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Peter Thiel and entities tied to Founders Fund have fully exited ETHZilla, the publicly traded Ethereum treasury play that once marketed itself as a proxy bet on corporate ETH accumulation. A Schedule 13G/A filed Tuesday shows the reporting group finished 2025 with no remaining common shares, wiping out a position that had been closely watched across both crypto and small-cap equity circles.

Thiel Exists Ethereum Treasury Play

The amended filing, dated Feb. 17, 2026, is unusually blunt on the current footprint: “Aggregate amount… 0.00. Percent of class… 0.0%. Ownership of 5 percent or less of a class.” The positions are reported as of Dec. 31, 2025, meaning the exit was completed by year-end.

PETER THIEL EXITS ETHEREUM DAT “ETHZILLA” AMID $ETHZ TOKENIZED JET ENGINE FOCUS: FILING pic.twitter.com/nnMeT32LQ4

— Aggr News (@AggrNews) February 18, 2026

That zeroed-out line item is a sharp contrast to what Thiel-related vehicles disclosed just a quarter earlier. In a prior Schedule 13G/A reporting holdings as of Sept. 30, 2025, Thiel was listed with 928,389 shares beneficially owned, representing 5.6% of the class at that time, with additional blocks attributed to Founders Fund entities. The same filing noted the company’s 1-for-10 reverse stock split effective Oct. 20, 2025, with reported share counts adjusted accordingly.

ETHZilla’s story arc matters because it tried to translate the Bitcoin treasury template into an ETH-native wrapper at a moment when public-market vehicles were being pitched as liquid, leverable on-ramps to digital asset exposure. Thiel’s initial involvement, widely reported as a 7.5% stake disclosed in August 2025, helped legitimize that pitch, at least briefly.

More recently, ETHZilla has been signaling a pivot away from a pure ETH-treasury identity and toward tokenized real-world assets, including aviation. In an 8-K tied to a Feb. 12 press release, the company said its subsidiary launched “Eurus Aero Token I,” describing it as “a tokenized real-world asset instrument” that gives exposure to aircraft engines on lease “through tradable digital tokens representing contractual revenue rights.”

The sequencing leaves traders with an uncomfortable, unresolved question: did Founders Fund’s exit precede (and implicitly front-run) the strategy shift, or was it simply a portfolio cleanup after the initial “ETH treasury” narrative cooled?

On X, one commentator framed Thiel’s timing as part of a broader pattern, though several of the post’s claims go beyond what’s in the SEC filing. The account @treebook78 called Thiel a “master at sensing crises,” writing that he “dodged this current dip too,” and arguing he’s an “exit master” who gets out early when bubbles or stress build.

“Back in 2022, he posted diamond hands on SNS telling people to hold Bitcoin forever, but then he quietly sold everything and avoided the Luna crash and FTX collapse (as I recall),” @treebook78 wrote.

At press time, Ethereum traded at $1,984.

Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

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Bitcoin price extended its decline to $60,000. BTC is down over 10% and might struggle to recover easily above the $70,000 resistance.

• Bitcoin is attempting to recover but struggling to clear hurdles.
• The price is trading below $70,000 and the 100 hourly simple moving average.
• There is a bearish trend line forming with resistance at $70,600 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken).
• The pair might dip again if it trades below the $62,500 and $61,200 levels.

Bitcoin Price Dips Sharply

Bitcoin price failed to remain stable above the $72,000 zone. BTC extended its decline below the $70,000 and $68,500 levels. The bears were able to push the price below $65,500.

A low was formed at $60,500, and the price is now attempting to recover. There was a minor increase above the $62,000 and $63,200 levels. The price cleared the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the recent downward move from the $76,865 swing high to the $60,500 low.

Bitcoin is now trading below $68,000 and the 100 hourly simple moving average. If the price remains stable above $62,000, it could attempt a fresh increase. Immediate resistance is near the $66,000 level. The first key resistance is near the $67,200 level.

A close above the $67,200 resistance might send the price further higher. In the stated case, the price could rise and test the $68,500 resistance or the 50% Fib retracement level of the recent downward move from the $76,865 swing high to the $60,500 low.

Any more gains might send the price toward the $70,500 level. There is also a bearish trend line forming with resistance at $70,600 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair. The next barrier for the bulls could be $72,500 and $75,000.

Another Decline In BTC?

If Bitcoin fails to rise above the $68,500 resistance zone, it could start another decline. Immediate support is near the $63,200 level. The first major support is near the $62,500 level.

The next support is now near the $61,200 zone. Any more losses might send the price toward the $60,500 support in the near term. The main support now sits at $60,000, below which BTC might struggle to recover in the near term.

Technical indicators:

Hourly MACD – The MACD is now gaining pace in the bearish zone.

Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BTC/USD is now below the 50 level.

Major Support Levels – $62,500, followed by $61,200.

Major Resistance Levels – $67,200 and $68,500.

• Ethereum price drops to $2,127 amid market weakness and high volatility.
• Vitalik Buterin sells $6.6M ETH, part of planned funding moves.
• Key support at $2,007, with resistance targets at $2,133 and $2,274.

Ethereum (ETH) is under pressure as the cryptocurrency continues to face a significant pullback.

The price of ETH has dropped to $2,098.91, down 5.6% in the last 24 hours.

This decline is part of a broader downtrend, with Ethereum losing around 28% over the past week and nearly 34% over the past three months.

Trading volume, however, remained elevated at $54.5 billion in the last 24 hours, highlighting strong market activity despite the falling prices.

Vitalik Buterin’s ETH trades

Adding to the market concerns, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has sold millions in ETH.

Reports indicate that wallets linked to Buterin moved roughly 2,961.5 ETH, valued at approximately $6.6 million at the time of sale.

vitalik.eth(@VitalikButerin) is dumping $ETH fast!

Over the past 3 days, Vitalik has sold 2,961.5 $ETH($6.6M) at an average price of $2,228 — and the selling is still ongoing.https://t.co/Q9G1lEsdiP pic.twitter.com/C1vBn5UimJ

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) February 5, 2026

These transactions attracted attention due to the timing of the Ethereum downturn.

Additional reports highlight a separate $29 million ETH transfer, part of a planned reallocation by Buterin.

The movement included converting ETH to wrapped ETH (wETH) and sending smaller amounts to his Kanro charity, which focuses on biotechnology and infectious disease research.

Analysts stress that these transfers are likely strategic funding moves, not panic selling.

Nevertheless, the market has interpreted these large movements as bearish signals.

ETH price analysis

Ethereum has been under pressure due to broader crypto market weakness.

The 24-hour price range for ETH is currently $2,077.42 to $2,258.21, reflecting volatility and uncertainty.

Ethereum’s market capitalisation stands at $257 billion, with a circulating supply of 120.6 million ETH.

The cryptocurrency is still down 57% from its all-time high of $4,946.05 in August 2025.

Despite the decline, Ethereum remains a major player in the crypto ecosystem, with investors closely monitoring large wallet movements.

Ethereum price forecast

Traders are watching key levels for signs of market direction.

The first support level to monitor is $2,007.

If ETH fails to hold this level, it could drop further to the next support at $1,800.

On the upside, $2,133 is the initial resistance level.

A sustained break above this could push Ethereum toward $2,274, with the third resistance at $2,396.

Analysts like CoinLore suggest that maintaining a price above the $2,007 support is critical for any potential recovery.

Conversely, breaking below this level could accelerate selling pressure and test lower price floors.

In conclusion, Ethereum faces a challenging period as both founder wallet activity and broader market trends weigh on the price.

Traders should pay close attention to the support and resistance levels, as these will likely guide short-term movements in ETH.