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

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

The past few weeks have been marked by deleveraging: participants have reduced leverage in derivatives, tightened limits, and returned to liquidity control. On the macro front, the crypto market is sensitive to expectations regarding financial conditions, so changes in sentiment on global platforms quickly reflect on digital assets. The outcome is increased intraday amplitudes and the spread of volatility from Bitcoin to altcoins. For long-term investors, this cryptocurrency news is important primarily as an indicator of the quality of valuation, market depth, and liquidity availability during stress periods.

• Liquidity. Thin order books increase the likelihood of sharp momentum, especially outside of the US session.
• Leverage. As volatility accelerates, liquidations amplify the movement and deteriorate price quality.
• Segmentation. The most liquid instruments concentrate around Bitcoin and Ethereum; some altcoins are 'falling' deeper.

Key Topic of the Day

Infrastructure risk is once again “priced upwards.” BlockFills announced a temporary pause on deposits and withdrawals, explaining the decision with market and financial conditions. At the same time, the ability to open and close positions in spot and derivatives markets was stated. As of the preparation of this material, the timeline for normalizing transfers remains unspecified.

Concurrently, the case of erroneous asset accrual on one of the Asian exchanges has shown that “accounting errors” can quickly become a trust stress event: even if the blockchain level remains unbroken, the internal settlement circuit and risk checks become the critical point. The takeaway for investors is simple: risk shifts from charts to the operational plane, and the value of a “reliable counterparty” increases.

1. Premium for reliability is rising: the market differentiates not only tokens but also the quality of platforms, custodians, and stablecoins.
2. Risk of chain reaction is increasing: withdrawal restrictions heighten the possibility of forced selling for margin.
3. Communication is becoming an asset: transparency of operational status and clear rules lower the likelihood of panic.

Regulatory News

Cryptocurrency regulation is moving from general frameworks to verifiable procedures. In the US, discussions are underway for a clearer market structure for tokens and coordination among agencies, including work on taxonomy and regimes that will allow certain operations to occur “on-chain” while complying with obligations. In the EU, the implementation of MiCA heightens requirements for staff competencies and internal policies for crypto service providers — this raises the market entry threshold but lowers the risk of mis-selling and enhances standard comparability across the region.

In Asia, supervisory discussions are increasingly focusing on the resilience of exchange infrastructure and internal controls, especially following high-profile operational incidents. For the global market, this means that cryptocurrency regulation will increasingly assess not “promises,” but control procedures, event logs, and the quality of contingency responses.

• US: Movement towards a clearer framework for the digital assets market and a compatible token taxonomy.
• EU: Standardization of requirements for competencies and compliance according to the logic of MiCA.
• Asia: Increased focus on systemic risks of exchanges and the quality of internal controls.

Institutional Investments

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

Typical reactions of major participants include:

1. Reduction of net leverage and transfer of some risk into options and structured hedges.
2. Tightening limits on counterparties, margin, and collateral conditions.
3. Concentration of volumes in the most liquid pairs around Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Technological Updates

The technological layer of blockchain is crucial as a foundation of trust: when markets are nervous, the stability of node software and the predictability of network operation become a competitive advantage. This week, Bitcoin Core 29.3 was released with a series of fixes and stability improvements — the market appreciates such “routine” releases during stress periods.

In the Ethereum ecosystem, attention remains on scaling and reducing friction for L2 solutions: the security of integrations and unified data standards are crucial. For some altcoins, the technological criterion increasingly manifests itself in “operational maturity”: resilience of validator software and the network's ability 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 connections.
• Altcoins: Focus on fault tolerance and operational maturity.

Analytics and Forecasts

The baseline scenario for the coming 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 convert statements into enforceable rules. After waves of liquidations, the market typically goes through two phases: first a “cleaning” of leverage, and then selective purchases of higher quality assets. This supports heavyweights and strengthens divergence dynamics within altcoins, especially between infrastructure blockchain projects and speculative coins.

Three working scenarios for portfolio management:

• Stabilization: Amplitude decreases, infrastructure normalizes.
• Renewed stress: New restrictions on intermediaries and pressure on credit products.
• Selective growth: Demand shifts towards projects with sustainable blockchain usage and understandable risks, as well as the most liquid underlying assets.

Risks and Recommendations

The main risk for Friday is the combination of market volatility with infrastructure constraints. This is an environment where the “right asset” may not compensate for the “inappropriate platform.” Therefore, recommendations for cryptocurrency investments today primarily revolve around risk contours and operational discipline. If investments in cryptocurrencies occupy a significant share of the portfolio, scenario planning for unforeseen delays and limitations on transfers becomes a priority.

1. Diversify infrastructure: Separate storage, trading, and lending across different providers.
2. Reduce leverage: The likelihood of margin surprises and liquidations increases in stress phases.
3. Check withdrawal regimes: Limits, timelines, compliance checks, and “Plan B” in case of delays.
4. Evaluate stablecoin risk: Reserves, legal structure, and transparency of reporting.

• Signals of deterioration: Rising reports of withdrawal freezes, settlement failures, widening spreads.
• Signals of improvement: Restoration of intermediary operations and return of market depth.

Top 10 Most Popular Cryptocurrencies

Below is a reference for the largest and most liquid assets in the crypto market (excluding prices). This list is convenient for navigation for investors worldwide: it helps correlate the roles of assets — from foundational networks to stablecoins and “cultural” coins — and quickly understand how cryptocurrency news can differently impact market segments.