China has decided to implement a visa-free policy for Canadian and British citizens holding ordinary passports, effective from February 17, 2026. According to Jin10, this initiative aims to facilitate easier travel and exchanges between China and these countries. The policy allows Canadian and British passport holders to enter China for business, tourism, family visits, and transit without a visa for stays of up to 30 days. This visa exemption will be in effect until December 31, 2026.

The Argungu Fishing Festival, recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage, has resumed in Kebbi State, Nigeria, after a six-year hiatus. According to Ming Pao, the event drew significant attention when local fisherman Abubakar Usman caught a massive fish weighing 59 kilograms, becoming the highlight of the festival.

Lightning Labs has introduced an open-source toolkit enabling AI agents to autonomously send and receive Bitcoin payments via the Lightning Network. According to PANews, this development eliminates the need for human approval, accounts, login credentials, or API keys. The toolkit utilizes the L402 protocol, which is based on the HTTP 402 'Payment Required' standard. Websites can issue Lightning Network invoices to AI agents, who, upon payment, receive digital payment credentials as access keys to unlock services or data. Additionally, the toolkit includes the 'lnget' tool, which automatically handles requests for paid content access in the background. The toolkit also supports AI in running Lightning nodes, managing permissions, hosting paid services, and completing transactions between agents. It features built-in spending limits and remote signing protection to enhance security.

Key Takeaways: American Bitcoin Holdings now controls over 6,000 BTC. source: https://coindoo.com/eric-trumps-american-bitcoin-expands-holdings-beyond-6000-btc/

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin warns prediction markets are drifting toward short-term speculation and betting. source: https://cryptonews.com/news/vitalik-buterin-warns-prediction-markets-are-becoming-overly-speculative/

The Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, coinciding with Valentine's Day, has seen an unexpected shortage of free condoms in the athletes' village. According to Ming Pao, the distribution of complimentary condoms, a tradition at the Games, became a topic of discussion as supplies ran out earlier than anticipated, catching organizers off guard.

Vitalik Buterin urges a shift from speculation to prediction markets hedging, interest-bearing collateral, CFTC regulation and fiat-free settlement, use cases. source: https://coincu.com/news/ether-holds-as-buterin-backs-hedging-first-markets/

The global cryptocurrency market cap now stands at $2.38T, up by 4.16% over the last day, according to CoinMarketCap data. Bitcoin (BTC) has been trading between $69,065 and $70,983 over the past 24 hours. As of 09:30 AM (UTC) today, BTC is trading at $70,629, up by 1.49%. Most major cryptocurrencies by market cap are trading mixed. Market outperformers include EUL, PEPE, and PROM, up by 36%, 26%, and 19%, respectively. Top stories of the day: Solana Spot ETFs Attract $13.17 Million in Net Inflows Bitcoin Spot ETFs Experience Significant Net Outflows XRP Spot ETFs See Mixed Inflows and Outflows in February PRECIOUS METALS | Tajikistan Central Bank to Launch Gold ATM Project This Year Goldman Sachs Upgrades China's Current-Account Surplus Forecast Global Markets Brace for Key Economic Data Releases and Policy Decisions X to Offer Cryptocurrency Trading Links, Not Brokerage Services GEOPOLITICS | U.S. Military Utilizes AI Model in Venezuela Operation Chinese Equities Face Challenges Amid Earnings Concerns ECB Ready to Provide Euro Liquidity to Global Monetary Authorities Roundhill Files for ETFs Linked to Political Election Contracts Federal Decision Keeps Michigan Coal Plant Operational Zhu Su: Crypto Likely to Outperform ‘Magnificent Seven’ U.S. Stocks in Coming Years SEC Develops Crypto Asset Taxonomy Guidance Framework X to Introduce Smart Cashtags for Trading Stocks and Cryptocurrency X to Introduce Crypto and Stock Trading on Timeline Soon Market movers: ETH: $2075.25 (-0.08%) XRP: $1.6162 (+11.20%) BNB: $632.43 (+0.91%) SOL: $90.35 (+5.19%) TRX: $0.2814 (-0.39%) DOGE: $0.11489 (+17.85%) BCH: $561.8 (-0.65%) WLFI: $0.107 (+2.49%) ADA: $0.2964 (+6.31%) U: $1.0004 (-0.01%) Top gainers on Binance: EUL/USDT (+36%) PEPE/USDT (+26%) PROM/USDT (+19%)

Robinhood launched a public testnet for its Arbitrum-based blockchain, advancing its push into tokenized assets and onchain financial infrastructure. source: https://catenaa.com/markets/cryptocurrencies/robinhood-launches-arbitrum-based-blockchain-public-testnet/

Zand, the digital bank of the UAE, announced a strategic partnership with Ripple to drive the region's digital economy through stablecoins and blockchain solutions. The two companies will collaborate on innovative initiatives surrounding Zand's AEDZ stablecoin and Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin. Under the agreement, they will explore supporting RLUSD within Zand's regulated digital asset custody service and investigate direct liquidity solutions between AEDZ and RLUSD. Furthermore, they plan to issue AEDZ on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). Zand CEO Michael Chan stated that leveraging stablecoins and tokenization technology unlocks new use cases for bringing traditional finance to the blockchain. AEDZ is the UAE's first regulated, multi-chain AED-collateralized stablecoin, backed 1:1 by the AED reserve. This collaboration aims to help the UAE achieve its goal of doubling its digital economy contribution by 2032. (The Fintech Times)

Ethereum Foundation, Vitalik Buterin, ETH, the Ethereum Foundation Executive Director also failed his "probation period" - Jinse Finance, it may be difficult to find a suitable person from within the Ethereum ecosystem.

USDT, Payments, Cross-border Payments, How USDT Payment Gateways Will Transform Global Transactions in 2026 (Golden Finance), Cross-border Settlements Arrive Instantly, Do Business Globally.

X's Smart Cashtags will be released in the coming weeks, making one-click cryptocurrency purchases a reality?

Emerging behaviors observed on AI-powered social platforms have raised concerns about AI autonomy and security risks.

Looking back at those 11 apps, they didn't help me make money, nor did they help me save time.

Jinse Finance launches its cryptocurrency and blockchain industry daily news bulletin, "Jinse at 8 AM," issue 2968, providing you with the latest and fastest news on the digital currency and blockchain industry.

This year, stablecoins—cryptocurrencies pegged to assets such as the US dollar—have officially become the mainstream choice for online and cross-border payments.

With a total prize pool of up to 3,000,000 USDT, the prize pool covers multiple ways to win prizes, including login rewards, community interaction, trading raffles, and social sharing. It offers a richer variety of activities and more generous benefits, delivering the first digital asset gift of the new year to users worldwide.

He rejects a fragmented narrative that is overblown, detached from the main network, and operates independently, which is actually a completely new starting point.

AI agents were once just supporting characters in science fiction novels; now, they are poised to take over the real world.