Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Bitcoin plunged below $90,000, sparking cascades of liquidations across derivatives markets. The rapid decline intensified selling pressure as leveraged long positions were forcibly closed, amplifying volatility and widening bid-ask spreads. Market commentary cited macroeconomic uncertainty and risk-off sentiment as contributors; related narratives on Fed policy and USD strength were flagged as background drivers. The move coincided with large liquidation events reported on major exchanges, accelerating the downturn and leading to intraday whipsaw price action. Traders should note heightened funding rates, increased margin calls, and thinner order book depth—conditions that raise execution risk for both spot and derivatives strategies. Short-term implications include elevated volatility and potential short squeezes; longer-term effects will depend on whether the sell-off exhausts selling pressure or triggers sustained risk-off positioning. Key takeaways for traders: reduce leverage, tighten risk controls, monitor exchange liquidation feeds and funding rate changes, and watch macro announcements that could amplify market moves.

Bitcoin dropped below $90,000 during U.S. hours—briefly touching $87,800—before recovering above $89,000 in Asian trading. The cascade forced liquidation of more than 183,000 positions, totaling about $1.09 billion; roughly 92% were long liquidations. The largest single hit was a $13.52 million BTCUSDT long on Bitget. An earlier report recorded a smaller, rapid dip to around $90,400 that caused roughly $135 million in long-position liquidations, indicating the event evolved into a much larger, later sell-off. Market participants attribute the sharper move to a sudden shift in global risk appetite, remarks from U.S. political leaders on tariffs, and a Japanese government bond sell-off that pushed yields higher. The episode underscores extreme bullish positioning, elevated short-term volatility, and heightened liquidation risk for leveraged BTC traders. Traders should expect amplified intraday swings, increased short-term downside pressure, and the potential for further liquidation cascades as leveraged longs unwind.

Ethereum exchange reserves have fallen to about 16.2 million ETH — the lowest level since 2016 — reflecting a sustained shift of supply off centralized platforms. On-chain analysis from CryptoQuant contributor Arab Chain shows steady outflows through 2024 and early 2025, with Binance’s ETH holdings sliding from roughly 4.168M to about 4.0M ETH this month. Lower exchange balances typically reduce immediate selling pressure and can create a supply–demand imbalance that amplifies price moves when buying returns. Historical lows in exchange reserves (late 2016, mid-2020, early 2023) often preceded medium- to long-term ETH rallies. Drivers cited include increased self-custody (hardware wallets, institutional custody), DeFi participation, staking under Proof-of-Stake, and regulatory shifts. Analysts warn exchange reserves are a useful accumulation indicator but must be considered alongside on-chain activity, network growth, fee dynamics and derivatives positioning. Potential bullish catalysts include ETF adoption, Layer-2 growth and network upgrades; adverse macroeconomic or regulatory developments could offset gains. Traders should monitor exchange inflows/outflows, on-chain demand metrics (net transfers to exchanges, active addresses, staking flows), and derivatives positioning (open interest, funding rates) to detect returning buying pressure or liquidation risk.

BTC perpetual futures across Binance, Bybit and OKX shifted toward a modest bearish bias over the latest 24-hour windows, with aggregate long/short ratios moving into the low- to mid-40s–50s range. Recent aggregate snapshots show shorts slightly outnumbering longs (roughly 48–49% long vs. 51–52% short), with exchange breakdowns closely aligned: Binance (~48.8% long), Bybit (~47.4–46.0% long in different snapshots) and OKX (~47.8–49.4% long depending on sample). Funding rates remain near neutral and open interest is stable, indicating measured hedging by professional traders or cautious short positioning rather than panic liquidations. Drivers cited include macroeconomic pressures, regulatory developments, technical price levels and funding-rate dynamics; fee and leverage structures and user demographics likely explain exchange-level differences. For traders, the key takeaways are: (1) elevated short interest raises the potential for short-squeeze volatility if bullish catalysts appear; (2) maintain tighter position sizing and leverage controls; and (3) monitor funding rates, open interest, spot flows and exchange-specific liquidation mechanics to manage risk. This summary is informational and not trading advice.

Hong Kong plans to grant licences to stablecoin issuers in the first quarter as part of a broader effort to attract crypto businesses and boost its role as a regional digital-asset hub. The city’s incoming policy package aims to create a “safe and facilitative” regulatory framework for stablecoins and other digital-asset services, while maintaining investor protections and financial stability. Authorities expect licensing to cover fiat-pegged stablecoin issuers and set standards for custody, reserves, disclosure and anti-money-laundering (AML) compliance. The move follows global regulatory attention on stablecoins after high-profile failures and seeks to balance innovation with risk management to lure exchanges, custodians and token issuers to Hong Kong. Market participants see the initiative as intended to increase institutional participation and onshore fiat-crypto rails, though details on capital, reserve requirements and operational rules remain pending. Observers note the timing aligns with other jurisdictions’ efforts to regulate stablecoins and could accelerate regional competition for crypto business relocation.

Crypto analyst Steph Is Crypto published a technical comparison arguing XRP (XRP) is exhibiting a fractal price structure similar to the run-up before its 2017 rally. Using multi-day XRP/USD charts, the analyst highlights a completed corrective sequence, extended consolidation and a final retracement in 2017 that preceded a sharp impulse — and asserts the current late‑2025/early‑2026 structure is aligning with that same pre-rally phase. The post focuses strictly on chart similarities and projects a steep upside continuation if the pattern repeats, while explicitly avoiding timing claims or fundamental catalysts. Community reactions were mixed: some users criticized repeated bullish calls and questioned credibility, while others agreed with the long-term setup but noted timing ambiguity. No price targets, volume metrics or external catalysts were cited. Disclaimer: article is informational and not financial advice.

The Zcash Foundation has deployed a new DNS seeder written in Rust to improve network reliability and node connectivity for the Zcash (ZEC) cryptocurrency. The seeder, developed by contributor Jonas Finnemann Jensen and reviewed by Zcash Foundation engineers, replaces an older implementation and aims to provide faster, more secure peer discovery, reduce reliance on centralized trackers, and improve resilience during network events. The Rust seeder is designed for better performance, memory safety, and maintainability. The upgrade follows routine infrastructure improvements by the Foundation and is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the Zcash ecosystem. No protocol changes or consensus upgrades are involved; the deployment is an off-chain infrastructure improvement intended to help nodes find peers more effectively and support network stability.

Bitcoin staged a rebound on Tuesday, approaching $90,000 as traders awaited remarks from former US President Donald Trump due at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The rally followed a period of consolidation after Bitcoin’s strong gains earlier in the year. Market participants said sentiment was driven by a mix of macro headlines, event-driven positioning around Davos and shifts in liquidity. Short-term derivatives metrics showed elevated open interest and options flows concentrated around key strike prices near current levels, suggesting positioning for volatility. Analysts noted that while Trump’s comments could prompt risk-on flows or political-driven volatility, broader drivers such as US economic data, interest-rate expectations and flows into spot crypto products remain the primary determinants of near-term price action. Traders were advised to watch on-chain metrics, funding rates and option skew for signs of sustained momentum or a reversal. Primary keywords: Bitcoin, BTC, Davos, Trump, crypto trading. Secondary/semantic keywords: volatility, open interest, options flow, funding rates, macro headlines.

Former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison is scheduled to be released from federal supervision today, January 21, 2026. Although no longer in federal prison, Ellison will remain subject to community supervision and regulatory restrictions after release. As part of her conditions, she has agreed not to serve as an executive of a public company or a crypto exchange for the next 10 years. The development follows her transfer from federal prison to community supervision earlier. This update is primarily legal and regulatory in nature and does not include new financial penalties or market-moving actions.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Xavier Becerra said he is not concerned about a sell-off in U.S. Treasury bonds and linked recent moves to volatility seen in Japanese government bonds. He stated he has been in contact with his Japanese counterparts and expects Japan to take measures to stabilize their bond market, implying coordinated responses can contain spillovers. Becerra downplayed the significance of Denmark’s holdings in U.S. debt. He also noted scheduling details for U.S. President Donald Trump’s public remarks in Davos, saying the president would arrive roughly three hours late compared with previously published World Economic Forum schedules. The comments aim to reassure markets and signal diplomatic engagement to address bond-market volatility. (Market information only; not investment advice.)

Galaxy Digital plans to launch a $100 million long/short hedge fund in Q1 targeting both crypto tokens and financial-services equities tied to digital-asset infrastructure, regulation and AI. Led by Joe Armao (per the later report) and seeded with commitments from family offices, high-net-worth individuals and select institutions, the fund will allocate up to 30% of capital to crypto tokens and the remainder to equities in payments, data and other financial services companies exposed to blockchain adoption and regulatory change. Galaxy has confirmed prior large purchases of Solana and recently completed a tokenized CLO on Avalanche that has financed roughly $75 million in loans to date. The fund is positioned to capitalize on recent crypto volatility (Bitcoin down about 30% from its October peak) and perceived opportunities from regulatory shifts and AI-driven sector changes. Primary keywords: Galaxy Digital, hedge fund, crypto hedge fund, long/short strategy, crypto tokens. Secondary keywords: digital assets, Bitcoin pullback, Solana, tokenized CLO, Avalanche, financial services stocks, regulatory opportunity, AI.

Bitcoin fell below $90,000 after a weekend outage at a major Greenland mining facility and renewed investor concern over fiscal policy. The market reacted to the temporary halt in mining operations — which reduced expected BTC supply into exchanges and raised short-term uncertainty — alongside broader risk-off sentiment driven by fiscal worries and bond market moves. Bitcoin traded under $90K, extending a pullback from recent highs; ether and most large-cap tokens followed suit with modest declines. Traders cited elevated volatility, profit-taking after a rally, and sensitivity to macro cues (US Treasury yields and central bank outlook). Market participants are watching on-chain flows, miner activity, and liquidity conditions for cues on price direction. Key points: - Event: Greenland crypto mining outage disrupted operations over the weekend. - Price: Bitcoin slipped below $90,000; altcoins broadly softer. - Drivers: Miner downtime, fiscal policy fears, bond-market volatility, profit-taking. - Impact: Short-term spike in volatility and selling pressure; medium-term outlook hinges on miner resume, on-chain flows, and macro developments. Traders should monitor exchange inflows, miner selling, Treasury yields, and announcements from the Greenland operation for trading signals.

Solana Mobile has launched a 90-day SKR airdrop targeting Seeker smartphone owners and developers who built qualified apps for the Solana dApp Store. Over 100,000 eligible wallets received allocations from SKR’s fixed 10 billion supply, with 30% of tokens earmarked for airdrops and unlocks at launch. Claims must be made within 90 days or unclaimed tokens return to the airdrop pool. The drop coincides with Seeker Season 2, which promotes DeFi, gaming, payments, trading apps and DePIN, plus early-access and in‑app rewards intended to drive on-device activity. SKR uses a staking-friendly inflation schedule: inflation events occur every 48 hours, starting at a 10% annualized rate and decreasing 25% each year on a linear path until a 2% floor. Recipients are encouraged to stake SKR; staking may affect circulating supply dynamics. Market reaction pushed SKR roughly 54% higher within 24 hours, trading near $0.01062 on CoinGecko at the time of reporting. For traders: the airdrop expands token distribution to retail mobile users, may increase short-term sell pressure from recipients claiming tokens, but also creates on‑device utility and staking demand that could support longer-term price stability if user engagement and DeFi/gaming activity materialize. Primary SEO keywords: SKR airdrop, Solana Mobile, Seeker, SKR staking, Solana dApp Store.

Global geopolitical tensions under the Trump administration and renewed tariff disputes have rattled risk assets, sending Bitcoin below $90,000. At press time (Jan 21, 2026) Bitcoin traded near $89,516 (-1.42% 24h). The broader crypto market dropped about 2.68%, valuing roughly $3.02 trillion, and Ethereum fell below $3,000. Spot ETF flows showed heavy withdrawals on Jan 20: Bitcoin spot ETFs outflowed $483 million, Ethereum ETFs $230 million, and XRP-based ETF products $53.32 million; Solana-related ETFs saw a modest $3.08 million inflow. Large-scale deleveraging produced approximately $708.9 million in liquidations. US equities were hit the same day, with about $1.3 trillion erased from the market as S&P 500 and Nasdaq moved into the red for 2026, amplifying risk-off sentiment. Key takeaways for traders: heightened macro-driven volatility, significant ETF outflows signaling retail/institutional caution, elevated liquidation risk for leveraged positions, and correlated weakness between crypto and equities that may persist while geopolitical uncertainty remains.

Crypto analyst Zach Rector reported a weekend liquidity sweep in XRP that pushed the price down to $1.85 after a mid-January recovery to $2.20. Rector links the volatility to expectations around a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on President Trump’s tariffs — a ruling he had incorrectly predicted would validate the tariffs and push XRP toward $2.27–$2.40. The decision was delayed, and President Trump announced new tariffs related to Greenland, increasing market uncertainty. With U.S. equity markets closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Rector noted that only crypto markets and some CME futures were open, limiting immediate market responses. He cautioned that the liquidity sweep may be a short-term adjustment and said futures reopening will determine XRP’s next move. Traders are advised to watch futures reaction, key support/resistance levels around $1.85–$2.40, and policy announcements that could drive short-term liquidity shifts. This is informational only and not financial advice.

Etherfi has launched a U.S.-only Liquid Reserve Vault that lets American users earn USD-denominated yields on stablecoins (USDC/USDT) via its DeFi-native vault infrastructure. Built on Midas, the vault auto-rebalances deposits across yield sources and currently targets a roughly 55% allocation to Sentora PYUSD on Ethereum (estimated APY 5.58%) with 45% held for withdrawal liquidity. Yields are auto-compounded with no platform fees. The new vault expands Etherfi’s liquid stacking suite — which already includes liquid ETH (eETH/weETH/WETH) and specialised BTC and HYPE vaults — and may deploy capital to protocols such as Morpho, AAVE, Curve/Convex, Gearbox, Pendle, Uniswap V3, Morpho Blue and Aura/Balancer. Etherfi reports $8.68B total value locked (DeFiLlama) and trailing 14-day APYs of 6.99% (USD) and 4.71% (ETH). The Liquid Reserve Vault aims to offer market-neutral, diversified stablecoin yield with quick withdrawal liquidity for U.S. users, extending Etherfi’s non-custodial, liquid-staking and yield aggregation strategy.

FiNext Awards & Conference returns for its 8th edition on 11 February 2026 in Dubai, bringing together leaders from fintech, banking, financial services, technology, and investment. The one-day event (finextcon.com) features keynote addresses, panels on digital banking, cybersecurity, blockchain, AI and Web3, and the FiNext Awards recognizing innovation in finance and technology. Confirmed attendees include Nasdaq, Forus International, Sanadak, PayModum, Neoleap, Quadcode, FinTellect AI, Woodcoin, UAE Ministry of Finance/Economy, Corum 8, GuavaPay, Satocci and BMBWeb3 Ventures. Notable speakers listed are representatives from Nasdaq, fintech executives such as Christelle El Metni and Ankit Lathigara, industry advisors Dr. Bruce Foyle and Dr. Jaslyin Qiyu, cybersecurity expert May Brooks-Kempler, and others. Organizer Next Business Media (founder Anas Jawed) positions FinextCon as a global platform to showcase fintech innovation, foster networking among regulators, investors and corporates, and highlight Web3 and AI applications in finance. Contact and registration details are provided on the event website. Primary keywords: FinextCon, FiNext Awards, fintech conference, Web3, blockchain, AI.

Binance Wallet announced that Binance Alpha will open an ETHGas (GWEI) airdrop at 20:00 (UTC+8) on 21 January 2026. Users holding at least 230 Alpha points are eligible to claim 2,400 GWEI on a first-come, first-served basis; claiming consumes 15 points. If the reward pool is not exhausted, the Alpha point threshold will automatically drop by 5 points every 5 minutes. Recipients must confirm the claim within 24 hours on the Alpha event page or the airdrop will be forfeited. The announcement stresses limited quantity and time-sensitive claiming. This event may drive short-term on-chain activity among Binance Alpha users and interest in GWEI-related utility; it does not constitute investment advice.

Hong Kong will begin issuing its first stablecoin licenses in Q1 2026 under a tight regulatory regime designed to prioritise stability and AML controls. Financial Secretary Paul Chan confirmed the timeline at Davos. The licensing framework, effective from 1 August 2025, mandates full-reserve backing with high-quality liquid assets, guaranteed redeemability at par, capital requirements, strong governance, disclosure, and regular audits under a “same activity, same risk, same regulation” principle. Regulators (HKMA and SFC) aim to integrate licensed stablecoins with regulated virtual-asset trading platforms and tokenisation initiatives; officials cite infrastructure work including about $2.1bn in tokenised green bonds since 2023. The HKMA received 36 applications by 30 September 2025 but expects to approve only a small number initially, prioritising issuers with robust AML controls and price-stability mechanisms. Analysts say the regime could accelerate institutional participation, tokenisation of real-world assets and VC inflows into local crypto ventures, while risks include implementation speed, licensing efficiency and balancing innovation with financial stability. For traders: the move clarifies stablecoin regulatory risk in Hong Kong, likely raising demand for well-capitalised, compliant stablecoins and platforms that win licences, while increasing scrutiny on unregulated issuers and potentially reducing circulating supply of certain stablecoins within Hong Kong-linked markets.

Paradex confirmed a short-lived platform outage earlier this week that lasted several hours while internal fixes were deployed. The firm says user funds and account balances were never affected and the platform has returned to normal operation. During the incident Paradex used Discord as its single structured communications channel and offered individual account reviews on request. The company reported a surge in media and social coverage — noting some inaccurate reports and signs of coordinated amplification — and urged accurate, proportional reporting. After resolution, platform metrics normalized: cumulative trading volume has surpassed $1.5 billion, and Total Value Locked (TVL) and open interest returned to pre-incident levels and are trending upward. XP Rewards Season 2 remains active with boosted allocations in its final two weeks. Paradex reiterated willingness to provide further technical data and framed the event as an operational outage common across crypto infrastructure.

Global crypto markets slid sharply as Bitcoin fell below $88,000 during early Asian trading on Jan 21, 2026, wiping out gains made earlier in the year. Total crypto market capitalization lost about $200 billion over the weekend and was down ~4% on the day, with BTC shedding 10% over seven days. Ether fell roughly 7% to about $2,925, while most major altcoins dropped 3–7%; Canton (CC) was an exception with a 12% gain. Analysts attributed the sell-off to renewed geopolitical trade tensions — notably President Trump’s 10–25% tariff threats on European/NATO countries — combined with a sharp rise in long-dated Japanese government bond yields that signaled fading global liquidity. Traders shifted into safe havens: gold surged as risk-off sentiment dominated. Market strategists warned that total market cap was testing the lower bound of a sideways channel around $3.08 trillion; holding that support is critical to avoid a deeper bear market and prolonged crypto winter. Key names quoted include Andri Fauzan Adziima (Bitrue), Liz Thomas (SoFi), Ole Hansen (Saxo Bank) and Michaël van de Poppe.

Hedge fund founder Ray Dalio told delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the global fiat currency order is collapsing as central banks and governments change how they treat fiat and sovereign debt. He warned rising distrust between holders of fiat and debt issuers could trigger systemic problems. Dalio highlighted that gold was last year’s top-performing market, outpacing technology, and said the metal’s rally reflects shifting confidence away from fiat. His comments came amid heightened geopolitical tensions — including U.S. threats of tariffs on Europe and disputes over Greenland — underscoring policy risks that can roil markets. Crypto figures also attended Davos. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said he will press world leaders and bankers on tokenization and crypto’s role in modernizing financial infrastructure, and he plans meetings on proposed U.S. digital-asset market-structure legislation. For crypto traders, the combined message is: macro distrust in fiat and stronger gold demand may support flows into non-sovereign stores of value and tokenized assets, while regulatory focus on market structure and tokenization could drive near-term volatility as lawmakers and institutions debate rules. Keywords: Ray Dalio, fiat currency, gold rally, Davos, World Economic Forum, Coinbase, Brian Armstrong, tokenization, crypto regulation.

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan defended the city’s digital-asset framework at a Davos session, reiterating the principle of “same activity, same risk, same regulation.” He said digital assets should serve the real economy while being subject to robust safeguards for financial stability, market integrity and investor protection. Chan outlined existing measures: licensing for virtual asset trading platforms, Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) pilots for tokenized deposits and digital-asset trading, and a planned rollout of stablecoin licences expected in Q1. Since 2023 Hong Kong has issued three tranches of tokenized green bonds totaling about $2.1 billion, showing growing adoption of tokenization. The city’s Financial Technology 2030 (DART) strategy prioritizes data, AI, resilience and tokenization with 40+ initiatives. Examples of market activity include CMB’s tokenized $3.8 billion USD money-market fund on BNB Chain and cross-border blockchain trade-finance pilots involving Brazil’s Banco Inter and Chainlink. For traders: the announcements increase regulatory clarity and infrastructure support for tokenized assets and stablecoins, likely encouraging greater institutional participation, expanding regional liquidity pools and accelerating new tokenized products. Monitor stablecoin licence rollouts, HKMA pilots and tokenized bond/product issuance — these developments can create tradable supply, affect on-chain liquidity and influence flows into tokenized instruments and related platforms.

Bitcoin (BTC) has entered a consolidation phase after recent gains, pulling back from near $97,000 to around $91,500 while 24‑hour trading volume has declined. Analysts attribute the cooldown to regulatory uncertainty and traders reducing exposure to wait for the next macro catalyst. On‑chain flows show liquidity rotating into early‑stage, utility-focused altcoins. Remittix, an Ethereum‑based PayFi project, is singled out: it reports $28.8M+ in private funding, CertiK audit completion, full KYC for the team, and confirmed crypto‑to‑fiat PayFi platform release on 9 February 2026. Remittix has launched a wallet on the App Store (Google Play pending) and secured multiple CEX listings including BitMart. For traders, the article frames BTC as the market anchor but notes limited near‑term upside during consolidation and encourages diversification into projects with live products and adoption momentum, citing Remittix as a prime destination for reallocating liquidity.

New analysis of CoinGecko data, reported by Unfolded, finds 11.6 million cryptocurrency tokens became defunct in 2024 — about 86.3% of all failures recorded since 2021. CoinGecko defines “defunct” as delisting after extended website downtime, no trading volume for 30+ days, or clear project abandonment. The report shows 53.2% of all cryptocurrencies ever listed are now defunct, signalling rapid market consolidation. Key drivers cited include the end of easy capital, heightened global regulatory scrutiny (notably on unregistered token securities), rising blockchain infrastructure costs (e.g., high fees on networks like Ethereum), and a shift in investor preference toward projects with real-world utility, sustainable tokenomics, active development, and regulatory compliance. Implications for traders: elevated idiosyncratic risk in small-cap tokens and memecoins, greater need for due diligence on developer activity, tokenomics and liquidity, and a market concentrating liquidity in established assets. While consolidation may reduce some systemic risk, it can also increase centralization of market cap. The report emphasizes this wave of failures as market maturation rather than a repudiation of blockchain technology. (Main keywords: cryptocurrency failures, market consolidation, CoinGecko, token delistings.)

Canaan Inc., a cryptocurrency mining-hardware maker, has received a Nasdaq deficiency notice after its American Depositary Shares traded below the $1.00 minimum bid requirement. Nasdaq’s notice starts a 180-calendar-day cure period: Canaan must achieve a closing bid of at least $1.00 for a minimum of 10 consecutive trading days to regain compliance. The company may request an additional 180-day extension if it presents a credible plan to cure the deficiency. The share decline follows weak orders and reduced demand for mining rigs, plus buyer interest shifting toward AI compute hardware, which has pressured revenues. Management options include pursuing a reverse stock split to raise the per-share price, improving sales and cash flow, or seeking other capital measures — each option has trade-offs for shareholders. Trading will continue while Canaan attempts to regain compliance; failure to do so could prompt Nasdaq delisting procedures. Traders should monitor Canaan’s stock (micro-/small-cap risk), company filings about restructuring or finance measures, and bitcoin market moves that affect miner revenues.

Bhutan’s sovereign wealth arm Druk Holding and Investments (DHI) will deploy and operate a Sei Network validator in Q1 in collaboration with the Sei Development Foundation. The partnership aims to expand Bhutan’s blockchain footprint and enable future projects in payments, tokenization and personal identification. DHI’s innovation head Phuntsho Namgay emphasised the move supports Bhutan’s digital transformation goals. Eleanor Davies of the Sei Development Foundation said the validator expands Sei’s global validator footprint and paves the way for joint initiatives. Bhutan already runs a Bitcoin mining operation, holds an estimated ~11,286 BTC (around $1bn) per Bitbo, and operates an Ethereum-powered self-sovereign ID for its ~800,000 residents. The announcement follows a trend of large organizations and states running validators — examples include Deutsche Telekom and Google Cloud — signalling growing institutional participation in proof-of-stake infrastructure.

Google has been funding efforts to train its AI models using data that includes artists’ work, a move that comes as Hollywood and creators debate the legal and ethical boundaries of generative AI. Reports indicate Google provided financial support and infrastructure to projects and research that used copyrighted creative content to improve image- and text-generation systems. The controversy centers on whether using artist datasets without explicit consent or compensation constitutes copyright infringement or fair use. Major industry groups, individual creators and some studios are pressing for clearer protections, licensing frameworks, or compensation mechanisms. Google says its work supports innovation in AI tools and claims to respect copyright, while exploring licensing and other partnerships. The dispute highlights broader tensions between big tech’s access to vast training data and creators’ demands for rights and revenue. For crypto traders, the story matters because it could accelerate demand for blockchain-based copyright solutions and NFT licensing platforms, influence regulatory attention on AI-data provenance, and spur tokenized IP marketplaces. Key points: Google funds AI training with artist content; legal/ethical debate involves Hollywood and creators over consent, copyright and compensation; potential outcomes include licensing deals, regulatory action, or new tech for provenance (including blockchain/NFT solutions).

Chainlink has rolled out 24/5 on‑chain price feeds for U.S. equities and ETFs that combine pre‑market, regular, after‑hours and overnight sessions into continuous, cryptographically signed data streams. The feeds publish price, bid/ask, volume, market‑status flags, spread and staleness indicators and update on trade events to reduce unnecessary network traffic. They are available across 40+ blockchains. Early adopters named include Lighter, BitMEX, ApeX, Orderly Network, HelloTrade and Decibel. Chainlink highlights its data standard has processed $27 trillion in transaction value and 19 billion verified messages. The upgrade aims to close off‑hours pricing blind spots, enable equity perpetuals, synthetic stocks, lending and structured products onchain, and improve liquidation and margining with richer metadata. Chainlink positions this as a step toward bringing the roughly $80 trillion U.S. equities market into always‑on, global DeFi markets. Potential future enhancements include broader asset coverage and deeper market metrics such as order‑book data.