February 2026 has witnessed another sheer downturn across the crypto markets. In this respect, the crypto landscape has gone through the 5th succeeding monthly plunge. As per the data from Santiment, Bitcoin’s ($BTC) prices almost plunged below the crucial $60K threshold. Hence, the traders have grappled with sheer tariffs, rising geopolitical uncertainty, and lawsuits. So, in line with Santiment’s report, this extended downturn resembles the declines witnessed in 2022.
February Records 5th Continuous Monthly Drop in Crypto as Tariffs Put Pressure
The month of February has witnessed notable turbulence linked to the tariff announcement of the United States. Back in April last year, the country-specific tariffs of Donald Trump ignited retail sales around market bottoms. Following that, in October, a huge 100% tariff was implemented on China, paralleling the all-time high of Bitcoin ($BTC) . Nonetheless, the 15% percent worldwide tariff rattled both whale and retail traders.
The early crash of February 2026 took place at a time when the social platforms were seeing a wider bearish momentum amid fear, uncertainty, doubt (FUD). At the same time, the altcoins also suffered a notable unease. Specifically, MetaMask USD ($mtUSD), Solana ($SOL), Ethereum ($ETH), Avalanche ($AVAX), Cardano ($ADA), Aztec ($AZTEC), and Starknet ($STRK) emerged as the noteworthy names hitting with a massive downturn.
U.S.-Iran Tensions Accelerate Market Uncertainty as Trader Concerns Grow Further
According to Santiment , following end of February, the crypto landscape has reached a crossroads, showing a continuous 5-month decline. At the same time, the escalating war between the U.S. and Iran is putting further pressure on the market. As a result, the market onlookers and traders are asking questions regarding the potential continuation of this downward streak or a likely recovery. Keeping this in view, the upcoming days will be very crucial in determining the future direction of the market.
