Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Remittix (RTX), a PayFi-focused altcoin, has accelerated product rollout and fundraising while Cardano (ADA) remains tied to longer-term development. Compared with an earlier summary, the latest update adds higher private funding ($28.8M vs $25.2M), larger token sales (701M+ tokens sold vs $650M in token sales reported earlier), a confirmed Apple App Store live wallet and a firm crypto-to-fiat PayFi launch date of 9 February 2026. Remittix’s smart contracts and team have CertiK verification, and planned centralized exchange listings (BitMart, LBank) aim to improve liquidity. The token trades near $0.123 and has attracted growing holder interest, referral incentives and marketing giveaways that boost community growth. By contrast, Cardano trades lower (around $0.36), with declining volume and its $1 narrative still dependent on ecosystem adoption and regulatory tailwinds. For traders, Remittix’s real-world payment utility, audited contracts, exchange listings and imminent wallet and fiat rails constitute catalysts that can drive speculative inflows and higher RTX trading volume ahead of the February rollout. Watch for pre-launch volatility, liquidity changes on BitMart/LBank listings, and on-chain holder accumulation; manage position size given typical token launch risks and promotional-driven demand.

Ten major European banks have formed Qivalis, an Amsterdam-based consortium to issue a euro-pegged stablecoin aimed at reducing reliance on US dollar–dominated digital payments. Participants include BNP Paribas, ING, UniCredit, Banca Sella, KBC, DekaBank, Danske Bank, SEB, Caixabank and Raiffeisen Bank International. Qivalis has appointed Jan-Oliver Sell (former Coinbase Germany CEO) as CEO and Howard Davies (former NatWest chair) as chair. The firm is applying for an Electronic Money Institution licence from the Dutch central bank and plans to hire about 45–50 staff over two years, with roughly one-third of roles already filled. Subject to regulatory approval, Qivalis aims to launch its euro-pegged stablecoin in H2 2026. Initial use cases target crypto trading and payments, promising near-instant, low-cost settlement and improved euro liquidity. The group has engaged the ECB, which signalled support for a European-led payment solution to bolster strategic autonomy. The move responds to rapid growth in dollar-backed stablecoins (e.g., Tether) and the relative scarcity of euro-denominated alternatives (SocGen’s SG-FORGE shows limited circulation). Regulators remain cautious about private stablecoins’ potential to divert bank deposits and affect monetary policy. For traders: the token could lower settlement friction in EUR trading pairs and provide a regulated euro liquidity tool, but adoption will likely be gradual and hinge on licensing, regulatory trust and initial integration with trading venues.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) told CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he “strongly believes” 2026 could mark a Bitcoin (BTC) supercycle, driven by increased pro-crypto policy from the United States under Donald Trump and potential follow-on adoption by other countries. CZ said Bitcoin may evolve beyond the traditional four‑year halving cycle and expects a multi-year bullish trend over a 5–10 year horizon. He did not give short-term price targets and said he holds BTC and Binance Coin (BNB) long term rather than trading actively. CZ also denied personal ties to Donald Trump after reports linking Binance to a roughly $2 billion investment routed through a USD1 stablecoin tied to the Trump-backed World Liberty Financial, calling the MGX and USD1 reports misunderstandings and saying he has never met or spoken directly with Trump. Market context: Bitcoin’s dominance means a sustained BTC rise would likely lift broader crypto market sentiment. Traders should weigh this macro regulatory catalyst alongside current technicals—recent price action showed BTC near the mid–$90k range with immediate support around $90k–$91k and key levels that will determine near-term momentum.

Yzi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), the $10B+ family office linked to Binance co‑founders, invested in BitGo’s NYSE IPO (ticker: BTGO) as the crypto custodian priced shares at $18 and raised roughly $212.8m in the offering. BitGo, founded in 2013, provides institutional custody, multi‑signature wallets, staking-as-a-service, settlement, token management and white‑label stablecoin issuance, and reports about $82 billion in assets under custody across 5,100+ institutional clients and 100+ countries. Shares rose as much as 36% intraday to $24.50 before settling near the IPO price in after‑hours trading. YZi Labs said it backed BitGo for its U.S.‑regulated, institutional‑grade infrastructure and security pedigree; Ella Zhang highlighted BitGo’s compliance and global expansion prospects as a newly public company. Other investors include Goldman Sachs, Galaxy Digital, DRW and Redpoint Ventures. The move ties BitGo’s custody technology to YZi’s global ecosystem (Trust Wallet, CoinMarketCap, Polygon, Injective) and underscores continued institutional onboarding of crypto capital. For traders: the IPO and strategic backing may increase confidence in regulated custody solutions and could support BTGO price momentum short term, while reinforcing broader institutional adoption narratives for crypto markets.

BlockDAG (BDAG) is closing a time‑boxed controlled presale on January 26 after raising about $444 million and onboarding roughly 3.5 million users via its X1 app. The presale price is $0.001 and the project has confirmed an initial listing price of $0.05, implying a built‑in 50x increase at listing. BlockDAG markets itself as a Layer‑1 hybrid DAG/Proof‑of‑Work chain with claimed 1,400 TPS and full EVM compatibility. The fixed-rate, deadline-driven presale mechanics and planned February exchange listings are driving whale participation and concentrated on‑chain supply movements; traders should monitor the exchange listing schedule, vesting/supply unlocks, and large transfers prior to listing. Secondary market context: Solana (SOL) is seeing institutional staking flows (including a Nasdaq‑listed company delegating $2M in SOL to a Coinbase‑backed validator), a sign of consolidation and yield-seeking that may reduce short‑term volatility. XRP remains catalyst‑driven with widely varying 2026 price scenarios tied to ETF approvals and payments adoption; it stays sensitive to regulatory and adoption news. Actionable points for traders: (1) BlockDAG presale expiry creates a defined short‑term event risk/reward window — final chance to buy at $0.001 before a confirmed $0.05 listing; (2) watch on‑chain whale movements, listing venues and liquidity on day‑one; (3) for SOL, monitor staking flows that could mute volatility; (4) for XRP, monitor regulatory and ETF cues. Note: this coverage summarizes a paid press release and is not investment advice.

Bitcoin (BTC) briefly surpassed $90,000 on OKX, with live prints showing $90,021.50–$91,003 across reports and an intraday gain around 0.30%–0.38%. Both updates are short market bulletins that provide price and percentage change only; neither includes trading volumes, driving catalysts, range data, or investment advice. The moves represent a modest intraday uptick around the key psychological $90,000 level. Traders should note the lack of corroborating volume and catalyst information — useful for quick directional context but insufficient for conviction on sustained trend changes. Primary keywords: Bitcoin, BTC price; secondary: $90,000, OKX, market update.

PI (Pi Network) has moved lower after a brief recovery: the token traded around $0.1839 after falling ~1.6% in 24 hours, reversing earlier gains even as Pi Network announced ecosystem updates. The team introduced a creator event, Test‑Pi payments for app integration, and an ad‑supported app option that lets new or non‑migrated users build by watching ads rather than paying fees. On‑chain flows from PiScan show material withdrawals from centralized exchanges — roughly 1.17 million PI removed over 48 hours in the later update (earlier data cited ~4.24 million PI over 24 hours) — signalling rising retail accumulation and a reduced immediate sell float. Technicals remain cautious: PI failed to reclaim the $0.1919 level (an Oct.11 low turned resistance). Short‑term indicators on the 4‑hour chart show RSI near 33–40 (emerging from oversold but not bullish) and MACD below its signal line, keeping momentum tilted toward sellers. Key levels: near‑term resistance $0.1919 (daily close above this would signal bullish shift) and upside target $0.2177 (Dec.19 high); downside supports to watch are $0.1835, $0.1632 and prior lows $0.1533–$0.1502 for potential retests. Trading takeaways: short‑term bias remains bearish until PI posts a daily close above $0.1919; monitor exchange reserves (withdrawals reduce available float), RSI/MACD crossovers for momentum shifts, and daily candle closes around $0.1919 to confirm whether the recovery will extend or reverse. For risk‑managed longs, consider support around $0.153–$0.150 with strict stops.

WPA Hash, a cloud-mining and computing-power management platform, targets XRP holders by offering prepaid computing-power contracts that let users earn daily payouts from mining mineable coins while retaining XRP exposure. Because XRP is not mineable, the service centralises hardware, maintenance and energy management so users avoid buying equipment or handling technical operations. Key features include quick onboarding (register, claim a $15 trial reward, choose and activate a contract), transparent contract tiers ranging from $100 to $8,000 with specified durations, daily profit settlements tied to allocated hashing power and block rewards, and advertised example returns. The platform markets multi-asset support (XRP, BTC, ETH referenced), security measures, and data centres using green energy. WPA Hash positions the model as a lower-correlation, income-focused option for holders seeking steady payouts rather than short-term price speculation. The coverage is sponsored content and includes a disclosure advising readers to do their own research.

Crypto market cap held near $3.0 trillion between Jan. 20 and Jan. 23 as traders saw broad intraday weakness across major assets. Spot volume dropped sharply (to about $43.5B on Jan. 23, a ~24.6% decline versus earlier levels) while 24h derivatives volume remained sizeable (~$132B) and global open interest hovered around $76–79B. Bitcoin dominance stayed elevated near 59%, with BTC trading around $88.9k on Jan. 23 (down from roughly $91k on Jan. 20). Ether also pulled back (around $2,918 on Jan. 23 vs $3,105 on Jan. 20) and Ethereum gas fees remained very low (average ~0.346 Gwei per Etherscan). Other large-cap movers included BNB, SOL, AVAX, ATOM and FTT, which recorded modest intraday declines. The combined readings point to subdued spot liquidity and risk-off positioning within the cash market, even as derivatives activity and open interest indicate continued leverage and hedging demand. Traders should watch spot volume, open interest shifts and BTC dominance for clues on near-term directional bias and liquidations risk.

The Bank of Japan on Jan. 23 voted 8–1 to keep its policy rate at 0.75%, the level set after December’s hike and the highest in about 30 years. The BOJ raised its inflation forecasts and left the door open to further tightening, but the decision matched market expectations and avoided an immediate policy shock. Crypto markets reacted modestly: Bitcoin traded slightly below $90,000 after the announcement. Technicals show fading momentum — BTC is below the 20-day moving average, testing the 50-day near $92,000, with RSI in the mid‑40s and rising volatility following a compression phase. Key near-term support sits at $89,500–$90,000; a daily close below $89,000 could trigger a drop toward $87,000–$88,000. Upside resistance remains at $92,000–$94,000 and the $97,000–$98,000 zone. Traders should monitor BOJ forward guidance and yen liquidity flows: past BOJ tightening episodes (notably March, July 2024 and Jan 2025) coincided with sharp Bitcoin corrections of roughly 23–30%, suggesting another tightening cycle could pose downside risk. Some technical analysts still point to support near the monthly EMA-21 and the potential for a brief rally toward $100k–$105k before any renewed sell-off. For traders, the BOJ decision is a near-term catalyst likely to sustain volatility—watch the monthly EMA-21, the $90k area for support, and the $70k–$88k range as contingent downside zones if historical correlations reassert.

BTCC reported a record $3.7 trillion total trading volume for 2025 and grew its user base to about 11 million (≈60% YoY). Futures dominated activity with $3.27 trillion, while spot trading reached $431 billion. Tokenized real‑world assets (RWA) saw rapid adoption: quarterly RWA futures volume climbed from $1.2 billion in Q1 to $22.7 billion in Q4 (a 1,792% increase), yielding a full‑year tokenized futures total of $53.1 billion. Tokenized gold was a standout RWA, trading $5.72 billion for the year (809% quarterly growth) and accounting for roughly 25% of RWA net market‑cap growth; tokenized gold market cap rose from $1.6B to $4.4B in 2025. Operationally, BTCC continued monthly proof‑of‑reserves reporting (reserves above 100%) and integrated its futures market with TradingView. Looking ahead to its 15th anniversary in 2026, BTCC plans to launch AI‑powered trading features, expand RWA product offerings into more commodities and traditional finance products, and roll out a next‑generation trading platform with multi‑asset matching engines and wealth‑management features. For traders: rising liquidity in tokenized RWA futures on centralized venues may increase trading opportunities and correlation with commodity prices, but macro volatility and concentrated flows in new RWA products can drive rapid position adjustments. Primary keywords: BTCC, trading volume, tokenized RWA, tokenized gold, AI trading tools.

Caroline Ellison, former CEO of Alameda Research and a key witness in the FTX collapse, has been released after serving roughly 14 months in federal custody following a sentence reduction for substantial cooperation with prosecutors. Ellison pleaded guilty to fraud-related charges connected to Alameda and FTX, provided testimony in trials related to Sam Bankman-Fried, and assisted investigators into alleged misuse of customer funds. Her release does not signal a return to industry roles and does not change the underlying civil or criminal cases, but it closes a chapter in the high-profile post-FTX prosecutions. Traders should note this legal resolution involving a central insider witness may affect market sentiment around regulatory scrutiny, exchange governance, and risk assessment in crypto firms. Primary keywords: Caroline Ellison, FTX, Alameda Research, federal custody, cooperation with prosecutors. Secondary/semantic keywords: criminal conviction, testimony, market sentiment, exchange governance, regulatory scrutiny.

Superstate closed an $82.5 million Series B led by Bain Capital Crypto and Distributed Global, with participation from Haun Ventures, Brevan Howard Digital, Galaxy Digital, Sentinel Global, Bullish, Hypersphere Capital and Flowdesk. The funding will accelerate development of Opening Bell, Superstate’s platform that enables SEC-registered issuers to run onchain Direct Issuance Programs (DIPs) and tokenize equity on Ethereum and Solana. Superstate operates as an SEC-registered transfer agent, automating shareholder registries and enabling investors to pay with stablecoins and receive tokenized shares in real time. Early adopters include SharpLink Gaming (Ethereum) and Forward Industries (Solana), both planning SEC-registered common-stock tokenizations via Opening Bell. The company manages roughly $1.23 billion in tokenized assets across a US Treasury-backed fund and a Crypto Carry Fund. Planned features include broader issuer support, direct issuance programs for digital share sales, and real-time onchain settlement and ownership records to replace manual processes and reduce reliance on wrapped tokens and fiat‑crypto bridges. For traders, the raise signals faster rollout of 24/7 onchain equity trading infrastructure and greater institutional interest in tokenized securities, which could increase trading volume and stablecoin on‑chain activity but will remain subject to SEC compliance and custody constraints.

Strive, the investment firm co-founded by Vivek Ramaswamy, has registered a $150 million follow-on offering of its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock (ticker: SATA) under the Securities Act of 1933. Proceeds, together with cash on hand, may be used to repay Semler Convertible Notes and other borrowings and to purchase Bitcoin for the company’s corporate treasury. The firm may also allow certain holders to exchange Semler Convertible Notes for SATA shares, which would not generate cash proceeds and could alter the effective size of the offering. Strive oversees more than $2.3 billion in assets across funds and reports mining power or Bitcoin-equivalent holdings of roughly 12,798 BTC as of Jan. 16, 2026; a recent agreement to acquire Semler Scientific is expected to add more BTC to its balance sheet. The SATA shares carry terms typical of perpetual preferred stock and are structured to support debt management and corporate- treasury Bitcoin accumulation. For traders, key takeaways are: $150M SATA offering (ticker SATA); stated uses include debt repayment and Bitcoin purchases; potential non-cash conversions from Semler notes could change how much fresh capital is raised; and Strive’s combined holdings/bitcoin-equivalent power place it among the larger corporate Bitcoin holders. Primary keywords: Bitcoin, Strive, SATA offering, corporate treasury, Vivek Ramaswamy.

Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin says he has moved most of his online activity to Firefly — a multi‑client interface bridging decentralized social networks (Lens, Farcaster, Bluesky) and X — and will devote 2026 to advancing decentralized social media. Buterin argues open, decentralized data layers enable true competition between clients and produce platforms that reflect user value rather than engagement‑driven metrics. He criticized token‑first SocialFi projects for rewarding existing social capital and short‑term price moves instead of content quality, and praised creator‑focused subscription models (for example, Substack) as better aligned with long‑term value. Buterin urged developers and users to spend more time in decentralized ecosystems and to rethink DAO structures to move away from centralized information monopolies. Recent ecosystem moves noted alongside his announcement include Neynar’s acquisition of Farcaster from Merkle, a Lens stewardship transfer from Aave to Mask Network, Farcaster reporting over two million registered users with hundreds of thousands of daily interactions, and Lens showing roughly 506,000 users per Dune Analytics. Traders should watch on‑chain and client usage metrics (daily active users, interactions, token activity where applicable) and governance changes in Lens/Farcaster — adoption momentum can influence market sentiment around Web3 social tokens and related ecosystems, while criticism of SocialFi may dampen speculative interest in tokenized social projects.

F/m Investments, an $18bn asset manager, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Jan. 21, 2026 seeking permission to represent shares of its US Treasury 3‑Month Bill ETF (TBIL) as blockchain tokens on a permissioned ledger. The proposal would keep the same CUSIP, investor rights, fees and regulatory protections under the Investment Company Act of 1940; tokenized shares would be one‑for‑one exchangeable with conventional book‑entry ETF shares and maintain existing governance, daily transparency, third‑party custody and audit requirements. The filing is the first explicit ETF issuer request to treat registered investment company shares as blockchain tokens and comes amid growing institutional momentum for tokenized securities — including a DTC tokenization pilot, tokenized U.S. Treasury volumes near $9.57bn notional, and other institutional products from BlackRock and major banks. F/m frames benefits as faster settlement (near‑instant vs T+1/T+2), extended trading hours, fractional ownership and operational efficiencies for institutional treasury trading while preserving current market structure and custody models. If the SEC grants relief, the filing could provide a regulatory template for other asset managers and accelerate regulated blockchain settlement in capital markets; a denial or delay might push tokenization toward less regulated corridors. For crypto traders, the filing signals increased regulatory engagement with tokenized securities and a clearer bridge between traditional liquidity pools and blockchain rails — potentially boosting on‑chain treasury liquidity and institutional flows into regulated tokenized assets.

Vietnam has launched a controlled pilot crypto exchange licensing framework under Government Resolution No. 05/2025/NQ-CP. The State Securities Commission and Ministry of Finance published procedures requiring Vietnamese-incorporated applicants, a single-charter capital of VND 10 trillion (~$380–400M), and a foreign ownership cap of 49%. At least 65% of capital must come from institutional investors; the remaining up to 35% must be provided by at least two investors (which can include banks or tech firms). Licensed platforms must register headquarters in Vietnam, adopt Level 4 IT security standards, keep trading and payments denominated in Vietnamese dong (VND), and meet strict requirements for ownership transparency, compliance roles (e.g., MLRO, CISO), custody, disaster recovery and stress testing. Regulators expect only a handful (around five) firms to qualify initially; major local banks and telecoms or consortia are the most likely entrants. The pilot aims to shift trading out of informal OTC and offshore channels, reduce financial crime, protect investors, test market stability, and potentially pave the way for tiered licensing or relaxed rules if KPIs (trading volume, incident reports, tax revenue) show positive results. For traders: expect limited new listings and constrained liquidity in the near term as activity consolidates onto a few compliant platforms; over the medium to long term the program could formalize Vietnam’s crypto sector, attract institutional participation and foreign direct investment, and encourage tokenization of traditional assets.

Ondo Finance expanded its Global Markets tokenized securities platform to Solana on Jan. 21, 2026, listing more than 200 tokenized US stocks and ETFs accessible via Jupiter. The launch makes Ondo the largest issuer by asset count on Solana and directly challenges incumbent xStocks (Backed Finance), which held roughly 93% market share on Solana since mid‑2025. Ondo’s model supports instant token creation and redemption during US market hours with liquidity routed to NASDAQ and NYSE order books rather than small on‑chain pools—designed to reduce price impact and support larger trades. xStocks has processed over $3 billion in transactions and holds about $182 million deposited with 57,000+ holders (Solana Foundation case study, Jan. 19, 2026). Ondo previously launched Global Markets on Ethereum (Sept 2025) and BNB Chain (Oct 2025) and reports roughly $2.17 billion TVL across products (DefiLlama). Ondo expects to reach Solana’s ~2.8M daily active users, citing Solana’s high throughput and low fees as reasons for the deployment. The move broadens Solana’s real‑world asset (RWA) ecosystem and is likely to intensify competition for custody, exchange liquidity partnerships and on‑chain trading volume. For traders: expect increased tokenized-stock liquidity on Solana, narrower spreads for larger trades if Ondo’s off‑chain liquidity connections scale, and potential volatility in market share and on‑chain flows between Ondo and xStocks as both platforms vie for users.

RedStone, a modular oracle provider, has acquired digital-asset data platform Security Token Market (STM.co) and its TokenizeThis conference to accelerate tokenization of real‑world assets (RWA) and expand its institutional footprint. STM, founded in 2018, maintains a dataset tracking over 800 on‑chain equities, real estate, debt instruments and funds with a combined market value reportedly exceeding $60 billion. The deal gives RedStone immediate vertical integration between oracle services and specialized RWA data, enabling new APIs and premium data products aimed at banks, asset managers and regulated issuers. Ownership of STM’s analytics dashboards, issuer/investor network and the TokenizeThis conference also strengthens RedStone’s industry relationships and go‑to‑market reach in the U.S. and institutional channels. Analysts note the acquisition helps RedStone differentiate from other oracle providers by offering deeper, niche RWA datasets—particularly timely as regulatory clarity around tokenization improves in 2024–25. Integration risks include data standardization, neutrality concerns and product integration work; successful merging could improve pricing, liquidity and compliance tooling for tokenized assets, potentially accelerating institutional adoption.

CFTC Chair Michael Selig launched the “Future Proof” initiative to rewrite decades‑old CFTC rules for markets shaped by crypto, blockchain and AI. Announced after his recent Senate confirmation, Selig said the agency will apply the “minimum effective dose” of regulation: tailor rules to specific crypto products and venues (including blockchain trading venues, prediction markets and perpetuals), protect against fraud and manipulation, and remove outdated barriers that shoehorn digital assets into legacy agricultural‑futures rules. Early actions include staffing changes (Amir Zaidi as chief of staff), creating an Innovation Advisory Committee, and signaling faster, clearer approvals for firms entering the crypto derivatives and prediction‑market space (recent approvals cited: Bitnomial, Gemini, Titan LLC, Polymarket US, MIAX). The plan stresses upgraded staff and systems to handle potential expanded CFTC authority while Congress debates jurisdictional changes. For traders, the overhaul should reduce legal uncertainty, standardize market structure and derivative rules, and could speed product approvals—benefits that may lower operational risk and increase liquidity—but will also bring new compliance requirements for platforms and products. SEO keywords: CFTC, crypto regulation, prediction markets, crypto derivatives.

Bitget has moved its TradFi trading suite out of beta and launched it publicly after a month-long test that drew over 80,000 sign-ups. The live product gives crypto-native traders access to 79 traditional market instruments — including XAU/USD (gold), forex pairs, indices and commodities — with all trades settled in USDT and available through existing Bitget accounts. During the beta, XAU/USD exceeded $100 million in single-day volume. Bitget says the TradFi offering delivers deep liquidity, tight spreads and flexible leverage tuned from user feedback, and forms part of its Universal Exchange (UEX) strategy to unify crypto and traditional markets on one platform. The rollout signals a broader trend of exchanges expanding beyond pure crypto trading to offer cross-asset gateways that support macro strategies and risk diversification.

House of Doge, the corporate arm of the Dogecoin Foundation, announced a consumer mobile app called Such that pairs a self‑custodial DOGE wallet with live transaction feeds and merchant tools branded “Hustles” to let individuals and small businesses list goods or services and accept Dogecoin. Development began in March 2025 by a ~20‑person Melbourne team using Dogecoin Foundation open‑source tech. Brag House Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: TBH) is named as a merger partner and strategic backer. The team targets a closed beta before a public launch in H1 2026. Such’s domain (suchpay.com) advertises “instant” DOGE payments with a 1% fee. At announcement time DOGE traded near $0.12–$0.13 and initial market reaction was muted. For traders: the app emphasizes spendability and merchant adoption rather than speculative features, positioning Such as a potential adoption catalyst for DOGE by reducing friction for everyday payments. Primary keywords: Dogecoin, DOGE wallet, Dogecoin payments, Such app. Secondary keywords: self‑custodial wallet, merchant tools, Hustles, Brag House, launch H1 2026.

Chainalysis has launched Workflows, a no-code automation layer inside its Data Solutions investigative platform that lets non-technical users build, run and share complex blockchain analyses without SQL or Python. Workflows offers a visual canvas and pre-built blocks for tasks such as address clustering, transaction linking, enrichment with sanctions and regulatory lists, timing and amount analysis, targeted wallet/cluster search and automated report generation. The feature includes sharable templates, version control and collaboration tools while still allowing technical teams to add custom SQL/Python scripts. Chainalysis says Workflows reproduces data‑scientist‑level queries, lowers the technical barrier to onchain investigation, and speeds operational workflows — citing prior large-scale probes such as a Coinbase investigation as an example of cross-border use. No pricing changes were disclosed. The launch underscores growing demand among exchanges, financial institutions and law enforcement for accessible blockchain intelligence and compliance tooling, which may improve investigation speed and operational efficiency for compliance teams and trading firms.

Chainalysis reports Iran’s crypto ecosystem reached $7.78 billion in on‑chain activity in 2025, accelerating from 2024 as both civilians and state-linked actors increased digital asset use to hedge inflation, preserve capital and work around sanctions. Major spikes in transaction volume aligned with political and military events (Jan 2024 Kerman bombings, Oct 2024 missile strikes on Israel, and a June 2025 Iran–Israel escalation) and with mass protests beginning 28 Dec 2025. During late‑Dec 2025–Jan 2026 internet shutdowns and unrest, Chainalysis observed higher average daily transaction values, more transfers to personal wallets and increased withdrawals from exchanges to self‑custody Bitcoin wallets. The report estimates Iranian inflation at roughly 40–50% and notes a roughly 90% rial depreciation since 2018, factors pushing adoption of crypto as a flight‑to‑safety. Chainalysis highlights extensive IRGC-linked activity: addresses identified via OFAC and Israeli sanctions received over 50% of value entering Iranian crypto wallets in Q4 2025, rising from about $2B in 2024 to over $3B in 2025, and allegedly moved roughly $1B through UK-registered exchanges since 2023 (a lower‑bound estimate). The firm warns the IRGC’s true footprint may be larger due to shell companies and unidentified wallets. Chainalysis concludes that sustained economic volatility and sanctions pressure will likely keep digital assets central to Iranian financial activity and that blockchain analytics can reveal near‑real‑time economic impacts of geopolitical events.

Tether (USDT) and Circle (USDC) minted a combined $1.5 billion in roughly two hours following recent market volatility, according to on‑chain data. Tether issued about $1 billion USDT—mainly on Tron—while Circle minted roughly $500 million USDC, including new supply on Solana. The issuance followed a sharp pullback that briefly pushed Bitcoin below $93,000 and triggered liquidations. Large stablecoin mints typically signal increased dollar liquidity and readiness to deploy capital rather than immediate buying: newly issued tokens often remain in treasuries or intermediary wallets before moving to exchanges, market makers or institutional desks. Market-share data show USDT and USDC continue to dominate circulating stablecoin supply, with Tether around 60% and Circle about 30%. Whether the new supply translates into spot buying depends on follow‑through indicators such as inflows to centralized exchanges, stablecoin transfers to exchange wallets, and on‑chain spot demand. For traders, the mint indicates higher on‑chain dollar liquidity and potential for increased volatility and buying pressure, but it is not by itself confirmation of a market reversal. Key SEO keywords: stablecoins, USDT, USDC, liquidity, on‑chain.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) saw a sharp rise in burn activity after the community removed 28.8 million SHIB in 24 hours, a 1,344% increase in burn rate per Shibburn data. Three anonymous whale transactions accounted for the total: a 28,000,000 SHIB burn and two smaller burns of 341,698 SHIB and 500,000 SHIB. This large manual burn is the biggest recent single transfer. While Shibarium includes an automated burn mechanism that converts portions of BONE-denominated fees into SHIB for destruction, automated burns have been limited in 2026; current supply reductions are primarily driven by manual whale burns. Earlier reporting noted a larger-scale burn surge over a different 24-hour window (4,369,584 SHIB or a reported 910.98% increase), taking total burned supply to roughly 410.75 trillion SHIB and leaving circulating supply near 585.41 trillion with ~3.84 trillion SHIB staked. Price action has remained weak and volatile: SHIB fell about 7% from $0.00000842 to $0.00000783, briefly recovered nearly 4%, then slipped again to around $0.00000782 at the time of reporting (roughly -0.78% over 24 hours). Trading volume showed modest increases in some reports, but futures open interest was noted as declining in earlier coverage, a potential sign of waning leveraged bullish conviction. Key takeaways for traders: large manual burns can tighten circulating supply but have not produced a sustained rally; monitor whale on-chain activity, Shibarium transaction volume (which would increase automated burns), exchange flows, futures open interest, and short-term volatility around burn events to gauge whether supply reductions translate into lasting price support or precede liquidity stress.

Portugal’s gambling regulator SRIJ ordered blockchain prediction market Polymarket to cease offering political betting in Portugal within 48 hours on Jan. 17, citing national law (Decreto‑Lei n.º 66/2015) that permits only sports betting, casino games and horse racing. The 48‑hour deadline expired on Jan. 19, yet Polymarket remained accessible in Portugal with no public enforcement order or ISP blocks as of Jan. 20. Portuguese-linked trading on Polymarket’s presidential election markets exceeded $120 million, with a sharp volume spike immediately before official results, triggering regulatory scrutiny. SRIJ said it may ask ISPs to block access but had not done so by the report date. Portugal joins 30+ jurisdictions that have restricted Polymarket (including France, Singapore, Belgium and Ukraine), with measures ranging from ISP blocking to view‑only access. The action contrasts with Polymarket’s regulatory progress in the U.S., where it received CFTC approval in November 2025 to operate as a regulated exchange and has partnerships to distribute prediction data. No public response from Polymarket was reported. Relevant keywords: Polymarket, Portugal regulation, political betting, prediction markets.

Optimism’s governance will vote on January 22, 2026 on a proposal from the Optimism Foundation to allocate 50% of Superchain sequencer revenue to open-market buybacks of the OP token. If passed, buybacks would begin in February and run for one year; the remaining 50% of revenue would fund ecosystem grants and yield-generation managed under governance oversight. Repurchased OP would be returned to the protocol treasury (not automatically burned), where governance can later decide to burn, stake, or distribute them. Historical Superchain receipts contributed roughly 5,868 ETH to the treasury over the past 12 months, and commentators estimate 2026 receipts could enable purchases of roughly 15–25 million OP depending on market prices (est. $0.30–$0.51). OP traded near $0.30 on Jan. 20 after a steep decline from its $4.85 peak in March 2024 and may retest the December low near $0.25. Technical resistance lies near the 50-day and 200-day EMAs (~$0.32 and ~$0.51). Community reaction is broadly supportive of aligning token economics with Superchain growth, but critics warn that large outstanding unlocks (around 1.69 billion OP across governance, airdrops, retro and partner/seed allocations) could dilute buyback effects. The plan follows a growing protocol trend of using fee revenue for buybacks (examples cited: dYdX, ether.fi). Traders should watch the Jan. 22 vote outcome, the protocol’s cadence and size of monthly purchases, whether bought tokens are ultimately burned or reintroduced via staking/rewards, and broader market moves (especially ETH) — all of which will determine short-term rally potential and longer-term impact on supply dynamics.

Ethereum (ETH) has softened after recent rejections near $3,400–$3,000 and is trading around $3,000–$3,100. Short-term price action shows ETH below the 21‑day simple moving average (SMA) while hovering at or just above the 50‑day SMA, which now serves as critical support. If ETH breaks the 50‑day SMA or falls decisively below the $3,000 support, analysts flag the next major downside target near prior lows at about $2,270–$2,400. Resistance remains elevated at $3,400 and longer-term levels around $4,500–$5,000. Technical indicators show lower highs and lower lows with the 21‑day SMA acting as short‑term resistance; the 21‑day remaining above the 50‑day in some reports retains some prior bullish bias but momentum has weakened. For traders, key levels to watch are support at $3,000 and $2,500–$2,270 and resistance at $3,400, $4,500 and $5,000; a decisive break through $3,000 downward or a reclaim above $3,400 should determine the next trend. This is a technical market view and not investment advice.