Overview of popular cryptocurrencies on February 18, 2026, with the top three in popularity being: Pirate Nation, Orca, and GoPlus Security

Lamborghini announces acceptance of Bitcoin payments

Odaily Planet Daily reports that Lamborghini, a top sports car manufacturer with a market capitalization of $20 billion, has announced it will accept Bitcoin payments. (The Bitcoin Historian)

Gate Research Institute: DEX Trading Volume Rebounds, SuperLink Ecosystem Accelerates Development | Gate Institutional Crypto Market Weekly Report (February 23 – March 1, 2026)

Recently, market liquidity has been relatively thin, with BTC dropping rapidly and entering a consolidation phase, while ETH has shown weak performance. Geopolitical risks have driven up oil and precious metals, with funds shifting toward defensive assets. DEX trading volume experienced a pulse release, but overall remains below historical highs, and the market is still in a deleveraging stage. Next week, attention should be paid to several macroeconomic indicators and events such as token unlocks that could cause market volatility.

Tether USAT's first reserve proof is out! Over-collateralized with 17.6 million MGB, analyzing the reserve composition structure

Deloitte & Touche has for the first time issued a reserve certification for USAt under Tether, showing an over-collateralization of $17 million in assets, strengthening its US compliance footprint. Deloitte & Touche's first endorsement of Tether's assets marks a new milestone in USAT transparency ----------------------------------- The world's leading stablecoin, Tether, has made progress in its pursuit of transparency. One of the Big Four accounting firms, Deloitte & Touche, has completed an assessment of Tether's new compliant stablecoin.

Gate's annual trading volume increased by $3.9 trillion, a 204% year-over-year growth.

CryptoQuant report shows that Gate's trading volume increased by $3.9 trillion over the past year, a 204% year-on-year growth, ranking first in both BTC and perpetual contract markets. Its derivatives trading is rapidly expanding, making it the fastest-growing exchange in 2025, demonstrating sustained liquidity and market share advantages.

The US-Iran conflict highlights the advantages of 24/7 cryptocurrency trading, with on-chain markets becoming the new global financial hub

On March 4th, the U.S. military strike on Iran triggered global market tensions. Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan pointed out that the cryptocurrency market demonstrates the flexibility of 24/7 trading, making it essential for real-time transactions, while also driving on-chain finance toward mainstream adoption. Investors need to master stablecoins and tokenized assets to adapt to the increasingly competitive market environment.

Cardano Founder: XRP May Meet SEC's Proposed Security Standards

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson questions the SEC's new digital asset rules, pointing out that XRP could be classified as a security due to Ripple's control of a large supply. Hoskinson warns that these rules could negatively impact proof-of-stake networks and notes that the bill might create a two-tier system, requiring new projects to demonstrate decentralization to attain commodity status. Ripple supports a friendly bill, believing the future outlook is optimistic. This discussion highlights the high uncertainty in the regulation of digital assets in the United States.