Cryptocurrency News, Friday, February 13, 2026 - Main Topic: Counterparty and Operational Risk Amid Withdrawal Pause at BlockFills

Current Cryptocurrency News as of Friday, February 13, 2026: Bitcoin and Ethereum in Focus, Rising Infrastructure Risks, Regulatory Impact, and Institutional Investors on the Global Crypto Market. Analysis of Liquidity and Volatility, Top 10 Cryptocurrencies.

The past few weeks have been characterized by deleveraging: participants have been reducing leverage in derivatives, tightening limits, and returning to liquidity control. On the macro front, the cryptocurrency market is sensitive to expectations regarding financial conditions, meaning shifts in sentiment on global platforms quickly impact digital assets. The result is increased intraday volatility and the spread of volatility from Bitcoin to altcoins. For long-term investors, these cryptocurrency news items are primarily important as indicators of the quality of settlements, market depth, and liquidity accessibility during periods of stress.

• Liquidity. Thin order books increase the likelihood of sharp price moves, especially outside of the US session.
• Leverage. When volatility accelerates, liquidations amplify movements and worsen price quality.
• Segmentation. The most liquid instruments concentrate around Bitcoin and Ethereum; some altcoins "fall" deeper in the market.

Key Topic of the Day

Infrastructure Risk Reassessed Upwards. BlockFills announced a temporary pause on deposits and withdrawals, explaining this decision with market and financial conditions. However, the ability to open and close positions in spot and derivatives remains available. The timeline for normalizing transfers at the time of drafting this report remains unspecified.

Concurrently, a case involving erroneous asset allocations on one Asian exchange showed that an "accounting error" can quickly become a stress event for trust: even if the blockchain layer is not compromised, the internal settlement and risk-checking processes become critical points. The takeaway for investors is clear: risk shifts from charts to operational realms, and the value of a "reliable counterparty" rises.

1. Reliability Premium is increasing: the market distinguishes not only between tokens but also the quality of platforms, custodians, and stablecoins.
2. Chain Reaction Risk is intensifying: withdrawal restrictions increase the likelihood of forced selling for margin purposes.
3. Communication is becoming an asset: transparency regarding the status of operations and clear rules reduce the likelihood of panic.

Regulatory News

Cryptocurrency regulation is shifting from broad frameworks to verifiable procedures. In the US, discussions are underway for a clearer market structure for tokens and coordination among departments, including work on taxonomies and regimes that will allow certain operations to occur "on-chain" while meeting obligations. In the EU, the introduction of MiCA strengthens requirements for staff competencies and internal policies of crypto service providers — this raises market entry barriers but reduces the risk of mis-selling and enhances comparability of standards across the region.

In Asia, supervisory discussions are increasingly focusing on the resilience of exchange infrastructure and internal controls, especially after high-profile operational incidents. For the global market, this means that cryptocurrency regulation will increasingly evaluate not "promises," but control procedures, event logs, and the quality of responses to emergency situations.

• US: movement towards a clearer framework for the digital asset market and a compatible token taxonomy.
• EU: standardization of competency and compliance requirements in line with MiCA.
• Asia: heightened attention to systemic risks for exchanges and the quality of internal controls.

Institutional Investments

In the institutional segment, a regime shift is noticeable: after several weeks of significant outflows from investment products involving digital assets, the pace of capital withdrawal has slowed. This does not equate to a trend reversal — rather, it reflects a transition from panic-driven cuts to more selective rebalancing. In this phase, block purchases occur less frequently, while demand for hedging and instruments with clearer legal frameworks increases. For cryptocurrency investments, this implies an increased premium on transparency of infrastructure.

Typical reactions from major participants:

1. Reducing net leverage and transferring some risk to options and structured hedges.
2. Tightening limits on counterparties, margin, and collateral conditions.
3. Concentrating volumes in the most liquid pairs around Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Technological Updates

The technological layer of blockchain is crucial as a foundation of trust: during nervous market conditions, the resilience of node software and predictability of network operation become competitive advantages. This week, Bitcoin Core 29.3 was released, featuring a range of fixes and stability improvements — the market values such "routine" releases during stress periods.

In the Ethereum ecosystem, the focus remains on scaling and reducing friction for L2 solutions: security of integrations and unified data standards are crucial. For a number of altcoins, the technological criterion increasingly manifests as "operational maturity": resilience of validator software and the capacity of the network to withstand spikes in demand when load and fees rise simultaneously.

• Bitcoin: stability of client software as an element of trust in the network.
• Ethereum: quality of scaling and security of ecosystem integrations.
• Altcoins: emphasis on fault tolerance and operational maturity.

Analytics and Forecasts

The base scenario for the upcoming weeks depends on three factors: (1) the speed of liquidity normalization among intermediaries, (2) the dynamics of forced liquidations in derivatives, and (3) how quickly regulators can turn statements into enforceable rules. After waves of liquidations, the market typically undergoes two phases: first, a "cleaning" of leverage, followed by selective buying of higher-quality assets. This supports heavyweights and amplifies discrepancies in dynamics among altcoins, especially between infrastructure blockchain projects and speculative coins.

Three working scenarios for portfolio management:

• Stabilization: amplitude decreases, infrastructure normalizes.
• Repeated Stress: new restrictions on intermediaries and pressure on credit products.
• Selective Growth: demand shifts towards projects with sustainable blockchain usage and clear risk profiles, as well as the most liquid core assets.

Risks and Recommendations

The primary risk on Friday is the combination of market volatility with infrastructure limitations. This is an environment where the "right asset" may not compensate for the "wrong platform." Therefore, recommendations for cryptocurrency investments today focus on risk contours and operational discipline. If cryptocurrency investments constitute a significant portion of the portfolio, scenario planning for unexpected delays and withdrawal restrictions becomes a priority.

1. Diversify Infrastructure: separate storage, trading, and lending across different providers.
2. Reduce Leverage: the probability of margin surprises and liquidations increases during stress phases.
3. Check Withdrawal Modes: limits, timelines, compliance checks, and contingency plans in case of delays.
4. Assess Stablecoin Risk: reserves, legal structure, and reporting transparency.

• Signals of Deterioration: increasing reports of withdrawal freezes, settlement failures, and widening spreads.
• Signals of Improvement: restoration of intermediary operations and return of market depth.

Top 10 Most Popular Cryptocurrencies

Below is a guide to the largest and most liquid assets in the cryptocurrency market (excluding prices). This list serves as a navigation tool for investors worldwide: it helps correlate the roles of assets — from base networks to stablecoins and "cultural" coins — and quickly understand how cryptocurrency news can affect different market segments.