February 22nd Cryptocurrency Market Hotspots: The Seven Major Events Newcomers Need to Watch

For investors entering the crypto market later, understanding the latest policy developments, institutional movements, and on-chain data is crucial. This week’s industry highlights provide valuable market insights for latecomers, including policy opportunities and risk warnings.

Policy and Regulatory Developments: Tariff Adjustments and Crypto Legislation Moving Forward

President Trump announced plans to raise global tariffs from the current 10% to 15%. This policy change will impact multiple sectors, including the crypto industry, and late entrants should closely monitor its indirect effects on market liquidity.

Meanwhile, key legislation in the crypto space is progressing. According to Forbes, the likelihood of the Clarity Act passing had once risen to 90%, now down to about 70%. Dennis Porter, co-founder of the Satoshi Action Fund, stated that once signed, trillions of dollars in capital could enter the market once compliance frameworks are in place. For latecomers, the progress of this legislation will be an important reference for assessing market risk appetite.

Traditional Financial Giants Accelerate Entry: Major Institutions Join the Fray

Morgan Stanley (with $1.9 trillion in assets) is hiring for 12 positions related to Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. This move reflects growing Wall Street recognition of crypto assets and provides more institutional liquidity support for late entrants.

More notably, Blue Owl Capital (OWL) experienced an asset sale event. The private equity firm’s stock dropped nearly 15% this week, forcing the sale of $1.4 billion in assets to meet investor redemptions. Former PIMCO CEO Mohamed El-Erian compared this to the “canary in the coal mine” moments of the 2007 Bear Stearns hedge fund collapses. History shows that similar financial risks often create new investment opportunities—government bailouts, zero-interest policies, and quantitative easing in the past ultimately led to Bitcoin’s creation in 2009 and its rise to a $1 trillion market cap. Late entrants should understand that during systemic stress, Bitcoin often demonstrates its value as an alternative asset.

On-Chain Innovation: New Bond Formats Attract Capital

Japanese SBI Holdings announced a plan to issue on-chain bonds worth 10 billion yen (about $64.5 million), with issuance and management conducted entirely on blockchain. Investors will receive XRP as an additional reward besides regular yields. This innovative approach showcases blockchain’s potential in traditional finance and offers new asset allocation ideas for latecomers.

Security Warning: IoTeX Bridge Attack Loses $8 Million

Late entrants should be aware that on-chain security risks remain. The IoTeX.io Bridge was hacked due to private key leakage, resulting in losses exceeding $8 million in crypto assets. Hackers have converted funds to ETH and are transferring them to BTC via Thorchain. This incident underscores the importance for late entrants to carefully select products and auditors when participating in DeFi ecosystems.

On-Chain Data Indicates Bottoming Opportunities

Crypto analyst Murphy, analyzing on-chain data in both spatial and temporal dimensions, suggests Bitcoin is gradually approaching the bear market bottom range. Notably, as of February, faith-driven buyers held a total of 3.48 million BTC, reaching a new high for this cycle. Since January, these buyers have accumulated about 1.22 million BTC, surpassing the levels seen during the 5.19 event, LUNA, and FTX crises. Historical data indicates that when faith-driven buyers continuously absorb excess supply and move toward supply-demand balance, it often signals the formation of a bear market bottom. For late entrants, this suggests the market may be approaching a critical turning point.

Market Reference for Late Entrants

Based on the latest market data (as of February 27, 2026), BTC is priced at $67,270 with a market cap of $1.3 trillion; XRP at $1.40; ETH at $2,020. These price points at entry will serve as important benchmarks for future investment decision assessments.