Ripple Payments Europe S.A. has received preliminary approval from Luxembourg’s financial regulator, the CSSF, to operate as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI). Once all requirements are met, Ripple will be able to issue e-money and offer regulated payment services across the European Economic Area under MiCA rules. This follows Ripple’s recent EMI license and crypto …
Visa has partnered with payments firm BVNK to support stablecoin payouts, allowing businesses to send stablecoins directly to digital wallets. The collaboration could channel up to $30 billion in stablecoin flows from BVNK into Visa’s global payments network, which processes around $1.7 trillion in transactions. The move highlights Visa’s growing focus on blockchain-based payments and …
Pakistan has signed an MOU with SC Financial Technologies, affiliated with the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial, to pilot the USD1 stablecoin, pegged one-to-one to the U.S. dollar, within its payment system. The central bank aims to accelerate $30 billion in annual remittances while cutting high fees. Set for an official announcement in Islamabad, this …
On Jan. 13, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a huge $754 million in inflows, marking the strongest single day since October. Fidelity’s FBTC led with $351 million, followed by Bitwise’s BITB and BlackRock’s IBIT. Other crypto ETFs also saw gains, including Ethereum ($130M), Solana ($5.9M), and XRP ($13M). The surge pushed total ETF assets near …
Germany’s second-largest banking group, DZ Bank, received MiCAR authorization from BaFin in late December 2025 to launch its crypto platform meinKrypto, a significant step toward regulated digital asset access in Europe’s mainstream banking. Under the EU’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets rules, the platform lets around 700 Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken offer Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Cardano trading …
Polygon has earned over $1.7 million in fees in 2026, driven in large part by Polymarket’s 15-minute high-frequency prediction markets, which introduced transaction fees that reward liquidity providers and increase network activity. On one day, these markets contributed up to $100,000 in fees. Polygon also achieved a throughput of 16.67 million gas per second and …
On January 13, 21Shares’ Bitcoin Gold ETP (BOLD) began trading on the London Stock Exchange, marking the UK’s first exchange‑traded product that blends Bitcoin and gold in one fund. The ETP uses a volatility‑based monthly rebalance to adjust exposure, aiming to give Bitcoin’s growth potential while keeping gold’s stability. The underlying assets are 100% physically …
Ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, known as the pro-crypto “Bitcoin Mayor,” launched the $NYC token on January 12, 2026, in Times Square via X. He pledged 70 percent of the token supply to a reserve wallet to support causes like fighting antisemitism, anti-Americanism, HBCUs, and youth scholarships. The memecoin quickly reached a $600 million …
After months of negotiation, Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott released the text of the nearly 280‑page Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, a bipartisan proposal to bring clarity to U.S. crypto regulation. The bill draws a clearer line between SEC oversight for early‑stage tokens and CFTC control for ‘digital commodities’, aiming to resolve …
Nigeria has implemented sweeping tax reforms that require crypto activity to be linked to Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) and National Identity Numbers (NINs), allowing authorities to trace digital asset transactions for taxation and enforcement purposes without compromising blockchain security. Under the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, virtual asset service providers are required to collect detailed customer …
Michael Saylor’s publicly traded firm, Strategy, continued its long‑term Bitcoin accumulation by purchasing 13,627 BTC for $1.25 billion, paying roughly $91,519 per coin in the latest buy. The firm now holds 687,410 BTC, with a total investment cost near $51.8 billion and a current market value around $62.36 billion. With an unrealized profit of $10.56 …
Standard Chartered’s SC Ventures is planning a crypto prime brokerage for institutional clients, offering custody, financing, trading, and clearing for Bitcoin, Ether, and other digital assets while avoiding Basel III 1250 percent capital charges. The move builds on the bank’s July 2025 debut in spot Bitcoin and Ether trading, its Zodia Custody expansion, Coinbase partnerships, …
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) will ban privacy tokens, including Zcash and Monero, in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) from January 12, 2026, citing money laundering and sanctions evasion risks linked to anonymized transactions. Regulated firms will be prohibited from trading, holding, promoting, or using mixers and tumblers. Stablecoins will now be restricted …
On January 12, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto sent 10 BTC to Hal Finney, marking the first peer-to-peer Bitcoin transaction in history. Finney, an early supporter, had downloaded Bitcoin v0.1 shortly after its release and helped test the network. Recorded in block 170, this transaction proved that digital money could operate without banks or intermediaries. Before this, Bitcoin …
Binance will list United Stables (U) on January 13, 2026, at 08:00 UTC, opening spot trading for U/USDT and U/USDC. United Stables is a next‑generation stablecoin backed 1:1 by cash and major stablecoins, designed to unify fragmented liquidity across trading, DeFi, payments, and AI‑enabled systems on both BNB Smart Chain and Ethereum. It supports EIP‑3009 gasless …
India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has rolled out stricter anti‑money‑laundering and KYC rules for cryptocurrency exchanges to strengthen user verification and combat illicit activity. New onboarding requirements include live selfie verification using liveness detection, geolocation tracking (latitude, longitude, IP, timestamp), bank account confirmation via a small test transfer, and multiple government‑issued ID checks. Exchanges must …
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission has ended a nine-year ban on corporate crypto investments, originally imposed over money laundering concerns. Around 3,500 listed companies and professional investors can now allocate up to 5% of their equity annually to the top 20 cryptocurrencies on major exchanges like Upbit. Exchanges must apply staggered trades and size limits …
Crypto YouTube viewership has plunged sharply over the past three months to its lowest level since January 2021, highlighting weak retail interest amid prolonged bear‑market conditions. Data shared by Benjamin Cowen shows a broad drop in 30‑day average views across channels, while creator Tom Crown says engagement has fallen across platforms since October. Analysts link …
Coinbase has warned it may withdraw support for the CLARITY Act if the Senate limits stablecoin rewards beyond simple disclosure rules. Passed by the House in July 2025, the bipartisan bill heads to a Senate Banking Committee markup on January 15, 2026, to clarify SEC and CFTC oversight. Coinbase argues stricter rules could stifle competition, …
Seventeen years ago, cryptographer Hal Finney posted the first known tweet about Bitcoin, simply saying “Running Bitcoin,” signaling that he had downloaded and run the new software. He was likely the first person outside Satoshi Nakamoto to operate the Bitcoin client. The next day, Satoshi sent him the first transaction of ten BTC, proving the …
Tether, the leading stablecoin provider, has joined forces with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to tackle rising cybercrime in Africa’s fast-growing crypto market. With scams and fraud increasing, Interpol recently uncovered $260 million in illicit crypto and fiat. The initiative focuses on strengthening digital asset security and educating the public. By combining …
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority will open a crypto licensing gateway in September 2026, giving firms time to prepare for a new regulatory regime launching on 25 October 2027. All crypto businesses will need fresh FCA approval under the Financial Services and Markets Act, as existing AML or payments registrations will not carry over. Companies …
Grayscale Investments has filed for new trusts in Delaware to pave the way for BNB and HYPE exchange-traded funds, registering entities 10465871 and 10465863 with CSC Delaware Trust Company. This move follows the massive inflows seen in spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs. BNB supports Binance’s ecosystem, while HYPE powers Hyperliquid’s high-speed futures trading, which captured …
President Donald Trump told The New York Times he will not pardon jailed FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who is serving a 25-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy, and is appealing his conviction. SBF had once donated millions to political campaigns, including $5.2 million to the Biden campaign, but Trump made clear a pardon isn’t coming. …
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum draws inspiration from both BitTorrent and Linux to define its future. Like BitTorrent, it proves decentralized systems can scale globally without central control. Like Linux, it shows that open and permissionless networks can gain trust from enterprises and governments. Buterin explained that Ethereum’s Layer 1 is designed to be …
Rumble and Tether launched Rumble Wallet, a self-custody crypto wallet integrated into the platform for USDT, XAUt, and BTC tips. Using Tether’s Wallet Development Kit and on-ramps like MoonPay, creators can receive instant, global payments without banks or ad networks. This rollout follows Tether’s $775M investment in Rumble and its Bitcoin tipping feature for 68M …
Morgan Stanley filed an S-1 with the SEC for its Ethereum Trust, following recent Bitcoin and Solana ETF submissions. The $1.8 trillion firm will hold ETH directly, stake portions for yield through third parties, and enable in-kind redemptions to simplify client access. Building on its October 2025 crypto rollout via wealth management, this move eyes …
Barclays, which manages $2.2 trillion in assets, has made its first move into stablecoins by backing Ubyx Inc., a U.S.-based clearing system for tokenized deposits and regulated stablecoins. Announced on January 7, 2026, the investment aims to improve connectivity across tokens, blockchains, and digital wallets as adoption of digital money accelerates. Ubyx CEO Tony McLaughlin …
Ethereum launched the BPO2 upgrade at epoch 419072 around 1:01 a.m. UTC on January 7, 2026, increasing the per-block blob target from 10 to 14 and maximum from 15 to 21 blobs. This 40% capacity expansion reduces data costs for rollups like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base using Dencun’s 128KB blobs, stabilizing fees while achieving nearly …
Nike has quietly sold its digital products subsidiary RTFKT, which it acquired in 2021 as part of a push into NFTs and virtual sneakers, marking the end of its Web3 services announced earlier in 2025. The buyer and terms were not disclosed, but the move comes amid broader strategic shifts at Nike. Reports of the …