The cryptocurrency exchange reported sharp growth in automated trading as volatility narrowed across major crypto assets. Cryptocurrency traders increasingly leaned on automated strategies in 2025 as volatile but largely range-bound markets made directional bets harder to sustain, according to a year-end recap from HTX. The Seychelles-based exchange, formerly known as Huobi, said the trend was most visible in the growing use of grid-based trading bots on its spot platform. According to HTX, grid trading volume rose 97% year over year in 2025, while capital allocated to grid strategies doubled. The increase was especially pronounced in stablecoin pairs, where grid trading volume rose 352% year over year, compared with 122% growth in major cryptocurrencies. HTX said the bots were typically used to capture smaller, repeated price swings rather than to bet on sustained market moves. Read more
Bitcoin steadied near $90,000 as ETF flows turned negative, altcoins continued a valuation reset and DeFi markets showed pockets of renewed activity. Cryptocurrency markets experienced a limited recovery this week as investor liquidity gradually returned after the holidays. Bitcoin (BTC) topped a weekly high of $94,458 on Monday, before declining to about $90,937 at the time of writing on Friday. US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) demand saw a sharp reversal after $1.1 billion in inflows on the first two trading days of the new year. The ETFs have since logged three consecutive days of outflows, with a cumulative $398 million sold on Thursday, according to Farside Investors data. Read more
Long-term Bitcoin holders sold nearly $300 billion worth of BTC in 2025, but as this sell pressure declines, a bullish outlook for 2026 has emerged. Bitcoin’s long-term holders (LTHs) went through one of the most aggressive distribution phases on record in 2025. While the scale of selling rattled the market, onchain data analysis suggests that this pressure may be fading, possibly outlining the next bullish period for BTC price. Key takeaways: Long-term holders distributed about $300 billion in BTC in 2025, marking a historic supply reset. Read more
Buyers are attempting to defend the near-term support in Bitcoin and select major altcoins, but the bears have not given up and continue to exert pressure near the intraday range highs. Key points: Bitcoin bulls will have to successfully defend the moving averages to increase the possibility of a break above $95,000. Most major altcoins have turned down from their overhead resistance levels, indicating that the bears are active at higher levels. Read more
The service is available for institutional clients through an in-house permissioned blockchain, BNY said on Friday. BNY, a financial services company that traces its roots back to one of the oldest financial institutions in the United States, launched tokenized bank deposits for its institutional clients on Friday. Tokenized bank deposits are onchain cash balances or depositor claims against a bank. BNY will issue the tokenized bank deposits on an in-house permissioned blockchain network, according to an announcement from the company. The onchain deposits will be used to support collateral and margin requirements, with additional functionality in the future, BNY said, adding: The move by BNY is the latest blockchain-related development from a major financial institution, as banks and established players in traditional finance overhaul legacy financial infrastructure to meet the demands of the digital age. Read more
The Tornado Cash developer was found guilty of operating an unlicensed transmitter business in August and could still be retried on two counts on which a jury deadlocked. Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain, has doubled down on his support of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, who could be retried on two felony charges sometime this year. In a Friday X post, Buterin warned his followers about privacy from both the public and governments, adding that he had used Tornado Cash to make transactions in furtherance of this principle. The Ethereum co-founder has supported Storm since before his criminal trial, saying that developing software for others to use for privacy was not a crime. “I have personally used Roman's software to make transactions — to buy software for my own use, without my name ending up in corporate databases, to support charities that protect valuable human rights, and other goals,” said Buterin. “Roman has been a principled and steadfast developer of these principles. Unli...