Kamis, 26 Februari 2026

Bitcoin’s $10.5B options expiry: Bulls or bears?


Europe gets regulated access to Strategy's BTC-backed preferred stock via STRC	͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏	View in browser

February 26, 2026

Your Daily Digest of the 🔥Hottest News in Crypto

Today's top stories

💻 Bitcoin's 90% Nasdaq correlation puts tech sentiment in the driver's seat
🏦 21Shares lists STRC yield ETP on Euronext Amsterdam
🏛️ OCC moves to ban yield on payment stablecoins under GENIUS rules
📰 Keep reading for all of today's biggest headlines

Bitcoin's upcoming $10.5B options expiry may end bear market: Here's how

Bitcoin markets are focused on Friday's $10.5 billion monthly options expiry, where bears currently hold the edge unless BTC rallies about 9% from around $68,800 to shift payouts toward calls. Although headline open interest shows more calls than puts, most call options expire worthless below $70,000, while put positioning above $72,000 and downside strikes below $60,000 keeps pressure on bulls. With Bitcoin now showing a strong 90% correlation to the Nasdaq 100, broader tech sentiment—potentially influenced by major earnings like Nvidia—could be a key swing factor in whether this expiry helps end the recent bearish momentum.

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Strategy yield wrapper lands in Europe as 21Shares lists STRC ETP

21Shares is listing its Strategy Yield ETP (STRC NA) on Euronext Amsterdam, giving European retail and institutional investors regulated access to Michael Saylor's Strategy's Bitcoin-backed preferred stock. The product offers a variable dividend currently set at an 11.25% annualized rate, supported by Strategy's BTC treasury of 717,722 Bitcoin (about $47 billion). 21Shares says the exchange-traded structure makes the instrument easier to buy via standard brokerage accounts and marks its first equity-linked product as it expands beyond crypto-only ETPs.

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OCC proposal seeks to settle stablecoin yield debate, clearing way for CLARITY

The OCC released a 376-page proposed rule to implement the GENIUS Act that would prohibit permitted payment stablecoin issuers under its supervision from paying any interest or yield to holders, and would create a rebuttable presumption against issuer–affiliate arrangements that indirectly deliver rewards. The proposal, open for 60 days of public comment, also includes carve-outs allowing independent merchant discounts and certain non-affiliate whitelabel profit-sharing. By establishing a clear no-yield baseline at the issuer level for GENIUS-compliant stablecoins, the rule could defuse a major sticking point in the CLARITY Act debate while drawing a sharp regulatory line between "payment stablecoins" and yield-bearing reward products.

Bitcoin traders explain why $80K is the next target for bulls

Bitcoin briefly touched $70,000 as traders pointed to improving momentum and a return of spot Bitcoin ETF inflows as potential fuel for a recovery toward $75,000–$80,000. Analysts say the rebound hinges on BTC holding key support around $68,000 (near major moving averages), with upside confirmation requiring bulls to reclaim levels like the 20-day EMA near $69,220.

On the order-flow side, traders are watching heavy sell liquidity stacked above the market—around $2 billion in asks between roughly $72,450 and $75,000. If price breaks through $75,000, it could trigger short liquidations and accelerate a move toward $80,000, the next major liquidity cluster, especially as ETFs saw about $507 million of inflows on Wednesday and $765 million over two days.