Stablecoins Reach $3 Trillion, Tokenization Nears $200 Trillion

Stablecoins are approaching $3 trillion, tokenization is near $200 trillion, and DeFi infrastructure is expanding rapidly. These dynamics keep investors engaged despite the depth of the bear market and short-term declines.

Previous Bear Markets Were Devastating

Hougan says, “Those claiming this crypto winter is worse than 2018 or 2022 simply don’t remember those years.” In 2018, Bitcoin was only $3,000 and Ethereum was a ‘global computer’ with limited throughput and few applications. In 2022, markets collapsed, and regulators threatened the sector.

“Today is different. Stablecoins are at $3 trillion, tokenization at $200 trillion. Regulatory climate is positive, tokenomics are stronger,” Hougan added. He also highlighted that BlackRock and Apollo are building on DeFi infrastructure, ETFs are expanding, and concerns about fiat currencies are rising.

“Yes, I’m optimistic. It doesn’t mean smooth sailing, but the ride is exciting,” he said.

Current Bear Market Shallower than Previous Ones

Total market capitalization, which neared $4.4 trillion in November 2025, dropped to $2.23 trillion by February 6. This is far shallower than previous bear markets: an 88% drop in 2018 and a 73% collapse in 2022. The March 2020 Covid crash also caused a 56% drop in a short time.

The difference, according to Hougan, is stronger crypto fundamentals. Analysts note the current slump is driven not by crypto-native factors but by broader macroeconomic and geopolitical concerns. Glassnode reported Bitcoin’s drop to $60,000 on February 6 created psychological pressure on “diamond hands” similar to the May 2022 Luna crash.

“Long-term holders experienced significant losses, a rare shift typically seen in deeper bear market stages,” analysts added.

The recent drop to $60k imposed drastic psychological pressure on “diamond hands,” comparable to the May 2022 LUNA crash.
In both cases, the 7D EMA of Long-Term Holder SOPR fell below 1 after trading for 1-2 years above it.
Simply put, long-term holders realized significant… pic.twitter.com/xc6bXzwPYx

— glassnode (@glassnode) February 16, 2026

Long-Term Holders Still in Profit

Joao Wedson, founder of Alphractal, said long-term holders’ Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) stands at 0.36, meaning they are still, on average, in profit. Wedson notes that when NUPL enters negative territory, even the most committed holders face losses, marking the lowest phase of market depression historically.

In previous cycles, this phase appeared just before the next bull market. Wedson emphasizes that the market has not yet reached this stage.

Bitcoin was trading around $68,350 at the time of writing, having again failed to surpass $70,000 on Monday.

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The post Bitcoin Hits $60K: Why Investors Are Still Optimistic appeared first on Coin Engineer.

25x Long Position on Ethereum Worth Over $12 Million!

On-chain data indicates that Wynn opened a 25x leveraged position on 3,269 Ethereum, valued at approximately $12.12 million. His entry price is $3,726.28, and the liquidation point is set at $3,492.8. The trade currently reflects an unrealized loss of around $62,700.

812 Million PEPE Tokens Included in His Second Trade

Wynn’s second move involved a 10x leveraged position on PEPE. The position comprises 812.16 million tokens at an average entry price of $0.01358, totaling $11.28 million in value. This position currently shows an unrealized profit of $251,617.

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Before initiating these trades, Wynn deposited 536,573 USDC into Hyperliquid, a decentralized perpetuals exchange, indicating a calculated return to high-risk strategies.

A Return After Heavy Losses Earlier This Year

Wynn became known for previous high-profile losses, including a $100 million Bitcoin leveraged position that was liquidated on May 30, followed by a $25 million loss on June 5. After these incidents, he deactivated his social media accounts and updated his profile with the word “broke.”

In July, Ethereum gained over 20%, leading to one of the largest short squeezes in recent history. Market analysts suggest that if ETH surpasses $4,000, more leveraged short positions could be liquidated.

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The post Famous Trader Opens High-Leverage Long Positions on These Altcoins! appeared first on Coin Engineer.

Eligible Binance users will be able to use Binance Alpha points to claim an airdrop of 3,125 XO tokens within 24 hours after trading starts on the Alpha event page. This airdrop will be distributed in two stages: 

• First 18 hours: Users with at least 239 Alpha points can claim the airdrop. 
• Last 6 hours: Users with at least 198 Alpha points can claim on a first-come, first-served basis until the airdrop pool is depleted or the event ends. 

Claiming the airdrop will consume 15 Binance Alpha points. Users must confirm their claims on the Alpha event page within 24 hours, or the claim will be forfeited. 

What is XOCIETY (XO)? 

XOCIETY is a POP shooter game set in a deep cyberpunk universe with RPG progression, backed by major investors like HASHED, Neoclassic, Spartan, KRAFTON, and Sui. Its economic model aims to overcome issues faced by previous Web3 gaming projects. Notably, XOCIETY is the flagship game project on the Sui blockchain and the first game pre-installed on the Sui Play device.

Click to Register to Binance Exchange with 20% Commission Discount!

Why is Binance Alpha Important? 

Binance Alpha is a key platform that serves as a gateway for innovative early-stage crypto projects to enter the market. Projects selected for Alpha gain visibility within the exchange ecosystem, attracting community interest and investor support. Projects like XOCIETY (XO) are introduced on this platform to meet potential investors directly, increasing their chances of future exchange listings. 

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The post Binance Alpha Launches XOCIETY (XO) Token Trading with Airdrop appeared first on Coin Engineer.

Seed Phrase Trap: Social Engineering at Its Worst

Ed Suman, a 67-year-old former fabricator for top artists like Jeff Koons, spent decades in the art world before shifting his focus to cryptocurrency investing. Over time, he amassed 17.5 Bitcoin (BTC) and 225 Ethereum (ETH) — the core of his retirement portfolio — stored safely in a Trezor Model One hardware wallet.

But in March, he received a text message that appeared to be from Coinbase, alerting him to suspicious account activity. He replied, and shortly afterward, a man calling himself “Brett Miller from Coinbase security” called him.

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The caller seemed legitimate, even referencing Suman’s use of a hardware wallet. Over the phone, he walked Suman through a supposed “security procedure,” which required him to enter his seed phrase into a site that perfectly mimicked Coinbase’s interface.

A second scam call came nine days later. After following the same process again, all of Suman’s crypto was gone.

Real Data Breach at Coinbase Raises Alarms

Coincidentally or not, Coinbase recently disclosed a data breach where attackers bribed Indian customer support contractors to access private user data — including names, account balances, and transaction histories.

Roughly 1% of monthly users were affected, including Sequoia Capital’s managing partner Roelof Botha. While no funds were confirmed stolen from him, the incident highlights growing concerns over third-party vulnerabilities.

Coinbase has since fired the compromised contractors and is planning to compensate affected users with a budget between $180 million and $400 million.

Hardware Wallets Are Not Foolproof

Suman’s tragic loss is a painful reminder: Seed phrases should never be entered into any website, regardless of how authentic it looks. The biggest threat in crypto isn’t always technology — it’s human manipulation.

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The post Retired Artist Loses $2M in Crypto to Fake Coinbase Site appeared first on Coin Engineer.