Today in Crypto: Shares of Riot Platforms climbed after the Bitcoin miner said it sold BTC to fund a Texas expansion. Meanwhile, Belgian bank KBC plans to launch Bitcoin and Ether trading for retail customers in February and crypto market sentiment weakened amid uncertainty over delays to a US crypto bill.
Riot Platforms shares jump 11% after Bitcoin sale funds Texas deal
Shares of Riot Platforms jumped more than 11% after the crypto miner said it sold Bitcoin to help finance a land acquisition in Texas.
In a Friday notice, Riot said the $96 million deal for 200 acres of land in Rockdale, Texas was funded entirely by the sale of about 1,080 Bitcoin (BTC). The miner also signed a data center lease and services agreement with semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), initially deploying 25 megawatts (MW) of “critical IT load capacity.”
“These results mark a pivotal moment that cements Riot’s position as a leading data center developer, less than twelve months since the launch of our formal process to evaluate our assets for AI/HPC use,” said Riot CEO Jason Les.
Riot said the agreement for an initial 10-year term could generate about $311 million in revenue for the company, with the potential for $1 billion if three five-year extensions were exercised. The company’s shares on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol RIOT surged to $18.80 amid the announcement, marking an 11% increase in early trading Friday.
The Texas deal followed Riot announcing last week that it had sold 1,818 BTC in December as part of a strategy shift from mining the cryptocurrency to using its data center infrastructure for other applications, including artificial intelligence. The company reported holding 18,005 BTC as of Dec. 31, worth more than $17 billion at the time of publication.
KBC Bank to launch Bitcoin and Ether trading in Belgium under MiCA
KBC, one of Belgium’s largest banks, is set to roll out Bitcoin and Ether trading to retail investors next month via its own custodial solution and investment platform.
From Feb. 16, KBC customers will be able to buy and sell crypto assets through the online investment platform Bolero, the bank announced Thursday.
“This will enable self-directed investors in Belgium to invest in cryptocurrencies within a secure and fully regulated environment, a first in Belgium,” KBC said.
Launched in compliance with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), KBC’s crypto trading will operate on the bank’s proprietary custodial architecture, the announcement said.
KBC said it would be the first Belgian bank to meet MiCA requirements. The company has submitted a full crypto asset service provider (CASP) notification to the competent authority, the National Bank of Belgium (NBB), a spokesperson at KBC told Cointelegraph.
“KBC is an authorized CASP, as it has received approval from the Belgian supervisory authorities to offer crypto services,” the bank’s representative noted, adding: “We comply with all legal obligations, including the reporting of crypto‑assets to the competent authorities.”
KBC initially announced plans to offer Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) trading via Bolero in July 2025, pending regulatory approval that was expected by the end of the year.
Crypto sentiment drops amid market structure bill unease
The market sentiment-tracking Crypto Fear & Greed Index dropped on Friday after hitting a multi-month high, as the crypto industry in the US is divided over a Senate version of a highly-awaited crypto market structure bill.
The index slid by 12 points on Friday to a “neutral” score of 49 out of 100, dropping from its score of 61, indicating “greed” on Thursday, its highest score recorded since it hit 64 out of 100 on Oct. 10, the same day the crypto market massively crashed and saw $19 billion in liquidations.
Crypto sentiment platform Santiment said on Thursday that Bitcoin’s (BTC) 5% gain that day to $97,870 “appeared more than justified based on continued smart money accumulation, and retail traders dumping.”
However, crypto sentiment has wavered as several executives aired concerns about crypto market structure legislation, a markup of which was due to be marked up on Thursday before being cancelled by the US Senate.
