conversion strategy on January 29, outlining plans to shift $1 billion of reserves into Bitcoin over a 30-day window. The exchange also set a safeguard to rebalance the fund if its value drops below $800 million. Monday’s purchase marked one of the largest tranches so far. Binance framed the move as part of a scheduled process rather than a reaction to short-term price action. SAFU exists to protect users during extreme market events, not during calm conditions. Bitcoin’s sharp selloff in early February tested that premise. On February 5, Bitcoin dropped about 12.6% in a single day to roughly $63,500 amid forced liquidations and broader risk-off moves. CoinGlass data showed more than $1 billion in leveraged liquidations during that session. In this environment, SAFU’s growing exposure to Bitcoin raised new questions. What happens if prices fall fast enough to trigger the rebalance threshold? On-Chain Data Tracks SAFU Accumulation Blockchain observers have followed SAFU-related inflows closely since the conversion plan became public. On February 2, Binance transferred 1,315 BTC, worth about $100 million, into the SAFU wallet. Another 1,315 BTC followed on February 4. During the February 6–7 window, monitoring accounts flagged roughly 3,600 BTC in further accumulation. The February 9 transfer of 4,225 BTC brought the running total to 10,455 BTC, confirming steady execution toward the $1 billion target. Source: Binance via X What SAFU Represents for Users Binance launched SAFU in July 2018 and funds it through a portion of trading fees. The exchange has stated that it aims to maintain the fund around a $1 billion value, while adjusting the asset mix over time. This flexibility now stands at the center of attention. A SAFU fund with heavier Bitcoin exposure moves more closely with the broader crypto market, especially during drawdowns, even with a top-up commitment in place. Safety Funds Gain Strategic Importance Binance’s move fits a wider industry shift toward visible safety mechanisms. After the FTX collapse, exchanges began competing on transparency and user protection. Bitget publishes monthly protection fund reports. Bybit documents its auto-deleveraging framework. Kraken and OKX release regular proof-of-reserves disclosures. Binance has highlighted its own proof-of-reserves system, which uses Merkle trees and zero-knowledge proofs to allow user verification without revealing balances. Regulatory Context Adds Another Layer As of February 2026, the SAFU wallet holds close to $1 billion in crypto assets. Binance now holds part of these funds as capital reserves under regulatory obligations in Abu Dhabi, where the company moved its headquarters in 2025. This structure links SAFU not only to market dynamics but also to compliance expectations in key jurisdictions. What the Market Watches Next Two signals now matter most. The first involves the pace of remaining conversions toward the $1 billion goal within the 30-day timeline. The second centers on volatility. If Bitcoin prices test the $800 million safeguard, Binance would need to demonstrate its rebalance policy in real time. For now, SAFU buying continues, and the market watches closely. Will safety reserves hold firm when they matter most?

9 Feb 2026, 12:15

Cathie Wood's Ark Invest buys the dip in tech and crypto, bags AMD, GOOG, CRCL, and HOOD

Cathie Wood's Ark Invest traded actively during the past week, rotating towards AI infrastructure, semiconductors, crypto names, and precision healthcare, while selling off ad-tech, consumer internet, and mature SaaS names. In semiconductors and AI, Ark bought 161,297 shares of Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) across its flagship ( ARKK ), ( ARKW ), ( ARKQ ), ( ARKX ) and ( ARKF ) with an estimated value close to ~$33M. Ark reinforced the theme with sizable additions to Broadcom ( AVGO ), acquiring 87,148 shares through ( ARKQ ) and ( ARKW ), valued close to $27M. The portfolio added 149,470 shares of Alphabet ( GOOG ) worth an estimated $50M. Complementing this, the firm accumulated 246,794 shares of CoreWeave ( CRWV ) worth $22.2M. Other additions include Shopify ( SHOP ), while selling 166K shares of Airbnb ( ABNB ) and cutting positions in PayPal ( PYPL) , Qualcomm ( QCOM ) and Intuit ( INTU ). Heavy investments were seen in the crypto space, with Ark adding 285,945 shares of its homegrown ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF ( ARKB ) worth over $7M, reflecting sustained conviction in bitcoin exposure. It also aggressively accumulated 1.53M shares of Bullish ( BLSH ) worth around $40M, and 217,959 shares of Circle Internet Group ( CRCL ) worth ~$13M were added. Ark also added ~453K shares of Robinhood Markets ( HOOD ) worth $41M and 63K shares of Block ( XYZ ). The portfolio manager, however, reduced exposure to Coinbase Global ( COIN ), with net sales totaling 254K shares after buying over 10K shares during the start of the week, suggesting a rotation within the crypto ecosystem. The firm made substantial bet on Tempus AI ( TEM ), buying 704,119 shares exceeding $37M, positioning AI-driven precision medicine. Other significant bets include 220,514 shares of GeneDx ( WGS ) and 630,920 shares of Recursion Pharmaceuticals ( RXRX ), while sharply reducing exposure to legacy genomics players including Guardant Health ( GH ), Illumina ( ILMN ), and Veracyte ( VCYT ), signaling a preference for AI-native diagnostics over traditional sequencing models. Conversely, ARK funded much of this repositioning through large-scale exits from advertising, SaaS, and consumer internet names. The most notable sale was The Trade Desk ( TTD ), where ( ARKK ) and ( ARKW ) sold ~2.5M shares, worth ~$73.9M. Another considerable sale was Teradyne ( TER ), over 534K shares dropped throughout the week, cutting over $143M exposure in the automatic test equipment designer and manufacturer. Additional heavy selling included DraftKings ( DKNG ), PagerDuty ( PD ), and continued drawdowns in Roku ( ROKU ), Pinterest ( PINS ), Rocket Lab ( RKLB ) and Unity Software ( U ). More on ARK Invest AI Can't Sustain This Rate Of Return ARKG: Cathie Wood's Biotech Product Is In Rally Mode ARKK: Buying Disruption At These Levels Is A Dangerous Game Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest buys the dip in AMD shares Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest loads up on Alphabet ahead of earnings

9 Feb 2026, 12:13

STMicro rides AWS AI data center deal to 6.5% share price gain

Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to its users, has deepened its collaboration with STMicroelectronics, a leading European multinational semiconductor manufacturer, driving a 6.5% surge in STMicro’s stock. The agreement aims to secure advanced semiconductor technologies to support AWS’s data center operations. The development comes after AWS announced that it holds warrants that entitle it to purchase up to 24.8 million of STMicro’s ordinary shares. Reports indicate that these warrants will be rolled out incrementally in connection with STMicro’s product payments. Therefore, under this agreement, AWS may exercise the warrants in one or more transactions over a 7-year period at an initial price of $28.38 per share. Notably, this deal represents AWS’s second investment in a semiconductor firm. In exchange, STMicro will provide AWS with a range of semiconductor products, including chips that enhance high-bandwidth connectivity and improve energy efficiency for large-scale data centers. The company announced the agreement publicly on Monday, February 9. Industry analysts say the deal is part of a broader trend in which cloud providers secure deeper ties with specialized chip makers to support accelerated AI compute capacity and data throughput in modern data centre networks. Semiconductor firms experience increased demand for their products amid the AI boom era The global explosion of AI data centers is fueling massive opportunities for semiconductor companies. Firms such as Nvidia Corp. , Advanced Micro Devices Inc., and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., which design and manufacture cutting-edge AI chips, have secured dominance in this growth. On the other hand, reports from reliable sources indicate that older analog chipmakers are also facing surging demand for AI data center applications, including power management, sensors, and cooling systems. To support this claim, these sources pointed out an example of German company Infineon Technologies AG, which projected an earnings of €2.5 billion or rather $3 billion specifically from sales related to AI by its 2027 fiscal year. The projected rise represents a tenfold increase within three years. Moreover, STMicro, formed in 1987 by the merger of French and Italian government-owned chip manufacturers, recently released its first-quarter revenue forecast, which exceeded analysts’ expectations. Consumer electronics showed promising signs of demand recovery late last year, following a sustained period of low demand. Even so, the firm reported a decline in its stock just after reports highlighted divergent recovery paths across different markets. Responding to this finding, Jean-Marc Chéry, the President of the Managing Board and Chief Executive Officer of STMicroelectronics, contended that the automotive market has not yet stabilized. STMicro projects 2026 as a transformative year for its revenue performance STMicro’s higher-than-expected first-quarter revenue forecast comes amid warnings that restructuring expenses will continue following a $141 million fourth-quarter loss. Shares jumped as much as 5% in early trading and were up 2.2% by 1115 GMT. During an investor call, Chéry stated, “We are starting 2026 with clearer expectations compared to how we began 2025, as the inventory correction in distribution is gradually improving.” However, analysts pointed to an earlier incident whereby STMicro’s key markets, which consist of automotive, industrial, and consumer electronics, cooled as demand normalized, leading to increased inventory levels and a reduction in customer orders. It is worth noting that this situation took place after the pandemic. Due to this decline, the company’s net income reached $125 million for the fourth quarter. This figure fell short of the projected $222 million and dropped below last year’s $369 million. Analysts attributed the impairment charge as the main reason for the drop, arguing that it reduced net income to $125 million from its potential of $266 million. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .

9 Feb 2026, 12:06

Only Coinbase Featured During This Year’s Super Bowl, as LiquidChain’s Presale Turns Heads

What to Know: The reduction of crypto Super Bowl ads to just Coinbase signals a market shift from retail hype to infrastructure development and regulatory compliance. Capital is rotating out of marketing budgets and into technical solutions that solve liquidity fragmentation and cross-chain interoperability. LiquidChain utilizes a Layer 3 architecture to unify Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, offering a solution to the siloed liquidity problem that hinders DeFi scaling. The “Deploy-Once” architecture represents a critical evolution for developers, aiming to reduce the technical overhead of multi-chain applications. The era of the ‘Crypto Bowl’ looks officially dead. In its place? A stark, deliberate silence. Just a few years back, the Super Bowl was a mess of QR codes bouncing around screens and celebrities telling retail investors that ‘fortune favors the brave.’ This year, the landscape looked radically different. Only Coinbase maintained a presence , signaling a massive pivot in how the industry approaches public visibility. This retreat from the world’s priciest advertising slot isn’t just about budget cuts, it’s a structural shift in market psychology. The absence of former heavyweights like FTX and Crypto.com highlights a hard-earned maturation phase. The industry has moved from paying for hype to paying for infrastructure. That extravagant marketing spend characterizing the last cycle? Gone. It’s been replaced by a leaner ecosystem focused on survival, regulation, and actual utility. While mainstream media interprets this lack of ads as a ‘retreat,’ on-chain data suggests it’s actually a reallocation of resources. Capital isn’t flowing into 30-second spots anymore; it’s flowing into Layer 2 and Layer 3 solutions designed to fix DeFi’s broken plumbing. The market is signaling that the next adoption wave won’t come from a celebrity endorsement, but from seamless interoperability. This search for fundamental utility is driving sophisticated capital toward infrastructure plays like LiquidChain ($LIQUID) , which addresses the fragmentation currently plaguing the user experience. Read more about $LIQUID here. From 30-Second Ads to Infinite Scalability Shrinking crypto advertising down to a single Coinbase spot is a lagging indicator of the 2022-2023 bear market, but it serves as a leading indicator for the ‘utility cycle.’ Institutional players and developers don’t care which exchange has the best mascot anymore. The friction points in the current ecosystem, specifically the headache of moving assets between Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, have become the primary bottleneck for growth. LiquidChain ($LIQUID) has emerged in this vacuum of hype as a technical answer to liquidity fragmentation. By positioning itself as Layer 3 (L3) infrastructure, it aims to fuse the liquidity of the three largest chains into a single execution environment. Why does that matter? Because current cross-chain solutions often rely on wrapped assets, which introduce nasty security risks and bridge vulnerabilities. LiquidChain’s ‘Unified Liquidity Layer’ allows for single-step execution, removing the complex user flows that usually scare off institutional adoption. The market’s focus has shifted. It’s no longer about ‘onboarding the next billion users’ via commercials; it’s about ‘building the rails’ that can actually support them. A Deploy-Once Architecture, where developers write code that accesses users across $BTC, $ETH, and $SOL simultaneously, represents the kind of deep-tech value proposition that thrives when the marketing noise dies down. Read more about $LIQUID here. Smart Money Hunts Infrastructure as Presale Crosses $532k While television screens were devoid of crypto logos, the presale market for infrastructure projects remains highly active. LiquidChain ($LIQUID) has raised over $532K to date, with tokens currently priced at $0.0136. This capital inflow during a period of relative mainstream silence suggests that investors are specifically targeting ‘pick-and-shovel’ plays rather than speculative meme assets. The project’s traction stems from its promise to solve the ‘Liquidity Trilemma.’ Right now, liquidity is siloed: Bitcoin holds the store of value, Ethereum holds the smart contracts, and Solana holds the high-frequency trading speed. LiquidChain proposes a Cross-Chain VM that creates a verified settlement layer across all three. For a developer, this means building a dApp once and instantly accessing the liquidity depth of Bitcoin and the user base of Solana without maintaining three separate codebases. In a market environment where ad spend is down 90%, capital is clearly voting for efficiency. Presale metrics indicate a growing appetite for L3 solutions that can abstract away the complexity of blockchain interaction. If the Super Bowl silence taught us anything, it’s that the industry is done shouting. It’s busy building. Buy $LIQUID here. Disclaimer: The content provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry inherent risks, including market volatility and regulatory uncertainty. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.

9 Feb 2026, 12:04

Top crypto stocks to watch this week: HOOD, COIN, MSTR, BMNR

Crypto stocks, including digital asset treasury (DAT), exchanges, and miners, have plunged this year as Bitcoin and most altcoins imploded. Bitcoin price plunged to $60,000, while most altcoins fell to their multi-year lows. This article explores some of the top crypto stocks to watch this week. Coinbase stock in focus ahead of earnings Coinbase stock price has imploded in the past few months as it plunged from a high of $445 in July last year to the current $165. This crash happened as Bitcoin and most altcoins continued their strong crash. Crypto exchanges make more money when prices are rising since this usually attrracts more users to the ecosystem. Therefore, analysts believe that Coinbase’s revenue and profitability growth will remain under pressure for a while. On the positive side for Coinbase, it has invested heavily in other services. It makes millions of dollars in blockchain rewards, stablecoins, custody, and subscription business. It has also moved to the predictions and tokenized stocks industry. Coinbase will be a top stock to watch this week as it releases its financial results. Analysts believe that its quarterly revenue will come in at $1.85 billion, down by over 18% YoY. This figure will bring the annual revenue to $7.25 billion, up by 10% YoY. The company’s earnings per share (EPS) is expected to come in at $1.01, down sharply from the $4.68 it made Robinhood stock in the spotlight ahead of its earnings Robinhood is another top crypto stock to watch this week as the company publishes its financial results. The stock has retreated from a high of $155 in October to the current $82. While Robinhood is known for stocks and options trading solutions, it has become a major player in the crypto industry. Users can trade and invest in digital coins on its platform and on BitStamp, the exchange it acquired last year. The most recent results showed that Robinhood was one of the fastest-growing players in the crypto trading solutions as its revenue jumped by triple digits. The upcoming results will likely show that the segment slowed in the last quarter as the crypto market crash happened. Analysts expect the upcoming results to show that its revenue rose by 32% in the last quarter to $1.34 billion. This growth will bring its annual revenue to over $4.5 billion. The revenue growth is expected to slow from 53% in 2025 to 22% this year. BMNR and MSTR stocks in focus as NAV falls Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, and Tom Lee’s BitMine will be in the spotlight as investors focus on their crypto holdings. MSTR stock price jumped by over 26% on Friday as Bitcoin stabilized above $60,000. Similarly, BitMine rebounded sharply as Ethereum bounced back. They all remain sharply lower than their all-time highs. The stocks will be in the spotlight this week as they reveal their crypto purchases last week as Bitcoin and Ethereum prices dropped. Also, they will react to the performance of their core holdings. Analysts have mixed sentiments on the two companies. Some believe that they have now become extremely oversold and bargains. For example, TD Cowen boosted the MSTR stock target to $440 saying that it had become oversold and cheap. The other top crypto stocks to watch this week will be mining companies like IREN, Bitfarms, and MARA Holdings. The post Top crypto stocks to watch this week: HOOD, COIN, MSTR, BMNR appeared first on Invezz

9 Feb 2026, 12:01

xStocks launch on 360X, extending the leading standard of tokenized equities to Deutsche Börse clients

We’re excited to announce xStocks are now available to trade on 360X , a regulated secondary trading venue for financial instruments backed by Deutsche Börse Group. From today, Deutsche Börse clients and participants on 360X can trade five xStocks assets (CRCLx, GOOGLx, NVDAx, SPYx, TSLAx) against stablecoins. 360X’s BaFin and ESMA-regulated trading venue plans to expand coverage over time. The launch significantly broadens institutional access to xStocks, and further accelerates adoption of the leading token standard globally, by trading volume and unique holders. A proven, scaled token standard backed 1:1 by traditional assets Since their inception in May 2025, xStocks have seen rapid uptake, surpassing nearly $20 billion in total trading volume. Each xStock is backed 1:1 by the underlying equity or ETF and held with a licensed custodian in a bankruptcy-remote structure, combining on-chain efficiency with institutional-grade expectations. Interoperable across a range of centralized and decentralized environments, xStocks helps unlock a range of new opportunities for Deutsche Börse clients. Mark Greenberg, Kraken Global Head of Consumer and VP of Product for xStocks: “The rapid adoption of xStocks reflects strong global demand for digitally native instruments that provide exposure to established financial markets. Integrating with a leading distribution channel like 360X means Deutsche Börse clients can now access one of the most liquid ecosystems for tokenized financial instruments.” Carlo Kölzer, CEO of 360X : “The listing of xStocks represents a significant milestone for 360X and demonstrates how our regulated trading infrastructure is delivering market outcomes. As Deutsche Börse Group, we are pleased that this listing represents a key pillar of the Group’s partnership with Kraken, establishing a strong foundation for institutional-grade trading of tokenized securities and anticipating the continued convergence of digital assets and traditional capital markets.” Advancing regulated market infrastructure through strategic partnership Today’s announcement marks the first major milestone following Kraken and Deutsche Börse Group’s strategic partnership announced in December. Spanning FX, custody, settlement and tokenized assets, the partnership aims to combine regulated market infrastructure with crypto-native expertise in order to unlock products and services that deliver holistic experiences for institutional clients. “Bringing xStocks into the 360X ecosystem is a headline example of how our partnership with Deutsche Börse is translating into regulated, scalable solutions for a broader swathe of investors,” Greenberg said. “xStocks enable round-the-clock trading of established financial assets with instant settlement, unlocking a broader range of use cases and utilities than are typically available in traditional equity markets.” Explore xStocks on Kraken Not available for U.S. clients. The post xStocks launch on 360X, extending the leading standard of tokenized equities to Deutsche Börse clients appeared first on Kraken Blog .