Hedera Fees, ETHDenver Buzz, Bitcoin Under Seventy

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

Here’s what’s moving crypto on Wednesday, February 18, 2026...

In about forty minutes of planned downtime, Hedera is rolling out a mainnet upgrade that changes how fees flow across the network. ETHDenver opens its doors in Denver with a stacked agenda — Vitalik on the next epoch of Ethereum, plus tracks on stablecoins and decentralized AI. In traditional finance meets crypto, Brevan Howard’s BH Digital just reported a rough 2025 and a leadership shuffle. Markets? Bitcoin is stuck just under seventy grand this morning as tech jitters linger. And if you hold or trade coins in the U.S., watch your mailbox — the new IRS 1099-DA forms are out, with some gotchas that could lead to overpaying taxes.

Let’s break it down.

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Story one — Hedera’s version zero point seven zero mainnet upgrade is scheduled for today from 18:00 to 18:40 UTC. Expect a brief service disruption as council nodes move the network to a release that overhauls fee collection with HIP 1259. Practically, all transaction fees now route into a single fee-collection account, then disburse at the start of each staking period — to node operators and reward accounts.

The goal is to simplify accounting, improve predictability, and prepare the network for higher throughput. It follows January’s version zero point six nine performance work, and a previously flagged price update for high-volume Consensus Service messages that kicked in with the 2026 release cadence. If you build on Hedera or run infrastructure, keep an eye on the status dashboards — and plan around that forty-minute window.

Story two — ETHDenver 2026 kicks off. Doors opened this morning, and the main stage is packed: Colorado Governor Jared Polis on modernizing the state–citizen relationship at 10:15 a.m., Vitalik Buterin on the next epoch of Ethereum at 10:20, then a full day of summits spanning stablecoins, decentralized AI, privacy, and go-to-market for founders.

It’s a classic builder-first vibe. The BUIDLathon is live, protocol talks are rolling, and side events range from cross-chain cafes to XRP community night. If you’re tracking product announcements, this is when testnets, client updates, and new infrastructure partnerships usually drop — so expect headlines to trickle out through Friday.

Story three — an institutional check-in. Brevan Howard’s BH Digital Asset Fund posted a 29.5 percent loss for 2025 — its worst since launch — reflecting the late-year drawdown across majors and a drag from private investments. The firm also announced a leadership change, with Chris Rayner-Cook — formerly at Coinbase — stepping in as CEO.

Context helps. The fund delivered strong gains in 2023 and 2024 before the 2025 slump, and Bitcoin’s retracement from the October 2025 peak into early 2026 hasn’t helped. Meanwhile, Brevan Howard’s broader macro fund is up to start 2026 — underscoring how crypto-specific exposure has diverged from the firm’s flagship performance. For allocators, it’s a reminder that even sophisticated multi-strategy desks can get whipsawed when beta rolls over and venture marks lag public markets.

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Story four — markets. Bitcoin is hovering near sixty-eight thousand this morning after yet another failed attempt to break — and hold — above seventy. Crypto remains correlated with tech, but Bitcoin didn’t join Tuesday’s rebound for the Magnificent Seven — highlighting shaky risk appetite. Ether and XRP are showing modest intraday gains, but year-to-date drawdowns still loom for majors.

Strategists are watching macro prints later this week for hints on the Fed path. Softer inflation is typically a tailwind, but flows into and out of spot ETFs remain the near-term tell for bid strength. Bottom line: bulls need a clean reclaim of seventy thousand with convincing volume... or the range trade persists.

Story five — U.S. tax time. The IRS’s new 1099-DA form is landing in inboxes and mailboxes this week, and there’s a wrinkle that could cost you if you’re not careful. The 1099-DA reports gross proceeds from digital-asset sales, but for many assets — especially ones you moved across wallets or bought before the new basis rules — cost basis may be missing or incomplete.

If you don’t substantiate basis, the IRS can assume zero — which could double the tax on a hypothetical one hundred thousand dollar sale if your true basis was fifty thousand. Keep records tight, reconcile across exchanges and self-custody, and note the calendar: brokers had to distribute 1099-DAs by February 16, and e-filing to the IRS runs through March 31. If your platform can’t compute basis end to end, pull in a tax tool or a CPA — especially if you used DeFi, staking, or moved between venues in 2025.

Quick recap... Hedera’s version zero point seven zero upgrade hits mainnet today with a new fee-collection model... ETHDenver opens with Vitalik and Governor Polis setting the tone for a week of builder-driven news... Brevan Howard’s BH Digital shows how institutional crypto can swing hard late in the cycle... Bitcoin is stuck under seventy thousand as tech jitters linger... and in the U.S., the new 1099-DA means paperwork matters as much as price. Stay sharp out there.

Thanks for listening and see you tommorow!