Executives and industry groups pressed regulators to apply traditional securities rules to blockchain-based trading, pushing back on exemptions even as DeFi enters the debate.
The American Innovation Project is launching a new fellowship program for recent college graduates to work alongside lawmakers.
Negotiations in the Senate Agriculture Committee shifted in the new year, said a Senate Democratic aide with knowledge of the conversations.
A hearing to amend and vote on sweeping cryptocurrency legislation was pushed back a few days due to snowy weather in Washington D.C.
The first fund to track the Avalanche's AVAX token and include staking rewards debuted Monday with the launch of the VanEck Avalanche ETF.
The dismissal follows the 100% in-kind return of crypto assets to Gemini Earn investors through the Genesis Global Capital bankruptcy process.
The SEC said Gemini Earn customers had already received 100% of their assets back through Genesis' bankruptcy, warranting the dismissal of the case.
A Dogecoin ETF is the latest addition to 21shares’ growing crypto lineup, marking another step in the memecoin’s push into traditional finance.
Grayscale is seeking to add another cryptocurrency exchange-traded fund to its roster — this time tracking Binance-linked coin BNB.
Momentum is building behind efforts to pass a crypto bill, though observers say it still lacks the Democratic support needed to become law.
The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.
The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee has released updated bill text ahead of a hearing next week — and some issues remain.
The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.
XRP’s next big rise could come with hardly any warning, traders and analysts warn. Markets are quiet now. That quiet has happened before, and it has sometimes been followed by sharp moves that catch most people off guard. Related Reading: Bitcoin Senses Risk As Trump Balks At Europe With Major Tariffs History Of Sudden Moves According to several community analysts, XRP has a pattern of long quiet periods followed by fast spikes. It rarely creeps steadily upward for weeks before a charge. Instead, price often treads water, people lose faith, and then momentum arrives quickly. That behavior has left many short-term traders on the sidelines when runs happen. A move looks obvious only after it is already well under way. Legal Overhang Gone Reports say the SEC lawsuit changed XRP’s timing for years. While other tokens took part in big market swings, XRP traded under heavy regulatory pressure. That pressure is now removed. The major $XRP breakout will come when many least expect it. Its always a “catch-off-guard” move.. but we’re prepared. — ???????? ChartNerd ???? (@ChartNerdTA) January 17, 2026 The market has since been allowed to price XRP without that cloud. In late 2024, a notable rally began after US President Donald Trump’s win and the exit of SEC Chair Gary Gensler. Momentum pushed XRP from roughly $0.50 to above $3 in a matter of weeks. But the gains were followed by a long reset. Exposure Beats Perfect Timing According to a number of commentators, being already invested matters more than hitting the exact bottom. When the price starts to climb fast, buyers who jump in late often pay too much and panic-sell when the heat fades. Early holders tend to capture most of the upside. Reports note this has repeated across multiple cycles. Emotion drives late entry; calm positioning often wins. At the time of writing, XRP was trading near $1.93, down about 4% on the day and roughly 55% below its recent high. Many who bought above $3 over the past year have cut losses or reduced positions, which has left sentiment thin. Related Reading: Bitcoin Shows Signs Of Internal Strength As Analysts Turn More Optimistic On Quick Inflows & Short-Term Squeeze Liquidity in key ranges is lighter than traders might assume. Volume patterns and derivatives flows will matter if price begins to move again. An array of factors could start the run — quick inflows, a shift in macro appetite, or a big buyer showing up. On-chain signs, exchange flows, and futures positioning would give clearer clues, but those signals can flip fast. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Crypto legislation is hitting another snag this week — this time from the top Republican and top Democrat of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.
A bill to regulate the cryptocurrency industry could be finalized within the next few weeks, according to Michael Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy.
Despite the postponement of a hearing that could have advanced crypto legislation, lawmakers insist the effort is far from dead.
In a letter on Thursday, lawmakers accused the SEC of enabling a "pay-to-play" dynamic after dropping cases against Binance, Coinbase, Kraken and Justin Sun.
The recent Bitcoin rally may be driven by real spot demand on Coinbase. Data indicating elevated spot activity on Coinbase suggests that this move higher is bolstered by direct purchases rather than leveraged positioning in derivatives markets. This distinction matters because Spot buying reflects a real capital commitment, not a temporary bet. Why Risk Management When Demand Is Structural The Bitcoin rally since Sunday’s Powell subpoena news has been largely linked to Coinbase spot buyers. Crypto trader Alex Krüger has highlighted on X that both the Adjusted Coinbase Premium and Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) show steady spot accumulation, which is exactly why this has been a true hated rally even among bitcoiners. For over a month, the dominant narrative in every crypto chat room has been that BTC is lagging while equities and commodities are moving upward. Related Reading: Analyst Outlines The Bulllish And Bearish Scenarios For Bitcoin – Here’s What To Know However, the fun fact is that equities are not accurate, but 40% of the S&P 500 (Standard & Poor’s 500) stocks have actually closed red in 2025, (39.2% to be precise). Perception is doing a lot of work here, and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) move on Powell represented a major macro litmus test for BTC. Kruger claims that the BTC long-term value proposition is about protecting against the tail risk of central bank profligacy. On Monday, BTC surged upward, although the move was just a little surge. According to Krüger, the BTC key battlefield remains the 50-week moving average (WMA), which is currently around $101,420. Meanwhile, the trader is looking to take some profits into short liquidations right above the $100,000 mark. Why Bitcoin Benefits First From Institutional Flows The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is set for markup today, January 15th, 2026, in the Senate Banking Committee. According to the update by BTC_road_to200k on X (Formally Twitter), this is where the lawmakers will debate and shape the final version of the bill before it moves forward. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Stays Pinned Above Support, Setting Up a Bigger Move This matters because the art aims to clear up the ongoing regulatory uncertainty between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which has been a major source of hesitation for large institutional players looking to move into Bitcoin and other digital assets. Furthermore, the Clarity Act will be a turning point as it aims to clear rules that will bring more confidence to banks, pension funds, and large investors, which often translates into higher demand and stronger price momentum for BTC. As the regulatory clouds lift, the market might start experiencing a renewed wave of institutional money flowing in, and that’s obviously bullish for BTC. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com
A combination of timing pressures and unresolved policy concerns led Coinbase to withdraw its support for a sweeping cryptocurrency bill.
The Senate Banking Committee has pulled its hearing to amend and vote on sweeping crypto legislation following a tumultuous few days.
Coinbase won't be supporting the Senate Banking Committee's sweeping cryptocurrency legislation, its CEO said.
Lawmakers face a pivotal Senate hearing with over 70 amendments in play, as debates over stablecoin yield and DeFi come down to the wire.
The SEC has closed a years-long probe into the Zcash Foundation, the nonprofit said in a blog post Wednesday.
Another exchange-traded fund tied to Chainlink is set to hit the market Wednesday morning — the Bitwise Chainlink ETF.
Lawmakers and the crypto industry are sifting through pages and pages of bill text, with much of the focus being on stablecoin rewards.
US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins is confident that a long-awaited crypto market structure bill could find its way into US President Donald Trump’s office for signature before the end of the year. The SEC chief highlighted ongoing efforts during an interview with Fox Business to clarify rules around digital asset trading and said the bill could provide much-needed guidance to investors and trading platforms. Related Reading: Crypto Products Post $454M Weekly Outflows On Fed Jitters Atkins Expresses Confidence Atkins, who was confirmed by the Senate in April 2025 in a 52-44 vote, said tokenization and faster settlement systems are part of the next phase for US markets. He argued that a market structure law would give firms and investors clearer signals about which rules apply to trading in digital assets. Reports have disclosed that the chair sees the bill as fitting the administration’s push to make the US more competitive in crypto. This is a big week for crypto – Congress is on the cusp of upgrading our financial markets for the 21st century. I am wholly supportive of Congress providing clarity on the jurisdictional split between the SEC and the @CFTC. pic.twitter.com/NtDWRW85kL — Paul Atkins (@SECPaulSAtkins) January 12, 2026 Atkins discussed the regulatory forecast for crypto this year during an interview with Fox Business. Source: Paul Atkins Lawmakers’ Calendar And Odds Based on reports from financial analysts, the path to passage is not guaranteed. One market note put the chance of the bill clearing Congress in 2026 at roughly 50-60%, and warned that delays could push final action into 2027. Other analysts have suggested a longer road, saying implementation of final market structure rules might not be settled for years if political dynamics change. What Is Being Negotiated The draft measures under discussion aim to define which federal agency supervises different types of digital instruments, establish standards for trading venues that list tokens, and create clearer reporting rules for market participants. Reports have disclosed that committee markups are expected before any Senate floor vote, and those sessions will shape the bill’s final text. Industry Reaction, Market Talk The optimism expressed by Atkins has been welcomed by industry associations, as they see that clear guidance could lead to more institutional capital flowing into the onshore crypto trading space. On the other hand, the sentiment from many companies is that there is still a level of caution surrounding future regulations. Although regulators continue to show a level of agreement regarding overall regulation, the details of custody, custody provider(s), and oversight split between various regulatory agencies must be agreed upon by Congress before any definitive progress can be made. This back-and-forth between Congress and regulatory agencies has caused the markets to react in a pattern of quick positive movements followed by corresponding negative movements due to legislative inaction. Related Reading: CZ Fuels Optimism As Binance Coin’s $1,000 Target Trends Political Timing Could Matter The midterm and committee calendars are being watched closely. If the Senate delays key votes, support that exists now could wane or be reshaped by other priorities. Some commentators argue that fast action would lock in regulatory clarity; others say a rushed law could leave gaps that require later fixes. The debate over speed versus detail is active in Washington. Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView
Bernstein said the window to pass the bill is rapidly narrowing amid a dispute between banks and the crypto industry over stablecoin rewards.
The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.