The cryptocurrency market continues its bullish momentum, delivering one of the most exciting weeks in recent memory. Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Binance Coin (BNB) have emerged as the dominant trio by market capitalization, redefining the hierarchy of digital assets. This shift marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of the crypto ecosystem — with BNB overtaking Tether (USDT) to claim the third spot, a position long held by stablecoins.
Market Cap Milestones: BTC, ETH, and BNB Lead the Charge
Bitcoin kicked off the week at $47,491.20 and surged past $50,000 on Tuesday, eventually peaking at $56,113.65 by Friday. According to CoinMarketCap, this rally added nearly $8,500 to BTC’s value in just five days. More significantly, Bitcoin’s market cap crossed the $1 trillion threshold, ranking it as the 8th most valuable asset globally — ahead of major corporations like Berkshire Hathaway and Visa.
Ethereum followed closely behind, climbing from $1,843.99 to $1,960.16 during the week. Despite some intraday volatility that briefly dropped its price to $1,683.91, ETH maintained strong upward pressure. Shortly after the reporting week ended, Ethereum broke through the **$2,000 milestone** for the first time in its history — a psychological and technical landmark for the smart contract leader.
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BNB delivered the most explosive performance. Starting the week at $67.85, it climbed to $140.24 in early trading before accelerating dramatically over three days. At its peak, BNB reached $342.88**, closing the week at $332.62 — an increase of nearly 400% in just seven days. This surge pushed BNB past USDT to become the third-largest cryptocurrency by market cap**, cementing its role beyond just an exchange utility token.
As a result of these gains, the total crypto market capitalization jumped from $1.446 trillion to $1.656 trillion — a $210 billion increase in a single week — signaling broad investor confidence and renewed institutional interest.
Binance Smart Chain Gains Momentum
The rise of BNB is closely tied to the growing strength of Binance Smart Chain (BSC), which continues to challenge Ethereum's dominance in decentralized finance (DeFi). Key developments this week highlight BSC’s accelerating adoption:
- Daily transactions exceed Ethereum’s by 2.46x: On February 19, BSC processed 3.2 million transactions compared to Ethereum’s 1.3 million.
- **Total Value Locked (TVL) surpasses $10 billion**: TVL on BSC doubled within a week, rising from $4.69 billion to $10.52 billion — a testament to growing trust in its DeFi ecosystem.
- PancakeSwap overtakes Uniswap in 24-hour volume: As noted by Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ), PancakeSwap became the highest-volume decentralized exchange platform, marking a major milestone for BSC-based DeFi.
- Wallet maintenance completed: A one-hour maintenance window for BEP20 wallets was successfully executed on February 19 with minimal disruption.
These metrics underscore BSC’s scalability and cost-efficiency advantages, particularly during periods of high network congestion on competing blockchains.
Exchange Updates: New Listings and Enhanced Services
Binance continues expanding its product offerings to meet rising demand across multiple sectors of the crypto economy.
Trading Zone Upgrades
- PancakeSwap (CAKE) and Venus (XVS) were moved from the Innovation Zone to the main trading zone — a recognition of their maturity and trading volume.
New Trading Pairs
- FRONTO/BTC
- EASY/BTC
- CAKE/BTC
- CAKE/USDT
- BAKE/BUSD
Innovation Zone Additions
- Frax Share (FXS) was introduced, offering exposure to a fractional-algorithmic stablecoin protocol.
Launchpool Staking Opportunity
- DODO joined Binance Launchpool as the 17th project. Users could stake BNB, BETH, or BUSD to earn DODO tokens over a 14-day period starting February 19. DODO is an open-source, capital-efficient decentralized exchange platform designed for optimal liquidity utilization.
Additionally, DODO was listed in the Innovation Zone with trading pairs against BTC, BUSD, and USDT.
Savings & Staking Enhancements
- Flexible Savings now offers up to 20% APY on DUSK, EGLD, and RIF.
- The 30th phase of Dual Savings Products launched for BTC, USDT, and BUSD.
- ICX Staking introduced with yields up to 21.79% APY.
- Withdrawal fees for BUSD (BEP20) were reduced to zero, while USDT (BEP20) fees dropped to 0.1 USDT. USDT (TRC20) fees were adjusted to 0.2 USDT.
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Network Support & Upgrades
- Binance supported the NavCoin (NAV) network upgrade and hard fork.
- The ERC20 wallet system was optimized following temporary ETH withdrawal suspensions due to traffic congestion — improving stability under peak load.
- A brief service interruption occurred due to an AWS outage, affecting deposits, withdrawals, and transfers temporarily. Normal operations resumed after synchronization was restored.
Futures & Margin Markets Expand
To meet growing demand for advanced trading tools:
- Three new perpetual contracts were launched on Binance Futures with up to 25x leverage.
- New margin trading pairs added: BAT, ONT, ZIL, BTCST, POLY, SFP.
- The Binance Futures API received an upgrade for improved performance and reliability.
- The Binance Vanilla Options Market Maker Program was introduced to enhance liquidity and improve pricing efficiency for options traders.
Leadership Insights and Community Engagement
CZ shared his outlook in a recent Bloomberg interview:
“We’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg with Bitcoin.”
He emphasized ongoing institutional adoption and highlighted Elon Musk’s influence in driving mainstream attention to cryptocurrencies like BTC and Dogecoin.
Educational content also remained a priority:
- A step-by-step guide on how to buy Bitcoin with a credit or debit card was published, covering web, desktop, and mobile platforms.
Community outreach extended beyond trading:
- Binance Charity delivered 18,400 masks to three hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria, supporting frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic.
Research insights from Binance Research provided data-driven analysis on market trends and emerging technologies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why did BNB rise so sharply?
A: The surge was driven by increased adoption of Binance Smart Chain, rising DeFi activity on PancakeSwap, strong staking demand via Launchpool, and broader market sentiment favoring ecosystem tokens with real utility.
Q: How does BSC compare to Ethereum?
A: While Ethereum leads in developer activity and total DeFi value overall, BSC offers faster transaction speeds and lower fees — making it attractive for retail users and high-frequency applications.
Q: Is BNB now more valuable than stablecoins?
A: Yes — BNB has surpassed Tether (USDT) in market capitalization, becoming the third-largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Q: What does moving CAKE to the main trading zone mean?
A: It indicates that PancakeSwap has reached sufficient maturity in terms of liquidity, user base, and regulatory compliance to be considered a core asset on Binance.
Q: How can I earn yield on my crypto holdings?
A: Through services like Flexible Savings (up to 20% APY), Dual Savings Products, and Launchpool staking — available directly on Binance using assets like BUSD, BNB, or ETH.
Q: Are there risks involved in staking or futures trading?
A: Yes — while staking offers passive income, price volatility can affect returns. Futures trading involves leverage and can lead to significant losses; proper risk management is essential.
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This week reinforced a powerful narrative: utility-driven blockchains and their native tokens are gaining ground alongside established leaders like Bitcoin and Ethereum. With innovation accelerating across DeFi, staking, and trading infrastructure, the new top 3 — BTC, ETH, BNB — reflects both legacy strength and next-generation growth potential.