According to reports, Vitalik Buterin has pulled 16,384 ETH from his reserves and plans to spend it on privacy and truly open technology. That move is paired with a call for five years of thrift at the Ethereum Foundation so the foundation can keep building core software while staying healthy for the long run. Related Reading: Gold, Silver Steal The Spotlight As Crypto Hype Fades On Social Media: Santiment A New Focus On Privacy And Openness Reports say the funds, worth about $45 million, will back a broad list of projects: open silicon, secure hardware, private messaging, local-first operating systems, and tools that mix zero-knowledge proofs with other privacy tools like FHE and differential privacy. He has already put money toward encrypted messaging and air quality work, and some new efforts aim to make secure hardware more affordable and verifiable. The plan covers both pieces of tech and the systems people run on them. Simple apps for daily life are included, not just fancy research. In these five years, the Ethereum Foundation is entering a period of mild austerity, in order to be able to simultaneously meet two goals: 1. Deliver on an aggressive roadmap that ensures Ethereum’s status as a performant and scalable world computer that does not compromise on… — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 30, 2026 Personal Money For Public Good Buterin is taking on what might once have been “special projects” of the foundation. He withdrew the ETH personally, and reports note he is looking at secure, decentralized staking to route future staking rewards into these efforts. That shifts some financial risk from institutions to an individual who wants those projects to survive even when they are slow or controversial. Some of the initiatives are unlikely to attract fast capital. That is why personal backing matters. A Stronger Core, Not Bigger Hype The Foundation is said to be entering a phase of mild austerity so it can meet two clear goals at once: finish an aggressive technical roadmap and remain alive and independent into the far future. The technical aim is to keep Ethereum fast and scalable without losing decentralization or security. At the same time, the team wants to protect users’ ability to control their keys, their data, and their privacy. Reports note that “Ethereum for people who need it” is the guiding line, rather than chasing large corporate deals that transform how people use the chain. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Slide To $82K Sets Off A $1.7 Billion Chain Reaction Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Gold and silver have recently dominated headlines, outperforming both Bitcoin and altcoins in the broader crypto market. While both precious metals recorded new all-time highs in 2026, many altcoins failed to reach similar milestones. Bitcoin, by contrast, did achieve an ATH in 2025; however, following that peak, its price retraced sharply to new lows. With this in mind, analysts argue that the strength of gold and silver does not pose a threat to digital assets. Instead, they interpret the divergence as a major bullish signal for Bitcoin and altcoins. Gold And Silver ATH Signals Bitcoin And Altcoins Upside Crypto market expert Mark Chadwick delivered a detailed analysis of precious metals and cryptocurrencies on X this week, pointing to what he calls “the biggest price divergence” ever recorded between gold and Bitcoin. His chart and analysis suggest that a strong performance in gold could be a major indicator for a potential rally in cryptocurrencies. Related Reading: Dogecoin Price Could Continue To Decline If This Doesn’t Happen; Analyst Chadwick noted that gold has surged aggressively, reaching an ATH of over $5,600 in January 2026. This price rally has pushed the metal into extreme overbought levels on higher timeframes. In contrast, Bitcoin is facing prolonged weakness and negative sentiment in 2026, despite reaching an all-time high above $126,000 in October 2025. The analyst suggested that this performance imbalance has reached levels that typically signal a major market shift. Gold and silver have been boosted by factors such as central bank accumulation, inflation hedging, and geopolitical pressures. At the same time, Bitcoin has been weighed down by tighter liquidity, reduced investor interest, and risk-off conditions. As a result, traditional safe-haven assets have entered overbought territory, leaving BTC and altcoins largely overlooked. Chadwick argues that markets move in cycles driven by sentiment and positioning. When one asset becomes excessively overbought, returns diminish, and capital seeks higher upside elsewhere. In past macro cycles, periods of strong performance in gold and silver have often been followed by capital rotating into higher-risk assets once fear subsides. Based on his analysis, Bitcoin’s current positioning reflects exhaustion rather than structural weakness. Chadwick believes that when manipulation ends and capital starts flowing out of gold and silver into BTC, it could set the stage for a sharp rebound in the leading cryptocurrency. Since altcoins typically follow Bitcoin’s performance, the analyst expects that once Bitcoin regains momentum, some of that profit could also rotate into select altcoins, fueling a price rally. Related Reading: XRP Prints Bullish Divergence On The Weekly Chart, But Is ATHs Still Possible? How High Bitcoin And Altcoins Could Rally Chadwick has stated that Bitcoin’s price could easily surge 10x as capital flows back into it and market sentiment and liquidity improve. However, the chart outlines a short-term rally, projecting a 91.60% rise to $170,000 from the $82,000 region. The analyst also predicted that altcoins could rise 50-100x, reflecting a staggering potential for gains in the crypto market. He concluded his analysis by emphasizing that smart money knows massive returns often come from diversification. From this perspective, the current ATHs of gold and silver do not undermine cryptocurrencies but signal an upcoming shift in capital. Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com
The stablecoin giant saw sharp growth in its USDT token's supply, and was one of the world's largest U.S. government debt holder with $141 billion Treasury exposure.
Bitcoin was designed to function as digital gold, a decentralised store of value that protects wealth from inflation, currency debasement, and the long-term dominance of the dollar. Currently, the market behaviour is telling a different story as de-dollarisation accelerates and investors seek safety from geopolitical risk and inflation pressures, with gold capturing the bulk of that capital. Is Bitcoin Still A Store Of Value Or A Risk Asset? Crypto investor Himanshu Sinha has stated on X that Bitcoin was supposed to be digital gold because it was built for de-dollarisation, but gold and silver are winning the trade and fulfilling that role. Over the past year, gold has risen by roughly 55%, silver has surged around 150%, while BTC has remained flat. Related Reading: What’s Going On With Bitcoin And The Stock Market? Analyst Breaks It Down The Central banks are the drivers; they don’t want volatility that they can’t manage, and they don’t want an asset that moves in lockstep with the Nasdaq. Instead, they want a controllable monetary infrastructure, and they’re buying gold at the highest rate in history. Just hours ago, gold hit $5,600, then collapsed by 8.21% in a straight vertical drop to $5,140, which is a textbook margin liquidation. At the same time, Microsoft dropped 11.7% as tech sold their gold because it was their only profitable asset, and the investors needed cash fast. This is the same liquidity contagion that used to be seen in the crypto market. According to Sinha, gold cannot be sanctioned in a bar. As the West weaponizes the dollar through sanctions and financial controls, the rest of the world needs a neutral exit. In the end, BTC still proved it is a speculative tool, while gold is proving to be the replacement. Why Gold Is Likely To Keep Outperforming Bitcoin A crypto trader known as Doctor Profit pointed out that nearly a year ago, he shared a Gold versus Bitcoin chart, highlighting that once 0.02 BTC equals 1 ounce of gold, it should mark the top for BTC. Meanwhile, when 0.11 BTC equals 1 ounce of gold, it marks the bottom for BTC. This happened in 2021 during the BTC top and during the BTC bottom in 2022. Related Reading: Expert Who Nailed The Bitcoin Top Now Says Buy At These Levels According to Doctor Profit, the analysis was later proven right this year by calling the BTC top at $125,000 at 0.02 for 1 ounce of gold. Calculating this move, if 1 BTC is $5,500 in gold price and divided by 0.11, it should be $50,000 BTC, which matches the analysis of BTC bottom for this cycle between $50,000 and $60,000 BTC. However, the analysis played out as expected. If calculated with a gold price of $7,000, the equivalent of BTC bottom should be around $63,000, which also aligns with the bottom target. In the Doctor Profit view, gold might continue to outperform BTC in the coming months. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
Any deal involving SpaceX and Tesla would quietly consolidate one of the world’s largest corporate bitcoin holdings under a single roof.
While gold has posted major gains, Bitcoin (BTC) continues to show major signs of weakness, with prices drifting toward lower support levels and now approaching the closely watched $82,000 mark, a pivotal point in determining the next major direction for the world’s largest cryptocurrency. Against this backdrop, market analyst Doctor Profit has drawn attention to what he describes as one of the most important charts of the current Bitcoin cycle: the Gold‑to‑Bitcoin (GOLD/BTC) ratio. What The Gold-To-Bitcoin Ratio Suggests According to Profit, this chart has repeatedly provided reliable signals for major market tops and bottoms. He noted that he first shared this framework nearly a year ago, highlighting a historical pattern in which Bitcoin tends to peak when 0.02 BTC equals one ounce of gold, and bottom when that ratio reaches 0.11 BTC per ounce. Related Reading: Bitcoin Slides Toward $85,000 Despite Progress On US Crypto Market Structure Bill Profit pointed out that this relationship played out during the previous cycle, accurately marking Bitcoin’s top in 2021 and its bottom in 2022. He argues that the same pattern has repeated in the current cycle, claiming Bitcoin’s recent top near $125,000 when the gold‑to‑Bitcoin ratio once again reached the 0.02 level. The key question now, he says, is whether the market will again reach the 0.11 BTC‑per‑ounce level that has historically signaled a bottom. Based on current prices, Profit walked through the math. Assuming a gold price of roughly $5,500 per ounce, dividing that figure by 0.11 implies a Bitcoin price near $50,000. That outcome, he noted, aligns with his broader expectation that Bitcoin’s cycle low could fall somewhere between $50,000 and $60,000. He added that even under a more bullish scenario for gold, the analysis still supports his thesis. If gold were to rise to $7,000 per ounce, the same ratio would imply a Bitcoin bottom near $63,000. In his view, both scenarios reinforce the idea that gold is likely to outperform Bitcoin in the coming months. BTC Nearing Late‑Cycle Bear Phase? Not all analysts, however, share that bearish outlook for Bitcoin. Offering a contrasting perspective, technical analyst Michael van de Poppe suggested that gold’s recent strength could be nearing exhaustion, potentially setting the stage for capital to rotate back into Bitcoin. Van de Poppe highlighted the relative strength index (RSI) of Bitcoin measured against gold on the weekly timeframe, noting that it has reached the lowest level ever recorded. In his assessment, this suggests a sharp imbalance in valuations, with one asset appearing overextended in the short term and the other deeply undervalued. He described the situation as part of what he calls the “big rotation” phase of the market cycle. Related Reading: Bitcoin Supply In Loss Begins To Rise, Raising Early Bear Market Concerns The analyst also pointed to Bitcoin’s Z‑Score indicator, a metric used to assess whether the cryptocurrency is overvalued or undervalued by comparing its market capitalization to its realized capitalization, adjusted for volatility. According to van de Poppe, the current Z‑Score for Bitcoin is lower than it was at several major historical bottoms, including those seen in 2015, 2018, the COVID‑19 crash in 2020, and the 2022 bear market low. In his view, this signals that BTC is already deep into a bear‑market phase and may be approaching its final stages. At the time of writing, BTC was trading at $83,435, with losses of 2.2% and 7% recorded in the 24-hour and seven-day time frames, respectively. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
Moltbook’s viral posts and strange user behavior memecoins, including MOLT soaring more than 7,000%.
My $49k Bitcoin bear thesis, a January check-in, the plumbing is flashing while price bleeds I wrote my medium-term $49,000 bear thesis in late November with one simple idea, Bitcoin still moves in cycles, and the next real “this is the low” moment tends to arrive when miner economics and flows line up at the […]
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2025 marked Tether’s “second-largest annual issuance in its history,” with over $50 billion new USDT added to the circulating supply.
Tethers Q4 2025 attestation shows record USD issuance, $10B in profits, and tokenized gold topping $2B as digital dollar demand grows.
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The fintech bank reported record quarterly revenue of $1 billion as it reintroduced crypto trading, launched a stablecoin and rolled out blockchain-based remittances.
Representatives from Coinbase, crypto trade groups and banking organizations are expected to meet next week to discuss the treatment of stablecoin rewards.
The commission also singled out Hungary for failing to comply with the EU's MiCA framework after an amendment to a local law.
Crypto pundit BigShortRare has declared that a Litecoin price rally to between $1,200 and $2,000 is not a fantasy but a marketcap math. This came as he explained exactly how the altcoin will reach this price target based on its market cap and circulating supply. Why A Litecoin Price Rally To $2,000 Could Happen In an X post, BigShortRare noted that LTC has a circulating supply of roughly 76.78 million coins. As such, a $1,200 Litecoin price will give the altcoin a market cap of about $90 billion, while at $2,000 per LTC, the altcoin’s market cap is about $150 million. The pundit remarked that these numbers sound big until they are put in context. Related Reading: Here’s Why The Litecoin Price May Be Getting Ready For Another Massive Rally BigShortRare alluded to the fact that Bitcoin has already crossed $2 trillion in market cap in the past, while Ethereum has traded above a $500 billion market cap. Furthermore, he stated that in the previous cycle, capital has repeatedly concentrated into a few large, liquid, and battle-tested assets. Therefore, a Litecoin price rally to a $90 billion to $150 billion market cap would still be a fraction of Bitcoin’s market cap and well within historical altcoin concentration ranges during late-cycle rotation. BigShortRare also mentioned that what supports that valuation range is not illusion but structure. He explained that Litecoin is fully integrated across exchanges, wallets, payment processors, and merchant rails. The pundit added that the altcoin has a fixed supply, no VC overhang, no emissions surprises, and no dependency on speculative incentives. LTC is also said to function as a settlement and payment network, not a promise. “LTC Is The OG” BigShortRare also noted that LTC is an OG crypto project, which is another reason why he is confident that the Litecoin price can rally to as high as $2,000. He stated that when markets rotate from experimentation to reliability, capital doesn’t spread evenly but rather compresses into assets that already work at scale. Related Reading: XRP, HBAR, And Litecoin: Pundit Highlights Coins To Watch In 2026 The pundit remarked that a $1,200 to $2,000 price tag for LTC doesn’t require it to replace Bitcoin or Ethereum. Instead, it only requires the market to price Litecoin as a major monetary rail and not a side character. “That’s not a prediction of timing. It’s a valuation argument. Price decides when. Structure decides if,” he concluded. It is worth noting that BigShortRare’s thesis was in support of crypto analyst Surf’s prediction that the Litecoin price was about to rally to $2,000. His accompanying chart showed that the rally to this price target could happen by 2028. At the time of writing, the Litecoin price is trading at around $64, down over 5% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com
A new Brookings report says binding community benefit agreements are increasingly necessary as local opposition mounts over AI data centers.
Vitalik Buterin said the Ethereum Foundation is entering mild austerity as he deploys $44M in ETH toward security, privacy, and open infra.
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As the dollar weakens, investors are turning to gold — onchain and off — while Bitcoin increasingly plays a supporting role in hedging currency risk.
CZ pushed back on claims that Binance fueled October’s historic $19 billion crypto liquidation event, calling allegations against the exchange “far-fetched.”
On Jan. 30, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson announced that he has signed an integration agreement to bring USDCx, a Circle-linked stablecoin product, to the Cardano ecosystem. The infrastructure move represents a strategic effort to lower the network’s DeFi growth ceiling by establishing a sustained, reliable flow of on-chain dollar liquidity. In a social media post […]
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Brian Armstrong made the media rounds before and after he announced Coinbase was pulling its support for a major US crypto bill, reportedly facing off with Jamie Dimon in Davos.
Bitcoin short positions continued to pile up as BTC price dropped near $81,000, potentially providing the liquidation fuel for a revenge rally back above $90,000.
Indeed, since the JPMorgan report was published on Wednesday, both silver and gold have pulled back from recent highs.
The blank-check company has yet to name an acquisition target, but the listing creates a new public vehicle tied to the US-based crypto exchange.
Bitcoin has slipped below the $83,000 level as selling pressure continues to dominate global markets, extending a correction that has unfolded alongside broader risk-off conditions. Weakness across equities and commodities has weighed on investor sentiment, and Bitcoin has not been immune to this environment. With volatility elevated and liquidity thinning, market participants are increasingly cautious, and several analysts now point to the possibility of a deeper retracement toward lower demand zones before any meaningful stabilization can occur. Related Reading: XRP Risk-Adjusted Returns Signal Consolidation Rather Than Trend Formation – Details Beyond price action, on-chain data suggests that the Bitcoin network itself is entering a period of unusually low activity. Transaction demand has cooled, and miner fee generation remains muted, signaling limited urgency for blockspace. This “quiet” state reflects a market where speculative interest has faded, and organic usage is subdued, a combination that often emerges during corrective or transitional phases rather than during strong uptrends. At the same time, the lack of aggressive on-chain selling pressure indicates that the move lower is not being driven by panic but by persistent distribution and reduced participation. This creates an environment where price can drift lower with relatively little resistance. As Bitcoin searches for its next area of support, the coming sessions will be critical in determining whether current weakness evolves into a deeper correction or forms the foundation for a more durable base once activity and demand begin to recover. Bitcoin Miner Fees Signal Prolonged Network Dormancy An analysis from Onchain Mind highlights a key metric for assessing the underlying health of the Bitcoin network: the Miner Fees to Block Subsidy Ratio. This indicator measures how much of miners’ revenue comes from transaction fees compared to the fixed block reward, making it a direct proxy for organic demand for blockspace. When users are competing to have transactions included in blocks, fees rise, and this ratio increases. When activity slows, the ratio compresses. Since July, this metric has remained pinned below 1%, marking a sharp and sustained cooldown in network usage. This stands in stark contrast to the conditions seen last May, when the ratio surged above 15% during periods of heightened on-chain activity and speculative demand. At that time, elevated fees reflected strong competition for blockspace and a network operating near capacity. The current environment tells a very different story. Persistently low fee contribution suggests that transaction urgency has largely evaporated, with users showing little willingness to pay premium fees for settlement. Historically, such prolonged periods of subdued fee pressure have been associated with bear market phases, when participation declines and on-chain activity contracts. This does not signal immediate stress for miners, given the dominance of the block subsidy in revenue. However, it does underline a broader slowdown in network engagement, reinforcing the view that Bitcoin is currently operating in a low-demand, defensive phase rather than a growth-driven one. Related Reading: Bitmine Stakes Additional 250,912 Ethereum Worth $745M – 61% Is Now Staked Bitcoin Breaks Key Support As Bearish Structure Strengthens Bitcoin’s price action continues to reflect a market under sustained pressure. BTC is now trading near the $83,000 area after failing to hold recent consolidation lows. The chart shows a clear sequence of lower highs and lower lows since the November peak. Confirming that the broader structure remains bearish rather than corrective. Price is firmly below the 50-day and 100-day moving averages, both of which are sloping downward and acting as dynamic resistance, while the 200-day moving average remains well above current levels, reinforcing the loss of long-term trend support. Related Reading: OKX Launches Crypto Payment Card Across the European Economic Area The recent breakdown below the $85,000–$84,000 zone is technically significant. This area had previously acted as a short-term base during December and early January. But the failure to defend it suggests that buyers are no longer willing to absorb supply at these levels. Volume spikes accompanying the latest sell-off indicate distribution rather than capitulation, pointing to continued, orderly selling pressure. The market is transitioning into a price discovery phase toward lower demand zones. If downside momentum persists, the next areas of interest lie near the $80,000 psychological level. Followed by deeper support closer to the low-$70,000 range, where previous consolidation occurred in mid-2024. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com
After a bruising 2025, Hougan sees sideways Bitcoin trading, rising institutional interest and early central bank curiosity setting up the next cycle.
Gold’s record-breaking rally finally blinked this week, and Bitcoin’s traders are watching what comes next. After sprinting to an all-time high of $5,594.82 per ounce, spot gold slid to around $5,330 as investors took profits, a pullback of roughly 4.7% from the peak. The Kobeissi Letter noted that the precious metal's volatile price performance led […]
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Autonomous agents on an AI-centric social network spontaneously founded "Crustafarianism"—complete with scripture, prophets, and theology.
The Department of Justice said it now holds legal title over crypto, real estate and monetary assets tied to darknet mixing service, Helix
Silver plunged 35% in a historic intraday collapse, reversing a parabolic rally and sparking extreme metals volatility.
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WisdomTree's year-end financial statement recorded $2.24 billion worth of crypto assets under management, up from $1.9 billion in Q4 2024.