Сборщик RSS-лент

Executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets Patrick Witt said US officials are actively examining how Venezuela’s Maduro regime was financed, including whether any value sits in Bitcoin and “digital assets,” as speculation mounted earlier this month that recent Venezuela-linked actions may have surfaced a large Bitcoin cache. The comments stop short of confirming any seizure, but they place Bitcoin explicitly inside an ongoing national-security review.

White House Adviser Confirms Bitcoin Investigation

In a CoinDesk interview on Tuesday, Witt was asked whether digital assets were seized and what the US might do with them. Witt declined to provide specifics, citing the sensitivity of the situation, but described an interagency effort scrutinizing potential funding sources tied to the regime.

“Obviously, developing situation down there, still working through it, a lot of national security equities there,” Witt said. “So folks are talking, they’re looking at the situation overall, how the Maduro regime was financed and where some of those assets, whether it’s on the oil side, actual physical commodities or digital assets maybe. So I can’t comment on anything there as of now, but there’s a number of folks in the national security apparatus engaged and looking into that.”

The key takeaway for markets is procedural rather than tactical: Witt did not validate any claim that bitcoin or other tokens were seized, but he did confirm that crypto is being considered alongside commodity-linked value as investigators map financing channels.

The White House caution comes against a viral claim that Venezuela may control more than 600,000 BTC, an assertion amplified by a widely circulated Whale Hunting / Project Brazen newsletter by Bradley Hope and Clara Preve. That piece framed the idea as a thesis driven by intelligence sourcing and circumstantial financial logic, not on-chain attribution.

Subsequent on-chain analysis has emphasized the gap between the headline number and what blockchain analysts can actually prove. DL News reported that forensics firms “have struggled to find any Bitcoin at all held by the regime,” citing Arkham and TRM Labs as saying they had not identified holdings at the scale being claimed.

Skepticism has also centered on the lack of traceable starting points. Fortune quoted Nansen principal research analyst Aurelie Barthere saying the Project Brazen report “does not mention any addresses as a starting point, making it difficult to verify” the speculation.

At press time, Bitcoin traded at $89,285.

Криптовалютная биржа ABCEX объявила о запуске фьючерсов на биткоин, а также о старте маржинальной торговли.

Steak ’n Shake said this week that it quietly beefed up its Bitcoin stash as in-store sales jumped. The chain added $5 million in BTC to what it calls a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, bringing total crypto holdings to roughly $15 million.

Reports say the company pointed to crypto payments as one of the reasons same-store sales rose by 18% so far in 2026.

Steak ’N Shake’s Bitcoin Move

According to the brand’s social posts, every crypto payment made at its restaurants goes straight into that reserve instead of being cashed out.

This has let the reserve grow both from customer purchases and from occasional treasury buys. The latest post announced the $5 million top-up after an earlier disclosure that the reserve had been boosted by $10 million in January.

Steak n Shake’s Burger-to-Bitcoin transformation continues.

Today we increased our Bitcoin exposure by $5,000,000 in notional value.

All Bitcoin sales go into our Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

Our self-sustaining system — improving food quality that grows same-store sales that…

— Steak ‘n Shake (@SteaknShake) January 27, 2026

What The Numbers Mean

On paper, $15 million is small next to big corporate treasuries that hold BTC. Still, for a restaurant chain, it is a visible bet.

Reports note the company began accepting crypto across some locations in May 2025, and it claims that the payment option helped draw a certain kind of customer and cut payment fees. That combination, the company says, helped lift traffic and sales.

Eight months ago today, Steak n Shake launched its burger-to-Bitcoin transformation when we started accepting bitcoin payments. Our same-store sales have risen dramatically ever since.

All Bitcoin sales go into our Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

Today we increased our Bitcoin…

— Steak ‘n Shake (@SteaknShake) January 17, 2026

Employee Bonuses And Publicity

The crypto story has also been used in staff talk. Steak ’n Shake announced a small BTC bonus plan for hourly workers, paid in BTC and subject to vesting rules.

That move created headlines and some debate, since paying workers in crypto raises practical and legal questions. The chain has been clear about wanting the reserve to support company goals rather than be a quick trading play.

A Practical Experiment

This is not a tech fad. The company has been running a simple experiment: accept BTC, keep the crypto, and see if it helps sales or loyalty.

Some outlets reported the same-store sales gains as double digits in various quarters last year, and the company’s narrative ties those gains to the crypto program. Independent audits or formal filings that fully confirm the sales-to-crypto link are not yet public.

How Observers See It

Analysts and market observers have treated the move as an interesting case study. Some see a marketing win; others call it a small but symbolic treasury play.

There are risks: BTC price swings can change the value of the reserve quickly, and operational issues around crypto pay can create friction at the counter.

Still, the chain appears committed for now, and that consistency matters in a crowded retail field.

Featured image from NSU Dining Services, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin remains under pressure, struggling to reclaim the $88,000 level as uncertainty and persistent selling continue to dominate market sentiment. Price action reflects hesitation rather than panic, but the inability to attract sustained demand highlights a fragile short-term structure. According to a recent CryptoQuant analysis, on-chain data tracking large holders offers critical context for this weakness.

Data focusing on wallets holding between 1,000 and 10,000 BTC, excluding exchanges and mining pools, points to a clear behavioral shift among whales after an extended distribution phase in late 2025. Following a local peak around mid-2025, aggregate whale balances declined steadily while Bitcoin traded at elevated levels.

This pattern is consistent with distribution into strength, not forced liquidation, suggesting that large holders were reducing exposure opportunistically as price momentum matured.

The 30-day balance change metric reinforces this view. Throughout the third quarter and into early Q4, whale balances repeatedly printed negative monthly changes, even as prices attempted to push higher. This divergence coincided with rising volatility and fading upside momentum, signaling that rallies were increasingly sustained by marginal buyers rather than committed institutional-scale accumulation.

 

Whale Behavior Signals Early Stabilization After Prolonged Distribution

However, the same report highlights an important shift beneath the surface. Recent on-chain data shows a clear inflection in whale behavior, with both short-term (7-day) and medium-term (30-day) balance changes turning positive. After months of persistent outflows, total whale holdings are no longer declining and have begun to stabilize, gradually recovering from their local lows. This change suggests that large holders are no longer actively distributing into rallies.

Historically, transitions from net distribution to early accumulation tend to emerge during periods of price compression or after corrective phases, rather than near market peaks. The current environment fits that pattern. Bitcoin is trading in a tight range after a sharp drawdown, and volatility has compressed, creating conditions where strategic repositioning becomes more attractive for larger players.

From a broader macro on-chain perspective, the 1-year change in whale holdings remains relatively flat. This indicates that the market has not yet entered a full-scale accumulation regime typically associated with strong bull market expansions. Instead, the behavior observed so far is more consistent with tactical positioning and selective re-entry, rather than high-conviction, long-term buying.

Importantly, whale activity is no longer adding sustained sell-side pressure to Bitcoin’s supply. While this shift does not guarantee an immediate upside breakout, it materially reduces downside risk.

The market appears to be transitioning into a stabilization phase, where the next directional move will depend on whether accumulation meaningfully accelerates or fades at current levels.

Bitcoin Consolidates Around Weekly Demand Level

Bitcoin’s weekly chart shows price consolidating just below the $90,000 zone, highlighting a market caught between stabilization and unresolved downside risk. After the sharp correction from the $120K–$125K peak, BTC has entered a broad consolidation range, with recent candles clustering around the mid-to-high $80K area. This zone is increasingly acting as a critical demand region rather than a launchpad for immediate upside.

From a trend perspective, the structure has clearly weakened. Price remains below the 50-period moving average (blue), which has rolled over and now acts as dynamic resistance near the low $90Ks. The 100-period moving average (green) continues to slope upward and currently provides medium-term support just below the current price, reinforcing the idea of compression rather than free fall.

Meanwhile, the 200-period moving average (red) remains well below the price and rising steadily, confirming that the broader long-term uptrend is still intact despite the correction.

Volume dynamics also support a stabilization narrative. Selling pressure has eased compared to the distribution phase seen near the highs, and recent weekly candles show reduced downside momentum. However, the lack of strong bullish follow-through suggests buyers are selective rather than aggressive.

Bitcoin is transitioning into a decision zone. Holding above the 100-week moving average keeps the market in a corrective but constructive phase. Failure to do so would open the door to deeper mean reversion, while a reclaim of the 50-week average would be an early signal of trend repair.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

Tether, the issuer of the world’s most widely used stablecoin USDT, has officially launched a new dollar‑pegged cryptocurrency tailored specifically for the United States market. 

The token, called USA₮, marks Tether’s formal entry into the US’s new regulated stablecoin space and is designed to operate under the country’s newly established federal stablecoin framework following the passage of the GENIUS Act.

Tether Returns To US Market

The launch represents a notable shift for Tether, which had previously stepped away from the US market amid heightened regulatory scrutiny. In 2021, the company reached a settlement with the New York Attorney General over allegations that it had misrepresented its reserves, agreeing to pay an $18.5 million fine. 

Since then, the stablecoin issuer has largely focused its stablecoin operations outside the United States, while USDT continued to grow into the dominant stablecoin globally.

On Tuesday, Tether confirmed that USA₮ is now available to US users seeking a dollar‑backed digital asset built to comply fully with federal rules. 

The rollout follows an announcement made late last year that outlined the token’s structure and revealed the appointment of Bo Hines, former executive director of the White House Crypto Council, as chief executive of Tether USA₮.

According to the company, USA₮ is intended to combine the scale and operational experience behind USDT with a regulatory structure designed to meet the requirements of American institutions.

While USDT will continue to operate internationally, USA₮ has been developed exclusively for the US market, aiming to provide institutions with access to a digital dollar issued through a nationally chartered bank, aligning it more closely with traditional financial systems.

Anchorage And Cantor Fitzgerald’s Role

USA₮ is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank and has been structured to comply with the GENIUS Act’s federal oversight requirements. Tether said it is working with US‑regulated exchanges and banking partners to ensure broad access across the domestic financial ecosystem. 

Cantor Fitzgerald has been named the reserve custodian and preferred primary dealer for USA₮, a role the firm said will provide secure asset management and clear visibility into reserves from the outset.

Paolo Ardoino, Tether’s chief executive officer, said the new token gives US institutions an additional option for accessing what he calls “digital dollars.” 

He noted that USDT has demonstrated for more than a decade that “blockchain‑based dollars” can function at a global scale with transparency and utility, and that USA₮ builds on that foundation.

Bo Hines said the launch reflects a focus on meeting regulatory expectations while maintaining stability and transparency. He added that the goal is to support responsible governance and ensure the United States remains at the forefront of dollar‑based financial innovation.

During the initial phase of the rollout, USA₮ will be available through several major platforms, including Bybit, Crypto.com, Kraken, OKX, and MoonPay. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Эмитент стейблкоина USDT Tether стала крупнейшим в мире частным владельцем золотых запасов. Объем накопленного драгоценного металла приближается к 140 тоннам, а его оценочная стоимость составляет около $24 млрд, заявил генеральный директор Tether Паоло Ардоино (Paolo Ardoino) в интервью Bloomberg.

Russian lawmakers have moved forward with legislation that will formally allow the regulation of crypto asset seizures in criminal proceedings, eliminating legal vacuums that complicated previous investigations.

Crypto Seizure Bill Advances At State Duma Committee

On Monday, the Committee on State Building and Legislation at the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, advanced a bill to regulate the seizure of crypto assets in criminal proceedings.

In an official Telegram message, the ruling political party in Russia, the All-Russian Political Party United Russia, revealed that the legislation was recommended for adoption in its upcoming third reading.

Although cryptocurrencies are already recognized as property under several laws, their status has not yet been established in criminal procedure laws, the statement noted, which has complicated the investigation of crimes and the enforcement of property claims.

As a result, the recently passed crypto bill is designed to reduce the risks associated with the use of cryptocurrencies in criminal activities, such as money laundering, corruption, and terrorist financing.

To address this, the bill proposes recognizing digital assets as property under the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation. In addition, it intends to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure with a new article to regulate the actions of investigators upon discovering digital assets subject to seizure.

The legislation will also grant relevant authorities investigating a case the power to seize assets by taking control of physical devices, including servers, computers, and cold wallets, or by transferring the assets to a special address to ensure their preservation. Lastly, it will introduce a mechanism for freezing digital currency for subsequent confiscation or to secure a civil claim.

“The adoption of the law will eliminate the legal vacuum and create effective mechanisms for law enforcement agencies to work with modern digital assets, based on international recommendations and the successful experience of foreign legal systems,” said Pavel Krasheninnikov, head of the State Duma Committee on State Building and Legislation.

Russia Prepares For New Regulatory Landscape

If approved, the bill would complement Russia’s upcoming crypto framework, which is expected to take effect by July. In December, the Central Bank of Russia unveiled new comprehensive regulatory proposals to enable retail and qualified investors to buy digital assets through licensed platforms in the country.

The new rules will allow non-qualified investors to purchase up to 300,000 rubles annually in the most liquid cryptocurrencies after passing a knowledge test. Moreover, qualified investors will be able to buy unlimited amounts of any digital asset after passing a risk-awareness test.

Under the proposed framework, transactions must be conducted through platforms that are already licensed, including exchanges, brokers, and trust managers, with additional requirements applied to custodians and exchange services.

Additionally, residents will be allowed to buy crypto assets abroad and transfer their holdings through Russian-licensed intermediaries, subject to the necessary tax reporting. Leading stock exchanges, the Moscow Exchange (MOEX) and SPB Exchange, have shared their support for the central bank’s proposed regulatory framework.

As reported by Bitcoinist, the institutions confirmed they are prepared to launch crypto trading services under the upcoming rules as soon as they are enacted. The Moscow Exchange affirmed that it is actively working on solutions to serve the cryptocurrency market, with plans to offer them as soon as the relevant regulations are in place.

Meanwhile, the SPB Exchange also stated that it is prepared to participate in joint efforts to develop the relevant infrastructure within the regulated market, highlighting the Central Bank’s efforts to create “transparent and secure conditions” for crypto trading.

Президент брокерской компании Euro Pacific Capital Питер Шифф (Peter Schiff) в интервью американскому блогеру и журналисту Такеру Карлсону (Tucker Carlson) назвал биткоин спекулятивным инструментом, не имеющим реального применения. По мнению Шиффа, гораздо лучше вкладывать деньги в золото.

Сооснователь Эфириума Виталик Бутерин заявил, что многие социальные и игровые блокчейн-проекты терпят крах по одной причине — разработчики уделяют внимание только токенам и технологической стороне вопроса.

Специалист по кибербезопасности Джереми Фаулер (Jeremiah Fowler) обнаружил утечку персональных данных, связанных с 149 млн учетных записей онлайн-сервисов вроде соцсетей и госучреждений. Около 420 000 пострадавших — клиенты крупнейшей криптобиржи мира Binance.

A crucial amendment that was expected to delay passage of the CLARITY Act, also known as the crypto market structure bill, could be scrapped ahead of a vital committee vote this week, potentially simplifying the bill’s path forward.

Senate Crypto Bill Clears Key Hurdle

According to a report by Politico, Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas has agreed not to offer a proposed amendment targeting credit card swipe fees during the Senate Agriculture Committee’s markup of the crypto legislation, scheduled for Thursday, January 29. 

Three people familiar with the private discussions said the decision was made over the weekend and could help secure broader backing for the bill from the cryptocurrency industry.

Marshall had filed the amendment just last week, seeking to force payment networks to compete on credit card swipe fees. The proposal closely mirrors the long‑running Credit Card Competition Act, which Marshall has championed for years alongside Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. 

However, in private conversations on Saturday, Marshall reportedly agreed not to bring the amendment forward during the markup, according to those with knowledge of the matter.

Marshall’s swipe‑fee amendment, which is also supported by Durbin and Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, was widely seen as a potential obstacle. Some Republicans who are inclined to support the crypto bill oppose the credit card provision, which would place major financial institutions in direct conflict with large retailers.

Durbin is not currently expected to introduce the amendment himself during the markup, according to a person familiar with the situation, although a final decision has not been confirmed.

Amendments Still Loom

The issue has reportedly drawn attention from the White House as well. Several people with insight into internal deliberations said administration officials became involved out of concern that the swipe‑fee amendment could derail the legislation. 

One person described the amendment as something that would have “jeopardized” the bill’s passage, at a time when the White House is pushing for the measure to advance out of committee.

While the Marshall amendment may be off the table, other changes could still emerge. Journalist Eleanor Terrett noted on X (previously Twitter) that several amendments remain under consideration. 

These include proposed ethics rules for US officials, a requirement that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) maintain at least four sitting commissioners following consultation with the minority party, anti‑fraud measures targeting crypto ATMs, and limits on participation by foreign adversaries in crypto markets.

Despite two additional weeks of bipartisan negotiations—negotiations that already delayed an earlier planned markup from January 15—the bill remains sharply divided along party lines. So far, only Republican members of the Senate Agriculture Committee have publicly expressed support for the legislation.

Nonetheless, the committee’s latest draft, posted on Wednesday, January 21, has received a positive response from the broader crypto industry. Industry participants have praised the text for providing explicit protections for noncustodial software developers and blockchain infrastructure providers. 

The bill is seen as narrowly targeting intermediaries, rather than protocols or end users, a distinction many in the sector consider essential for maintaining innovation.

The draft also excludes provisions that would regulate stablecoin yields, a decision viewed as particularly significant following Coinbase’s recent withdrawal of support for the Senate Banking Committee’s version of the legislation. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Traders have been looking at a chart that lines up XRP’s major moves with decades of silver data. The match is not perfect. It is, however, striking enough to get people talking about what might happen next. Some see it as a warning. Others see a possible roadmap for big gains.

Silver And XRP In Parallel

According to chart comparisons shared by market watchers, silver’s long swings since 1980 echo many of XRP’s moves since 2016.

Silver climbed to about $48 in early 1980, crashed to roughly $3.4 by the early 1990s, then drifted for years before a run toward $50 in 2011.

XRP, on a far faster clock, pushed to highs above $3 in 2018, fell sharply into 2020, recovered, then found a new peak in late 2024.

The shapes on the charts — rises, deep drops, long quiet stretches — look similar. That resemblance is what’s being discussed.

#Silver looks like #XRP.

The time guide we follow, the White Rabbit, is the event itself, which will point out the treasure!

A nova flash, getting closer. pic.twitter.com/eAqAfZXEo7

— Dark Defender (@DefendDark) January 26, 2026

What The Numbers Show

Reports say silver has jumped roughly 278% since 2025, sitting near $109 per ounce in recent sessions. Gold has also moved, trading above $5,000 per ounce as investors seek safety.

Those metal moves have pulled attention back to assets that follow big macro flows. XRP, currently trading around $1.90, is much smaller and far more volatile than either metal, so any similar move could be much larger in percentage terms, but it would likely be sharper and riskier too.

History Moves At Different Speeds

Silver’s shifts played out over many years. XRP’s similar pattern appears compressed into a few market cycles. That is important. Time matters in markets because long pauses can build a stronger base, and quick cycles can spark fast moves that reverse just as fast.

Reports have disclosed that some traders believe crypto cycles keep pace with liquidity and headlines; metals react more to reserve flows and long-term real rates. Both effects can push prices hard, but they do so at different paces.

Risk And Reward In Plain Sight

If XRP keeps following this pattern, a large upswing could follow a breakout. At the same time, the pattern is no guarantee. Price moves have many causes. Legal shifts, big fund flows, and macro shocks can all change the path.

XRP has shown it can fall far and recover in dramatic ways. That playbook brings opportunities but also steep pain for those who buy late or hold through violent swings.

Where Traders Might Look Next

According to some analysts, key levels from past cycles will matter. Support near recent lows could act as a floor; fresh inflows into crypto or a rotation out of metals might be the trigger for a large move. Volume, broader market risk appetite, and where big holders place their bets will all be watched closely.

Featured image from CoinFlip, chart from TradingView

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says crypto’s near-term trajectory is being pulled by two very different macro forces: a breakout in gold that signals a deeper institutional trust problem, and a suddenly uncertain path for the Clarity Act that could determine whether the current pro-crypto regulatory posture becomes durable US law.

In a Jan. 26 memo titled “Gold Rising, Clarity in Suspense,” Hougan framed the moment as a split-screen. On one side is a traditional store of value repricing violently higher. On the other is a legislative process that—if it stalls—could shift crypto from expectation-driven markets to an adoption-driven proving ground.

Gold Above $5,000, And Crypto?

Hougan called gold’s move “staggering.” After rising 65% in 2025, gold is up another 16% in 2026 and is now trading above $5,000, he wrote, adding that it’s “pretty wild” to consider that gold “has gained half of its value (in dollar terms) in the last 20 months.”

For Hougan, the price action is less about commodity cycles and more about confidence. “I think the spiking price of gold says something profound about the world,” he wrote. “First, it says that years of money printing, debt, and debasement is catching up with fiat currencies. And second, it shows that people no longer want to keep all of their wealth in a format that relies on the good graces of others.”

That second point is the hinge to crypto. Hougan argued that the last few years have accelerated a global shift in how institutions think about sovereign risk and custody, tracing the inflection to 2022 when the US seized Russian treasury assets after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Central banks, he said, “doubled their annual purchases of gold” after that event, effectively deciding that some reserves need to sit outside any single power’s reach.

He pointed to recent examples as evidence the trend is widening: German economists publicly urging the government to withdraw gold stored at the New York Federal Reserve and bring it back to Germany, and a warning from a Norwegian government panel that its sovereign wealth fund may be “subject to increased taxation, regulatory intervention and even confiscation” in today’s geopolitical climate. “There is a global breakdown in trust among institutions, and it is accelerating,” Hougan wrote.

Crypto’s pitch, in this framing, is straightforward: systems designed to minimize reliance on centralized intermediaries. “To own bitcoin or other crypto assets, you don’t have to trust anyone,” he wrote, adding that “no single person can change the rules for how platforms like Ethereum and Solana operate.” The industry’s usual vocabulary—self-custody, censorship resistance, trustless—can sound abstract, Hougan acknowledged, but he argued it starts to look more concrete in a world that is increasingly skeptical about who ultimately controls assets and rules.

The Clarity Act’s Wobble

Hougan’s second focus was the Clarity Act, which he described as critical because it would “cement the current pro-crypto regulatory environment into law.” Without it, he argued, a future administration could reverse course—he illustrated the stakes by asking readers to “picture Senator Elizabeth Warren as the next chair of the SEC.” Earlier this month, he wrote, prediction markets were confident: Polymarket had the odds of passage around 80% in early January. After recent setbacks, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong calling the current version “unworkable”, Hougan said those odds have fallen closer to 50%.

If Clarity fails, Hougan expects a multi-year reset in how markets price the sector. “If the bill fails, I believe crypto will enter a ‘show me’ period,” he wrote. “That means it will have three years to make crypto indispensable to the everyday lives of regular Americans and the traditional financial industry. If it succeeds, regulations will take care of themselves. If it fails, there could be real challenges.”

He compared the dynamic to technologies that forced legal accommodation by becoming unavoidable, citing Uber and Airbnb operating “on the edge of regulations” until usage made the old framework untenable. In crypto’s case, the proof would be unmistakable penetration into mainstream rails—Hougan’s examples were Americans “using stablecoins and trading tokenized stocks.” If that happens, he argued, supportive legislation becomes politically resilient regardless of who holds power. If it doesn’t, a shift in Washington could become “a huge setback.”

Hougan tied the legislative outcome directly to market structure. If a version of Clarity passes that the industry can support, he expects investors to treat stablecoin and tokenization growth as effectively guaranteed—and to price that future in quickly. If Clarity fails, the market may demand real-world adoption before rewarding valuations, because otherwise crypto would be “built on a regulatory foundation of sand.”

At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $2.94 trillion.

Stablecoins could pose a significant challenge to the US banking system over the next several years, with as much as $500 billion in deposits potentially moving out of traditional banks by the end of 2028, according to a new analysis from Standard Chartered.

Stablecoins Could Pressure Bank Earnings And Deposits

The forecast, reported by Reuters and published Tuesday, suggests that regional US banks are likely to be the most vulnerable to deposit losses driven by the growing adoption of dollar‑pegged digital tokens. 

Geoff Kendrick, Standard Chartered’s global head of digital assets research, said smaller and mid‑sized lenders face greater exposure as stablecoins increasingly take on roles traditionally handled by banks, including payments and other core financial services.

Standard Chartered’s analysis focused on banks’ net interest margin income — the spread between what lenders earn from loans and what they pay out to depositors. 

As deposits leave the banking system, that income stream could come under pressure, particularly for institutions that rely heavily on consumer and commercial deposits as a funding source. 

Kendrick warned that US banks face mounting risks as payment networks and fundamental banking activities gradually migrate toward stablecoin‑based systems.

Banks And Crypto Firms Clash

While the country’s stablecoin bill, the GENIUS Act, presently prohibits issuers from paying interest on the tokens, banks are concerned that it would allow third parties, including cryptocurrency exchanges, to offer returns on stablecoin holdings. 

Over the past few months, banking industry groups have argued that this “stablecoin loophole” could intensify competition for deposits, potentially triggering large-scale outflows from banks and raising broader financial stability risks. They have called for changes to the bill regarding this matter.

Crypto companies have pushed back against those claims, arguing that prohibiting interest payments tied to stablecoins would limit competition and innovation in the financial sector, thereby delaying the anticipated markup of another key piece of legislation for the crypto market. 

Earlier this month, a Senate Banking Committee hearing to debate and vote on the anticipated crypto market structure legislation was postponed, in part because lawmakers could not agree on how to address banks’ concerns over deposit flight.

Kendrick noted that the ultimate scale of deposit losses will depend in part on how stablecoin issuers manage their reserves. If issuers hold a substantial portion of their backing assets within the US banking system, the impact on deposits could be less severe. 

The two biggest stablecoin issuers in the crypto market, Tether (USDT) and Circle (USDC), hold most of their reserves in US Treasuries rather than bank deposits, meaning little of the funds are recycled back into the banking system.

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs have continued to observe weak demand as their monthly average netflows have remained in the red.

Bitcoin & Ethereum Spot ETFs Have Been Observing Net Outflows

As pointed out by on-chain analytics firm Glassnode in a new post on X, the average netflow for both Bitcoin and Ethereum spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has remained negative recently. Spot ETFs are investment vehicles that allow investors to gain indirect exposure to an underlying asset. In the case of cryptocurrencies, this means that traders never have to interact with blockchain infrastructure themselves. Instead, the fund buys and custodies tokens on its behalf.

ETFs and similar investment vehicles for digital assets are available in various parts of the world, but currently, the most dominant funds are those based in the United States. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) first approved spot ETFs for Bitcoin in January 2024 and for Ethereum in July 2024. Since their establishment, ETFs have grown into a cornerstone of the market, tapping into demand from traditional institutional entities.

First, here is a chart that shows the trend in the 30-day simple moving average (SMA) of the Bitcoin spot ETF netflow over the last couple of years:

As shown in the above graph, the US Bitcoin spot ETFs saw their 30-day SMA netflow dip into negative territory back in November, suggesting net capital outflows began.

Since then, the indicator has mostly remained inside this territory, although the capital bleeding has slowed down recently. Earlier this month, the 30-day SMA netflow even flipped into the positive zone, but the net inflows lasted only briefly, with the indicator quickly returning to the red region.

A similar pattern has also been witnessed with Ethereum spot ETFs, as the chart below shows.

From the graph, it’s visible that the US Ethereum spot ETFs have also seen their 30-day SMA netflow return to the underwater zone after a brief wave of net capital inflows.

This means that interest in the digital asset market as a whole continues to be down among ETF users. “There is no sign of renewed demand,” noted the analytics firm. It now remains to be seen how long the wave of outflows will go on.

BTC Price

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is floating around $88,000, down 3.5% in the last seven days.

Bitcoin is struggling to regain momentum below the $88,000 level as fear and uncertainty continue to weigh on market sentiment. After a volatile selloff, price action remains compressed near key support, with buyers hesitant to step in aggressively and sellers pressing rallies at lower levels. While attention has largely focused on derivatives pressure and macro risk, on-chain signals are now adding another layer of concern to the current setup.

Top analyst Darkfost points to a critical indicator of Bitcoin’s underlying network health: the hashrate, which measures the total computing power securing the network and reflects overall mining activity. Under normal conditions, a sharp decline in hashrate suggests that miners are voluntarily shutting down machines, often due to unprofitability or stress—typically associated with miner capitulation phases near market lows.

That is exactly the type of move unfolding now. Over just two days, Bitcoin’s hashrate has dropped dramatically, falling from 1.133 ZH/s to 690 EH/s. Such a rapid contraction is highly unusual and immediately raises questions about its cause. Importantly, Darkfost notes that this episode does not fit the classic miner capitulation narrative driven by collapsing prices or shrinking margins.

Instead, the decline appears to be linked to external disruptions rather than economic pressure within the mining sector itself. This distinction matters. While price remains under pressure below $88K, the hashrate shock introduces a new variable—one that could influence short-term dynamics, miner behavior, and market psychology as conditions evolve.

Hashrate Shock Linked To US Ice Storm, Not Miner Capitulation

According to Darkfost, the sharp drop in Bitcoin’s hashrate appears to be driven by external disruptions, not by economic stress within the mining sector. A large number of ASIC machines have been shut down during the past few days, coinciding with a severe ice storm hitting the United States, a country that accounts for roughly one-third of global Bitcoin hashrate. The timing strongly suggests a weather-related shock rather than voluntary miner capitulation.

The cold wave has been especially disruptive in Texas, a key hub for industrial-scale mining operations. Major players such as MARA and Foundry Digital are heavily exposed to the region’s power grid. Darkfost highlights that MARA’s hashrate has fallen by roughly a factor of four over the last three days compared to its monthly average, underscoring how abrupt and severe the disruption has been.

Extreme cold places stress on power infrastructure, forcing grid operators to curtail non-essential loads, while electricity prices spike as demand surges. For miners, this combination makes continued operation temporarily unviable, leading to widespread shutdowns.

As a consequence, block times are likely to lengthen, and mining difficulty is expected to adjust lower, with the next adjustment already estimated near -4.54%. If the storm persists, Darkfost warns that some miners could be forced to sell BTC to cover fixed operating costs, adding another short-term pressure point for the market.

Bitcoin Medium-Term Structure Remains Under Pressure

Bitcoin is trading around $87,850 on the 3-day chart, sitting at a critical inflection zone after a prolonged corrective phase. The broader structure shows that BTC peaked near the $125K area in late 2025 before entering a sustained downtrend, marked by sharp selloffs and increasingly weaker rebound attempts. While price has managed to stabilize above the mid-$80K region, momentum remains fragile and conviction on the buy side is limited.

From a trend perspective, the moving averages outline the current market regime clearly. Bitcoin is trading below the 50-period moving average (blue), which has rolled over and is now acting as dynamic resistance near the low-$90K area.

The 100-period moving average (green) is flattening and beginning to turn lower, signaling a loss of medium-term trend strength and confirming that prior upside momentum has broken. Meanwhile, the 200-period moving average (red) continues to slope upward well below price, near the low-$90K to high-$80K region, acting as the last major long-term support reference.

Price action over recent candles suggests compression rather than capitulation. Volatility has contracted, and volume has declined compared to the November selloff, indicating reduced urgency from sellers. For bulls, holding the $86K–$88K zone is essential to avoid a deeper breakdown.

A decisive move back above $90K–$92K would be required to shift structure and signal early recovery, while failure here keeps downside risk open toward the low-$80K range.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

Bitcoin is moving into mainstream banking in small, steady steps. What once seemed unlikely is becoming routine as traditional banks test ways to hold, trade, or lend against Bitcoin. Reports say a sizable slice of the biggest US banks are now planning real customer offerings.

60% Of Top Banks Preparing Bitcoin Products: River Study

A study conducted by Bitcoin financial services firm River shows about 60% of the top 25 US banks are at some stage of building Bitcoin services, from custody to trading and client-facing products. This shift is not just talk; it shows up in boardroom plans and pilot projects across several large lenders.

Banks Moving From Caution To Practical Steps

For years, many banks kept their distance. But change came fast after clearer rules and big exchange-traded funds put Bitcoin on more mainstream radars. Spot ETF approvals and rising demand from big investors nudged banks to revisit their stance and to test practical, compliant ways to serve customers interested in digital assets.

60% of the top US banks are into bitcoin. pic.twitter.com/AqceDDfjDP

— River (@River) January 26, 2026

Some major names are already on the record with pilot projects or new services. Reports mention that JPMorgan Chase is looking at crypto trading, Wells Fargo has rolled out credit and custody-linked offerings to institutional clients, and Citigroup is exploring custody and payments tied to tokenized assets. Those moves signal a shift from theory to products customers can use.

How This Changes The Picture For Clients

Customers could get simpler access to Bitcoin without needing separate crypto accounts. That means an investor might see Bitcoin as another line on a bank statement, with custody and reporting wrapped into services they already use. Some banks plan to partner with specialists to avoid taking on all the technical work themselves, keeping risk and compliance squarely in focus.

Regulation, Risk, And The Role Of Policy

Regulatory moves earlier in the year reopened options that were closed when tight capital rules made custody costly. Reports note that a change in guidance helped some banks resume or rethink custody services, and that the current political climate under US President Donald Trump has been described as more favorable to broader crypto adoption. These shifts are nudging banks to act where they had hesitated.

Expect more pilot announcements and a slow roll of services into client offerings. Not every bank will move at the same speed. Some will stay cautious, others will move sooner. The practical test will be whether banks can offer secure custody, clear accounting, and easy reporting without taking on outsized risk.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

Крупные держатели криптовалюты Cardano за последние два месяца накопили более 450 млн ADA, тогда как розничные инвесторы сокращают свои запасы актива, выяснили аналитики Santiment.

XRP’s price action has been quiet in the past few days, with the majority of recent trading sessions spent trading just below and above $1.9. 

Interestingly, one analyst noted that the altcoin’s price action has already done most of the heavy lifting needed for a trend reversal after weeks of controlled downside and repeated reactions around descending resistance. The remaining question, according to the analysis, is whether price confirms what the structure is already suggesting.

Reset By Liquidations And Whale Activity

Technical view of XRP’s price action shared by a crypto analyst known as CW on the social media platform X begins with a reset in market positioning. Most of the long positions that were accumulated during its earlier rally to $2.40 in the first week of January have been cleared, and this has removed excess leverage.

Interestingly, that liquidation phase has coincided with the XRP price tagging the lower boundary of a descending channel structure on the 4-hour candlestick timeframe chart. Over the past 24 hours, the token’s price bounced from the lower trendline in the mid-$1.80 region and has since rotated higher to now retesting the upper boundary of the converging structure, which is around $1.90.

This move was accompanied by an increase in net buying, and according to the analyst, all that remains is a breakout of the upper line. From a structural standpoint, this outlook is important, as it reduces forced selling and allows spot demand to play a larger role in determining direction. 

A decisive break above the upper trendline would invalidate the current downtrend and begin an uptrend. In practical terms, this scenario will only come to pass if the altcoin is able to confirm that buyers have regained control by securing multiple candlestick closes above $1.90.

Breakout, Retest, And The Case For Continuation

A separate technical perspective, illustrated in the chart below, frames XRP’s current structure within a much longer price history stretching back to 2024. This analysis also shows how XRP is well advanced in a broader bullish setup and has already completed the majority of the conditions needed for an upward rally continuation. 

XRP first achieved a major structural shift when it broke above the long-term resistance line drawn from its late 2024 peak, a move that ultimately carried the price to a new peak of $3.65 in 2025. Following that breakout, XRP transitioned into an extended accumulation phase that has now lasted for more than a year. The only thing missing now is the upside continuation. 

According to crypto analyst ChartNerd, the only missing element is a sustained upside follow-through. Based on that structure, XRP is estimated to be about 90% of the way through the work needed for a rally continuation.

Рост рынка стейблкоинов может привести к сильному оттоку средств из финансовой системы США, в результате которого больше всех пострадают региональные банки, заявил глава отдела исследований цифровых активов Standard Chartered Джеффри Кендрик (Geoffrey Kendrick).