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During the 2026 Winter Olympics, travelers at airports in Milan, Rome, and Venice can receive instant VAT refunds in USDC on Polygon.  The rollout, supported by Global Blue and Shift4, speeds up digital refunds and accelerates cross-border settlement. Polygon is powering instant value-added tax (VAT) refunds in USD Coin (USDC) for international travelers at Italian airports during the 2026 Winter Olympics. The system enables fast, stablecoin-based payouts at venues such as Milan, Rome, and Venice airports using Polygon’s blockchain rails. The arrangement is available in February and is offered at airport refund points serving Milan, Rome, and Venice. Travelers who select the option receive their refund digitally, eliminating wait times associated with international clearing, banking hours, and cross-border card refunds. The service targets the standard tax-free shopping workflow used by non-EU visitors who validate forms at departure and then collect refunds through approved providers. Polygon is powering instant tax refunds in USDC at Italian airports during the 2026 Winter Olympics! A practical example of stablecoins delivering real-world utility for global users. https://t.co/JzOmsMGVCd — Sandeep | CEO, Polygon Foundation (※,※) (@sandeepnailwal) February 12, 2026 Airport guidance for VAT refunds in Italy generally requires documentation such as a Tax Free form, passport, and boarding pass, and only non-EU residents are eligible. These steps remain part of the process at participating airports. Global Blue, a tax-free shopping and refund provider, and Shift4, a payments firm, are the operational partners enabling the airport deployment. Under the model, the blockchain layer runs in the background while the customer-facing steps remain tied to existing refund counters and compliance checks. Recently, Polygon proposed PIP-82, a plan to recycle up to $1 million in Polygon PoS base gas fees for eligible agentic commerce and x402 transactions. CNF noted that any unused POL would be routed to the burn collector, and the program would end once the full $1 million is recycled or on December 31, 2026. How Polygon’s Airport Refund Rollout Works Polygon’s role is to provide the settlement rail for USDC payouts, so refunds can be issued quickly once eligibility is confirmed. The participating locations include airports connected to the Milan area, as well as hubs serving Rome and Venice, which are major entry and exit points for winter tourism in Italy. The timing aligns with increased international travel during the ongoing XXV Winter Olympic Games in Italy. Organizers expect elevated passenger volumes and retail activity, and airport refund queues are a recurring friction point for travelers. In that context, stablecoin settlements are an alternative to slower refund methods. However, the news does not disclose transaction counts, fee arrangements, or revenue terms. Still, the announcement links Polygon’s payments use case to established travel-retail infrastructure through Global Blue’s tax-free network and Shift4’s payment processing systems. The deployment adds to other stablecoin programs that use USDC for transfers. Previously, we covered that Billon launched an on-chain lending protocol on Polygon designed specifically for tokenized asset lending rather than a general DeFi money market. CNF added that the system uses isolated lending pools and published risk parameters to link yield-bearing tokenized RWAs to on-chain credit markets. Following the Polygon news, the POL price rallied about 5.8% to around $0.102 on the 24-hour chart. The move was backed by steady trading volume throughout the session.

On February 15, Dragonfly partner Haseeb published an article stating that the belief among crypto founders that tokens must be launched during a bull market is incorrect. Statistical data shows that the annualized ROI of tokens launched in bull and bear markets does not differ significantly. Haseeb suggests that projects should issue tokens during bear markets, as competition for talent and service costs are lower, and there is less competition for listings on CEXs. While token sales during bull markets may see higher demand, the impact is limited. He emphasized that the key is to launch products as soon as possible and create valuable content, citing Solana's launch just four days after the pandemic shock in 2020 as a typical example.

Robert Mitchnick, Head of Digital Assets at BlackRock, stated that the high-leverage trading in the bitcoin derivatives market is intensifying volatility and diminishing bitcoin's appeal as a stable hedging tool for institutional portfolios. He pointed out that while bitcoin's fundamentals as a scarce, decentralized monetary asset remain strong, its trading patterns are increasingly resembling a "highly leveraged Nasdaq," making it harder for conservative investors to embrace. He emphasized that BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin ETF is not the main source of volatility, with the issue stemming more from perpetual futures platforms.