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Policy momentum builds in Washington as institutional crypto trading expands amid steady Bitcoin gains.
The White House moved stablecoin regulation talks on February 19 in Washington, while CME Group announced that it will begin 24/7 cryptocurrency futures and options trading on May 29, 2026. These updates arrive at a time when Bitcoin and other major altcoins have registered modest gains, despite prevailing macroeconomic uncertainty.
As of 9:00 p.m. UTC on February 20, Bitcoin was trading at US$67,697.37, up 0.9 percent over the past 24 hours. Ether was up 1 percent at US$1,968.25, while XRP was up 0.6 percent at US$1.42. Solana led the way with a 3.1 percent increase to US$84.56. CME Group’s move comes after it recorded a record US$3 trillion in crypto derivatives trading in 2025, with an average daily volume in 2026 up 46 percent year-over-year.
According to Antonio Di Giacomo, senior market analyst, Bitcoin is still in a correction cycle following the release of the US Federal Reserve’s minutes in January, which revealed a split in interest rate policies. “Macroeconomic prudence and geopolitical pressures continue to keep volatility high,” he explained, adding that BTC is still “range-bound between technical levels of resistance and support.”
The third meeting of the Crypto Policy Council at the White House centered on the yield vs. rewards debate related to the CLARITY Act and updates to the GENIUS Act. A proposed compromise by the White House involves allowing rewards based on transactions but capping yield on idle stablecoin balances. No final agreement has been reached.
The White House stablecoin compromise proposal 2026, CME 24/7 crypto futures market launch on May 29, and Bitcoin ETF five-week consecutive outflow cycle in February 2026 reflect the growing institutional interest in the market despite the cautious sentiment.
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