Binance Alpha's second wave of Velvet (VELVET) airdrop rewards is now available for collection. Users with at least 242 Binance Alpha Points can claim 400 VELVET on a first-come, first-served basis. If the reward pool is not fully distributed, the points threshold will automatically decrease by 5 points every 5 minutes. Claiming the airdrop requires 15 Binance Alpha Points, and users must confirm their claim on the Alpha event page within 24 hours; failure to do so will be considered a forfeiture.

On February 18, Nimbus Capital announced a $15 million strategic partnership with Chimera Wallet, a non-custodial wallet built on Bitcoin's VTXO technology. According to BlockBeats, the collaboration aims to expand decentralized finance (DeFi) capabilities within the Bitcoin ecosystem and advance programmable financial tools on the Bitcoin network. The partnership will integrate Bitcoin's underlying security with the programmable capabilities of the Arkade layer built on Bitcoin. This integration will offer users DeFi-related services such as asset exchange, lending mechanisms, liquidity functions, fiat on-ramps, and payment integration, all while maintaining self-custody of assets. Claudio Levrini, founder and director of Chimera, stated that the collaboration combines financial expertise with Bitcoin infrastructure development, aiming to enhance Bitcoin's practical applications while ensuring self-custody. Robert Baker, managing partner at Nimbus Capital, noted that this move will facilitate further integration of Bitcoin in both institutional and decentralized settings. Chimera plans to leverage this partnership to accelerate product development. This includes the global rollout of the Chimera Visa card to support BTC and fiat conversions, integration of digital gift cards and merchant gateway systems, enhancement of liquidity and cross-chain interoperability, and development of user-end features such as swaps, yield products, and portfolio management.

Bitwise has filed a prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission outlining its plans for a prediction market ETF linked to the outcome of the 2028 U.S. presidential election. (TheBlock)

Apple's 40-day correlation with the Nasdaq 100 Index fell to 0.21 last week, marking its lowest point since 2006. Bloomberg posted on X, highlighting this significant shift in Apple's stock behavior. The decline in correlation suggests that Apple's stock movements are increasingly independent of the broader tech-heavy index, which could have implications for investors and market analysts. This change comes amid various market dynamics and economic factors influencing tech stocks. Analysts are closely monitoring the situation to understand the potential impacts on investment strategies and market predictions.

Phantom, a cryptocurrency wallet, has announced the launch of its MCP server on the X platform. According to PANews, this new server facilitates AI Agent exchanges, signing, and management of all on-chain addresses supported by Phantom. Additionally, it can be used in conjunction with Claude, OpenClaw, or any MCP-compatible client.

OneChain has successfully raised $67 million in a Series A strategic financing round to advance its on-chain infrastructure for real-world asset tokenization. According to NS3.AI, the funding was led by Bitgo Capital, East Bank, PACIFIC BANK, and UBpay. The initiative aims to support institutional asset issuers and financial institutions by providing a platform for compliant issuance, management, rights confirmation, and liquidity trading of real-world assets on-chain.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is actively observing developments in foreign-exchange markets, prepared to address any potential effects on inflation. Bloomberg posted on X, highlighting the ECB's vigilance in assessing currency fluctuations and their implications for price stability. The bank's focus on exchange rates underscores its commitment to maintaining inflation targets amid global economic uncertainties. As currency movements can influence import prices and overall inflation, the ECB's readiness to act reflects its proactive approach to monetary policy. The institution remains attentive to market dynamics, ensuring that any necessary measures are taken to safeguard economic stability.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated on February 18 that it is premature to discuss the outcomes of the Ukraine talks held in Geneva, Switzerland. According to Jin10, Peskov did not confirm whether the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was discussed in Geneva. He mentioned that the progress of the talks would be directly reported to President Putin by the Russian delegation. Peskov also emphasized Russia's consistent opposition to the blockade of Cuba and highlighted the importance of maintaining strong relations with Cuba, especially during challenging times. He noted that Russia's support for Cuba does not hinder its engagement with the United States on the Ukraine issue. Additionally, Peskov announced that President Putin is scheduled to meet with the Cuban Foreign Minister at the Kremlin today.

BNB 5354x return, BNB tokenomics and burn, Binance compliance and regulatory risk explained via baseline, timeframe and burn math; analysts cite supply effects. source: https://coincu.com/news/bnb-draws-scrutiny-on-5354x-claim-as-burn-regulation-weigh/

OneChain recently announced the completion of a $67 million Series A strategic financing round. This round of financing will primarily be used to build a complete on-chain infrastructure for Real-World Assets (RWAs) for institutional asset issuers, financial institutions, and global investors, providing a one-stop solution for real-world assets from issuance, management, ownership verification to liquidity trading. This round of financing was jointly invested by Bitgo Capital, East Bank, PACIFIC BANK, and UBpay, with GBEX Holdings serving as the exclusive financial advisor. Tokenizing Real-World Value (OneChain) is dedicated to transforming real-world value into on-chain assets and is a compliant RWA asset issuance and management platform for the global market.

Retail investors, BTC, crypto market, the scythe of Bitcoin's leader - a true account of a Nasdaq robbery. Golden Finance: From a 23x premium to zero, how were retail investors legally wiped out?

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Happy Lunar New Year of the Year of the Horse! Wishing everyone: May you gallop forward with boundless success, and enjoy good health and steady wealth!

Jinse Finance launches its cryptocurrency and blockchain industry daily news bulletin, "Jinse 8 AM," issue 2971, providing you with the latest and fastest news on the digital currency and blockchain industry.

OpenClaw community rules: No discussion of finance or crypto. This is perhaps the most incisive criticism of Web3, and also the most sincere advice.

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