BTC Waver on Macro & Quantum Jitters, CLARITY Act Deadline Fuels Hope, Sui ETFs Go Live Feb 16-20
The crypto market for the week of February 16-20 saw Bitcoin, ETH, XRP, and other cryptocurrencies pressured by macro and quantum computing fears. DATs continued accumulating as TradFi focused on tokenized assets, prediction markets, and the CLARITY Act.
BTC stabilized after the early-month crash but stayed range-bound, with cautious sentiment driven by key U.S. economic data releases like FOMC minutes, Core PCE inflation, GDP, and jobless claims.
BTC & Crypto Market Waver amid FOMC Minutes, Macro & Quantum Computing Jitters
Bitcoin (BTC) plunged back to $66K after FOMC minutes showed Fed officials remain divided on rate cuts and hikes. ETH remained under pressure after selloffs by billionaire investors Peter Thiel and Arthur Hayes. Crypto market volatility increased as traders digested signals about future rate hikes and macro pressure, including jobless claims and US PCE inflation.
XRP led institutional inflows into large digital assets despite Standard Chartered reduced its 2026 price target for the coin, indicating a growing divergence between capital rotation and macro opinion.
The market’s risk appetite was further tested by concerns over quantum computing threats. Kevin O’Leary warns institutions are turning cautious for this reason. CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju also raised concerns about quantum computing’s impact on Bitcoin.
O’Leary claims TradFi institutions will limit their crypto allocations to 3% until a resolution. Kevin O’Leary says only Bitcoin and Ethereum matter now, while other altcoins are “just poo poo coins.”
Harvard Management Co (HMC), which manages Harvard University’s endowment, trimmed its holdings in the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) and opened a new multimillion-dollar position in Ethereum.
CLARITY Act Deadline Fuels Hope in Crypto Market
The CLARITY Act delay kept the crypto market at bay, but Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said the crypto market structure bill is close after talks between banks and crypto firms.
The White House set March 1 as the deadline for the stablecoin rewards dispute. Officials aim to resolve the yield standoff in the coming weeks to clear the path for advancing the crypto market structure bill, the Clarity Act.
Chances of the CLARITY Act passing have jumped on prediction markets. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said negotiations on the crypto bill have advanced toward potential passage in April.
Tokenization and Prediction Markets Buzz
TradFi institutions such as Morgan Stanley are increasing Solana exposure, signaling rising confidence in the blockchain’s potential. This move comes as the real-world asset tokenized value hits $1.66 billion.
Crypto market maker Wintermute is expanding its offerings for institutional investors by adding tokenized gold trading. The XRP Ledger (XRPL) is in the spotlight, with nearly two-thirds of all tokenized US Treasury bills on the blockchain.
World Liberty Financial is working with Securitize to tokenize loan interests tied to the Trump International Hotel and Resort in the Maldives.
A Federal Reserve Board study on the accuracy of prediction markets for macroeconomic forecasts found that Kalshi is more accurate than Fed funds futures and economist surveys.
Sui ETFs Go Live, Marking a New Era
The first exchange-traded funds (ETFs) based on the Sui blockchain ecosystem began trading. Sui ETFs by Grayscale Investments and Canary Capital offer regulated access to the token with staking rewards.
The Canary Staked SUI ETF (SUIS) launched on Nasdaq, while the Grayscale Sui Staking ETF (GSUI) debuted on NYSE Arca. Early trading led to the price hitting $1 amid institutional and retail interest.
