Last week, funds have flowed into #Bitcoin, #Ethereum, and #Hyperliquid.

February 18 — Consensys co-founder/CEO and Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin shared his take on the crypto market’s current state and future trajectory in a recent Bloomberg interview in Hong Kong. Lubin remains cautiously optimistic and forward-focused, stressing the digital asset economy is evolving driven by functional utility, not just speculation. On Bitcoin, Lubin said it shouldn’t be considered a traditional safe-haven asset right now. He framed the broader crypto space as still a “startup ecosystem,” arguing positioning Bitcoin as a secure store of value amid ongoing development hurdles is premature. By contrast, he noted ETH (Ethereum’s native token) has stronger functional demand. Lubin argued ETH’s utility for decentralized apps (dApps), smart contracts, and broader ecosystem activity gives it an edge in real-world adoption over Bitcoin’s core narrative. Lubin stressed Ethereum’s enduring role in the evolving financial infrastructure. He pointed out institutional

On February 18, CNBC reported that Wells Fargo said some U.S. taxpayers may receive larger tax refunds this year than in prior years—funds that could flow into risky assets like stocks and Bitcoin. The bank cited two key drivers: last summer’s “Beautiful Act” includes provisions favorable to 2025 taxpayers, and the IRS did not update its withholding tables last year, so salaried workers are less likely to face unexpected tax bills from prior adjustments. In its latest analyst report, Wells Fargo noted these factors could push a potential $150 billion in market inflows by the end of March, when over 60% of tax refunds are expected to be distributed. The bank’s analysts added this expected liquidity injection would boost Bitcoin and retail-investor-favored stocks like Boeing and Robinhood. “We believe extra savings from tax refunds—especially for high-income consumers—will flow back into the stock market,” Wells Fargo analyst Ohsung Kwon said in the Sunday report. “Increased sav

February 18th — Regulatory filings submitted Tuesday reveal two Abu Dhabi-based funds held more than $1 billion in assets of Bitwise’s flagship Bitcoin spot ETF as of the end of last year. Sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company disclosed holding 12,702,323 shares of the Bitwise fund (ticker: IBIT), valued at approximately $631 million. Separately, government-affiliated investment entity Al Warda Investments reported holding 8,218,712 IBIT shares (worth $408 million) in two 13F filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Mubadala’s 13F filing shows its IBIT stake rose 46% from its third-quarter SEC submission. The Abu Dhabi fund held over 8 million IBIT shares for most of 2024. Bitwise’s spot BTC fund is the largest of its kind, with roughly $58 billion in assets under management (AUM). The fund’s value has dropped sharply amid Bitcoin’s price decline in recent months. 13F filings are quarterly SEC submissions by institutional managers with at

February 18th Three Japanese securities giants—with a combined market capitalization of roughly $480 billion—are weighing entry into cryptocurrency trading, with the largest targeting a late-2026 launch of crypto services. Japan’s top securities firm Nomura Holdings (which manages ~$673 billion in client assets) will operate the business via its Swiss crypto subsidiary Laser Digital, Nikkei reports. Two peers—Daiwa Securities Group and SMBC Nikko Securities—are also actively exploring crypto trading entry. The firms cite expected surging crypto demand as Tokyo eases restrictions on cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), driving their proactive preparation. They won’t let Bitcoin price drops derail their crypto adoption efforts, aiming to add more digital assets to their holdings by 2026.

February 18th: Per Onchain Lens monitoring, the whale address "pension-usdt.eth" has again deposited 30 million USDC into HyperLiquid and opened a 3x leveraged long position on BTC. Position details: - Quantity: 1,000 BTC - Value: $67.59 million - Entry Price: $67,203.6 - Liquidation Price: $37,681.1

Benchmark on Tuesday maintained a “Buy” rating on Metaplanet but slashed its price target by more than half, citing the Tokyo-listed Bitcoin reserve firm’s latest financial report highlighting the “outlook and risks” of its aggressive Bitcoin accumulation strategy. Analyst Mark Palmer cut the price target to 1,100 yen from 2,400 yen, noting recent performance underscores the “hope and danger” of Metaplanet’s Bitcoin-focused financial strategy. The stock trades on the U.S. OTC market under ticker MTPLF, currently around $2.20—after briefly falling to ~$1.85 earlier this month, near its lowest level since the firm launched its Bitcoin purchase strategy in April 2024. Metaplanet reported a $619 million net loss for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, driven primarily by unrealized non-cash valuation losses on its Bitcoin holdings from late-year price declines. Still, operating performance improved sharply: revenue and profit grew thanks to Bitcoin-related financial services. A key pil