Crypto

On Jan. 7, Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial (WLFI) formally applied for a national banking charter to establish the “World Liberty Trust Company.” This is a proposed national trust bank specifically designed to handle USD1 stablecoin issuance, custody, redemption, and reserve management. USD1 is WLFI's flagship product, with more than $3.3 billion in supply across […] The post Why is Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial (WLFI) is applying for a banking license right now? appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin, gold and silver are now viewed through new lenses of scarcity shaped by market structure, liquidity, access and price expectations. In 2026, scarcity is being repriced through narratives, market access and financial structures rather than simple supply limits. Bitcoin’s scarcity is increasingly mediated by ETFs and derivatives, reshaping how it is accessed and priced in financial markets. Gold’s scarcity is tied less to mining output and more to trust, neutrality and reserve management. Read more

Polygon Labs has unveiled the Open Money Stack, a set of rails for regulated stablecoin payments that links wallets, fiat access, routing, compliance and onchain settlement. Stablecoin supply on Polygon has reached a three-year high of $3.3B, as firms seek faster settlement on weekends and holidays. The post Polygon Labs Launches Open Money Stack to Bridge Fiat and Onchain Settlement appeared first on Cryptonews.

While Electric Coin Company’s development team departed to form a new company, it will still be working on Zcash.

Whale transactions above $100,000 surged across meme coins, while social volume confirmed that retail traders are returning again.

Florida has restarted its state crypto reserve push with SB 1038, filed Dec. 30 and registered Jan. 7, setting custody and reporting rules for a CFO-run fund. A $500B average market-cap test over 24 months would restrict purchases to Bitcoin, with a July 1, 2026 start date. The post Florida Revives Bitcoin Reserve Plan for 2026 – But With a Major Cutback appeared first on Cryptonews.

The early rally to start the year failed to break past $95,000, setting the stage for the current pullback, according to one trading firm.

The Ethereum co-founder made the case that Ethereum occupies a role similar to the Linux operating system, but for shifting value and risk on the internet. The Ethereum network, a decentralized layer-1 blockchain that executes smart contracts, is analogous to the open-source operating system Linux, according to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.  Linux and Ethereum are both open source and feature custom-tailored implementations. Linux achieves this through developers building custom modifications of software, while Ethereum does it through its layer-2 (L2) scaling networks, Buterin said. Linux has provided value to “billions” of individuals, enterprises and state governments “without compromising” on its open source ethos or decentralization, Buterin said, adding:  Read more

The South Korean Supreme Court confirmed that Bitcoin stored on crypto exchanges can be seized under criminal law, rejecting an appeal.

JPMorgan analysts say crypto ETF flow pressure has stabilized after late-2025 selling. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs swung from $697.25M net inflows on Jan. 5 to $243M out on Jan. 7. MSCI has kept digital-asset treasury firms in indexes for now, lifting Strategy (MSTR). The post JPMorgan Flags Crypto Sell-off Bottom as ETF Flows Turn Two-Way appeared first on Cryptonews.

The system will bring together various elements of the payment stack, including liquidity, orchestration, and regulatory controls.

2026 is here. The crypto year ahead: banks, stablecoins, tokenization. Discover why the biggest risk for advisors is now under-allocation.

Zcash's technical and fundamental catalysts raise the odds of ZEC price declining to as low as $200 in the coming weeks after core developers exited the project. Zcash (ZEC) slid more than 20% on Thursday to about $381, marking its weakest price level in three weeks, as markets reacted to the sudden resignation of the core development team from the Electric Coin Company (ECC). Key takeaways: Chart technicals put $200–$300 as the next downside target for ZEC. Read more

Crypto industry leaders have converged on Capitol Hill as Senate committees prepare to vote on a market structure bill with far-reaching implications for U.S. crypto regulation and DeFi. The post Crypto Lobby Swarms Capitol Hill as Senate Vote Looms — With No Deal in Sight appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bearish BTC price takes are back in full force as Bitcoin gave back the majority of its 2026 recovery, when bulls failed to overcome $95,000 resistance. Bitcoin (BTC) is still in line for new long-term lows as analysis dismisses recent BTC price gains as a bearish “reset.” Key points: Bitcoin bears appear in control on shorter and longer timeframes as traders see no reason to alter bearish takes. Read more

Under the proposal, which is set to move to a governance vote on January 22, Optimism would begin monthly buybacks starting in February.

XRP is seeing renewed outflows from Upbit, echoing a 2024 trend that preceded a sharp price rally. Read more.

Flow and positioning data suggest the recent crypto market correction may be running out of steam, with early signs of stabilization across ETFs and derivatives.

The Polymarket account that profited on Nicholas Maduro's capture and ouster as president is inaccessible, adding to concerns over insider trading allegations on prediction markets. A Polymarket account that earned about $400,000 from a controversial and well-timed bet on the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is no longer accessible on the platform. The Polymarket page for account “0x31a56e,” which placed about $32,000 on Maduro’s removal as president just before news emerged of his capture by US military and law enforcement, now returns a dead link, Cointelegraph has confirmed. As of Thursday about 1:00 p.m. UTC, the page showed an error saying “Oops… we didn’t forecast this,” while other users’ pages remain accessible. Read more

Dow Jones announced an exclusive partnership to distribute Polymarket prediction data across The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and MarketWatch on the same day Kalshi claimed it had hit $100 billion in annualized trading volume. The juxtaposition captures where prediction markets sit at the start of 2026: simultaneously legitimized as a financial data product and mired […] The post Prediction markets let insiders profit on leaks, yet a massive Dow Jones partnership just validated the rig appeared first on CryptoSlate.