This Week’s Summary
The cryptocurrency market looks set to end the week at a total market capitalization of around $2.31 trillion.
Bitcoin has maintained its trading value at around $67,000.
Ethereum rose nearly 2% to trade at around $2,000.
XRP moved down 1%, Solana moved up 2%, and Dogecoin moved down 2%.
Almost all altcoins have been seen trading in the green, though there are some exceptions to take note of.
The DeFi sector saw total value locked (TVL) decline to about $94 billion.
Crypto Market Trends for the Week of Feb. 23 - March 1, 2026: Market Analysis and Performance
The cryptocurrency market has responded somewhat positively to the escalation of international tensions. Saturday marked a vicious conflict in the Middle East after the US-Israel alliance attacked Iran, sending most financial markets into a downward spiral and affecting oil markets worldwide. Yet, while most cryptocurrencies have traded into the red, the overall cryptocurrency market capitalization has remained at $2.31 trillion.
Bitcoin traded into the red for most of the week, dropping as low as $62,900. However, the recent news and global events pushed it back up to around $67,000. However, the recovery may be short-lived as the bears continue to exert their influence on the market.
Ethereum lost the $2,000 level last week. For most of the past seven days, ETH seemed to drop even further before recovering over the weekend. More recently, the second cryptocurrency in command has been trading at a little above $2,000. It will hopefully cement its position there.
Altcoins & DeFi
Most altcoins have been seen trading in the green, though there are still some exceptions to take note of. For example, XRP and Sui moved down 1%, TRON moved down 3%, and Zcash moved down 11%. However, Solana, Cardano, Avalanche, and Chainlink all shifted up by 2%-3%.
The memecoins have also declined in recent trading. For instance, Dogecoin fell down by 2%, Shiba Inu fell down by 9%, and Pepecoin fell down by 14%.
The Metaverse sector similarly witnessed some notable movements over the past week. For instance, Axie Infinity moved up 1%, The Sandbox moved up 3%, and Floki moved down 4%. Meanwhile, Decentraland shifted up 2%, Render shifted down 2%, and ApeCoin shifted down 5%. MultiversX decreased by 1%, while Virtuals increased by 13%. Meanwhile, Stacks increased by 5%.
The DeFi sector lost over $1.5 billion from the total value locked in protocols (TVL), bringing the total to about $94.24 billion.
What’s in the News?
The Ethereum Foundation published a 2026 roadmap post, saying it would prioritize post-quantum security and further increases to the gas limit.
Next Week’s Crypto Market Forecast
The cryptocurrency market has been adapting to the new armed conflict between the US and Iran. So far, compared to other financial sectors, cryptocurrency has maintained relative stability. However, with geopolitical uncertainty remaining high, market sentiment could easily shift as the wider conflict evolves.
About the Author
Born and raised in Romania, and currently living in Spain, Iulian discovered a knack for writing from a tender age, and he even won some minor awards for fiction that didn't pay much.
Iulian became a content writer in 2011, and he is still doing it to some degree of success today. He is currently specialized in cryptocurrencies, technology, online marketing, and social media. In his free time, Iulian likes reading, traveling, and watching sports.
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