Bitcoin Falls Following Tehran Strikes as DOJ Arrests Founder of $328 Million Crypto Ponzi

In this week’s edition of the weekly recap, Bitcoin fell to $63,062 before recovering following explosive strikes in Tehran amid US-Israeli operations and Iranian retaliatory missiles.

Separately, 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-deposit payment card across the United States.

Cryptocurrency markets react to Middle East conflict

• Bitcoin (BTC) fell 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) fell to $1,837 before rallying to $1,940 during peak volatility as Iran launched retaliatory missiles at several 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 related to an alleged $328 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme.
• Delgado was arrested in Apopka, Florida, following a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, accused of wire fraud and money laundering.

MetaMask expands its crypto map to the US market

• MetaMask and Mastercard have officially launched the MetaMask Card in the United States.
• The self-depositing crypto payment card is now available in 49 US states, including New York for the first time.

Magic Eden focuses on the Solana platform

• The prominent NFT marketplace has announced plans to shut down its Bitcoin and EVM-based trading platforms in early March 2026 while ending support for its multi-chain wallet.
• The platform will continue to exclusively support Solana-based assets.

MoonPay introduces access to AI agent wallet

• The crypto payments platform launched a new product on February 24 giving artificial intelligence systems direct access to digital wallets and on-chain transactions.
• MoonPay Agents, a non-custodial software layer, allows AI agents to create wallets, manage funds and transact on behalf of verified users.

Morgan Stanley plans multiple Bitcoin products

• The banking giant intends to offer various Bitcoin-related product offerings, according to Amy Oldenburg, head of digital asset strategy.
• These planned products would expand Morgan Stanley’s exposure to cryptocurrencies 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 helped attackers steal funds from any network account without accessing private keys.
• XRPL Labs on Thursday revealed the existence of a vulnerability in the signature validation logic of the Batch Amendment.
• This was a pending upgrade to allow multiple transactions to be grouped and run together.

Barclays explores blockchain payments platform

• The multinational bank is considering the creation of a blockchain platform for payments and other processes, according to reports.
• The London-based financial services giant is consulting with potential technology providers to develop an infrastructure rivaling JPMorgan and others using decentralized technology for banking services.

Kalshi sanctions insider trading violations

• The prediction market company revealed that it caught and penalized two users for insider trading activities, including an editor of social media star MrBeast.
• The company said it had more than a dozen active insider trading cases among the 200 investigated, with disclosures Wednesday detailing two resolved issues, including action against Artem Kaptur, identified as working for James Donaldson’s MrBeast character.