Bitcoin Vs. Gold Vs. Silver in 2026: How Investors Are Repricing Scarcity
In 2026 investors are redefining scarcity for Bitcoin, gold and silver, moving beyond simple supply limits to narrative‑driven pricing, market access, and financial structures. Bitcoin’s fixed supply is now filtered through ETFs and derivatives, altering how its scarcity is priced. Gold’s scarcity rests more on institutional trust and reserve status than on mining output, while silver’s scarcity reflects its split role as an investment metal and industrial input. Across all three, exchange‑traded products and derivatives amplify liquidity and reshape price dynamics.
Zcash Governance Clash Tanked the Token. Here's Why It May Not Be as Big as It Seems.
The core development team of the Electric Coin Company (ECC) left Zcash to launch a new company after a governance clash with the nonprofit Bootstrap. The announcement triggered a sharp sell‑off, sending ZEC down roughly 19% despite a 880% rally...
Ethereum Is the Linux of Blockchain, Says Co-Founder Vitalik Buterin
Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin likened the blockchain to Linux, emphasizing its open‑source nature and role as a foundational operating system for decentralized applications. He highlighted the proliferation of 127 layer‑2 networks that extend Ethereum’s scalability while preserving core security. Critics argue...
Polygon Labs Unveils ‘Open Money Stack’ to Power Borderless Stablecoin Payments
Polygon Labs announced the Open Money Stack, a modular framework for stablecoin‑based, cross‑border payments. The stack, slated for launch later this year, works across multiple blockchains and bundles on‑chain settlement, fiat access, and compliance tools. By allowing firms to select...
Optimism Proposes OP Token Buybacks Using 50% of Superchain Revenue
The Optimism Foundation has proposed allocating half of Superchain revenue to repurchase OP tokens, with monthly buybacks slated to begin in February. The plan, which will be voted on Jan 22, draws on sequencer fees from chains like Base, Unichain, and...
JPMorgan Says the Crypto Selloff May Be Nearing a Bottom as ETF Outflows Ease
JPMorgan analysts say the recent crypto sell‑off may be approaching a bottom, citing easing outflows from Bitcoin and Ether ETFs and stabilising positions in CME futures. Flow data show that both retail and institutional investors have largely completed the de‑risking...
Zcash Backer Bootstrap Says Split Due to Clash over Nonprofit Rules, Zashi Future
Bootstrap, the nonprofit that backs Zcash, announced a split with the Electric Coin Company (ECC) after a governance clash over nonprofit restrictions on external investment. Board members had pushed to attract outside capital and privatize the Zashi wallet, prompting legal...
CoinDesk 20 Performance Update: Ripple (XRP) Drops 4.5% as Nearly All Assets Decline
CoinDesk 20 index slipped 2.1% to 2,872.95 on Tuesday, reflecting a broad crypto market pullback. Ripple (XRP) was among the worst performers, dropping 4.5%, while APT fell 5%, marking the laggard tier. Only one of the twenty constituents, Polkadot (POL), posted...
Stand With Crypto Advocacy Group Sees Nearly 700,000 New Members Ahead of 2026 Election
Stand With Crypto, the Coinbase‑founded advocacy group, added 675,000 new members last year, bringing its U.S. base to roughly 2.6 million across all 50 states. The organization has mobilized its members for political action, filing 925,000 letters in 2025 and over...
Florida Revives Push for Bitcoin Reserve with New 2026 Bill
Florida lawmakers reintroduced House Bill 1039 to create a Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve Fund managed by the state chief financial officer. The proposal permits discretionary allocation of up to 10% of certain state funds into Bitcoin, with independent audits and an...
Banks Must Upgrade Their Blockchain Infrastructure
Banks are urged to replace legacy private distributed ledger systems with public, permissioned layer‑2 networks that use zero‑knowledge proofs. The article argues that private blockchains, once favored for privacy, now hinder access to growing tokenized‑asset liquidity and real‑time settlement. Public...
October's Crypto Crash Left Market Makers Stuffed with Coins, Slowing Trading: BitMEX
BitMEX’s 2025 State of Crypto Perpetual Swaps report shows the October 10 market crash wiped out $20 billion in leveraged futures and triggered auto‑deleveraging that forced market makers to abandon their short‑hedge positions. The resulting unhedged long spot exposure caused market...
Bybit’s Private Wealth Management Delivered 20% Returns Amid a Challenging 2025
Bybit’s Private Wealth Management (PWM) generated a 20.3% APR in 2025, driven by its flagship high‑yield USDT‑based strategies. The top‑performing fund’s Delta Neutral Arbitrage approach proved resilient amid central‑bank tightening, regulatory uncertainty, and volatile crypto markets. High‑net‑worth clients increasingly seek...
India Tax Authorities Flag Crypto Risks Amid Regulatory Uncertainty
India’s Income Tax Department warned that cryptocurrency’s anonymity, borderless nature and use of offshore exchanges and DeFi tools make tax enforcement increasingly difficult. The department highlighted that tracking transactions across multiple jurisdictions is "virtually impossible," complicating income assessment. India currently...
Solana Accelerate to Open Consensus Hong Kong in February
Solana Accelerate will debut on February 11 as a one‑day program inside Consensus Hong Kong, the three‑day digital‑asset conference running Feb 10‑12. The event pairs Solana’s developer‑focused community with investors, regulators and policymakers gathering in Asia. By embedding Accelerate within Consensus, the Solana...
3 ‘Checkpoints’ Stand Between a Crypto All-Time High in 2026: Bitwise
Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says crypto can reach new all‑time highs in 2026 only if three checkpoints are cleared: the Senate’s passage of the CLARITY Act, a stable broader equity market, and a supportive macro environment. The market has already...
Crypto Credit Is Starting to Look Like Cash Savings Accounts: Asia Morning Briefing
Flowdesk’s 2025 crypto credit review finds yields across staking, stablecoin lending and Bitcoin‑backed loans have compressed as record demand was matched by deeper on‑chain liquidity and tighter arbitrage. ETH staking yields have settled near 2.5% while total value locked approaches...
Trump-Linked World Liberty Financial Applies for Federal Bank Charter
World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm closely tied to former President Donald Trump, has filed an application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust charter to launch the World Liberty Trust Company. The new...
Solana's Stablecoin Market Cap Surges by $900M in 24 Hours
Solana's stablecoin market capitalization jumped by roughly $900 million within a 24‑hour window, according to on‑chain data released Tuesday. The surge pushed total stablecoin value on the network past $2.5 billion, driven primarily by inflows of USDC and USDT. The rapid growth...
Gate Becomes Latest Crypto Exchange to Embed AI Market Intelligence
Gate.io has launched GateAI, an AI‑powered market intelligence feature embedded in its trading app for users of version 8.2.0 and later. The tool delivers automated summaries, factor breakdowns and basic risk indicators across token search, spot charts and community feeds, while...
Solana Mobile Sets Jan. 21 Launch Date for SKR Token, Confirms Airdrop
Solana Mobile announced that its SKR token will launch on Jan. 21, 2026, with a fixed supply of 10 billion. A snapshot for the airdrop has already been taken, reserving 20 % of the supply for eligible users and developers. SKR will serve...
XRP Spot Trading Is Now Live on Hyperliquid with Flare's FXRP Listing
Flare has launched FXRP, an on‑chain representation of XRP, on Hyperliquid’s spot market, debuting with an FXRP‑USDC pair. Hyperliquid’s on‑chain order‑book recorded $185 million in 24‑hour volume, offering tighter spreads than typical AMM venues. The FXRP token leverages Flare’s FAssets and...
Trust Wallet’s $7M Hack Shows Where Crypto-Friendly SMEs May Be Vulnerable
In December 2025, Trust Wallet suffered a $7 million theft after a malicious Chrome extension update compromised private keys for 2,596 verified addresses. The attack leveraged a stolen Web Store API key, turning a supply‑chain vulnerability into rapid fund exfiltration via...
Wyoming Launches First U.S. State-Issued Stablecoin
Wyoming became the first U.S. state to launch its own dollar‑backed stablecoin, FRNT, on Wednesday. The token is issued by the Wyoming Stable Token Commission and is backed by U.S. dollar reserves and short‑term Treasury securities held in trust. Franklin...
Aptos' APT Falls Amid a Decline in Wider Crypto Markets
Aptos’ APT token slipped 1.1% to $1.88, trading within a narrow $0‑$0.11 band as broader crypto markets weakened. Volume spiked 24% above the weekly average, reaching a peak of 5.3 million tokens near the $1.91 resistance level. Technical analysis highlights $1.87...
Bitcoin Vs. Luxury Homes: How China’s Wealthy Are Rethinking Stores of Value
China’s ultra‑wealthy are re‑evaluating traditional wealth stores, weighing Shenzhen Bay luxury apartments against Bitcoin and other crypto assets. High‑end real estate, once prized for stability, is now viewed as illiquid and subject to regulatory scrutiny. Digital assets promise near‑instant liquidity,...
Tokenization 'Supercycle' Set to Drive Crypto’s Next Leg Higher in 2026: Bernstein
Bernstein predicts a tokenization “supercycle” beginning in 2026, arguing that crypto markets have likely bottomed after a volatile 2025. The firm maintains its Bitcoin price target of $150,000 for 2026 and $200,000 at the 2027 peak, while noting crypto‑linked equities...
World's Elites Want to Invest Big in Crypto and Binance Is Moving to Help Them
Binance has launched Binance Prestige, a white‑glove service aimed at ultra‑wealthy investors with $10 million-plus portfolios. The offering expands on Binance Wealth by handling fiat‑to‑crypto onboarding, large‑order execution using VWAP/TWAP strategies, and tailored custody solutions. Catherine Chen, head of VIP and...
Exchanges to Freeze Trading and Withdrawals After Countdown Under New Crypto Law – How Long Do You Have?
The EU’s DAC8 directive mandates crypto‑asset service providers to begin collecting tax‑identification data from Jan 1 2026, with the first full‑year reports due by Sept 30 2027. Providers must obtain a user’s tax ID and, after two reminders, may suspend reportable transactions after a...
Former Brazil Central Bank Official Unveils Real-Pegged Stablecoin with Yield Sharing
Former Central Bank of Brazil director Tony Volpon launched BRD, a real‑pegged stablecoin backed by national Treasury bonds that distributes the sovereign debt yield to token holders. The token targets foreign investors seeking Brazil's 15% benchmark rate, positioning itself against...
Rumble Introduces Crypto Wallet with Tether, Allowing Tips in BTC, USDT, XAUT
Rumble has rolled out a non‑custodial crypto wallet built with Tether’s Wallet Development Kit, allowing viewers to tip creators in Bitcoin, USDT, or XAUT directly within the app. The wallet, powered by MoonPay, eliminates traditional payment intermediaries and gives users...
CoinFlip Launches Payroll-Based Crypto Investing Benefit for US Employees
CoinFlip introduced a payroll‑based crypto investing benefit that lets U.S. employees automatically purchase digital assets through payroll deductions. The program supports Bitcoin, Ether, Solana and select stablecoins, with a minimum contribution of $25 per pay period. It targets workers who...
IBM’s Crypto Partner Dfns Integrates Concordium for Web3 Compliance
Dfns, an IBM‑partner wallet‑as‑a‑service provider, has integrated Concordium’s identity‑verified layer into its platform, creating a compliance‑ready Web3 wallet solution. The integration lets financial institutions launch privacy‑preserving wallets without building identity infrastructure from scratch. Dfns already serves more than 130 banking...
Babylon Labs Raises $15 Million From A16z Crypto to Develop Bitcoin Collateral Infrastructure
Babylon Labs announced a $15 million investment from a16z crypto to accelerate its BTCVaults infrastructure, which lets native Bitcoin serve as collateral in on‑chain financial applications. The funding will enhance core technology and drive integration with external platforms, while the company’s...
Ripple Again Rules Out IPO, Saying Balance Sheet Gives It Room to Stay Private
Ripple announced it will not pursue an initial public offering, preferring to remain private while it scales through acquisitions and product development. The company recently closed a $500 million financing round at a $40 billion valuation, backed by investors such as Fortress...
J.P. Morgan’s Deposit Token to Be Issued Natively on Canton Network
J.P. Morgan, Digital Asset and its Kinexys unit announced that JPM Coin (JPMD), a USD‑denominated deposit token backed by the bank’s deposits, will be issued natively on the privacy‑focused Canton Network. The rollout will occur in phases throughout 2026, allowing the...
Strategy’s STRC Perpetual Preferred Stock Returns to $100, May Trigger More Bitcoin Buying
Strategy’s perpetual preferred equity, STRC, reclaimed its $100 par value in pre‑market trading, the first time since early November. The stock now pays an 11% annual dividend, marking its fifth rate increase since launch and delivering roughly an 11% effective...
Blockchain Innovation Must Rise Above Politics and Serve Real-World Needs
Blockchain, originally envisioned as a decentralized, transparent system, is increasingly being co‑opted by governments and political parties. The article highlights how the UK Reform Party, US crypto‑funded Super PACs, and Argentina’s memecoin illustrate the technology’s politicization. It argues that for...
Morgan Stanley Adds Ethereum Staking ETF Filing to Growing Crypto Lineup
Morgan Stanley has filed an S‑1 with the SEC to launch a spot Ether exchange‑traded fund, the Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust, marking its third cryptocurrency ETF filing after Bitcoin and Solana proposals. The fund will buy, hold and track Ether’s...
Nike Sells Its NFT and Virtual Sneakers Amid Lack of Digital Art Market Interest: Report
Nike quietly sold its RTFKT digital‑products subsidiary in December, ending a year‑long shutdown of the NFT unit. The company did not reveal the buyer or transaction value, framing the divestiture as a "new chapter" for its community. The move reflects...
Stablecoins Become Core Market Plumbing in Moody’s 2026 Outlook
Moody’s Digital Economy – Global 2026 Outlook reports stablecoins have become core institutional plumbing. In 2025, stablecoin settlement volume jumped 87% to roughly $9 trillion, driven by fiat‑backed coins and tokenized deposits. Banks, asset managers and market‑infrastructure providers are piloting blockchain...
Bitcoin Slides Toward $91,000 with Two CME Pricing Gaps Coming Into Focus
Bitcoin is hovering just above $91,000 as traders focus on an unfilled CME futures gap that opened over the weekend between $90,600 and $91,600. The gap, created when cash‑settled contracts pause for the weekend, is viewed as a technical magnet...
Lloyds Bank Completes UK’s First Gilt Purchase Using Tokenized Deposits
Lloyds Banking Group announced the UK’s first gilt purchase using tokenized deposits, leveraging blockchain technology. The bank partnered with crypto exchange Archax and the privacy‑focused Canton Network to issue tokenized deposits and settle the government bond instantly. The transaction demonstrated...
Barclays Makes First Stablecoin Investment with Stake in Ubyx
Barclays has taken its first stake in a stablecoin‑related firm by investing in Ubyx, a U.S. clearing platform that connects regulated issuers with banks and fintechs. The bank did not disclose the investment amount, which follows Ubyx’s $10 million seed round...
UAE’s Dirham Stablecoin Race Widens as RAKBank Nets In-Principle Approval
RAKBank announced it has received in‑principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE to issue a dirham‑backed stablecoin. The token will be fully collateralised 1:1 with dirhams held in segregated, regulated accounts and governed by audited smart contracts with...
Hedge Fund Karatage Appoints IMC Veteran Shane O’Callaghan as Senior Partner
London‑based hedge fund Karatage has appointed Shane O’Callaghan, former global head of institutional partnerships and digital asset sales at IMC Trading, as a senior partner and head of institutional strategy. O’Callaghan previously held senior roles at crypto platform Portofino Technologies...
Crypto Traders Can Now Take Leveraged Bets on Silver via Binance Futures
Binance Futures will debut silver perpetual contracts on Wednesday, offering up to 50× leverage and settling in USDT. The contracts have a 5 USDT minimum notional and a funding fee capped at ±2% every four hours. Silver’s 147% rally in 2025...
Bitcoin and the Japanese Yen Are Moving Together Like Never Before
Bitcoin’s price has become unusually synchronized with the Japanese yen, as the 90‑day correlation coefficient between BTC and Pepperstone’s JPYX index climbed to a record 0.86. This translates to roughly 73 % of Bitcoin’s price swings mirroring movements in the yen...
Wealth Transfer May Boost Crypto Adoption Among Younger Investors: Galaxy Exec
Galaxy Digital’s Zac Prince warned that the impending transfer of wealth from baby‑boomers—who control about $83.3 trillion of U.S. assets—could funnel significant capital into cryptocurrencies. Younger investors already hold crypto at three‑times the rate of older cohorts, according to Coinbase data....
Why XRP Is Outperforming Bitcoin and Ether at the Start of 2026
Ripple’s XRP surged 25% since Jan. 1, outpacing Bitcoin’s 6% gain and Ether’s 10% rise, prompting CNBC to label it the “new cryptocurrency darling.” The rally is fueled by strong spot XRP ETF inflows—$1.15 billion to date—and bullish social and smart‑money sentiment....