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Data shows the Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Gap has turned positive, a sign that American whales have been buying alongside the price surge.

Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Gap Has Surged Recently

As pointed out by CryptoQuant author IT Tech in an X post, the Coinbase Premium Gap has observed a shift as BTC’s latest price rally has occurred. The “Coinbase Premium Gap” measures the difference between the Bitcoin price listed on Coinbase (USD pair) and that on Binance (USDT pair).

This indicator is useful for knowing how the userbases of the two cryptocurrency exchanges differ when it comes to BTC buying/selling behavior. There is some overlap in the traffic of these platforms, but Coinbase, being the preferred exchange of US-based investors, particularly large institutional entities, gives movements on it a distinct character from Binance’s globally distributed userbase.

Now, here is the chart shared by IT Tech that shows the trend in the Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Gap over the past month:

As displayed in the above graph, the Bitcoin Coinbase Premium Gap has mostly been inside the negative territory during the last few weeks, indicating that the cryptocurrency has been trading at a lower price on Coinbase compared to Binance. In other words, the American whales have potentially been applying a larger amount of selling pressure or a lower amount of buying pressure than Binance users.

BTC has witnessed a recovery rally during the past few days, and initially, the Coinbase Premium Gap remained inside the red zone, but with the latest leg to $97,000, a shift has occurred. With the indicator now inside the green zone, it would appear possible that the US institutional investors have resumed accumulation of Bitcoin after a near-consistent phase of selling over the past month.

For now, though, the surge into the positive region is still brief, so it only remains to be seen whether the American investors will continue to back the bullish price action in the coming days. Earlier this month, a similar trend developed when Bitcoin saw a rally above $94,000. The Coinbase Premium Gap took a green shade late in that surge, but what followed was a plunge back into the negative zone and a fizzling out for the price rally.

In some other news, the BTC price surge has resulted in a significant amount of short liquidations in the futures market, as analytics firm Glassnode has highlighted in its latest weekly report.

From the chart, it’s visible that Bitcoin short liquidations saw a sharp peak nearing $90 million when BTC first pushed into the $96,000 region during this rally.

BTC Price

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is floating around $96,500, up nearly 8% in the last seven days.

Bitcoin has pushed above the $97,000 level for the first time since early November, reviving optimism across the market after weeks of uncertainty. The move comes after a prolonged consolidation phase, during which bearish narratives gained traction, and several analysts openly discussed the possibility of a broader trend reversal.

The recent breakout has challenged those views, at least in the short term, and reopened the debate around whether Bitcoin is attempting to reestablish bullish momentum or simply staging a temporary recovery.

According to analyst Darkfost, the current advance still shows characteristics of a technical rebound rather than a fully confirmed trend shift. Short-term holders (STHs), in particular, remain highly reactive to price movements and market volatility.

After enduring the recent correction, many of these participants appear focused on capital preservation rather than conviction-based positioning. As prices recover toward key levels, some STHs are already using the rebound as an opportunity to lock in profits.

This behavior suggests that confidence among shorter-horizon investors has not yet been fully restored. While the move above $97,000 improves market structure and sentiment, it also introduces nearby supply as profit-taking intensifies.

Short-Term Holders Prioritize Capital Preservation Near Key Levels

The analysis adds that as Bitcoin continues to advance, short-term holders are increasingly shifting their focus toward capital preservation. With the realized price for this cohort currently sitting near $102,000, the recent rebound places the price closer to their average cost basis, a zone that historically encourages defensive behavior rather than aggressive accumulation. Instead of positioning for extended upside, many short-term participants appear inclined to reduce exposure as risk becomes more balanced.

This dynamic was clearly visible on January 6, when Bitcoin revisited the $94,000 level for the first time since mid-November. As the price reached that threshold, short-term holders sent more than 30,000 BTC in realized profit to exchanges, signaling a willingness to exit positions during the rebound.

The pattern intensified further during the latest push higher. As Bitcoin broke above $97,000, on-chain data shows that over 40,000 BTC in profits were transferred to exchanges in a single day.

Such behavior highlights the lingering impact of the recent correction on short-term sentiment. Many STHs remain cautious and appear reluctant to hold through uncertainty after previously experiencing drawdowns.

For confidence to rebuild, Bitcoin likely needs additional upside and sustained price acceptance above key levels. Without a meaningful expansion in unrealized profits, short-term holders may continue to sell into strength, limiting momentum until stronger confirmation reshapes their risk appetite.

Bitcoin Rebounds Toward Key Resistance

Bitcoin’s price action on the 3-day chart shows a constructive rebound, but the broader structure remains mixed. After finding a local bottom in December near the mid-$80,000s, BTC has carved out a series of higher lows, signaling short-term recovery momentum. The recent push toward the $96,000–$97,000 area marks a meaningful advance, placing the price back above the short-term moving average and near a key former support-turned-resistance zone.

However, the larger trend still reflects consolidation rather than a confirmed trend reversal. Price remains below the declining medium-term moving average, which has acted as dynamic resistance since the breakdown in November. This suggests that, while buyers have regained some control, sellers continue to defend higher levels aggressively.

The long-term moving average is still rising and well below the current price, indicating that the broader macro trend has not fully deteriorated.

Volume dynamics also support a cautious interpretation. The rebound has not been accompanied by sustained expansion in volume, implying that conviction remains limited and that the move may still be corrective in nature. From a structural perspective, BTC is attempting to rebuild acceptance above the $92,000–$94,000 range, which previously acted as a key distribution zone.

In the near term, holding above this reclaimed area would strengthen the bullish case and open the door for a retest of the $100,000 region. Failure to consolidate, however, could expose the market to renewed downside pressure toward the lower consolidation range.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com 

Ethereum (ETH) is significantly drawing attention from both institutional investors and everyday users, as on-chain data shows rising participation across staking, treasury accumulation, and wallet creation.

Related Reading: Ethereum New Addresses Hit Record Levels: What’s Driving The Growth?

Similarly, price forecasts remain mixed. While major banks and market analysts see room for further upside, others caution that macro conditions, ETF flows, and technical resistance levels could limit near-term gains.

With ETH trading near the $3,300–$3,400 range in mid-January, the network’s foundation appears stronger than in previous quarters. Yet the question remains whether these developments will translate into a sustained price rally.

Ethereum Staking and Treasury Demand Signal Long-Term Commitment

Ethereum staking has reached a record value of about $118 billion, with roughly 35.8 million ETH locked on the Beacon Chain. This represents close to 30% of the circulating supply, suggesting a growing preference among holders to earn yield rather than sell.

Network participation is also increasing. Active validators now exceed 976,000, while around 2.3 million ETH is queued for future staking. Lido Finance remains the largest staking provider, holding roughly a quarter of all staked ETH.

Corporate treasury activity has added to this trend. BitMine Immersion, one of the largest Ethereum treasury firms, recently staked an additional 154,304 ETH, worth roughly $514 million at current prices. The company’s total ETH holdings now exceed 4 million tokens.

Institutional Forecasts Point to Higher Targets

Several financial institutions have revised their outlook for Ethereum in 2026. Standard Chartered has recently raised its year-end ETH price target to $7,500, up from a previous estimate of $4,000. The bank cited growing demand from corporate treasuries, spot ETH investment products, and expectations for network fee growth.

According to analysts, treasury firms and ETF-related flows have absorbed close to 4% of Ethereum’s circulating supply since mid-2025. Treasury buyers alone reportedly acquired around 2.3 million ETH in just over two months, a pace the bank compares favorably with past Bitcoin accumulation phases.

Standard Chartered also suggested Ethereum could outperform Bitcoin if real-world usage, stablecoin activity, and tokenized asset adoption continue to expand on its network. Longer-term scenarios project costs of up to $25,000 by 2028 and $40,000 by 2030, although these projections rely on optimistic assumptions.

User Growth Rises, But ETH Price Faces Technical Limits

Ethereum’s user base is also expanding. In early January, the network recorded nearly 393,600 new wallet addresses in a single day, with a weekly average of over 327,000 new addresses.

Analysts link this surge to the Fusaka protocol upgrade, which reduced data costs for Layer-2 networks, as well as record stablecoin transfer volumes of roughly $8 trillion in late 2025.

Related Reading: Boycott Urged For CLARITY Act Draft: Expert Raises Concerns Over Banks Manipulation

Despite stronger fundamentals, price action remains cautious. ETH recently tested the $3,400 resistance level, with key hurdles near $3,550 and $3,650 based on long-term moving averages. Support is forming around $3,000, and a failure to hold that level could expose ETH to further downside.

Cover image from ChatGPT, ETHUSD chart from Tradingview

In a statement on X, a crypto expert declared unwavering confidence that XRP will join the ranks of the world’s 10 largest assets by market capitalization within the next two years. Bird’s bold comment comes during a notable change in asset rankings, where silver recently overtook Nvidia in market cap. 

At the time of writing, XRP’s market cap is around $127 billion, a fraction of the threshold needed to break into the top 10, where it needs to reach at least $2 trillion in market cap.

Analyst Says XRP Can Join The World’s Top 10 Assets

The prediction was shared by crypto analyst Bird, who stated that he is 100% confident that XRP will appear on the leaderboard of the top 10 global assets by market capitalization within the next 24 months. This comment was made in response to when silver, with a current market cap of $5.036 trillion, overtook NVIDIA, which has a current market cap of $4.458 trillion, as the second largest asset behind Bitcoin.

This statement of XRP becoming a top 10 asset by market cap comes with an ultra-bullish expectation where XRP provides more value than most top global assets and companies.

At the time of writing, XRP’s market capitalization is around $127 billion, which places it well outside the top 100 global assets by market cap. In fact, only Bitcoin and Ethereum currently occupy spots inside the top 100, with Bitcoin ranking eighth globally at around $1.929 trillion and Ethereum at rank 35 with a market cap of $402.09 billion. 

What Would It Take For XRP to Reach Top-Ten Status?

The tenth-largest asset on the list of top assets is Broadcom, which currently has a market cap of approximately $1.611 trillion. In order for XRP to realistically become one of the world’s ten most valuable assets by market cap, the cryptocurrency would need to see extraordinary growth in price, which would not be possible without a corresponding growth in utility. 

XRP’s current valuation is around $2.10 per token, and its market cap falls far short of the $1.7 trillion that it needs to overtake Broadcom. Based on the current circulating supply of XRP, achieving a market cap of $1.7 trillion would require the cryptocurrency to trade at a price around $28 per XRP. This translates to an increase of about 1,220% from the current price level.

Interestingly, many bullish XRP enthusiasts and analysts put XRP trading at this price target one day, but these predictions are based on adoption in cross-border transfers and strong demand in both retail and institutional markets for XRP. However, whether XRP can realistically reach the $28 mark within the next two years is still an open question.

Washington’s long-running effort to bring regulatory clarity to the U.S. crypto market has entered a more uncertain phase. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, known as the CLARITY Act, was expected to move closer to a Senate vote this week.

Instead, a sudden withdrawal of support from Coinbase and a last-minute pause by Senate leadership have exposed deep divisions within the industry and among lawmakers. While the White House insists the bill is still on track, the debate over how digital assets should be regulated is becoming more fragmented.

Coinbase Withdrawal Triggers Legislative Pause

The immediate turning point came when Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced that the company could no longer support the current draft of the CLARITY Act.

Armstrong argued that the bill would be worse than the existing regulatory uncertainty, citing concerns over limits on tokenized equities, restrictions on crypto rewards, and expanded government access to financial data.

Shortly after, Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott introduced a brief pause in the bill’s progress, cancelling a scheduled markup.

Scott described the delay as procedural rather than political, stating that negotiations were ongoing and bipartisan talks continued. A new markup date has been set for January 27, once updated bill language is released.

Despite the setback, White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks reiterated that the administration still backs the legislation. He said the pause should be used to resolve remaining issues and push forward a framework that allows innovation while strengthening oversight.

Industry Split Over SEC and CFTC Roles

At the core of the dispute is the division of regulatory authority between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as outlined in the CLARITY Act.

Crypto exchanges generally favor the CFTC’s approach, which treats many digital assets as commodities. The SEC, by contrast, applies securities laws that impose stricter compliance requirements.

Critics argue the bill shifts too much power to the SEC, particularly over tokenized equities and certain crypto products. Coinbase has warned that the proposed rules could effectively block the development of on-chain stock trading and limit user reward programs.

Other industry leaders, including executives from Ripple, a16z, and Kraken, have taken a more cautious stance. While acknowledging flaws in the draft, they argue that passing some form of market structure legislation is better than leaving the sector in regulatory limbo.

Banks, Stablecoins, and the Broader Stakes

Another contentious issue is stablecoin regulation. The CLARITY Act would make it difficult for crypto platforms to offer yield or interest-like rewards on stablecoin holdings. Banks support these restrictions, saying they protect financial stability.

Lawmakers also point to past failures, such as the FTX collapse, as evidence that clearer rules are needed to protect consumers and national security. However, frustration is growing behind the scenes.

Senate sources indicate that some committee members were dissatisfied with Coinbase’s timing, perceiving the withdrawal as disruptive to months of negotiations.

Cover image from ChatGPT, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview

With the latest move and partnership from Cardano, the financial sector could be set for a major shift. A new financial audit has been launched from the recent partnership that aims at bolstering accountability in the broader finance landscape, which reflects the blockchain’s focus on transparency.

New Audit On Cardano To Boost Financial Oversight

Recently, the Cardano Foundation announced a new partnership with global professional services firm Grant Thornton as they step toward enhancing transparency and institutional credibility. By joining forces, both leading firms have collectively launched a new comprehensive financial audit.

The partnership was disclosed by the Cardano Foundation on their official page on the social media platform X. According to the Foundation, this audit is cryptographically secured and attested directly on-chain using their Virtual LEI (vLEI).

This new audit is being described as a global first for financial trust and transparency in the blockchain industry. Powered by Reeve, this new gold standard is the Cardano Foundation’s enterprise-grade financial data management solution.

By hiring one of the top audit firms in the world, the foundation is demonstrating its dedication to regulatory-ready standards and accountability, which are essential elements for drawing in long-term investors and enterprise adoption. In a world driven by data, trust, and verification, the Foundation claims that accountability is everything, and Cardano is at the forefront of this narrative. 

Frederik Gregaard, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Foundation, stated that this audit was executed in two on-chain transactions. “For me personally, it closes one chapter and opens a much larger one. A future where financial trust is native to infrastructure, not bolted on through intermediaries,” the CEO added.

Institutions Are Choosing The Blockchain

Cardano’s position as a blockchain project focused on rigor and trust is evidenced by its growing adoption on the institutional level. A few days ago, one of the world’s largest companies, Google, took a bold step by investing in the blockchain’s infrastructure.

According to the report from ADA Advocate, the Google Cloud stake pool can now be found on the network and the newly launched Midnight chain. Google’s involvement and recognition of Cardano’s security and stability is a significant advancement in the use of blockchain technology by actual business behemoths.

Amid the rising demand, the price of Cardano has begun to display bullish momentum, pushing back above $0.4. Market expert and veteran financial trader, Matthew Dixon, highlighted that ADA currently holds tremendous upside potential with 5 waves up from the low, as either an A wave or wave 1.

More than two times the potential is given by even the most cautious interpretation of an A wave, and much more if wave 1. As a result, the expert has placed the altcoin among his favorites for Q1 2026.

While some analysts are focused on predicting the next altcoin season, others are keeping a close eye on when meme coins like PEPE AND FARTCOIN might explode. According to a crypto analyst, the meme coin market is currently at one of its lowest points since 2024. However, while this downturn may raise concerns, the analyst emphasizes that it is only a matter of time before the market flips over and enters a major bullish phase. 

Meme Coin Market Low To Fuel PEPE And FARTCOIN Rally

@theunipcs, a crypto analyst on X, announced that meme coin dominance has dropped back to near all-time lows, potentially setting the stage for a big sector-wide rally in 2026. The analyst shared a CryptoQuant chart illustrating the declining trend in the meme coin market. He noted that the current downturn is even more severe than what was observed during the 2022 to 2023 bear market. However, similar low points in February 2024 led to massive price rallies in meme coins like BONK, which jumped 440%, FLOKI by 1,000%, WIF by 1,600%, and PEPE by 2,500%. 

Before these historic rallies, @theunipcs stated that many investors believed that meme coins were dead. He noted that shortly after the negative sentiment shifted, the market saw one of the most explosive meme coin rallies of the cycle. With dominance at similar low levels and sentiment still uncertain, the analyst predicts another rally could occur in the current cycle. 

In his analysis, @theunipcs referenced the early meme coin melt-up in the first week of January 2026. He said that a week after his December 23, 2025, post, coins including USELESS, PEPE, BONK, and FARTCOIN surged between 50% and 120% within just a few days. The overall meme coin sector also saw gains of more than $10 billion in market capitalization during that period. 

Notably, the analyst has observed that Bitcoin is now breaking out from a key level. As a result, major cryptocurrencies are becoming more attractive to investors for the first time in months, and overall sentiment in the crypto market is improving. He suggested that these bullish conditions could support another wave of meme coin momentum, with PEPE and FARTCOIN among the top cryptocurrencies the analyst predicts could rally this year. 

Other Meme Coins The Analyst Thinks Will Surge

In his analysis, @theunipcs identified specific coins he is positioning himself in ahead of the potential meme coin rally. Other than PEPE and FARTCOIN, he mentioned coins such as USELESS, BONK, and FLOKI, as those he expects to aggressively outperform the broader market. He stated that these meme coins are likely to lead the next wave of market gains. 

Moreover, the analyst predicted that the market will soon enter a melt-up phase, during which several coins could experience parabolic rallies of up to 1,000%.

Is XRP running out? A recent debate between market analyst Jake Claver and other industry commentators has thrust the digital asset back into the spotlight, predicting a looming supply crunch. As structural limits meet rising demand, experts warn of a “sell-out” scenario that could fundamentally redefine the token’s market dynamics.

The Escrow Trap And The Reality Of An XRP Supply Shock

The core of the “sell-out” claim lies in the technical architecture of the XRP Ledger’s escrow system. In a post on January 14, 2026, Claver explained that Ripple’s monthly supply releases are hard-coded into the protocol, meaning the company is unable to inject extra tokens into the market during a liquidity crisis. While this mechanism was designed to provide predictability and limit manipulation, it creates a double-edged outcome. In a high-demand environment, supply becomes effectively inelastic.

This structure is more relevant when viewed against current supply figures. XRP has a hard maximum of 100 billion tokens. About 60.7 billion XRP are already in circulation, leaving roughly 39.3 billion outside active market supply. At a price near $2.10, circulating supply translate to a market capitalization above $127 billion, while the fully diluted valuation sits close to $210 billion.

These figures show that nearly 40% of XRP’s total supply is effectively off the table and cannot be accessed to meet sudden demand. If a large institution attempted to buy $10 billion worth of XRP, Ripple could not unlock escrow early to provide liquidity because the ledger prohibits releases beyond the 1-billion-token monthly cap. Any abrupt surge in buying pressure therefore, cannot be met with new supply. This rigidity materially increases the risk of a severe supply shock, with price acting as the sole pressure valve under this structural bottleneck.

Institutional Accumulation Pushes Toward A Liquidity Cliff

The conversation escalated when a user known as RemiRelief responded to Claver, sounding an alarm that XRP is “on the verge of being sold out completely.” RemiRelief argued that there is very little liquid supply left on exchanges and predicted a “mind-boggling” scenario if investors began moving their holdings into private storage. The post specifically pointed to the potential entry of BlackRock as a catalyst that would drain the remaining “low-hanging fruit” from the market.

The current performance of XRP ETFs supports this “constant buying” narrative. Since early 2026, XRP ETFs have seen massive, consistent net inflows—reaching over $1.37 billion in a single week. Every dollar flowing into an ETF represents XRP being sucked out of the public market and locked into institutional vaults. 

RemiRelief’s claim stems from this collision: institutional giants are buying up tokens at a record pace, while the “escrow trap” Claver described prevents any new supply from entering the market to balance it out. Beyond signalling a looming sellout, this debate emphasizes that the window for acquiring XRP at “low” prices is closing fast.  

The crypto market was left in awe as the price of Bitcoin experienced a sudden surge, bringing the flagship asset dangerously close to the $100,000 mark. With the recent bounce, hopes for a retest of the current all-time high and beyond have reemerged. However, a crucial supply cluster continues to stand in the way.

A Fresh All-Time High Beckons For Bitcoin

Bitcoin’s price is gaining sharp upward traction as it retests the $98,000 price mark on Wednesday, a level last seen in November 2025. On-chain data shows that the crypto king is once again edging toward uncharted territory, with market structure pointing to a clear path toward a new all-time high.

However, there is a significant barrier between present levels and price discovery: a dense supply cluster created by investors who have previously made purchases in the same range. This range was highlighted by Glassnode, a leading on-chain data platform, after examining the BTC Long-Term Holder Cost Basis Distribution Heatmap.

Data from the key metric shows a dense cost-basis cluster between the $93,000 and $109,000 price range, which is forming a substantial overhead supply zone. The supply zone serves as a technical and psychological barrier where a large number of holders may be waiting to take profits or quit at breakeven, resulting in concentrated resistance.

At this level, any sustained push higher must first absorb this supply, with a decisive breakout above the range. If Bitcoin is able to absorb this overhead supply and push through it decisively, momentum could pick up pace quickly. Glassnode noted that this crucial range is usually expected to reopen the path toward a new all-time high for Bitcoin over the longer term.

According to Glassnode in another post, BTC has ushered in the new year with constructive momentum, printing two higher highs and extending its value toward the $98,000 price level. However, the platform stated that the leg up currently runs directly into a historically supply zone.

BTC Market Is Displaying Deleveraging Signals

Looking at Bitcoin’s current action from an on-chain perspective, the flagship asset is starting to show signs of deleveraging. This deleveraging indicates that excess speculation is being removed from the market after a period of high leverage and aggressive positioning.

Coin Bureau’s report shared on X points to a sharp decline in BTC Open Interest (OI) from $15 billion in October to $10 billion today, as leveraged traders get flushed out. The drop represents an over 30% decrease within the period. 

Interestingly, these deleveraging phases have often preceded major market bottoms, making this a critical moment for BTC. Nonetheless, should BTC continue to fall, more leverage is expected to still get wiped out.

At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price was trading at $96,247, demonstrating a 1.29% increase in the last 24 hours. Data from CoinMarketCap shows that trading volume is down despite the bullish price action, dropping by more than 3% in the past day.