BlackRock, Citadel, and other traditional financial giants are sequentially purchasing DeFi governance tokens, possibly to lock in infrastructure usage rights.

Payoneer applies for a banking license with OCC, plans to issue cross-border stablecoins

Global financial services company Payoneer has submitted an application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish PAYO Digital Bank, obtaining a national trust bank license. If approved, Payoneer will be able to issue a stablecoin compliant with the GENIUS Act, PAYO-USD, and provide its customers with regulated stablecoin custody, payments, and cross-border currency exchange services.

Nikkei 225 Index closes up 2.20%, hitting a record high at the close

Odaily Planet Daily News, February 25 — According to Gate Data, the Nikkei 225 Index closed on February 25 (Wednesday) up 1,262.03 points, a 2.20% increase, at 58,583.12 points, setting a new all-time closing high.

Trump's State of the Union Address Triggers a Controlled Surge for Cryptocurrencies

Trump's State of the Union Address emphasized economic success, boasting of a "golden age" amid mid-term elections. Following his speech, cryptocurrencies saw a slight market cap increase of 2.58%, despite underlying economic contradictions.

Anchorage acquires Strategy 11.25% perpetual preferred stock with a 11.25% return, Bitcoin reserve strategy supported by banking institutions

On February 25, the cryptocurrency company Anchorage Digital, which has obtained a U.S. banking license, announced that its balance sheet now holds perpetual preferred shares of Bitcoin asset management firm Strategy. This move is seen as an important signal of institutional capital structuring around the Bitcoin ecosystem. CEO Nathan McCauley stated that this is a form of "belief compound effect," meaning that institutions are no longer just holding Bitcoin but are further investing in related infrastructure and asset management businesses. Subsequently, Strategy Chairman Michael Saylor responded by saying "belief is contagious," implying that more institutions may follow suit by allocating to its income-generating preferred stock products, thereby strengthening capital linkage among institutions around Bitcoin asset strategies. This investment is viewed as a direct endorsement of Strategy's Bitcoin asset management model and also reflects that institutional investors are participating in Bitcoin's long-term value layout through multi-layer structures such as equity and preferred shares.

MicroStrategy Becomes Wall Street’s Most Shorted Stock at $4.8B

_MicroStrategy becomes the most shorted US stock with $4.85B in short interest, about 11% of market cap, after $3.2B short profits last year._ MicroStrategy, led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, has become the most shorted stock on Wall Street. Data shows that the net short position in $M

El Salvador introduces Bitcoin Diploma 2.0, incorporating Bitcoin education into the national curriculum system

El Salvador will launch the "Bitcoin Diploma 2.0" educational program on February 24, 2026, upgrading financial literacy courses to include Bitcoin content in public school sociology and mathematics classes, covering multiple related topics, and advancing in tandem with the deployment of AI teaching tools.