Finance Police

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, February 20th, 2026, FinanceWire

Diamond sponsorship, industry recognition, and thought leadership highlight the broker’s growing regional presence

On 18th and 19th February 2026, the global broker STARTRADER participated in Money Expo Mexico as a diamond sponsor. The event was held at Centro Citibanamex and organized by HQMENA. It brought together leading financial enthusiasts, fintech innovators, and leading institutions across Latin America and beyond. 

Reflecting the updated premium feel that the broker has exhibited at other events, the STARTRADER booth No. 18 stood out, attracting over 1,000 visitors across the two-day expo. Partners, traders, and stakeholders gathered to engage in discussions with the experienced team at the booth, resulting in hundreds of meaningful conversations on potential collaborations. The discussions spanned key areas including trading technology, platform capabilities, and strategic partnership opportunities.

STARTRADER has always adopted a client-first approach, and now, with the new branding

Built on Trust, Driven by Growth

, the approach has become even more prominent. STARTRADER provides competitive trading competition from ultra-tight spreads to fast execution, as well as advanced and easy to navigate platforms. One of the key platforms the broker provides is the mobile app. 

STARTRADER App features an easy-to-use interface, a built-in copy trading feature called STAR Copy, and a customizable watchlist. The app has gained great popularity, and that popularity has not gone unnoticed. The broker has been awarded “Best Mobile Trading Experience”. The recognition reflects STARTRADER’s commitment to delivering accessibility, performance, and reliability for traders operating in fast-moving markets.

Commenting on this award, Mr. Peter Karsten, the CEO of STARTRADER, said,

This recognition is a meaningful affirmation of our commitment to innovation and client-centric development. We designed the STARTRADER App to provide traders with a seamless, reliable, and high-performance mobile experience, ensuring they can stay connected to the markets anytime, anywhere.”</p></blockquote> <p class="ql-align-justify">As part of the conference agenda, Matías Juncal, Senior Business Development Manager, delivered a presentation titled “Key Market Factors That Will Define 2026

. During the session, Mr. Juncal highlighted how geopolitical developments and economic trends are expected to influence global financial markets in the coming year. The attendees engaged with the sessions, raised some questions, which made the conversation more lively and interesting. 

STARTRADER’s participation at Money Expo Mexico underscores its strategic focus on expanding its presence in Latin America and strengthening relationships with regional traders and partners. The expo provided a valuable platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and showcasing the company’s evolving product ecosystem.

About STARTRADER

STARTRADER is a global broker that provides its clients with opportunities to trade financial instruments online. STARTRADER services both Partners and Retail Clients, who can trade using the MetaTrader Platform, the STAR-APP, and using STAR-COPY. 

As a global broker, STARTRADER holds a client-first approach as our core principle. Regulated in 5 jurisdictions (ASIC, FSA, FSC, FSCA, and CMA), STARTRADER upholds strong governance alongside sustainable growth. STARTRADER’s team comprises dedicated professionals working collaboratively to deliver quality service to its Partners and Clients.

Contact

Global PR Manager
Janna Magabilen
STARTRADER
janna.magabilen@startrader.com

Mexico, Mexico, February 19th, 2026, FinanceWire

Money Expo Mexico 2026 kicked off yesterday as its 4th edition opened doors for Day-1 at Centro Banamex, CDMX welcoming 700+ companies and 5,000+ visitors comprising traders, introducing brokers, affiliates, investors, fintech leaders, and market innovators—marking it as one of the largest online trading events in Latin America.

The exhibition floor saw consistent engagement across top brokers, trading platforms, liquidity and tech providers, crypto and payments solutions, and attendees — live demonstrations, hands-on platform exploration, and meaningful business discussions. Attendees actively used the expo environment to compare offerings, explore partnership opportunities, and meet key decision-makers across the online trading and Finance ecosystem.

The conference program drew strong interest, featuring expert-led discussions and insight-driven sessions centered on the key topics of today’s markets—from trading strategy and risk management to brokerage growth, IBs partnership models, and the evolving role of technology in modern investing. Across keynote segments, panels, and interactive conversations, speakers delivered practical perspectives tailored to both active market participants and industry stakeholders.

Networking was a standout with the venue buzzing as introductions turned into real meetings and conversations evolved into concrete next steps, with Day 1 concluding on a high note, Money Expo Mexico 2026 now builds momentum into Day 2—promising more high-value sessions, deeper exhibitor engagement, and expanded networking opportunities for attendees still arriving.

Money Expo Mexico 2026 continues today (19 February 2026) at Centro Banamex, Mexico City.

About Money Expo Mexico

Across multiple global editions, the Money Expo brand has built a legacy as a reliable growth engine for brokers, FinTech’s, and financial service firms seeking serious, measurable outcomes. Leading expo and conference connecting the online trading, fintech, crypto, and investment ecosystem—bringing together brokers, technology providers, and market participants for learning, networking, and partnerships.

Registration details: https://moneyexpoglobal.com/mexico/en#tickets

Contact

Niyaz Mohamed
HQMENA
Sales@hqmena.com

Panama City, Republic of Panama, February 18th, 2026, Chainwire

Sai today launched Sai Perps, a perpetuals trading platform built to be as fast and intuitive as a centralized exchange with the transparency and self-custody of onchain settlement. The platform features gasless transactions, removing friction for traders while maintaining full onchain security.

Sai also unveiled Let’s Go Saicho, a one-month onchain trading competition running February 18 through March 19, 2026, with $25,000 in total prizes. The campaign is structured in two phases designed to reward both performance and participation: a PNL competition for profitable traders, followed by a first-come, first-serve “Be Early” phase for traders who engage early and hit a minimum volume threshold.

Onchain markets shouldn’t require traders to compromise between speed and self-custody,

said Matthias Darblade, a Sai contributor. Sai Perps is designed for active traders who want a clean, CEX-like experience, while still getting the transparency and settlement guarantees that only onchain infrastructure can provide.

Why Sai vs. Other Perps DEXs

Sai Perps is built around the premise: trading should be accessible without the usual friction of onchain perps. Compared to existing perpDEXs, Sai stands out in many ways:

CEX-like UX, onchain settlement: A streamlined trading experience designed to be fast and familiar, with trades settling onchain for transparency and verifiability.

Infrastructure built for deep, smooth markets: Sai has focused heavily on liquidity, risk systems, and oracle design to support more consistent execution and robust market integrity.

Accessible to both new and experienced traders: A platform experience optimized for speed and clarity, without sacrificing advanced trading capability.

Roadmap beyond crypto perps: Sai’s planned expansion includes stocks, commodities, and FX markets, plus user-focused capital efficiency features like Sai Savings (yield on deposits), and cross-chain deposits.

Let’s Go Saicho: $25,000 Trading Competition (Feb 18 – Mar 19, 2026)

Let’s Go Saicho is a one-month competition rewarding trading on Sai across two two-week phases:

Phase 1 (Feb 18 – Mar 4): PNL Competition | $20,000 prize pool, 50 winners

Phase 2 (Mar 5 – Mar 19): Be Early (First Come First Serve) | $5,000 prize pool, 50 winners

All markets listed on Sai are eligible in both phases. Traders may go long or short on any listed pair using supported collateral (e.g., USDC and other supported assets such as stNIBI, as available on Sai). For more details on Sai’s Trading Competition, visit here.

About Sai

Sai is a new perpetuals trading platform designed to feel as easy and fast as a centralized exchange, while still settling fully onchain. Sai’s mission is to make advanced trading accessible without sacrificing transparency or self-custody.

Sai is focused on finalizing its core trading infrastructure and user experience, building liquidity and risk systems for smoother execution, and laying groundwork for yield features that help users earn on idle collateral. Next on the roadmap: expanded markets (stocks, commodities, FX), Sai Savings, cross-chain deposits, and smart accounts for gasless trading.

Contact

PR and Media Inquries
Press@sai.fun

New York, New York, February 18th, 2026, FinanceWire

Fastest-growing sports trading platform applies for DCM license to be available in all 50 states

Novig operates a commission-free, peer-to-peer exchange designed for sports traders, utilizing an order-book model to provide market-driven odds 

10X growth in trading volume in 2025 

New funding accelerates product development: more markets, deeper liquidity, and advanced trading tools purpose-built for sports traders

Novig, the fastest growing sports trading platform in America, today announced the close of a $75 million Series B round led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Multicoin Capital, Makers Fund, Edge Equity, and existing investors Forerunner, Perceptive Ventures, and NFX. The round brings Novig’s total capital raised to more than $105 million. 

The funding follows a period of growth for the platform, which reported a 10x increase in trading volume during 2025. Novig’s annualized trading volume currently exceeds $4 billion.

Although sports account for the majority of activity on most prediction market platforms, those products are not built with sports traders in mind. Novig, by contrast, is built for sports fans, delivering a fair, transparent, and commission-free trading experience. 

Since launch, the platform has rapidly emerged as the leading sports trading platform in the U.S., proving strong demand for a trader-first alternative to traditional sportsbooks. Novig has officially submitted its application to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to become a licensed Designated Contract Market (DCM), a critical milestone in its transition toward becoming a federally regulated exchange available in all 50 states. 

Unlike sportsbooks that operate an against-the-house model, Novig operates a commission-free, peer-to-peer exchange where traders compete against one another on a level playing field. By eliminating the hidden “vig,” unfair odds, and punitive limits on winning players, Novig has built the industry’s most equitable sports prediction platform.

Our mission is to democratize and financialize sports markets, and we’re proud of the fact that Novig users are 10 times more likely to win than on traditional sportsbooks,

said Jacob Fortinsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Novig. We chose to partner with the best crypto venture firms in the world to further accelerate our plans to make Novig the most efficient and liquid sports prediction market in the world. Others are using prediction market technology to financialize new markets with unproven demand. We leverage it to fix broken markets where demand already exists.

Novig is proving that prediction markets can fundamentally reshape sports betting by removing the exploitative middleman,

says Paul Veradittakit, Managing Partner at Pantera Capital. Their peer-to-peer exchange delivers what traditional sportsbooks can’t: better odds, fairer market structure, and alignment between platform success and user profitability. When 23% of users are profitable compared to 2% on traditional platforms, it’s clear this is a foundational change to the industry. We’re excited to lead this round and support Jacob, Kelechi, and the team as they build a sports prediction market that actually puts bettors first.

Novig combines the cultural heartbeat of sports with the transparency and efficiency of prediction markets. Most prediction market volume today is on sports, yet those platforms weren’t built with sports or sports bettors in mind. We are delivering a better exchange that is built by sports traders, for sports traders,

said Co-Founder and CTO Kelechi Ukah. 

The new capital accelerates Novig’s next phase of growth, including onboarding more institutional liquidity. Novig will utilize the investment to deepen product innovation and growth loops, launching first-of-its-kind functionality that combines the best innovation of financial markets with the excitement of live sports.

To support its next phase of growth, Novig has expanded its team to more than 50 personnel, including operators, engineers, and traders focused on developing the platform’s prediction market infrastructure and transparency features.

About Novig:

Novig is a sweepstakes-based sports prediction market, and the only platform to offer commission-free, peer-to-peer trading on sports. By eliminating the traditional sportsbook model, Novig delivers better pricing, full transparency, and a more efficient market structure for users.

For more information, users can visit Novig.com or follow Novig on X or LinkedIn.

Contact

Michelle Isaacs
Novig
pr@novig.co

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, February 18th, 2026, FinanceWire

Morgan Stanley-backed company expands its regulated private-market infrastructure platform, strengthening its service offering to include three capabilities for private transactions.

Zest Equity, a digital transactional infrastructure company backed by Morgan Stanley, Prosus Ventures, Middle East Venture Partners and Dubai Future District Fund, announced the launch of Zest Arrange, its Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) regulated arranging service which supports deal makers in private transactions end-to-end on Zest’s platform through a digital workflow. The company also announced the rollout of Zest Escrow, its regulated digital escrow service, following its Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the FSRA of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).

Zest Arrange and Zest Escrow join Zest SPVs to create an infrastructure layer for private market transactions. Deal makers can now leverage the different tools and execute deals through a single platform, organizing, monitoring and tracking of commitments and execution steps.

Zest Arrange, the firm’s flagship solution, enables arranging of private asset deals for its network of deal makers through Zest’s FSRA arranging deals in investments licensed activity. The service consolidates investor onboarding, documentation, and execution into a single digital workflow, supporting transactions under ADGM’s regulatory framework. Through this solution, deal makers maintain visibility and confidence in their private transactions end-to-end.

Zest Escrow provides FSRA-regulated escrow services that safeguard transaction funds as a neutral third party through Zest’s FSRA Providing Money Services licensed activity. Client monies are held in segregated, UAE-based bank accounts and released only upon authorized instruction once pre-agreed conditions are satisfied. The service reduces counterparty risk while ensuring transaction governance through complete audit trails, traceable documentation, and real-time status visibility. 

Alongside these offerings, Zest SPVs streamline the formation and maintenance of special purpose vehicles, allowing deal makers to group their investors into clean investment structures for private market transactions. Built on Zest’s proven track record, the service enables digital SPV closings across a range of asset classes within private markets. 

“The real power is in the integration: one platform, three capabilities working together,” said Zuhair Shamma, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zest Equity. “Here’s how it works in practice: A recent deal used Zest Arrange to market an exclusive opportunity to investors. An SPV was structured to group participants and meet minimum ticket requirements, then Zest Escrow was used to securely receive the funds. This is what frictionless, secure, automated private market transactions look like: everything you need to design deals, meet investor requirements, and close faster with full regulatory compliance and institutional clarity.”

Rawan Baddour, Co-founder of Zest Equity, said: “We are seeing incredible growth in private markets transactions across the region, driven by an increasingly innovative regulatory environment. Zest’s platform helps streamline and fast-track capital movement in safe ways. Our platform serves this growing ecosystem by making cross-border, multi-party transactions easier to execute with confidence and clarity for all parties involved.”

Private market operations cost exponentially more than public market equivalents. According to recent industry benchmarks, automation can reclaim up to 80% of staff hours currently lost to administrative tasks. For institutional portfolios, the impact is measurable: eliminating just 30 basis points of operational cost on a $5B portfolio adds $150M in long-term net returns over a typical fund lifecycle. Zest’s digital infrastructure directly addresses this inefficiency, enabling deal makers to execute transactions that previously required extensive legal, compliance, and administrative coordination at a fraction of the traditional cost and time.

To date, Zest Equity has supported the execution of more than USD 230 million across 190+ deals, spanning private equity, private credit, venture capital, and related asset classes, with repeat participation from fund managers, family offices, venture firms, corporate service providers, and institutional investors.

About Zest Equity Group

Zest Equity is a digital transactional infrastructure company powering private-market transactions. Built in the UAE and anchored within ADGM’s regulatory framework, Zest Equity develops its technology and product in the DIFC, where the company established its foundation and continues to build the core infrastructure behind its platform. Zest Equity operates to global best-practice standards while providing regional fluency and institutional execution.

The company offers regulated escrow and distribution services under ADGM’s framework, along with a layer of digital execution capabilities for SPV formation and deal workflow management that simplify, safeguard, and scale private-market transactions. Its infrastructure brings all participants into a single, transparent, and repeatable workflow that unifies compliance, governance, documentation, and fund flows, enabling capital to move seamlessly and with confidence across jurisdictions. To learn more, users can visit https://www.zestequity.com/

Contact

Loredana Matei
JENSEN MATTHEWS PR
loredana@jensenmatthews.com

George Town, Cayman Islands, February 17th, 2026, Chainwire

Zircuit, a security-first digital asset company backed by YZiLabs, Dragonfly, and Pantera, today announced the launch of Zircuit Finance. Incubated by a team from Quantstamp, Zircuit Finance is a secure platform for institutional-grade strategies, a stablecoin vault designed to generate yield on USDC and USDT, with a stated target range of 8–11% APR, subject to market conditions and variability.

Historically, access to professional asset managers and institutional strategies required significant minimum investments and long lockups. Zircuit Finance removes those barriers with a simplified, cross-chain interface that provides access to institutional-grade yield strategies through a single interface, enabling deposits and withdrawals across multiple chains while supporting diversified exposure.

The future of DeFi isn’t about chasing the highest yields, it’s about building the most secure foundation for capital to grow,

said Dr. Martin Derka, Co-Founder of Zircuit. Zircuit’s vault is part of a broader shift to create a more stable, transparent, and trusted on-chain economy where users can move large sums of capital efficiently and safely.

Zircuit Finance vaults allocate a portion of assets to Monarq Asset Management, which manages regulated institutional-grade arbitrage and delta-neutral strategies. Monarq has a proven track record managing the Monarq Digital Asset Opportunities Fund, and the team includes professionals from Tower Research, LedgerPrime, BlockTower, UBS, and Bank of America.

Zircuit Finance also integrates Fidelity’s tokenized money market fund, Aave, and Morpho for diversified exposure across both regulated and decentralized venues.

Complementing this institutional framework, Zircuit Finance is partnering with Forteus, an FCA-regulated asset management division of the Numeus Group, which is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with offices in London and New York. The partnership develops digital asset investment portfolios focused on generating risk adjusted returns on Ethereum and Bitcoin, leveraging Forteus’ investment strategies and institutional risk management capabilities.

Zircuit Finance will also integrate with FalconX as its prime broker and infrastructure provider, enabling institutional-grade execution, custody, and risk management. FalconX, a digital assets prime brokerage, provides a globally recognized institutional platform trusted by leading hedge funds and asset managers. Its infrastructure supports efficient capital deployment and compliance-aligned operations across multiple venues.

The core features of Zircuit Finance include:

Targeting 8–11% APR on USDC and USDT, with multi-chain deposits and withdrawals. The vault maintains a portion of capital for fast withdrawals (often within 24 hours for smaller requests) while deploying the rest to generate yield. Larger requests may take up to 14 days as capital is being withdrawn from deployed strategies.

Cross-chain messaging infrastructure provided by LayerZero technology. This architecture enables secure, omnichain access to vaults and partner strategies across multiple chains, all from a single interface.

“As liquidity flows into DeFi at scale, the platforms that will lead are those delivering both performance and safety while bringing institutional-grade strategies accessible on-chain. Our collaboration with Zircuit Finance reflects Monarq’s commitment to powering that next phase of growth, anchored in deep liquidity, disciplined risk, and operational transparency,” said Shiliang Tang, Managing Partner of Monarq Asset Management.

Zircuit Finance is built by cybersecurity veterans who secured more than $200 billion in assets and conducted over 1,100 audits. The team behind Zircuit Finance brings unmatched security expertise to DeFi, with $3 billion in TVL previously staked through the Zircuit Staking program.

Zircuit Finance is now open for deposits. Additional information on depositing USDC and USDT is available at finance.zircuit.com.

ABOUT ZIRCUIT

Zircuit is a security-first digital asset company founded in 2022 by experts from Quantstamp. Zircuit builds secure onchain products designed to help users deploy capital safely and efficiently. Backed by deep cybersecurity expertise, the team has secured over $200 billion in assets and conducted more than 1,100 audits. Zircuit Finance is the company’s institutional-grade platform offering yield on stablecoins and major digital assets.  

Users can visit zircuit.com and follow @Zircuit on X.

Disclosure: Zircuit Finance vaults are not bank accounts or insured deposits. Yields are variable and not guaranteed. Participation may be subject to digital asset risk, including smart contract and market volatility. Users should conduct their own due diligence before investing. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Contact

Head of Communications
Jennifer Zheng
Zircuit
jen@zircuit.com

London, United Kingdom, February 17th, 2026, FinanceWire

ThinkMarkets, a global leader in online CFD trading, has recently launched Guaranteed Stop Loss orders on its proprietary trading platform, ThinkTrader. 

This new feature provides guaranteed protection against market volatility by ensuring that stop-loss orders are executed at the exact price level set by the user – regardless of any gaps or major price moves in the market. 

Even in highly volatile conditions, losses are capped precisely at the amount the users choose, giving traders greater control of their capital and added peace of mind. 

Commenting on the launch, Nauman Anees, CEO and co-founder of ThinkMarkets, said the following: 

We’re excited to continue enhancing ThinkTrader with the launch of our Guaranteed Stop Loss feature. At ThinkMarkets, our focus is on ensuring ThinkTrader is giving traders access to all the latest, advanced order and trade management features they need to execute with confidence. We believe this addition will support our clients in managing volatile markets.

 

About ThinkMarkets 

ThinkMarkets is a global, multi-regulated online brokerage established in 2010 offering clients quick and easy access to 4,000 CFD instruments across FX, indices, commodities, equities, and more. ThinkMarkets has offices in London and Melbourne, along with hubs in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and South Africa. It also operates under several financial licences around the globe and delivers some of the industry’s most recognised trading platforms, including its award-winning platform, ThinkTrader. For more information, users can visit the ThinkMarkets website here. 

Contact

ThinkMarkets
pr@thinkmarkets.com

Karavas, Cyprus, February 17th, 2026, Chainwire

At a time when much of the blockchain industry is still recovering from one of its harshest downturns, a small number of companies are quietly moving in the opposite direction: expanding, building, and positioning themselves for the next era of adoption.

Public Masterpiece, a Cyprus-based real-world asset tokenization company, has announced PMT Chain, its own purpose-built Layer 1 blockchain. Alongside the announcement, the company confirmed a strategic repositioning: PMT, once short for Public Masterpiece Token, will now stand for Public Masterpiece Technology.

The timing is notable. Crypto did not simply experience a correction, but a $1.1 trillion stress test that dismantled inflated narratives and exposed weak token models. Many projects will not return.

Public Masterpiece is positioning itself as one of the exceptions. Even before revealing its Layer 1 ambitions, the company built traction through its Layer 2 presence on BNB Chain. Over the past 12 months, PMT has reportedly increased in price by 75%, outperforming 86% of the top 100 crypto assets, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, while trading above its 200-day moving average and remaining near its all-time high.

CoinMarketCap Screenshot of the Public Masterpiece Token Chart as of 13.02.2026

PMT Chain is designed specifically for real-world asset tokenization, with the company positioning the network as infrastructure for internationally renowned museums, galleries, private collectors, and global brands seeking secure and transparent certification solutions.

At the center of the ecosystem will be a Certification Hub in the UAE, staffed by evaluators, art experts, and historians. The goal is to establish an international framework for authenticating and evaluating physical artworks on-chain, addressing long-standing issues such as forgery, provenance manipulation, and the illegal trafficking of art, artifacts, collectibles, and historical goods.

CEO Kamran Arki described the mission with clarity:

The last market cycle proved one thing: narratives collapse when foundations are weak. PMT Chain was built for real-world value and long-term trust. Museums, collectors, and brands need transparency, security, and permanence. That is exactly what we engineered.

Public Masterpiece revealed that PMT Chain has been built over seven years, with five years dedicated solely to research and development, a timeline that stands in sharp contrast to the rapid-launch culture of the blockchain sector.

COO Garen Mehrabian emphasized the broader responsibility behind the project:

Web3 will not reach mass adoption if it feels like a casino. Builders have the responsibility to create systems people can trust and understand. We didn’t build PMT Chain to ride a wave. We built it to create an ecosystem that survives every wave.

Public Masterpiece Keynote Presentation at the main Stage of the RWA BUILDERS SUMMIT 2025

While art remains the cultural foundation, Public Masterpiece confirmed that PMT Chain is designed to scale beyond it, including real estate tokenization and broader RWA deployment. The network will also offer white-label tokenization and certification solutions, enabling institutions and companies to integrate blockchain infrastructure without building their own systems from scratch.

Perhaps most notably, Public Masterpiece confirmed that several governments are already in discussions regarding PMT Chain implementation. No names have been revealed, and the company has not announced a launch date. While the blockchain is reportedly ready, the founders have stated it will go live only when the timing is strategically optimal.

In a market where speculation has been punished and confidence is scarce, Public Masterpiece is betting that the next era of blockchain adoption will be defined by infrastructure, not hype.

About Public Masterpiece

Public Masterpiece is a real-world asset tokenization company building blockchain infrastructure designed to support tokenization, certification, and provenance for physical value across art and broader real-world asset markets.

Useful Links:

Website: https://www.publicmasterpiece.com/

X (Twitter): https://x.com/pm_token

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/public-masterpiece/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/public_masterpiece/ 

Contact

Kamran Arki
info@publicmasterpiece.com

Geneva, Switzerland, February 16th, 2026, FinanceWire

Swiss Firmup today announces its launch as a proprietary trading firm dedicated to supporting independent traders operating in the global financial derivatives markets. The prop firm introduces a structured prop trading model built on transparency, regulated futures markets, and a pathway to real, funded trading accounts, addressing growing concerns among traders across the industry.

Over recent years, the prop firm sector has expanded rapidly. Alongside this growth, many traders have raised concerns about practices that have become increasingly common, including simulated funded accounts, restrictive or changing trading rules, recurring evaluation fees that resemble subscriptions, complex withdrawal conditions, and limited transparency around execution and market data. These developments have, in some cases, moved prop firms away from their original objective: identifying, funding, and supporting consistently profitable traders.

Swiss Firmup was established in response to these industry dynamics.

Developed by Traders, for Traders

Founded in 2025, Swiss Firmup was developed in close collaboration with Swiss GTrade, a Switzerland-based training center for independent traders that has been active in the market for several years. Founded by active traders, the prop firm is built on direct experience with the operational, technical, and psychological demands of professional trading.

The company’s objective is to provide a stable, coherent trading framework that enables traders to focus exclusively on execution and performance. All rules and conditions are defined in advance, applied uniformly to all participants, and remain consistent over time. There are no discretionary adjustments, retroactive rule changes, or performance-based alterations.

A Deliberate Focus on Regulated Futures Markets

Swiss Firmup operates exclusively in a regulated trading environment: futures contracts. This positioning is intended to ensure liquidity, centralized price discovery, consistent execution quality, and equal trading conditions for all participants.

Futures contracts are traded on established and regulated exchanges, including CME, EUREX, COMEX, CBOT, and NYMEX. The prop firm does not offer contracts for difference (CFDs) or non-regulated instruments, reinforcing its focus on standardized and transparent market structures.

Access to Real Funded Accounts

Once the qualification phases are completed, traders will be granted access to a live trading account. Based on their results, the account will be opened either through Funded Firmup or through a regulated U.S. futures broker, such as Sweet Futures or Dorman Trading. Regardless of which option applies, the trading conditions remain the same.

Transparent Rules and Clear Conditions

Transparency forms a central element of Swiss Firmup’s operating model. The prop firm provides full, upfront disclosure of drawdown limits, performance objectives, profit-sharing structures, and all associated fees and costs.

There are no hidden clauses, discretionary enforcement, or individualized rule interpretations. All conditions are unambiguous, documented in advance, and applied consistently across the trader base.

Professional Support and Trading Infrastructure

Swiss Firmup offers a structured environment that supports trader development and operational efficiency. This includes accessible customer support, an active Discord community, and access to educational and technical resources. Ongoing improvements to trading tools and platforms are informed by feedback from active traders and the expertise of Swiss GTrade.

Account Merging for Increased Flexibility

Traders who successfully qualify for multiple accounts can merge their live accounts. This enables increased total capital, higher margin availability, greater contract capacity, and enhanced strategic flexibility. The approach is designed for traders seeking to scale their performance within a controlled, professional framework.

Alignment of Interests

Traders operate with company capital, and Swiss Firmup’s success is directly linked to trader performance. The prop firm’s model is based on building a stable group of disciplined, committed, and consistently profitable traders over the long term.

About Swiss Firmup

Swiss Firmup is a proprietary trading firm specializing in supporting independent traders operating in the financial derivatives markets. The firm evaluates its members through transparent qualification programs designed for traders seeking to generate additional income or pursue trading as a full-time profession.

Further information about trader plans is available at:

https://swissfirmup.com/en/#accounts

Frequently asked questions can be found at:

https://swissfirmup.com/en/faq

Media Contact:

Swiss Firmup

Website: https://swissfirmup.com/

Contact

Director
Pascal Comby
FIRMUP
info@swissfirmup.com

Bitcoin (BTC) have currently taken control as the price threatens to cross the $70k barrier. Following five straight bearish days, the buyers took control on Friday. Will this be a happy Valentine’s day for BTC traders?

Despite this, the overall market sentiment remains in “extreme fear.”

Truth Social Files For ETF

Truth Social’s parent company has filed an SEC registration to launch two crypto ETFs, the Truth Social Cronos Yield Maximizer ETF and the Truth Social Bitcoin and Ether ETF, though approval is still pending. 

The funds are being developed in partnership with Crypto.com, which will handle custody, liquidity, and staking, while Yorkville America Equities will act as adviser and charge a 0.95% management fee. The Cronos ETF aims to track CRO’s performance plus staking yield, while the Bitcoin and Ether ETF will track BTC and ETH performance with additional staking income from Ether, positioning the products as both growth and yield-focused crypto investment vehicles.

Bitcoin Open Interest

As Bitcoin Price is consolidating in a 65k to 73k range, Glassnode has made some observations about the Open Interest.

Dealers sit short gamma between 58k and 74k, with concentration near 63k. In this setup, hedging flows reinforce price moves. That increases sensitivity to directional breaks, especially to the downside. Structure still favors larger reactions.

</span></i><a href="https://financepolice.com/bitcoin-price-analysis-btc-at-70000-as-broad-based-accumulation-emerges/"><b><i>BTC</i></b></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> options OI is climbing back toward its late Q4 2025 high, reached before the large Friday expiry. Open Interest now sits at 452k BTC vs 255k BTC right after the Dec 26 expiry.

As Open Interest rebuilds, volatility is being repriced higher. 1M and 3M ATM IV have risen by roughly 10 vol points over the past weeks. Despite consolidation, traders are pricing larger forward moves.

“Flows Are Starting To Rebalance Since the drop from 82k, put buying dominated flows. In the last two days, call activity has picked up, pushing the Put Call ratio toward 0.7. Short term positioning is stabilizing. But the broader structure remains defensive.”

What Really Happened on October 10?

Santiment has released an insight report on the infamous 10/10 crypto collapse.

The October 10th, 2025 crypto collapse, now infamously referred to by traders as “10/10

, became one of the most emotionally charged liquidation events since 2022. Prices fell fast, liquidity disappeared, and leveraged positions were wiped out across multiple exchanges in minutes. This crash occurred less than five days after traders were celebrating Bitcoin’s $126K all-time high. But as you’ve likely seen by now, things can change in a hurry with cryptocurrency markets.”

We have to remember that at the time of this 10/10 crash, America and the rest of the world were still just under 6 months from the huge tariff drama in April, 2025. Within the first hour, this was the result of both the S&P 500 and Bitcoin, clearly showing a direct reaction to this news:

User @CryptoJournal on X opined:

October 10 didn’t come out of nowhere. The positioning was crowded and liquidity was thin… that’s always a dangerous mix when volatility kicks in 📊 What stands out more is how fast trust erodes when transparency feels selective. In this market, perception moves faster than proof.Feels like we’re entering a phase where traders are pricing in counterparty risk again, not just direction.

Bitcoin (BTC) Price Analysis 

Bitcoin (BTC) price action has gone up slightly and looks to enter the $70k range.

The MACD shows that the market momentum is on the verge of shifting from bearish to bullish. The price must overcome resistance at the 0.236 Fibonacci retracement level ($71,200) to validate this bullish reversal. If this resistance is overcome. BTC price should gain the momentum to cross the 50-day SMA at $75,000. However, on the downside, if the price bears take control, the downside target is all the way down at $60K.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Global Enterprises Embrace Holistic Risk Strategies in 2026

A comprehensive January 2026 survey by specialist insurer Beazley, involving over 3,500 senior leaders from major companies in the UK, US, Canada, Singapore, Germany, France, and Spain, highlights a clear evolution in corporate risk approaches. Traditional isolated risk categories—such as environmental, political, digital, and governance issues—are dissolving into a web of overlapping challenges that demand unified responses.

Nearly all respondents (94%) confirmed intentions to fortify organizational strength using a mix of insurance coverage and proactive risk controls throughout 2026. This widespread commitment reflects growing recognition that disruptions now cascade across operations, supply chains, and financial stability.

Key Investment Priorities for Enhanced Protection

Businesses are channeling resources into multifaceted solutions:

31% aim to fund dedicated risk mitigation and prevention programs.

29% seek out insurance offerings bundled with crisis response and advisory support.

24% target alternative risk transfer (ART) options, such as captives, insurance-linked securities, or structured vehicles.

23% show strong interest in parametric policies, which deliver rapid, predefined payouts based on verifiable triggers rather than traditional loss assessments.

These preferences signal boardroom-level prioritization of innovative tools that address complex, non-traditional exposures efficiently.

Geopolitical and Economic Headwinds Intensify

Against a backdrop of rising protectionism, shifting trade partnerships, sovereign debt strains, and persistent international conflicts, corporate optimism has waned. Beazley’s insights indicate that 88% of executives now expect geopolitical and macroeconomic volatility to constrain expansion strategies—a notable jump from 69% in prior assessments.

This environment pushes companies to integrate broader safeguards into core planning, viewing insurance as essential for navigating uncertainty.

Escalating Focus on Cyber and Energy Transition Vulnerabilities

Cyber threats continue their upward trajectory in executive concerns from 2021 through 2026, fueled by escalating ransomware incidents, widespread service disruptions, and involvement of nation-state actors. The high-profile Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) cyber incident in 2025, which reduced UK GDP by approximately 0.2% in a single month, serves as a stark illustration of potential economic fallout. Analysts warn that 2026 may witness a prominent organization endure lasting operational harm—or even collapse—due to a severe cyber event or related system failure.

Simultaneously, the shift toward sustainable energy sources emerges as a top concern, with roughly one-quarter of leaders identifying energy transition dynamics as their primary business hazard in early 2026.

Insurance as a Strategic Pillar for Long-Term Stability

Paul Bantick, Chief Underwriting Officer at Beazley, emphasized:

Organizations now operate in a landscape of converging disruptions—spanning digital, environmental, and political domains—that exert simultaneous strain across all functions. Leaders who recognize how these forces magnify each other can transform resilience into a competitive edge. In an era where volatility is constant, specialty insurance evolves beyond mere coverage to become integral to sustainable growth.

These early insights from Beazley’s 2026 Risk & Resilience research (conducted January 5–13 in collaboration with Opinion Matters) underscore a pivotal shift: purchasing decisions increasingly hinge on addressing bundled exposures in cyber, climate transition, and geopolitical arenas. This trend elevates parametric triggers and alternative transfer structures from niche tools to essential components of enterprise-wide resilience frameworks.

Capgemini SE (CAP.PA) delivered resilient full-year 2025 results amid a mixed global IT services landscape, highlighted by accelerating Q4 momentum, strategic emphasis on AI-driven transformation, intelligent operations, and sovereignty solutions. The French consulting and technology leader posted full-year revenue of €22.465 billion, reflecting +3.4% growth at constant exchange rates—surpassing upgraded guidance—and +1.7% on a reported basis. Q4 showed particularly robust performance with +10.6% constant currency growth (including M&A contributions) and approximately +4% organic expansion.

Key Financial Metrics for FY 2025

Revenue: €22.465 billion (+3.4% constant currency)

Operating Margin: Stable at 13.3%

Normalized EPS: €12.95 (+5.8% YoY)

Organic Free Cash Flow: €1.95 billion

Bookings: €24.4 billion (+3.9% constant currency), yielding a 1.08 book-to-bill ratio (1.21 in Q4)

Net Profit (Group Share): €1.601 billion

The company maintained profitability resilience despite softness in Continental Europe, supported by disciplined cost management and broad-based recovery across regions, sectors, and business lines. North America (+7.3% constant currency) and the UK/Ireland (+10.5%) led growth, while France and rest of Europe faced headwinds but showed sequential improvement.

Strategic Focus Driving Future Momentum

CEO Aiman Ezzat underscored 2026 as a pivotal year for transitioning AI from proofs-of-concept to scalable, value-generating enterprise adoption. Key growth pillars include:

AI Transformation — Emphasis on addressing data foundations, governance, and human-AI collaboration to unlock measurable impact.

Intelligent Operations — Bolstered by the WNS acquisition; integration on track with expected synergies of €100-140 million revenue and €50-70 million cost annually by 2027. Recent mega-deal (>€600 million) exemplifies Agentic AI-led models delivering cost efficiencies and enhanced outcomes.

Sovereignty Solutions — Rising demand projected to affect >50% of contracts by 2029 (per Gartner); strengthened via Cloud4C acquisition and partnerships with AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft, and SAP.

The group is accelerating capability realignment through country-specific “Fit for Growth” initiatives, involving ~€700 million in restructuring over two years to enhance competitiveness in high-growth areas.

2026 Guidance

Constant currency revenue growth: +6.5% to +8.5% (inorganic contribution ~4.5-5 points)

Operating margin: 13.6% to 13.8%

Organic free cash flow: €1.8-1.9 billion (factoring higher restructuring outflows)

Market Reaction & Valuation Insight

Post-earnings, shares showed cautious movement, trading around €100-105 levels in early February 2026 sessions (near 52-week lows after prior highs above €180). At a P/E of approximately 11.3x (per InvestingPro data), Capgemini appears attractively valued relative to IT services peers, offering potential upside for investors focused on AI, digital transformation, and European sovereignty trends.

This performance positions Capgemini well to capitalize on enterprise demand for AI adoption, intelligent process orchestration, and compliant cloud strategies in a multipolar world.

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped below $66,000 after failing to stay above $68,000 as the markets remain sluggish. The buyers are attempting to take over the market after four consecutive bearish sessions, as Bitcoin price has crept up slightly to $66,800.

Coinbase has taken advantage of the dip as it revealed to have purchased around $39,000,000 of BTC in Q4, 2025. In fact, according to Glassnode, the whales, in general, are buying the dip.

CZ Denies BitMEX Allegations

Binance co-founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao pushed back against fresh allegations that Binance secretly traded on BitMEX during the March 2020 crash and made 60,000 BTC by hedging customer positions, calling the claims “fake news” with no proof. He said Binance never traded on BitMEX and argued the mechanics of BitMEX’s withdrawal system make the story implausible, even suggesting the rumor was spread to attract unsophisticated users elsewhere.

The accusations come amid broader criticism of Binance, including claims it manipulated bitcoin’s price or dumped large holdings, allegations Zhao has consistently denied, insisting that wallet balance changes reflect user activity, not proprietary trading.

Also, on the Binance topic, Santiment observed the following when it comes to Binance withdrawals.

Santiment noted:

According to exchange flow numbers, there have been a net outflow of 19,162 $BTC from exchanges over the past week. Primarily due to the crowd’s distrust of Binance in relation to its involvement of the October 10, 2025 dump, we may continue to see coins moving back into cold wallets, or on to other exchanges where retail continues to look for opportunities to panic sell.

Bitcoin (BTC) Price Analysis 

Bitcoin (BTC) price action looks as sluggish as ever. The flagship cryptocurrency tried to stay above $68,000 before a bearish drawdown took bitcoin price back below $66,000. Since then, the price has managed to get back above $68,000.

Source: TradingView

BTC is still trending in a downward channel far below the 50-day SMA curve. Both the relative strength index (RSI) and the moving average convergence/divergence (MACD) tells us that the overall momentum of the market is quite bearish. In the short-term, the buyers must push the BTC price above $72,000 to reverse bearish momentum. However, it currently looks highly unlikely that they will be able to do the same.

According to Glassnode, the 30-day SMA for Bitcoin shows a lack of demand.

Bitcoin (BTC) On-Chain Analysis

Let’s look at some charts from various sources to get an understanding of the on-chain analysis. Santiment said about Bitcoin shorting:

According to aggregated funding rate data across crypto exchanges, this latest wave of short positioning is the most extreme seen since August 2024, a period that marked a major bottom for Bitcoin. At that time, funding rates also fell deep into negative territory as traders aggressively bet on further downside. Instead, the market reversed. The liquidations of overcrowded short positions helped ignite a powerful recovery, with Bitcoin climbing roughly +83% over the following four months.

The Realized Profit/Loss Ratio (90D-SMA) for Bitcoin continues to trend lower (~1.32), approaching 1, echoing diminishing liquidity.

Historically, a sustained break below 1 has overlapped with broad-based capitulation, where realized losses outpace profit-taking across the market.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

The DeepSeek breakthrough in early 2025 sent shockwaves through global markets, sparking a sharp rebound in Chinese technology equities as investors rediscovered the region’s potential in artificial intelligence. This surge drew renewed capital inflows, reversing earlier caution tied to regulatory pressures and economic headwinds.

However, according to Eva Lee, who leads Greater China equities research within UBS Global Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Office, the coming year represents a critical inflection point. She emphasizes that 2026 will separate sustainable leaders from the pack, requiring AI-driven enterprises—particularly in China—to demonstrate concrete revenue generation and positive returns on massive prior expenditures.

Lee points out that while excitement around innovative models like DeepSeek has fueled optimism and lifted valuations, the sector now faces scrutiny over monetization. Investors want evidence that heavy spending on infrastructure, model training, and deployment translates into scalable business models, whether through cloud services, enterprise applications, consumer tools, or API ecosystems.

Broader UBS analysis supports a constructive yet cautious stance on the theme. Globally, AI-related capital expenditures are projected to approach significant levels by 2026, with revenues from direct and indirect sources potentially matching that scale. In China specifically, expectations center on cost-efficient advancements driving adoption, though operating margins may trail Western peers due to competitive dynamics.

Lee remains positive on select Greater China tech opportunities, noting that leading players in cloud computing, super-apps, and AI applications could see robust earnings expansion—potentially in the high double digits—into next year. She views current valuations as reasonable compared to global counterparts, suggesting room for further gains if execution delivers.

Still, challenges loom: market volatility could intensify from factors like geopolitical strains, uneven economic recovery, or delays in widespread enterprise AI uptake. The shift from hype to proven cash flows will likely create dispersion, rewarding companies with strong distribution, regulatory alignment, and clear paths to profitability.

For investors eyeing the AI megatrend in emerging markets, Greater China remains a high-conviction area, but 2026 demands a focus on fundamentals over speculation. As Lee underscores, this pivotal period will determine whether the region’s AI momentum evolves into enduring value creation.

Dubai, UAE, February 13th, 2026, FinanceWire

Prop Trading Firm Pairs Industry Recognition With Measured Payout Metrics and System Disclosure

Hola Prime has been named

Fastest Payout Prop Firm – MEA 2026

at the Ultimate Fintech (UF) Awards MEA during iFX EXPO Dubai, one of the region’s leading fintech and trading industry gatherings. Instead of leading with the award alone, the proprietary trading firm released internal payout performance data and its payout control framework – positioning operational transparency as part of its funded trader model.

According to firm-reported payout records, Hola Prime’s average profit split payout is completed in 33 minutes and 48 seconds, with the fastest recorded payout processed in 3 minutes and 37 seconds. The firm reports an average payout size of approximately $4,500, indicating that timelines in the report reflect standard funded account payouts rather than just some nominal transactions. As part of its commitment to transparency, the firm made the reports publicly accessible on its official website. 

In the prop trading industry, payout cycles often extend into multi-day timelines due to post-request account audits, manual checks of rules, compliance and KYC checks, and arranging funds. Hola Prime states that its payout performance comes from moving those controls earlier in the lifecycle of the account, rather than compressing them at the payout stage.

A fundamental factor in the prop trading industry is the planning of funds. The prop firms need to pay attention to the flow of their revenue, against the amounts they owe to traders. Many prop firms fail because of their lack of ability to do this planning and execution effectively.

Hola Prime operates what it describes as a 10-point payout system for funded accounts – a structured pipeline that includes continuous rule-adherence monitoring, real-time profit split calculation, pre-allocated daily payout funds, surge cash flow buffers, ongoing KYC and AML screening, maker–checker authorization, automated payout rail selection by region and method, priority processing for fully verified traders, end-of-day treasury and ledger reconciliation, and full audit-trail generation for every payout. By running verification, compliance readiness, and funds provisioning in parallel, the payout step becomes an execution event rather than a review trigger. All of this runs parallel to their copy trading systems at the back end, which makes them one of the few firms invested in trader success.

Fast payouts don’t come from processing faster – they come from designing the payout pipeline correctly. When rule checks, profit calculations, and cash flow provisioning are engineered upstream, execution time compresses naturally. That’s a systems result, and systems results can be measured,

 said Somesh Kapuria, CEO of Hola Prime.

As prop trading expands globally, traders are increasingly evaluating firms on payout reliability and processing transparency alongside evaluation rules, scaling models, and profit split ratios. In that environment, disclosed payout metrics function as an operational signal – not just a service claim.

About Hola Prime

Hola Prime is a premier proprietary trading firm dedicated to empowering skilled traders with substantial capital and professional-grade tools. Recognized for its commitment to speed and transparency, Hola Prime offers a secure environment for traders across Forex, Futures, and Commodities, backed by a robust payout infrastructure.

https://holaprime.com/

Contact

Manya Bhardwaj
HolaPrime
contactus@holaprime.com

Ebene, Mauritius, February 13th, 2026, FinanceWire

IUX, a global leader in high-performance trading technology, today officially launched its 2026 flagship campaign, “IUX Your edge, Optimized.” The announcement marks a definitive strategic shift for the firm, prioritizing the deployment of sophisticated, customizable technology designed to empower professional traders to reach their peak potential.

As the financial markets evolve in 2026, IUX is refocusing its ecosystem on the “trader’s edge”—the technical advantage required to navigate modern volatility. This initiative centers on the philosophy that professional success is not a one-size-fits-all achievement but is driven by tools that can be precisely optimized to suit diverse trading strategies.

A Year of Technical Evolution and Innovation

The “Your Edge, Optimized” campaign serves as the foundation for a series of major milestones scheduled throughout 2026. Key pillars of the new roadmap include:

10-Year Anniversary Celebration: To honor a decade of market presence, IUX will host an anniversary event. This milestone will celebrate the firm’s journey from a boutique brokerage to a technology-first powerhouse, featuring exclusive networking opportunities for professional clients.

Next-Generation Product Launch: IUX confirmed the upcoming release of a new, highly anticipated trading product later this year. While details remain confidential, the product is engineered to further bridge the trading possibilities.

Omni-Channel Client Engagement: IUX will roll out a comprehensive series of online and offline campaigns. These include technical webinars, regional trade summits, and interactive workshops focused on helping clients optimize their execution speeds and risk management protocols.

Engineering the Future of Trading

The 2026 pivot is underpinned by IUX’s core technical benchmarks, including its 30ms average execution speed and algorithmic spread stability. By utilizing private fiber-optic cross-connects and event-driven architectures, IUX ensures that the underlying technology is a catalyst for strategy execution, rather than a limitation.

“2026 is about more than just market access; it’s about the quality of the interaction with the market,” Alex Delarue, Commercial Director (APAC) stated. “With ‘Your Edge, Optimized,’ we are providing the professional community with a transparent, high-velocity environment where technology is the ultimate equalizer.”

Traders and partners are encouraged to stay tuned to IUX’s official channels for further announcements regarding the anniversary event and the upcoming product release.

About IUX

IUX is a technology-driven brokerage specializing in high-performance trading solutions for professional market participants. Established in 2016, the firm provides low-latency execution, deep-book liquidity, and customizable trading tools designed to optimize the performance of high-volume strategies. IUX remains committed to innovation, transparency, and the continuous advancement of trading infrastructure.

For more information: IUX

Contact

IUX
brand@iux.com

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, February 13th, 2026, FinanceWire

PU Prime, a leading global multi-asset broker group, is proud to announce that its Dubai-based entity has officially been granted a licence by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) of the United Arab Emirates. The license (No. 20200000388) is issued under PU Prime Financial Services LLC and permits the company to conduct regulated activities of introduction and promotion within the UAE.

This milestone marks a significant step in the group’s strategic global expansion and reinforces its commitment to providing a secure, transparent, and world-class trading environment for investors in the region. Currently, PU Prime already holds licences from several major jurisdictions, including Australia’s ASIC, South Africa’s FSCA, Mauritius’s FSC and Seychelles’s FSA.

The acquisition of the UAE licence serves as a testament to PU Prime’s dedication to regulatory excellence. By meeting the stringent standards set by the UAE’s capital market regulators, PU Prime joins an elite group of financial institutions authorized to operate within one of the world’s fastest-growing financial hubs.

This is more than just a licence; it is a promise to our clients,

said Mr. Ali Afzaal, Head of Category at PU Prime. The UAE is a pivotal market for us. By securing CMA oversight, we are demonstrating our commitment to supporting the region’s vision of a robust financial ecosystem. We want our traders to know that when they trade with licensed entities within the PU Prime group, they are backed by a brand that values integrity, transparency, and professional conduct above all else.

The expansion into the UAE market forms part of PU Prime’s broader mission to support market participants globally. With this new regulatory authorisation in Dubai, PU Prime plans to strengthen its footprint in the region, host educational seminars, and promote financial awareness within the broader financial markets.

About PU Prime

Founded in 2015, PU Prime is a leading global fintech group and a multi-asset CFD brokerage brand operating through various licensed entities across multiple jurisdictions. Today, the group offers regulated financial products across forex, commodities, indices, shares, and bonds. Operating in over 190 countries with more than 40 million app downloads, the PU Prime group provides innovative trading platforms and an integrated copy trading feature, empowering traders worldwide to achieve financial success with confidence.

For media enquiries, users can contact: media@puprime.com 

Contact

Sim
PU Prime
kahlock.sim@puprime.com

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, February 13th, 2026, FinanceWire

At iFX EXPO Dubai, STARTRADER highlighted how its rebrand, sponsorship strategy, and market positioning align under one long-term vision

The global multi-asset broker, STARTRADER, recently participated at iFX EXPO Dubai as a Platinum Sponsor.

The event, organized by Ultimate Fintech, is a platform that serves as a great networking point. With over 10K attendees, 150 speakers, from over 130 countries, and 3,800 companies, the conversation about the financial market becomes more alive and engaging.

STARTRADER’s participation in this expo comes as a strategic decision, as it functions as a continuum to the story the broker announced earlier in the year. After announcing its rebranding, STARTRADER sealed sponsorship deals with leading sports entities.

Commenting on STARTRADER’s participation, Peter Karsten, CEO of STARTRADER, said:

Our presence at iFX EXPO Dubai reflects a deliberate continuation of the journey we began with our rebrand. It is about presenting a clearer, more focused identity that aligns with how we build our platforms, partnerships, and long-term direction. This expo provided the right setting to express that evolution in a tangible way. This evolution builds on the trust we have established with our clients, placing their interests at the center of our priorities, and reflects our ongoing commitment to strengthening that trust over time.

The refreshed brand identity, introduced to reinforce trust, clarity, and sustainable growth, was clearly reflected in the premium booth design and the use of calmer color palettes. The artwork emphasized the values of clarity over noise and hype that the company has adopted as part of its broader brand evolution.

The reference to STARTRADER’s sports sponsorships, including the NBA, the UAE National Cricket Team under the ICC Men’s T20 framework, and the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East, further highlighted this positioning, reflecting principles of high performance, control, and precision, qualities that have long shaped the company’s relationship with its clients and continue to guide its strategic direction. Regulated by CMA, ASIC, FSCA, FSA, and FSC, the company offers traders trusted platforms where they can execute trades with precision while having control over their risk.

The booth attracted visitors who came to learn more about the advantages of trading and partnering with the company. The skilled team at the booth engaged with them and held enriching discussions about the latest updates in the market and the industry.

Aligning with the narrative presented at this expo, STARTRADER introduced exciting promotions for sports enthusiasts, offering participants the chance to win tickets to matches from some of the leading sports entities it has partnered with.

By participating in the expo at this stage, STARTRADER reinforces a unified narrative, where brand evolution, sponsorship strategy, and industry presence operate as connected expressions of the same long-term vision.

About STARTRADER

STARTRADER is a global broker that provides its clients with opportunities to trade financial instruments online. STARTRADER services both Partners and Retail Clients, who can trade using the MetaTrader Platform, the STAR-APP, and STAR-COPY.

As a global broker, STARTRADER holds a client-first approach as our core principle. Regulated in 5 jurisdictions (ASIC, FSA, FSC, FSCA, and CMA), STARTRADER upholds strong governance alongside sustainable growth. STARTRADER’s team comprises dedicated professionals working collaboratively to deliver quality service to its Partners and Clients.

Contact

Global PR Manager
Janna Magabilen
STARTRADER
janna.magabilen@startrader.com

Hong Kong, Hong Kong, February 12th, 2026, FinanceWire

Platform surpasses 500,000 users with AI analyzing 10,000+ securities daily to deliver personalized, actionable market analysis

Edgen today announced the launch of its autonomous AI intelligence system, designed to identify complex correlations between macro events and market movements without the need for manual user prompting or traditional chatbot queries.

The launch follows a major milestone for the company, as Edgen’s global user base surpassed 500,000 registered accounts. Unlike conversational AI tools, Edgen’s infrastructure operates continuously to surface data-driven insights and market signals tailored to a user’s specific areas of interest.

“The problem with AI chat interfaces is that you need to know what to ask,” said Sean Tao, CEO and Co-Founder of Edgen. “Most investors don’t have time to check markets daily or understand how a Fed decision might affect assets. Our system does that work autonomously. It finds the correlations, evaluates the impact on specific asset, and delivers signals you can actually use.”

From Reactive Chat to Proactive Intelligence

Edgen’s architecture represents a fundamental shift from reactive AI assistance to autonomous market surveillance. The platform uses a proprietary financial knowledge graph that automatically maps relationships between macroeconomic developments, sector movements, and individual securities across US stocks, Hong Kong stocks, and cryptocurrency markets.

When significant market events occur whether geopolitical shifts, central bank decisions, or large-cap stock movements, Edgen’s system identifies correlated opportunities and risks, then delivers structured analysis without waiting for user input.

This approach addresses critical limitations of general-purpose AI models in finance: hallucinated stock prices, inability to access real-time data, and the requirement for users to constantly monitor and prompt the system.

Institutional Workflows, Personalized Execution

Edgen mirrors how professional investment teams operate, but adapts the process for individuals. The platform divides analytical responsibilities across specialized AI agents, including fundamentals, technicals, sentiment, macro trends, then consolidates their findings into personalized, action-ready analysis.

At launch, the system delivers:

Edgen Picks: Algorithmically identified stocks based on multi-factor screening, with detailed breakdowns of technical patterns, fundamental metrics, and risk parameters. Updated dynamically as market conditions change.

Weekly Earnings Play: Pre-earnings probability modeling that identifies potential price movements based on historical patterns, positioning, and market expectations.

Thematic Discovery: Early identification of emerging market themes and sectors, with asset recommendations.

Each analysis includes actionable parameters designed for execution. Users receive specific entry points, position sizing guidance, and risk considerations.

Built for Users Who Can’t Watch Markets Daily

Edgen targets users who want professional-grade market intelligence without dedicating hours to research, news monitoring, or manual AI prompting. The platform learns from data interactions to refine signal personalization over time.

“We’re not replacing human judgment. We’re augmenting it with a system that never sleeps and sees patterns across thousands of data points that would take a person weeks to connect,” Sean added. “The value is in proactive insight, not on-demand answers.”

The autonomous AI system is available today at https://www.edgen.tech/ through multiple subscription tiers, with a limited free tier for exploration.

About Edgen

Edgen is a leading AI-powered market intelligence operating system. Through its proprietary Efficient Decision Guidance Model (EDGM), the platform transforms high barrier institutional-grade strategies into universally accessible smart tools. Pioneering the “Cognition-as-a-Service” (CaaS) architecture, Edgen integrates modular AI agents, real-time data, and market analytics to empower retail traders and independent analysts to navigate markets with institutional-grade precision.

Backed by Framework Ventures and North Island Ventures, Edgen’s technical team combines former Wall Street quantitative trading experts and AI infrastructure developers, collectively building the cognitive infrastructure for next-generation open finance.

Website: https://www.edgen.tech/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/EdgenTech

Contact

Edgen AI
press@edgen.tech

Bitcoin (BTC) price recovered slightly to $68,000 as it still failed to reclaim $70,000. However, if you zoom out, it should be noted that BTC has recovered from a weekly low of $60,000.

Plus, it looks like institutions are taking advantage of the dip to stock up on Bitcoin.

Binance Bets on Bitcoin

Binance has completed a 30-day transition to convert its SAFU (Secure Asset Fund for Users) reserve entirely into Bitcoin. Previously backed by a mix of assets including stablecoins, the fund is now fully denominated in BTC, with Binance committing to top it up if its value falls below $800 million due to market volatility. 

The shift follows a late-January announcement that it would convert $1 billion in dollar-pegged tokens into bitcoin, reinforcing its stance that BTC is a long-term reserve asset.

The move reflects a broader trend of companies adopting bitcoin as a strategic treasury asset amid inflation concerns and low yields in traditional markets. Binance began the transition on February 2 with an onchain transfer of 1,315 BTC (around $100 million at the time) into SAFU.

Speaking of Binance, here is an interesting chart from Santiment.

Santiment noted, 

According to exchange flow numbers, there have been a net outflow of 19,162 $BTC from exchanges over the past week. Primarily due to the crowd’s distrust of Binance in relation to its involvement of the October 10, 2025 dump, we may continue to see coins moving back into cold wallets, or on to other exchanges where retail continues to look for opportunities to panic sell.

Bitcoin (BTC) Price Analysis 

Bitcoin (BTC) went up slightly this Thursday as the price went up a bit from $67,000 to $68,000.

Source: TradingView

The relative strength index (RSI) is on the verge of being oversold, showing that the overall retail interest is still low. The price has trended inside the 20-day Bollinger Band, however the jaws are still wide open showing that Bitcoin(BTC) price volatility is still high.

Bitcoin’s bounce from $60,000 looks more like a technical rebound from oversold levels than the start of a strong new uptrend. Retail participation remains muted, with futures open interest slipping to $46 billion from $46.7 billion a day earlier, according to CoinGlass, and continuing its decline from $48 billion on Saturday. 

For the rally to have real momentum, open interest on Bitcoin price needs to trend higher. Without fresh positioning and stronger retail involvement, the chances of a sustained move toward $80,000 remain limited.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.