**February 12** A Caixin report notes 8,300 Chinese victims have filed claims for 60,000 Bitcoin linked to a money laundering case involving Qian Zhimin, amid an asset recovery deadlock. Multiple law firms are representing the victims separately, but a British judge has flagged issues including duplicate submissions, repeated arguments, and prolonged proceedings — with legal fees soaring, to be covered by the Chinese victims. The UK High Court will hold a hearing on the case on February 16-17, 2026 (Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve and the first day of the Year of the Horse). The hearing involves over 30 billion yuan in assets and nearly 130,000 Chinese victims. Bitcoin price fluctuations have shrunk the 60,000 Bitcoin’s market value from a peak of ~54 billion yuan on October 6, 2025, to ~31 billion yuan in early February 2026.
