News•Jan 5, 2026
Grayscale Declares First Ethereum Staking Payout for US-Listed ETF
Grayscale announced the first cash payout tied to on‑chain staking for a U.S.-listed spot crypto ETF. Shareholders of the Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF will receive roughly $0.08 per share, reflecting rewards generated since the fund activated staking on Oct. 6. The distribution will be paid in dollars rather than Ether, and the ETF rose about 2% in early trading. The move positions Grayscale ahead of other asset managers still seeking regulatory clearance to add staking to their Ether funds.
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 5, 2026
Filecoin Surges 6%, Outperforms Wider Crypto Markets
Filecoin (FIL) jumped 6% on Monday, reaching $1.59, outpacing the CoinDesk 20 index, which was up 2.2% at the time. The rally occurred in a volatile crypto market but lacked a clear fundamental catalyst, with technical analysis pointing to algorithmic momentum....
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
Tom Lee Calls for a New Bitcoin ATH in January, While Warning of a Volatile 2026
Tom Lee, co‑founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors, predicts Bitcoin could top $100,000 by the end of January 2026, despite a volatile first half of the year. He views the early‑2026 turbulence as a strategic reset rather than a structural weakness,...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
China’s Financial Associations Reclassify RWAs as ‘Risky‘: Report
China’s leading financial industry associations have reclassified Real‑World Asset (RWA) tokenization as a risky business model rather than a nascent technology. The notice groups RWAs, stablecoins, “air coins” and mining with illegal cryptocurrency activities, emphasizing fraud, operational and speculative risks....
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 5, 2026
Venezuela’s Secret $60 Billion Bitcoin Empire From Illicit Gold and USDT Swap Rumors Ignite After US “Intervention”
A Whale Hunt report alleges that Venezuela has amassed up to 600,000 Bitcoin, worth roughly $60 billion, far exceeding the official 240‑coin holding reported by Bitcoin Treasuries. The stash is said to have been built through gold swaps and oil‑linked USDT...
By CryptoSlate
News•Jan 5, 2026
BNB Token Ticks Higher as Technical Upgrades Frame Tight Price Compression
BNB rose 1.7% to roughly $906, holding between the high‑$890s and low‑$910s. The token is trapped in a tight compression zone, with rising support from December lows and a descending resistance line near $910. Trading volume spiked as price breached...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
Robinhood Leaning Into Advanced Traders as Crypto Volatility Reshapes User Behavior
Robinhood is pivoting toward advanced cryptocurrency traders by rolling out sophisticated tools such as tax‑lot selection, custom cost‑basis options, and multi‑venue routing. The platform now offers fees as low as three basis points for high‑volume users and routes trades through...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
Bitcoin Rally Masks Fragile Liquidity as Spot Volumes Hit Year-Long Lows
Bitcoin rallied 7.5% to $93,500 in early January, yet spot trading volumes for both Bitcoin and altcoins have fallen to their lowest levels since November 2023, according to Glassnode. The drop in on‑chain volume indicates that the price gains are...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
Bitcoin Miners Continue to Face Dwindling Profits Despite Lower Competition, JPMorgan Says
JPMorgan reports that Bitcoin’s network hashrate fell a second month in December, dropping 3% to 1,045 EH/s, indicating reduced mining competition. Despite this, miner profitability continued to erode, with daily block‑reward revenue per exahash falling 7% month‑over‑month and 32% year‑over‑year, while...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
Bitmine Immersion Adds 33,000 ETH, Bringing Total Crypto and Cash Holdings Above $14 Billion
Bitmine Immersion Technologies announced it added 33,000 ether, bringing its total holdings to over 4.14 million ETH—about 3.4% of the global supply. The combined crypto and cash portfolio now exceeds $14.2 billion, including $915 million in cash, 192 BTC and a $25 million stake in...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
Goldman Sachs Upgrades Coinbase to Buy, Cuts eToro to Neutral
Goldman Sachs upgraded Coinbase to a buy rating, lifting its price target to $303 and implying more than 30% upside, while the stock rose 4.3% in early trading. The bank downgraded eToro to neutral, cutting its target to $39 as...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
Starknet Mainnet Hit by Fresh Downtime as Team Probes Cause
Starknet, Ethereum's ZK‑rollup layer‑2, experienced a fresh mainnet outage lasting just over two hours on Jan. 5, 2026. The team posted on X that engineers are actively investigating the issue, though no root cause has been disclosed yet. This disruption follows...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 5, 2026
Crypto Wallet Firm Ledger Faces Customer Data Breach Through Payment Processor Global-E
Ledger, a leading hardware wallet provider, disclosed a data exposure incident tied to its third‑party payment processor Global‑e. Unauthorized actors accessed personal details such as names and contact information from Global‑e’s cloud system, though payment card data and private keys...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
U.S. Jobs Report, Ethereum Upgrade: Crypto Week Ahead
The Crypto Week Ahead preview highlights Ethereum’s second Blob Parameter Only (BPO‑2) hard fork on Jan 7, expanding blob capacity to 21 per block as part of the Fusaka scaling roadmap. BNB Chain is holding a governance vote to tweak system parameters...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
Japan’s Finance Minister Backs Exchanges as Gateway for Digital Assets
Japan’s finance minister Satsuki Katayama announced that traditional securities exchanges will serve as the primary gateway for crypto assets, signalling a shift from the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. The new framework treats digital tokens...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 5, 2026
Fake MetaMask 2FA Security Checks Lure Users Into Sharing Recovery Phrases
Crypto investors are being targeted by a new phishing campaign that impersonates MetaMask’s two‑factor authentication flow, directing users to fake domains that request their 12‑word seed phrases. Once the recovery phrase is submitted, attackers gain full control of the wallet...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 5, 2026
Bank of America Will Allow Wealth Advisers to Recommend Bitcoin From Monday
Bank of America will allow its wealth advisers to recommend spot Bitcoin exchange‑traded funds starting Monday. The bank’s chief investment office has approved four U.S.-listed Bitcoin ETFs – Bitwise, Fidelity Wise Origin, Grayscale Mini Trust, and BlackRock’s iShares – for...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 5, 2026
Bitcoin Traders Kick Off 2026 with Bets on Price Rally Above $100,000
Bitcoin traders opened 2026 by aggressively buying $100,000‑strike call options on Deribit, pushing open interest up by 420 BTC and adding $38.8 million in notional value. The $100k call now holds $1.45 billion total open interest, with $828 million tied to the January...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
TRUMP, ONDO, BGB, HYPE Lead $5.5B in Token Unlocks in January
Tokenomist reports over $5.5 billion in cryptocurrency token unlocks slated for January. Approximately $2.5 billion will be released via cliff unlocks and $3 billion through linear schedules. The four biggest releases—Ondo (ONDO), Bitget Token (BGB), Hyperliquid (HYPE) and the Trump memecoin (TRUMP)—account for...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 5, 2026
9 Myths About Bitcoin Energy Use Challenged by Data, ESG Expert Says
ESG researcher Daniel Batten used X to debunk nine common myths about Bitcoin’s energy consumption, citing four peer‑reviewed studies and grid‑level data. He argues that Bitcoin’s electricity use is largely independent of transaction volume and that mining can actually stabilize...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 5, 2026
Visa Crypto Card Spending Soars 525% in 2025
Visa‑issued crypto cards surged in 2025, posting a 525% increase in net spend from $14.6 million in January to $91.3 million by year‑end. Six cards from projects such as GnosisPay, Cypher, EtherFi, Avici Money, Exa App and Moonwell drove the growth, with...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 5, 2026
PwC Deepens Crypto Push as U.S. Rules Shift and Stablecoins Go Mainstream: Report
PricewaterhouseCoopers is intensifying its crypto practice as U.S. regulators clarify stable‑coin rules. The firm cites the passage of the GENIUS Act as a catalyst to "lean in" on audit and consulting work for digital‑asset clients. PwC plans to promote stablecoins...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 5, 2026
Bitcoin Devs Flocked Back to Work Amid a Big Year for Crypto
Bitcoin Core development surged in 2025, with 135 contributors—up from just over 100 in 2024—and 285,000 lines of code modified, a 3% increase. Code commits rose 1% to 2,541, while email traffic on the Bitcoin‑dev mailing list jumped 60% year‑over‑year....
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 4, 2026
Altcoins Hold 'Crucial' Support, Set for 'Big Leg' Up, Says Analyst
Altcoins, valued at about $879 billion, are holding critical support near $784 billion on the Total3 index, aligning with the 365‑day moving average. Analyst Michaël van de Poppe sees the index edging toward its prior $1.2 trillion peak, indicating a potential major upward leg....
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 4, 2026
Metaplanet Has Key Advantage over US-Based Bitcoin Treasuries: Analyst
Metaplanet has become the fourth‑largest Bitcoin treasury firm, holding about 35,102 BTC. Analyst Adam Livingston argues the company enjoys a financing edge because Japan’s yen is rapidly losing value against both the dollar and Bitcoin. The weaker yen reduces the...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 4, 2026
Washington’s New Crypto Bill Would Strip States of Power – Legally Bans Oversight that Catches Front-End Manipulation
Washington’s Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) moves toward a federal uniform rulebook for crypto by carving out core DeFi infrastructure from intermediary regulation and preempting state securities rules for “digital commodities.” The House has cleared the bill, and...
By CryptoSlate
News•Jan 4, 2026
Neobanks Will Fuel Ethereum's 2026 Growth, Says ether.fi CEO
Ether.fi CEO Mike Silagadze predicts Ethereum’s 2026 growth will be powered by crypto‑native neobanks offering familiar financial products. He notes that 2025 saw institutional digital‑asset treasuries (DATs) deploy into ether.fi, lifting ETH from a low of $1,472 to $4,832. Silagadze...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 4, 2026
European Crypto Trading Volume Is Soaring, but a Hidden “Venue Gap” Is Silently Killing Your Execution Price
MiCA’s stablecoin rules transformed euro‑pegged tokens, pushing market cap to $500 million and boosting monthly transaction volume ten‑fold. Compliance‑driven reshuffling lifted euro‑stablecoin market share to 91% by late 2024, even though overall trading volume stayed modest. BTC‑EUR and ETH‑EUR liquidity improved,...
By CryptoSlate
News•Jan 4, 2026
Coinbase Pauses Local Fiat Rails in Argentina Less than a Year After Its Arrival
Coinbase announced a temporary pause on its Argentine peso fiat rails, ending USDC‑ARS purchases, sales, and bank withdrawals effective Jan. 31 2026. The exchange will still support crypto‑to‑crypto transactions, keeping its core trading platform operational. The pause is described as a deliberate...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 4, 2026
Rep. Torres to Target Insider Trading on Prediction Markets After Bet on Maduro
U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres is set to introduce the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026, aiming to bar elected officials, political appointees, and executive‑branch employees from trading prediction‑market contracts based on non‑public government information. The move follows...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 4, 2026
Bitcoin Tops $91,000 with Ether, Dogecoin Higher Amid U.S. Action on Venezuela
Bitcoin surged past $91,000 on Sunday, gaining about 1.4% intraday and over 4% in a week, while ether rose to roughly $3,150 and other altcoins posted double‑digit weekly gains. The rally followed a $180 million futures liquidation wave, primarily wiping out...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 3, 2026
Bitcoin's Price Remains Resilient Amid the US Attack on Venezuela
Bitcoin hovered around $90,000 on Saturday, briefly dipping below the mark before rebounding. The price remained above its 21‑day moving average, a technical signal that many analysts interpret as bullish for January. Despite a high‑profile U.S. airstrike on Venezuela and...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 3, 2026
Hut 8 Finishes 2025 Strong Despite Difficult Year for Bitcoin Miners
Hut 8 expanded its credit facility with Coinbase to $200 million, reinforcing liquidity after a stellar 2025 performance. The company also sealed a $7 billion agreement with AI‑cloud provider Fluidstack to deliver 245 MW of power for a 15‑year AI data‑center contract. Its stock...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 3, 2026
Bitcoin Price Back at $90K: Is the Bear Market Behind Us?
Bitcoin surged past the $90,000 mark, marking its highest level since mid‑December, but the rally is tempered by cautious market behavior. Options data reveal a neutral put‑call skew, indicating traders still demand premium protection against downside risk. Meanwhile, U.S. spot...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 3, 2026
XRP’s $1 Billion ETF Record Is Misleading, and One Hidden Flow Metric Explains Why Price Remains Stagnant
XRP spot ETFs have surpassed $1 billion in assets under management, but the token’s price has remained flat around $1.88. The article explains that AUM is a snapshot, while net creation flows—actual purchases of underlying XRP—drive price pressure. With roughly 600 million...
By CryptoSlate
News•Jan 3, 2026
Coinbase Exec Defends CLARITY Act Delay: 'I Completely Understand'
Coinbase Institutional head John D’Agostino told CNBC he understands the delay of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, calling it a foundational bill for crypto’s growth. He contrasted its complexity with the simpler Genius Act and highlighted global regulatory momentum,...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 2, 2026
After Bitter Vote, Aave Founder Pitches a Bigger Future for DeFi Lending Giant
Aave founder Stani Kulechov responded to a contentious governance vote that rejected transferring the protocol’s brand and IP to the DAO, outlining a broader vision that goes beyond core DeFi lending. He highlighted opportunities in real‑world assets, institutional lending, and...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 2, 2026
Crypto Markets Move Higher After Holidays, Memecoins Outperform
Crypto markets rallied on Jan. 2 as risk appetite returned after two flat holiday weeks. Bitcoin rose about 2.2% to roughly $89,900, while Ethereum jumped 4.4% to $3,120. Memecoins led the gains, with PEPE up 30% and DOGE up 11%, pushing...
By The Defiant
News•Jan 2, 2026
'Hundreds' Of EVM Wallets Drained in Mysterious Attack: ZachXBT
An on‑chain investigator reports that hundreds of Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) wallets across multiple networks have been drained, with each victim losing less than $2,000. The likely entry point was a spoofed MetaMask email that delivered a phishing payload, according...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 2, 2026
Bitfinex Hacker Ilya Lichtenstein Credits Trump’s First Step Act for Early Prison Release
Ilya Lichtenstein, the mastermind behind the 2016 Bitfinex hack that stole roughly 120,000 bitcoin, was released from a five‑year sentence after serving just 14 months. He credited President Donald Trump’s First Step Act for the early release and reiterated his...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 2, 2026
BitVentures Makes First Crypto Mining Move Weeks After Nasdaq Rebrand
BitVentures Limited, formerly Santech Holdings, rebranded on Dec. 24 and within two weeks entered cryptocurrency mining by acquiring Bitmain Antminer hardware. The company secured 0.5 MW of power capacity across U.S. data centers to mine Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dogecoin, with deployment slated...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 2, 2026
Bitcoin Pushes Above $90,000 as Traders Eye Change in Pattern
Bitcoin surged past the $90,000 mark, climbing about 2.5% in the last 24 hours and breaking the defensive trend that dominated late‑2025. Ether, Solana and XRP each posted gains near 4%, while crypto‑related equities such as Coinbase, Hut 8 and Galaxy...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 2, 2026
Changing Regulations: What Users Should Know Before Buying Crypto in 2026
In 2026, crypto regulation tightens across major markets as the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation proposes a framework for banks to issue dollar‑pegged stablecoins, while the Federal Reserve lifts its ban on bank‑provided crypto services. Congress is set to pass...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 2, 2026
Bitcoin ETFs Failed a Critical Holiday Stress Test as $1.29 Billion Vanished Through “Tactical” Positioning
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a net outflow of roughly $1.29 billion over the twelve‑day holiday window from Dec. 15 to Dec. 31. The outflows were uneven, with about $812 million flowing in on two days while the remaining days saw $2.10 billion exit, and...
By CryptoSlate
News•Jan 2, 2026
$110 Billion in Crypto Left South Korea in 2025 Owing to Strict Trading Rules
South Korean investors moved over 160 trillion won ($110 billion) from domestic crypto exchanges to offshore platforms in 2025, driven by restrictive regulations. The Digital Asset Basic Act was delayed due to stablecoin disputes, leaving a gap in rules for derivatives and...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 2, 2026
Cash-Like Privacy Is Among Digital Euro’s 'Hardest Political Tradeoffs'
The EU Council has endorsed the European Central Bank’s design for a digital euro that combines online and offline functionality. A key political hurdle is balancing cash‑like privacy with anti‑money‑laundering requirements, prompting lawmakers to seek a compromise. Holding‑limit rules remain...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 2, 2026
What Crypto Exchanges Are Watching in 2026, According to OKX’s Rafique
Crypto exchanges are pivoting from speculative growth to regulated, sustainable offerings in 2026. OKX, now licensed in the EU, US, Singapore, Dubai and several Latin American markets, aims to leverage its on‑shore footprint for compliant derivatives and tighter fiat on‑ramps....
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 2, 2026
The 5 Busiest Blockchains of 2025 and What Powered Their Growth
Onchain analytics firm Nansen identified Solana, BNB Chain, Base, Tron and NEAR Protocol as the five busiest blockchains in 2025, with Solana topping the list at 23.01 billion transactions. Retail‑focused activities, especially low‑fee DEX trading and memecoin hype, accounted for the...
By Cointelegraph
News•Jan 2, 2026
Bitcoin Miner Bitfarms Exiting Latin America with $30M Sale of Paraguay Site
Bitfarms announced the sale of its Paso Pe, Paraguay bitcoin‑mining site to the Sympatheia Power Fund for up to $30 million, with $9 million paid upfront and the remainder tied to milestones. The deal finalizes Bitfarms' exit from Latin America, following a previous...
By CoinDesk
News•Jan 2, 2026
PEPE, BONK Post Double-Digit Gains: Are Memecoins Back?
Memecoins surged on Friday, pushing the sector’s market cap 8% higher to $39.45 billion, a two‑week peak. PEPE led the rally with a 23.6% gain, while BONK and DOGE rose 10% and 8% respectively. Open interest and derivative trading volume spiked...
By Cointelegraph