From grocery bills to blockchain governance, February kept returning to a theme Cupid would enjoy: trust. Military tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran added another layer of uncertainty, influencing energy markets while shifting broader risk sentiment late in the month. When costs rise, and headlines change by the hour, what do we rely on?
Canadians don’t need to be reminded that food prices have continued to climb, but some might have been surprised to see recent comparisons across the G7 placing Canada at the top of the list for food inflation. It is not the podium finish households were hoping for this month. Estimates for 2025–26 show Canada in the 6.2-7.3 percent range, ahead of Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, France, and Germany.
Prime Minister Mark Carney campaigned on lowering household bills. To address rising grocery costs, the federal government has earmarked $500 million from its Strategic Response Fund to support food suppliers in expanding capacity and improving productivity. A National Food Security Strategy is in development, with a focus on strengthening domestic production and improving access to affordable food.
Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has taken a more critical stance, describing food inflation as an emergency and attributing rising costs to recent policy decisions, including fuel and agricultural taxes. He has called for immediate reversals, arguing that current measures are insufficient to address household strain.
Cost conversations rarely stay confined to the checkout line. They spill into broader questions about value, stability, and how systems are designed. We know macro pressures shape asset behaviour, and one of Bitcoin’s defining characteristics remains its capped supply, reinforced by the halving cycle that reduces new issuance over time. While short-term price action often reflects liquidity and sentiment, the longer-term thesis for many holders is rooted in scarcity and resistance to monetary expansion.
Bitcoin’s appeal has been driven by concerns about the stability of our money. MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor has framed his own move into BTC as a response to what he termed economic “devolution,” reflecting a search for scarcity in an era of expansionary policy.
Since 2023, we have partnered with Koinly during tax season, so keep an eye out for our annual discount code expected to be released very soon! If you haven’t used Koinly before, it is a software platform designed to help crypto users calculate and report taxes on their crypto asset transactions. It allows you to import your annual transactions from supported platforms, as well as external wallets and exchanges, in an effort to make tax season a little less taxing.
If you need your transaction history, you can export your tax report directly from the Newton app under Settings → Statements and Reports.
You may have noticed that we removed our $10 minimums across all available staking assets last month. For users holding Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano who are curious about the potential to earn yield, you can learn more about available staking opportunities here, or, if it aligns with your strategy, review available staking rates and opt in directly through the app.
One blockchain measure of network confidence is staking participation. Ethereum’s validator entry queue surpassed 4 million ETH this month, with wait times extending beyond 70 days while exit queues remained minimal. Elevated demand to stake often signals long-term conviction among participants. You can read more about staking queues and wait times in our earlier overview, Why Ethereum has a staking waitlist.
In other Ethereum network news, Vitalik Buterin also supported FOCIL, a proposed Ethereum upgrade designed to require validators to include all valid transactions on-chain. The proposal aims to strengthen censorship resistance and reinforce Ethereum’s credibility as a neutral settlement layer.
The collapse of Terra Luna in 2022 continues to reverberate. Former Terraform Labs PTE, Ltd. (“Terraform”) CEO Do Hyeong Kwon received a 15-year prison sentence tied to fraud charges following the algorithmic stablecoin’s failure in Dec 2024. This month, the Office of the Terraform Labs Plan Administrator filed a lawsuit against Jane Street, alleging insider trading, market manipulation, and deceptive trading practices connected to the events surrounding the collapse.
At the same time, renewed discussion on crypto X emerged around Sam Bankman-Fried and the state of FTX at the time of its collapse. Some observers cited the value of investments such as Anthropic, now estimated at $30 billion, suggesting the firm may not have been strictly insolvent. Others see this as the beginning of a broader narrative shift for perhaps a future pardon. For now, these conversations remain speculative and separate from actual legal outcomes or related real life possibilities.
Not every headline carries the same weight. A lighter moment surfaced when Polymarket users noted that a long-running contract betting on the return of Jesus had outperformed Bitcoin’s 5-year return. Another reminder that prediction markets measure participation, not prophecy.
A growing conversation this month focused on what digital systems artificial intelligence will rely on. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang remarked that AI will require a “system of record” to verify truth. That framing has led some to revisit blockchain’s role as an immutable ledger.
Another notable conversation this month centered on OpenClaw and the growing ability for individuals to run autonomous AI agents themselves, rather than relying solely on centralized platforms. For those unfamiliar, OpenClaw is an open-source, self-hosted AI agent that runs locally and connects to messaging platforms as its primary interface. It can manage email, browse the web, execute workflows, and interact with multiple AI providers depending on the task. Its founder recently shared that intense online backlash from parts of the crypto community nearly led him to delete the project.
As AI systems scale, questions around verification, ownership, and execution continue to intersect with digital asset infrastructure. A related conversation gaining momentum is which digital currencies, if any, AI systems will ultimately rely on. Will tomorrow’s algorithms pledge allegiance to Bitcoin, build on Ethereum, or mint currencies of their own?
February’s tone remained cautious and largely risk-off focused. Bitcoin’s performance was notably weak, with losses around the 19.80 percent range for the month.
⬆️ Sky (SKY) rose approximately 12.07 percent.
⬇️ Shiba Inu (SHIB) fell about 14.29 percent.
⬇️ Algorand (ALGO) moved lower by approximately 15.21percent.
⬇️ Solana (SOL) fell roughly 19.98 percent.
⬇️ Ethereum (ETH) declined approximately 19.63 percent.
⬇️ Sui (SUI) dropped close to 21.42 percent.
Prices reflect beginning-of-month opening and end-of-month closing levels.
If you prefer consistency over timing, recurring buys can be scheduled directly in the app.
Whether you are new to crypto or have been in the space for years, our blog offers resources for everyone. You can explore markets, manage your portfolio, and access learning tools directly within our app. In next month’s BYTE, we will continue tracking how crypto, markets, and policy are taking shape. Thanks for reading, and for navigating the future of crypto with us. See you next month.
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