$18B Asset Manager F/M Seeks SEC Approval to Tokenize US Treasury ETF
F/m Investments, an $18 billion asset manager, has filed a request with the SEC for exemptive relief to tokenize the shares of its US Treasury 3‑Month Bill ETF (TBIL). The proposal would record ownership of roughly $6 billion in ETF shares on a permissioned blockchain while preserving the fund’s status under the 1940 Act. Tokenized shares would keep the same CUSIP, voting rights, fees and economic terms as traditional shares, effectively adding a digital ledger layer. The filing follows similar blockchain pilots by firms like Franklin Templeton and coincides with NYSE’s plan for a 24/7 tokenized trading venue.
Vietnam Opens Licensing Window for Digital Asset Trading Platforms
Vietnam's State Securities Commission opened the licensing window on Jan. 20, 2026 for digital‑asset trading platforms, activating the five‑year pilot for a regulated crypto market. The new framework, issued under Decision No. 96, requires applicants to be Vietnamese entities with at least $380 million...
Bitcoin Policy Institute, Fedi, Cornell to Study American Views on Financial Privacy
The Bitcoin Policy Institute, crypto‑wallet provider Fedi, and Cornell University’s Brooks School Tech Policy Institute have launched a two‑year research project to map American attitudes toward financial privacy, the trade‑offs they accept, and how regulation influences behavior. The study will...
Strive Plans to Raise $150M to Pay Down Debt and Buy More Bitcoin
Strive, the Bitcoin‑focused asset manager co‑founded by Vivek Ramaswamy, announced a preferred‑stock offering that could raise up to $150 million. The Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock carries a 12.25% annual dividend and is redeemable at $110 per share. Proceeds will...
Thailand Plans Crypto ETF Rules as Institutional Interest Increases
Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission is set to release formal guidelines for crypto exchange‑traded funds early this year, alongside rules for futures trading and tokenised products. The framework will treat digital assets as an official asset class, allowing investors to...
Saga Pauses Chainlet After $7M Exploit that Depegged Its Stablecoin
Saga announced a pause of its Ethereum‑compatible chainlet after a $7 million exploit that de‑pegged its US‑dollar stablecoin to $0.75. The attack involved coordinated contract deployments and cross‑chain activity, prompting the team to halt the chain at block 6,593,800 while investigating. Saga’s...
Don’t Bet on Institutional Investors to Run Bitcoin to $150K: Researcher
Macro researcher Luke Gromen warns that institutional investors are unlikely to drive Bitcoin from its current ~$89,880 level to a $150,000 target without a significant market catalyst. A 67% price jump would require events such as the US CLARITY Act...
Buterin Tips Distributed Validators to Simplify Ethereum Staking
Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed embedding native distributed validator technology (DVT) into the protocol, allowing a validator to operate up to 16 virtual identities that collectively sign blocks. The design uses threshold signing, so actions are approved when a...
No Deal yet with Dems on Crypto Bill, Senator Boozman Confirms
The Senate Agriculture Committee released a Republican draft of a crypto market‑structure bill that adds liability protections for DeFi developers and other intermediaries. Chair John Boozman said Republicans and Democrats still differ on core policy issues, leaving the bill without...
Crypto Could Hit $28T by 2030 on Bitcoin, DeFi, Tokenization: ARK
ARK Invest’s "Big Ideas 2026" report projects the cryptocurrency market to reach $28 trillion by 2030, driven by a 61% CAGR. Bitcoin alone could account for 70% of that value, with price targets near $1 million as institutional holdings rise. Smart‑contract platforms...
US Stocks, Crypto Creep up as Trump Calls Off Greenland-Linked Tariffs
U.S. equities rallied on Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced he would not pursue the Greenland‑linked tariffs slated for February 1, sending the S&P 500 up 1.16%. The crypto market also nudged higher, with Bitcoin rising 1.64% to $90,010 and Ether...
Former Alameda CEO to Be Released From US Custody After 440 Days
Caroline Ellison, former Alameda Research CEO, will be released after serving 440 days of a two‑year federal sentence. She spent most of her term at Danbury, Connecticut, before moving to a reentry facility in New York City. Ellison cooperated with...
Argentine Exchange Ripio Bets on Peso Stablecoins Amid Cautious 2026 Outlook
Argentine crypto exchange Ripio is pivoting toward local fiat‑backed stablecoins and tokenized sovereign bonds as it repositions as a B2B infrastructure provider. The platform now issues peso, real and Mexican‑peso stablecoins on Ethereum, Base and World Chain, and has tokenized Argentina’s...
Bank of Italy Chief Says Banks, Not Stablecoins, Anchor Digital Money
Bank of Italy Governor Fabio Panetta said commercial‑bank money will eventually be fully digital, joining central‑bank money as the core of the monetary system. He positioned stablecoins as a complementary, peg‑dependent tool rather than a primary anchor. Panetta also highlighted...
Central Banks vs Bitcoin: Who Deserves the Public’s Trust?
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, French central bank governor François Villeroy de Galhau argued that trust in money must come from independent public institutions, not private crypto issuers. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong rebutted, claiming Bitcoin’s decentralized protocol offers greater independence...
Bitcoin Sharks Scoop up BTC Like It's 2013 Despite 'Perfect Bull Trap'
Bitcoin’s large‑holder “sharks” are adding BTC at the fastest rate since 2013, even as the price slipped from near $98,000 to about $87,900. Glassnode data shows entities with 100‑1,000 BTC increasing net positions, signalling confidence in a longer‑term uptrend. Meanwhile, chartist...
Bitpanda Expands Into Stocks and ETFs with Universal Exchange Push
Vienna‑based crypto platform Bitpanda is launching a universal exchange, adding roughly 10,000 stocks and ETFs to its app starting Jan. 29. The new offering provides real, non‑tokenized shares across the EU with a flat €1 fee per trade and no custody...
Trade Finance Is the Biggest Opportunity in Blockchain
Blockchain’s most compelling growth frontier is global trade finance, a $9.7‑trillion market plagued by paper‑based processes and a $2.5‑trillion financing gap for SMEs. By moving letters of credit, invoices and bills of lading onto immutable ledgers, blockchain can slash fraud,...
Younger Americans Back Crypto as Boomers Favor Traditional Banks: Survey
A January survey of 1,000 Americans reveals a stark generational divide in financial trust. About 40% of Gen Z and Millennials rate crypto platforms highly, while only 9% of Baby Boomers do the same, yet 74% of Boomers express strong confidence...
New SEC Submissions Press on Self-Custody and DeFi Regulation
The SEC’s Crypto Task Force added two written submissions that focus on self‑custody rights and dealer classification for tokenized and DeFi assets. One, filed by “DK Willard,” cites Louisiana’s HB 488 to preserve strong registration, transparency and anti‑fraud safeguards in upcoming federal...
Nansen Launches AI Crypto Trading Tools on Base, Solana
Nansen introduced autonomous crypto‑trading tools that let users place trades through AI‑driven conversational prompts on its mobile app. The feature, dubbed “vibe trading,” currently supports the Base and Solana blockchains and draws on Nansen’s massive on‑chain address database. Execution is...
Bhutan to Deploy Sei Validator in Q1, Eyes Tokenization Collab
Bhutan will launch a Sei Network validator in the first quarter, a joint effort between the Sei Development Foundation and Druk Holding and Investments' technology division. The validator will secure the proof‑of‑stake chain and give Bhutan a foothold in a...
Grayscale Files to Convert NEAR Protocol Trust Into ETF on NYSE Arca
Grayscale has submitted a preliminary prospectus to the SEC to transform its NEAR Protocol Trust into an exchange‑traded fund listed on NYSE Arca. The trust, which launched on the OTCQB in September, currently manages about $900,000 and its NAV per...
Trump’s Crypto Advisor Calls for Compromises to Pass Crypto Bill
Patrick Witt, the White House’s top crypto adviser, warned that the Senate’s crypto market‑structure bill must be rushed through while bipartisan compromises are still possible. He emphasized that a multi‑trillion‑dollar industry cannot operate indefinitely without a clear regulatory framework, and...
Crypto to Reach 50% of Fortune 500 in 2026: Ripple President
Ripple president Monica Long predicts that by the end of 2026 roughly 250 Fortune 500 companies will either hold crypto or run blockchain‑based financial products. She forecasts corporate balance sheets will contain over $1 trillion in digital assets, with half of the...
Fundstrat’s Lee Sees ‘Painful’ Start to 2026 Before Late-Year Rebound
Tom Lee, Fundstrat's head of research, warned that 2026 will start with a painful 15‑20% correction across both stock and crypto markets, driven by geopolitical tension, tariffs and political divides. He expects a late‑year rebound as the Federal Reserve turns...
Bitcoin Enters Delaware Life’s Retirement Annuity Portfolio
Delaware Life Insurance Company is introducing a Bitcoin‑linked fixed indexed annuity that blends U.S. equity performance with a managed exposure to Bitcoin via BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF. The product applies volatility controls designed to limit Bitcoin‑related swings to about...
Hong Kong Defends 'Same Risk, Same Regulation' Approach for Crypto at WEF
Hong Kong Finance Secretary Paul Chan defended the city’s “same activity, same risk, same regulation” framework for digital assets at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The approach ties regulatory requirements to the risk profile of a service rather than...
ETH Price Metric Flashes Buy Signal After 3 Years of Seller Dominance
Ethereum’s net taker volume turned positive, registering about $390 million of buy‑side imbalance since Jan. 6 – the strongest since January 2023. After nearly three years of sell‑side dominance, the metric suggests futures traders are regaining conviction. ETH remains above the critical $3,000...
RedStone Acquires Security Token Market, TokenizeThis Conference
RedStone, a blockchain oracle provider, has acquired Security Token Market (STM) and its TokenizeThis conference, gaining access to a historic dataset covering more than 800 tokenized real‑world assets across equities, real estate, debt and funds. The deal brings STM’s seven‑year...
Coinbase Says Capital Access Beats Income in Wealth Creation
Coinbase Institute’s new report reframes wealth creation as a divide between the "brokered"—those with direct capital‑market access—and the "unbrokered," an estimated four billion people worldwide. Over the past four decades U.S. capital income surged 136 % while labor income rose only 57 %,...
Why Digital Asset Treasuries that only Hodl May Fall Short
Mike Maloney argues that digital asset treasuries (DATs) that merely hold Bitcoin—now exceeding $80 billion in market value—are exposing companies to market volatility and regulatory risk. He proposes a DAT 2.0 model that actively invests in Bitcoin‑related infrastructure such as mining, custody,...
WLFI Faces Backlash After ‘Team Wallets’ Push Through USD1 Growth Proposal
World Liberty Financial (WLFI) approved a USD 1 growth proposal despite community objections over voting access for locked token holders. On‑chain data shows nine top wallets, many linked to the team, controlled roughly 59% of voting power, with the largest single...
South Korea Weighs Ending One Bank Rule for Crypto Exchanges: Report
South Korean regulators are re‑examining the long‑standing “one exchange‑one bank” rule that forces cryptocurrency platforms to partner exclusively with a single domestic bank. A joint study by the Financial Services Commission and the Fair Trade Commission suggests the model fuels...
Hong Kong Group Warns Crypto Licensing Rollout Risks Forced Shutdowns
The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association warned that the city’s upcoming crypto licensing regime could force compliant managers to shut down operations if regulators launch without a transition period. The proposed "hard start" would require firms to be...
DeFi Protocol Pendle Revamps Governance Token, Citing Low Adoption
Pendle is swapping its locked‑vote escrow token vePENDLE for a new liquid staking token called sPENDLE. The change aims to remove the long lock‑up periods and non‑transferability that hampered user participation. sPENDLE will feature a 14‑day unwind window, optional instant...
Magic Eden Co-Founder Sees ‘Speculation Supercycle’ Ahead
Magic Eden co‑founder Jack Lu announced that the firm is gearing up for a "speculation supercycle" where finance merges with entertainment. Prediction‑market trading volumes hit a record $814.2 million, underscoring mainstream interest in betting and forecasting. The company will launch its...
Memecoin Platform Pump.fun Launches Investment Arm ‘Pump Fund’
Pump.fun, the memecoin launchpad, announced a new investment arm called Pump Fund, backed by a $3 million hackathon. The fund will allocate $250,000 to each of 12 selected projects, valuing them at $10 million. Unlike its previous focus, Pump Fund will back...
Memecoin Trading Spikes Briefly as Traders Cash in, Say Analysts
Memecoin trading volume surged to $5.62 billion on Monday, a 106% jump from the previous day, before retreating to $3.6 billion later in the session. At the same time, the sector’s market capitalization slipped 6%, indicating that the volume spike reflected profit‑taking...
Ethereum L2 MegaETH Peaks at 47K TPS Ahead of ‘Global Stress Test’
Ethereum layer‑2 MegaETH demonstrated a peak of 47,000 transactions per second in recent testing, positioning it among the fastest EVM chains. The project announced a global stress test slated for Jan 22, targeting sustained 15‑35k TPS and a total of 11 billion...
Injective Community Passes Governance Vote to Slash INJ Token Supply
Injective’s community approved the Supply Squeeze proposal (IIP‑617) with 99.89% support, overhauling tokenomics to cut INJ issuance. The change aligns reduced issuance with the existing buy‑back‑and‑burn program, which has already removed about 6.85 million INJ from circulation. Despite an 80% price...
One Year After Gary Gensler’s Exit, SEC’s Crypto Playbook Looks Very Different
One year after Gary Gensler left the SEC, the agency’s crypto stance has flipped under Trump‑appointed leadership. Acting chair Mark Uyeda and later Paul Atkins dismissed high‑profile enforcement actions against Coinbase, Robinhood, Uniswap and Ripple. The SEC has shifted to...
Price Predictions 1/19: SPX, DXY, BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, SOL, DOGE, ADA, BCH
Analysts warn that a looming US‑EU trade dispute is fostering a short‑term risk‑off mood, pressuring Bitcoin and most altcoins toward key support zones. The S&P 500 hovers around the 7,000 mark, with the 20‑day EMA at 6,909 acting as a potential...
What BTQ’s Bitcoin Quantum Testnet Reveals About “Old BTC” Risk
BTQ Technologies launched a Bitcoin‑Quantum testnet on Jan. 12, 2026, swapping Bitcoin’s ECDSA signatures for the post‑quantum ML‑DSA scheme. The experiment shows that ML‑DSA signatures are 38–72 times larger, prompting a block‑size increase to 64 MiB. By reproducing Bitcoin‑like transaction flow, the testnet...
How Bitcoin Mining Heat Is Being Tested to Warm Canadian Greenhouses
A pilot in Manitoba is pairing liquid‑cooled Bitcoin mining rigs with greenhouse agriculture to capture and reuse the substantial heat generated by mining operations. The 3 MW proof‑of‑concept uses a closed‑loop water system to preheat greenhouse water, reducing reliance on conventional...
NYSE Develops 24/7 Blockchain Trading Platform for Tokenized Stocks, ETFs
The New York Stock Exchange, backed by its parent ICE, is building a 24/7 platform to trade tokenized stocks and ETFs, combining its Pillar matching engine with multi‑chain blockchain settlement. The system would enable real‑time settlement using stablecoins, replacing the...
US Bitcoin Traders Flip Bearish: Is BTC Price at Risk of Losing $90K?
Bitcoin’s Coinbase Premium Gap plunged to a one‑year low of –63.85, indicating heightened US‑based selling pressure. The negative gap emerged during a U.S. market holiday, showing that large US whales were offloading Bitcoin outside of spot ETFs. Simultaneously, Bitcoin’s daily...
Crypto Derivatives Exchange Paradex Reports Outage, Cancels Open Orders
Crypto derivatives exchange Paradex suffered a platform‑wide outage on January 19, 2026, rendering its UI, API, cloud, blockchain components, bridge, block explorer, and RPC proxy unavailable. The exchange is executing a rollback and recovery process and has forced the cancellation...
Vitalik Buterin Calls for a New DAO Design for Onchain Disputes and Governance
Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin warned that most DAOs operate merely as token‑voting treasuries, a model prone to capture, low participation, and political weakness. He urges a redesign that tackles concrete infrastructure problems such as on‑chain dispute resolution, oracle reliability, and long‑term...
CertiK Links $63M in Tornado Cash Deposits to $282M Wallet Compromise
Blockchain security firm CertiK traced roughly $63 million of Tornado Cash deposits to the $282 million wallet hack on Jan. 10. Their analysis shows 686 BTC were bridged to Ethereum, converted into about 19,600 ETH, and then broken into ~400‑ETH chunks before entering the mixer....