Bitcoin enters Tehran strikes as DOJ arrests $328M crypto Ponzi mastermind

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

In other prominent news, federal authorities have arrested Goliath Ventures founder Christopher Alexander Delgado on charges related to an alleged $328 million Ponzi scheme, and MetaMask is partnering with MasterCard to launch its self-service payment card across the United States.

Cryptocurrency markets react to Middle East conflict

• Bitcoin (BTC) declined to $63,062 before rebounding to $66,201 following reports of a major explosion in Tehran as the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes across Iran.
• Ethereum (ETH) fell as low as $1,837 before recovering to $1,940 amid tensions 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 tied to an alleged $328 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme.
• Delgado is being held in custody in Apopka, Florida, on a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida charging wire fraud and money laundering.

MetaMask expands crypto card to the US market

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

Magic Eden narrows the field’s focus to Solana

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

MoonPay introduces AI agent wallet access

• The crypto payments platform launched on February 24 a new product that provides intelligence programs for direct access to digital wallets and on-chain transactions.
• MoonPay Agents, a software layer that goes beyond storage, enables AI agents to create wallets, manage funds, and trade on behalf of verified users.

Morgan Stanley organizes several Bitcoin products

• The banking giant has plans to offer a variety of Bitcoin-related products according to head of digital asset strategy Amy Oldenburg.
• These planned products will expand Morgan Stanley’s cryptocurrency exposure beyond its current limited offerings.

AI security tool identifies key XRP vulnerabilities

• A private AI security tool found a bug in the XRP Ledger that could have helped attackers steal money from any network account without access to private keys.
• XRPL Labs disclosed on Thursday that a vulnerability exists in the signature verification logic of the batch patch.
• This was a pending development that allows multiple tasks to be rolled up and executed together.

Barclays is exploring a blockchain payments platform

• The international bank is exploring the creation of a blockchain platform for payments and other processes according to reports
• The London-based financial services giant is in talks with potential technology providers to develop infrastructure to compete with JPMorgan and others using decentralized technology for banking services.

Kalshi punishes violations of insider trading

• The prediction market company revealed the arrest and punishment of two users for insider trading, including social media star editor MrBeast.
• The company said that it has more than a dozen cases of insider trading among the 200 that are being investigated, and on Wednesday it was revealed that two cases were resolved, including the arrest of Artem Kaptur, who was identified as working for James Donaldson’s Mr. Beast.