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X’s owner, Elon Musk, is allegedly considering integrating XRP and RLUSD into the social media platform. This marks a shift from rumors that the world’s richest man could integrate Dogecoin, given his fondness for the foremost meme coin. 

Pundit Claims Rumors of Elon Musk Integrating XRP and RLUSD

In an X post, crypto pundit JackTheRippler claimed that there are rumors that Elon Musk will integrate XRP and RLUSD into X. This came as he shared a video in which the world’s richest man said the social media platform could become half of the global financial system if done right.  

This aligns with Elon Musk’s vision to transform X into an ‘Everything App.’ However, it is worth noting that the world’s richest man didn’t mention anything about integrating XRP or RLUSD on the social media platform. Musk has only once commented on XRP, in 2024, when he said he thinks crypto helps with individual freedom, in response to a question about whether the XRP Ledger could be integrated into financial institutions in the future. 

Before JackTheRippler’s claim about an XRP and RLUSD integration, Dogecoin had been the coin that had been widely rumored to get integrated into X payments when the payments system launches. This is due to Elon Musk’s fondness for the foremost meme coin, with the world’s richest man referencing the meme coin on several occasions. 

However, Elon Musk has never confirmed plans to integrate Dogecoin or any other crypto asset, including the altcoin and RLUSD, into X. There has also been no confirmed date for the X payments launch, which was expected to happen last year. Meanwhile, although Musk has not mentioned integrating cryptocurrencies, the world’s richest man appears to be warming to them, especially Bitcoin. 

Last year, Elon Musk admitted that Bitcoin, alongside Dogecoin, was based on energy. He then stated that one can issue fake fiat currency, which governments have done, but that it is “impossible to fake energy.”

Musk Likely To Integrate Crypto Into X

Market experts, such as SkyBridge founder Anthony Scaramucci, have opined that Elon Musk will integrate cryptocurrencies into X. In an interview, he said the world’s richest man will build a super app and that he will be using crypto. However, Scaramucci admitted that he wasn’t sure how Musk would go about it, whether he would integrate known cryptos like Bitcoin, XRP, Dogecoin. 

He also raised the possibility of Elon Musk creating his own coin, like Telegram’s TON, or that it could be a stablecoin. In the meantime, X’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, announced that they are building smart cashtags that will allow users to specify the exact crypto asset when posting a ticker. Users will be able to tap these tickers to see real-time pricing for these crypto assets in their timeline.

Основатель блокчейн-компании Animoca Brands Ят Сиу (Yat Siu) заявил, что политика президента США Дональда Трампа перестала быть фактором роста биткоина, и теперь будущее крипторынка зависит от капитала крупных инвесторов.

В реальных финансовых сценариях нужны инструменты, которые не выставляют на всеобщее обозрение суммы, балансы и структуру операций — они получили название конфиденциальные активы. В них все данные скрыты от посторонних наблюдателей, но при этом сеть криптографически гарантирует корректность транзакций.

Основатель SkyBridge Capital, бывший директор по коммуникациям Белого дома Энтони Скарамуччи (Anthony Scaramucci) предположил, что запрет на выплату вознаграждений владельцам стейблкоинов сильно ослабит американские банки и конкурентоспособность доллара США.

Over the weekend, Solana Labs CEO Anatoly Yakovenko pushed back on Vitalik Buterin’s latest case for Ethereum “ossification,” arguing that for Solana, continuous protocol iteration is not optional, it is survival.

The exchange was sparked by a Jan. 12 post in which Buterin said “Ethereum itself must pass the walkaway test,” framing Ethereum as a base layer that should remain usable even if the community largely stops making substantive protocol changes.

“It must support applications that are more like tools […] than like services that lose all functionality once the vendor loses interest in maintaining them,” Buterin wrote. “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 […] Hence, Ethereum itself must pass the walkaway test.”

Why Solana Can’t Afford To Ossify

Yakovenko replied that he “actually think[s] fairly differently on this,” laying out a philosophy that treats adaptability as core to Solana’s value proposition. “Solana needs to never stop iterating,” he wrote. “It shouldn’t depend on any single group or individual to do so, but if it ever stops changing to fit the needs of its devs and users, it will die.” In Yakovenko’s framing, the risk is not merely technical stagnation; it is a network losing relevance to the people building and transacting on it.

Buterin’s “walkaway test” rests on the idea that Ethereum should reach a point where its usefulness does not “strictly depend on any features that are not in the protocol already,” even if the ecosystem continues improving via client optimizations and limited parameter changes. He also sketched a set of medium-term protocol objectives, ranging from quantum resistance and scalable architecture to long-lived state design and decentralization safeguards, aimed at making Ethereum robust “for decades” and reducing the need for frequent disruptive upgrades.

Yakovenko’s critique is less about those specific goals than the premise that a base layer should aspire to being able to “ossify if we want to.” In his view, ossification is not a neutral milestone; it risks locking in a protocol that can’t keep pace with developer and user demands. “To not die requires to always be useful,” he wrote. “So the primary goal of protocol changes should be to solve a dev or user problem.” At the same time, he emphasized prioritization over maximalism: “That doesn’t mean solve every problem, in fact, saying no to most problems is necessary.”

A key overlap in both positions is a skepticism toward dependence on a single “vendor,” though they operationalize it differently. Buterin wants Ethereum’s base layer to become sufficiently complete that it can remain dependable even if the upgrade cadence slows dramatically. Yakovenko, by contrast, argues that Solana should assume upgrades will keep coming, but not necessarily from any one core team.

“You should always count on there being a next version of solana, just not necessarily from Anza or Labs or fd,” he wrote, referencing major entities in Solana’s development orbit. He then pointed to a future where governance and funding mechanisms could directly underwrite that work, suggesting “we are likely to end up in a world where a SIMD vote pays for the GPUs that write the code,” a nod to both on-chain coordination and the growing role of AI-assisted development.

At press time, SOL traded at $133.84.

Впервые с середины сентября вычислительная мощность сети Биткоина опустилась ниже отметки в 1000 EH/s. Это обусловлено фундаментальными изменениями в индустрии майнинга, заявил основатель платформы StandardHash Леон Лю (leon Lyu).

Исполнительный директор Совета по цифровым активам при администрации Белого дома Патрик Витт (Patrick Witt) опроверг информацию о продаже 57,5 биткоинов, конфискованных у Samourai Wallet.

Гендиректор Canary Capital Стивен Маккларг (Steven McClurg) в подкасте AInvest с ведущим Адамом Шапиро (Adam Shapiro) спрогнозировал курс выпускаемой компанией Ripple криптовалюты XRP и назвал самые востребованные, по его мнению, блокчейны.

Anthony Scaramucci has warned that a new US rule could hand the upper hand to Beijing. Reports say he believes a ban on paying yield to holders of dollar stablecoins will make dollar-linked digital rails less attractive than the digital yuan, which is moving toward paying interest on wallets.

Stablecoin Yield Ban And Dollar Competitiveness

Lawmakers in Congress are considering a bill that would reshape how digital assets are treated in the United States.

“The whole system is broken,” Scaramucci said on X, reacting to the Clarity Act’s restriction that blocks crypto exchanges and service providers in the US from paying yield to stablecoin holders.

According to the bill text, the proposed Clarity Act would bar certain kinds of yield or interest from being paid in connection with holding payment stablecoins, closing off a path some platforms use to offer rewards. This change is woven into a broader effort to define which digital tokens fall under which regulators.

The whole system is broken: The Banks do not want the competition from the stable coin issuers so they’re blocking the yield in the meantime the Chinese are issuing yield so what do you think the emerging countries will choose as a rail system the one with or without yield?

— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) January 16, 2026

Banks And Exchanges Push Back

Reports note the move has split industry players. Some banks have warned that easy access to yield outside the banking system could drain deposits and change lending patterns.

At the same time, major crypto firms have voiced concern that a hard ban on yield will blunt the competitiveness of US dollar-based token services and could push global users toward alternatives that offer returns.

The debate has also strained support for the bill, with at least one high-profile exchange pulling its backing amid disagreement.

China’s Move To Pay Interest On e-CNY

China is already acting on a different path. Based on reports, commercial banks there will be allowed to pay interest on digital yuan holdings, a step meant to boost use of the state’s central bank digital currency.

The change went into effect around the start of this year and was presented as a way to encourage people and institutions to try the e-CNY more often.

Why This Matters For Smaller Economies

Money flows respond to yield. If a digital yuan offers returns while US dollar tokens cannot, some governments and firms in emerging markets might favor the payment rails that provide a financial edge.

That is the central point behind Scaramucci’s warning. It’s not just about finance and stablecoins; it is also about which systems gain traction for trade and cross-border payments.

Regulators now face a tough call. Reports say the choice is between strict limits that curb certain crypto yields and looser rules that could pressure bank deposits. Either route carries tradeoffs for stability, competition, and the global reach of the dollar.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Открытый интерес по фьючерсам на биткоин вырос почти на 13% с начала года, что отражает возросший интерес к риску среди криптоинвесторов, заявили аналитики ончейн-платформы CryptoQuant.

Более 1100 американцев подали иск в федеральный суд Восточного округа Нью‑Йорка. Они требуют передать им 127 000 биткоинов, которые были конфискованы правительством США. Речь идет о криптовалюте, украденной в 2020 году у майнинг-пула LuBian.

Австралийское подразделение крупнейшей по объему торгов криптобиржи Binance спустя два с лишним года возобновило прием депозитов и вывод средств в австралийских долларах для верифицированных пользователей.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson took aim at Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse in a January 18, 2026 video, criticizing what he framed as an industry push to accept the US Clarity Act on terms that would expand the Securities and Exchange Commission’s authority over new projects.

Speaking on Jan 18, Hoskinson used a wide-ranging monologue on market fatigue, industry morale, and the mission behind Cardano and Midnight to zero in on a regulatory flashpoint: a bill he described as swollen by “137 amendments” and tilted toward the SEC. In his telling, the proposal would force crypto projects to “go beg and plead” for relief, with “all new projects” treated as securities by default.

Why Hoskinson Blasted Ripple CEO Garlinghouse

Hoskinson argued that the outcome would be a strategic own-goal, worse, in his view, than the policy uncertainty the industry has been trying to escape. “How is that any better than what Scary Gary [Gensler] gave us under Biden?” he said, referring to the SEC’s enforcement action against the crypto industry under former US President Joe Biden, before extending the critique to lobbying and political dealmaking more broadly.

Hoskinson’s sharpest remarks came when he cited unnamed industry figures he suggested are urging compromise, then called out Garlinghouse directly. “Still got people like Brad [Garlinghouse] saying well it’s not perfect but we just got to get something,” he said. “You know, it’s better than no clarity. Hand it to the same people who sued us. Hand it to the same people who put us out of business, who subpoenaed us, who put us in jail. That’s better. That’s what we fought for.”

He then framed the decision as effectively irreversible once legislated, invoking the long life of US securities law to argue that a flawed framework would calcify. “And tell me, how do we change it? Like we changed the Securities Exchange Act of 1933,” Hoskinson said. “93 years later, have we been able to change it? No. You pass it, you own it forever. Sorry, Brad. It’s not better than chaos. Take the chaos and fight for what’s right. Fight for integrity.”

How about focusing on helping shape the Clarity Bill instead of crashing out on Brad for no reason, Charles? pic.twitter.com/3jDHUiEbNp

— Vet (@Vet_X0) January 18, 2026

While the Garlinghouse jab was the most explicit, Hoskinson placed it inside a larger narrative: that crypto’s purpose is being reduced to a lobbying-driven contest for acceptable market access rather than an attempt to redesign how value and identity are handled online.

He argued that the industry is at risk of normalizing a world of “custodial wallet” defaults, pervasive KYC, and reversible transactions, outcomes he associated with legacy power structures rather than the original “revolution” ethos.

“I didn’t sign up to hand the revolution to 15 banks,” he said, describing a future where transactions can be “frozen at a whim.” Hoskinson linked those concerns to a broader critique of technological surveillance and what he called the loss of individual “agency,” suggesting the industry’s incentive structure is pulling leaders toward comfort and access rather than confrontation.

The remarks landed amid a separate thread in his talk: a rebuke of what he called “toxic learned hopelessness” in crypto discourse. Hoskinson said he had stopped using X/Twitter, still broadcasting, but not reading or engaging—arguing that constant outrage and demands for instant announcements distort how long negotiations and product development actually work.

At press time, XRP traded at $1.95.

Ветеран криптоиндустрии, трейдер и гендиректор компании 10T Holdings Дэн Тапиеро (Dan Tapiero) заявил, что в рамках текущего рыночного цикла курс биткоина может достичь $180 000. Причина — растущий спрос и изменения в глобальной денежно-кредитной политике.

Национальный банк Беларуси считает, что первый криптобанк заработает в республике через шесть месяцев. Именно столько понадобится правительству, чтобы доработать законодательство для функционирования таких организаций.

Хакеры взломали официальный Х-аккаунт Международного аэропорта имени генерала Митчелла неподалеку от Милуоки и стали публиковать в нем криптоконтент. Многие материалы на взломанной странице были репостами с аккаунта @Bitcoin.

House Democrats have accused the SEC of abandoning many high-profile investigations, including its legal battle with Ripple, which has brought attention back to the agency’s handling of crypto enforcement. 

The claims, which were outlined in a January 15 letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins, raised questions about why several cases were dropped after favorable court rulings and whether political relationships played any role in those decisions. However, according to crypto attorney Bill Morgan, these cases are wrapped up, done, and dusted.

Lawmakers Say SEC Walked Away From Major Crypto Cases

In a January 15, 2026 letter addressed to Atkins, House Democrats accused the agency of dramatically scaling back crypto enforcement since early 2025. The lawmakers claimed the SEC has dismissed or closed more than a dozen major crypto-related cases, including actions against Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, and Ripple, despite having received favorable court rulings in some of those matters. 

According to the letter, companies whose cases or investigations were dismissed donated at least $1 million each to Trump’s inauguration. This raises concerns about an unmistakable inference of a pay-to-play scheme, investor protection and market integrity at a time when digital assets are starting to become deeply intertwined with capital markets.

Much of the letter’s criticism was focused on the SEC’s decision to seek and maintain a stay in its case against Justin Sun, which has now been in place for about 11 months now. Unlike all the other cases, the SEC’s case against Justin Sun has not yet been dismissed. Democratic Lawmakers claimed this move sends a dangerous signal that political connections may influence enforcement outcomes. 

The letter explicitly referenced Sun’s reported financial ties to businesses linked to Donald Trump. One of which was Sun’s reveal in September 2025 that he was purchasing an additional $10 million worth of $WLFI tokens from World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a Trump family business. 

According to the democrats, such circumstances could undermine public trust in the SEC’s independence. The Letter also seeks information related to the SEC’s knowledge of Sun’s ties to the People’s Republic of China and any CCP-affiliated persons or entities.

Crypto Lawyer Pushes Back On Ripple Lawsuit Talk

The letter by House Democrats brings into focus whether political pressure could lead to a new action against Ripple and other firms. However, according to Morgan, this is not possible.

Morgan dismissed the idea that the SEC could simply relaunch cases it has already litigated or closed on the same grounds, pointing to the legal doctrine of res judicata. Under that principle, once a matter has been conclusively decided between the same parties, it cannot be retried on identical issues.

“Too bad the SEC can’t go against those companies again on the same matters. Res Judicata baby. Live with it fools,” he said.

Still, one unresolved question hangs over the broader controversy. Unlike the other crypto cases cited in the lawmakers’ letter, the SEC’s action against Justin Sun has not been formally dismissed and can be revisited anytime.

Featured image from Getty Images, chart from TradingView

Reports say Moldova will roll out its first full crypto law by the end of 2026. The move aims to copy much of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets rules. This is not a sudden idea. It comes as Moldova continues to line up its laws to match EU standards while it works on closer ties with the bloc.

Moldova Will Mirror EU Rules

According to the finance minister, the plan is to shape a law that looks a lot like MiCA, the EU rulebook for digital assets. That means platforms will need licenses, and services will face rules on how to protect users and stop dirty money.

People in Moldova will be allowed to hold and trade crypto, but using crypto to pay for everyday goods and services will be kept off the table.

What This Means For People And Firms

Reports note the legislation will clarify which firms can convert crypto to the local currency and which cannot. Local authorities say they want to reduce risk for ordinary savers while also giving firms a clear path to operate legally.

Banks and regulators will have a role in writing the details, which will include how exchanges report to tax and anti-money-laundering units.

A Slow Step Toward Openness

Some see this as a cautious opening. By legalizing ownership and trading under tight rules, Moldova hopes to attract clearer investment flows without making crypto a substitute for money.

Reports also mention stricter AML/KYC checks and transparency measures to prevent illicit flows. These parts of the plan are meant to reassure both local users and international partners.

The law is expected to be drafted with input from the finance ministry, the central bank, market regulators, and anti-money-laundering officials.

That mix of voices could slow the process, but it also makes it likelier that the rules will fit the country’s wider financial system. Drafting will be followed by debate and possible revisions before anything becomes final.

A Regional Signal

Based on reports, Moldova’s choice to follow EU templates sends a clear message to neighboring states: align with the EU’s standards and you get legal certainty.

For citizens who trade crypto today in informal ways, the change could mean safer options and official channels to move money. For companies, it means new compliance costs — but a path to operate openly.

Featured image from Reuters/Vladislav Bachev/File Photo, chart from TradingView

Spot Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds) in the United States have had a relatively positive start to the new year after a wobbly ending to 2025. In this spirit of market positivity, the crypto-linked investment products have just recorded their best weekly performance since early October.

This latest weekly inflow of capital signals the return of demand among the US institutional investors, with the price of Bitcoin also reacting positively in the same period. Over the past week, the premier cryptocurrency saw the return of bullish momentum, surging to as high as $97,500.

Bitcoin ETFs Record $1.42B In Weekly Inflows

According to the latest market data, the US spot Bitcoin ETFs registered a total net inflow of $1.42 billion in the past week. As earlier mentioned, this round of capital influx marked the strongest weekly performance by the crypto-linked investment products in nearly three months.

This $1.42 billion weekly performance also stands in stark contrast to the Bitcoin ETFs’ previous week record of over $681 million in withdrawals. Before this renewed investor attention, the BTC exchange-traded funds had pulled in approximately $1.26 billion in capital since the week ending 17th October, 2025.

On Friday, January 16, though, the US-based Bitcoin ETFs saw a total of $394.64 million in net outflow, ending a mini 4-day streak of capital influx. Leading the outflows was Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), with $205.22 million of value withdrawn  on the day.

This was followed by Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB), which posted a total net outflow of $90.38 million on Friday. Ark 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) and Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) were the only other exchange-traded funds that recorded a negative daily net outflow ($69.42 million and $44.76 million, respectively) to close the week.

It is worth mentioning that BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) tried absorbing some of the shock from the withdrawals with its lone $15.09 million inflow on Friday. This daily performance added to the leading ETF’s weekly $1-billion positive inflow performance.

Similar to the Bitcoin ETFs, Ether exchange-traded funds also saw positive activity over the past week, including its largest single-day performance since launch. According to data from SoSoValue, the ETH ETFs recorded nearly $480 million in positive capital inflows over the past week.

Bitcoin Price At A Glance

As inferred earlier, the BTC price and Bitcoin ETFs moved in tandem over the past week, as demand seemingly returned to the market. While the flagship cryptocurrency had crossed the $97,000 mark earlier in the previous week, it is now trading slightly above the $95,000 level following a minor dip in recent days.

Ethereum’s validator exit queue has dropped to zero, a shift that on-chain watchers say could change how the market views sell pressure. According to on-chain metrics and recent reports, validators who once waited weeks to withdraw are no longer lining up. That alone removes a large, visible source of potential ETH flowing back into markets.

Ethereum Exit Queue Clears

The queue once held millions of ETH. Now it is empty, data from Ethereum Validator Queue shows. This means validators who choose to exit can be processed almost immediately, rather than being forced to wait. The backlog that worried traders in late 2025 has gone.

A change this clear removes an obvious supply overhang and it shifts the balance between how much ETH stays locked versus how much can be spent.

Supply Tightening And Market Noise

Based on reports, staking inflows have been strong enough to pull a big share of circulating ETH out of active markets. With fewer validators lined up to leave, sudden large dumps tied to emergency exits become less likely.

That does not make prices certain, but it lowers one kind of downside risk. Traders tracking on-chain flows now weigh staking behavior alongside spot and derivatives activity when forming short-term views.

Staking Demand Grows

Entry requests to stake ETH are rising fast. Reports note that the entry queue — ETH waiting to become active validators — has climbed to high levels once seen only in big onboarding periods.

Wait times for new activations have stretched into many weeks in places. Institutions and staking services are part of this push, according to market observers, and their moves tend to lock up larger sums for longer.

Security, Yield, And Real Effects

More ETH locked for staking helps the network’s security because more validators are actively participating. It also creates yield opportunities for holders who prefer steady returns over trading.

That said, the presence of large staking pools and services means some risks are concentrated. If one big provider faces trouble, the effects will be felt widely. Reports say regulators and product issuers are watching closely as staking becomes easier to access through mainstream channels.

What Traders Are Watching

Price action will depend on many things beyond exit queues. Derivatives positions, ETF flows, and macro headlines still matter. Still, analysts point out that when a visible outlet for mass withdrawals disappears, the narrative around “forced selling” weakens.

Liquidity conditions can shift quietly — and then rapidly — if any of those other levers move. Market participants are therefore watching withdrawal metrics alongside exchange balances and futures open interest.

Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView