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The global crypto industry recorded more than $143 million in fresh funding between February 16 and February 22, 2026, spread across 10 publicly disclosed deals.

Key Takeaways
The crypto sector raised over $143 million across 10 disclosed deals between February 16–22, 2026.Novig dominated the week with a $75 million Series B round, accounting for more than half of total capital raised.Wallet and fintech infrastructure remained attractive, with Kresus ($13M) and multiple payments/neobank projects securing capital.AI-linked crypto ventures continued to gain traction, with Unicity and PlutonAI closing seed rounds.
The week was led by a major $75 million Series B round for sports-focused prediction platform Novig, signaling that investors are increasingly backing established teams with clear revenue models.
Data compiled by CoinMarketCap Research shows a clear concentration of capital in more mature projects, suggesting a cautious but selective environment. While early-stage startups continue to attract seed funding, the bulk of capital last week flowed toward companies operating at scale or building infrastructure with defined user bases.
Novig Secures $75 Million in Series B
Novig captured the largest round of the week with a $75 million Series B raise, positioning it at the forefront of blockchain-powered sports betting and prediction markets. The round was led by Pantera Capital, reinforcing the view that institutional investors remain interested in platforms bridging crypto rails with mainstream consumer use cases.
Kresus Labs followed with a $13 million strategic round. The company focuses on mobile wallet infrastructure, an area seen as critical for onboarding the next wave of users into digital assets. The investment highlights continued confidence in user-experience-driven crypto applications.
Lending, AI, and DeFi Attract Steady Interest
NEWITY raised $11 million in a strategic round aimed at expanding its lending operations. Meanwhile, Unicity secured $3 million in seed funding to develop artificial intelligence-driven agents, reflecting the growing overlap between AI and blockchain applications.
PlutonAI added $2.7 million in seed capital to advance its DeFi-focused AI tools, while prediction market platform PRED raised $2.5 million in its own seed round.
Payments and neobank-focused projects also featured prominently. Rizon raised $2 million in a pre-seed round, while Endl secured $1.5 million to expand its digital payments infrastructure. Fireplace, which combines prediction markets with trading strategies, closed a $1.5 million pre-seed raise.
Investor Sentiment Points to Selective Optimism
Although total funding exceeded $143 million, the distribution of capital underscores a shift toward disciplined allocation. Larger checks are being written for companies with proven traction, while smaller seed rounds continue to support experimentation in AI, DeFi, and fintech verticals.
The week’s fundraising activity suggests that capital is still available for crypto ventures, but investors are prioritizing sustainable business models and infrastructure plays over speculative concepts. As 2026 unfolds, this pattern may define how the next cycle of innovation is financed.
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Bitcoin has seen a rough patch recently, slipping below the psychological $75,000 mark for multiple sessions and briefly retracing to around $64,200 as equities sold off. Fresh tariff moves from the government added to market nervousness, but several on-chain and market indicators suggest a rebound is possible rather than a prolonged collapse. Below we summarize the drivers that could push BTC back toward the mid-$70Ks and what to watch next.
The short version
Historically, Bitcoin has sometimes outperformed other risk assets during episodes of policy stress and shifting liquidity.
Mining fundamentals and hashrate recovery have reduced the risk of a destabilizing miner capitulation.
Futures positioning — where large speculators moved to net long on CME contracts indicates pros may be buying dips.
If liquidity conditions normalize and traders hold their longs, a retest of $75K becomes more plausible.
Why these factors matter
Liquidity and policy shocks
Policy surprises like the tariff measures announced in early April 2025, can trigger sharp moves across markets. Those shocks often determine whether risk assets sell off hard or rotate into alternatives. When liquidity tightens, volatile assets can fall quickly; when liquidity stabilizes, they can rebound sharply. Historically, periods of supportive liquidity or repo style operations have often coincided with healthier risk sentiment, which can benefit BTC.
Miner health and network resilience
Network fundamentals matter more than headlines. Recent data show miners remain largely profitable at realistic energy costs, and the hashrate has recovered from earlier dips. That reduces the odds of a mass miner exodus (which would weaken network security and supply dynamics) and strengthens confidence that on-chain activity can hold up through stress periods. Sources tracking miner economics show ASIC deployments from 2024–2025 have kept many operations viable at modest power prices. HashRateIndex Marathon Digital Holdings Exaion
Professional trader positioning
A recent regulatory filing highlighted that large speculators on futures markets moved from net short to net long on bitcoin futures traded on the CME Group. That kind of flip has, in past cycles, shown up around important bottoms not as a perfect timing signal but as a meaningful change in the market’s posture. If institutional players are adding exposure on dips, it can create a price floor and faster recoveries once sentiment steadies. CFTC
Key takeaways (quick list)

Bitcoin has historically shown resilience when liquidity regimes change; a stabilization in funding could help BTC recover.
Miner profitability and rising hashrate reduce systemic supply risks. HashRateIndex
Large speculators’ shift to net long on CME futures suggests pros are buying weakness. CME Group
Corporate and infrastructure links e.g., mining firms expanding into data-center and AI partnerships are adding another layer of institutional interest. Marathon Digital Holdings NVIDIA Corporation
Trading idea (not financial advice)
A cautious, hold or buy small dips stance could make sense for those who believe miners and institutional positioning will underpin a recovery. Watch price action around $75K if BTC can reclaim and hold that level on increasing volume, it would be a constructive sign.
What to monitor next

CME futures positioning updates and related CFTC reports to see if the net-long trend holds. CFTC CME Group
Hashrate and miner profit trends at realistic power costs (around $0.07/kWh) to gauge the chance of miner stress. HashRateIndex
Any further policy shifts or tariff announcements that could reignite risk off sentiment. Donald Trump
Earnings and capital moves in the AI/data-center space those can bleed into crypto market dynamics via related stocks and miner investments. NVIDIA Corporation
Bottom line
While recent tariff news and a pullback to the mid-60Ks were uncomfortable for traders, several structural and positioning indicators point to a plausible path back toward $75K if liquidity conditions stabilize and institutional buyers continue to add exposure. Keep an eye on futures positioning, miner economics, and policy headlines together they’ll tell you whether this remains a short-lived correction or the start of something bigger.
$BTC $ETH $SOL
#BTC #Crypto #Bitcoin #Mining #Futures #AI