In this week’s edition of the weekly recap, Bitcoin fell to $63,062 before recovering following explosive strikes in Tehran amid U.S.-Israel operations and Iranian retaliatory missiles. Summary Bitcoin fell to $63K on Tehran strike news before rebounding above $66K. DOJ arrested Goliath Ventures founder over alleged $328M Ponzi scheme. MetaMask launched its self-custodial crypto card across the U.S. In other prominent news, federal authorities arrested Goliath Ventures founder Christopher Alexander Delgado on charges related to an alleged $328 million Ponzi scheme, and MetaMask partnered with Mastercard to launch its self-custodial payment card across the United States. Cryptocurrency markets react to Middle East conflict Bitcoin (BTC) declined to $63,062 before rebounding to $66,201 following reports of large explosions in Tehran as the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes across Iran. Ethereum (ETH) dropped to $1,837 before recovering to $1,940 during the volatility spike as Iran launched retaliatory missiles at multiple locations including Israel, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Federal prosecutors charge crypto Ponzi operator The Department of Justice announced the arrest of Christopher Alexander Delgado, 34, founder and CEO of Goliath Ventures, on federal charges tied to an alleged $328 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme. Delgado was taken into custody in Apopka, Florida, on a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida charging wire fraud and money laundering. MetaMask expands crypto card to U.S. market MetaMask and Mastercard have officially launched the MetaMask Card in the United States. The self-custodial crypto payment card is now available in 49 U.S. states, including New York for the first time. Magic Eden narrows platform focus to Solana The prominent NFT marketplace announced plans to close its Bitcoin and EVM-based trading platforms in early March 2026 while discontinuing support for its multi-chain wallet. The platform will continue supporting Solana-based assets exclusively. MoonPay introduces AI agent wallet access The crypto payments platform launched February 24 a new product providing artificial intelligence systems direct access to digital wallets and on-chain transactions. MoonPay Agents, a non-custodial software layer, enables AI agents to create wallets, manage funds, and trade on behalf of verified users. Morgan Stanley plans multiple Bitcoin products The banking giant has intentions to offer various Bitcoin-related product offerings according to digital assets strategy head Amy Oldenburg. These planned products would expand Morgan Stanley’s cryptocurrency exposure beyond its current limited offerings. AI security tool identifies critical XRP vulnerability An autonomous AI security tool discovered a bug in the XRP Ledger that could have aided attackers to steal funds from any network account without accessing private keys. XRPL Labs disclosed Thursday the vulnerability existed in signature-validation logic of the Batch amendment. This was a pending upgrade allowing multiple transactions to be bundled and executed together. Barclays explores blockchain payment platform The multinational bank is examining creation of a blockchain platform for payments and other processes according to reports The London-based financial services giant is consulting with prospective technology providers to develop infrastructure rivaling JPMorgan and others using decentralized technology for banking services. Kalshi penalizes insider trading violations The prediction market firm disclosed catching and penalizing two users for insider-trading activity, including an editor for social media star MrBeast. The company stated it has over a dozen active insider-trading cases among 200 investigated, with Wednesday disclosures detailing two resolved matters including action against Artem Kaptur, identified as working for James Donaldson’s MrBeast persona.
