The crypto market is gradually regaining its footing, with several regulatory initiatives introduced in Russia, crypto projects integrating AI functionalities, the MegaETH team launching its mainnet, and other notable events from the past week.

Searching for the Bottom

Although Bitcoin's price remained relatively stable over the past week, it still tested a wide range of values.

On Monday, the coin started at $70,000 but quickly entered a correction phase. By midweek, the leading cryptocurrency had dropped to $65,000 due to a cascade of sell-offs accompanied by high trading volumes.

On February 13, Friday, Bitcoin rebounded to $68,000 following the release of inflation data in the U.S. In January, the Consumer Price Index rose by 0.2% seasonally adjusted, with a year-over-year increase of 2.4% compared to 2.7% in December.

The digital gold continued its upward trend over the weekend, reaching $70,000. At the time of writing, it is trading around $69,500.

Most cryptocurrencies in the top 10 by market capitalization showed similar dynamics. Ethereum managed to stay above $2,000, despite a 5% drop over the week.

Exceptions included XRP and DOGE, which gained 5.6% and 11.5%, respectively, over the week.

Opinions on the market's future trajectory remain divided. For instance, analysts at Standard Chartered predicted a potential drop in Bitcoin to $50,000 followed by a rebound by year-end.

Conversely, analysts at K33 believe that capitulation has already occurred and that the $60,000 level was a local bottom in the correction.

The Crypto Fear and Greed Index remains at extreme lows, currently at 8 points.

The total market capitalization of digital assets stands at $2.45 trillion.

Bitcoin's dominance index is at 56.6%, while Ethereum's is at 9.9%.

New Crypto Regulations in Russia

This week in Russia was rich in new crypto regulatory initiatives.

On February 10, the State Duma passed a law in its third reading that establishes the procedure for the seizure and confiscation of digital assets within criminal proceedings, recognizing cryptocurrency as property.

According to the provisions, the seizure of digital currency and devices providing access to it is carried out during investigative actions involving a specialist. The protocol specifies the type of asset, its quantity, and identifying addresses. The carriers and access information for the cryptocurrency are stored in a sealed manner.

“If technically feasible,” assets may be transferred to a separate address. After seizure, operations with them are completely or partially halted depending on the court's decision.

The document developed by the Ministry of Justice outlines only the general framework for law enforcement, with specific details to be established through subordinate legislation. Additionally, authorities will need to refine the mechanism for selling confiscated digital assets for state revenue.

Experts consulted by ForkLog have analyzed the document in detail.

Moreover, the Ministry of Finance, together with the Central Bank and federal executive authorities, has developed a concept for the tokenization of real-world assets. The initiative aims to “implement and develop digital innovations, including the active use of distributed ledgers.”

In the first phase of tokenization, the following areas are targeted:

  • ownership rights to various types of property;
  • exclusive rights to intellectual property results that do not require state registration;
  • documentary securities;
  • shares in the authorized capital of limited liability companies.

“[…] blockchain will replace financial intermediaries, reduce transaction costs. The application of technology will automate the execution of orders and investment decisions, decreasing the need for human involvement and the likelihood of operational errors,” emphasized the Ministry of Finance.

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The Rise of AI Agents

Projects have begun actively implementing solutions for AI agents. The payment giant Stripe was the first to announce an initiative this week.

The company unveiled a preliminary version of a “machine payments” tool that allows developers to charge automated bots using the USDC stablecoin on the Base network and the x402 protocol.

The system is based on the PaymentIntents API, enabling businesses to programmatically deduct funds from agents for HTTP requests, API usage, or Model Context Protocol calls. In the future, the technology is expected to expand to other blockchains.

Following Stripe, the American exchange Coinbase launched Agentic Wallets—an infrastructure for wallets designed for autonomous AI. This allows digital assistants to independently store funds, make payments, trade tokens, earn income, rebalance positions in the DeFi sector, and conduct on-chain transactions.

“AI agents are everywhere—they answer questions, summarize documents, and assist with tasks. But today, neural networks hit a wall when it comes to handling money,” stated Coinbase Developer Platform developers Eric Reppel and Josh Nickerson.

Lastly, developers of the Lightning Network introduced open-source tools designed to provide agents with direct access to the protocol.

These solutions enable agents to interact directly with the Bitcoin payment system without mandatory identification, API keys, or registration. The available “skills” for AI include node operations, remote key isolation, credentials, access-restricted payments, and the hosting of paid endpoints.

MegaETH Mainnet Launch

On February 9, the Ethereum-based L2 project MegaETH launched its mainnet. The solution is positioned as a “real-time blockchain,” aiming for a throughput of 100,000 TPS and near-instant transaction finality.

The underlying ecosystem token, MEGA, has not been fully unlocked. The distribution and implementation of the asset are planned to occur gradually, tied to the blockchain's development stages.

Another key element of the network's economic activity is the stablecoin USDm, supported by all major applications. The MegaETH fund intends to direct all revenues from the coin's usage towards the buyback and accumulation of MEGA.

Currently, just over 50 applications and protocols are operational on the blockchain.

The mainnet launch followed an ICO that raised $1.39 billion in October 2025, with a 27x oversubscription.

Also on ForkLog:

  • The head of Crypto.com purchased the domain AI.com for $70 million to launch an AI agent platform.
  • Polymarket and Kaito AI announced “attention markets.”
  • Glassnode described the current Bitcoin dip as “moderate.”
  • Vitalik Buterin criticized token giveaways aimed at attracting users.

Korean-style Theft

South Korean media reported that local police discovered the disappearance of 22 BTC (~$1.5 billion) seized in 2021.

The coins were stored in a cold wallet at the Gangnam police station in Seoul. Their absence was revealed during a nationwide audit of the storage of digital assets seized by law enforcement.

Checks were initiated due to the loss of 320 BTC by the Gwangju District Prosecutor's Office, valued at approximately $48 million, which was discovered in January.

Preliminary findings suggest that the incident was caused by a password leak. One of the department's employees fell victim to a phishing attack after visiting a fake website.

In the case of the 22 BTC, the assets were transferred to an external address. The physical USB device used for storing the assets was not stolen.

Further Reading

How the institutionalization of Bitcoin has called into question the idea of decentralization.

How Brazil became the leading crypto hub in Latin America.