Cointelegraph.com
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Cointelegraph.com - 17:07 Jan 16, 2026
BTC price surged nearly 150% after a similar BTC–gold undervaluation signal in late 2022, highlighting how extreme discounts have preceded major rallies. Bitcoin (BTC) slipped into its deepest undervaluation against gold (XAU) on Friday, reviving expectations of a potential capital rotation away from the precious metal and back into cryptocurrency markets in 2026. Key takeaways: Bitcoin is at a record undervaluation versus gold, a level historically linked to major BTC bottoms. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 15:48 Jan 16, 2026
Bitcoin market research warned that BTC faced another bear market in 2026 if it was unable to reclaim its yearly moving average. Bitcoin (BTC) bulls risk a reality check as BTC price action mimics the 2022 “bear market rally.” Key points: Bitcoin “appears” to be at the start of another bear market as price remains below its yearly moving average. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 15:00 Jan 16, 2026
The CLARITY Act is becoming a fight over who controls yield as rules split DeFi companies and incumbents and risk pushing onchain US dollar yield offshore. Since missing its Jan. 15 markup date and being pushed to the end of the month, the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act is becoming a proxy fight over who gets to intermediate US dollar yield onchain — open decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols and payment rails, or a narrow club of large custodians and banks? With the latest draft tightening how rewards on stablecoins can be offered, critics, including stablecoin issuers and institutional DeFi platforms, warn the bill risks exporting onchain credit offshore rather than making it safer in the United States. Coinbase’s decision to pull support for the bill this week laid bare industry fears that the compromise has tipped too far toward incumbents, the text locking in a punitive model for DeFi and rewards. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 14:20 Jan 16, 2026
Bitcoin analyst Willy Woo says Bitcoin’s near term future is bright. CLARITY act may have a nasty surprise for XRP holders. Trade Secrets. -
Cointelegraph.com - 14:20 Jan 16, 2026
Bitcoin analyst Willy Woo says Bitcoin’s near term future is bright. CLARITY act may have a nasty surprise for XRP holders. Trade Secrets. -
Cointelegraph.com - 14:00 Jan 16, 2026
As DePIN projects generate revenue and AI agents move onchain, builders are shifting focus from speculation to fundamentals, but questions remain about Web3’s decentralization ethos. Crypto entered 2026 with a familiar dichotomy: The industry is maturing, but its decentralized identity is at risk. Still, following years heavily dominated by speculation, 2025 became the year that pushed builders and investors toward fundamentals and proved that blockchain can support real-world goods, services and infrastructure. In this week’s episode of Byte-Sized Insight, Cointelegraph explores what that shift looked like on the ground, particularly through the lens of the emerging “machine economy.” Leonard Dorlöchter, co-founder of peaq, argues that 2025 was a turning point in how projects were evaluated. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 13:58 Jan 16, 2026
Renewed spot Ethereum ETF inflows topped $474 million this week while network metrics smashed records, positioning ETH for a rally to $4,500 in the coming weeks. Ether (ETH) traded at $3,310, up 11% year-to-date, as renewed ETF buying and record onchain activity placed it on a path toward $4,500 over the next few weeks. Key takeaways: Spot Ethereum ETFs recorded $474.6 million in inflows over four days, outpacing new supply amid a surge in institutional buying. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 13:57 Jan 16, 2026
A growing amount of the blockchain industry’s fees are captured by DeFi protocols rather than the underlying networks, signaling a potential investor shift to front-end facing applications. Revenue in the crypto industry is increasingly flowing to user-facing applications rather than the underlying blockchain networks, according to recent data, signaling a potential shift in where investors and developers focus their attention. Decentralized finance (DeFi) applications now capture five times the fees generated by blockchains, according to data shared by Jamies Coutts, chief crypto analyst at crypto intelligence platform Real Vision. The trend suggests that more of the industry’s fees will be captured by DeFi applications like wallets, decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and other protocols, while the underlying networks will attract a smaller share of revenue. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 13:46 Jan 16, 2026
The apparent shutdown follows years of scrutiny of one of crypto’s largest fraud marketplaces. A Telegram-based escrow service linked to an illicit online marketplace appears to be winding down operations after refunding more than $130 million in stablecoins, a move that analysts say may disrupt a major hub for crypto-related scams. Tudou Guarantee, a service linked to the Huione Group, has apparently refunded $130 million in Tether USDt (USDT) to the group’s public merchants since the beginning of 2026, according to data shared by blockchain analytics company Bitrace. Refunds began with about $3.7 million on Jan. 1 and peaked at about $18.1 million on Sunday, Bitrace said. Earlier on Friday, the company seemingly announced the shuttering of operations through its Telegram channel, according to screenshots shared by Bitrace. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 13:00 Jan 16, 2026
US President Donald Trump is bringing criminal charges against the head of the Fed in what many see as a political move motivated by a desire for lower interest rates. The US Department of Justice, at the direction of President Donald Trump, has opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The DOJ alleges that the chair has misallocated funds in the course of renovations of Federal Reserve office buildings, a claim that Powell has denied. The Fed chair said that the charges were politically motivated and “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.” Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 12:45 Jan 16, 2026
US President Donald Trump said the “leaker on Venezuela has been found and is in jail” as some Polymarket accounts tied to early bets on Maduro’s ouster go silent. US President Donald Trump said the “leaker on Venezuela” has been jailed, a remark that has renewed scrutiny of prediction markets following a series of well-timed bets earlier this month. “The leaker on Venezuela has been found and is in jail right now,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday, according to a video posted by The Wall Street Journal. Although Trump did not mention prediction markets, blockchain analysts such as Lookonchain have speculated that the leaker may be linked to a cluster of Polymarket accounts that placed concentrated bets on Venezuela outcomes just hours before the news became public. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 12:35 Jan 16, 2026
Jefferies’ Greed & Fear strategist Christopher Wood has slashed a 10% Bitcoin allocation from his portfolio and moved into gold, citing the quantum risk to BTC, Bloomberg reports. Investment bank Jefferies’ longtime “Greed & Fear” strategist Christopher Wood has reportedly eliminated Bitcoin from his flagship model portfolio, citing mounting concerns that advances in quantum computing may undermine the cryptocurrency’s long-term security. According to a report by Bloomberg, Wood said in the latest edition of his Greed & Fear newsletter, that the 10% Bitcoin (BTC) allocation he first added in late 2020 has been replaced by a split position in physical gold and gold mining stocks. He argued that quantum breakthroughs would weaken Bitcoin’s claim to be a dependable store of value for pension‑style investors. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 11:30 Jan 16, 2026
The rules allow banks to combine token activity with payments and financial services under central bank and tech park oversight. Belarus has introduced a legal framework for so-called “cryptobanks,” formally integrating digital asset activity into the country’s regulated banking system under direct state oversight. On Friday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 19, defining how crypto banks may operate and what conditions they must meet to enter the market. The decree positions cryptobanks as joint-stock companies authorized to combine token-based operations with traditional banking, payments and related financial services. Rather than creating a parallel sector for crypto, the framework ties digital asset activity to existing financial oversight mechanisms and infrastructure. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 10:39 Jan 16, 2026
Google will require proof of FIU registration acceptance for crypto apps, raising compliance hurdles for offshore exchanges serving South Korean users. Google is rolling out updated crypto app requirements in South Korea, a move that may significantly restrict access to offshore crypto exchanges by tying app availability to local regulatory clearance. According to South Korean media outlet News1, starting Jan. 28, crypto exchange and wallet apps listed on Google Play in South Korea must upload documentation proving that their Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registration with the country's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has been accepted. Google reportedly clarified that developers listing crypto exchange and custodial wallet apps must upload proof of completed FIU registration acceptance through its developer console. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 10:28 Jan 16, 2026
The recovery may continue as long as Bitcoin achieves a daily close above $98,000, with the technical setup projecting 18% gains ahead. Bitcoin’s (BTC) price traded 9.5% above its Jan. 1 open of $87,500, and traders were confident that BTC’s short-term “trend is up” as the price approached a key level of interest. Key takeaways: Bitcoin price consolidates around $95,000 as bulls face a major barrier ahead. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 10:18 Jan 16, 2026
Moldova plans to introduce its first crypto law in 2026, aligning with the EU’s MiCA framework while warning citizens about digital asset risks. Moldova plans to introduce its first comprehensive cryptocurrency legislation by the end of 2026, aligning its rules with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework, according to the country’s finance minister, Andrian Gavrilita. Gavrilita said Wednesday in an interview on the state-owned TVR Moldova that the government is working with regulators to develop a legal framework that would allow citizens to hold and trade cryptocurrencies, while stopping short of recognizing digital assets as a means of payment. “We have the responsibility to regulate them, and it will be the right of citizens to hold these currencies,” he said. “I’m not sure if we'll manage during the next month, but it’s our engagement with the European Union. You can’t prohibit [cryptocurrencies.]” Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 09:54 Jan 16, 2026
The restructuring comes as the company integrates new payments assets and narrows its mandate, with several employees saying on X that they were affected by the layoffs. Polygon Labs has cut personnel as it pivots more aggressively to a payments-first strategy built around stablecoin rails and what it calls an “Open Money Stack,” a new, vertically integrated set of services designed to move money onchain. The layoffs came just days after announcing a deal worth as much as $250 million to acquire US crypto ATM and payments company Coinme and wallet and developer platform Sequence. Polygon did not publicly disclose how many roles were eliminated, but according to multiple sources on social media platforms like X, a reduction as large of 30% in staff has been linked to the post‑acquisition integration. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 09:10 Jan 16, 2026
The lender will offer crypto trading through its Bolero platform as Belgium’s MiCA rules take effect, despite no licenses yet appearing on the ESMA’s register. Update (Jan. 16, 1:15 pm UTC): This article has been updated to add commentary from KBC Bank. KBC, one of Belgium’s largest banks, is set to roll out Bitcoin and Ether trading to retail investors next month via its own custodial solution and investment platform. From Feb. 16, KBC customers will be able to buy and sell crypto assets through the online investment platform Bolero, the bank announced Thursday. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 06:16 Jan 16, 2026
Electronic brokerage giant Interactive Brokers says its clients can deposit USDC, which will automatically convert to US dollars to fund their accounts. Electronic brokerage giant Interactive Brokers has expanded its crypto services, allowing clients to fund their brokerage accounts using stablecoins that are automatically converted into US dollars. The firm said on Thursday that it has partnered with crypto infrastructure provider zerohash to enable 24/7 account funding with USDC (USDC) across the Ethereum, Solana and Base blockchains, removing reliance on traditional fiat wire transfers and banking hours. Interactive Brokers said stablecoin deposits are converted into US dollars on receipt and credited directly to client accounts. The company added that support for Ripple USD (RLUSD) and PayPal USD (PYUSD) is expected to launch next week. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 01:53 Jan 16, 2026
Bitcoin has become an “element of resistance" in Iran, providing liquidity in an increasingly restricted economic environment, says Chainalysis. Crypto usage in Iran has spiked amid the country’s mass protests, with a surge of Iranians withdrawing Bitcoin to preserve value amid instability, according to Chainalysis. Protests in Iran began around Dec. 28 over worsening economic conditions, after the Iranian rial hit record lows against the US dollar. Demonstrations escalated nationwide, with Iran’s regime responding by cutting internet access, carrying out mass arrests, and reportedly killing thousands. Chainalysis said in a report on Thursday that Iran’s crypto ecosystem hit $7.78 billion in 2025, which accelerated amid the ongoing unrest with a substantial increase in the number of daily crypto transfers and the amounts transacted. Read more
8179 items