Crypto Trading

The Government has set up a task force on darknet and cryptocurrency under the multi-agency centre (MAC) to monitor platforms facilitating narco-trafficking, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. In a written response, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the Government has taken various steps for inter-agency coordination between the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), state anti-narcotics task forces (ANTFs) and border guarding forces to curb cross-border and inter-state drug smuggling. Listing out the steps, Rai said the task force has been set up under the MAC mechanism with a focus on monitoring platforms facilitating narco-trafficking, sharing of inputs on drug smuggling amongst agencies/MAC members, interception of drug networks, continuous capturing of trends, modus operandi and nodes with regular database updates and review of related rules and laws. In addition, a Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) has also been set up at the central and state levels to oversee .

Extreme volatility is nothing new to cryptocurrencies, but Bitcoin's slump from a peak of $126,000 in October last year comes despite the backdrop of a crypto-friendly White House and surging adoption

Crypto markets have remained under pressure since October last year, after Bitcoin scaled its peak and has since been on a declining trajectory

Cryptocurrencies have been on shaky ground ever since a brutal series of liquidations in October that sapped market confidence

Altcoins followed a similar risk-off trajectory. Ethereum, BNB and Solana reflected weaker bid depth during the pullback

The data will be shared under the OECD-led Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, enabling automatic exchange of crypto transaction details between tax authorities

Contracts on Polymarket, a decentralized prediction platform, now imply an 82% chance that Bitcoin will fall to $65,000 this year, a level roughly 13% lower than today's $73,200

Until macro stability returns and ETF inflows resume, crypto markets, analysts believe, are likely to remain defensive

Union Budget 2026 introduces daily and lump-sum penalties for lapses in crypto asset reporting, aiming to bring virtual digital assets firmly within the formal tax compliance framework

Bitcoin slipped below the $80,000 mark after failing to hold above $89,000, with the decline exacerbated by thin weekend liquidity

Macro conditions also weighed on sentiment. Analysts noted that risk appetite softened across global markets as investors reassessed the outlook for monetary easing

Amid this, more than $1.5 billion in outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs this week, analysts said, point to a near-term moderation in institutional risk appetite

The survey, conducted ahead of the 2026 Union Budget, gathered insights from close to 5,000 respondents, highlighting widespread discontent over the current taxation framework

The downturn followed broader weakness in global equities after renewed trade tensions between the US and Europe, triggered by President Donald Trump's latest tariff threats

Trump said over the weekend that he would impose a 10 per cent tariff on goods from 8 European nations starting Feb 1, rising to 25 per cent in June unless there's a deal for a 'purchase of Greenland'

The rally, analysts said, appears driven by spot accumulation and improving risk appetite, with on-chain data showing liquidations of short positions as Bitcoin moved above key resistance levels

In December 2025, Pakistan allowed global exchanges Binance and HTX to receive preliminary approvals as the government accelerates crypto adoption

These acquisitions come at a time of a favourable regulatory environment for the sector in the United States (US), with further plans to scale in markets where regulations are favourable

Overall, muted capital inflows, analysts said, are likely to keep ETH range-bound, while Bitcoin's relative strength continues to support broader sentiment, though there is no clear breakout signal

After testing the $94,000-$95,000 zone earlier in the week, BTC retraced and briefly dipped below $90,000 before stabilising near the mid-$90,000 levels