Last week's rout delivered bitcoin's biggest realized loss ever; bottoming signals grow

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Last week's rout delivered bitcoin's biggest realized loss ever; bottoming signals grow The Feb. 5 shock booked the largest-ever realized loss — $3.2 billion — in bitcoin history. By James Van Straten | Edited by Nikhilesh De Feb 12, 2026, 2:48 a.m. Make us preferred on Google Entity Adjusted Realized Loss (Glassnode) What to know : The Feb. 5 crash in bitcoin saw $3.2 billion in realized losses, officially overtaking the 2022 Terra Luna collapse as the single largest loss event in bitcoin's history. According to data platform checkonchain, daily net losses exceeded $1.5 billion. The largest realized loss in bitcoin history occurred during last week’s market downturn, shattering previous records as the asset plummeted from $70,000 to $60,000 on Feb. 5. According to Glassnode, the Entity-Adjusted Realized Loss reached $3.2 billion. This metric exclusively tracks the USD value of moved coins sold below their acquisition price while filtering out internal transfers between the same entity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy . This massive capitulation surpassed even the darkest days of 2022, eclipsing the $2.7 billion loss recorded during the LUNA $ 0.05786 collapse. According to data platform Checkonchain , "Last week's bitcoin sell-off meets the criteria of a textbook capitulation event. It occurred rapidly, on heavy volume, and crystallised losses from the lowest-conviction holders." With daily net losses exceeding $1.5 billion, the scale of this sell-off represents the most significant absolute USD loss ever crystallized in the network's history. This points to more signs of a bear market bottom . As of press time bitcoin is trading around $67,600. Bitcoin News Glassnode More For You Privacy-focused Midnight blockchain to go live next month, says Cardano's Charles Hoskinson By Omkar Godbole | Edited by Nikhilesh De 25 minutes ago Input Output Global's Founder Charles Hoskinson said Midnight, the long-awaited privacy-focused blockchain, will launch in the final week of March as a partner chain to Cardano. What to know : Input Output Global founder Charles Hoskinson said Midnight, a long-awaited privacy-focused blockchain, will launch in the final week of March as a partner chain to Cardano. Midnight allows users to keep transactions private by default while sharing specific data with authorized parties when required. A new Midnight City Simulation, opening to the public on Feb. 26, is designed to test the blockchain’s ability to generate and process proofs at scale under real-world-like transaction loads. Read full story Latest Crypto News Privacy-focused Midnight blockchain to go live next month, says Cardano's Charles Hoskinson 25 minutes ago How CertiK rebuilt trust after Huione-related backlash 35 minutes ago Charles Hoskinson confirms deal to onboard LayerZero on Cardano 39 minutes ago BlackRock exec says 1% crypto allocation in Asia could unlock $2 trillion in new flows 7 hours ago U.S. DOJ hits Paxful for $4 million in case tied to illegal sex work, money laundering 7 hours ago Hong Kong remains committed to digital assets but feels competition from an ‘aggressive’ UAE 8 hours ago Top Stories SEC's Paul Atkins grilled on crypto enforcement pull-back, including with Justin Sun, Tron 9 hours ago Institutional crypto platform BlockFills reportedly halts withdrawals, restricts trading 10 hours ago Why crypto VCs at Consensus Hong Kong are playing a 15-year game 9 hours ago Analysts react as Robinhood slumps 10%, with slowdown in crypto trading weighing on results 12 hours ago BlackRock takes first DeFi step, lists BUIDL on Uniswap as UNI jumps 25% 11 hours ago Recapping day 1 of Consensus Hong Kong 13 hours ago