Crypto

They argue that cryptocurrency's opacity and traceability issues make it a threat to democratic integrity, citing an intelligence report election interference.

Star Xu defended freezing $40,000 in stablecoins after a user admitted buying verified accounts, with the exchange citing strict KYC and AML obligations. Update Jan. 12, 11:34 am UTC: This article has been updated to include a response from OKX. OKX founder and CEO Star Xu defended the exchange’s asset-freezing policies after a user accused the platform of locking up $40,000 in stablecoins held in accounts that were purchased rather than registered under the user’s own identity. The user, who goes by the name Captain Bunny on social media, said in a Sunday X post that OKX froze about $40,000 worth of Global Dollar (USDG) stablecoins after triggering risk controls tied to four accounts. The user said the funds were needed to cover medical expenses for his elderly father. Read more

XMR is the top gainer daily, followed by MYX and CC.

Bitcoin’s non-sovereign narrative is gaining attention as reports of a probe into US Fed Chair Jerome Powell raise concerns over political pressure and markets. Bitcoin’s role as a non-sovereign risk asset may benefit from renewed investor focus amid a criminal investigation into US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Federal prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Powell over testimony he gave to a Senate committee about renovations to the Fed’s buildings. In a Sunday statement, Powell said the investigation is “a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President.” President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked Powell and the Fed for refusing to grant his demands to cut interest rates. Read more

BTC may still spike to $97,000-$107,000, but experts say technicals overwhelmingly favor a deeper breakdown toward $70,000 level next.

Adam Back-backed Bitcoin treasury Future Holdings has agreed to a takeover proposal from Sweden-listed H100 Group as it eyes expansion into Switzerland. Future Holdings AG, a Switzerland-based Bitcoin treasury company backed by industry veteran Adam Back, has agreed to preliminary terms that may see it acquired by Sweden-listed H100 Group. The Swiss Bitcoin (BTC) treasury company on Monday announced it had entered a non-binding letter of intent with H100 covering the potential acquisition of 100% of its shares. “Combining Future with H100 creates a public-market platform and governance framework that we believe is essential for building long-term institutional credibility in the Swiss market,” Future Holdings’ chairman Richard Byworth said in a joint statement. Read more

Bitcoin’s four-year cycle used to be a comfort blanket. Even people who claimed they didn’t believe in it still traded as they did. The halving would cut new supply, the market would spend months pretending nothing happened, then liquidity would show up, leverage would follow, retail would rediscover its password, and the chart would start […] The post Bitcoin is being hijacked by three “boring” institutional dials that are overpowering the halving’s supply shock appeared first on CryptoSlate.

From record onchain volumes to geopolitics-driven crypto crime, 2025 structurally shifted how regulators and institutions engaged with digital assets, with stablecoins at the center. As crypto markets entered 2026, one theme became increasingly clear: Last year was less about speculation and more about infrastructure, regulation and real-world use. Across jurisdictions, regulators and institutions moved from theory to implementation, reshaping how digital assets are supervised and used. A defining feature of this shift was the rise of stablecoins. While Bitcoin (BTC) continues to dominate crypto market capitalization, stablecoins now account for more than half of all onchain transaction volumes globally. Their increasing role in payments, remittances, and trading has placed them firmly in the center of regulatory attention, particularly as governments grapple with financial stability and compliance risks. In this week’s episode of Byte-Sized Insight, Cointelegraph explores how these changes played out in prac...

Bitcoin injected volatility as legal action against the Federal Reserve combined with market nerves over geopolitics at the start of a key week for inflation data. Bitcoin (BTC) bounces into a new week as volatility catalysts multiply worldwide. Bitcoin sees a trip above $92,000 after the weekly open, but traders are preparing for short opportunities.  Liquidity hunts are the name of the game when it comes to short-term BTC price action. Read more

The SEC delayed decisions on two crypto ETFs and opened public comments on options tied to a Grayscale multi-asset crypto fund. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) extended its decision deadline on two crypto-related exchange-traded funds (ETFs), while opening a comment window on options tied to a third in three separate filing decisions released Monday. In separate Federal Register notices, the SEC designated a longer period to consider proposed rule changes that would allow the listing of the Canary Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) ETF on Cboe BZX and the T. Rowe Price Active Crypto ETF on NYSE Arca. Both filings fall under the SEC’s standard 19b‑4 process, which lets it extend the initial decision window by up to 45 days while it evaluates market structure, investor protection and manipulation concerns. Read more

Gold and silver already charted fresh all-time highs, will BTC follow suit?

Ethereum continues to hold its bullish tone above $3K, backed by both technical breakouts and renewed on-chain strength. This resilience comes at a time when Bitcoin remains the center of attention due to macro and geopolitical events, ranging from rising tensions in the Middle East to financial instability across emerging markets. Ethereum Price Analysis: The […]

A volatile week could be ahead with all eyes on key inflation data in the United States as crypto markets remained sideways. 

The dual life of stablecoins: A lifeline for citizens and a tool for sanctioned entities involved in Venezuela and Iran's economic crises. Recent turmoil in Venezuela and Iran has again put the spotlight on the duality of stablecoins, with the US dollar-backed assets such as Tether acting as both a savior for embattled citizens and a tool for blacklisted entities to evade sanctions.  Both Venezuela and Iran have been catching headlines at the beginning of 2026 amid political uncertainty and civil unrest. With both facing a host of sanctions, inflation, political instability, and a cost-of-living crisis, crypto and stablecoins have become an important part of the ecosystem.  Iran has seen protests erupt across the country over the past two weeks in response to worsening economic conditions and the Iranian rial tanking to record lows against the US dollar.   Read more

Experts note Bitcoin’s hedge narrative could strengthen if ​​Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s criminal investigation is successful.

Smart Cashtags will enable users to track real-time price movements of crypto tokens and stocks, building on X’s long-term vision to become an Everything App. Elon Musk’s social media platform is building a “Smart Cashtags” feature for release next month, giving users access to real-time price movements of cryptocurrencies and stocks. One of the concept screenshots has also teased a highly-anticipated in-app trading feature. In a post to X on Sunday, head of product Nikita Bier said users would be able to access smart contract information linked to crypto tokens, while all assets would have “mentions” showing recent discussion about the asset and news related to the companies and teams behind them. Read more

Monero’s push to a record high follows renewed interest in privacy-focused coins, even as uneven liquidity complicates price signals.

X is developing a feature that turns ticker symbols in posts into links for real-time pricing and asset-specific information.

Despite falling meme coin volumes in 2025, Solana revealed Pump.fun and launchpads generated massive revenue.

The Ethereum ecosystem continues to see increased development and value locked in tokenized assets, according to market analyst Michaël van de Poppe. The price of Ether (ETH), the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum layer-1 blockchain network, bottomed out in April 2025, and its price action mirrors the 2019 cycle, according to market analyst Michaël Van De Poppe. A surge in stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), which are traditional or physical assets represented as tokens on a blockchain, and developer activity on the Ethereum network are reasons to be bullish on Ethereum’s price, Van De Poppe said. “The stablecoin supply on Ethereum has seen an increase of more than 65% in 2025. It's doubled since the peak in 2021,” he wrote in a Sunday X post. Read more