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US Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ron Wyden introduced a standalone measure that would protect blockchain developers and other non-custodial infrastructure providers from being treated as money transmitters solely for writing code or maintaining networks. The bill is being filed as the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, a name that also appears in earlier House paperwork filed last year.

Crypto: Bill Aims To Protect Non-Custodial Developers

The draft would create a safe harbor for developers who do not control user funds, making liability turn on actual custody or control of assets rather than on the act of creating software. That change would mean node operators, protocol maintainers, and many open-source coders could avoid money-transmitter rules so long as they do not hold or direct users’ tokens.

Writing code is not the same as controlling money and developers who build blockchain infrastructure without touching user funds shouldn’t be treated like banks. @RonWyden and I are ensuring that won’t happen. pic.twitter.com/9zIgh07e0b

— Senator Cynthia Lummis (@SenLummis) January 12, 2026

Industry Pressure And A History Of Concern

Reports have disclosed months of lobbying from exchanges, developer groups, and advocacy coalitions that urged lawmakers to clarify this point. Those groups warned that without clear language, developers could face licensing and enforcement risks that would chill US-based development. The House version of the measure first appeared in May last year and set out similar safe-harbor text.

Senate Markup Delayed As Negotiations Continue

Lawmakers have paused a larger Senate market-structure push while they work through a range of open issues, including stablecoin policy and yield rules. With that broader package pushed later into the month, sponsors moved the developer protections into a standalone bill to give that issue its own spotlight. Reports suggests the pause means Congress may act on the developer language sooner than the full market bill.

What Developers And Advocates Are Saying

Some protocol teams and industry lawyers welcomed the step as a much-needed clarification, saying it would reduce legal uncertainty for projects that do not custody funds.

Others urged care, noting that clear definitions will be crucial to prevent loopholes and to make sure bad actors cannot hide behind the safe harbor. Coverage indicates sponsors emphasized the bill’s goal is narrow: protect those who build and maintain, not those who handle other people’s assets.

The proposal for a separate law is being introduced while there are still many uncertainties surrounding how cryptocurrencies will be regulated in the US. In the latter part of 2025 and into 2026, the crypto sector has demonstrated that it has a great deal of clout within political circles in Washington D.C.

There has been a significant increase in lobbying by large crypto-related businesses as legislators review various options for regulating this industry. Several reports have linked the current political environment to the legislative actions taken to regulate crypto in Congress, as well as how interest in legislative action has increased due to Trump’s administration.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP are at the center of a clear capital rotation unfolding across the crypto market, as investors scale back exposure to the largest assets while reallocating capital into selective alternatives. The latest CoinShares Digital Asset Fund Flows Weekly Report (Volume 268) captures this shift through hard fund-flow data, highlighting deliberate institutional repositioning.

Bitcoin And Ethereum See Heavy Withdrawals As Capital Rotates

Digital asset investment products recorded $454 million in net outflows over the latest reporting week, a move linked to weakening expectations for near-term US Federal Reserve rate cuts. As macro conditions tightened, capital moved defensively, pressuring risk assets across the board.

Bitcoin accounted for the overwhelming share of redemptions. BTC investment products saw $405 million in outflows, reinforcing the idea that investors are reducing exposure where liquidity is deepest and allocations are largest. Ethereum followed with $116 million in outflows, confirming that selling pressure remains concentrated in core holdings rather than across the entire asset class.

The regional breakdown sharpens this picture. The United States recorded $569 million in outflows, making it the dominant source of capital withdrawal during the week. In contrast, other regions remained selectively constructive. Germany posted $58.9 million in inflows, while Canada added $24.5 million and Switzerland recorded $21 million, pointing to regional divergence rather than a synchronized global retreat.

Flows by product and provider further reinforce this trend. Multi-asset investment products saw $21 million in outflows, indicating reduced appetite for broad crypto exposure. Binance-linked products lost $3.7 million, while Aave-related products recorded $1.7 million in outflows, showing that pressure extended beyond just Bitcoin and Ethereum-linked vehicles.

Solana And XRP Capture Inflows Amid Market Repositioning

While headline flows were negative, capital did not exit crypto entirely. Instead, it rotated. XRP led alternative asset inflows with $45.8 million, standing out as the strongest performer during the week. Solana followed closely with $32.8 million in inflows, continuing a pattern of steady institutional accumulation.

These inflows are notable because they occurred during a week of broad net outflows, suggesting intentional reallocation rather than indiscriminate risk-off behavior. Investors appeared willing to maintain crypto exposure, but only where they perceived stronger relative upside or differentiated fundamentals. Solana’s inflows reflect confidence in its ecosystem growth and transaction throughput, while XRP’s gains point to improving sentiment around its positioning and use-case clarity.

Smaller assets also saw selective interest. Sui recorded $7.6 million in inflows, reinforcing the theme that capital is being redeployed with precision rather than withdrawn wholesale.

The numbers draw a clear conclusion. Bitcoin and Ethereum are increasingly treated as macro-sensitive anchors within crypto portfolios, absorbing most of the downside when conditions tighten. Solana and XRP, by contrast, are emerging as tactical allocation targets. If this rotation persists, market leadership could shift away from incumbents toward assets perceived to offer better capital efficiency, reshaping short-term market structure without undermining crypto’s broader institutional footprint.

XRP has racked up major wins recently, from regulatory breakthroughs to network upgrades, yet its price continues to slide. A crypto analyst has shared insights into why this is happening, outlining several developments this week that would typically act as bullish catalysts for the XRP price, but have so far failed to push the token out of its downtrend and propel its value to new highs. 

XRP Sees Four Major Developments In One Week

Despite experiencing four major developments in just one week, the XRP price has shown little reaction. Crypto market expert Chain Cartel has pointed out that while many traders focus on immediate price movements, Ripple Labs, the developer of XRP, is quietly building the infrastructure that could position it as a key system of record for digital settlements.

The analyst suggested that the market overlooks structural developments, underestimating their impact on long-term growth. He highlighted rumors of Ripple’s collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as one of this week’s major events, noting that the alleged partnership explores the use of Amazon Bedrock AI for the XRP Ledger (XRPL). 

With this integration, XRPL system logs that used to take days to process can be analyzed in just minutes. According to Cartel, this is not an “hype AI,” but a development focused on improving security and scalability, and on giving institutions better visibility into XRP. 

In his post, Cartel also highlighted Ripple’s regulatory progress in the UK. He announced that the UK subsidiary of the crypto company has not been registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, which is known as one of the world’s strictest financial regulators. He stressed that this approval is a significant milestone for Ripple, boosting its compliance credentials and international credibility. 

In addition to achieving even greater regulatory clarity, Cartel highlighted Ripple’s partnership with The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) as another key development. BNY Mellon recently launched tokenized deposit services for institutional clients, and Ripple Prime, a digital asset prime brokerage platform created after Ripple acquired Hidden Road, is among the first users. Even more important, the analyst said that BNY Mellon remains the primary reserve custodian for RLUSD, showing a direct integration between traditional banking and digital settlement rails. 

Finally, Cartel mentioned the upcoming vote on the CLARITY Act by the US Senate Banking Committee scheduled for January 15. This bill will decide how crypto trading, settlements, and connections to financial systems are regulated in the future. The analyst said that if the bill is passed, it could affect how institutions interact with XRP and the broader crypto market. 

Why The XRP Price Is Still In A  Downtrend

Despite all these developments and milestones, Cartel noted that XRP’s price has barely moved over the week, still trading around $2.0. The analyst stated that the reason the cryptocurrency keeps moving lower is that it reacts less to hype and more to the completion of key infrastructure. 

According to Cartel, these developments are building significant pressure in the market. He described XRP’s situation as a compression before a violent release, suggesting that the cryptocurrency could experience a sharp price rally once the foundational systems are fully in place.

Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a new cryptocurrency called “NYC Token” on January 12, 2026, drawing quick attention and equally fast criticism.

According to reports, Adams presented the project in Times Square and framed it as a way to support education and to fight anti-semitism and anti-American sentiment. The token is built on the Solana blockchain, based on information released at the launch.

Token Launch And Purpose

According to the official pitch and subsequent statements, proceeds from the token were to help fund scholarships and blockchain training programs for underserved communities.

Adams described the coin as a civic symbol tied to New York’s identity and global reach. The launch was promoted with promises of community benefits, but critics said the public information about governance and fund handling was thin.

Market Moves

The market reacted in a rush. Based on reports, the token briefly showed an implied market cap of about $580 million–$730 million in the first hours after trading began. Then prices tumbled.

Proud to launch @buynyctoken, a new token built to fight the rapid spread of antisemitism and anti-Americanism across this country and now in New York City.

Now live at https://t.co/zowY9Ri3aK pic.twitter.com/qBMzV88Tmj

— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) January 12, 2026

Trades showed a fall of roughly 80% as the token’s price dropped from near $0.46 to about $0.10 shortly after markets opened for the asset. Trading volume spiked and then collapsed, leaving many traders facing big losses.

Liquidity And Allegations

On-chain observers and crypto analysts flagged sudden withdrawals of liquidity minutes after the token’s debut. Reports have disclosed that millions of dollars were pulled from trading pools, which prompted accusations of a rug pull from some corners of the crypto community.

The token’s official website was also criticized for missing or nonfunctional links to key documents, and there was little detail about which groups would receive funds or how decisions would be made.

Adams’ Crypto Record: Political Context

Eric Adams is no stranger to digital assets. During his time in office he converted parts of his salary to Bitcoin and Ethereum and pushed policies to attract blockchain firms to the city.

His successor, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, declined to take part in the token project and did not endorse it. That split in approach raised questions about whether a former official should use his public profile to promote a privately issued coin.

Public Response

Analysts called for transparency and urged a closer look at on-chain data. Based on reports from blockchain trackers, some transfers and liquidity extractions were visible publicly on the Solana network, which added to the scrutiny.

Community groups and investors asked for clearer disclosures, while legal experts warned that investigations or regulatory attention could follow if money was moved in ways that harmed ordinary buyers.

Featured image by ThomasShanahan / iStock.com, chart from TradingView

Solana’s price has delivered a slight rebound as the broader crypto market gradually shifts towards a bullish outlook. Although the price of SOL may be demonstrating strength once again, its future trajectory is largely tied to the performance of the leading network in the days ahead.

Network Performance Becomes The Key Catalyst For Solana’s Price

Following a slight bounce on Monday, Solana is back above the $140 price mark. However, on-chain data suggests that the altcoin is nearing a turning point where its next significant price change may depend more on how well its network functions going forward than on market sentiment.

This thesis was outlined by Santiment, a leading market intelligence and on-chain data platform, after examining the correlation between SOL’s current price movement and its network activity. With price spikes coinciding with reduced network activity, the focus is now on the blockchain’s ability to maintain that momentum.

Santiment highlighted that as ongoing market volatility cools off, the price of SOL experienced a leg up as high as $144, drawing dangerously close to breaking past its $145 resistance level. While the price remains below the key resistance level, the altcoin awaits its next major catalyst in order to clear this level.

According to the on-chain platform, this will mostly depend on whether SOL network growth can start to increase once more, drawing attention to its fading new wallet creation. Data shows that the number of new wallet addresses created in a weekly timeframe has dropped significantly over the last few weeks.

In contrast to the prior optimistic moments, when new addresses were generated at record rates, accompanied by soaring trading and meme-coin activity, the slowdown represents a significant change.

As of November 2024, the number of weekly wallet addresses created was approximately 30.2 million. Fast forward to today, and the figure has fallen sharply, sitting at about 7.3 million. This massive drop in wallet creation signals a growing cooling phase in user onboarding across the SOL network. 

SOL Maintaining Large Daily Transactions

New wallet addresses may have reduced significantly, but Solana’s transaction scale remains robust. Despite fluctuations in the overall market momentum, SOL maintains a remarkably high level of daily transactions, demonstrating the power of its network.

In a recent report from Solana Daily on the X platform, it was revealed that the network has persistently carried out more than 60 million transactions every day for the past 750 days. This consistency demonstrates the chain’s widespread use in Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), payments, and high-throughput applications that depend on its affordability and speed.

An interesting aspect of this growth is that the network has maintained zero uptime within the timeframe, reinforcing its position as a reliable hub for on-chain activity. Currently, Solana is supported by real usage rather than just speculative spikes, which increases network efficiency.

Bitmine Immersion Technologies has been making a statement with its assertive accumulation and staking of Ethereum. In just a few months, the company has assembled one of the largest known ETH treasuries held by a publicly traded firm, moving steadily toward its stated ambitious goal of controlling 5% of the total Ethereum supply. 

According to a recent disclosure, Bitmine is now holding about 4.17 million Ethereum (ETH) tokens, which is about 3.45% of the total circulating supply. Furthermore, the company’s total staked ETH tally has now surpassed 1.2 million tokens. 

Heavy Stakes And A Clear Target

Bitmine is now the largest fresh money buyer of ETH in the world, and its string of ETH purchases has kept many Ethereum investors on the edge of their seats on how this might affect the price of the altcoin. 

Bitmine Immersion has funneled about $3.9 billion worth of Ethereum into staking under the leadership of Tom Lee, a move that shows conviction in ETH’s long-term prospects and the company’s desire to generate yield for its investors. Notably, the company’s total staked ETH tally has now surpassed 1.2 million tokens, bringing it close to 70 percent of the way toward its self-proclaimed “Alchemy of 5%” target of owning 5% of all Ethereum in circulation.

Bitmine’s approach to staking is starting to be much more than passive yield. The company is preparing to launch its own Made in America Validator Network (MAVAN), which it says will be among the largest ETH staking infrastructures in the ecosystem once live. 

This means Bitmine is now looking to transition from simply holding and staking Ether through third parties to becoming a staking infrastructure provider. If all of Bitmine’s staked ETH were managed through MAVAN and its partners at current rates, Ethereum staking fees could generate about $370 million for the company.

Growing The Balance Sheet To Sustain Ethereum Accumulation

Bitmine’s balance sheet extends well past its staking operations. The company now holds a diversified pool of assets spanning Bitcoin, Ethereum, other digital assets, and cash, with total holdings valued at around $14 billion, including its just over 4 million ETH. 

Interestingly, the company has continued to add to its holdings in recent weeks, even as it increases its liquid cash position. The most recent purchase was of 24,266 ETH last week.

At the same time, the company made a corporate decision that it says is critical to sustaining this strategy of steadily accumulating more Ethereum tokens. Notably, Bitmine is now seeking a positive 50.1% shareholder vote to increase its authorized share count at its upcoming annual stockholder meeting scheduled for January 15, 2026. 

According to the company, the current authorization of 500 million shares is close to being fully utilized, and once that limitation is reached, its ability to continue acquiring Ethereum at the current pace would slow down massively.

Vitalik Buterin is arguing that Ethereum’s long-term credibility hinges on a standard usually applied to applications, not base layers: the chain should remain meaningfully usable even if its stewards “walk away.” In a Jan. 12 post on X, the Ethereum co-founder framed the “walkaway test” as a requirement for a settlement layer meant to host “trustless and trust-minimized applications” across finance, governance, and beyond.

Buterin’s premise is that Ethereum’s core promise breaks down if the protocol itself depends on continuous, human-managed upgrades to stay safe and competitive. “But building such applications is not possible on a base layer which itself depends on ongoing updates from a vendor in order to continue being usable — even if that ‘vendor’ is the all core devs process,” he wrote. “Ethereum the blockchain must have the traits that we strive for in Ethereum’s applications. Hence, Ethereum itself must pass the walkaway test.”

Ethereum Can’t Rely on Endless Upgrades

The post lands amid a broader, recurring tension in Ethereum’s culture: the desire to keep evolving versus the benefits of stability. Buterin’s formulation doesn’t call for freezing the protocol immediately. Instead, he argues Ethereum should reach a position where it could “ossify” without sacrificing its value proposition.

“This means that Ethereum must get to a place where we can ossify if we want to,” Buterin said. “We do not have to stop making changes to the protocol, but we must get to a place where Ethereum’s value proposition does not strictly depend on any features that are not in the protocol already.” In other words, Ethereum can continue to improve—but it should not need to, in order to remain a credible base for durable, user-owned systems.

From there, Buterin lays out the technical and economic conditions he views as prerequisites for passing the test. The most time-sensitive in his framing is cryptography. “Full quantum-resistance” should not be treated as an upgrade to postpone until the last possible moment, he argues, warning against “the trap” of delaying in exchange for short-term efficiency.

The protocol, in his view, should be able to make a straightforward claim about long-lived safety: being able to say Ethereum “as it stands today, is cryptographically safe for a hundred years.”

Scalability is presented as an architectural destination rather than a perpetual series of feature-driven forks. Buterin points to “ZK-EVM validation and data sampling through PeerDAS” as key components, and suggests an ideal end-state where improvements increasingly come via “parameter only” changes—potentially implemented through validator voting mechanisms akin to how the gas limit can be adjusted.

He also emphasizes state growth as a durability risk that must be addressed at the protocol level. The goal, as he describes it, is a “state architecture that can last decades,” including “partial statelessness and state expiry” so that sustaining thousands of transactions per second over long periods doesn’t make syncing or hardware requirements untenable. Alongside that, he flags future-proofing storage structures to match that environment.

Other items in the framework target known fault lines for decentralized execution: moving toward a more general-purpose account model via “full account abstraction,” ensuring the gas schedule is resilient against denial-of-service risks in both execution and ZK-proving, and hardening proof-of-stake economics so the system “can last and remain decentralized for decades,” including ETH’s role as “trustless collateral.”

Finally, Buterin highlights block building as a centralization pressure point, arguing Ethereum needs a model that can “resist centralization pressure and guarantee censorship resistance even in unknown future environments.” Buterin’s closing message is less about a single roadmap item than a governance and engineering posture: do the heavy lifting now so later progress can be dominated by client optimization and parameter tuning, not perpetual redesign.

At press time, ETH traded at $3,132.

Monday 12 January 2026 – Over the last 24 hours, the meme coin market moved up by 3%, with gains coming almost entirely from just three sectors, while the rest of the market stayed mostly in the red.

One of the strongest performers has been dog-themed tokens, which climbed 5.1%, powered by dogi (DOGI) and its massive 1,528% explosion in the same timeframe. But there’s another pup starting to turn heads, one that looks ready to outrun the whole crypto pack, already pulling in a total of $4.4 million in raised funds. That pup is Maxi Doge (MAXI).

Seen as the clear heavyweight of the 2026 meme coin scene, Maxi Doge is aiming for the same kind of face-melting vertical move DOGI just delivered – maybe even something far bigger. Still, leading a pump isn’t everything. MAXI is also building a tight crew of loyal bros, all locked into the same code: no weak hands, only solid, chiseled gains.

The clock is ticking though. There are just two days left to get into the presale at the current price of $0.000278 per token. After that, the price moves up.

The Dogecoin Copycat or the Muscle-Loaded Moonshot

Dog-themed, 4chan-style, and Elon Musk-inspired tokens have fully taken over the meme coin spotlight, posting big gains even while the wider market struggled in the red.

Dog-themed coins pushed up 5.1%, 4chan-related tokens rose 6.2%, and Musk-inspired projects led the charge with a 7.7% jump. Still, despite Elon’s picks winning on percentages, one dog-themed underdog completely dominated the conversation: DOGI, sitting at an $18 million market cap.

Based on live CoinGecko data, DOGI shot straight up from $0.053805 to a high of $1.36 in a single day, marking an insane 2,427% move at the peak before cooling down to a 1,528% gain at the time of writing.

DOGI markets itself as the first token built on the Dogecoin blockchain (DRC-20), which many see as a second chance at what they missed with the original DOGE. It’s clear the market is still craving a true moonshot that carries Dogecoin’s DNA but trades at a much smaller market cap.

Smaller caps come with bigger upside. Once serious money steps in, these tokens can light up fast. That’s exactly why the meme space is packed right now with dog-themed challengers all fighting for attention.

So what happens when you take that familiar DOGE narrative, load it up with pure muscle, and soak it in nonstop Red Bull energy?

You get a lean, mean, Dogecoin-slayer built for max gains, rocking 1,000x the swagger and 1,000x the pump potential. That’s Maxi Doge. While others are still chasing yesterday’s charts, MAXI is already in the gym, warming up to make DOGI-style moves the baseline for 2026.

The Muscle-Driven Counterculture Behind Maxi Doge

Maxi Doge is nothing like the usual “be cute like Dogecoin and hope for a billion-dollar breakout” kind of project.

It goes in the opposite direction a road most copy-paste “Inu” tokens were simply too soft to walk. While the rest of the meme pack is busy begging for scraps, Maxi Doge stands as the anti-cute alternative. Think of it as crypto’s worst parenting advice: instead of turning the other cheek, it shows you how to crack the bears straight across the jaw.

Winning the 2026 meme coin supercycle isn’t about recycling some worn-out formula. Respect to the OGs, sure but Maxi Doge isn’t here to copy them. He’s here to crank that legacy up by 1,000x. That’s the wavelength high-leverage, high-conviction traders operate on the ones who actually move markets instead of chasing leftovers.

In meme coins, taking yourself too seriously is the fastest way to fade into irrelevance. Maxi Doge gets that. It’s not just retelling the same joke it’s spinning off a far more brutal version with a punchline that actually hits.

Crypto is easy when you got the playbook.$MAXI about to take over. pic.twitter.com/0Oq3rXdi2D

— MaxiDoge (@MaxiDoge_) November 11, 2025

And once that punchline connects, the pump isn’t far behind. Picture a pup with a shredded 140-lb frame, eyes glowing red like charts after a 48-hour trading binge. That level of intensity gives Maxi Doge an edge over the sleepy, legacy DOGE and pulls in the attention of serious players who can send an asset straight into orbit.

So while DOGI enjoys its moment under the lights, the market should stay alert. The real alpha is only just starting to warm up.

Get In on Maxi Doge’s $4.4M Presale

As noted earlier, Maxi Doge has already secured $4.4 million in total funding. To take part, visit the Maxi Doge token presale page and connect using Best Wallet, which is widely seen as one of the top crypto wallets available.

Participants can swap ETH, BNB, USDT, or USDC, or choose to pay directly with a bank card. Best Wallet is available for download on both Google Play and the Apple App Store.

MAXI tokens purchased during the presale can be staked right away through the project’s native staking protocol, currently offering a dynamic 70% APY.

For added investor confidence, Maxi Doge’s smart contract has undergone full audits by both Coinsult and SOLIDProof.

You can also join the community on X and Telegram.

Visit Maxi Doge Token.

Ethereum’s main network is witnessing a dramatic surge in activity, signaling renewed confidence and accelerating momentum across the ecosystem. Aspects like transaction throughput and user engagement appear to have pushed significantly higher over the past few weeks, breaking past prior peaks.

Another Historic Moment For Ethereum Network

Since the beginning of 2026, the Ethereum network has been hitting major milestones that reflect the blockchain’s efficiency and expanding ecosystem. Even in a volatile crypto landscape, ETH’s network usage and adoption have increased sharply, as evidenced by its rapidly growing active wallet addresses.

On-chain data reveals that the network has recently crossed a key threshold in terms of active wallet addresses following a sudden spike. From the report from Joseph Young, a market expert and narrator, the number of active addresses on ETH has surged to the highest level ever in its history.

This spike in user activity and interest signals more than just routine market noise and speculation. It shows growing adoption, increasing on-chain activity, and rekindled conviction in the leading ecosystem in the midst of general market instability.

After delving into the metric, the expert disclosed that the number of active 7DMA wallet addresses on Ethereum is sitting at over 811,500. As active address counts reached historic levels, the network’s fundamentals appear to have started surpassing its price performance. Should this performance hold, it is likely to play a huge role in shaping ETH’s next major move.

The blockchain’s performance extends beyond just massive active wallet addresses. Young added that Ethereum is the most proven network with more than 10 years of track record, underscoring its reliability and robust scalability.

During the period, ETH remained one of the most active and liquid crypto ecosystems by far. With several key updates over the years, such as the Fusaka Upgrade, the ETH network is now scaling faster than it ever did since its launch. 

ETH Carry Out More Transactions Than Ever

Given that a significantly high level of transactions is carried out on the network, Ethereum is still showing robust strength and a growing ecosystem. On-chain Foundation head of research, Leon Waidmann, shared a report that reveals that ETH is experiencing a wave of transactions, reaching unprecedented levels.

With over 2.2 million transactions being executed per day, the network has just hit yet another all-time high. The chart shows that the previous peak was positioned at 1.89 million per day, as recorded on January 10, reflecting its rising real-world usage in a period where network fundamentals are gaining robust significance.

While transactions continue to increase, the network’s transaction costs have remained extremely low. Swapping on the blockchain now costs just $0.04, Non-Fungible Token (NFT) sales cost about $0.06, borrowing fees are $0.03, and bridging costs, which are the lowest, are around $0.01.

21Shares is set to launch its Dogecoin ETF after gaining approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Nasdaq. This is expected to provide some bullish momentum for the meme coin even as DOGE funds see muted interest from institutional investors. 

21Shares To Launch Dogecoin ETF After Filing Final Prospectus

Crypto ETF issuer 21Shares has filed the prospectus for its Dogecoin ETF, signaling plans to launch this fund this week. However, the asset manager has yet to announce a specific launch date. This will be the third spot DOGE fund to launch after Grayscale and Bitwise’s DOGE ETF, which launched last year. 

21Shares Dogecoin ETF will launch on the Nasdaq under the ticker ‘TDOG.’ Crypto exchange Coinbase is listed among the Trust’s custodians alongside BitGo and Anchorage. Meanwhile, the fund will offer in-kind creations and redemptions, similar to other existing spot crypto ETFs. 21shares will charge a 0.50% management fee for the fund. 

The Dogecoin ETF will be 21Shares’ fifth spot U.S. crypto ETF, as the asset manager already offers Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP ETFs. The DOGE fund’s launch is bullish for the foremost meme coin as it could attract more institutional flows into its ecosystem. However, it is worth noting that the other existing spot U.S. DOGE funds have only seen moderate demand so far. 

SoSoValue data shows that the inflows into these Dogecoin ETFs have been minimal, with these funds currently boasting net assets of just under $10 million, which is less than 1% of the meme coin’s market cap. They have also mostly recorded zero-flow days since launching, with most inflow days below $1 million. However, it is worth noting that these funds saw greater demand at the start of the year, when DOGE rose to around $0.15. As such, they could attract more inflows as the market recovers. 

A Generational Buying Opportunity

Crypto analyst Hokage described the current DOGE price level as a generational buying opportunity amid the imminent launch of the Dogecoin ETF. This came as the analyst remarked that while the short-term is extremely hard to figure out, the long-term support will eventually get hit. His accompanying chart showed that the leading meme coin could rally to as high as $1.6 in the long term. 

The crypto analyst highlighted the potential integration of Dogecoin into Elon Musk’s X as one catalyst that could spark this run. He opined that the meme coin will eventually get integrated into X as a payment and tips feature. Hokage added that it is just a matter of time and not if. 

Related Reading: Dogecoin Is Breakout Ready: Analyst Shows Major Target For The Meme Coin King

At the time of writing, the Dogecoin price is trading at around $0.137, down over 2% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

Bitcoin Core’s maintainer set has expanded for the first time in nearly three years, with pseudonymous contributor TheCharlatan (also known online as “sedited”) added to the project’s small group of “Trusted Keys” holders, an operational role that carries commit authority to Bitcoin Core’s master branch.

The move matters because it touches the narrowest choke point in Bitcoin’s most widely used node implementation: who can cryptographically sign and merge the code that ultimately ships to users. TheCharlatan was added on January 8, 2026, according to the project’s trusted-keys history on GitHub, which shows a new entry committed under the “sedited” account.

Bitcoin Core developers sign software updates with their PGP keys, but only a small subset of keys are recognized for commit access in the project’s verification tooling, a practical constraint designed to keep release signing and merge authority legible, auditable, and socially accountable.

With TheCharlatan’s addition, the Trusted Keys group now includes Marco Falke, Gloria Zhao, Ryan Ofsky, Hennadii Stepanov, Ava Chow, and TheCharlatan. The prior addition to the trusted-keys list was in May 2023, when Ofsky was added.

Protos reported the promotion as having broad support among Core contributors, citing a group chat in which at least 20 members agreed and no one objected to the nomination language. The nomination framed the decision in terms of review quality and judgment about what should ship. “He is a reliable reviewer… worked extensively in critical areas. He thinks carefully about what we ship… . He understands the technical consensus process well.”

Who Is The New Bitcoin Core Key Holder?

Protos identified TheCharlatan as a University of Zurich computer science graduate from South Africa, with a focus on reproducibility and Bitcoin Core’s validation logic.

In practice, that points to two areas that Core contributors tend to treat as release-critical. First, reproducible builds aim to make the path from source to binaries independently verifiable, an important property for a security-sensitive client where users want assurance they’re running what maintainers reviewed.

Second, Protos said TheCharlatan has worked on validation logic in ways that build on Carl Dong’s kernel library effort, separating validating from non-validating logic used to determine whether a block extends the best-work chain.

While Bitcoin’s development process is intentionally consensus-driven and diffuse, commit keys remain a concrete locus of responsibility. Protos situated the current model historically, noting that early Bitcoin development concentrated commit access in Satoshi Nakamoto’s hands before moving to a succession of maintainers. “Only Satoshi Nakamoto possessed Commit-level access… . Nakamoto first passed his key privilege to Gavin Andresen…”

Protos also referenced the later push to decentralize commit-key control into a group under Wladimir van der Laan, in the shadow of legal threats tied to Craig Wright’s claims, part of a broader effort to avoid any single maintainer becoming a practical or legal single point of failure.

At press time, BTC traded at $92,367.

Columbia Business School adjunct professor Omid Malekan challenged what he called five common banking-industry misunderstandings about stablecoin yields as Congress moves a market structure bill toward markup this month.

He pushed back on claims that stablecoins will automatically drain bank deposits or collapse lending, and argued the real fight is over who receives interest on the reserves that back those tokens.

“I’m disappointed that market structure legislation seems to be held up by the stablecoin yield issue,” he said. “Most of the concerns bouncing around Washington are based on unsubstantiated myths,” Malekan added.

Misconceptions About Stablecoin Yields

Based on reports, Malekan listed five specific points where industry talking points have wandered from the facts. He said stablecoins are fully reserved in many cases, and that issuers often park reserves in Treasury bills and bank accounts — activity that can feed, not sap, banking business.

I am disappointed that market structure legislation seems to be held up by the stablecoin yield issue. Most of the concerns bouncing around Washington are based on unsubstantiated myths.

So I’ve written a new article tackling the 5 biggest. They include:

1) Whether stablecoins… https://t.co/U2fQcPNZyV

— Omid Malekan (@malekanoms) January 12, 2026

He also noted that much US credit is delivered outside community banks, through money market funds and private lenders, so the link between stablecoins and bank lending is not as direct as some industry statements imply.

Banks Press Lawmakers Over Yield Rules

Lawmakers are racing to settle those questions before a committee markup. The Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to mark up the market structure text on January 15, 2026, and sources say negotiators remain split on whether to restrict third-party yield arrangements tied to stablecoins.

Community banks and trade groups have urged senators to close what they call “yield loopholes,” saying unregulated rewards could lure deposits away and raise liquidity risks.

Who Captures The Interest Matters

Malekan focused attention on the distribution of interest from reserve assets. According to his comments, the policy choice is not about banning stablecoins but about deciding whether banks or crypto issuers capture returns on reserves.

If issuers are allowed to share interest or rewards with customers, that could pressure bank profits — a point banks are making loudly in hearings and letters to lawmakers.

File Drafting And Last-Minute Haggling

Reports have disclosed that committee staff were racing to file a bipartisan market structure text and reconcile yield language ahead of a deadline this week. Negotiations continued into late sessions as senators weighed compromises that could allow some forms of rewards while guarding against run risks and bank disintermediation.

Featured image from Global Finance Magazine, chart from TradingView

Ripple has sent a new market-structure letter to the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, urging the agency to draw a hard line between a securities offering and the underlying token that may later trade in secondary markets, a framing that could matter for how XRP (post SEC lawsuit) and other tokens are treated in disclosure and jurisdiction debates.

In the January 9, 2026 submission, signed by Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty, General Counsel Sameer Dhond, and Deputy General Counsel Deborah McCrimmon, Ripple positions its comments as input to ongoing Commission rulemaking or guidance, explicitly tying its argument to parallel legislative efforts on Capitol Hill.

The company references earlier letters from March 21, 2025 and May 27, 2025, and points to the House’s CLARITY Act of 2025 and Senate discussion drafts as evidence that classification choices will cascade into “jurisdiction, disclosures, and secondary-market treatment.”

Ripple Presses SEC To Cement XRP’s Post-Lawsuit Status

Ripple’s core thesis is that regulators should move away from “decentralization” as a legal metric because it is “not a binary state” and creates “intolerable uncertainty,” including both “false negative” and “false positive” outcomes.

One of Ripple’s key concerns is that an asset could be treated as stuck in a securities regime simply because an entity still holds inventory or continues contributing to development, a point with obvious parallels to Ripple. The company still holds a large chunk of all XRP in their escrow while developer arm RippleX contributes heavily to the development of the XRP Ledger.

Instead, Ripple pushes the SEC to ground jurisdiction in “legal rights and obligations,” emphasizing enforceable promises rather than market narratives about ongoing efforts. The letter argues that regulatory theories focusing on “efforts of others” risk collapsing the multi-part Howey analysis into a single factor and, in Ripple’s view, sweeping too broadly.

The most consequential section is Ripple’s argument that the SEC’s jurisdiction should be time-bound to the “lifespan of the obligation,” rather than treating the asset as permanently labeled. In a passage that goes directly to secondary-market implications, Ripple writes:

“The Commission’s jurisdiction should track the lifespan of the obligation; regulating the ‘promise’ while it exists, but liberating the ‘asset’ once that promise is fulfilled or otherwise ends. The dispositive factor is the holder’s legal rights, not their economic hopes. Without that bright line, the definition of a security, and the SEC’s jurisdictional limits, become amorphous and unbounded.”

That framing matters for XRP and draws parallels to the SEC lawsuit: whether secondary-market trading of a token can remain subject to securities-law oversight long after any initial distribution, marketing, or development-era statements. Ripple explicitly rejects the idea that active secondary trading is itself a jurisdictional hook, comparing high-velocity crypto markets to spot commodities like gold and silver and even secondary markets for consumer devices.

Ripple also spends meaningful time on the “capital raising” boundary, arguing for privity as a bright line that distinguishes primary distributions from exchange trading where counterparties are unknown and the issuer is “merely as another market actor.”

In that context, the letter warns that treating every issuer sale as a perpetual capital raise creates “perverse outcomes,” including what it calls a “Zombie Promise” and “Operational Paralysis”: language that, while generalized, clearly speaks to concerns around issuer-held token inventories and the compliance burdens that could attach to treasury management and sales practices.

Separately, Ripple endorses “fit-for purpose” disclosures in cases where securities regulation is actually warranted, rather than forcing “full corporate registration designed for traditional equity.” For XRP holders and market participants, that is a directional signal: Ripple is arguing for a regime where disclosure triggers attach to specific promises or specific forms of ongoing control, not to the token as an object indefinitely.

The timing is also notable. Ripple dated the letter January 9, 2026, less than a week before a January 15 markup on comprehensive digital-asset market structure legislation in the US Senate Banking Committee, an approaching deadline that could shape how classification language, jurisdictional lines, and disclosure concepts harden into legislative text.

At press time, XRP traded at $2.05.

Crypto custody firm BitGo announced on Monday that it aims for a valuation of up to $1.96 billion in its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, amid major interest by these firms to trade in public markets. 

As reported by Reuters, the crypto company plans to raise as much as $201 million by offering 11.8 million shares, with prices expected to range from $15 to $17 per share.

Investing Climate Remains Shaky

Established in 2013, BitGo has emerged as one of the largest crypto custody firms in the United States, specializing in the secure storage and protection of digital assets. This role has become increasingly important amid rising institutional interest in cryptocurrencies.

Following a strong showing for other major crypto firms in 2025, including successful market debuts from stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) and cryptocurrency exchange Bullish (BLSH), BitGo is entering a competitive landscape. Crypto exchange Kraken is also looking to go public. 

However, recent market volatility, particularly the sharp selloff in October of last year, whipping out nearly $20 billion in long positions, has created challenges for companies looking to attract investors. Additionally, ongoing pressure on technology and artificial intelligence (AI) valuations has heightened scrutiny across risk assets. 

According to Lukas Muehlbauer, an IPOX research analyst, this shift has led to a “flight to quality,” favoring established and regulated companies like BitGo over more speculative ventures.

BitGo Targets IPO Success 

Despite the challenges, BitGo aims to leverage positive market momentum in early 2026, when outperformance by small and mid-cap indices could provide a favorable environment for mid-sized offerings.

The firm has enlisted Goldman Sachs as the lead book-running manager for the IPO, with Citigroup also serving as a book-running manager. Other financial institutions in the offering include Deutsche Bank Securities, Mizuho, Wells Fargo Securities, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Canaccord Genuity, and Cantor. 

Clear Street, Compass Point, Craig-Hallum, Rosenblatt, Wedbush Securities, and SoFi will act as co-managers. BitGo plans to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “BTGO.” 

Notably, the company is one of five crypto firms, alongside Ripple, Circle, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Paxos Trust Company, to receive national trust charter applications approved by the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in December of last year.

This national trust bank charter would empower BitGo to manage and hold assets for its customers, enabling faster payment settlements—a move that could bolster the firm’s competitive edge in the evolving landscape of cryptocurrency and digital finance.

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

Bitcoin treasury company Strategy has continued its accumulation of the cryptocurrency, taking its holdings to 687,410 BTC with the latest purchase.

Strategy Has Acquired Another 13,627 Bitcoin

As announced in an X post by Strategy co-founder and chairman Michael Saylor, the company has completed a new Bitcoin acquisition involving 13,627 BTC, spending an average of $91,519 per token or a total of about $1.25 billion.

This purchase is rather large; in fact, it’s the biggest buy that the firm has made since July of last year. In his usual Sunday foreshadowing post, Saylor hinted that the acquisition would be significant, using the caption: “₿ig Orange.”

In a reply to the post, the Strategy chairman reflected on the company’s accumulation journey, saying, “Ironic that our $60.25 billion Bitcoin position started with a $0.25 billion purchase in August 2020.”

Following the purchase announcement, Strategy’s stack has officially grown to 687,410 BTC and total investment to $51.80 billion. At present, these holdings are valued at $63.28 billion, meaning that the treasury company is in a profit of more than 22%.

According to the filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the new acquisition took place in the week between January 5th and 11th, funded using proceeds from the company’s MSTR and STRC at-the-market (ATM) stock offerings.

Last Monday, Strategy announced expansions for both its Bitcoin treasury and US Dollar reserve, but the focus this week appears to have been on the cryptocurrency alone. The USD reserve, which was created by the company at the start of December, has seen two additions so far, and the latest one took its value to $2.25 billion.

In another X post, Saylor has also shared a chart that compares annualized returns for the best-performing assets in the “Bitcoin Standard Era,” referring to the period since August 2020 when the firm made its first purchase of the cryptocurrency.

As displayed in the graph, MSTR has produced the second-most annualized returns in this timespan, with its profits of 60% surpassing even BTC’s, which has managed a return of 45%.

The number one performing asset in the period has been Nvidia (NVDA), posting annual returns of 68%. The strength behind the company’s stock was initially driven by the Ethereum mining boom and more recently, by the rise of AI datacenters.

“The best-performing assets of this decade are Digital Intelligence $NVDA, Digital Credit $MSTR, and Digital Capital $BTC,” Saylor wrote, framing each asset under a distinct role.

BTC Price

Bitcoin kicked off 2026 with a recovery surge, but bullish momentum has faded for the asset as its price is still trading around $91,400.

Banking giant Standard Chartered is reportedly planning to launch a prime brokerage for cryptocurrency trading amid a global push by banks to establish digital asset ventures and compete in the sector.

Standard Chartered Plans Crypto Expansion

On Monday, Bloomberg reported that London-based Standard Chartered is allegedly preparing to expand its crypto efforts with the launch of a prime brokerage for digital assets trading.

According to sources familiar with the matter, discussions are in the early stages, and an official timeline for the launch has not been defined. However, they revealed that the major global bank plans to launch the new crypto business within its venture capital (VC) unit SV Ventures.

Notably, Standard Chartered’s VC unit recently announced that it is developing Project37C, a joint venture related to digital assets, but did not specifically call the platform a crypto prime brokerage. The joint venture is set to offer custody, tokenization, and market access, and “complement the broader Standard Chartered digital asset ecosystem.”

At the time, Harald Eltvedt, Operating Member and Head of Venture Building at SV Ventures, affirmed that “as we see institutional engagement with digital assets accelerating, there is similarly a growing need for platforms that combine innovation with a high standard.”

As the report noted, the banking giant has been one of the most active global financial institutions in the digital assets sector. Notably, it has backed multiple crypto ventures, including custodians and institutional trading platforms.

In July, the institution became the first global systemically important bank to offer spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for institutional clients. In Q4 2025, Standard Chartered announced its partnership with crypto exchange OKX in the European Economic Area (EEA) and its collaboration with DCS Card Center as the banking partner for a credit card that enables users to make stablecoin transactions.

Last month, Standard Chartered expanded its partnership with Coinbase to develop a suite of crypto prime services for institutional clients, including trading, staking, custody, and lending.

Global Banking Rules’ Challenge

Bloomberg highlighted that Standard Chartered could benefit from launching the new business through SC Ventures, as it may help circumvent some strict capital requirements for digital assets in corporate and investment banks.

It’s worth noting that the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) released its standard for the “prudential treatment of banks’ exposures to cryptoassets” in 2022, including tokenized traditional assets, stablecoins, and unbacked digital assets.

Under Basel III rules, banks that hold cryptocurrencies face a risk charge far higher than with any other risk assets. The institutions are required to comply with a 1,250% risk charge for exposure to permissionless crypto assets such as Bitcoin and Ether. Meanwhile, some VC investments under the latest Basel capital package only face a 400% charge.

As reported by Bitcoinist, global regulators are in talks to review and potentially overhaul rules for banks’ crypto holdings, set to come into force in 2026. Senior executives stated that banks have largely interpreted the standards as a signal to avoid crypto “since they imposed a heavy capital burden on such holdings.”

However, the recent global shift toward the crypto industry has sparked debates at the BCBS regarding the suitability of these rules under the current environment, with major jurisdictions, including the US and UK, not committing to implementing them on time.

The US has been reportedly leading calls to amend these standards, arguing that the rules are “incompatible with the industry’s evolution,” particularly in the stablecoin sector. Moreover, some countries seem to agree with the US’s reasoning and favor reviewing the standards before they are widely implemented.

The Bank of Italy ran a technical analysis that asks a stark question: What happens if Ethereum (ETH) falls to zero and stays there?

The recently released paper is authored by Claudia Biancotti for the Bank’s Markets, Infrastructures, Payment Systems series. It is listed as Number 74 and runs 11 pages.

Bank Of Italy Issues Technical Analysis

According to the Bank, permissionless blockchains like Ethereum act as settlement systems for a wide range of tokens and contracts. The institution treats the question as a stress test on infrastructure rather than only on asset prices.

The note warns that if a native token loses most of its market value and the drop remains persistent, the economic incentives that keep validators running could vanish. Validators might exit, the paper says, and that could make settlement slow or stop.

What The Paper Found

Based on reports in the Bank’s paper, the chain of effects is simple and worrying. Validators are paid in ETH. If ETH has next to no value, that payment no longer motivates operators.

As a result, transaction settlement could slow dramatically or, in extreme cases, halt. The paper also highlights that other assets using the chain — for example, tokenized securities or fully backed stablecoins — could become hard to move or could face security problems if the network’s defenses weaken.

Ethereum: Context And Reaction

Italy’s broader regulators have recently stepped up their look at crypto risks. Reports show the Economy Ministry ordered a review of safeguards, and the Bank of Italy’s paper fits into that wider push to quantify risks tied to new payment systems.

Reuters and other outlets covered the regulator-level review in December and January as authorities pressed firms to meet emerging rules.

Potential System Risks

The authors do not claim the scenario is likely. Instead, the exercise is framed as a way to show how market risk can turn into infrastructure risk. The paper points out there is no formal mechanism to “shut down” a permissionless chain in an orderly way.

Any mitigation would rely on voluntary action by validators, major staking firms, or protocol changes proposed and adopted by the community. That uncertainty is the main policy concern.

The Bank of Italy’s note is a technical, measured look at a worst-case scenario. It uses concrete data to argue that a collapse in Ethereum market value would not only hit holders but could also impair the functioning of systems that now run on Ethereum.

Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView

After months of intense negotiations involving both political parties, as well as representatives from the crypto industry and traditional banking sectors, the long-awaited week for the crypto market structure bill, known as the CLARITY Act, has arrived. 

Crypto journalist Eleanor Terret reported on Monday that ongoing disputes within the industry, partisan disagreements over crucial details, and the pressures exerted by legacy banking interests have repeatedly delayed the timeline.

CLARITY Act Text Set For Release 

On Friday, the Banking Committee leadership indicated that the most recent bipartisan version of the bill would be officially marked up early on Thursday, January 15. 

The new text of the CLARITY Act will utilize the existing framework of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which passed through the House in July. This means the name “CLARITY Act” will remain, but the legislation will primarily reflect the Senate’s recent collaborative efforts.

As the week unfolds, the text set for the Banking Committee vote, which has undergone final edits, is expected to be distributed to senators on Monday or Tuesday for further amendments. 

According to Terret’s report, there are three major aspects that stakeholders will closely observe when the bill text is released. First, there is significant interest in what ethics rules will apply to public officials involved in the crypto space, including the President. 

Second, the ongoing debate regarding stablecoin rewards remains a focal point. Finally, how both Democrats and Republicans address decentralized finance (DeFi), particularly in relation to securities trading and concerns about illicit finance, is also among the key provisions to be.

Crypto Legislation Discussions

Amanda Tuminelli, Executive Director of the DeFi Education Fund, attended recent closed-door meetings involving leaders from both crypto and securities industries, stressing the importance of the regulatory balance in a digital assets bill. 

“Banks and trade associations like SIFMA have significant concerns about regulatory arbitrage, especially concerning decentralized exchanges trading tokenized securities,” she noted.

Tuminelli will also keep a keen eye on the potential inclusion of provisions related to self-custody, protections for software developers, and the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), which she considers essential for the bill’s success.

ConsenSys General Counsel Bill Hughes has also expressed optimism about the developments leading up to the markup, indicating a hopeful outlook heading into the deliberations.

The reports suggest that Thursday could see simultaneous markups from both the Senate Banking and Agriculture Committees. However, disputes over key provisions could threaten the bill’s bipartisan nature, potentially leading to a postponement. 

Negotiations between Senate Chairman John Boozman and Senator Cory Booker have seemingly continued over the weekend and may play a crucial role in determining the markup’s outcome, Terret asserted.

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

Bitcoin is attempting to stabilize above the $90,000 level as markets digest fresh comments from Jerome Powell, which briefly reintroduced macro uncertainty into an already fragile environment. Powell’s remarks reinforced the Federal Reserve’s commitment to policy independence and data-driven decisions, a message that rattled risk assets after weeks of consolidation.

Bitcoin reacted with a short burst of volatility, slipping from local highs before finding tentative support near the $90K zone. While the move was not structurally destructive, it underscored how sensitive BTC remains to shifts in macro narratives.

Beyond the headline-driven reaction, on-chain data suggests that underlying demand remains subdued. According to an analysis by Darkfost, current conditions do not yet resemble the extreme weakness typically seen at the early stages of a full bear market.

However, demand has clearly softened compared to prior expansion phases. The focus is on a metric that compares new Bitcoin issuance with supply that has remained inactive for more than one year, a framework used to estimate so-called “apparent demand.”

When this ratio falls below zero, it indicates that long-term dormant supply entering the market outweighs new demand, signaling net selling pressure. When it moves above zero, demand is considered positive and absorption is occurring.

At present, the indicator remains weak, suggesting that while panic is absent, conviction from buyers is still limited. As Bitcoin hovers above $90,000, the balance between macro uncertainty and on-chain demand will likely define the next decisive move.

Demand Weakness Signals Caution, Not Capitulation

Currently, Bitcoin’s apparent demand remains firmly negative, with roughly −106,000 BTC on a 30-day cumulative basis. This reading confirms that more supply is entering the market than is being absorbed by new buyers, a dynamic typically associated with cautious positioning rather than aggressive accumulation. Investors appear risk-averse, gradually reducing exposure as Bitcoin continues to be treated as a high-beta asset sensitive to macro uncertainty and policy signals.

This negative demand environment reflects a market that is defensive but not panicked. There is no evidence of forced liquidation or broad capitulation; instead, the data points to controlled distribution and a lack of urgency from buyers. In practical terms, participants are waiting for clearer confirmation—either from macro conditions, price structure, or on-chain metrics—before committing fresh capital.

Importantly, history shows that periods of weak or negative demand often coincide with zones where long-term opportunities begin to form. When interest is low and sentiment is muted, prices tend to stabilize rather than trend aggressively, allowing patient investors to build positions with reduced competition. However, these conditions favor long-term, risk-managed strategies, not short-term speculation.

Betting aggressively against the prevailing demand trend remains risky. As long as apparent demand stays negative, upside moves are more likely to be corrective rather than impulsive. For now, Bitcoin sits in a phase where discipline matters more than conviction, and time—not momentum—becomes the primary ally.

Bitcoin Consolidates as Long-Term Support Holds

Bitcoin continues to consolidate after the sharp correction from the October highs, with price now stabilizing around the $90,500–$91,000 area. On this 3-day chart, BTC remains below its declining short- and medium-term moving averages, signaling that bearish momentum has not fully dissipated. The blue and green moving averages above price continue to act as dynamic resistance, capping upside attempts near the $94,000–$96,000 zone.

At the same time, the long-term trend structure has not broken. Bitcoin is still holding above the red long-term moving average, which is rising steadily and currently sits in the $88,000–$89,000 region. This level has acted as structural support during the recent consolidation, suggesting that sellers are losing strength as price compresses into a tighter range.

Price action over the past weeks shows lower volatility and overlapping candles, typical of a market transitioning from impulse to balance. Volume has also declined, reinforcing the idea that aggressive selling pressure has faded, but that buyers remain cautious and selective.

As long as BTC holds above the long-term moving average, this phase looks more like consolidation than trend reversal. However, a sustained reclaim of the $94,000–$96,000 resistance is required to confirm renewed upside momentum. Until then, Bitcoin remains range-bound, building energy for the next decisive move.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

According to X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, the social platform is rolling out a feature called Smart Cashtags that will show live price data, charts and clearer asset info when a user taps a ticker.

Reports have disclosed the move was teased on January 11, 2026, and that a wider release is being aimed for February 2026. The reveal came amid fresh debate in the crypto community, with some users praising the clarity and others warning about potential risks.

Smart Cashtags Deliver Live Prices

Based on reports, the update turns old ‘$TICKER’ mentions into a richer card inside timelines. Users will be able to tap a Smart Cashtag and see near real-time prices and a small performance chart without leaving the app.

For on-chain tokens, engineers say the backend will be almost real-time, which means newly launched tokens could appear quickly in the feed. According to sources, the feature will cover cryptocurrencies, stocks and other tradable assets.

X is the best source for financial news — and hundreds of billions of dollars are deployed based on things people read here.

We are building Smart Cashtags that allow you to specify the exact asset (or smart contract) when posting a ticker. From Timeline, users will be able to… pic.twitter.com/nFtuA2ISqJ

— Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) January 11, 2026

Precise Asset Tagging Cuts Confusion

Smart Cashtags let posters choose the exact asset or smart contract they mean. That helps reduce mixups when the same symbol is used across markets. Traders and casual users often got mixed signals from generic tags, for example when a token and a stock share a label. The new tags will link directly to a single asset, not a broad search, making it clearer which asset a post refers to.

Community Reaction And Quick Rollout Tests

According to commentary online, reaction has been mixed. Some market observers welcomed the faster access to price snapshots and the ability to tie a tag to a smart contract. Others raised concerns about data accuracy, possible delays, and how the feature could affect market chatter.

X is running early tests and collecting feedback as the company prepares for a broader release next month. Reports say the rollout will be iterative, with changes likely before full public availability.

Speculation About Trading Integration

Based on community discussion, some users see Smart Cashtags as a step toward deeper trading features inside X. There is talk that the data cards could later be linked to buy or trade options, but that has not been confirmed by X.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView