Из жизни альткоинов

Социальный фонд России, отвечающий за управление системой государственных пенсий, сообщил, что в 2025 году вопросы граждан о том, можно ли получать пенсию в криптовалюте, стали одними из самых частых.

Подразделение финансовой разведки Индии (FIU) ужесточит правила регистрации пользователей и прохождение процедуры идентификации клиентов (KYC) на криптоплатформах с целью соблюдения правил борьбы с отмыванием денег (AML).

Финансовая служба Южной Кореи (FSC) собирается разрешить компаниям инвестировать в криптовалюту. Запрет действовал девять лет, с 2017 года — его ввели в качестве меры по борьбе с отмыванием денег.

Популярность криптовалют, связанных с искусственным интеллектом (ИИ), в среде инвесторов растет. Одним из таких проектов в январе 2026 года стал Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL).

Charles Hoskinson used a January 9, 2026 video update to outline an aggressive 2026 push that aims to turn Cardano’s DeFi stack into a cross-ecosystem product, explicitly targeting Bitcoin and XRP DeFi integrations alongside Midnight, new bridges, expanded oracle coverage, stablecoin work, and a faster cadence of ecosystem delivery.

2026 Is a Defining Year For Cardano

Broadcasting from Colorado, Hoskinson framed the year as an execution cycle, with Cardano’s “Pentad” integrations effort positioned as the on-ramp for liquidity, users, and what he described as “commercially critical” infrastructure. He said contract signings slowed during the holidays, but insisted the deals were still in motion and would feed into near-term announcements around “bridges and more oracles and stablecoins and analytics,” as well as “more listings.”

The core thesis of Hoskinson’s update was that Cardano can’t win a marginal arms race against other smart contract platforms, and instead needs differentiated features and distribution through interoperability. In his telling, the Pentad structure is meant to ensure Cardano “is no longer an island,” enabling liquidity and users to “flow freely,” and setting up what he called the “next stage after pentad phase one.”

That next stage, Hoskinson said, should focus on upgrading Cardano’s most important applications to reach beyond the chain’s current boundaries. “I’m going to propose that we take the top 15 dabs top 20 dapps we got to figure out a list on Cardano and get them sons of ***** upgraded to Bitcoin DeFi, XRP DeFi and Midnight and also get them tier one listings, get them aboard, get them incubated, accelerated so we can 10x their TVL, their users and their transaction volume,” he said.

He framed this as both an internal ecosystem support plan and a growth strategy built around bringing Cardano-native apps to where large pools of capital and users already sit.

Hoskinson repeatedly returned to privacy, positioning it as the “new experiences” Cardano can ship rather than competing on incremental improvements. He argued that Cardano DeFi won’t be competitive “by being slightly better, slightly faster, slightly cheaper than Ethereum or Solana,” and said copycat strategies fail.

“You beat those guys by doing something that no one’s ever seen before,” he said, before laying out the product concept in unusually direct terms. “And when you add privacy and get private stablecoins, that’s going to be sexy. Show private prediction markets, private DEXes, you’re bringing something new to the conversation. You’re bringing something new to the table, something that people haven’t seen before.”

In Hoskinson’s framing, the pitch is not just privacy on Cardano, but portability of those capabilities across ecosystems once the bridge and stablecoin plumbing is in place, naming Solana, Ethereum, Bitcoin, XRP, BNB, and Avalanche as targets for that distribution.

Happy New Year https://t.co/P3GXCCQdzV

— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) January 10, 2026

2025 Frustration, 2026 Cadence

Hoskinson also used the update to vent about industry expectations and what he called unmet promises from US policy narratives in 2025, arguing the sector needs to refocus on adoption and delivery rather than waiting for validation. He described 2026 as “our year,” and pointed to a schedule of near-term public-facing moments: workshops, a Japan tour, and Consensus Hong Kong where he said Cardano will show “some amazing announcements and special surprises.”

He also previewed a more regimented output rhythm. “And then, the rest of the year, every two months, a bag of goodies comes. That’s the cadence,” Hoskinson said, characterizing it as a “death march” of shipping.

At press time, ADA traded at $0.3953.

According to official releases and news reports, India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) rolled out tougher Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and anti-money-laundering checks that crypto platforms must use when bringing new users on board.

Based on reports, the rules add live biometric checks, location data capture, and bank-account verification steps designed to cut down on anonymous accounts and suspicious flows.

Live Selfie And Geo-Tagging Required

Reports have disclosed that new sign-up flows must include a live selfie verified by liveness detection — such as eye blink or head movement checks — so a static or doctored photo can’t be used.

Platforms must also record latitude and longitude, the device IP address and a timestamp at the moment a user registers. Those pieces of data will be kept as part of the KYC record, according to coverage by major outlets.

A Penny-Drop To Confirm Bank Ownership

Exchanges are required to carry out a so-called penny-drop — a nominal ₹1 transfer — to confirm the customer actually controls the linked bank account. Users must supply PAN plus a secondary government ID such as Aadhaar, passport or voter ID, and verify phone and email addresses with OTPs. These steps are intended to tighten the link between identity and on-chain activity.

Enhanced Ongoing Checks And Reporting Duties

Exchanges must refresh KYC every year for ordinary users and every six months for clients flagged as higher risk. Reporting duties have been stepped up: platforms will register as reporting entities with the FIU under the Prevention Of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and file suspicious transaction reports when triggers are hit. Based on industry commentary, that will raise compliance costs and slow down onboarding for new retail customers.

Market And User Impact

Industry participants told reporters that the new steps are likely to increase the time it takes a user to open an account and will push up operational costs for platforms that must integrate biometric and geolocation systems. While regulators say the measures aim to block illicit finance, some retail investors may find the process harder to complete, which could affect volumes in the near term.

According to sources, the FIU expects exchanges to implement these checks promptly and to keep records for audit. Failure to comply could invite action under PMLA rules. Observers say the move aligns India with stricter global KYC norms and signals that regulators plan active oversight as crypto use grows.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin’s mining difficulty slipped to a little over 146 trillion in the network’s first difficulty recalibration of 2026, offering a small but measurable easing for miners. According to multiple reports, the adjustment completed in early January reduced the metric from levels seen at the end of 2025.

First Adjustment Offers Brief Relief

Average block times across the network were running near 9.88 minutes at the time of the change — a touch faster than Bitcoin’s target of 10 minutes — which helped produce the slight downshift in difficulty. That gap means the protocol briefly eased the hurdle miners face, because blocks were being produced a little quicker than expected.

Reports have noted that, even with this dip, difficulty remains high compared with earlier years and miner margins are under pressure following the 2024 halving and heavy hardware investment in 2025. Some miners reported thinner returns as hash price softened and energy and equipment costs stayed elevated. The drop to 146.4T gives a short window of relief, not a turnaround.

Next Adjustment Expected On January 22

Based on CoinWarz estimates and other trackers, the next difficulty recalculation is projected for January 22, 2026, with a likely uptick toward 148 trillion as average block times slow back toward the 10-minute target. If that pattern holds, the pause in difficulty will be temporary and competition among miners may ramp up again.

Why The Number Matters

Difficulty is the protocol’s built-in way of keeping block production steady: it changes every two weeks (2016 blocks) to match the total computing power securing the chain. When more hash power joins, difficulty rises; when it drops or blocks come too fast, difficulty ease. These adjustments affect how quickly miners find blocks and how much work they must perform to earn rewards.

Miners will be watching hash rate trends, power costs, and Bitcoin’s price because those factors determine profitability in the days after an adjustment. Markets, meanwhile, often take such technical tweaks in stride, but sustained moves in difficulty or hash power can signal broader shifts in miner behavior that may influence supply dynamics over time.

According to the latest coverage, January’s first adjustment cut difficulty to roughly 146.4T and came as block times averaged 9.88 minutes. Estimates point to a likely rise around January 22 to roughly 148.20T if conditions change as expected. Observers say the change offers temporary breathing room for miners but does not erase the financial pressures many faced through 2025.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

The price of Bitcoin is infamous for its inactivity during the weekends, and it has not disappointed in the past day. The premier cryptocurrency continues to hover around the psychological $90,000 mark, with no significant movement observed over the past 24 hours.

While the Bitcoin price action — or lack thereof — has lulled most investors to sleep, a particular market participant has just woken from their slumber. According to the latest on-chain data, a Satoshi-era miner just moved a significant amount of Bitcoin over the weekend.

Satoshi-Era Miner Moves 2,000 BTC On Saturday

In a post on the social media platform X, CryptoQuant’s head of research, Julio Moreno, revealed that a Bitcoin miner from the Satoshi era moved 2,000 coins on Saturday, January 10. This would represent the first time such movement would be occurring from this group of network participants since November 2024.

The Satoshi-era miners refer to entities that mined BTC during its earlier years, typically between 2009 and 2011, when the flagship cryptocurrency’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, was still active. At the time, mining BTC was a less competitive sport (could be done with a consumer CPU), with greater rewards.

Moreno noted that, historically, the Satoshi-era miners have only ever moved their coins at key inflection points. In November 2024, when the last miner from this group made a transaction, the price of Bitcoin was around $91,000.

The premier cryptocurrency has since gone on to set multiple all-time highs before reaching the current cycle peak of $126,080. While it is difficult to say what the Satoshi-era miner saw before its latest move, the pattern-like nature of these coin movements makes them too relevant to ignore.

Why Bitcoin Investors Should Watch Out For $84,500 

As earlier inferred, indecisiveness seems to be returning to the Bitcoin market, as the bulls and bears continue their battle around the $90,000 level. While this region has gained relevance in recent weeks, recent on-chain data has identified another crucial level beneath it.

According to Alphractal’s CEO and founder, Joao Wedson, this level is the 2-year moving average (2Y MA) of Bitcoin. The on-chain expert highlighted that this level represents the last major support cushion for the market leader.

From a historical perspective, the loss of the 2Y MA, which is currently around $84,500, could increase the probability of capitulation significantly. In essence, the premier cryptocurrency faces the risk of extended downward movement once it crosses below $84,500.

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $90,435, reflecting no change in the past 24 hours.

Tennessee’s sports betting regulator has ordered Polymarket, Kalshi, and Crypto.com to cease offering sports betting contracts, bringing focus to the regulatory landscape of event contract exchanges. The agency accused the three major prediction market platforms of violating state gambling laws by operating in Tennessee without the required licenses.

Polymarket, Others Threatened With Fines For Offering Sports Event Contracts

On Friday, January 9, the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council (SWC) issued cease-and-desist letters to Polymarket, Kalshi, and Crypto.com’s Derivatives Exchange. In the letters, the state regulator asked all three prediction market firms to stop offering sports event contracts to the residents of Tennessee.

The state’s SWC also demanded that the three firms void all pending contracts entered into by Tennessee residents, and refund all customer deposits by January 31, 2026.

SWC Executive Director, Mary Beth Thomas, wrote in the letter to Polymarket:

The sports events contracts offered on Polymarket’s exchange are not compliant with these [Tennessee state consumer] protections (and many others) and are an immediate and significant threat to the public interest of Tennessee.

The language in the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council letters to Kalshi and Crypto.com was quite similar to Polymarket’s cease-and-desist letter. This comes despite all three platforms being registered as designated contract markets with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), allowing them to offer event-based derivatives contracts nationwide.

Despite this CFTC designation, these prediction market firms have had regulatory run-ins with different states in the US. In December 2025, the state of Connecticut sent a trio of cease-and-desist orders to Robinhood, Kalshi, and Crypto.com. The firms based their defense at the time on receiving the CFTC’s approval to operate in the United States.

This Tennessee cease-and-desist order seems to be the first state-level regulatory issue faced by Polymarket, which currently only offers sports event contracts in the United States. In the letters, the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council threatened a range of penalties for any of the firms’ failure to comply.

One of the letters further read:

Failure to comply with the SWC’s demand will result in the imposition of fines pursuant to the Act, which states that the SWC shall impose a fine against any person offering wagers in Tennessee without a license in the amount of $10,000 for the first offense; $15,000 for a second offense; and $25,000 for a third or subsequent offense. ‘ Moreover, failure to comply with the SWC’s demand will result in the SWC seeking injunctive relief.

Prediction Markets Facing Increased Regulatory Scrutiny

The prediction markets, which gained prominence during the 2024 US elections, have continued to enjoy interest from users and institutional investors. However, the regulatory scrutiny faced by the industry has seen a similar surge lately.

For instance, a Polymarket trader reportedly netted record gains of over $400,000 from predicting the recent US military action in Venezuela, prompting talks of introducing a bill to prevent insider trading. As Bitcoinist reported, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) plans to introduce a bill that would ban all government-affiliated individuals from participating in state-related events in the prediction market.

Генеральный директор Galaxy Digital Майк Новограц (Mike Novogratz) заявил, что стратегия «трежери‑компаний», создающих резервы биткоина и эфира, достигла критической точки. По его словам, подобные организации стоят перед выбором: трансформироваться или постепенно разориться.

Основатель компании Jan3 Самсон Моу (Samson Mow) заявил, что глава Tesla и SpaceX Илон Маск в наступившем году может серьезно повлиять на цену биткоина.

A recently ratified law in the state of  Louisiana has helped seniors recover $200,000 following a Bitcoin ATM-related scam operation. This development represents a fine example of government protecting users’ interests even while encouraging digital asset adoption.

Louisiana Law Presents Major Hurdle For Crypto Scammers

According to a report by local media 7KPLC, a group of scammers recently targeted senior citizens in Louisiana and Texas in a sophisticated scheme resulting in at least four known victims. It was gathered that the scammers usually deceived the unsuspecting seniors into believing their bank accounts had been compromised and falsely implicated them in child pornography charges.

Thereafter, these bad actors would proceed to threaten the elderly citizens with arrest unless they were obliged to pay lump sums of money. Eventual victims were guided to Bitcoin ATMs, which allow users to swap cash for cryptocurrency, to process these fraudulent transactions to anonymously owned wallets.

According to data from Bitcoin ATM Map, there are 288 resident Bitcoin ATM/Tellers in Louisiana, representing the Southeastern state’s friendliness towards the crypto industry. However, a recently passed legislation in Louisiana introduced several measures to combat crypto scams. These include mandatory signage on all Bitcoin ATMs, which states that no government-affiliated person or entity would ever demand cash deposits into these machines. 

Furthermore, the machines are also programmed to display warning messages to users during transactions. In particular, users are advised to stay alert to scams, especially when provided with a QR code or wallet ID by someone else. In addition, the new regulations include a $3,000 daily limit on deposits and a 72-hour waiting period for all transactions to potentially detect all malicious fund transfers and scams. 

According to KPLC, these new regulations allowed authorities to recover $200,000 for four targeted senior citizens. Other victims of this scam are admonished to reach out to the AARP Louisiana branch, a large nonprofit, nonpartisan US organization focused on supporting and advocating for people 50 years and older and their families.

Bitcoin ATM Scam: The Next Menace?

While Louisiana has recently formulated laws to tackle scams involving the Bitcoin ATMs, Bitcoinist reported that the Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway had recently started an investigation into companies operating these machines, citing concerns around deceptive fee structure and fraudulent use by bad actors.

As seen in Louisiana, Hanaway claimed to have received reports of new scam operations involving the key use of Bitcoin ATMs, thus resulting in the statewide probe. Notably, companies under the AG’s investigation include GPD Holdings, Rockitcoin, Bitcoin Depot, Athena Bitcoin, and Byte Federal.

Иранский Корпус стражей исламской революции (КСИР) использовал для обхода международных санкций две криптовалютные биржи, зарегистрированные в Великобритании. Итого через две биржи за примерно два года властям Ирана удалось перевести около $1 млрд, сообщили аналитики компании TRM Labs.  

Nasdaq and the CME Group have stepped up a joint effort to give big investors a single, regulated way to measure crypto markets. According to Nasdaq, the firms have reintroduced the Nasdaq Crypto Index as the Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index (NCI), a benchmark built to support products like ETFs and structured funds. The announcement was made early this month and is presented as a move to bring clearer rules and governance to index-based crypto exposure.

Nasdaq And CME Combine Index Expertise

Reports have disclosed the NCI will be calculated by CF Benchmarks and overseen by joint committees that include representatives from both exchanges. That arrangement is intended to mirror traditional index practices used in equities and derivatives, with regular reconstitution and transparent methodology. CF Benchmarks has already handled Nasdaq Crypto Index reconstitutions, including the reconstitution on December 1, 2025, which is part of the index family’s work ahead of the rebrand.

What The Exchanges Say

CME’s public materials describe the move as part of an expanded collaboration that links Nasdaq’s indexing work with CME’s regulated trading platform. The CME website also highlights plans for more product and contract activity tied to crypto, and it points to the ability to support markets that operate around the clock. Based on those reports, the aim is to give institutional managers a benchmark they can use when building regulated products.

Index For Diversified Crypto Exposure

According to news releases and market reporting, the Nasdaq-CME Index is not limited to a single token. The index tracks a basket of major coins so that a product tied to it would offer diversified exposure rather than a single-asset bet. Market outlets picked up the story quickly; several trading and financial news sites published pieces within days of the announcement, noting the index name change and the partners’ shared governance approach.

Operational And Timing Details

Nasdaq has also updated its market data listings to reflect name changes tied to the index family, with some effective dates scheduled later in January 2026. That timing suggests the firms plan a phased rollout: first the naming and governance alignment, then data and product support for issuers and market makers. The reconstitution timetable from CF Benchmarks shows the operational work has already been underway since December 2025.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

The Bitcoin Spot ETFs have experienced a turbulent start to 2026 after early inflows were wiped out by four consecutive days of withdrawals. Amid Bitcoin’s recent failure to sustain its market recovery above $94,000, institutional investors are seeking more stability, especially considering the falling chances of a possible interest rate cut.

Bitcoin Spot ETFs See Market Weakness Extend Into 2026 

According to data from the ETF tracker site, SoSoValue, the Bitcoin ETFs registered $681 million in net outflows in the first full trading week of 2026. Notably, these investment funds had commenced the year on a positive note, notching $697.2 million in net deposits on January 5 after an initial $471.1 million inflow on January 2.

However, a combined net outflow of $1.378 billion between January 6-9 soon cleared out all positive momentum driven by the earlier inflows.  In analyzing individual ETF performance, Fidelity’s FBTC experienced the largest net redemptions valued at $481.32 million. Following closely was Grayscale’s GBTC, which recorded a net outflow of $171.79 million. 

Meanwhile, Ark/21Shares’ ARKB also had a sizable contribution to the overall weekly negative performance as its withdrawals exceeded deposits by $45.34 million. Other Bitcoin Spot ETFs with red performances include Grayscale’s BTC, Bitwise’s BITB, and VanEck’s HODL, with net outflows varying between $3 million and $22 million. 

On the other side of the spectrum, BlackRock’s IBIT recorded the largest net inflow of the week, valued at $25.86 million. The BlackRock flagship crypto ETF continues to dominate with a remarkable cumulative net inflow of $62.41 billion, as its total net assets climb to $69.88 billion. 

Other ETFs with a positive performance include Invesco’s BTCO, Franklin Templeton’s EZBC, Valkyrie’s BRRR, and WisdomTree’s BTCW, which also attracted net investments between $1 million and $15 million. Meanwhile, Hashdex’s DEFI stood alone as the only ETF with a zero netflow. At the time of writing, the Bitcoin Spot ETFs boast a cumulative total net inflow of $56.40 billion. Meanwhile, their total net assets are valued at $116.86 billion and represents 6.48% of the Bitcoin market cap.

Ethereum ETFs Mirror Bitcoin Counterparts

Interestingly, the Ethereum Spot ETFs produced a similar weekly performance. Initial net deposits of $282.87 million between January 5 and January 6 were followed by three consecutive days of heavy withdrawals, resulting in a net outflow of $68.57 million. The Ethereum ETFs now hold $18.70 billion in total net assets, representing 5.04% ofthe  Ethereum market cap. 

At the time of writing, Bitcoin exchanges hands at $90,422 as price movement over the last week resulted in a minor 0.17% decline. Meanwhile, Ethereum is valued at $3,088 while its daily trading volume crashes by 63.46%. 

Featured image from Forbes, chart from Tradingview

A new wave of political ads is pushing a sharp message into living rooms and phone banks: tell your senator to back crypto legislation only if decentralized finance, or DeFi, is left out.

According to broadcast logs and industry reports, the spots have been running on Fox News and include a call line for viewers to contact senators directly. The group behind the campaign identifies itself as “Investors For Transparency.”

Ad Campaign Targets Lawmakers With Hotlines And Numbers

According to reports, the ads warn of broad risks if DeFi is folded into federal law. They cite a figure — $6.6 trillion — that has been used in public discussion about how much in bank deposits might be affected if stablecoins gain wide acceptance with interest-like features.

The ads urge people to call Senate offices and push senators to strip DeFi provisions from the CLARITY Act ahead of a scheduled markup on January 15, 2026. Phone numbers and a web address are shown in the ads, encouraging immediate contact.

A new advocacy group, ‘Investors For Transparency,’ is running prime-time ads on @FoxNews, urging viewers to oppose DeFi provisions in the upcoming crypto market structure bill just a week before senators are due to cast votes on it in relevant committees next week. The treatment… pic.twitter.com/jsZ3GcDuVX

— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) January 10, 2026

Senate Timetable And Political Pressure

Based on reports, the CLARITY Act is set for consideration by the Senate Banking Committee, and committee members are getting calls from both sides. Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott has said he expects the committee to move on crypto legislation, and senators are weighing how to balance investor protections with innovation.

Outside groups and industry players have ramped up outreach. Some hope the bill moves quickly, while others see the political heat as likely to slow progress.

Crypto: Industry Response And Questions About Funding

Crypto firms and DeFi supporters have pushed back. Hayden Adams, CEO of Uniswap Labs, publicly criticized the group’s name as misleading and questioned who is funding the ads.

Based on public filings and media reporting, no clear single donor has been identified that explains the scale of the TV buy. Industry leaders say that a campaign attacking DeFi while claiming to speak for investors should disclose its backers.

The ads’ emphasis on bank-deposit risk has been called overstated by some market watchers, who argue that the figures are speculative and depend on many assumptions.

What The Campaign Wants And What It Means

Reports say that the ads want senators to approve a version of the CLARITY Act without language covering decentralized finance platforms or new stablecoin rules that could allow interest-like yields.

Supporters of that view say the rules would protect the traditional banking system from a sudden outflow of deposits. Opponents say excluding DeFi would lock in regulatory uncertainty and hurt US competitiveness in an area where developers and users already operate globally.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

There is ongoing speculation in the crypto community that Ripple, the crypto payments company, and Amazon, the global tech giant, may soon enter into a partnership. While some claims indicate that an alliance has already been formed, others suggest it may be in the works. Whatever the case, no confirmation has yet been issued to verify the rumor’s validity. 

Rumors Swirl About A Potential Ripple And Amazon Deal

Rumors about a possible connection between Ripple and Amazon are quickly gaining attention in the crypto community. Prominent analysts and influential XRP supporters are speculating that the crypto payments company and the tech giant may be heading into a possible partnership. 

While there has been no concrete evidence to support such claims, advocates like Stellar Rippler, who has over 24,000 followers on X, alleged that Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse had hinted years ago that Amazon might use XRP for payments and settlement. The supporter argued that previous nondisclosure agreements were not just speculation, but part of a broader plan. Moreover, he believes that recent developments are increasingly aligning with those earlier hints as new details surface. 

Abdullah Nassif, host of the Good Evening Crypto show, also weighed in on the widespread speculation. He said Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Ripple are looking at using Amazon Bedrock AI with the XRP Ledger (XRPL) to speed up system log analysis from days to just minutes. Crypto expert John Squire added that AWS had previously shown interest in XRP for payments. He claimed the company even assigned a team member to explore XRP’s use cases, which has now grown into talks about combining Amazon Bedrock with XRPL. 

Despite the growing rumors about the company, Amazon, and XRP, neither the crypto company nor the tech giant has officially confirmed any partnership or future collaboration. 

Amazon Web Services Adds The Firm To Partner Profile Page

It could be argued that one of the major reasons rumors of a potential Ripple and Amazon partnership are growing is the crypto payments company’s recent appearance on the AWS Partner Profile page. On its official site, Amazon Web Services highlights the firm’s evolving role in the financial sector, positioning it as a key infrastructure provider for global payments. 

It showcased the company’s core features and products, including real-time payments, On-Demand Liquidity (ODL), and the ability to send international payments through a single integration. AWS also described RippleNet as a decentralized network of banks and payment providers that enables real-time messaging, clearing, and settlement of financial transactions. According to the cloud computing platform, the payment firm connects banks, digital asset exchanges, and corporations through RippleNet to facilitate global money transfers. 

AWS also disclosed several RippleNet use cases, including e-invoicing, real-time cash pooling, global currency accounts, international P2P payments, real-time remittances, and more. The cloud computing network has revealed that Ripple has collaborated with more than 100 financial institutions. Many of these organizations are based in different regions outside the US.

Despite shifting market dynamics and evolving macro signals, Bitcoin keeps its long-term trend, while its deeper narrative is beyond headline price movements. This divergence between surface-level price action and underlying structure suggests that the BTC long-term thesis remains intact even as the forces shaping its next phase become more complex and more mature.

Why Bitcoin Trend Strength Persists Despite Cooling Momentum

Bitcoin remains firmly aligned with its long-term uptrend, but the more important signal is not showing up in price. CryptoELITES revealed on X that liquidity has been quietly tightening, and one of the clearest signals is TOTAL/BTC, which continues to bleed while BTC holds its structural levels. 

This kind of setup does not leave the market in panic; it just needs patience. If liquidity conditions begin to ease while the BTC trend continues to hold, the response won’t be instant. However, it will emerge gradually through rotations first, but not headlines. “How are you reading this phase right now?” CryptoELITES ask.

The recent dip in Bitcoin doesn’t change the broader setup unfolding across the market. While BTC has chopped lower over the past few days, meme coins across the board have been quietly forming some of the cleanest corrective structures seen in this cycle. Crypto analyst 0xBossman highlighted that these meme coins have been reacting strongly to even modest BTC bounces and holding their structure during flash dips.

In combination with the tight corrective structures, overwhelming bearish sentiment across major assets has swung bearish again. At the same time, meme coins continue to act as the leading edge of this broader rally, which will lead to an explosion soon. From 0xBossman’s perspective, this setup suggests that 2026 is where many of these meme coins will fully express their upside. The signals are already visible for anyone paying attention.

From Downtrend Pressure To Structural Relief

According to Ardi, one of the more constructive developments for Bitcoin over the past week has been the reclaim and hold of the 200 Simple Moving Average (200-SMA) on the 4-hour chart, a level that has acted as a reliable trend filter throughout this cycle. When this move slopes downward, price action will struggle to maintain local higher highs, and downside flushes will continue to appear.

However, when the price regains the level and begins to turn up, the market will transition into a phase of sustained momentum. What stands out is that this is the first reclaim and hold of the BTC 4-hour 200-SMA since the October crash. This doesn’t automatically signal that the bull run is back, but it would give BTC a better chance to continue pushing through the $94,500 level.

The price of Bitcoin ended the past year in the red despite reaching multiple all-time highs above the six-figure valuation mark. While the market leader has made a solid start to 2026, concerns are still swirling around about BTC’s prospects over the coming months, especially in relation to the four-year cycle theory.

Why $65,000 Could Be Crucial In This Cycle

In a recent post on the X platform, Jurrien Timmer, Director of Global Macro at Fidelity, weighed in on the current structure of the Bitcoin price. The market expert said that the premier cryptocurrency has taken a breather in the past few months and lagged compared to other assets, like gold, in 2025.

Timmer revealed that Bitcoin is drifting away from the historically steep power law trajectory and instead following the internet S-curve. This structure shift also opened the door to the ongoing conversation about Bitcoin’s typical cyclical behavior.

According to several pundits, the traditional Bitcoin four-year halving-driven cycle is now dead, and a new structural upward wave seems to be taking root in the market. Proponents of “Bitcoin four-year cycle is dead” often state institutional adoption and spot exchange-traded funds as evidence of the new bullish market structure.

While Timmer agrees that the relevance of the BTC halving event is decreasing, the Fidelity Director of Global Macro rejected the idea that the premier cryptocurrency would no longer see bear markets. “I’m skeptical, not about the waning power of the halving cycle (with which I agree), but the idea that bear markets are no longer going to happen,” Timmer said.

Speaking from a technical point of view, Timmer identified $65,000 — around the previous cycle high — as a crucial level for the price of Bitcoin. Meanwhile, the next most important level lies around $45,000, the power law trendline.

For context, the power law is a mathematical model that suggests that Bitcoin’s growth follows a predictable and consistent trajectory. This metric, often used to identify key levels in price analysis, shows the correlation between the value of BTC and time.

Timmer noted that while the power law trendline is far from the current price of BTC, it could move to $65,000 if the flagship cryptocurrency enters a prolonged consolidation phase for the next year. This could make the $65,000 level an even more important zone for the Bitcoin price.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $90,520, reflecting no significant movement in the past 24 hours.

The Bitcoin price looks to be off to a great start, having spent most of the new year above the psychological $90,000 mark. While the premier cryptocurrency has slowed down in recent days, there has been a display of significant bullish intent in the market so far in 2026.

Now, this latest show of optimism somewhat contradicts recent predictions that the Bitcoin price might be at the start of a bear market. This begs the question — could the bull run be nearing a restart, or is the price of BTC only witnessing a relief rally?

BTC’s Recent Bounce A Mere Bear Market Relief Rally — Analyst

In a January 9 post on the X platform, crypto analyst Maartunn shared interesting data points to answer the question of whether Bitcoin’s latest price bounce is meaningful or just a relief rally. The market pundit anchored their answer on both on-chain and technical price data.

Firstly, Maartunn acknowledged that the recent jump was only bound to happen, as the Bitcoin price found support around the ETF Realized Price at $85,000. This price level represents the average cost basis of BTC ETF investors, and as expected, the buyers defended their positions — leading to the price bounce.

This phenomenon is spotlighted by another on-chain metric, the Coinbase Premium Gap, which measures the difference between the Bitcoin price on Coinbase and global exchanges. According to Maartunn, the metric started to rise right after New Year’s Eve, signaling renewed buying activity from US-based investors.

Furthermore, the spot exchange-traded funds started seeing strong capital inflows days after this uptick in the Coinbase Premium Gap. “This looks more like strategic buying/portfolio rebalancing (new quarter, new year) than emotional FOMO,” Maartunn added.

However, the crypto analyst noted that the rally only saw the Bitcoin Price climb to the range high at $94,000 before getting rejected. In essence, this suggests that the flagship cryptocurrency does not possess the bullish strength to breach that resistance.

Additionally, Maartunn mentioned that Bitcoin is still trading beneath crucial on-chain levels like the Short-Term Holder Realized Price and Whale Realized Price, both of which are acting as significant overhead resistance.

The on-chain analyst noted that the on-chain observations suggest that this recent bounce is merely a bear market relief rally, not a trend continuation — even though the price is up by about 10%. Only a clean break and sustained close above the $94,000 would indicate the Bitcoin price’s strong intent to rebuild a bullish structure, Martunn concluded.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at $90,360, reflecting an almost 1% decline in the past 24 hours.