The institutional bitcoin manager expands its mandate as demand for professional risk-managed digital asset strategies grows.
Cathie Wood is arguing that the next phase of US policy and macro could recreate an early-1980s style risk-on regime, one that, in her telling, strengthens the case for bitcoin as a portfolio diversifier even as it complicates the “digital gold” narrative. In a post on X, the ARK Invest CEO said “the next three years could be Reaganomics on steroids,” pointing to deregulation, tax cuts, “sound monetary policy,” and “peace through strength” as ingredients for a stronger dollar and capped gold prices. Her January 15 “New Year letter,” titled Cathie Wood’s 2026 Outlook: The US Economy Is A Coiled Spring, lays out the mechanics behind that analogy and places crypto explicitly inside the policy and productivity story. A “Coiled Spring” Macro Thesis Wood’s central claim is that the US has looked sturdier than it really is because weakness has rotated through rate-sensitive pockets rather than hitting the whole economy at once. “Despite sustained real gross domestic product (GDP) growth during the past three years, the underlying US economy has suffered a rolling recession and has evolved into a coiled spring that could bounce back powerfully during the next few years. In response to COVID-related supply shocks, the record-breaking 22-fold surge in the Fed funds rate from 0.25% in March 2022 to 5.5% in the sixteen months ended July 2023 pushed housing, manufacturing, non-AI capital spending, and low-to-middle income America into recession.” Related Reading: Bitcoin Rally Accompanied By ‘Very Bullish’ Whale-Retail Behavior, Santiment Says She anchors the housing leg with a specific trough: existing home sales fell 40% from a 5.9 million annual rate in January 2021 to 3.5 million in October 2023, which she notes is “a level last seen in November 2010.” From there, Wood pivots to policy impulse and cash-flow relief. “Thanks to the confluence of deregulation and lower taxes (including tariffs), inflation, and interest rates, the rolling recession which has characterized the last few years in the US could turn quickly and sharply during the next year and beyond. Deregulation is unleashing innovation in every sector, led by the first AI and Crypto Czar, David Sacks, in the AI and digital assets space. Meanwhile, lower taxes on tips, overtime, and social security should hand US consumers significant refunds this quarter, potentially driving real disposable income growth up from ~2% at an annual rate during the second half of 2025 to ~8.3% this quarter.” She also argues corporate cash flows could be boosted by accelerated depreciation, writing that it could push the effective corporate tax rate “down toward 10%,” with 100% first-year depreciation for equipment, software and domestic R&D made permanent and retroactive to January 1, 2025. Gold, Bitcoin, And The Dollar Wood’s inflation case is concrete and component-driven. She points to oil falling from about $124 on March 8, 2022 to a level that’s roughly 53% lower, and down about 22% year-over-year as of ARK’s January 12 data cut. She adds that single-family home sale prices are down about 15% from the October 2022 peak, while existing home price inflation (three-month moving average) decelerated from roughly 24% YoY in June 2021 to about 1.3%. On labor, she cites non-farm productivity up 1.9% YoY (third quarter), compensation per man-hour up 3.2%, and unit labor cost inflation at 1.2%. She then pushes a real-time check: Truflation at 1.7% YoY as of January 7, nearly 100 bps below CPI-based inflation. The crypto hook comes through her attempt to split gold’s recent run from bitcoin’s role in portfolios. “During 2025, the gold price appreciated 65% as the price of bitcoin slipped 6%. While many observers have attributed the 166% surge in the gold price from $1,600 to $4,300 since the end of the US equity bear market in October 2022 to the risk of inflation, another interpretation is that global wealth creation… has outpaced the ~1.8% annualized increase in the gold supply globally.” Related Reading: Glassnode: Bitcoin Is Back At $96K, Hitting The Same Sell Ceiling Again Wood then leans on supply schedules and correlations. She notes bitcoin’s supply is “mathematically metered” to rise about 0.82% per year for the next two years before slowing to ~0.41%, and argues that diversification — not “digital gold” rhetoric — is the cleaner allocator lens. In ARK’s correlation matrix using weekly returns from 1/1/2020 through 1/6/2026, bitcoin’s correlation is 0.14 to gold, 0.06 to bonds, and 0.28 to the S&P 500; the S&P 500–bonds correlation is shown at 0.27. Finally, she brings it back to FX: after a year in which the trade-weighted dollar (DXY) fell 11% in the first half and 9% for the full year, Wood argues that higher US returns on invested capital, driven by fiscal, deregulation, and US-led technological breakthroughs, could push the dollar higher, echoing the early Reagan period when “the dollar nearly doubled.” If Wood’s “Reaganomics on steroids” framing gains traction, the near-term market implication is less about a single bitcoin price target and more about positioning: a regime she expects to feature falling inflation, lower rates, and heavy AI capex (data-center systems investment up 47% to nearly $500 billion in 2025, with a further 20% to roughly $600 billion expected in 2026) is one where allocators may revisit where bitcoin sits on the risk spectrum, and whether its low cross-asset correlation is the more durable thesis than any one-line comparison to gold. While Wood’s 2026 outlook does not publish a specific Bitcoin price target, ARK has previously outlined 2030 scenarios for BTC of roughly $300,000 (bear), $710,000 (base), and $1.2 million (bull). At press time, BTC traded at $95,685. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
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.
Coinbase’s decision to withdraw support for the US CLARITY Act has reignited tensions across the crypto industry. The bill, originally positioned as a long-awaited framework to bring regulatory clarity to digital assets, is now at the center of a deeper debate around competition, power, and whose interests US crypto regulation truly serves. While Coinbase says …
Brian Garry Sewell sentenced to three years for defrauding investors of $2.9 million and laundering $5.4 million.
X revised its developer API policies to ban applications that financially reward users for posting, and enforcement has already begun. Nikita Bier, who joined X's product team after selling his social app tbh to Meta, framed the move as part of a broader effort to reduce low-quality engagement and told displaced builders that X would […]
The post Discord is suddenly locking down servers for the same alarming reason X just purged these crypto developers appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Belgian bank KBC will launch bitcoin and ether trading for retail investors via its Bolero platform as Belgium’s MiCA regime comes into force.
According to Wintermute’s 2025 Digital Asset OTC Markets report, altcoin rallies last year were much shorter than traders expected, averaging about 19–20 days. That is a steep drop from the roughly 60-day runs seen in 2024. Market flows tightened, and many smaller tokens saw gains vanish faster than before. The result: capital moved back into the big names — Bitcoin and Ethereum — where liquidity is deeper. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced Altcoin Open Interest Drops Based on reports, one key trigger was a sharp deleveraging on October 10, 2025, which pushed retail traders to reduce risk and rotate out of smaller tokens. Open interest in many altcoin futures contracts fell, with some coverage noting about a 55% decline in altcoin futures open interest since October. Trading desks said lower liquidity made it harder for rallies to keep going beyond a few weeks, turning what used to be multi-month moves into short bursts. Major Coins Reclaimed Center Stage Institutional flows and product structures played a role. Reports have disclosed that ETFs and other institutional channels helped funnel funds toward Bitcoin and Ethereum. As a result, the market’s attention narrowed. Where narratives once pushed dozens of tokens into rallies, more capital was now concentrated in the top tier. Traders say they preferred assets where orders could be filled without dramatically moving the price. Short, Intense Moves Replaced Long Trends Wintermute’s analysis points to a change in how momentum forms. Rally drivers became more tactical and less about broad, lasting narratives. In practice, that meant memecoin pumps and exchange-themed rallies burned out quickly. Some traders described these moves as hair-trigger events: quick upswings followed by equally rapid retracements. Liquidity bands tightened and stops were hit sooner than in past cycles. What Traders And Firms Are Watching Market participants say the path to a sustained altcoin season now requires a few things aligning. Reports indicate renewed retail interest, clearer institutional support for smaller tokens, and calmer macro markets could help. Otherwise, rallies are likely to remain short. Execution desks reported that when big buyers reappeared for a token, it could run fast, but keeping that momentum proved difficult without deeper market participation. Related Reading: Futures Frenzy Pushed Crypto Exchange Volume To Nearly $80 Trillion In 2025 Outlook For 2026 Based on the report and market commentary, a broader crypto rebound in 2026 depends on several moving parts: interest from institutions, shifts in macro rates, and retail returning to risk-on strategies. If those elements arrive, rallies might last longer than the 19–20 day average seen in 2025. If not, traders say the pattern of quick, sharp moves into the majors will continue. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Play Store will soon require all crypto platforms to register as a VASP with the Korean authorities to offer apps in the region.
The crypto sentiments are improving since the start of the year, with frequent bullish pushes and a significant rise in volume. Meanwhile, Dogecoin (DOGE) and Cardano (ADA) seem to remain away from the market dynamics. Despite small day-to-day swings, both tokens remain more than 80% away from their ATH, which makes a fresh high in …
Chiliz price has extended its bullish streak today with a 8% surge, underlining a momentum shift that has been taking shape since early 2026. After months of subdued and range-bound move, CHZ has now delivered a series of higher highs, reflecting persistent demand rather than speculative spikes. As fan token interest begins to re-enter focus …
Leading derivatives exchange CME plans to add futures contracts tied to Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), and Stellar (XLM) to continue growing its roster of regulated crypto derivatives. Related Reading: Analyst Says It’s Time For Ethereum’s ‘Big Test’ – Is ETH Season Loading? CME Adds New Altcoins To Crypto Derivatives Lineup On Thursday, Chicago-based derivatives exchange CME Group announced a new expansion of its lineup of regulated crypto derivatives with the upcoming inclusion of Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar futures. According to the announcement, the new crypto additions are expected to launch on February 9, 2026, although they are still pending regulatory review. In addition, they will offer both micro-sized and larger-sized contracts for the three cryptocurrencies. For the standard Cardano futures, the contract will cover 100,000 ADA, while the micro-sized ADA futures will consist of 10,000 tokens. In addition, the Chainlink and Stellar’s large-sized futures will be set at 5,000 LINK and 250,000 XLM, respectively, while the small-sized contracts will cover 250 LINK and 12,500 XLM. The upcoming Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar futures contracts build on the derivatives exchange’s existing crypto suite, which includes four of the largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. In 2017, CME first launched Bitcoin (BTC) futures, followed by the introduction of Ethereum (ETH) futures in 2021. In the first half of 2025, the Chicago-based exchange added Solana (SOL) and XRP futures to its lineup, introducing options for both cryptocurrencies later in the year. Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products, highlighted the industry’s expansion and development over the past few years, affirming that “given crypto’s record growth over the last year, clients are looking for trusted, regulated products to manage price risk as well as additional tools to gain exposure to this dynamic market.” “With these new micro- and larger-size Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures contracts, market participants will now have greater choice with enhanced flexibility and more capital-efficiencies,” he added. Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar Price Reaction Despite the positive development, the trajectory of ADA, LINK, and XLM remained mostly unchanged, with the three altcoins continuing their intraday correction. Chainlink and Stellar both saw 4% declines from their Thursday highs, falling to the $13.60 and $0.225 levels. LINK has momentarily lost the $13.80 level as support and is attempting to hold the current area to prevent further bleeding. Similarly, XLM was also rejected from the Wednesday highs and bounced from the $0.230 before continuing its descent toward its two-day low. Related Reading: Bitcoin Nears ‘Historic’ Technical Test As Price Eyes $93,500 Barrier – What’s Next? Meanwhile, ADA was attempting to reclaim the $0.41 area ahead of the announcement, briefly bouncing from the recent pullback. Notably, Cardano surged over 10% from the recent lows toward the crucial $0.42-$0.43 area. However, the altcoin was rejected from this zone on Wednesday, retracing nearly 9% from the local highs to retest the $0.40 level. On Thursday morning, the cryptocurrency bounced from this area, but ultimately resumed its correction as the day progressed. As a result, Cardano has retraced most of this week’s gains, currently trading around the $0.391 mark. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Citron Research sharply criticized Coinbase for abandoning support of crypto market structure legislation, arguing the exchange’s retreat reflects self-interest and fear of increased competition rather than genuine policy concerns. The firm instead highlighted Securitize, a tokenization platform backed by BlackRock and poised to go public via SPAC in the first half of 2026. With over …
The new futures contracts, available in micro and standard sizes, are set to launch on Feb. 9, pending regulatory approval.
Most foreign centralized cryptocurrency exchange (CEX) apps will soon become unavailable for download or updates on South Korea’s Google Play Store. The change follows a Google policy update that requires crypto exchanges and wallet providers to hold valid local licenses in the regions where they operate. As a result, only platforms registered as Virtual Asset …
Talks of an XRP “super cycle” have emerged recently, but the cryptocurrency’s weekly SuperTrend has formed a sell signal instead. XRP SuperTrend Has Formed A Sell Signal In a new post on X, analyst Ali Martinez has shared the weekly XRP price chart, writing, “I’m hearing about a $XRP super cycle…” The “super cycle” is the popular term for a sustained period of expansion in an asset. Related Reading: Bitcoin Rally Accompanied By ‘Very Bullish’ Whale-Retail Behavior, Santiment Says There has been some chatter online around an XRP super cycle recently, with one mention being from YoungHoon Kim, who claims to be the holder of the world’s highest IQ. “XRP is in a super cycle,” said Kim in an X post. Whether the idea of a super cycle for the cryptocurrency holds weight remains unclear, but Martinez’ chart showcases the asset’s trajectory from the lens of a technical analysis (TA) indicator known as the “SuperTrend.” The SuperTrend is used for finding whether a given asset is following a bullish or bearish trend. It involves only one trendline, which acts as either resistance or support depending upon which side of it the price is trading. This trendline is built using another indicator called the Average True Range (ATR), which gauges, in brief, the degree of volatility that the asset’s price is experiencing. From the above chart, it’s visible that the 1-week price of XRP was above the SuperTrend line in 2025, meaning that a bullish trend was active for the cryptocurrency from the indicator’s perspective. The coin ended the year with a reversal in the SuperTrend, however, and it has since remained under the trendline. Thus, at least this indicator would suggest that a bullish regime is no longer dominant for the digital asset. Only time will tell, though, whether the SuperTrend will hold for XRP like it did during 2025 or if bullish momentum will see a fresh continuation, leading to another reversal in the indicator. Related Reading: Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index Turns ‘Neutral’ For First Time Since October XRP isn’t alone in witnessing a signal on the SuperTrend recently. As the analyst has pointed out in another X post, Solana (SOL) has also seen a shift in the indicator. As displayed in the graph, Solana has just turned bullish on the SuperTrend after the latest recovery rally took its 1-day price above the trendline. Previously, the cryptocurrency had been stuck under the SuperTrend trendline since the last quarter of 2025. XRP Price While most of the digital asset sector has enjoyed an uptick during the past week, XRP is underwater in the period as its price has gone down 2% to $2.07. Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView.com
Electronic brokerage giant Interactive Brokers says its clients can deposit USDC, which will automatically convert to US dollars to fund their accounts.
Megatel Homes says it’s launching a program where renters could receive rewards for paying their rent using a crypto token.
State Street said its new crypto platform would help clients build tokenized money market funds, exchange-traded funds, and products such as tokenized deposits and stablecoins.
The rise in new wallets suggests broader interest in Ethereum, driven by decentralized finance, stablecoin transfers, NFTs, and new applications.
According to analysts at JPMorgan, crypto-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs), particularly for Bitcoin (BTC), are expected to see inflows in 2026 that will far exceed those from 2025. Led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, the analysis highlights a significant trend where capital flowing into the crypto market through ETFs reached a record high of $130 billion last year, driven by a growing interest in digital asset treasuries (DATs). DAT Companies Lead Crypto Inflows In 2025 Panigirtzoglou explained that the inflows observed in 2025 were largely attributed to Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH) ETFs, which the analyst suggests were primarily fueled by retail investors, as well as Bitcoin acquisitions by DAT companies. In contrast, participation from institutional investors and hedge funds, as indicated by the buying activity in Bitcoin and Ethereum Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures, appeared to have declined compared to 2024. Related Reading: Zcash Foundation Investigation Closed: SEC Decision Sparks 12% Jump In ZEC Price The analysts noted that over half of the total digital asset inflows in 2025, approximately $68 billion, came from DAT companies. Another $23 billion was attributed to formal strategies, marking a slight increase from $22 billion in Bitcoin buying from the previous year. Notably, other DATs acquired about $45 billion in digital assets, a significant rise from just $8 billion in 2024. However, most of these purchases occurred earlier in the year, and by October, the momentum in crypto buying from DATs had markedly decreased. Crypto venture capital funding also contributed to the overall capital flows, though this area remained substantially lower than the peaks experienced in 2021 and 2022. While total crypto venture capital funding saw a modest increase in 2025 compared to 2024, the number of deals declined sharply, and investment activity became increasingly concentrated in later-stage funding rounds. JPMorgan further suggested that this muted growth in venture funding was, in part, due to the increasing allocation of capital toward DATs. Funds that might have otherwise been directed to early-stage startups were increasingly diverted toward treasury strategies that provide immediate liquidity. Regulatory Changes Anticipated To Boost Institutional Interest Looking forward, the analysts expect a rebound in institutional crypto flows in 2026, which could be spurred by the anticipated passage of additional regulatory measures, such as the Crypto Market Structure Bill (CLARITY Act) in the US. This anticipated legislation is expected to further entrench institutional adoption of digital assets, along with renewed institutional engagement in areas like venture capital funding, mergers and acquisitions, and initial public offerings (IPOs). Related Reading: Crypto Market Bill Draft Criticized For Allowing Continued Developer Prosecution However, the expected markup of this bill has been delayed late on Wednesday, as crypto industry leaders, including the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase (COIN), have withdrawn their support for the legislation. This is attributed to issues related to key provisions, which the firm’s CEO, Brian Armstrong, has described as making this version “materially worse than the current status quo”. At the time of writing, the market’s leading cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, was trading at $96,050, having recorded gains of 10% over the previous fourteen days, as broader inflows have already returned to the market since the beginning of the year. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
Amid protests and economic crisis, Iranians are increasingly withdrawing bitcoin from exchanges to personal wallets.
Web3 analytics and marketing platform Kaito is entering a new phase after the social media platform X announced plans to shut down reward-based posting models. The change has pushed Kaito to sunset its popular Yaps program and introduce a new product, Kaito Studio, signaling a bigger shift in how crypto projects approach marketing, creators, and …
Eligible Interactive Brokers LLC clients can now deposit USDC around the clock, with funds converted to dollars and credited to brokerage accounts within minutes.
Regulated investment vehicles such as exchange-traded funds expanded in 2025, and corporations added crypto to their balance sheets, opening up more pathways for user access.
Solana failed to stay above $146 and corrected gains. SOL price is now trading below $145 and might find bids near the $140 zone. SOL price started a downside correction below $145 against the US Dollar. The price is now trading below $145 and the 100-hourly simple moving average. There is a bullish trend line forming with support at $141 on the hourly chart of the SOL/USD pair (data source from Kraken). The pair could extend losses if it dips below the $140 zone. Solana Price Starts Downside Correction Solana price failed to surpass $150 and started a downside correction, like Bitcoin and Ethereum. SOL dipped below $146 and $145 to enter a short-term bearish zone. There was a move below the 61.8% Fib retracement level of the upward wave from the $138 swing low to the $149 high. However, the bulls are active above $140. Besides, there is a bullish trend line forming with support at $141 on the hourly chart of the SOL/USD pair. Solana is now trading below $145 and the 100-hourly simple moving average. On the upside, the price is facing resistance near the $144 level. The next major resistance is near the $146 level. The main resistance could be $148. A successful close above the $148 resistance zone could set the pace for another steady increase. The next key resistance is $155. Any more gains might send the price toward the $162 level. More Losses In SOL? If SOL fails to rise above the $146 resistance, it could start another decline. Initial support on the downside is near the $141 zone and the trend line. The first major support is near the $140 level and the 76.4% Fib retracement level of the upward wave from the $138 swing low to the $149 high. A break below the $140 level might send the price toward the $132 support zone. If there is a close below the $132 support, the price could decline toward the $124 support in the near term. Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – The MACD for SOL/USD is gaining pace in the bearish zone. Hourly Hours RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for SOL/USD is below the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $141 and $140. Major Resistance Levels – $146 and $148.
Crypto markets continue to trade in a tight band on the higher timeframes, and the spotlight has clearly shifted away from the top 10 tokens. Bitcoin price slipped marginally to around $95,500, while Ethereum price held firm above $3,500. Among major alts, BNB, XRP, and Solana stayed constructive and traded above their key resistance zones …
Nexo faces fresh headwinds as California regulators take action against the digital assets platform for the second time in three years.
According to ValidatorQueue data, staked Ethereum has climbed to close to 36 million, equal to nearly 30% of the circulating supply. That figure now represents more than $119 billion at current prices. Staking rose from 35.5 million to almost 36 million since early January, even though ETH has fallen more than 30% since August. Related Reading: Futures Frenzy Pushed Crypto Exchange Volume To Nearly $80 Trillion In 2025 The unstaking queue is zero, while the staking queue topped 2.5 million ETH — its highest level since August 2023. Based on reports, those moves point to strong long-term bets on the network. Ethereum Staking Shows Strong Conviction Institutional interest helped push the numbers higher. Publicly listed Digital Asset Treasuries and big staking services are said to be among the active participants. Some of the latest increases came during a stretch that had been mostly flat since last August. Market watchers say that rising stakes add to the protocol’s security profile, and the large queue suggests demand for on-chain commitments remains high even with price weakness. Buterin Says Infrastructure Is Ready Meanwhile, reports have disclosed that Ethereum’s founder, Vitalik Buterin, has urged builders to stop experimenting only in theory and start shipping real products. He has argued that the technical pieces are finally functional: the chain runs on proof of stake, transaction costs are lower, and scaling through ZK-EVMs and Layer 2s is working. Messaging that began with Whisper has been adapted into Waku, and apps such as Status and Railway were cited as examples that already use these systems. In 2014, there was a vision: you can have permissionless, decentralized applications that could support finance, social media, ride sharing, governing organizations, crowdfunding, potentially create an entire alternative web, all on the backs of a suite of technologies.… pic.twitter.com/ihU9qOrXfG — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 14, 2026 He used the term “walkaway test” to describe a simple check: if a decentralized app’s operator disappears, can the data and functionality remain available to users? Fileverse, a decentralized document editor, was pointed to as a case where documents would survive even if the team behind it vanished. Builders Urged To Ship Practical Apps Buterin also criticized the trend toward overly centralized consumer devices and services that lock users into accounts and subscriptions. He warned against appliances that require registration and that may collect data on routine tasks. He contrasted those products with tools that a person truly owns and controls. The message was clear: now that infrastructure is in place, developers should focus on practical software people will actually use, not just experiments that live on testnets. What This Means Going Forward The split between the technical optimism and the market reality is visible. On one side, nearly 36 million ETH staked and a swollen staking queue show investor conviction in the protocol’s future. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced On the other, price pressure since August has been real and is still being felt. Reports emphasize that the climb in staked ETH strengthens the network’s security, but the call to build usable, user-friendly apps remains loud. If developers respond by shipping useful products that meet everyday needs, the combination of a secure chain and working applications could push broader adoption. For now, the numbers and the rhetoric are both sending a clear signal: the ingredients exist, and attention is shifting toward turning them into tools people rely on. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Short-term price action is driven by technical positioning, with $2.13 acting as a key resistance level.