Must-Watch Events During the Spring Festival Holiday｜PCE Data May Disrupt Rate Cut Pace; Qian Zhimin Case Hearing Scheduled for February 16

Azuma

Odaily资深作者

@azuma_eth

2026-02-15 07:08

This article is about 2629 words, reading the full article takes about 4 minutes

Polymarket Plans to Extend Fee Mechanism to Sports Markets on February 18.

AI Summary

Expand

Core View: Next week (February 16-22, 2026), the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry will witness a series of key events, covering major case developments, product updates, macroeconomic data releases, and industry conferences, which may impact market sentiment, regulatory environment, and industry development.
Key Elements:
1. On February 16, the UK High Court will hold an asset disposal hearing for a money laundering case involving 60,000 Bitcoin (worth approximately 31 billion yuan) and affecting nearly 130,000 Chinese victims. The case has been deadlocked due to high legal fees and procedural complexities.
2. On February 18, prediction market platform Polymarket will extend its fee mechanism to NCAA and Serie A sports markets, adopting a new fee structure aimed at expanding its business model.
3. On February 19, the Federal Reserve will release the minutes of its monetary policy meeting, whose wording may provide clues to the market about future interest rate policies.
4. On February 20, the US will release the preliminary Q4 GDP figure and the Core PCE Price Index. The latter, as the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, will directly influence market expectations for monetary policy based on its performance.
5. On February 23, the well-known NFT platform Nifty Gateway will officially shut down and enter withdrawal-only mode, marking the ongoing adjustment in the NFT market.
6. During the week, Elon Musk announced that his AI product Grok 4.2 will be released, and several important industry conferences such as ETH Denver and the World Liberty Forum will also be held.

Key Events for the Upcoming Week

From February 16 to February 22, more noteworthy industry event previews are detailed below.

February 16 (Chinese New Year's Eve)

Hearing for 60,000 Bitcoin Money Laundering Case Scheduled for February 16, Involving Nearly 130,000 Chinese Victims and Over 300 Billion Yuan

Odaily News: The asset disposal process for the 60,000 Bitcoin money laundering case involving Qian Zhimin has reached a stalemate, with 8,300 Chinese victims filing claims. Multiple law firms are representing clients independently, leading to issues such as duplicate submissions, repeated arguments, and prolonged procedures in the view of British judges. Legal fees have also risen, ultimately to be paid by the Chinese victims. It is reported that on the eve and the first day of the Lunar Year of the Fire Horse (February 16 and 17, 2026), the UK High Court will hold a hearing concerning assets valued at over 300 billion yuan, involving nearly 130,000 Chinese victims. This is the highly anticipated asset disposal proceeding for the 60,000 Bitcoin money laundering case. Additionally, Bitcoin price volatility is significant. The market value of 60,000 Bitcoin has shrunk from a peak of approximately 54 billion yuan on October 6, 2025, to about 31 billion yuan in early February 2026. (Caixin)

February 17 (First Day of Lunar New Year)

21Shares Plans to Distribute Staking Rewards to Solana ETF Holders on February 17

Odaily News: Cryptocurrency exchange-traded product provider 21Shares announced it will distribute staking rewards to holders of its Solana exchange-traded fund, the 21Shares Solana ETF (TSOL). TSOL shareholders will receive $0.316871 per share, with the payment date set for February 17, 2026. (Globenewswire)

February 18 (Second Day of Lunar New Year)

Polymarket Extends Fees to Sports Markets, NCAA and Serie A Events to Be Charged Starting February 18

Odaily News: Polymarket official Rodrigo stated in a Discord post that the fee mechanism will be extended to college basketball (NCAA) and Serie A markets. The fee structure is the same as the "15-minute cryptocurrency up/down markets," meaning the taker pays the fee and the maker receives a rebate, but with different coefficients—the rate is 0.0175, the exponent is 1, and the maker rebate is 25%, resulting in lower overall fees.

Starting from 00:00 UTC on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, all newly created events related to NCAA and Serie A after this time will be subject to the new fee mechanism. Existing events are unaffected. The first rebate distribution will occur at 00:00 UTC on February 19.

ETH Denver to Be Held from February 18-21

Odaily News: ETHDenver will be held from February 18 to 21 in Denver, USA.

WLFI to Host Inaugural World Liberty Forum at Mar-a-Lago on February 18

Odaily News: WLFI will host the inaugural World Liberty Forum at Mar-a-Lago on February 18. Forum topics will cover the evolution of financial markets, digital assets, artificial intelligence, geopolitical risks, and public-private partnerships.

February 19 (Third Day of Lunar New Year)

Federal Reserve to Release Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes

Odaily News: At 3:00 on February 19, the Federal Reserve will release the minutes of its monetary policy meeting.

February 20 (Fourth Day of Lunar New Year)

U.S. to Release Preliminary Q4 GDP and Core PCE Price Index

Odaily News: At 21:30 on February 20, the U.S. will release the December Core PCE Price Index Year-over-Year, Personal Spending Month-over-Month, Preliminary U.S. Q4 Real GDP Annualized Quarter-over-Quarter, Preliminary U.S. Q4 Real Personal Consumption Expenditures Quarter-over-Quarter, Preliminary U.S. Q4 Core PCE Price Index Annualized Quarter-over-Quarter, and U.S. December Core PCE Price Index Month-over-Month.

The preliminary Q4 GDP and Core PCE Price Index have become market focal points. As the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, a PCE reading higher than expected could impact the pace of policy easing within the year.

U.S. Supreme Court to Issue Opinion on Trump Tariff Case on February 20

Odaily News: The U.S. Supreme Court has set February 20 as the next opinion issuance date, with the world awaiting a ruling that could invalidate a significant portion of President Trump's signature tariff policies. Reports indicate justices are also expected to issue opinions on February 24 and 25. This tariff dispute is one of 12 cases argued in October or November that remain undecided. U.S. federal government data shows the contested tariffs cost importers over $16 billion monthly. Economic analyst Chris Kennedy calculates that at this rate, by February 20, the total taxes levied under the core law of the case, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, could exceed $170 billion. (Jin10)

February 21

None

February 22

None

February 23 (Sixth Day of Lunar New Year)

NFT Platform Nifty Gateway to Shut Down on February 23, 2026, Now in Withdrawal-Only Mode

Odaily News: NFT platform Nifty Gateway Studio posted on X, stating that the Nifty Gateway platform will shut down on February 23, 2026. Effective immediately, Nifty Gateway has entered withdrawal-only mode. Customers holding USD, ETH balances, or NFTs will receive email notifications with instructions on how to move their assets off the Nifty Gateway platform.

Strategy World 2026 to Be Held in Las Vegas, USA, from February 23-26

Odaily News: The Strategy World 2026 summit, hosted by Strategy, will be held from February 23 to 26 in Las Vegas, USA, featuring over 80 sessions and hands-on workshops.