CIFR News & Events

The cryptocurrency market is grappling with a severe downturn as bitcoin fell below the $68,000 threshold, hitting its lowest level in 15 months. A "demand vacuum" has emerged, driven by a broad risk-off sentiment in global markets and heavy institutional offloading from spot ETFs. While corporate giants like Google and CME Group continue to build on-chain infrastructure, the immediate price action reflects a significant "crisis of faith" among investors. Stay up on the crypto news that matters with "Crypto Currents," daily from The Fly. Join us at 2 PM ET for your essential briefing on the fast-moving world of cryptocurrency on FlyCast radio.BITCOIN SLIDES BELOW $68,000 AS INSTITUTIONS LOCK IN PROFITS:The original cryptocurrency has extended its monthslong slide, dropping as much as 11% on Thursday to reach a low of $67,000. This retreat marks a nearly 46% decline from the all-time high of $126,210 recorded in October 2025., the CoinbasePremium Gap has hit yearly lows, suggesting that professional and institutional players are leading the current selling pressure. Analysts at CryptoQuant note that institutional demand has undergone a substantial reversal, with U.S. spot ETFs becoming net sellers in 2026 after offloading over 10,600 BTC., U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs saw $545M in net outflows on Wednesday, led by BlackRock'sIBIT. This selling pressure pushed bitcoin below $71,000, its lowest level since late 2024.The selloff has been exacerbated by broader stress in the technology sector, particularly among AI-exposed software stocks, and comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirming the.CME GROUP AND GOOGLE CLOUD DEVELOP TOKENIZED CASH FOR COLLATERAL:In a move to modernize derivatives clearing, CME Groupis exploring the launch of a proprietary "tokenized cash" coin developed in collaboration with Google., the exchange is weighing the issuance of its own digital token to be used for collateral and margin across financial markets. This initiative, expected to roll out this year, utilizes Google Cloud's Universal Ledger to facilitate wholesale payments and asset tokenization. The project aims to allow industry participants to use the coin on decentralized networks, potentially expanding the use of crypto as margin for repo agreements and securities lending. This development coincides with the exchange's plan to transition its cryptocurrency futures, which currently include bitcoin, ether, solana, and XRP, to round-the-clock trading by early 2026.TETHER STRENGTHENS U.S. FOOTPRINT WITH ANCHORAGE DIGITAL INVESTMENT:, a federally regulated digital asset bank. The stablecoin issuer, the popular tether, notes that the partnership solidifies a working relationship where Anchorage serves as the primary banking partner for Tether's USAT stablecoin, a product designed specifically for the U.S. market to comply with local regulations. This move signals a pivot toward regulated infrastructure for the stablecoin issuer, which has traditionally focused on offshore markets.CIPHER MINING SUBSIDIARY SEES MASSIVE DEMAND FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DEBT:Reflecting the ongoing "HPC pivot," Black Pearl Compute, a subsidiary of Cipher Mining, has garnered $13B in orders for a $2B junk bond sale.that the funding is earmarked for a data center in Texas leased to AmazonWeb Services for 15 years. The deal, which also saw previous support from Google, highlights the intense demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure among bitcoin miners. Despite the bond success, CIFR shares fell over 12% amid a broader retreat in crypto-linked equities.TRADITIONAL BANKS AND FIDELITY DEPLOY INDEPENDENT STABLECOIN SOLUTIONS:The stablecoin sector is becoming increasingly crowded with traditional financial institutions. Fidelity Investments has, the Fidelity Digital Dollar, for retail and institutional use. Meanwhile, BBVAhas, a group of European banks including BNP Paribas and UniCredit aiming to launch a regulated euro stablecoin to challenge the dominance of digital dollars.PRICE ACTION:As of time of writing, bitcoin was trading at $67,898.57, while ether was trading at $1,984.13,.

Moderately bullish activity in Cipher Mining (CIFR), with shares down 71c near $15.10. Options volume relatively light with 65k contracts traded and calls leading puts for a put/call ratio of 0.44, compared to a typical level near 0.41. Implied volatility (IV30) is higher by 9.4 points near 129.18,in the top quartile of the past year, suggesting an expected daily move of $1.23. Put-call skew flattened, suggesting a modestly bullish tone.Looking ahead: Cipher Mining (CIFR) will report earnings after the close on None.Option markets are pricing in a 50% probability of a move greater than 0.0% or $0.00.

Strategy slides as Galaxy Digital reports a $482M loss, but Wall Street is buying the dip with record ETF inflows. Meanwhile, White House negotiations over stablecoin legislation hit a stalemate, and new manufacturing data signals a potential "risk-on" shift for the markets. Stay up on the crypto news that matters with "Crypto Currents," daily from The Fly. Join us at 2 PM ET for your essential briefing on the fast-moving world of cryptocurrency on FlyCast radio,STRATEGY EXTENDS LOSING STREAK TO EIGHT MONTHS AS GALAXY DIGITAL POSTS $482M LOSS:The institutional crypto sector remains under significant pressure as Strategynavigates its eighth consecutive monthly decline. Shares of the bitcointreasury leader have plummeted roughly 75% from their November 2024 peak, currently trading near $141., the performance gap between Strategy and bitcoin has widened to 35%, a spread that could limit the firm's future ability to acquire tokens through equity offerings. Simultaneously, Galaxy Digitalreported a fourth-quarter net loss of $482M, missing analyst estimates of a $282M loss.that billionaire CEO Michael Novogratz remains optimistic despite the "pain," noting the firm holds $2.6B in cash and stablecoins to weather the cycle.WHITE HOUSE NEGOTIATIONS REACH DEADLOCK OVER CONTENTIOUS STABLECOIN YIELDS:Regulatory hurdles for the industry intensified on Monday as White House-led negotiations over market-structure legislation ended with no agreement on how to handle the issue of stablecoin yield. The central conflict involves whether platforms like Coinbaseshould be permitted to offer rewards or yield on stablecoins to their users., banking trade groups are pushing for a total prohibition on stablecoin rewards to prevent a flight of traditional deposits, while Coinbase argues it is simply offering a better product. While the Digital Chamber described the session as the first in a series to resolve the issue by the end of February, the deadlock continues to weigh on market sentiment. In contrast, Operashares surged 15% after its MiniPay wallet added support for tetherand tether gold, having processed over $153M in transactions in December,.INSTITUTIONAL DIP BUYING FUELS RECORD $562M INFLOW INTO BITCOIN FUNDS:Despite the equity slump, institutional appetite for digital assets at lower prices appears resilient.that U.S.-listed bitcoin ETFs recorded a net inflow of $561.8M on Monday, marking the largest single-day haul since Jan. 14. This "cash rush" was led by BlackRock'sIBIT fund and Fidelity's FBTC, even as the average cost basis for ETF holders remains underwater at approximately $84,099. This buying trend was mirrored by Cathie Wood's ARK Invest, which deployed roughly $72M into the market dip., ARK Invest added $32.7M in Robinhood, $9.4M in Circle, and $1.3M in Coinbase as bitcoin briefly fell below $75,000.MANUFACTURING EXPANSION AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEALS SIGNAL SECTOR SHIFTS:The broader economic and infrastructure landscape provided a rare bullish signal for investors. The ISM Manufacturing PMI rose to 52.6 in January, beating forecasts and ending 26 consecutive months of contraction. While analysts suggest this "risk-on" signal historically precedes bitcoin rallies, the mining sector faces immediate challenges as falling prices push older rigs into the red. TeraWulfbucked the trend, gaining 11% after, more than doubling its capacity to 2.8 gigawatts.H.C. WAINWRIGHT HIGHLIGHTS INSTITUTIONAL MOVES AND "PRIVATE GRID" PIVOT AMID MARKET VOLATILITY:Providing a critical fundamental counterbalance to recent price pullbacks, H.C. Wainwright analyst Mike Colonnese's early February 2026 roundup details a period of significant digital asset declines contrasted by massive infrastructure expansion. While bitcoin dropped 11% week-over-week to $76,911, impacted by $1.5B in spot ETF outflows and a 7.8% network hash rate dip following U.S. winter storms, the report underscores a rapid shift toward the "Private Grid" era for AI. This is exemplified by the approval of Pacifico Energy's 7.65 GW natural gas-fueled AI power campus in Texas, designed to bypass the ERCOT grid entirely. On the corporate front, Wainwright highlights institutional floor-setting maneuvers, including Binance's 30-day plan to convert $1B of its SAFU stablecoins into BTC and the advancement of the CLARITY Act in the Senate. The report specifically identifies IREN as a leader in the high-performance computing pivot, maintaining a sector-leading contracted annual recurring revenue of $1.94B through its AI cloud deal with Microsoft.Mike Colonnese provided the following updates on the crypto and AI industry, noting that public companies purchased a combined ~1,460 BTC last week:Strategy: Buy rating and $500 price target; purchased 855 BTC last week.Galaxy Digital: Buy rating and C$63 price target.Circle Internet Group: Neutral rating and $85 price target.American Bitcoin: Buy rating and $4 price target.Applied Digital: Buy rating and $40 price target.Bitfarms: Buy rating and $4 price target.Bit Digital: Buy rating and $7 price target.Bitdeer Technologies: Buy rating and $30 price target.Cango: Buy rating and $3 price target.Cipher Mining: Buy rating and $30 price target.CleanSpark: Buy rating and $27 price target.Coinbase Global: Buy rating and $425 price target.Core Scientific: Buy rating and $25 price target.CoreWeave: Buy rating and $180 price target.BitFuFu: Buy rating and $7 price target.HIVE Digital Technologies: Buy rating and $10 price target.Hut 8: Buy rating and $80 price target.IREN: Buy rating and $80 price target.MARA Holdings: Buy rating and $28 price target.Mawson Infrastructure: Neutral rating.Riot Platforms: Buy rating and $26 price target.Soluna Holdings: Buy rating and $5 price target.WhiteFiber: Buy rating and $34 price target.PRICE ACTION:As of time of writing, bitcoin was trading at $76,748.00, while etherwas trading at $2,249.09,.