Bitcoin Slides 5% as Whale Selling Grows, Crypto Space Sees New Developments

The cryptocurrency market has experienced a mixed bag of developments over the past week, with Bitcoin's price sliding 5% to below $65,000 as whale selling grows and recent buyers lock in losses. According to on-chain data from Glassnode and CryptoQuant, large holders are dominating exchange inflows, while short-term investors continue to sell at a loss, pointing to a fragile base-building phase.

Meanwhile, on-chain options volumes have hit all-time highs, with $44 million of volume in the first week of February and $28 million during the last week of January. More than 80% of the total on-chain options volumes are concentrated in leading protocols, Ithaca and Derive. This surge in on-chain options activity is likely due to a combination of traditional lending platforms offering lower yields and anticipation of Hyperliquid's upcoming HIP-4 markets.

In other news, Balancer DAO has capped its recovery bounty at 10% after a $128 million exploit in November. The proposal, submitted by Balancer DAO executor Maxyz, sets the bounty at a maximum of 10% of the recovered value, which is half of the initial 20% one-time whitehat bounty offered by the Balancer security team.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has also floated the idea of transaction simulations to enhance crypto security. The proposal suggests that crypto users would specify what on-chain action they want and then click "OK" or "Cancel" after seeing a transaction simulation of that action. This move aims to improve user experience and reduce the risk of errors or malicious transactions.

Furthermore, Kaito and Polymarket have launched "Attention Markets," an initiative that combines Kaito's attention measurement technology with Polymarket's prediction market infrastructure. This new category of prediction markets aims to capture the dynamics of cultural narratives and emerging trends. Prediction market trading volumes have experienced a remarkable surge, growing 850% year-over-year and reaching $6.2 billion in weekly volume as of January 2026.

As the cryptocurrency space continues to evolve, these developments highlight the ongoing efforts to improve security, user experience, and innovation. The growth in on-chain options volumes and the launch of Attention Markets demonstrate the increasing relevance and influence of prediction markets in capturing collective beliefs and trends. However, the slide in Bitcoin's price serves as a reminder of the market's volatility and the need for continued caution.

Sources:

• "Bitcoin slides 5%, tumbling below $65,000 as whale selling grows and recent buyers lock in losses" by Sam Reynolds, CoinDesk
• "Vitalik Buterin floats TX 'simulations' to enhance crypto security" by Cointelegraph
• "On-Chain Options Volumes Hit All-Time Highs as Lending Yields Dry Up" by CoinDesk
• "Balancer DAO Caps Recovery Bounty at 10% After $128M Exploit" by CoinDesk
• "Kaito and Polymarket Unveil 'Attention Markets'" by Polymarket