On February 21st, according to Business Insider, Elon Musk's xAI is building a $700 million data center in Atlanta, equipped with 12448 Nvidia GPUs to support artificial intelligence training. The data center is jointly operated by xAI and X, with X contributing 90% of the hardware and allocating funds of $442 million to X, $258 million to xAI, and receiving $10 million in tax relief. The Atlanta government expects that the project will have an economic impact of over $241 million.

After months of rapid expansion, Bitcoin’s hashrate growth slowed down in January, according to the latest report from TheMinerMag. The network’s difficulty saw its first decline since September, indicating that even though publicly listed companies have kept increasing their hash power, their growth isn't enough to compensate for the capitulation of other, probably smaller operators.See all newslettersThe total revenue made from bitcoin (BTC) mining remained stable at $1.4 billion for the month. Publicly traded mining companies, which collectively hold 99,000 bitcoin (worth roughly $9.7 billion), accounted for about 30% of the hashrate market share in January.Competition between the biggest publicly traded companies has also increased.The leading mining firm, Marathon Digital (MARA), retained its top spot with a realized hashrate of 41.65 EH/s, followed by CleanSpark at 34.77 EH/s. Riot Platforms, which has been expanding aggressively, is closing in with 31.27 EH/s.“Notably, the competition within the 30 EH/s group is heating up like never before, while the gap between the 30 EH/s tier and the 10 EH/s group — comprising Core Scientific, Cipher Mining, and Bitfarms — continues to widen,” the report said.The top miners taking more market share is hardly a surprise as the recent halving event has cut bitcoin mining rewards by half and squeezed the industry's profit margin, even with the BTC price near $100,000. In such an environment, it's tough for smaller players to compete with big operations which were already positioned to dominate the market. In fact, a lot of miners are already looking for other revenue sources, such as hosting machines for AI and HPC firms. Bitcoin Halving Is a 'Show Me the Money' Moment for MinersThe report also said that mining hardware imports to the U.S. also slowed in January, a factor contributing to the stabilization of hashrate growth. However, some firms, including Blockchain Power Corp and AcroHash, have imported a significant amount of cooling infrastructure from Bitmain.Looking ahead, TheMinerMag predicts another difficulty adjustment decline in February as some smaller mining operators exit the market due to lower profitability.Bitcoin Mining Is a Game of Survival, Consolidation and Potential AI Diversification: Bernstein Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.

The two-track plan includes creating a long-term solution for using central bank money in digital ledger-based transactions, which can involve foreign exchange settlement along with other international financial use cases.The endeavor attempts to augment a European market for digital assets.

According to BlockBeats, on February 21st, Bitcoin traders are adopting a wait-and-see attitude due to weakened demand, lack of blockchain activity, and slowing liquidity inflows. Their attitude is not only reflected in the decrease of volatility, but also in the significant reduction of their holdings. The market is currently in a cooling phase, "said David Gogel, Vice President of Strategy and Operations at dYdX Foundation. Bitcoin has remained strong, but after failing to break through $105000 in January, we saw a slowdown in capital inflows and speculative assets like Meme were hit hard. "(CoinDesk)

BlockBeats News, on February 21st, FOX Business reporter Eleanor Terrett posted on social media that "the stablecoin regulatory framework bill submitted by US Republican Senator Bill Hagerty has gained more bipartisan support. Maryland Democratic Senator Angela Alsobrooks has just signed an agreement to become a co sponsor of the bill, and the other Democratic co sponsor is Kirsten Gillibrand

In the wake of shifting U.S. policy, the crypto landscape is undergoing a fundamental change — from fast-moving speculative bets to long-term, anchored investments, said Bitpanda CEO Eric Demuth during a fireside chat at Consensus Hong Kong on Wednesday.See all newslettersDemuth said the 2024 bull run wasn’t a repeat of the retail-fueled 2021 cycle. Instead, it was being driven by what he calls “sticky money” — institutional capital that’s less volatile and more committed.Vienna-based Bitpanda is one of Europe’s largest crypto exchanges with over 6 million users and offers stocks and previous metals, in addition to digital assets. The platform recently secured regulatory approval from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom.Speaking about the impact of U.S. policies under the Trump administration, Demuth argued that the government's aggressive embrace of crypto is forcing global markets to adapt. “The Trump administration is forcing everybody to do this, it’s not an option anymore, [...] it’s mandatory.”A clear sign of this shift is the booming interest in Bitcoin ETFs, which have ballooned to nearly $58 billion in assets under management in just one year of trading. Demuth believes these vehicles signal a maturing market, where major players are locking in capital for the long term, rather than chasing quick gains.While altcoins haven’t picked up the same speed of adoption as bitcoin, Demuth believes that will change once U.S. regulation evolves and alternative crypto ETFs gain approval.He also believes that U.S. banks will be the next wave of adopters.“[Crypto] has been made one of the pillars of U.S. economic and financial policy, so you have the biggest financial power in the world putting [crypto] on the spotlight which means all the banks now have to either look into it or even offer something,” he said.He predicts a surge in stablecoin issuances directly from U.S. banks and an uptick in tokenized assets, from government bonds to real estate.In Europe, Bitpanda continues to focus on navigating the continent’s complex regulatory landscape, holding multiple licenses and positioning itself as a key player in a fragmented market. Demuth said the potential for new customers in Europe is big enough for the company to stay focused on its expansion in that region.However, the company is expanding its B2B services, he said, licensing its crypto infrastructure to banks in the Middle East as well as Europe. Major financial institutions, including Germany’s Deutsche Bank and France’s largest banking group, are already tapping into Bitpanda’s backend systems.

Odaily Planet Daily News: VISA CEO: Stable coin trading volume has increased by 40% in the past two years. (Golden Ten)

According to BlockBeats, on February 21st, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou posted on social media that "the Chinese police issued an official warning about PI in 2023, warning the public that this is a scam targeting the elderly. There are also multiple other reports questioning the legality of the project. Bybit did not make a listing request to PI, and the claim that PI refused to list Bybit or that Bybit did not pass some kind of PI's KYB review is completely groundless. If this project is legal and legitimate, then the project team should come forward to respond to these reports and let everyone know the truth, rather than fabricating lies and conducting unfounded attacks. Yes, I still believe that PI is a scam and Bybit will not go public as a scam

According to Foresight News, Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum, stated that hosting Devconnect in Argentina could be an excellent opportunity to showcase the best advantages of cryptocurrency. The choice of Devconnect location is based on factors such as the quality of the local community, accessibility for global developers (such as the ease of obtaining visas), availability of suitable venues, potential for creating lasting impact, and especially through the long-term adoption of Ethereum applications in the region (including grassroots and institutional levels). We look forward to more participation

Foresight News reported that Argentine President Javier Milei arrived in the US capital on Thursday and plans to meet with Musk to give a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. He will also meet with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva to seek to consolidate an agreement that will help boost the Argentine economy. Milei also plans to meet with Musk during her visit to the United States. Javier Milei is currently shrouded in the Meme scandal. This visit was planned several weeks in advance, and the outside world believes that it will help shift public attention back to the effectiveness of its economic policies.

According to Foresight News, as reported by Fortune magazine, Figure has received approval from the SEC to launch its first interest bearing stablecoin, called YLDS. The stablecoin, developed by digital asset company Figure Markets, will be pegged to the US dollar and offer users a 0.5% yield, similar to cash in savings accounts.

Bitcoin financial services firm Onramp has partnered with lending platform Arch to introduce a bitcoin-backed lending service, the companies announced. The new product allows BTC holders to secure loans while keeping ownership of their assets, a move aimed at investors looking to access liquidity without selling their bitcoin (BTC).See all newslettersThe service provides bitcoin-collateralized loans, allowing borrowers to use their holdings as security while receiving cash or stablecoins in return. By using bitcoin as collateral rather than selling it outright, borrowers can avoid capital gains taxes and maintain exposure to the asset’s potential price appreciation, according to the press release.Lending partner Arch specializes in asset-backed loans and will handle the underwriting and loan distribution. Onramp, which focuses on bitcoin financial solutions, will integrate the service into its platform, making it accessible to users looking for an alternative to traditional financing.Bitcoin-backed lending is gaining in popularity this cycle as an alternative to traditional loans, especially among long-term BTC holders who prefer to retain their assets. This model has been used in various financial applications, from personal liquidity needs to institutional financing strategies.Coinbase to Offer Bitcoin-Backed Loans Through Morpho

According to Foresight News, Sui Ecological Forecasting Market (WinX. io) announced that its token WIN has been launched. In its token economy model, 56.9% is allocated to the community, 27.25% to future development, and 15.85% to teams and seed round investors.

JUST IN: 🇪🇺 European Central Bank looks to create a blockchain-based payment system.

Odaily Planet Daily News: The US stock market opened, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 177 points, the S&P 500 index falling 0.23%, and the Nasdaq falling 0.14%. Wal Mart Stores (WMT. N) fell 4.7%, and its profit guidance for the 2026 fiscal year fell short of expectations. Alibaba (BABA. N) rose 9%, with its financial report exceeding market expectations. Alibaba's IDC partner GDS. O rose 19%, and VNET. O rose 16%. Bilibili (BILI. O) rose 12% as the company turned losses in the fourth quarter of 2024. The Nasdaq China Golden Dragon Index rose 3.2%. (Golden Ten)

OKX-BTC/USDT is currently trading at $98028.00, with a 24-hour increase of 1.46%. Please be aware of market fluctuations.

On February 20th, according to official sources, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the establishment of a network and emerging technology division to protect retail investors.

The average crypto investor’s portfolio saw gains of $5,482 in 2024, according to cryptocurrency tax software platform CoinLedger.SUPER, HYPE and BTC contributed the largest unrealized gains, with ETH, ADA and POL leading the losses.