As the Bitcoin price tumbled in the past few weeks, several investors are 
increasingly building short positions against the premier cryptocurrency. A 
recent analysis predicted an impending short squeeze, as the funding rates 
plunged to new lows. According to the latest on-chain data, this short squeeze 
not only happened; it occurred at a rate not seen in years. $736M In Shorts 
Wiped Out Across All Exchanges In a recent Quicktake post on the CryptoQuant 
platform, pseudonymous on-chain analyst Darkfost revealed that the Bitcoin 
market recently experienced the largest short liquidation event since 
September 2024. The relevant indicator here is the Short Liquidations USD 
metric, which tracks the total dollar value of short positions in Bitcoin that 
were forcibly closed (liquidated) by exchanges over a given period. Related 
Reading: Solana Funding Rates Hit 17-Day Negative Streak — What This Means For 
Price According to Darkfost, this liquidation event comes second when compared 
to the $773 million in positions forcefully closed on September 20, 2024. As 
was earlier mentioned, this event was preceded by a period where there were 
significantly high amounts of sell positions (reflected by the deeply negative 
funding rates) on Binance and other exchanges. Typically, when a 
disproportionate amount of short positions is forcefully closed, this offsets 
what is referred to as a short squeeze. During a short squeeze, sell-side 
liquidity is converted, by liquidation dynamics, to jet fuel for upward price 
movement. Darkfost further explained that the derivatives market is currently 
heavy with speculative positioning, while the spot market, on the other hand, 
continues to struggle with thin liquidity. This imbalance creates a fragile 
market environment, where aggressive shorts can amplify upside volatility if 
squeezed. However, it is worth noting that in the scenario where there is 
sustained scarcity of demand, the current upside rally sponsored by the short 
squeeze may also not be sustained. Hence, until the spot market starts to see 
a significant demand that aligns with the present conditions, Bitcoin is best 
described as being in an uncertain phase. Bitcoin Market Overview At the time 
of writing, the price of BTC sits at around $69,878, reflecting a 1.5% leap in 
the past day. On the weekly timeframe, the flagship cryptocurrency seems to 
have barely moved, recording a slight upward growth of about 0.7%. Meanwhile, 
the premier cryptocurrency continues to drift further away from its record- 
high of $126,080, now 45% deep in the red. Related Reading: When Will Bitcoin 
Bounce Back? Top Analyst Breaks Down Prior Major Corrections Featured image 
from iStock, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin Sees Largest Shorts Liquidation Event Since 2024 — What Happened?

Tokenization doesn’t “disrupt” housing and mortgage finance; it fixes 
fragmented data, embeds auditability, and unlocks liquidity.

The hidden infrastructure crisis in mortgage and real estate finance that only tokenization can solve | Opinion

Welcome to Latam Insights, a compilation of the most relevant crypto news from 
Latin America over the past week. In this edition, a strategic bitcoin reserve 
bill was introduced in the Brazilian Congress, Brazil prepares to tax 
stablecoins, and Argentina’s statistics chief resigns. Strategic Bitcoin 
Reserve Bill Allowing Brazil to Acquire up to 1 Million […]

Latam Insights: Brazil’s 1 Million Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Bill Introduced, Stablecoin Taxation Also in the Works

Memecoins have taken a beating recently, and what looks like a rout may be 
closer to a turning point than many traders expect. Related Reading: XRP Set 
To Dethrone Bitcoin Within 6 Years, Entrepreneur Says Santiment said the 
sector is showing a classic capitulation signal: widespread talk that meme 
tokens are “dead” can sometimes mark the moment when buyers quietly return. 
According to Santiment, this &#8220;collective acceptance of the &#8216;end of the meme 
era&#8217; is a classic capitulation signal,&#8221; pointing out that when a sector of the 
market is deemed worthless, it is often the “contrarian time” to take note of. 
Sentiment on social channels has tilted heavily toward fear, and when the 
crowd gives up on a whole category, prices can move the opposite way for a 
while. Some traders who stepped back early are now watching closely. 
Capitulation Can Signal A Turn Reports note that the memecoin market’s recent 
slide has been steep in raw numbers. Total memecoin market capitalization 
dropped 34% to $31 billion over the past 30 days, CoinMarketCap data shows. 
Bitcoin’s pullback — which hit near $60,000 on Feb. 3, the lowest since 
October 2024 — added pressure across the board and left speculative tokens 
more exposed. Positioning was concentrated in a handful of names, and when 
large holders moved to take profits the moves were amplified. Losses were not 
confined to tiny projects; some of the better known meme tokens gave up 
meaningful ground. Rotation May Not Lift All Boats Some market observers argue 
that the old pattern — Bitcoin runs first, then money flows into Ethereum, 
then to riskier altcoins — may not play out the same way this time around. As 
institutions grow and trading strategies change, capital could flow more 
selectively. That means a few tokens might rally strongly while many others 
are left behind. Reports from traders and analysts say selective strength, 
rather than a broad upswing, is a likely scenario. That raises the bar for 
anyone hoping to find the next big winner among dozens of speculative coins. 
Popular Meme Names Facing Pressure A handful of headline tokens led the 
decline. Dogecoin (DOGE) gave up support levels it had defended earlier, and 
PEPE showed heightened volatility as big holders trimmed positions. Official 
Trump (TRUMP), the politically tied token linked to US President Donald Trump, 
retraced sharply from its launch highs after the initial hype faded. Heavy 
concentration of supply in a few wallets left these projects vulnerable to 
rapid swings, and some gains from last year were erased in short order. 
Related Reading: Urgent Crypto Reform: Treasury Secretary Says The Clock Is 
Ticking Watch The Crowd&#8217;s Turning Point Contrarian traders will point to the 
admission of defeat across social feeds as a potential signal to start 
watching for a bottom. That approach is risky. Losses can deepen before the 
market finds a floor, and sellers may return on any short-lived recovery. 
Still, history shows that extreme pessimism can preface meaningful rebounds, 
especially when broader market pressure eases and liquidity returns. Featured 
image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Memecoin Market May Be Breaking Down, Santiment Warns

Boerse Stuttgart Digital and Tradias plan a fully regulated merger to create a 
one‑stop European crypto infrastructure champion. Boerse Stuttgart Digital and 
Tradias announce a planned merger to form a Boerse Stuttgart Group unit 
headquartered in Frankfurt and Stuttgart, expected to complete in the second 
half of 2026; the deal combines about 300 employees and […]

Cryptocurrency price in ZAR