Cointelegraph.com
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Cointelegraph.com - 13:31 Jan 05, 2026
How an onchain investigator linked a Coinbase impersonation scam to $2 million in losses and why social engineering remains the real risk. A convincing “Coinbase support” impersonation campaign was linked by onchain investigator ZachXBT to roughly $2 million in stolen crypto. The attribution relied on corroboration across multiple signals, including onchain activity and Telegram or social media footprints rather than a single “magic” transaction. Coinbase says its real support team will never ask for your password or 2FA codes or request that you move funds to a so-called “safe” address. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 13:27 Jan 05, 2026
XRP price gained in the first five days of 2026 as chart breakouts and steady ETF inflows produced targets near $3, with longer-term projections as high as $7-$8. Key takeaways: XRP’s technical setup is turning bullish, with breakout patterns signaling trend continuation. Institutional demand is absorbing supply, as ETF inflows and falling exchange balances tighten liquidity. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 12:43 Jan 05, 2026
Starknet, an Ethereum ZK‑rollup network used for decentralized finance and gaming, is facing mainnet downtime following previous outages in 2025. Starknet, an Ethereum layer‑2 network that uses zero‑knowledge (ZK) rollups, is experiencing fresh mainnet disruption as the project enters 2026. In an X post, the Starknet team said the network was facing downtime and that engineers were “actively investigating the issue and working to restore full functionality as quickly as possible,” without immediately disclosing a root cause. At the time of writing, the network had been experiencing downtime for just over two hours. Starknet is a ZK‑rollup–based layer 2 that batches transactions offchain and posts cryptographic proofs to Ethereum, aiming to deliver higher throughput and lower fees for smart contracts, decentralized finance and gaming applications while inheriting Ethereum’s base‑layer security. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 12:10 Jan 05, 2026
Japan’s finance minister signaled that crypto’s future lies inside regulated exchanges as Japan advances tax, disclosure and market reforms. Japan appears to be moving to bring cryptocurrencies deeper into its traditional market rulebook, signaling that regulators want digital assets handled through established exchanges and securities-style oversight rather than a parallel system. The direction was underscored on Monday by Finance Minister and Financial Services Minister Satsuki Katayama, who publicly backed traditional securities exchanges and market infrastructure as the primary gateway for blockchain-based assets. Speaking at the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s New Year opening ceremony, Katayama framed 2026 as Japan’s first year of full-scale digitalization. Her remarks echoed a broader regulatory shift that has been steadily aligning crypto with traditional capital markets. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 11:57 Jan 05, 2026
According to SlowMist, attackers are impersonating MetaMask, aiming to steal users’ secret recovery phrases. Crypto investors are being targeted by a new phishing campaign that impersonates MetaMask and tricks users into handing over their wallet recovery phrases, according to the blockchain security firm SlowMist. The attackers are impersonating a two-factor authentication (2FA) security verification flow, which redirects users to fraudulent domains through fake security warnings that request users’ seed phrases. When a user shares a wallet recovery phrase, the funds from the wallet are stolen, warned SlowMist's chief security officer, 23pds, in a Monday X post. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 11:15 Jan 05, 2026
Bank of America will enable advisers across Merrill and its private bank to recommend four spot Bitcoin ETFs, expanding beyond client-led access. Bank of America is making crypto a more routine part of its US wealth business, allowing advisers across Merrill, the Bank of America Private Bank and Merrill Edge to proactively recommend spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. Bank of America’s chief investment office (CIO) has approved four US-listed spot Bitcoin funds for coverage: Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB), Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) and BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). These four ETFs are among the largest and most liquid spot Bitcoin (BTC) products on the market, which makes them easier for the bank to underwrite from an operational and regulatory risk perspective than smaller, more complex or leveraged vehicles. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 10:41 Jan 05, 2026
Altcoins, led by Ether, XRP and Solana, drove crypto ETP growth in 2025, while Bitcoin fund inflows fell 35%. Cryptocurrency investment products pulled in about $47 billion of inflows in 2025, just shy of 2024’s total amid new crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) launches in the US. Crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) logged $47.2 billion in inflows last year, 3% below 2024’s record of $48.7 billion, according to European crypto asset manager CoinShares. Bitcoin (BTC) inflows fell sharply in 2025, with a 35% drop from $41.7 billion in 2024 to around $27 billion, while Ether (ETH), XRP (XRP) and Solana (SOL) ETPs saw substantial gains. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 09:51 Jan 05, 2026
Bitcoin hit $93,000 for the first time in almost a month on Venezuela volatility, but BTC price forecasts include a sweep of $80,000 lows. Bitcoin (BTC) launches its first launches its first meaningful rebound in weeks as geopolitics excites world assets. Bitcoin price gains see a return to $93,000 after a nearly month-long absence, but traders are skeptical. A key golden cross is almost here on the four-hour chart, paving the way for further market strength. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 09:04 Jan 05, 2026
January’s unlock calendar is heavily concentrated, with four major projects accounting for more than one-third of all tokens set to enter circulation. More than $5.5 billion in cryptocurrencies are scheduled to unlock in January, with ONDO, BGB, HYPE and TRUMP tokens accounting for some of the biggest releases. According to Tokenomist’s token unlocks data tracker, January will see over $5.5 billion in token unlocks. About $2.5 billion will be released through a cliff unlock, which means the tokens are unlocked all at once. Another $3 billion will enter circulation through linear releases, distributing tokens gradually over time, creating less abrupt supply increases. Crypto vesting is the process of locking token allocations and releasing them over time to prevent early or sudden increases in circulating supplies. These schedules often include an initial lockup followed by periodic unlocks, aligning long-term incentives while managing market impact. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 06:06 Jan 05, 2026
ESG researcher Daniel Batten says peer-reviewed studies challenge claims that Bitcoin mining destabilizes power grids or raises electricity costs. Bitcoin’s environmental impact remains contested as critics question its energy use, while ESG researcher Daniel Batten disputes several of those claims. In a Saturday X thread, ESG researcher Daniel Batten said nine common criticisms of Bitcoin mining’s energy use are contradicted by peer-reviewed studies and grid-level data. “Every nascent disruptive technology is accompanied by claims that are based on lack of understanding, lack of data, and a fear of something unknown,” said Batten. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 05:56 Jan 05, 2026
PwC’s CEO says clearer US crypto rules and stablecoin legislation pushed the firm to expand its digital asset services. PricewaterhouseCoopers decided to expand its crypto business after a shift toward clearer US regulation, citing new leadership at regulators and progress on stablecoin legislation, CEO Paul Griggs said. New leadership within US regulators such as the US Securities and Exchange Commission and new laws like the GENIUS Act were among the major developments that spurred PwC’s reversal, Griggs told the Financial Times in a report on Sunday. “The GENIUS Act and the regulatory rulemaking around stablecoin, I expect, will create more conviction around leaning into that product and that asset class,” he said, adding that “the tokenization of things will certainly continue to evolve as well. PwC has to be in that ecosystem.” Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 05:53 Jan 05, 2026
Dune Analytics data reveals a surge from $14.6 million to $91.3 million in net spend across Visa's key crypto cards, led by EtherFi, in 2025. Visa-issued crypto cards saw a massive spike in usage in 2025, with the total net spend increasing by 525% last year. According to Dune Analytics data, the total net spend for six crypto cards issued by blockchain projects in partnership with Visa went from $14.6 million in January to $91.3 million at the end of December. The six cards tracked come from crypto payments platforms GnosisPay and Cypher, along with decentralized finance projects EtherFi, Avici Money, Exa App, and Moonwell. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 05:44 Jan 05, 2026
The amount of crypto sent to Binance rose in the past week, but CryptoOnchain says the other side of the trade, the buyers, are yet to show up. Large crypto holders have been moving tokens onto Binance, a pattern analysts associate with potential selling, but buying demand remains muted. So-called crypto whales deposited $2.4 billion near-evenly split between Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) to Binance in the past week, the exchange’s largest net inflow in a month, but the “buying power is missing,” CryptoOnchain said in a note to CryptoQuant on Sunday. “Crucially, this surge in risk-asset deposits was not accompanied by new buying power,” it added, noting that stablecoin net flows were “essentially flat” at an inflow of $42 million for the week, which was mostly tokens moving between the Ethereum and Tron blockchains. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 05:10 Jan 05, 2026
Bitcoin rose toward $93,000 as Donald Trump made remarks suggesting tougher action on Colombia and Mexico following the US operation in Venezuela. Bitcoin climbed toward $93,000 on Monday as US President Donald Trump made comments suggesting the United States could pursue tougher action against Colombia and Mexico, extending geopolitical uncertainty in the region following the weekend operation in Venezuela. Speaking on Sunday, Trump criticized Colombia over cocaine trafficking and said a new US military operation focused on the country “sounds good to me,” according to Reuters, while also warning that “something is going to have to be done” in Mexico. “Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long," Trump warned. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 03:23 Jan 05, 2026
Ethereum processed $8 trillion in stablecoin transfers during Q4, nearly double Q2’s volume, while active addresses and daily transactions peaked. Stablecoin transfer volume on Ethereum surpassed $8 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking a new all-time high, Token Terminal reported on Monday. The $8 trillion milestone is almost double the transfer volume figure for the second quarter, which was just over $4 trillion, according to Token Terminal’s chart. Stablecoin issuance on Ethereum increased by around 43% in 2025 from $127 billion to $181 billion by year’s end, according to BlockWorks. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 03:14 Jan 05, 2026
Ethereum's co-founder says PeerDAS and zkEVMs have solved crypto's scalability vs. security vs. decentralization trade-off. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin claims Ethereum has “solved” one of the biggest challenges in crypto: the blockchain trilemma. In a X post on Saturday, Buterin emphasized the potential of peer data availability sampling (PeerDAS) and Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (zkEVMs), noting that these two upgrades are making Ethereum “a fundamentally new and more powerful kind of decentralized network.” “Now, Ethereum with PeerDAS (2025) and ZK-EVMs (expect small portions of the network using it in 2026), we get: decentralized, consensus and high bandwidth,” he said, adding: Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 02:40 Jan 05, 2026
Transaction volume jumped nearly 300% as memecoin market capitalization rose more than 23%, rebounding sharply from late-2025 lows across the sector overall. Crypto traders flooded back to memecoins as the new year turned, driving memecoin market capitalization up by over 23% in the last week after trading at a yearly low in the final days of 2025. The memecoin market cap crossed $47.7 billion on Monday, up from $38 billion on Dec. 29, according to cryptocurrency data platform CoinMarketCap. The top three memecoins by market capitalization have posted double-digit gains in the past week. Dogecoin (DOGE) has gained over 20%, Shiba Inu (SHIB) has risen 19.9%, and Pepe (PEPE) has soared by over 65%. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 02:37 Jan 05, 2026
Key metrics tracking the development of Bitcoin Core show 2025 was a good year for the blockchain, with more developers contributing more code, says Jameson Lopp. Bitcoin developers working on the software that powers most nodes backing the blockchain had a busy year in 2025, with more developers pushing out more code, according to Bitcoiner Jameson Lopp. Lopp, the co-founder of the crypto management platform Casa, said on Sunday that 135 different people had contributed code to Bitcoin Core last year, rising from just over 100 individuals in 2024 and continuing an uptrend. The number of contributors peaked in 2018 with nearly 200 contributors. Those developers also changed more code, with Lopp reporting 285,000 lines of code were changed last year, a more than 3% jump from the 276,000 lines of code changed in 2024. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 01:18 Jan 05, 2026
Nobel Prize-winning Bitcoiner María Corina Machado is one of three looking to replace Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela's president after he was captured on Saturday. Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, attention has turned to the country’s transition to new leadership — and one Bitcoiner is in the running to lead that charge. María Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, is the second-favorite to lead Venezuela’s shift away from authoritarian rule under Maduro, who has been transferred to New York to face federal charges related to narcotics trafficking and corruption. Data from predictions market Kalshi shows Machado has a 28% chance of leading Venezuela by the end of 2026, trailing only Unitary Platform’s Edmundo González Urrutia (32%), who is widely believed to have won Venezuela’s election in May 2025 but was blocked from assuming the presidency by Maduro’s United Socialist Party. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 21:54 Jan 04, 2026
The sentiment among crypto investors has oscillated between "fear" and "extreme fear" since the market flash crash on October 10, 2025. The CoinMarketCap “Crypto Fear and Greed Index,” a metric tracking crypto investor sentiment, flipped to “neutral” on Sunday, for the first time since October, signaling that investor sentiment is improving. The Index is at 40, signaling that investors are no longer fearful, but they are not bullish on the crypto market either. The Index recorded its lowest sentiment reading of 2025 in November, when it hit a 10, indicating “extreme fear,” according to CoinMarketCap. Crypto investor sentiment plunged in October, sparked by a historic market crash that derailed the crypto market bull run. The price of Bitcoin (BTC) hit an all-time high above $125,000 days before the crash, eventually falling to about $80,000 — a 35% drop. Read more
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