Latest Chia (XCH) News Update

By CMC AI
23 February 2026 11:40AM (UTC+0)

What is the latest news on XCH?

TLDR

Chia's news reflects steady development in real-world assets and compliance, even as its price faces pressure. Here are the latest updates:

  1. Chia Among Day's Losing L1s (21 February 2026) – XCH fell 5.39% as broader market sentiment remained in extreme fear.

  2. RWA Development Ranking Drops to Sixth (3 February 2026) – Santiment data shows Chia slipped one spot in monthly developer activity rankings for the RWA sector.

  3. Chia Cloud Wallet Reaches General Release (29 October 2025) – The official wallet launched with features for buying XCH and advanced key management.

Deep Dive

1. Chia Among Day's Losing L1s (21 February 2026)

Overview: On 21 February 2026, Chia (XCH) was highlighted as one of the day's worst performers among layer-1 blockchains, declining 5.39%. This occurred within a broader crypto market where the Fear & Greed Index registered "Extreme Fear" at a score of 14. What this means: This is neutral for XCH, reflecting short-term market-wide risk-off sentiment rather than a project-specific issue. The decline aligns with a -2.47% drop in the total crypto market cap over the same period, indicating correlation with broader trends. (WHISPR)

2. RWA Development Ranking Drops to Sixth (3 February 2026)

Overview: Analytics firm Santiment's monthly ranking of developer activity in the real-world asset (RWA) sector for the past 30 days showed Chia Network falling one place to sixth. Hedera (HBAR) led the list, followed by Chainlink (LINK) and Avalanche (AVAX). What this means: This is mildly bearish for XCH's narrative as an RWA infrastructure play, as it suggests competing projects are demonstrating more intense development momentum. However, maintaining a top-ten position still indicates active building within a key growth sector. (The Daily Hodl)

3. Chia Cloud Wallet Reaches General Release (29 October 2025)

Overview: Chia Network announced the general release of its Chia Cloud Wallet, enabling users to buy XCH via ACH bank transfer, manage keys with vaults, and use an iOS signer app. This followed a period of beta testing and community Q&As. What this means: This is bullish for XCH as it significantly improves user onboarding and self-custody accessibility, potentially broadening its user base. The integration of direct fiat purchases reduces friction for new capital entering the ecosystem. (Chia Network)

Conclusion

Chia continues to build its infrastructure for regulated, real-world asset use cases despite near-term market headwinds. Will its focus on compliance and user-friendly tools like the Cloud Wallet translate into sustained adoption as market sentiment recovers?

What are people saying about XCH?

TLDR

Chia's community is split between regulatory hope and price reality. Here’s what’s trending:

  1. Advocates are betting on imminent SEC approval for a key fund.

  2. Supporters are pitching XCH as a technically superior, regulatory-compliant Ethereum alternative.

  3. Traders are noting its recent position among the day's worst-performing major Layer 1 tokens.

Deep Dive

1. @JamesCryptoNova: Betting on SEC approval for Permuto Capital bullish

"Clarity bill will pass... Chia $XCH is clearing all obstacle and follow the regulatory to get approval for @permutocapital 🔜" – @JamesCryptoNova (2.7K followers · 2.3K impressions · 2026-01-13 02:53 UTC) View original post What this means: This is bullish for XCH because it suggests a near-term catalyst. Approval of a regulated fund could unlock new institutional demand and validate Chia's compliance-focused approach.

2. @JamesCryptoNova: Framing XCH as a compliant ETH competitor bullish

"Chia Network Inc has the legal tech infrastructure for peer 2 peer transactions, with legal framework approval 🔜 $XCH > $ETH" – @JamesCryptoNova (2.7K followers · 2.3K impressions · 2026-01-15 19:13 UTC) View original post What this means: This is bullish for XCH as it frames the asset's value proposition directly against the dominant smart contract platform, Ethereum, highlighting its potential regulatory advantages and infrastructure as key differentiators.

3. @WhisprNews: Highlighting XCH as a daily top loser bearish

"📉 Perdedores de hoy... Chia $XCH -5.39% (@chia_project)" – @WhisprNews (3.7K followers · 1.95K impressions · 2026-02-21 08:43 UTC) View original post What this means: This is bearish for XCH as it highlights recent underperformance. Being listed among the day's biggest losers in the Layer 1 category reflects weak short-term momentum and selling pressure.

Conclusion

The consensus on XCH is mixed, torn between long-term fundamental optimism around regulation and short-term bearish price action. Watch for any official updates regarding the Permuto Capital filing, as this is the community's cited near-term catalyst.

What is the latest update in XCH’s codebase?

TLDR

Chia's codebase shows steady development with recent performance upgrades and new feature groundwork.

  1. Improved Mempool & PoS2 Prep (12 November 2025) – Faster transaction handling and early support for next-generation plot formats.

  2. Mandatory Farming Upgrade (19 August 2025) – A required update to ensure continued mainnet farming operations.

  3. Kecc256 Soft-Fork Implementation (12 December 2024) – Introduced a new cryptographic operator for enhanced smart contract capabilities.

Deep Dive

1. Improved Mempool & PoS2 Prep (12 November 2025)

Overview: This update makes the network more responsive by speeding up how pending transactions are handled. It also lays the foundation for the upcoming, more efficient PoS2 plot format, which will benefit farmers in the future.

The release (version 2.5.7) focuses on core network health. The enhanced mempool performance means transactions are validated and queued more efficiently, reducing potential delays. The preliminary support for the PoS2 plot format is a forward-looking step, preparing the ecosystem for a more advanced and potentially more space-efficient farming standard.

What this means: This is bullish for XCH because it makes the network faster and more reliable for everyday transactions. It also shows the development team is actively working on the next generation of farming technology, which could attract more users and increase the network's value over time. (Source)

2. Mandatory Farming Upgrade (19 August 2025)

Overview: This release (version 2.5.5) is a required update for all farmers to continue participating on the mainnet. It includes several important changes to ensure network stability and proper block validation.

The update emphasizes the importance of keeping software current to maintain the security and integrity of the blockchain. It contains modifications that affect how the node processes blocks and interacts with peers, which are critical for seamless operation.

What this means: This is neutral for XCH as it's a routine but essential maintenance update. It ensures the network remains secure and functional for all participants, which is fundamental for long-term stability. (Source)

3. Kecc256 Soft-Fork Implementation (12 December2024)

Overview: This major update (version 2.5.0) introduced a new soft-fork with the CLVM "keccak256" operator. It also removed support for an older version of Python, streamlining the development environment.

The soft-fork, known as CHIP-36, added a new cryptographic building block directly into Chialisp. This allows developers to write more advanced and secure smart contracts, expanding the possible use cases for the Chia blockchain.

What this means: This is bullish for XCH because it enhances the platform's capabilities for developers. By enabling more complex and secure applications, it increases the utility of the blockchain, which can drive future adoption and demand. (Source)

Conclusion

Chia's development trajectory remains focused on core optimizations and future-proofing the network, with recent updates targeting transaction speed and next-generation farming infrastructure. How will the planned PoS2 plot format adoption impact the broader storage farming landscape?

What is next on XCH’s roadmap?

TLDR

Chia's development continues with these milestones:

  1. Permuto Capital Regulatory Approval (2026) – Awaiting SEC decision on filings under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

  2. Real-World Asset & ESG Initiative Expansion (Ongoing) – Scaling projects like the Climate Warehouse for carbon markets.

Deep Dive

1. Permuto Capital Regulatory Approval (2026)

Overview: A significant upcoming milestone is regulatory approval for filings made by @permutocapital under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (JamesCryptoNova). This process is overseen by the SEC, whose new leadership has been described by Chia's CEO as "open-minded and open for business" (AMBCrypto). Approval would mark a major step in bringing compliant, tokenized financial products to Chia's blockchain.

What this means: This is bullish for XCH because it could unlock institutional capital flows and validate Chia's regulatory-first approach. However, it's bearish if approvals face delays or rejections, potentially slowing ecosystem growth.

2. Real-World Asset & ESG Initiative Expansion (Ongoing)

Overview: Chia is actively developing its real-world asset (RWA) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) infrastructure. This includes the Climate Warehouse project with the World Bank to track carbon credits (CoinGeek). Developer activity remains strong, with Chia recently ranking sixth in Santiment's RWA development rankings (The Daily Hodl).

What this means: This is neutral-to-bullish for XCH as it builds long-term utility and aligns with global sustainability trends, which could drive enterprise adoption. The key risk is competition from other chains focused on the same verticals.

Conclusion

Chia's roadmap is strategically focused on securing regulatory approval for financial products and deepening its utility in real-world asset tokenization. Will successful navigation of the U.S. regulatory landscape become its key differentiator in 2026?

CMC AI can make mistakes. Not financial advice.