Today's Crypto Pulse
Bitcoin slides below $70k as energy‑price worries spark $1.8B in liquidations
Bitcoin fell under $70,000 amid heightened energy‑price uncertainty linked to U.S.–Iran tensions. The dip triggered roughly $1.8 billion in crypto liquidations, while institutional investors pulled more than $4.2 billion from digital‑asset positions.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Strive acquires 2,500 Bitcoin for $185.2M
Here's How China's Response to Trump Tariffs Silently Rocks Bitcoin
China has countered President Trump’s roughly 29% tariffs on its goods by tightly managing the yuan, preserving export competitiveness and keeping the currency range‑bound. This exchange‑rate discipline amplifies dollar‑driven liquidity cycles, which in turn influence macro‑sensitive assets like Bitcoin. JPMorgan notes that while Chinese exports are projected to grow 8% in 2025, the yuan’s modest 4% gain masks a deliberate policy to avoid appreciation. The resulting cash‑flow dynamics cause Bitcoin to dip during risk‑off tariff spikes and rebound when tensions ease.
Global Asset Manager Mirae Asset Eyes Fund Tokenisation in UAE with Ctrl Alt Deal
Mirae Asset Global Investments, managing over $350 billion, signed an MoU with UAE fintech Ctrl Alt to explore tokenising investment funds. The partnership will develop a compliant framework for issuing and managing tokenised funds under the UAE’s VARA regulations, starting with...
Dogecoin Turns Lower After Failing to Hold $0.124
Dogecoin hovered near $0.124 but failed to sustain the breakout, closing the 24‑hour period at $0.1246 after a modest 0.6% gain. The token traded in a tight $0.122‑$0.125 range, with sellers turning the $0.1243 level into resistance in the final...
UK Bans Coinbase Ads that ‘Trivialized’ Crypto Risks: Report
The UK Advertising Standards Authority has banned a series of Coinbase advertisements that portrayed cryptocurrency as a remedy for cost‑of‑living pressures while omitting risk warnings. The campaign, which included a satirical video and three high‑traffic posters, was deemed irresponsible for...
Things Worth Reading: 28th January 2026
Chris Skinner’s latest reading roundup spotlights several pivotal developments across finance. Chainalysis estimates cryptocurrency‑related money laundering reached $82 billion in 2025, while Revolut secured a full banking licence to launch a digital bank in Mexico. Tether’s CEO envisions the stablecoin as...
Coinbase Moves Closer Toward Rolling Out ‘Custom Stablecoins’
Coinbase is conducting backend tests of Flipcash’s USDF, a custom dollar‑backed stablecoin that will let businesses issue their own branded tokens. The feature, announced in December, uses Circle’s USDC as collateral and currently supports no trading, deposits or withdrawals. If...
Gold's Market Cap Dwarfs Bitcoin, Silver Trails
Gold leads the market with a cap 20x larger than Bitcoin, while Silver is 3x bigger. https://t.co/Jl2P3gL9Cd
Silver, Gold Hype Overtaking Crypto on Social Media: Santiment
Santiment’s social‑media analysis shows retail chatter on precious metals has overtaken cryptocurrency throughout January, with gold leading when it hit new highs and silver dominating both early‑month and after reaching a record $117 per ounce. Crypto briefly reclaimed attention during...
Trustless AI Agent Standard Could Hit Ethereum Mainnet on Thursday
Ethereum is set to launch ERC‑8004, a new smart‑contract standard that enables trustless communication between AI agents, on mainnet Thursday around 9 AM ET. The protocol introduces a unified method for registering, discovering, and validating AI agents without altering the underlying network....
Steak ‘N Shake Adds $5M in Bitcoin to Reserve as In-Store Sales Grow 18%
Steak ’n Shake announced a $5 million addition to its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, bringing total holdings to roughly $15 million (about 168 BTC). The chain attributes an 18 % same‑store sales increase in 2026 to its Bitcoin‑payment program. It also unveiled a Bitcoin bonus...
Nearly 40% of US Merchants Now Accept Crypto at Checkout: PayPal
PayPal’s latest survey shows that nearly 40% of U.S. merchants now accept cryptocurrency at checkout, up from earlier experimental phases. The study of 619 payment‑strategy leaders reveals that 84% of merchants believe crypto payments will become mainstream within five years,...
Morgan Stanley Appoints New Head of Digital Asset Strategy
Morgan Stanley has appointed long‑time executive Amy Oldenburg to head its newly created digital‑asset strategy unit. The move follows the bank’s recent filings for spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs, a staked Ether ETF, and plans to launch a crypto wallet...
Bermuda Teams with Coinbase, Circle to Put Economy On-Chain
Fun picture, but serious partnership - Bermuda is bringing its national economy onchain with Coinbase and Circle https://t.co/FifKk6ATwI
Blockchain Investigator Identifies Crypto Theft Network Linked to US Government Seizure Funds
TRM Labs disclosed a sophisticated crypto‑theft operation that has siphoned over $90 million, including $24.9 million tied to the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, after a Telegram “band‑for‑band” challenge inadvertently revealed wallet addresses. The network employed advanced laundering tactics—cross‑chain bridges, mixers, and both...
Most Crypto Fails; only Few Explode, Ignore the Noise
4. Have seen some twisted FUD on this "buy and hold" tweet. It obviously does not apply to every coin. If you "buy and hold" all crypto ever created, you know how your portfolio will perform. Same as if you...
USDAI Gears Up for Token Launch and Airdrop
USDAI, a GPU‑backed stablecoin protocol, announced its native CHIP governance token will launch in Q1 2026 with an ICO and airdrop slated for April. The platform, which grew to $658 million total value locked after a November peak of $701 million, previously bootstrapped...
PUMP Surges 15% as Memecoin Market Picks Up
Solana‑based launchpad pumpfun saw its native PUMP token rally 15% in the past 24 hours as memecoin activity resurges. Despite an 80% drop in overall trading volume from its peak, the protocol’s 100% revenue‑to‑buyback policy sparked renewed investor interest. On...
US Marshals Confirm Probe Into $40M Theft Claims Involving Seized Crypto
US Marshals confirmed an investigation into allegations that John Daghita, son of a federal contractor CEO, stole more than $40 million in cryptocurrency seized by the government. Crypto analyst ZachXBT traced two wallets linked to Daghita, holding roughly $23 million and $36 million...
South Dakota Lawmaker Takes Another Run at Bitcoin Reserve Bill
South Dakota Representative Logan Manhart re‑introduced HB 1155, allowing the State Investment Council to allocate up to ten percent of public funds to Bitcoin. The bill mirrors his unchanged 2025 proposal and would place the state alongside Texas, Arizona and New Hampshire,...
USDCx Appears on Aleo as Privacy-Focused Blockchains Seek Stablecoin Access
Circle and Aleo announced that USDCx, a privacy‑focused version of the USDC stablecoin, is now live on Aleo through Circle’s xReserve model. The token is fully 1:1 backed by USDC held in xReserve and interoperable with USDC on Ethereum and...
Ethereum Ecosystem Grew in 2025 Even as ETH Price Lagged: Everstake
Everstake’s 2025 report shows that roughly 30% of Ethereum’s supply—about 36.5 million ETH—is now staked, marking a net increase of 1.8 million ETH over the year. Layer 2 networks pushed throughput past 300 TPS, while Layer 1 transactions rose 30% to 1.5‑1.6 million daily. Despite these...
BNB Rises 2.5%, Nears $900 Mark as Prediction Market Growth Signals Utility Expansion
BNB surged 2.5% to $893, closing in on the $900 resistance level. The rally coincided with Virtune’s launch of a physically backed BNB exchange‑traded product on Nasdaq Stockholm, offering direct exposure with a 1.95% annual fee and Coinbase custody. Meanwhile,...
Where to Trade Commodities and Stocks Onchain
The blog highlights Hyperliquid as the primary hub for on‑chain commodity and stock trading, thanks to its HIP‑3 upgrade that lets third parties launch permission‑less perpetual markets. HIP‑3 now accounts for roughly 8.1% of Hyperliquid’s open interest, attracting deployers like...
Anthony Scaramucci-Linked AVAX One Tumbles 32% on Uncertainty Around Shareholder Sales
AVAX One, a digital‑asset treasury firm linked to Anthony Scaramucci, saw its stock plunge more than 32% after filing that nearly 74 million insider shares are now registered for resale. The company, which holds AVAX tokens and other Avalanche ecosystem assets, disclosed...
Customers Stay with Banks; Stablecoins Won’t Shift Deposits
I very much agree with this sentiment. There’s nothing stopping Chase and BofA customers from moving to get higher rates today. They choose not to. Yield-bearing stablecoins won’t fundamentally change that dynamic. (This also means that Coinbase will likely be less successful...
Institutional Demand and XRP ETFs Drive XRPL Interest
🔥Franklin Templeton says growing institutional demand and XRP ETFs are boosting interest in the XRPL. Source: Paul Barron https://t.co/TimZkK1RFm
Overcoming 26 Rigorous Tests: Why Is Bullbit’s App Rollup Architecture Highly Rated by Security Experts?
Bullbit’s App Rollup architecture passed a rigorous Hacken audit, clearing 26 security findings. The team resolved 19 issues, accepted five with mitigations, and mitigated two external risks, achieving 93.23% code coverage. A redesigned verifier contract with unique nonce tracking prevents...
Morgan Stanley Appoints Amy Oldenburg as Digital‑asset Chief
JUST IN: Morgan Stanley names longtime executive Amy Oldenburg as its new head of digital-asset strategy
Tokenization Will Democratize Finance for 4 Billion Adults
Tokenization is top of mind for many companies right now. It’s going to democratize access for 4 billion unbrokered adults, while increasing efficiency and reducing risk for all. Coinbase Tokenize can help (see link below). https://t.co/g0qMes2E60
🎙️ Ep 16: Stablecoins Make Global Expansion a Single Integration W/ João Del Valle (EBANX)
The Money Code episode with João Del Valle of EBANX frames stablecoins as an “always‑on” interoperability layer that lets payment service providers (PSPs) add global coverage with a single integration. By routing around fragmented domestic rails, stablecoins can reduce prefunding and settlement...
Bots Don’t Absolve You From Tax Responsibility
“Just because a bot did it doesn’t mean you’re not responsible for the taxes.” — Laura Walters (@CryptoTaxGirl) Get $100 OFF expert help https://t.co/e7PgpLcMIk https://t.co/GHssNfOjvI
Report Prediction Market Gains and Losses Separately
“With prediction markets, you report all winnings and losses separately — you can’t just net them.” — Laura Walters (@CryptoTaxGirl) Get $100 OFF expert help https://t.co/e7PgpLcMIk https://t.co/GHssNfOjvI
BitAccelerate Leads the Bitcoin Accelerator Market in 2026
BitAccelerate has become the leading Bitcoin transaction accelerator in 2026, offering both free and premium services through its integration with the BitRef explorer. The platform rebroadcasts pending transactions to mining pools that control over 83 % of Bitcoin’s hash rate, delivering...
Stablecoins Taxed as Property, Not Cash, Despite No Gain
“Stablecoins are treated like property right now, not cash — even though there’s no real gain or loss.” — Laura Walters (@CryptoTaxGirl) Get $100 OFF expert help https://t.co/e7PgpLceSM https://t.co/GHssNfNLGa
Mixing Retirement Crypto with Personal Wallets Risks Account Loss
“If you mix retirement crypto with personal wallets, you can discredit your entire retirement account.” — Laura Walters (@CryptoTaxGirl) Get $100 OFF expert help https://t.co/e7PgpLceSM https://t.co/GHssNfNLGa
Bcon Global Launches Non-Custodial Crypto Payment Gateway
Bcon Global has introduced a non‑custodial crypto payment gateway that lets merchants receive digital assets directly into their own wallets without custodial oversight. The platform supports major blockchains and stablecoins, offers API‑driven invoicing, and provides ready‑made plugins for WordPress and...
Blank Cost Basis Defaults to Zero, Overpay Taxes
“If the cost basis is left blank, the default is zero — and that can cause people to substantially overpay on their taxes.” — Laura Walters (@CryptoTaxGirl) Get $100 OFF expert help https://t.co/e7PgpLcMIk https://t.co/GHssNfOjvI
2025 Poised to Be Crypto Tax Reporting Nightmare
“2025 is kind of set up to be one of the most complicated years when it comes to reporting crypto taxes.” — Laura Walters (@CryptoTaxGirl) Get $100 OFF expert help https://t.co/e7PgpLceSM https://t.co/GHssNfNLGa
UniversePro Launches a One-Stop Decentralized Trading Platform Focused on Transparency and System-Level Design
UniversePro is launching a next‑generation decentralized exchange that consolidates spot trading, perpetual derivatives, meme‑asset markets, analytics and launchpools into a single on‑chain platform. The platform adopts a fully non‑custodial, transparent architecture where all execution and settlement are verifiable on the...
Crypto Economy Comprises Diverse Products on Separate Adoption Curves
“The crypto economy is not a single market maturing in unison, it’s a collection of products moving along different adoption curves.” https://t.co/GHssNfOjvI
Hyperliquid's Equity and Commodity Perpetuals See Explosive Growth
“Since Hyperliquid released their equity and commodity perpetuals, the growth of that segment has been extraordinary.” - @RyanWatkins_ https://t.co/GHssNfOjvI
Institutional Capital and the Next Phase of On-Chain Finance with Andy Kangpan of Metalayer
In this episode, Andy Kangpan, Partner at Metalayer, discusses how institutional capital is shaping the next phase of on‑chain finance, emphasizing the need for robust, regulated‑grade infrastructure. He explains Metalayer’s investment thesis, focusing on seed and early‑stage companies that bridge...
Institutions See New Tech as Inevitable, Unburdened by 2021
“Institutions don’t have the baggage of having been here in 2021 — they just see that this technology feels inevitable.” https://t.co/GHssNfOjvI
New Crypto Hype Meets Veteran Burnout in Institutions
“You have institutions that are super excited about Bitcoin and tokenization and stablecoins — and then you have people who’ve been here a long time who are burning out or checking out.” https://t.co/GHssNfNLGa
Afghan Startup Uses Blockchain for Secure Humanitarian Aid
An Afghan start-up, @HesabPay_, is pioneering blockchain-based humanitarian aid transfers, enabling fast, trackable, and secure distribution of funds. "It's one of the coolest examples of crypto's real-world positive impact." https://t.co/GHssNfNLGa
Exchanges, Stablecoins Proven; Crypto Payments Lag, Banks Shrink
.@cz_binance's take from Davos 👀 ✅ Exchanges and stablecoins are proven infrastructure ❌ Crypto payments still haven’t broken through 🏦 Traditional banks will keep shrinking, he says The DEX in the City crew discusses his stance. https://t.co/GHssNfNLGa
Crypto Surge Ahead as Regulation, Deals, and Dollar Decline Align
Crypto things you might have missed: -Senator expects crypto market structure to pass -Bitwise says CLARITY Act could trigger rally -$1B @Ripple x GTreasury deal is live -US Banks are building Bitcoin products -Dollar hits lowest level in 4 years -BTC to follow metal rally?
Congress Backs SEC Crypto Oversight, Denies CFTC Authority
"Congress will be comfortable allowing the SEC to oversee all kinds of crypto assets but it's not going to give the CFTC reciprocal authority." @TuongvyLe12 https://t.co/GHssNfNLGa
Bitcoin's Volatility Blocks Its Status as Wealth Store
Gold moves like a currency. Bitcoin moves like a rollercoaster. @SteveSosnick says that volatility gap is why BTC still struggles to be seen as a true store of wealth. 🥇📉 https://t.co/R3TCSXVsqG
ICO Resurgence Exposed: Why the Model Still Fails
The ICO meta has made a comeback over the past year. But recent incidents such as the Trove token crash suggests that the industry has yet to properly hack this fund raising tool. @LucaNetz delves into one of the reasons why 👇...