On February 3, 2026, U.S. investigators opened a probe into crypto platforms suspected of facilitating Iranian sanctions evasion, according to Ari Redbord at TRM Labs. TRM Labs estimates about $10 billion of crypto activity in Iran in 2025, while Chainalysis reports $7.8 billion received by Iranian wallets, and Elliptic says the central bank bought at least $507 million in USDT.

On Tuesday, Bitcoin traded sideways below the $80,000 resistance level while gold rebounded toward the $5,000 area and silver posted a double‑digit daily gain. Market observers debated Bitcoin's long‑term performance versus gold, and Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan argued that the current "crypto winter", which he dates from January 2025, may be nearing its end.

On Monday, Cathie Wood's Ark Invest disclosed that it bought about $24.8 million in crypto-focused equities, including large allocations to Robinhood, BitMine, Circle, Bullish, Block, and Coinbase, even as digital assets and related stocks declined. The firm concentrated purchases in its ARK Innovation and ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETFs, while Bitcoin traded below $80,000 and spot volumes on centralized exchanges dropped sharply from October to January.

In its 2026 Global Family Office Report, JPMorgan Private Bank surveyed 333 family offices averaging $1.6B in net worth across 30 countries and found that 89% have no cryptocurrency exposure. The study also shows only 17% expect to prioritize digital assets in the future, while 65% plan to focus on AI investments and roughly 75% of current portfolios are allocated to public equities and alternative assets.

On February 3, 2026, CME Group said January was its strongest on record, with average daily volume up 15% year over year to 29.6M contracts. Metals led with 218% growth, while crypto activity rose 106% driven by Ethereum products; CME also plans to enable 24/7 crypto futures and options trading by the end of Q1 2026.

The Moscow Exchange plans to broaden its crypto derivatives lineup in 2026 with cash‑settled index futures tied to Solana (SOL), Ripple (XRP) and Tron (TRX). An executive said perpetual futures and options are being evaluated, while monthly expiries and qualified‑investor access will mirror the exchange's existing Bitcoin and Ethereum index futures.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) climbed roughly 4% in premarket trading on February 3, 2026, after Elon Musk announced a merger between SpaceX and xAI valued at $1.25 trillion. At 7:27:19 AM EST, RKLB traded at $77.47, up $3.32 or 4.48% from the prior close. The news lifted broader space stocks as investors reacted to plans for space-based AI compute.

SUI fell below $1.10 during a broad market selloff, with the token trading near $1.13 as of Feb. 3, 2026. HashKey Exchange said on Feb. 3 it will list the SUI/USD pair for professional investors, with OTC trading set for 16:00 Hong Kong time on Feb. 4, 2026. The move comes amid weakness across bitcoin and major altcoins.