Ripple Injects $150 Million Into LMAX to Push RLUSD Stablecoin for Institutions
Ripple is providing $150 million to LMAX Group in a multi‑year financing deal to embed its RLUSD stablecoin into LMAX’s global exchange infrastructure. The partnership will make RLUSD a core collateral and settlement asset across spot crypto, perpetual futures and CFDs, aiming to improve margin efficiency and liquidity for banks, brokers and asset managers. LMAX reported $8.2 trillion in institutional trading volume last year, while RLUSD’s market cap has grown to over $1.4 billion. The move positions RLUSD as a regulated stablecoin for institutional markets.
Michael Saylor's Strategy Still Has Major Upside Despite 2025 Plunge, Says TD Cowen
Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR) remains a bullish play on bitcoin despite a 66% share decline in late 2025. TD Cowen trimmed its 12‑month price target to $440 from $500, yet this still implies roughly 150% upside from the current $175 level....
Lower Volatility, Bigger Allocations: Ark Invest Sees Bitcoin Entering Its Next Chapter
Ark Invest says Bitcoin has entered an institutional maturity phase, driven by spot Bitcoin ETFs and digital‑asset‑treasury strategies that now hold roughly 12% of the total supply. In the 18 months since ETFs were approved, they have attracted more than...
Stablecoins and Self-Custody Are Driving the Rise of Crypto Neobanks
Crypto builders are moving from protocol development to neobank‑style services, leveraging stablecoins to offer on‑chain spending, saving, and borrowing. Projects such as ether.fi and Polygon have accelerated this shift through product launches and acquisitions aimed at stablecoin payments infrastructure. The...
Tom Lee's Bitmine Immersion Invests $200 Million in YouTube Star MrBeast’s Company
Bitmine Immersion Technologies announced a $200 million investment in Beast Industries, the corporate arm of YouTube star MrBeast. The deal gives Bitmine a minority stake in a brand that commands over 450 million subscribers across its channels. It aligns with Bitmine’s ambition...
Strategy’s Preferred 'STRC' Drops Below Par After Ex Dividend Date
Strategy’s Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Stretch Preferred (STRC) fell below its $100 par value in pre‑market trading after the latest ex‑dividend date. The preferred offers an 11 % annualized yield on a $100 stated amount, and the dip aligns with typical...
Societe Generale Works with Swift to Settle Tokenize Bonds Using Cash and Stablecoins
Société Générale’s digital‑asset unit SG‑FORGE partnered with SWIFT to settle tokenized bonds using its MiCA‑compliant EURCV stablecoin, the first native stablecoin integrated with the global messaging network. The trial demonstrated end‑to‑end processes—including issuance, delivery‑versus‑payment, coupon payments and redemption—across both fiat...
Bitcoin Spot Demand Builds as Short Squeeze Risk Increases
Bitcoin has risen roughly 10% in 2026, trading just below $97,000, and the advance is now driven primarily by spot purchases rather than leveraged futures positions. On‑chain metrics from Checkonchain show the price move from $90k to $97k shifted to...
Miami’s Crypto-Settled Real Estate Record Broken by $14 Million USDT Transaction
A $14 million property deal in Miami set a new record by settling entirely in USDT, facilitated by tokenization platform Propy and developers Ciprés and Rilea Group. The buyer acquired five commercial units in the Mohawk development, with funds clearing in...
Bitcoin at Risk of Dropping Under $96,000 as U.S.-Iran Rhetoric Pressures Risk Assets
Bitcoin traded near $96,200 on Thursday, marking a 1% daily rise and a 6% weekly gain, while the broader crypto market cap climbed to roughly $3.25 trillion, up 5% in the past week. The rally unfolded amid easing geopolitical tension after...
New Polymarket Bettor Places $40,000 on U.S. Striking Iran Tonight
A newly created Polymarket account staked $40,000 on a U.S. strike against Iran for January 14, despite the market assigning only a 9 % chance of an immediate attack. The bet, placed by the trader known as “mutualdelta,” is already down more...
FTX Estate Sets Next Creditor Payout Date as Genesis Digital Assets Fights $1 Billion Clawback Suit
The FTX bankruptcy estate announced its next creditor distribution will occur on March 31, 2026, using records as of February 14. The estate also filed an amendment to reduce its disputed‑claims reserve, potentially freeing more cash for near‑term payouts. Concurrently,...
The Protocol: Vitalik Buterin Flags Stablecoin Design Flaws
Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin warned that decentralized stablecoins still suffer from fundamental design flaws. He highlighted three persistent challenges: reliance on a single‑currency reference point, oracle manipulation risk, and weak governance and incentive structures. Buterin’s critique does not endorse any specific...
Bybit Pay Links with Digital Wallets Yape, Plin to Offer Crypto Payments in Peru
Bybit Pay has partnered with Peru’s leading digital wallets Yape and Plin, enabling users to pay with stablecoins and major cryptocurrencies that are instantly converted to Peruvian soles at checkout. The two wallets together serve roughly 28 million users and handle...
CleanSpark Shares Rise as Bitcoin Miner Expands AI Power Capacity in Texas
CleanSpark announced a definitive agreement to acquire up to 447 acres in Brazoria County, Texas, laying the groundwork for a large‑scale data‑center campus targeting AI and high‑performance computing workloads. The site will initially support 300 MW of power, with an option...
Blockchain-Based Lender Figure Named 2026 'Top Pick' By Wall Street Analyst
Wall Street broker Bernstein has named blockchain lender Figure Technology its top investment idea for 2026, citing accelerating regulatory momentum and a volatile banking environment that boost demand for its blockchain‑based credit platform. The firm upgraded Figure’s revenue outlook to...
Algorand Foundation Returns to U.S. Amid Friendlier Crypto Regulation Under Trump
The Algorand Foundation announced it will relocate its headquarters from Singapore back to Delaware, re‑establishing a U.S. base. The move coincides with a new board of directors featuring former policymakers, fintech executives, and blockchain experts. Under the Trump administration’s friendlier...
Germany’s Second-Largest Lender DZ Bank Secures Retail Crypto Trading MiCA License
Germany’s second‑largest lender DZ Bank has secured a BaFin‑approved MiCA licence, allowing it to launch the retail crypto‑trading platform meinKrypto. The service will be embedded in the VR Banking app and offered through the cooperative network of Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken....
MetaPlanet Just 5% Away From Restarting Share Sales for Bitcoin Buying
MetaPlanet, Japan’s largest corporate bitcoin holder, is within 5% of the 637‑yen price level that would reactivate its moving‑strike warrant program, allowing new share issuance to fund further BTC purchases. The stock jumped 15% to 605 yen, pushing the enterprise‑value‑to‑bitcoin‑holdings multiple...
North American Hours Become the Strongest Window for Bitcoin Returns, Reversing Late 2025 Trend
Bitcoin’s performance has shifted dramatically, with North American trading hours now delivering roughly an 8 % cumulative return in 2026, up from a 20 % decline in late‑2025. European sessions add modest gains, while Asian hours continue to weigh on the price....
Binance Wallet Unlocks In-App Leveraged Crypto Futures Trading with Aster Team-Up
Binance Wallet announced a partnership with decentralized perpetuals platform Aster, enabling users to trade leveraged crypto futures directly from the wallet while keeping full custody of their assets. The feature, currently available on the BNB Smart Chain web interface, supports...
Spanish Bank Bankinter Joins BBVA and Tether with Stake in Crypto Exchange Bit2Me
Spanish bank Bankinter has taken a minority stake in crypto exchange Bit2Me, joining a €30 million funding round that also includes Tether and BBVA. The investment bolsters Bit2Me’s capital structure and supports its ambition to comply with the EU’s MiCA regulation...
Bitcoin Prices Hit Two-Month High, but U.S. Demand Lags
Bitcoin surged past $95,000 on Tuesday, marking a two‑month high, but the Coinbase premium index turned negative, indicating U.S. prices are lower than offshore benchmarks like Binance. The gap suggests U.S. investors are selling or holding back while global demand...
Senators Pitch More than 75 Amendments for Crypto Bill, Including on Yield, DeFi Sections
U.S. senators have filed more than 130 amendments ahead of the Senate Banking Committee’s markup of the crypto market‑structure bill. The proposals span from banning stablecoin yields and restricting public officials from profiting on crypto to tightening definitions of mixers...
Senate's Warren: WLFI-Tied Bank Application Should Be Halted Until Trump Divests
Senator Elizabeth Warren urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to pause World Liberty Trust Co.'s application for a federal trust charter, which would enable the issuance of a USD‑1 stablecoin, until former President Donald Trump divests his...
‘Inflation Is Aging’: Bryan Johnson’s War Against Systemic Decay
Bryan Johnson, the Braintree founder who sold to PayPal for $800 million, is now championing Project Blueprint, a data‑driven longevity protocol he frames as a fight against systemic decay. He equates inflation’s erosion of purchasing power with biological aging, arguing both...
Bitcoin Options Open Interest Extends Dominance over Futures, Damping BTC Volatility
Bitcoin options open interest has risen to $65 billion, overtaking futures at $60 billion for the first time since July 2025, signaling a shift toward volatility‑management strategies. Institutional players, led by BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), now control roughly $33 billion—about 52% of the...
Crypto Data Platform CoinGecko Weighs Sale for Around $500 Million, Sources Say
Crypto data platform CoinGecko is weighing a sale valued around $500 million, hiring Moelis as advisor. The process, which began late last year, comes as crypto‑sector M&A surged to $8.6 billion in 2025 across 133 deals. Recent high‑profile purchases, such as...
Bitcoin Spikes to $92,500 as U.S. December Consumer Prices Rise 0.3%
The U.S. Consumer Price Index for December rose 2.7% year‑over‑year, exactly matching expectations, while core CPI increased 2.6% YoY. The data kept the market’s focus on the Federal Reserve, with a 95% probability that rates will stay unchanged at the...
Bitcoin Rose Above $92,000 as BlackRock ETF Moved $300 Million to Coinbase Prime
Bitcoin surged past $92,000 in early New York trading after BlackRock’s spot crypto ETFs transferred roughly $300 million of Bitcoin and Ether to Coinbase Prime. The on‑chain movement involved 3,290 BTC and 5,692 ETH, reflecting routine creation‑redemption activity rather than outright selling. The price...
ClearBank Taps Crypto Custody Firm Taurus to Power Stablecoin Services
ClearBank has partnered with crypto‑custody provider Taurus to launch stablecoin services using Taurus‑PROTECT’s wallet infrastructure. The collaboration enables the UK clearing bank to offer secure, scalable, and compliant digital‑asset solutions, starting with stablecoins like USDC and EURC. Integration includes connectivity...
Ukraine Blocks Polymarket in Wider Online Gambling Crackdown
Ukraine’s telecom regulator ordered internet service providers to block prediction‑market platform Polymarket alongside nearly 200 online gambling sites, citing a December 10 resolution that enforces licensing requirements. The move follows a recommendation from the State Agency PlayCity, which found Polymarket...
JPMorgan Sees Fed's Next Move an Interest-Rate Increase, Crypto Bulls Talk About Cuts
JPMorgan predicts the Federal Reserve will keep rates steady at 3.5‑3.75% this year and raise them by 25 basis points in the third quarter of 2027, contradicting market pricing that anticipates cuts. The bank’s outlook aligns with a bullish 10‑year...
21Shares' Bitcoin and Gold Exchange-Traded Product Debuts on London Stock Exchange
The 21Shares Bitcoin and Gold ETP, branded BOLD, launched on the London Stock Exchange on Jan 13, 2026, offering physically backed exposure to both bitcoin and gold in a single vehicle. It is the first UK‑listed product to combine these two...
Bitcoin and Ether Traders Bet on Calmer Times
Bitcoin and ether traders are shifting toward a low‑volatility outlook as the 30‑day implied volatility (IV) for Bitcoin fell to 40%, its lowest level since October, while ether's IV slipped below 60%, the lowest since September 2024. The decline in...
CFTC to Tap Tyler Winklevoss, Other Crypto CEOs as First Members of Innovation Panel
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Mike Selig has reconstituted the agency’s Innovation Advisory Committee, appointing crypto CEOs—including Gemini’s Tyler Winklevoss and Kraken’s Arjun Sethi—as its charter members. The panel also draws executives from prediction‑market platforms and legacy exchanges such as Nasdaq,...
Crypto Infrastructure Firm Bakkt Jumps 17% on Deeper Stablecoin Payments Push with New Deal
Bakkt announced it will acquire Distributed Technologies Research (DTR) for roughly $168 million, issuing about 9.1 million Class A shares that represent 31.5% of its current equity. The deal, pending shareholder and regulator sign‑off, places DTR’s CEO Akshay Naheta at Bakkt’s helm. Shares...
NEAR Rises 5.7% to $1.73 Before Giving Back Gains
NEAR Protocol’s native token surged 5.7% to $1.73 after the U.S. market opened, only to slip back to $1.68 amid a wave of sell‑side pressure. The rally was driven by a sharp, short‑lived volume spike that remained well below institutional...
Wall Street Broker Benchmark Says This Could Be a Pivotal Week for Digital Assets
Wall Street broker Benchmark says the Senate’s upcoming market‑structure vote could finally codify how digital assets are regulated in the United States. By moving from political debate to legislative execution, the bill aims to end years of regulatory uncertainty that...
BitMine Adds 24,000 Ether, but Warns Accumulation May Slow without Shareholder Approval
BitMine Immersion Technologies increased its Ethereum holdings by 24,266 ETH, bringing total assets to 4,167,768 ETH – roughly 3.45% of the circulating supply. The firm aims for a 5% stake but faces a funding ceiling after its $500 million equity authorization is exhausted....
CoinDesk 20 Performance Update: Solana (SOL) Gains 3.1% as Index Trades Flat
The CoinDesk 20 index closed flat at 2,882.46 points on Tuesday, while Solana (SOL) surged 3.1% to become the day’s top performer. Ethereum (ETH) added a modest 0.9% gain, joining SOL among the leaders. Litecoin (LTC) and Hedera (HBAR) lagged, falling...
Vitalik Buterin Lays Out 'Walkaway Test' For a Quantum Safe Ethereum
Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin introduced a "walkaway test" requiring the blockchain to remain secure and functional even if core developers cease major upgrades. He placed quantum resistance at the top of the agenda, urging cryptographic safeguards that last decades. Scalability targets...
VelaFi Raises $20 Million in Series B to Expand Stablecoin Payments Infrastructure
VelaFi announced a $20 million Series B round led by XVC and Ikuyo, bringing its total capital raised above $40 million. The funding will accelerate the company’s expansion from Latin America into the United States and Asia, targeting enterprise customers seeking faster, lower‑cost...
Dubai Bans Privacy Tokens, Tightens Stablecoin Rules in Crypto Reset
Dubai’s Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has banned privacy‑focused crypto tokens, including Zcash and Monero, across the Dubai International Financial Centre effective Jan 12, 2026. The regulator also prohibited the use of mixers, tumblers and other obfuscation tools, citing AML and FATF...
Bitcoin Treasury Firms Linked to Adam Back Sign Preliminary Agreement to Combine
Two Adam Back‑backed firms, Sweden’s H100 Group and Zurich’s Future Holdings AG, have signed a letter of intent to merge. H100, which already holds 1,046 BTC, aims to acquire Future, which recently raised $35 million to develop an institutional Bitcoin treasury platform....
Bitcoin Rises 1%, Nasdaq Futures and Dollar Drop as Trump-Powell Feud Escalates
Bitcoin rose 1% to roughly $92,000 on Monday, breaking its usual correlation with U.S. equity futures as Nasdaq contracts slipped 0.8% and the dollar index fell to 99.00. The price move occurred amid an intensifying public feud between President Donald...
Privacy Tokens Rally as XMR Breaks All-Time High
Monero (XMR) surged to a fresh all‑time high of $579, up more than 20% in a single day, leading a rally among privacy‑focused tokens such as Zcash. The move came as Bitcoin remained flat around $90,600, highlighting a rotation into...
JPMorgan Downplays Stablecoin Threat as Local Bankers Warn of $6.6 Trillion Risk
Community bankers, led by the ABA, warned that up to $6.6 trillion of deposits could shift to stablecoins if yield incentives remain unchecked, urging tighter enforcement of the GENIUS Act. JPMorgan, however, downplayed the systemic risk, framing stablecoins as a complementary...
Elon Musks's X Teases Crypto-Aware ‘Smart Cashtags’ Just Day After Community Backlash
Elon Musk’s platform X is testing “Smart Cashtags,” a crypto‑aware tagging system that lets users attach specific digital assets or smart contracts to their posts and view real‑time price data and related conversations. The feature, highlighted by Solana Labs, will...
Ethereum Co-Founder Vitalik Buterin Warns Decentralized Stablecoins Still Have Deep Flaws
Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin warned that decentralized stablecoins remain fundamentally flawed, citing reliance on a US‑dollar peg, vulnerable oracle designs, and hidden costs from staking yields. He argued that tying stablecoins to a single fiat currency limits resilience to macro‑economic...