The crypto world was recently rocked by news of Bitmine’s staggering $6 
billion paper loss on Ether. But according to veteran analyst Tom Lee, in a 
series of X posts, this massive figure is actually &#8216;by design.&#8217; In a market 
where high-level institutional strategies often involve complex hedging and 
intentional tax-loss harvesting, what looks like a catastrophe to the average 
observer is often a calculated move by the &#8216;smart money.&#8217; This revelation 
highlights a growing trend in 2026: the market is no longer driven by simple 
supply and demand, but by sophisticated maneuvers that prioritize long-term 
positioning over short-term optics. This &#8216;designed loss&#8217; narrative matters 
because it changes how retail investors perceive volatility. When 
institutional giants are comfortable sitting on multi-billion dollar paper 
losses to achieve broader strategic goals, it signals that the current market 
dip is a period of accumulation rather than a terminal decline. However, for 
the retail trader, surviving these institutional games requires a different 
kind of asset, one that embraces the &#8216;full send&#8217; nature of the market while 
offering a culture of resilience. As the majors are used as pawns in 
institutional chess, the community is looking for high-conviction projects 
that thrive on the very volatility these giants create. The shift in sentiment 
is clear: while institutions play for paper losses, degens are playing for 
&#8216;max gains.&#8217; This has led to a surge in interest for projects that represent 
the &#8216;locked-in&#8217; trader mindset, those who see a $6 billion loss and simply 
double down on their conviction. This is where the narrative of the resilient, 
high-leverage trader takes center stage, bridging the gap between 
institutional strategy and retail defiance. And Maxi Doge ($MAXI) is the 
project that exemplifies all that. MaxiDoge ($MAXI) Steps in With Gamified 
Rewards and High-Leverage Culture Maxi Doge ($MAXI) is the &#8216;locked-in&#8217; symbol 
of the modern crypto degen, the trader who watches institutional &#8216;losses by 
design&#8217; and responds with 1000x leverage. Far from a standard meme project, 
$MAXI is built for the &#8216;Maxi&#8217; lifestyle, where extreme risk meets the 
potential for extreme gains. Maxi Doge plans to feature a robust ecosystem, 
including $MAXI contests for top ROI hunters and future integrations with 
trading platforms to facilitate gamified tournaments. By tapping into the 
culture of extreme crypto trading, MaxiDoge is creating a community that finds 
opportunity where others find institutional manipulation. The project&#8217;s 
tokenomics are designed to fuel this &#8216;full send&#8217; mentality. With 40% of the 
supply dedicated to aggressive marketing and 15% to liquidity, the project is 
built to handle the extreme trading volume typical of the best meme coins. 
SolidProof and Coinsult audits provide a layer of security for those looking 
to &#8216;ape in&#8217; during the presale, as no issues were found. Currently, the 
MaxiDoge presale has raised over $4.55M, with the current price sitting at 
$0.0002802. GET PUMPING AND JOIN THE $MAXI PRESALE. The Maxi Fund and Staking: 
Building the Future of Degen Wealth To ensure the project maintains its &#8216;max 
pump&#8217; dynamics, the team has established the &#8216;Maxi Fund,&#8217; which uses 25% of 
the token allocation for project exposure and ecosystem growth. This fund acts 
as a war chest for global marketing campaigns and partnerships with top-tier 
influencers who understand the &#8216;Maxi&#8217; ethos. Furthermore, Maxi Doge offers a 
dedicated staking rewards pool (rates currently at 68%) with daily smart 
contract distributions. If you&#8217;re a $MAXI holder, it allows you to earn 
passive income while you wait for the next major market move, effectively 
&#8216;bulking up your bags&#8217; without needing to monitor the charts constantly. The 
roadmap for Maxi Doge is as aggressive as its branding, moving from the &#8216;Wake 
Up&#8217; phase of smart contract audits to the &#8216;PM Discord Ops&#8217; phase, where it 
hopes KOLs and PR blitzes will take center stage. Unsure how to lock in? Check 
out our &#8216;How to Buy Maxi Doge&#8217; guide for all the info. As institutional 
players continue to report &#8216;losses by design,&#8217; $MAXI stands ready to capture 
the attention of those who trade on maximum leverage and never look back. GRAB 
YOUR $MAXI TOKENS AND GET LOCKED IN. This is not financial advice. High- 
leverage trading involves extreme risk and potential loss of all capital. You 
should always do your own research before making any investments.

Market ‘Losses by Design’: Why MaxiDoge ($MAXI) Is the Ultimate Hedge for Strategic Traders

The Smarter Web Company joins the London Stock Exchange Main Market, 
highlighting its bitcoin‑backed balance sheet and growth ambitions. The 
Smarter Web Company announced its admission to trading on the London Stock 
Exchange Main Market on February 3, 2026 after uplisting from Aquis, marking 
the UK web‑design firm’s first Main Market listing and noting it […]

The Smarter Web Company Uplists to London Stock Exchange Main Market

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan has released a new analysis of 
the current state of the crypto market, arguing that the industry has been 
firmly entrenched in a bear market for over a year. In a report shared on 
social media, Hougan stated that his research indicates the current downturn 
began as early as January 2025, despite widespread optimism fueled by 
institutional adoption, regulatory progress, and Bitcoin’s (BTC) rally to new 
all-time highs. Deep Bear Market Driving Crypto? Posting on X, formerly 
Twitter, Hougan pushed back against the idea that recent price weakness 
represents a routine pullback or short‑term dip. Instead, he described the 
current environment as a full‑scale crypto winter comparable to past downturns 
in 2018 and 2022. Interestingly, Hougan said the crypto market currently 
resembles a “2022‑like, Leonardo‑DiCaprio‑in‑The‑Revenant‑style” winter, 
driven by excessive leverage built up during the prior cycle and heavy 
profit‑taking by long‑time crypto holders. Related Reading: What’s Next For 
Bitcoin? Two Key Scenarios: Will It Crash To $60,000 Or Surge To $100,000? 
Hougan addressed a question many investors have been asking: why prices 
continue to fall despite a steady stream of positive developments. He pointed 
to expanding institutional involvement, improving regulation, and broader 
adoption as clear long‑term positives, but said none of that typically matters 
during the deepest phase of a bear market. According to Hougan, crypto winters 
are periods when good news is largely ignored, regardless of its significance. 
Even developments such as Wall Street firms hiring aggressively or major banks 
like Morgan Stanley increasing their crypto exposure are unlikely to spark a 
rally in the short term. He also cited market sentiment indicators to support 
his view. Hougan noted that the Crypto Fear and Greed Index remains near 
historically high levels of fear, even as the newly appointed Federal Reserve 
(Fed) chair is publicly supportive of Bitcoin. To him, this disconnect 
underscores how deeply negative sentiment has become. Drawing on past cycles, 
Hougan said crypto winters rarely end with renewed excitement or optimism. 
Instead, they typically conclude when investors are exhausted and disengaged. 
ETF Support Propped Up Bitcoin? Looking to history, Hougan observed that 
previous crypto winters have lasted roughly 13 months. Bitcoin reached its 
peak in December 2017 before bottoming a year later, and again peaked in 
October 2021 before hitting its low point in November 2022. By that measure, 
the current cycle might suggest more pain ahead, particularly since Bitcoin 
peaked again in October 2025. However, Hougan argued that focusing solely on 
that date misses a critical detail. In his view, the current winter actually 
began in January 2025 but was partially hidden by extraordinary institutional 
inflows. He said strong demand from exchange‑traded funds (ETFs) and Digital 
Asset Treasuries (DATs) masked underlying weakness across much of the crypto 
market. Hougan emphasized the scale of institutional support for Bitcoin in 
particular, calling it unprecedented. During the period he analyzed, ETFs and 
DATs collectively purchased more than 744,000 BTC, representing roughly $75 
billion in buying pressure. He suggested that without this support, BTC’s 
price could have fallen by as much as 60%. Related Reading: Hyperliquid 
Unveils HIP‑4, Sending HYPE 14% Higher On Outcome Trading Plans Despite this, 
Bitwise CIO suggested several possible catalysts that could help lift 
sentiment and mark the beginning of a crypto recovery, including strong global 
economic growth that reignites risk appetite, progress on the CLARITY Act, 
early signs of sovereign adoption of Bitcoin, or simply the passage of time. 
Reflecting on his experience through multiple crypto market cycles, he said 
the current mood of despair, fatigue, and malaise closely resembles the final 
stages of past crypto winters. Featured image from OpenArt, chart from 
TradingView.com

Bitwise CIO Warns Market Is Facing A ‘Full-Bore’ Crypto Winter, Not A Pullback

Binance&#8217;s Bitcoin conversion for SAFU may enhance user trust and market 
stability, reflecting a strategic shift towards decentralized assets.
The post Binance completes second batch of Bitcoin conversion, acquires $100M 
in BTC appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Binance completes second batch of Bitcoin conversion, acquires $100M in BTC

Ethereum price fell toward $2,200 after another wave of selling, with rising 
volume and weak momentum keeping traders on the defensive. At the time of 
writing, Ethereum was trading at $2,264, a 2.8% decline over the previous day, 
further sinking…

Cryptocurrency price in ZAR