Crypto

U.S. crypto regulation has come under fresh political scrutiny as Maxine Waters urges a House hearing with SEC Chair Paul Atkins, California debates a billionaire wealth tax; ALT5 Sigma faces auditor questions; an SEC veteran retires and a judge has dismissed a Mark Cuban Voyager suit at year start. The post Weekly Crypto Regulation Roundup: Oversight Pressure, Tax Shockwaves and Legal Resets appeared first on Cryptonews.

The chairman of the former bitcoin miner-turned-ether treasury firm reiterated his view that Ethereum is the future of finance.

Experts say major trends in Ethereum’s adoption could bring about a long-awaited surge in ETH’s price this year—or at least the start of such a journey.

"If SHIB can do $41bn last cycle, then I don't see how PEPE cannot beat that record," one popular X user stated.

The company’s energy operations will become “100% North American” following the sale of the Paraguayan site. Bitcoin mining company Bitfarms announced a complete exit from the Latin American market following a $30 million sale of a Paraguayan facility. In a Friday notice, Bitfarms said it had reached an agreement with the Sympatheia Power Fund for its 70 megawatt (MW) facility in Paso Pe, Paraguay. Under the deal, the power company will acquire shares of the Bitfarms subsidiary that holds the assets for the facility, with the crypto miner receiving $9 million in cash in the first quarter of 2026 and $21 million over the next 10 months. According to Bitfarms CEO Ben Gagnon, the company’s energy operations would become “100% North American” following its exit from Latin America, with cash from the deal reinvested into AI and high performance computing (HPC) infrastructure this year. The company said it had 430 MW capacity under development in the US, with 2.1 gigawatts as part of a multi-year plan for North Ame...

Particularly hard-hit in 2025's final sessions, crypto-related stocks are bouncing in this year's first trading day.

Crypto regulations are changing around the world in 2026, as several jurisdictions adopt crypto and stablecoin policy frameworks. Crypto laws around the world are changing in 2026, building on the momentum from 2025, which will impact crypto users in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) regions. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), a US banking regulator, published a proposal in December outlining a pathway for banks to be able to issue dollar-pegged stablecoins under the GENIUS stablecoin framework passed by Congress in mid-2025. Under the proposal, banks must issue the stablecoins through a subsidiary, with both institutions subject to FDIC reviews and audits for financial soundness. Read more

The new year started with some positivitiy, but will it last?

[PRESS RELEASE – Marbella, Spain, January 2nd, 2026] The partnership establishes a fully regulated legal and financial framework that enables international investors to acquire properties across Europe (primarily in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, and Montenegro) using cryptocurrency, safely, transparently, and in full compliance with European law. Vicox Legal, a pioneering European law firm specialising in […]

Bitcoin could be getting ready for a rally toward $94,500, but higher levels are expected to attract selling by the bears. Key points: Bitcoin’s tight range trading is expected to culminate with a range expansion in the near term. Some major altcoins are showing signs of strength and may start a relief rally in the short term. Read more

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong outlined plans to build an "everything exchange" combining crypto, equities, prediction markets, and commodities across spot, futures, and options products, positioning the platform to compete directly with traditional brokerages as regulatory tailwinds and institutional momentum accelerate. The post Coinbase Plans All-in-One Exchange for Crypto, Stocks, and Commodities in 2026 appeared first on Cryptonews.

The exchange beat financial expectations in Q3 of last year, and it’s aiming to grow its stablecoin and payments businesses in 2026.

Is this the start of a huge rally or just a short-lived rebound?

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs posted about $1.29 billion in net outflows over the 12 sessions from Dec. 15 through Dec. 31. The quiet holiday stretch became one of the cleaner stress tests yet for how “sticky” the category is when trading desks are thinly staffed, and portfolios are being squared before the calendar flips. The […] The post Bitcoin ETFs failed a critical holiday stress test as $1.29 billion vanished through “tactical” positioning appeared first on CryptoSlate.

While South Korean financial officials acknowledged the need for new rules, disagreements over stablecoins delayed a broader crypto framework.

Axie Infinity will take more risks in 2026, Illivium’s working on a new risk-to-earn deathmatch, and Yat Siu’s thoughts on Trump: Web3 Gamer. One of the best known Web3 games, Illuvium, is taking a gamble on the emerging risk-to-earn gaming model, and wants players to help craft the rules of its mysterious new game. The game is meant to be simple, easy to understand, and full of risk, which, in turn, creates excitement and, ideally, viral, streamable moments, Illivium founder Kieran Warwick said in a recent X post.  Warwick explained that 100 players will enter with their illuvials, which are creatures in the Illivium world, and fight to the death. Read more

Korea Exchange chairman Jeong Eun-bo pledged to launch crypto ETFs and extend trading to 24/7 operations, but the Financial Services Commission and Bank of Korea remain locked in a prolonged dispute over stablecoin issuance that has stalled South Korea's comprehensive digital asset framework. The post South Korea’s Top Exchange Says It’s Ready for Bitcoin ETFs, But Regulators Still Stalling appeared first on Cryptonews.

Experts say the digital euro’s outcome hinges on a political compromise with parties fighting for the limits of privacy and online functionality. Trade-offs between local institutions are expected to shape the digital euro’s final form, as debates continue over holding limits and privacy features. The EU Council recently announced that it is backing the European Central Bank’s digital euro design, which includes both online and offline functions. According to Apostolos Thomadakis, head of the financial markets and institutions unit at the European Policy Studies think tank, "cash-like privacy” with anti-money laundering rules is among the digital euro’s “hardest political tradeoffs.” Read more

January 2026 brings a rare slowdown, with a light slate that makes room for smaller games and backlog catch-up ahead of a busier February.

Crypto exchanges are preparing their 2026 playbooks around licenses, stablecoins and tokenized assets, and OKX’s Haider Rafique argues that a tamer, macro‑driven Bitcoin is the backbone of that shift. The cryptocurrency industry is growing under tighter rules, as large exchanges shape their next cycle around licenses and products built to withstand regulatory scrutiny. Instead of chasing explosive growth through speculative listings and high-leverage trading, the focus for 2026 is shifting toward sturdier foundations, such as tighter fiat ramps, compliant derivatives in more jurisdictions and building out stablecoin and tokenization rails. Cointelegraph spoke with Haider Rafique, global managing partner at OKX, to unpack how major exchanges are preparing for the year ahead.  Read more