Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Revolut has applied for a full banking licence in Peru as part of its Latin America expansion, aiming to offer local deposit and payment services and deepen its crypto-adjacent product suite. The move follows Revolut’s earlier market entries in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil and targets high remittance flows into Peru—World Bank data show nearly $5 billion in personal remittances in 2024—making cross-border payments and remittances a priority. Revolut expects the normal regulatory review timeline and will adapt product rollouts to local requirements; if approved it could deliver local accounts, payments, deposits and potentially stablecoin-related services. This fits a wider regional trend of fintechs adopting dollar stablecoins for payments (examples: Mercado Pago’s Meli Dollar, Nubank pilot projects and Lemon’s growth). For crypto traders, the application signals continued institutional adoption of stablecoins in Latin America and potential growth in stablecoin payment volumes on platforms like Revolut—factors that may raise transaction demand for USDC/USDT and boost on‑chain remittance flow. Key SEO keywords: Revolut, Peru banking licence, remittances, stablecoin, Latin America.

Kazakhstan has formally legalised cryptocurrencies and placed digital-asset trading under the National Bank’s authority. President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev signed laws amending banking and financial‑markets legislation to classify crypto — including fiat‑pegged stablecoins and tokenised real‑world assets — as recognised banking instruments. The National Bank will license crypto exchanges operating in Kazakhstan, maintain a curated list of approved cryptocurrencies that may be traded on regulated platforms, and can set circulation and trading limits. The reforms create three classes of digital financial assets, explicitly cover major coins such as Bitcoin and Ethereum (classed as unsecured digital assets), and assign standards‑setting and supervisory roles to the financial market regulator (ARDFM) and the National Bank. New rules raise investor‑protection requirements (risk management, disclosure and redemption standards), introduce stricter AML controls including the travel rule and a national registry to flag wallets linked to crime, and bring crypto services into mainstream banking by allowing licensed banks to hold, issue or offer digital‑asset products. For traders: the law increases on‑chain regulatory certainty and may reduce off‑market activity, but it also narrows the inventory of tokens available on licensed exchanges and allows the central bank to limit circulation — factors that could reduce liquidity and concentrate trading on approved assets, with possible effects on price action for non‑approved tokens.

The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association (HKSFPA) has formally asked regulators to soften parts of Hong Kong’s implementation of the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and related Common Reporting Standard (CRS) amendments ahead of the 2028 start of cross-border data exchange. While supporting CARF’s tax-transparency goals, HKSFPA warned the current draft would impose heavy operational, compliance-cost and legal-liability burdens on local Reporting Crypto-Asset Service Providers (RCASPs). Key requests include: a simplified “lite” registration or annual nil-return for RCASPs with no reportable data; caps or clearer limits on per-account penalties for technical or administrative mistakes; removal of indefinite personal liability for former directors of dissolved firms and instead allowing designated licensed third parties to hold post‑dissolution records; and stronger privacy protections for user data. The submission also notes Hong Kong’s broader push to boost its crypto hub credentials (stablecoin licensing under the Stablecoins Ordinance, proposals to allow insurance capital into crypto). For traders, this is primarily a regulatory compliance story: potential easing of rules would lower operating costs and legal risk for Hong Kong exchanges and service providers, which could influence institutional participation and liquidity over time, but it does not directly change token fundamentals or protocols.

PancakeSwap’s community voted unanimously to lower CAKE’s maximum supply cap from 450 million to 400 million via a Snapshot vote that recorded about 1.66 million votes in favor. The change follows the Tokenomics 3.0 update (April 2025), which retired veCAKE and cut daily emissions from ~40,000 CAKE to ~22,250 CAKE. CAKE was already net deflationary in 2025: total supply fell from ~380M to ~350M and circulating supply stood near ~347–350M at publication. The new 400M cap removes 50M CAKE from potential future issuance and does not affect current circulating supply; it reduces long-term dilution risk and clarifies supply expectations. PancakeSwap expects token burns under the revised framework to be funded from multiple revenue streams (estimated contributions include 15–23% of spot trading fees, 20% of perpetual trading profits and 20% of IFO fees). The protocol holds roughly 3.5M CAKE in an Ecosystem Growth Fund. Operational highlights from 2025 cited alongside the vote include multi-chain expansion (ten chains including Solana and Monad), new products (PancakeSwap Infinity, CAKE.PAD), >$2.36 trillion processed volume in 2025, a 629% increase in trading volume year-on-year, ~37.8% DEX market share and ~35.37M unique traders. CAKE was trading near $2.00 at publication (roughly +2% over 7 days, +4.75% over 30 days). For traders, the cap reduction lowers future inflation risk and strengthens long-term tokenomics, but immediate price reaction is likely limited absent broader market catalysts.

Tether has partnered with Laos-licensed exchange Bitqik to launch a nationwide crypto education programme focused on USDT and stablecoins, targeting more than 10,000 participants. The hybrid initiative—delivered via Bitqik Academy—will provide online resources, workshops and in-person training covering stablecoins (notably USDT), blockchain basics, payments and responsible crypto use. Tether supplies educational materials and logistical support while Bitqik manages local outreach and delivery. Leaders from both firms said the programme aims to close knowledge gaps, increase access to formal financial services and demonstrate real-world stablecoin use cases such as payments and remittances. The coverage also situates the project within a regional trend of stablecoin education and adoption in ASEAN, noting forecasts that stablecoins could capture a meaningful share of global remittance flows and expand Asia remittance volumes by 2028. No investment incentives or token promotions were announced. Keywords: Tether, Bitqik, USDT, stablecoins, Laos crypto education, blockchain, remittances.

OpenAI says it will reveal its first consumer hardware device in late 2026, with shipments possibly slipping into 2027. The project — led by CEO Sam Altman with designer Jony Ive and LoveFrom — aims for a ‘shockingly simple’, likely screen-less, possibly wearable device focused on ambient, conversational AI. OpenAI has been hiring audio and interface engineers and advancing audio-model capabilities, signalling momentum, though company leaders caution the timeline may change and the 2026 date could be an unveiling rather than a retail launch. Separately, OpenAI will begin testing ads in ChatGPT for US users on the free and Go tiers, while keeping paid tiers (Pro, Business, Enterprise) ad-free and saying ad tests won’t alter response objectivity or share conversations with advertisers. The announcements come amid legal pressure from Elon Musk, who alleges OpenAI’s restructuring violated its nonprofit mission. For crypto traders, the combined news highlights: (1) a hardware roadmap that could boost demand for AI infrastructure tokens and cloud-compute-linked projects; (2) increased monetization focus (ChatGPT ad tests) that may strengthen OpenAI’s revenue outlook and investor sentiment for AI-related equities; and (3) geopolitical and legal risks that could add volatility to markets tied to AI integration. Primary keywords: OpenAI, AI hardware, ChatGPT ads, AI monetization. Secondary keywords: Jony Ive, wearable AI, ambient computing, ad testing, investor sentiment.

Ethereum (ETH) pulled back from $3,300 and found support around $3,200 after a clean retest of a descending trendline now acting as support. Daily volume surged to over $27 billion (up ~128% day-over-day), and 24-hour price action ranged roughly $3,190–$3,360. ETH is up about 3.3% on the week but remains ~35% below its August 2025 peak. Technical structure: short-term support sits in the $3,085–$3,200 zone (also reinforced by the 20- and 50-day moving averages); the 200-day MA lies near $3,650. Analysts highlight a possible Elliott Wave third wave targeting around $4,000 if ETH holds $2,980–$3,085; failure below $3,200 could sap near-term momentum. On-chain signals have strengthened: daily active addresses doubled to above 800,000 in two weeks, staking participation reached a new high, and spot ETFs added over 158,000 ETH (~$500m+) since Dec 29, with most inflows clustered between $2,770–$3,100. Trading triggers to watch: a volume-backed breakout above $3,400 for a path toward $3,660–$4,000, or a decisive break below $3,085–$3,200 that would likely keep ETH range-bound or pull it toward $3,150–$3,200. Key SEO keywords: Ethereum price, ETH support, $3,200, $3,400 breakout, ETF inflows, on-chain activity.

Wrench attacks — physical threats or violence used to force holders to unlock wallets or authorize transfers — are rising in frequency and severity. Newer reports cite the January 2025 kidnapping of Ledger co‑founder David Balland in France as a high‑profile example of how online crypto crime is spilling into real‑world violence. Analysts (including Haseeb Qureshi referencing Jameson Lopp’s database) find reported incidents and average severity increasing, with roughly 45% of frequency variation correlated to total crypto market capitalization. Drivers include fast, irreversible cross‑border payouts, larger reachable holdings as prices rise, easy target identification through public profiles, events and P2P/OTC activity, and data exposures (customer‑data leaks or bribed support agents) that map online identities to real addresses. Typical attack patterns move from target identification and approach to coercion and rapid fund movement; attackers sometimes target relatives when owners are unavailable. Reported geographic hotspots include parts of Western Europe and APAC, though analysts warn underreporting likely masks true prevalence. For traders, recommended mitigations include lowering public visibility, keeping day‑to‑day balances separate from long‑term stores, using multisig, time‑locks or custodial controls, treating support impersonation as a direct threat, and prioritizing physical safety over on‑chain recovery during an incident. The reports underline that cryptographic key security alone cannot remove “last‑mile” human risks and that rising market caps can increase attackers’ incentives.

China-led mBridge, a wholesale multi-CBDC settlement platform tested by central banks in mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, has processed over $55.5 billion across more than 4,000 cross-border transactions since its pilot — a roughly 2,500-fold increase from 2022. Growth is driven by heavy use of China’s digital yuan (e-CNY), which accounts for about 95% of mBridge settlement volume. Concurrently, domestic e-CNY activity has surged: China’s central bank reports over 3.4 billion e-CNY transactions totaling RMB 16.7 trillion (~$2.4 trillion), up more than 800% year-on-year. China is piloting a framework allowing commercial banks to pay interest on e-CNY wallet balances, shifting e-CNY toward a “digital deposit” role. mBridge offers EVM-compatible ledger features, real-time payment-versus-payment atomic settlement, smart-contract programmability, and direct multi-CBDC conversions — shortening settlement times to seconds and cutting costs by up to 70% versus legacy correspondent banking and SWIFT messaging. The BIS withdrew operational control in late 2024, handing governance to participating central banks amid geopolitical sensitivity and concerns about sanction circumvention; it is focusing instead on projects with Western central banks. Analysts view mBridge and expanding e-CNY rails as building parallel settlement channels that reduce dependence on the dollar system in certain corridors rather than directly displacing the U.S. dollar. For traders, key implications include increased on-chain settlement activity in affected FX corridors, potential rebalancing of trade finance and FX demand toward digital-payment rails, and the need to monitor liquidity, corridor-specific FX spreads, and regulatory responses that could alter cross-border flow dynamics.

Bitcoin fell below the $92,000 level, trading around $91,950 on Binance USDT after a sudden increase in sell orders and higher trading volume. The move breached a key psychological support/resistance at $92,000 and produced a 24-hour low near $91,800, under the 30-day average of about $93,500. Analysts cite a mix of factors: macroeconomic conditions, regulatory developments, institutional flows, liquidity and derivatives positioning, and network fundamentals such as hash rate. The decline increased correlation pressure on altcoins and shifted market-cap and dominance dynamics. Traders should monitor on-chain exchange inflows/outflows, trading volume, derivatives open interest, and whether BTC can reclaim $92,000 as support; nearer supports to watch are ~$90,000 and ~$88,000. Short-term implications include possible momentum shift if high-volume selling continues; long-term holders may view dips as buying opportunities depending on strategy and risk tolerance. Recommended actions: reassess positions, apply strict risk management (position sizing, stop-losses), consider dollar-cost averaging for new entries, and track altcoin correlation and dominance metrics. Keywords: Bitcoin, BTC price, market volatility, derivatives, institutional flows.

Moldova plans to introduce its first comprehensive crypto law by late 2026 that will largely mirror the EU’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets Regulation (MiCA). A draft is being prepared by the finance ministry together with the central bank, financial markets regulator and AML authorities. The law will legalise retail holding and trading of crypto within a regulated framework, require platforms to obtain licences, and impose user-protection and AML/KYC rules. It will also set rules for transparency and for which firms may convert crypto to the local currency, while explicitly prohibiting crypto as a means of everyday payment. Authorities cite risks from volatility and money‑laundering and say the move aims to provide legal certainty for businesses, protect ordinary savers and attract clearer investment flows; however, compliance costs for firms are expected to rise. The timetable targets completion by the end of 2026 and seeks alignment with MiCA, which has applied to EU service providers since December 30, 2024.

Anchorage Digital, the U.S. federally chartered crypto bank, is pursuing $200 million to $400 million in private funding as it prepares for a potential IPO as early as next year or in 2027. The raise will bolster the balance sheet, expand product lines—notably stablecoin issuance and related teams—and support strategic partnerships (including reported work with Tether on a USAT proposal and issuance of USDtb via Ethena Labs with U.S. Bank for reserve custody). Management expects to scale the stablecoin team and leverage its OCC‑supervised bank charter to issue regulated payment stablecoins, which they argue improves valuation versus non‑bank competitors. Timing, amounts and terms remain uncertain and Anchorage has not publicly commented; traders should watch capital deployment, regulatory developments, underwriting/investor announcements and any stablecoin issuance details for potential impacts on institutional flows and sector sentiment.

The U.S. Department of Justice has confirmed that 57.55353 BTC forfeited in the Samourai Wallet case were not sold and will be retained in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) under Executive Order 14233. The clarification followed blockchain activity in November 2025 showing a transfer from a government-controlled address to a Coinbase Prime deposit address, which briefly showed a zero balance and sparked reports that the U.S. Marshals Service had liquidated roughly $6.3 million in Bitcoin. Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, said the DOJ verified the assets remain on the U.S. government balance sheet and will not be sold. The confirmation comes amid broader SBR accumulation: the government now holds roughly 328,372 BTC (about $31.3B), including large forfeitures such as 127,271 BTC seized in October from an alleged Cambodia-based “pig butchering” scam. Building the SBR is a stated priority for the Trump administration; Senator Cynthia Lummis has sponsored legislation to accelerate accumulation toward a one-million-BTC target via budget-neutral methods. Key entities: DOJ, U.S. Marshals Service, Patrick Witt, Samourai Wallet, Coinbase Prime, President’s Executive Order 14233. Implications for traders: the confirmed retention reduces immediate liquidation risk from this incident, supports a continued government-driven centralization of BTC supply, and keeps potential future policy or legislative changes (and large forfeitures) as the main supply-side risks to monitor.

Google will require crypto exchange and custodial wallet apps on Google Play in South Korea to upload proof of registration with South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) from January 28. Developers must submit accepted VASP/FIU registration documents via Google’s Developer Console; apps that fail to provide valid registration may be blocked for South Korean users, preventing new downloads and possibly disrupting re-installs. The enforcement implements Google’s global crypto app policy locally and is likely to affect major international platforms that serve Korean users but lack FIU registration — news reports name Binance and OKX as probable examples. South Korean FIU registration typically requires a local legal entity, AML systems, on-site inspections and ISMS certification, which can be burdensome for overseas exchanges. Binance said it is engaging with Google and warned some users may temporarily be unable to re-download apps; OKX did not comment. The change aligns with Korea’s broader regulatory tightening around crypto (including stricter rules for tokenized securities and bank‑level standards for exchanges) but stems from Google’s enforcement of local compliance rather than a new FIU rule. Traders should monitor potential access disruptions to offshore exchanges, withdrawal/deposit frictions, and any short-term volume shifts in KRW trading pairs or platforms as users migrate to FIU‑registered services.

West Virginia Senator Chris Rose introduced Senate Bill 143, the "Inflation Protection Act," on January 15, 2026. The proposal would allow the State Treasury Board to allocate up to 10% of certain treasury accounts into a narrow set of nontraditional assets: precious metals (gold, silver), regulator-approved stablecoins, and digital currencies that meet a strict market-cap test — an average market capitalization of US$750 billion over the prior calendar year. That threshold effectively restricts qualifying cryptocurrencies to Bitcoin (BTC) today. The bill permits multiple custody models — direct holdings, exchange-traded products (ETPs) or other approved custody arrangements — and contemplates yield-generating options such as staking or ETPs under specified safeguards (qualified custodianship, reporting, audits and insurance). Supporters frame SB 143 as a cautious inflation hedge and diversification away from cash and bonds; critics raise fiduciary-duty and volatility concerns. The measure has been referred to the state Senate Banking and Insurance Committee for review of risk controls, reporting requirements and operational safeguards. If enacted, the law would enable a capped, limited experiment (up to 10% of eligible funds) in using gold, regulator-backed stablecoins and very large-cap crypto to preserve purchasing power. Traders should note the bill’s narrow asset eligibility, custodial and regulatory constraints, and the low near-term fiscal impact unless other states adopt larger allocations — all factors that limit immediate market-moving demand for crypto but increase the potential for gradual institutional adoption at the state level.

KBC Bank, Belgium’s second-largest lender, will permit retail customers to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) via its Bolero investment platform from Feb. 16, 2026. The service is offered as execution-only under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework; KBC has filed a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) notification with Belgian authorities and says transactions will be supervised by the Financial Services and Markets Authority and the National Bank of Belgium. Users must pass a risk-knowledge and experience test and KBC will not provide investment advice. The platform uses a closed-loop model that prevents withdrawals to private wallets or other exchanges to reduce fraud and phishing risks. Bolero serves roughly 4 million users, and KBC highlights bank-grade custody, integrated reporting for taxes, and investor education. The rollout follows Belgium’s recent national MiCA implementation (effective Jan. 3) and positions KBC among the first Belgian banks to offer regulated retail crypto trading. Traders should note the likely market effects: increased retail accessibility and on‑ramp flows for BTC and ETH inside bank accounts could support demand over time, while the closed‑loop restrictions limit outflows to external venues and reduce custody-driven volatility. Separate third‑party price models cited in earlier coverage project a range of possible BTC outcomes over 12 months, implying potential near‑term price softness but wide uncertainty.

State Street has launched a production-ready Digital Asset Platform for institutional clients that combines wallet management, custody and cash functions into a single stack. Announced January 15, the platform targets tokenized investment products and on‑chain cash instruments — specifically tokenized money market funds (MMFs), tokenized ETFs, tokenized deposits and stablecoins — and supports permissioned and public-permissioned networks. Emphasising compliance, governance workflows, scalable custody controls, key management and integration with existing servicing systems, State Street positions the product as servicing-grade infrastructure that moves beyond pilots into production. The platform uses delivery-versus-payment style flows to bridge traditional servicing and on‑chain settlement. For traders, the move signals faster token issuance paths for asset managers via existing servicing relationships, greater institutional infrastructure for tokenized cash-equivalents and stablecoins, and increased competition among custodians and infrastructure providers. Expected outcomes include broader on‑chain liquidity for tokenized cash instruments, more pragmatic TradFi-to‑onchain adoption within regulated, permissioned environments (rather than open DeFi composability), and potential increases in institutional flows into tokenized instruments.

ARK Invest founder Cathie Wood argues in the firm’s 2026 Big Ideas outlook that Bitcoin’s persistently low correlation with traditional assets and its programmatic supply cap make it a practical portfolio diversifier for institutional investors. ARK’s analysis (using Bloomberg and Coin Metrics; weekly returns Jan 2020–Jan 2026) shows multi-year correlations near zero: Bitcoin vs. bonds ~0.06, vs. gold ~0.14, vs. the S&P 500 ~0.28. By contrast, many traditional asset pairings show much higher correlations. The report highlights Bitcoin’s fixed 21 million supply and the effects of halvings: annual new supply fell after the 2024 halving to about 0.8% and is modeled to fall toward ~0.4% by 2028, reinforcing structural scarcity unlike gold, whose supply can expand with price. ARK attributes much of Bitcoin’s cumulative ~360% gain since late 2022 to fiat liquidity meeting constrained supply rather than pure speculation. Simulated portfolio tests show small allocations (1–5%) of BTC to a 60/40 stock/bond mix can raise the Sharpe ratio at fixed volatility while only marginally increasing portfolio volatility; excluding Bitcoin may force lower equity allocations and reduce expected returns. Demand drivers cited include spot BTC ETF inflows, institutional hedging use, and Layer-2 improvements (e.g., Lightning Network). The report notes 2024 regulatory progress (EU MiCA, UK frameworks, clearer U.S. ETF paths) has eased institutional adoption hurdles but cautions that Bitcoin remains volatile and past performance is not indicative of future results.

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan warned that up to $6 trillion — roughly 30–35% of U.S. commercial bank deposits — could migrate into interest-bearing stablecoins if U.S. market-structure legislation permits them. He said such outflows would mirror past money-market runs, shrinking bank balance sheets, reducing lending capacity, forcing reliance on costlier wholesale funding and likely raising borrowing costs, with small and medium-sized businesses most exposed. The remarks came amid Senate debate over a market-structure bill (drafts include the GENIUS Act and related proposals) that would clarify stablecoin rules and contains contentious language on whether payment-purpose stablecoins can pay interest or offer rewards. Crypto leaders (including Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong) and investors argue that interest-bearing stablecoins and on-chain rewards spur innovation and liquidity, while banks and some regulators warn of systemic risks to deposit insurance and bank funding. Prior Treasury estimates and analyses cited by Moynihan put potential deposit migration as high as $6–6.6 trillion. For traders: ongoing regulatory uncertainty is a major driver — a restrictive rule banning interest/rewards could limit on-chain yield options and slow stablecoin adoption, while a permissive regime could accelerate USD flows into crypto rails, increase stablecoin supply and on-chain liquidity, and shift funding dynamics across banks and crypto platforms. Monitor legislative developments, regulator statements, and major exchange ’rewards’ programs: each will directly affect stablecoin demand, funding costs in traditional finance, and short-term risk sentiment across equities and crypto markets.

Ripple has approved up to $150 million in financing to LMAX Group to accelerate institutional adoption of its new dollar stablecoin, RLUSD. Under a multi‑year agreement, LMAX will integrate RLUSD as core collateral across its institutional FX and crypto trading and settlement systems, enabling banks, brokers and funds on the venue to use RLUSD for margin, cross‑collateralisation and round‑the‑clock settlement in spot crypto, perpetual futures and fiat crosses. The deal also links LMAX Digital liquidity into Ripple Prime’s prime brokerage services to improve price discovery and deepen institutional liquidity access. The announcement follows Ripple’s progress toward regulatory compliance in Europe, including preliminary approval for an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license in Luxembourg and other measures such as developer grants and token allocations. Market reaction was muted, with XRP’s price showing little movement, suggesting traders view the move as long‑term infrastructure development rather than an immediate price catalyst. Key risks include competition from established stablecoins (USDC, USDT), slow institutional onboarding cycles, and the time required for collateral integrations to materially affect XRP demand. This development strengthens Ripple’s stablecoin infrastructure narrative and may gradually increase RLUSD utility among institutional venues.

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan warned that allowing issuers to pay interest on stablecoins could siphon up to $6 trillion of deposits from the U.S. banking system. Citing a U.S. Treasury‑referenced study, Moynihan said interest‑paying, tokenised stablecoins would behave similarly to money market funds: balances parked in cash, central bank reserves or short‑term Treasuries rather than being lent out. He argued such a shift would shrink banks’ low‑cost deposit bases, reduce lending capacity—particularly to small and medium enterprises that depend on bank credit—and could raise borrowing costs across the economy. Moynihan framed the development as a systemic risk and called for clear regulatory boundaries and oversight for crypto firms that offer yield on stablecoin balances, including how such products should be insured. For crypto traders, the comments highlight heightened regulatory risk and potential market volatility: higher demand for yield‑bearing stablecoins could boost on‑chain liquidity and trading activity but may increase scrutiny on stablecoin issuers and pressure bank stocks and credit markets. Keywords: stablecoins, interest‑paying stablecoins, banking deposits, regulatory risk, on‑chain liquidity.

BNB Chain executed its 34th quarterly Auto-Burn on Jan 15, 2026, permanently destroying 1,371,703.66–1,371,803.77 BNB (roughly $1.27–$1.29 billion) by sending tokens to the null address (0x000...dEaD) at ~08:43 UTC. Post-burn circulating supply stands near 136.36 million BNB. The burn used the Auto-Burn formula — which bases quarterly burns on BNB price and BSC block production — and followed the network’s recent Fermi hard fork that shortened block times to ~0.45s. Separately, BSC’s fee-based burn has removed about 281,000 BNB since launch. Market reaction was muted: BNB briefly dipped from about $942 to $937 in the three hours after the on-chain burn, recovered to a session high near $945 and traded around $939 with a market cap near $128B and 24h volume about $1.9B. The quarterly burn advances BNB Chain’s long-term supply-reduction goal toward 100 million BNB. For traders: the event is a structural deflationary signal that may support medium-to-long-term price appreciation, but short-term effects are often limited and depend on broader market flow and liquidity.

CoinGecko is reportedly exploring a potential sale with advisory talks linked to Moelis and a cited valuation near $500 million. Co-founder Bobby Ong responded that the profitable, founder-run crypto data platform regularly evaluates strategic opportunities to accelerate institutional adoption but stressed the company remains stable and will continue "business as usual," without confirming specific sale negotiations. The report arrives amid a sharp uptick in crypto M&A activity since 2025 — a record year for disclosed deals — with large deals such as Kraken’s $1.5B acquisition of NinjaTrader and Ripple’s $1.25B takeover of Hidden Road cited as examples. Market-data providers face traffic declines as users shift to chatbots and consolidated, regulated platforms, putting pressure on independent analytics sites to scale or seek buyers. Past precedents such as Binance’s 2020 acquisition of CoinMarketCap (about $400M) add context to potential valuation expectations. CoinGecko and Moelis have declined additional comment.

Monero (XMR) rallied above $800 as investor interest in privacy-focused cryptocurrencies picked up amid broader macro flows and rotation into niche crypto sectors. The breakout featured a sharp volume spike and relative strength versus major assets, suggesting concentrated demand for XMR rather than a market-wide rally. Other privacy coins outperformed during the move, driven by on-chain activity, speculative flows and renewed attention to privacy tools amid regulatory conversations. Traders should expect heightened volatility: short-term opportunities are momentum-driven and sensitive to liquidity, bid-ask spreads, exchange listings and regulatory news. Key keywords: Monero, privacy coins, XMR, trading volume, regulatory scrutiny.

MANTRA founder and CEO John Patrick Mullin announced company-wide layoffs and a restructuring to reduce costs after a turbulent 2025 that included a near-90% one-day collapse in the native OM token. The Layer-1 blockchain focused on real-world-asset (RWA) tokenization will cut roles across business development, marketing, HR and support to preserve runway and concentrate on high-priority initiatives. Management says prior cost reductions were insufficient amid a prolonged crypto downturn, intense competition and April 2025 events that triggered forced liquidations and panic selling. In response to the crash and subsequent governance scrutiny, MANTRA has taken remedial steps: large-scale OM burns (announced figures range across reports), a token buyback program, and a public tokenomics dashboard to increase transparency. The project denies wrongdoing and attributes the crash to forced liquidations by a major holder; it also faced a public dispute with exchange OKX over migration timing, adding holder uncertainty. CEO Mullin framed the cuts as non-performance-related, apologised to affected staff and said the firm will refocus on disciplined execution, capital efficiency and faster product delivery to stabilise the protocol and rebuild market confidence. Traders should note continued downside risk for OM given the sharp prior price collapse, concentrated holder/liquidity concerns, and reputational damage, while remediation steps may support medium-term supply reduction and improve transparency if executed credibly.

CleanSpark agreed to acquire 447 acres in Brazoria County, Texas, to build AI and high-performance computing (HPC) data centers supporting an initial 300 MW of transmission with expansion capacity up to 600 MW. Combined with its existing Austin County campus and power assets, the company is targeting nearly 1 GW of regional compute capacity in the greater Houston area. Facilities are being designed for AI-native and HPC workloads and will support both front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter power arrangements to ensure predictable, continuous power via ERCOT high-voltage transmission. CleanSpark frames the project as a strategic response to narrowing Bitcoin mining margins and rising mining difficulty, aiming to monetize steadier long-term AI/HPC contracts while continuing BTC mining where profitable. The deal is expected to close in Q1 2026 and positions CleanSpark alongside other miners pivoting to AI/HPC infrastructure as a hedge against margin pressure from increased Bitcoin mining difficulty.

Sui, a Layer‑1 blockchain, experienced a consensus outage on January 14 that halted block production and froze roughly $1 billion in on‑chain assets for about 5 hours and 52 minutes. The Sui Foundation first flagged a network stall at 15:24 UTC and announced full restoration at 20:44 UTC; transactions resumed normally. The Foundation labeled the event a “consensus outage” and said a full incident report will follow. SUI’s price showed limited immediate movement, trading near $1.84–$1.85 on recovery. This marks Sui’s second major downtime since its May 2023 mainnet launch; a November 2024 outage was attributed to a consensus scheduling bug. The incident underscores operational risks for high‑throughput Layer‑1 networks and may prompt validator upgrades or software patches similar to past responses on other chains. Traders should expect potential short‑term volatility in SUI and related on‑chain activity while the Foundation completes its post‑mortem and publishes any recommended fixes. SEO keywords: Sui outage, consensus outage, SUI token, network stall, blockchain downtime.

Bitwise has launched seven physically backed crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) on Nasdaq Stockholm, its first listing on the Swedish exchange. All products trade and settle in Swedish kronor (SEK), improving access for retail and institutional investors via local brokerages and potentially Swedish tax-advantaged accounts depending on broker eligibility. The lineup includes single-asset spot ETPs for Bitcoin and Ether, staking-linked ETPs for Ethereum and Solana that incorporate on-chain rewards, a lower-fee Bitwise Core Bitcoin ETP aimed at long-term investors, a Bitcoin-plus-gold hybrid (Diaman Bitcoin Gold ETP), and the MSCI Digital Assets Select 20 ETP tracking a diversified top-20 market-cap basket. Bitwise says the ETPs are physically backed (custody of real tokens), meet institutional custody, reporting and compliance standards, and undergo independent auditing. The listings reinforce Nasdaq Stockholm’s role as a growing European venue for regulated crypto products and form part of Bitwise’s broader European expansion; Bitwise manages over $15 billion in assets under management. Separately noted in related filings, Bitwise has been expanding U.S. product filings amid evolving SEC policy, which management says could enable many more crypto ETPs in coming years. Traders should note easier SEK-denominated access to BTC, ETH, SOL exposure, and staking yield products via regulated ETP wrappers — a development likely to broaden local demand and flows into the listed tokens.

Bankinter, Spain’s fifth-largest bank and an Ibex 35 member, has taken a minority strategic stake in Madrid-based crypto exchange Bit2Me by joining a €30 million funding round led by stablecoin issuer Tether. The round also includes Spanish banks BBVA, Unicaja and Cecabank and follows earlier backers such as Telefónica, Investcorp and Inveready. Bit2Me secured MiCA authorization in July 2025 as a Crypto‑Asset Service Provider across the EU, and the deal closed in August 2025. Bankinter said the investment aims to explore synergies in distributed ledger technology (DLT), regulated digital‑asset services and to obtain indirect crypto exposure through a regulated intermediary. Bit2Me plans to use the funds to accelerate EU expansion, enhance institutional custody and trading solutions, and launch new services across Europe (with a broader growth strategy that includes Latin America). Bit2Me’s CFO emphasised that regulated platforms let banks access crypto without building in‑house infrastructure. The transaction underlines growing institutional appetite for regulated European digital‑asset platforms and strengthens Bit2Me’s capital base for product development and market entry.