Animoca’s Dubai License, Harvard Tilts to Ether

Welcome to our Crypto news in 10, a daily podcast bringing you the latest news about crypto in under 10 minutes.

It’s Monday, February 16, 2026... here’s your quick tour of the crypto world in about six minutes.

On deck: Animoca Brands wins a coveted Dubai license and leans into institutional crypto services... Harvard’s endowment quietly rebalances — trimming its Bitcoin ETF stake and adding nearly eighty-seven million dollars to Ether... CoinShares flags a fourth straight week of outflows from crypto ETPs... markets are softer today, with leverage building under the surface while a few altcoins catch a bid... and traders are watching Arbitrum’s ninety-two point six five million token unlock hitting today.

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Let’s start in the UAE. Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority has granted Animoca Brands a full VASP license.

The approval lets Animoca operate as a broker-dealer and provide virtual-asset investment management for institutional and qualified investors in and from Dubai — excluding the DIFC jurisdiction. The company says the move supports a 2026 push into stablecoins and real-world asset tokenization... and it lands as Animoca pursues a proposed Nasdaq reverse merger.

Big picture — this is one of the Web3 industry’s most active investors, with more than six hundred portfolio companies, gaining a regulated base to court institutions across the region. As reported by The Block, Yat Siu called Dubai a strategic hub for Animoca’s institutional business as the emirate tightens — not loosens — oversight.

Next up... a rare window into how a major endowment is positioning in crypto.

Harvard Management Company trimmed its iShares Bitcoin Trust stake by roughly twenty-one percent in Q4. It’s down to five point three five million IBIT shares, valued at about two hundred sixty-five point eight million dollars as of December thirty-one. And Harvard opened its first position in BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust — about three point eight seven million ETHA shares worth eighty-six point eight million dollars.

Combined, Harvard disclosed three hundred fifty-two point six million dollars in crypto-linked ETFs at quarter-end. Bitcoin still ranked as its single largest publicly disclosed equity holding.

The Harvard Crimson notes some academics are skeptical of the strategy... but the filing confirms Harvard now has both BTC and ETH exposure via regulated funds. Those details — IBIT down from six point eight one million shares, ETHA a new line item — come straight from the 13F, as reported by The Block.

Story three... money flows.

CoinShares says global crypto ETPs posted a fourth consecutive week of net outflows — one hundred seventy-three million dollars last week, and roughly three point seven four billion dollars over the past four weeks. The divergence by region stands out: U.S.-listed products saw four hundred three million dollars in redemptions, while Europe and Canada together logged about two hundred thirty million dollars in inflows.

After January’s big swings, this drip-drip-drip of outflows suggests institutions are still de-risking on rallies — and selling into weakness — at least for now.

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Markets now.

Prices are softer to start the week. Bitcoin is back under seventy thousand — recently around the high sixty-eight thousands — while Ether has slipped to the high nineteen-hundreds. That followed a brief weekend pop after cooler-than-expected U.S. CPI stoked rate-cut hopes. Barron’s points to macro reports later this week as the next catalyst, with traders watching growth and spending data for hints on the Fed’s path.

Under the hood, Decrypt notes Bitcoin’s three-month futures basis has widened as leverage creeps higher — a classic setup for a squeeze if momentum flips. We’re also seeing selective rotation: altcoins like Bittensor and Zcash posted double-digit weekly gains even as BTC ranges. In short... sentiment is fragile, positioning is jumpy, and rotations are short-lived — unless new buyers show up.

And one for the calendar traders... Arbitrum’s scheduled unlock lands today.

Roughly ninety-two point six five million ARB — about one point eight percent of circulating supply — are set to come online. Unlocks don’t always hit price immediately, but they do add potential supply... and historically they can become a narrative driver if market liquidity is thin.

If you’re active in ARB, keep an eye on order books and funding as the tokens hit. If the market absorbs them cleanly, that’s constructive — if not, you can see volatility spikes around the event window.

Quick recap before we wrap.

Dubai hands Animoca a VASP license — giving one of Web3’s largest investors a regulated institutional beachhead in the Middle East. Harvard’s endowment rebalances — less Bitcoin ETF, a new eighty-seven million dollar Ether ETF position — signaling a more diversified crypto allocation. ETP flows remain negative on a four-week view, with the U.S. driving outflows while Europe and Canada nibble. Markets are softer today, leverage is ticking up, and altcoins are showing pockets of strength. And Arbitrum’s ninety-two point six five million token unlock is live — watch liquidity and funding into the close.

That’s your crypto news for today.

Thanks for listening and see you tommorow!