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- Trump says U.S. to ban large investors from buying homes
A home for sale in Alhambra, California, Aug. 28, 2025.
Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump said the U.S. should bar large institutional investors from buying single-family homes, arguing that corporate ownership has helped push housing further out of reach for everyday Americans.
“For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream. It was the reward for working hard, and doing the right thing, but now, because of the Record High Inflation caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress, that American Dream is increasingly out of reach for far too many people, especially younger Americans,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday.
“It is for that reason, and much more, that I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it. People live in homes, not corporations,” he added.
Private equity giants, real estate investment trusts and other large institutional investors have amassed sizable portfolios of single-family rental homes over the past decade. Many have argued that these investments have reduced housing supply for would-be homeowners and helped drive up prices.
Invitation Homes, which is the largest renter of single-family homes in the country, tumbled 7%. Shares of Blackstone, an investing firm that owns and rents single-family homes, dropped 4%. Shares of other big institutional investors involved in real estate also declined, including Apollo Global Management and BlackRock.
Trump did not provide details on how such a ban would be implemented. Trump said he plans to outline additional housing and affordability proposals during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in two weeks. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio said Wednesday he will introduce a bill to make it harder for larger investors to buy single family homes.
The national median existing single-family home price was $426,800 in the third quarter of 2025 after hitting a record high of $435,300 in the summer, according to the National Association of Realtors. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is currently at 6.19%, according to Mortgage News Daily.
Blackstone was the largest private-equity owner of apartments in the U.S. with more than 230,000 units, according to data from the Private Equity Stakeholder Project released last year. Blackstone in recent years has spent billions acquiring real estate companies such as Tricon Residential, American Campus Communities and AIR Communities.
— CNBC’s Alex Harring contributed reporting.
Source link - 2026 US Midterms May Throw a Wrench in Trump’s Policy Agenda: Ray Dalio
The balance of power in the United States Congress may shift in favor of Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections, fueled by inflation concerns, threatening to undo regulatory policies under the Republican Party and US President Donald Trump, according to billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio.
“The affordability issue will probably be the number one political issue next year, contributing to the Republicans losing the House and a very messy 2027 on the way to a very interesting 2028 election,” Dalio said, adding:
“Because of how our democracy works, President Trump has a two-year unimpeded mandate that can be weakened greatly in the 2026 mid-term elections and reversed in the 2028 elections. Nowadays, it is rare for one party to be able to stay in power for long.”
US President Donald Trump comments on the need for the Republican Party to win the 2026 midterm elections. Source: PBS News Hour The crypto industry is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Trump administration’s tech-focused policy agenda centered on digital technology and artificial intelligence
A shift in the balance of power threatens to undo the pro-crypto regulatory shift in the US under the Trump administration before key pieces of legislation, including the CLARITY market structure bill, are signed into law.
Related: Trump says he’ll be impeached if Republicans lose midterms
CLARITY Act potentially delayed until 2027, aDemocrats seek to take control of the House
The CLARITY market structure bill may be delayed until 2027 due to Democratic lawmakers who are anticipating a power shift in the 2026 midterms and are delaying a vote until after the elections, according to investment bank TD Cowen.
Republicans currently hold a narrow five-seat majority in the House of Representatives.
The Democratic Party has about a 78% chance of taking control of the House in November, according to traders on prediction market Polymarket.
The US House of Representatives 2026 midterm election odds. Source: Polymarket President Trump, his administration, and pro-crypto lawmakers only had a two-year window to pass crypto regulations, Joe Doll, the general counsel at non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Magic Eden, told Cointelegraph in 2024.
“The House majority is a real slim margin, and it probably flips because it almost always flips. So you could have a divided government that gets things locked up and frozen in two years,” Doll said.
Magazine: Bitcoiners are ‘all in’ on Trump since Bitcoin ’24, but it’s getting risky
Source link - Rubio says US plan for Venezuela is stability, recovery, then transition
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- Bitcoin, Altcoins Open 2026 With A Bang: Are New Highs Next?
Key points:
Bitcoin turned down from its overhead resistance but is expected to find support at the moving averages.
Select major altcoins are facing selling near their overhead resistance levels, but the shallow pullback suggests the recovery may continue.
Bitcoin (BTC) is under pressure as bears attempt to sustain the price below $91,500. BTC exchange-traded funds recorded outflows of $243.2 million on Tuesday after attracting $1.16 billion in inflows in the first two trading days of the new year, according to Farside Investors’ data. That shows caution at higher levels.
However, a positive sign for BTC is that whales and sharks have accumulated 56,227 BTC since mid-December, according to Santiment. The onchain analytics platform added that cryptocurrency markets “typically follow the path of key whale and shark stakeholders, and move in the opposite direction of small retail wallets.”
Crypto market data daily view. Source: TradingView Another bullish voice is that of Miller Value Partners chief investment officer Bill Miller IV, who said on CNBC that BTC is putting a higher base than it did in the spring of 2025. He expects BTC to “break out to a higher high than its all-time high from the fall.”
Could BTC and the major altcoins rebound off their support levels and resume their recovery? Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.
Bitcoin price prediction
BTC turned down from $94,789 on Monday, indicating that the bears are attempting to retain the price inside the range.
BTC/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView The pullback is expected to find support at the 20-day exponential moving average ($90,022). If the Bitcoin price rebounds off the 20-day EMA with force, it increases the possibility of a break above the $94,589 resistance. The BTC/USDT pair may then ascend to the psychological level of $100,000 and subsequently to $107,500.
Contrary to this assumption, a break below the moving averages suggests that the Bitcoin price may extend its stay inside the range for some more time. Sellers will be back in control if they sink the pair below $84,000.
Ether price prediction
Ether (ETH) broke above the resistance line of the symmetrical triangle pattern on Tuesday, but the bulls failed to sustain the higher levels.
ETH/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView The Ether price has re-entered the triangle, with the next support at the moving averages. If the price rebounds off the moving averages, the ETH/USDT pair could soar to $3,659 and then to $4,000.
The advantage will tilt in favor of the bears if the price continues lower and plunges below the support line. That suggests the break above the resistance line may have been a bull trap. The pair could plummet to $2,623 and then to $2,111.
XRP price prediction
XRP (XRP) reached the downtrend line of the descending channel pattern on Tuesday, which is expected to act as a stiff resistance.
XRP/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView The moving averages are on the verge of a bullish crossover, and the RSI is in the positive zone, signaling an advantage to buyers. A short-term trend change will be signaled if the bulls achieve a close above the downtrend line. The XRP/USDT pair may then climb toward $2.70.
The moving averages are expected to act as solid support on the way down. Sellers will have to yank the XRP price below the moving averages to retain the pair inside the descending channel for a few more days.
BNB price prediction
Sellers are attempting to halt BNB’s (BNB) recovery at the $928 level, but the bulls are likely to have other plans.
BNB/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView The 20-day EMA ($877) has started to turn up gradually, and the RSI is in the positive territory, indicating that the bulls have the upper hand. A close above the $928 level will complete a bullish ascending triangle pattern, which has a target objective of $1,066.
Alternatively, if the BNB price continues lower and breaks below the moving averages, it suggests that the BNB/USDT pair could swing between $790 and $928 for some time. The bears will be back in command below the $790 level.
Solana price prediction
Solana’s (SOL) recovery is facing selling near $147, but a positive sign is that the bulls have not ceded much ground to the bears.
SOL/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView If the price turns up from the moving averages, it signals a change in sentiment from selling on rallies to buying on dips. That enhances the possibility of a break above the $147 resistance. The SOL/USDT pair may then jump to $172.
Conversely, if the price breaks below the moving averages, it suggests that the bulls have given up. The Solana price could then decline to $116. A solid rebound off the $116 level could signal a possible range formation in the near term.
Dogecoin price prediction
Dogecoin (DOGE) is facing selling near $0.16, but the pullback is expected to find support at the moving averages.
DOGE/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView If the price bounces off the moving averages, it shows that the bulls are viewing the dips as a buying opportunity. That improves the prospects of a rally above the $0.16 resistance. The DOGE/USDT pair may then ascend to $0.19.
This positive view will be invalidated in the near term if the Dogecoin price continues lower and skids below the moving averages. That suggests the bears remain sellers on rallies. The pair may then drop to $0.13 and later to $0.11.
Cardano price prediction
Cardano (ADA) climbed above the 50-day SMA ($0.40) on Monday, but the bulls could not build upon the breakout.
ADA/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView On the way down, the bulls are expected to fiercely defend the zone between the 20-day EMA ($0.38) and the $0.37 level. If the Cardano price rebounds off the support zone, the ADA/USDT pair could rally toward the breakdown level of $0.50.
Contrarily, a drop below the $0.37 level signals that the bears remain active at higher levels. That heightens the risk of a break below the $0.33 level. The pair may then slump to the Oct. 10 low of $0.27.
Related: Here’s what happened in crypto today
Bitcoin Cash price prediction
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) has pulled back to the breakout level of $631, which is likely to act as a strong support.
BCH/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView If the Bitcoin Cash price turns up from the $631 level or the 20-day EMA ($609), it indicates that the bulls remain in charge. The BCH/USDT pair could rally to $651 and eventually to the stiff overhead resistance at $720.
The first sign of weakness on the downside is a break below the 20-day EMA. That suggests the buyers are booking profits and the market has rejected the break above the $631 level. The pair may then slump toward $518.
Chainlink price prediction
Chainlink (LINK) has been range-bound between $11.61 and $14.98, indicating buying near the support and selling close to the resistance.
LINK/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView If the price turns up from the moving averages, the LINK/USDT pair could surge above the $14.98 resistance. If that happens, the Chainlink price could rally to $16.80 and subsequently to $17.66.
Contrarily, if the price breaks below the moving averages, it suggests that the pair may remain inside the range for some more time. The next leg of the downtrend could begin on a close below $10.94.
Hyperliquid price prediction
Hyperliquid’s (HYPE) relief rally reached the 50-day SMA ($29), where the bears are mounting a strong defense.
HYPE/USDT daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView The 20-day EMA ($26.34) is the crucial support to watch out for on the downside. If the Hyperliquid price bounces off the 20-day EMA, the possibility of a break above the 50-day SMA increases. The HYPE/USDT pair could then rally to the breakdown level of $35.50.
On the contrary, if the price slips below the 20-day EMA, it suggests that the bears continue to exert pressure. The pair may tumble to $23.64 and thereafter to the $22.19 support.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
Source link - Trump proposes ban on institutional home buying, sending real estate stocks down
- Hedge funds rode buoyant stock market to deliver double-digit gains in 2025, Goldman Sachs says
Hedge funds rode buoyant stock market to deliver double-digit gains in 2025, Goldman Sachs says
Source link - Wells Fargo sees US stock rally broadening as investors rotate from mega-caps
- Baird downgrades Deckers, Crocs, flags Under Armour as new trading idea
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- Goldman tells clients to buy call options on these stocks for big returns in 2026
- Riot Platforms Sells $161M in Bitcoin in December as it Shifts Strategy
Riot Platforms sold 1,818 Bitcoin in December for $161.6 million at an average net price of $88,870, as part of a strategy shift from Bitcoin mining to monetizing its power and data center infrastructure, including support for artificial intelligence workloads, the company said Tuesday.
As of Dec. 31, the company held 18,005 Bitcoin (BTC), including 3,977 restricted BTC, down from 19,368 Bitcoin at the end of November, while producing 460 Bitcoin during the month.
Restricted Bitcoin refers to BTC that the company owns but has pledged as collateral under its debt facilities and holds in a segregated custody account, according to its regulatory filings.
Riot also said the December report will be its final monthly production and operations update as the company shifts to quarterly disclosures focused on overall business performance, data center strategy and progress, and Bitcoin mining.
Riot Platforms’ Bitcoin production update for December 2025. Source: Riot Platforms In October, the company said Bitcoin mining was no longer its end goal, outlining plans to repurpose its power infrastructure to support a proposed 1-gigawatt AI data center campus.
According to data from Bitcointreasuries.net, Riot ranks seventh among publicly listed companies by Bitcoin holdings.
Top 10 Bitcoin treasury companies. Source: Bitcointreasuries.net Related: Bitcoin miner using compute heat to supplement Canadian greenhouses
AI, technology companies deepen ties with Bitcoin miners
As the cost of mining Bitcoin has risen following the April 2024 halving, which cut block rewards in half, miners have increasingly looked beyond BTC production for additional revenue. One of the most significant areas of interest has been artificial intelligence computing.
Because Bitcoin miners operate energy-dense data centers and large-scale power infrastructure, the sector has attracted growing attention from AI and technology companies seeking access to electricity and high-performance computing capacity.
Top 10 publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies by market cap. Source: Bitcoinminingstock.io In August, Google became the largest shareholder of TeraWulf, holding about 14% of outstanding shares, after expanding a financial backstop tied to the miner. The backstop supports a 10-year colocation lease with Fluidstack, under which TeraWulf will supply data center capacity for artificial intelligence workloads.
A month later, Google acquired a 5.4% stake in Cipher Mining as part of a $3 billion, multi-year data center agreement involving Fluidstack, with Google guaranteeing $1.4 billion of Fluidstack’s obligations under a 10-year contract to lease computing capacity from Cipher.
In November, IREN signed a five-year, $9.7 billion GPU cloud services agreement with Microsoft to host Nvidia GB300 GPUs in its data centers. The same month, the top Bitcoin miner by market cap announced a $5.8 billion deal with Dell Technologies to acquire GPUs and related equipment to support the deployment.
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Source link - Venezuelan stocks are up 110% this week. There may soon be an ETF to play it
- Trust Wallet Hack Highlights Security Gaps Facing Crypto-Friendly SMEs
Key takeaways
The December 2025 Trust Wallet hack shows that vulnerabilities in crypto tools can affect crypto-friendly SMEs, even when attacks target individual users rather than businesses.
Supply-chain risks, such as compromised browser extensions or stolen API keys, can bypass traditional security defenses and lead to rapid financial losses in a very short time.
The incident also revealed how weak or unprepared verification processes can overwhelm compensation efforts, increasing operational strain and delaying legitimate reimbursements.
Heavy reliance on hot wallets remains a significant risk factor for SMEs, as convenience often comes at the cost of greater exposure to malware, malicious updates and private-key theft.
The Trust Wallet hack in December 2025, which resulted in losses of about $7 million, provides security-relevant insights for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that use cryptocurrencies. Although Trust Wallet primarily serves individual users, the mechanics of the attack highlight common vulnerabilities that also affect crypto-friendly SMEs, including fintech firms and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).
Alongside the direct financial damage, the incident showed how gaps in user verification created complications during the compensation process. For crypto-facing SMEs, the case highlights common vulnerabilities and underscores the importance of addressing them before incidents occur.
This article discusses how the Trust Wallet hack happened, its impact on the crypto community and the challenges the wallet faced during the compensation process. It also explores vulnerabilities SMEs commonly face during crypto-related hacks, potential remedial measures and the prevailing regulatory environment surrounding such incidents.
What occurred in the Trust Wallet hack
From Dec. 24 to Dec. 26, 2025, attackers targeted Trust Wallet’s Chrome browser extension by distributing a malicious update that affected users running version 2.68. The attack resulted in the theft of cryptocurrency worth about $7 million, impacting 2,596 verified wallet addresses. Nearly 5,000 reimbursement claims were later filed by users.
Trust Wallet advised users to update immediately to version 2.69, which removed the malicious code and prevented further attacks. During the reimbursement process, Trust Wallet CEO Eowyn Chen emphasized the importance of accurate user verification to prevent fraudulent claims.
Security experts later determined that attackers had inserted malicious JavaScript into the extension, allowing them to steal recovery phrases and private keys during normal wallet use. The attack likely involved a stolen Chrome Web Store API key, which enabled the malicious update to be distributed through official channels rather than relying solely on phishing.
Once private keys were compromised, funds were rapidly withdrawn and routed through centralized exchanges and cross-chain bridges, making recovery difficult. The incident demonstrated how trusted software update mechanisms can fail in critical ways.
In the aftermath of the theft, Trust Wallet disabled the compromised extension version, opened a refund portal and established a verification process for claims.
Did you know? The largest crypto hacks often do not involve breaking blockchains themselves but instead exploit wallets, bridges or user interfaces, showing that human-facing layers are often weaker than the underlying cryptography.
Immediate effects on the cryptocurrency community
Although Trust Wallet promised refunds, the incident briefly weakened confidence in browser-based wallets. Experts noted that many victims were unaware that browser extensions function as hot wallets, leaving them exposed to malware and supply-chain threats despite their convenience.
The attack also renewed debate around self-custody, with many commentators pointing to hardware wallets and offline storage as lower-risk options, particularly for larger holdings.
Beyond Trust Wallet, the attack raised broader concerns about the distribution and update mechanisms of cryptocurrency tools. Browser extensions, APIs and external libraries are widely used in cryptocurrency payroll systems, treasury management and SME-focused fintech services. The case showed that risks outside a company’s core systems can still cause significant harm.
The process of verification and claims handling
A key insight from the Trust Wallet hack became apparent during the post-attack phase. Nearly 5,000 claims were submitted for just over 2,500 affected addresses, highlighting the risk of duplicate, incorrect or fraudulent submissions.
Without robust verification procedures, refund processes can become overwhelmed, delaying legitimate payments and increasing operational risk. For crypto-using SMEs that manage payroll, reimbursements or client funds, this creates an additional vulnerability during emergency situations.
Trust Wallet required claimants to submit wallet addresses, transaction records, attacker addresses and other supporting details to verify losses.
For SMEs, the lesson from the Trust Wallet hack is straightforward: Verification processes must be prepared in advance, not developed during an incident.
Companies that handle cryptocurrency payments need established frameworks for identity, access and transaction checks well before any attack occurs. This preparation helps preserve stakeholder confidence under pressure.
Did you know? Hackers frequently move stolen crypto within minutes using automated scripts, routing funds through centralized exchanges, mixers and cross-chain bridges to reduce traceability before investigators can respond.
Vulnerabilities SMEs face during crypto hacks
SMEs often operate in environments where a single oversight can lead to significant asset losses. Threat actors exploit the following vulnerabilities in these businesses:
Supply-chain and update risks: The primary insight from the Trust Wallet hack is the threat posed by supply-chain attacks. SMEs frequently rely on browser extensions, software development kits, APIs and cloud services for efficiency. Each added component increases the attack surface, making continuous checks and validation essential.
Excessive dependence on hot wallets: The Trust Wallet hack exposed the risks of storing large amounts of cryptocurrency in hot wallets. While browser wallets offer convenience, they remain vulnerable to malware, malicious updates and private-key theft.
Social engineering and phishing follow-ups: After a hack, phishing domains and impersonation attempts typically increase, targeting users seeking reimbursement or recovery information. Attackers exploit confusion during these periods. For SMEs, training staff and users is a critical defense against such threats.
Security measures for crypto-friendly SMEs
In light of the Trust Wallet case, SMEs can take several security measures:
Cold storage for major assets: Storing private keys offline can significantly reduce exposure to malware and online attacks. Hot wallets should be limited to small balances needed for daily operations.
Mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA): MFA should be enforced across all systems that access wallets, controls or approval workflows.
Incident response preparation: SMEs need clear, regularly updated plans for identifying, containing and recovering from attacks. Preparedness shortens response times and limits potential damage.
External security reviews: Independent audits can identify weaknesses that internal teams may miss and help ensure alignment with current security standards.
Strong access controls and supplier monitoring: Restricting access, whitelisting withdrawal addresses and assessing supplier security practices can help reduce risk.
Training for users and employees: Educating staff and users to recognize phishing attempts and impersonation messages helps prevent additional losses during high-stress incidents.
Did you know? Many crypto hacks are detected not by companies but by onchain analysts who spot unusual transaction patterns and wallet movements before official announcements are made.
Regulatory environment after the hack
Although no immediate regulatory action followed the Trust Wallet incident, it occurred amid tightening global oversight of the crypto sector. Regulators are increasingly expecting enterprises to implement strong controls around custody, incident reporting and consumer protection.
For crypto-friendly SMEs, this means security failures may lead not only to reputational damage but also to compliance-related consequences. Staying aligned with regulatory expectations has become as important for SMEs as maintaining technical resilience.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
Source link - Moderna just had its best day since October. Here’s what’s going on, and what analysts expect
- Rumble and Tether Release Rumble Wallet for In-App Crypto Tips
Stablecoin company Tether and video platform Rumble released a non-custodial crypto wallet on Wednesday, allowing users to tip Rumble content creators in digital currencies.
The wallet will initially support Tether’s dollar-pegged stablecoin, USDt (USDT), Tether Gold (XAUt), a tokenized commodity product, and Bitcoin (BTC), according to an announcement from Rumble.
MoonPay will provide fiat currency on- and off-ramps for Rumble Wallet users, enabling them to cash out crypto into local currencies.
Tether and Rumble initially slated the wallet rollout for December, once code and user experience bugs were hammered out.
Cointelegraph reached out to Rumble and Tether but had not received a response at time of publication.
The integration of crypto tipping on Rumble promotes the use of crypto as a medium of exchange rather than market speculation or store-of-value use cases, which have come to dominate Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptos in general.
Related: ‘Like sats for Bitcoin,’ Tether creates tiny gold unit as onchain demand grows
Crypto is emerging as the future of internet-native value transfer, but challenges remain
“Peer-to-peer payments powered by crypto are the future of the internet economy,” said Ivan Soto-Wright, CEO of crypto payments company MoonPay.
Bitcoin, the world’s first cryptocurrency, was designed as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, according to the Bitcoin whitepaper published by pseudonymous developer Satoshi Nakamoto.
However, low transaction throughput, with blocks forming about every 10 minutes and relatively high transaction fees, has kept it from being widely used as a payment method, especially for smaller purchases where the transaction fee eclipses the price of the good or service.
Currently, Bitcoin’s primary use case is as a store-of-value asset or a speculative instrument, with most users accumulating BTC and holding it long-term for price appreciation rather than spending it in commercial transactions.
Differences between inflationary and deflationary cryptocurrencies. Source: Cointelegraph Stablecoins, which are blockchain tokens backed by assets such as fiat currencies or government debt instruments, solved this problem by offering near-instant settlement times and relatively low transaction fees, enabling value to move across the internet on blockchain rails.
Despite the innovation of near-instant, cross-border value transfer, stablecoins still suffer from currency inflation of the underlying fiat currency, centralization and the risk of confiscation, critics say.
Magazine: Bitcoin vs stablecoins showdown looms as GENIUS Act nears
Source link - Dow Jones signs deal with Polymarket to add prediction data across outlets
- Bitcoin Bulls Face an $87,500 Retest and Long-Term Short Signals
Bitcoin (BTC) faces a new “battle” for control before bulls trigger the next round of BTC price gains — but the long-term outlook is grim.
Key points:
Bitcoin short-term and long-term perspectives contrast as bears stay in control on high timeframes.
A golden cross on the day chart does not cancel out short signals for the rest of the year.
A new all-time high is “not likely” as a result.
$87,500 retest next stop for BTC price
In his latest X analysis on Wednesday, Keith Alan, cofounder of trading resource Material Indicators, forecast a retest of the 2026 yearly open.
Bitcoin price action is now caught in a tussle between buyers and sellers — but a return to $87,500 is “not a matter of if, but when,” Alan says.
BTC/USDT order-book data with whale activity. Source: Keith Alan/X
Pointing to Material Indicators’ proprietary trading tools, he revealed that bulls are trying to preserve support at $92,000.“FireCharts shows a realtime battle unfolding in the $BTC order book,” he commented.
“Bulls are trying to defend support at the 2026-01-05 Timescape Level, but Whales appear to be looking for a support test closer to the Yearly Open before a Golden Cross forms on the D chart to trigger the next rally.”
BTC/USD one-day chart. Source: Keith Alan/X
That cross involves the 21-day and 50-day simple moving averages (SMAs) — the former crossing above the latter would indicate renewed strength on lower timeframes.Before that, however, a support retest of the yearly open is on the wall.
“The battle for it is happening right now,” Alan continued while discussing the situation.
“If it doesn’t happen in the next 24 hours, I expect it will happen after the Death Cross forms on the Weekly chart, around the middle of the month.”
BTC/USD one-day chart with 21, 50-week SMA. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
Bitcoin, Ether at “critical inflection points”Zooming out, other findings had little inspiration for Bitcoin optimists on multimonth timeframes and further out.
Related: Bitcoin buying metric with average 109% gains flips positive at $88K
Multiple “short” signals, trading tools stated, mean that BTC/USD is unlikely to make new all-time highs before 2027.
“A lot can happen in 6 months that could invalidate it, but at the moment, it’s easy to build a case for price to drop after this current pump loses momentum,” Alan wrote about the six-month chart.
The research held similar conclusions about largest altcoin Ether (ETH), describing both coins as being “at critical inflection points.”
For a true turnaround, one-week relative strength index (RSI) values above 41/100, along with weekly closes above the 50-week SMA at $101,500, are needed.
BTC/USD one-week chart with 50SMA, RSI data. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
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- A New Wealth Debate in China
China’s shifting definition of a store of value
For many years, luxury real estate occupied a central role in wealth preservation in China. Premium apartments in cities such as Shenzhen and Shanghai served not only as residences but also as symbols of family wealth, social standing and financial security. Property ownership carried cultural significance, regulatory predictability and an assumption of long-term stability.
That presumption is now being publicly challenged. Conversations among wealthy Chinese investors point to a quiet but significant shift in how a “store of value” is defined.
On Chinese social platforms such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu, affluent users have explicitly compared Shenzhen Bay luxury homes priced at 60 million-66 million yuan ($8.3 million-$9.1 million) with Bitcoin (BTC), Nvidia stock and BNB (BNB) as competing stores of value.
Real estate ownership in China is increasingly viewed as illiquid and highly visible to regulators, while crypto assets are perceived as mobile capital. This contrast reflects a broader reassessment of liquidity, exposure and financial flexibility.
Property’s traditional role in Chinese wealth
Real estate has long played a unique role in China’s wealth structure. Limited channels for overseas investment and capital controls made property a default store of value for households and high-net-worth individuals.
Owning premium real estate in major cities signified more than financial gain. It represented stability, intergenerational continuity and a visible marker of achievement. Upscale homes were widely viewed as resilient assets, capable of withstanding economic downturns.
This conviction shaped the financial behavior of ultra-wealthy individuals for many years. Investors accepted mortgages as a necessary burden, tolerated concentration risk and overlooked liquidity constraints. Luxury real estate was valued not only for its financial returns but also for its social capital.
Did you know? Bitcoin was originally framed as “electronic cash,” but many holders now treat it less as a medium of exchange and more as digital gold. Its fixed supply and resistance to monetary debasement are valued more than its use for everyday transactions.
Initial indications of a changing trend
In recent months, Chinese social media platforms have seen open discussions among investors reassessing luxury housing. Posts have referenced properties in Shenzhen Bay, one of mainland China’s most elite districts, being weighed alongside Bitcoin and other crypto assets.
One widely circulated story recounted touring a premium apartment valued at around 66 million yuan while advising a friend that its price could fall to 30 million yuan within a few years. The post noted that prices in certain parts of the district had already declined by nearly half.
Others expressed discomfort with large mortgages. Some humorously referred to themselves as “house slaves,” a common phrase describing the mental burden of long-term debt. Even buyers who had paid for luxury homes outright voiced concerns about liquidity. Beyond status, they were increasingly focused on the challenges they might face when attempting to sell.
Luxury homes were no longer being discussed in isolation. Buyers showed growing interest in assets that could be quickly sold or hedged, particularly during periods of financial stress.
Assessing the liquidity factor in real estate and Bitcoin
Luxury real estate is inherently illiquid. Selling a high-value property takes time, depends on policy conditions and often requires regulatory approvals. During economic downturns, the pool of potential buyers shrinks sharply, putting downward pressure on prices.
On the other hand, internationally traded assets such as cryptocurrencies and foreign stocks offer near-instant pricing and execution. These assets can also be sold in portions, giving investors greater flexibility when adjusting positions. For wealthy individuals, this distinction is significant.
Bitcoin, in particular, is increasingly framed not as a growth asset but as a portable reserve. It is viewed as a tool for preserving flexibility rather than maximizing returns. Its appeal lies in what it enables holders to do under pressure, not in what it promises during stable periods.
Did you know? Crypto’s 24/7 global markets allow store-of-value holders to exit or rebalance positions at almost any time. This feature stands in contrast to real estate, bonds or bank deposits, which are tied to local business hours.
The hidden cost of luxury homes
Transactions involving high-value property can trigger tax scrutiny, audits or broader regulatory attention. During periods of tighter regulatory and tax enforcement, real estate exposure can become a source of concern rather than reassurance.
There are growing concerns that owning an expensive luxury home involves not only financial risk but also heightened regulatory and tax scrutiny. Real estate is highly traceable, making portfolio adjustments more visible and procedurally complex.
On the contrary, globally traded digital assets are perceived as operationally more flexible. Even when fully compliant, portfolios that include digital assets are easier to rebalance. Investors can diversify or relocate capital with greater flexibility, without attracting the level of scrutiny often associated with real estate transactions.
How youthful affluence is reshaping global markets
Age seems to influence the Bitcoin-versus-luxury-homes debate. Older generations and younger investors approach the question from markedly different perspectives.
Older generations in China, who benefited from decades of property appreciation, tend to retain confidence in real estate’s long-term prospects. For them, homes remain symbols of stability and family continuity.
Younger high-net-worth individuals, however, often hold a different worldview. Many are reluctant to commit capital to top-tier property markets or to take on prolonged debt. Their professional lives are more global, their peer networks more international, and their financial reference points shaped by digital markets.
For this younger group, crypto offers exposure to financial systems that are not tied to domestic property markets. Their interest in alternatives reflects less a rejection of status than a rejection of immobility.
Did you know? In countries with capital controls or currency instability, crypto is often viewed less as a speculative instrument and more as a hedge against restrictions on moving personal wealth across borders.
Decoding the cultural shift from luxury real estate to crypto
What emerges from social media discussions in China is not a unified investment strategy but a shift in mindset. The comparison between Bitcoin and luxury homes reflects changing social priorities as much as it does evolving market dynamics.
Bitcoin’s growing role in elite Chinese discourse is less about growth and more about ease. Crypto investment emphasizes liquidity and portability and is increasingly aligned with global financial systems. Luxury property, once the unquestioned default, is now being reexamined.
This does not suggest that property is disappearing from wealthy portfolios; rather, its dominance as the primary store of value is being challenged. Several factors will shape how this shift unfolds, including regulatory responses, stabilization in property markets and the evolution of capital controls.
Source link - Sera Prognostics stock soars after preterm birth test shows strong results
- First Solar slides 10% as Jefferies downgrades stock on lower booking visiblity
- Israel stocks higher at close of trade; TA 35 up 0.01%
- ‘We Still Plan to Remain Private‘ Says Ripple President on IPO Plans
The reiteration of the payment company‘s plans not to pursue a public offering followed a $500 million fundraise in November, leading to a $40 billion valuation for Ripple.
Ripple Labs president Monica Long has ruled out an IPO for the company, saying it was in a “really healthy position” without going public.
In a Tuesday interview with Bloomberg, Long addressed rumors that Ripple was planning to go public after the company reached a $40 billion valuation in November. The Ripple president said the company was focused on growth following the $500 million fundraise headed by Citadel Securities and Fortress Investment Group that led to its valuation.
“Currently, we still plan to remain private,” said Long, expanding on her comments in November after the fundraise. “Often the strategy driving an IPO is to get the access to the investors and the liquidity of the public markets […] We’re in a really healthy position to continue to fund and invest in our company’s growth without going public.”
The comments from Long going into 2026 came months after the US Securities and Exchange Commission announced it would wind down its enforcement actions against Ripple, fueling speculation about an IPO. Long has repeatedly denied reports that Ripple was pursuing a public offering.
Related: SEC now fully Republican, set for pro-crypto rulemaking in 2026
At the time of writing, the price of XRP (XRP) was $2.20, having dropped by about 6% in the previous 24 hours. The token is the fourth largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
OCC grants US bank trust approval for Ripple and others
In December, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) conditionally approved applications from Circle and Ripple for national trust bank charters. BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets and Paxos also received conditional approval to convert their existing state-level trust companies into federally chartered national trust banks.
Ripple’s application said its charter would “not be a stablecoin issuer” for its US dollar-pegged coin, Ripple USD (RLUSD), while the other companies will provide a variety of digital asset custody services to users. Of the applicants, BitGo has announced plans to go public, and Circle launched an IPO in May.
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
Source link - Oil sales from Venezuela to continue indefinitely, sanctions will be reduced, CNBC reports
Oil sales from Venezuela to continue indefinitely, sanctions will be reduced, CNBC reports
Source link - Earnings call transcript: Cal-Maine Q2 2026 sees EPS beat, stock rises
- JPMorgan’s asset management arm to end use of proxy advisers in US, memo shows
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- US needs to control Venezuelan oil sales, revenue to drive change, says energy secretary
US needs to control Venezuelan oil sales, revenue to drive change, says energy secretary
Source link - Earnings call transcript: MSC Industrial Direct beats Q1 2026 forecasts, stock dips
- Nvidia continues to assert its AI dominance. Using options to ride out gains while limiting risk
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- European Airline Stocks: Why Bernstein Is Bullish on These Names in 2026
- Bitcoin Price Falls Despite ‘Really Bullish’ MSCI Update: What Went Wrong?
Bitcoin (BTC) fell 2.30% on Wednesday, hitting an intraday low near $91,550.
BTC/USDT daily price chart. Source: TradingView The decline came despite bullish signals, including a whale-linked $280 million BTC accumulation move and MSCI’s decision to keep crypto treasury companies in its benchmark indexes.
Source: X MSCI limits passive demand for Strategy’s shares
In the Tuesday announcement, MSCI said it will no longer adjust index weightings to reflect newly issued shares.
Source: MSCI Previously, when companies like Strategy issued new equity to raise capital for Bitcoin purchases, passive funds tracking MSCI indexes were required to buy a portion of those shares, creating steady demand.
Under the new rules, this automatic buying no longer applies, reducing a key source of passive demand for Strategy’s stock.
Put simply, the Michael Saylor–led company will likely face limits on its ability to raise capital for additional Bitcoin purchases, prompting analyst Crypto Rover to say that the “MSCI fooled everyone” with their announcement.
“For those who are thinking this is a small deal, Strategy issued $15 billion+ in new shares in 2025,” he wrote in a Wednesday post, adding:
“If they try to do something similar in 2026, MSTR will face a brutal crash due to no passive buying.”
MSTR’s stock price dropped by 4.10% on Tuesday.
MSTR daily chart. Source: TradingView Technicals warn of BTC price losing $90,000 again
From a technical perspective, Bitcoin pulled back after testing the upper trendline of its prevailing ascending triangle pattern.
As of Wednesday, BTC held above its 50-day exponential moving average (50-day EMA; the red wave) at around $91,7000, which acted as near-term support.
BTC/USDT daily price chart. Source: TradingView However, failure to sustain momentum above this level could expose downside risk toward the $88,000–$89,000 zone in January, aligning with the 20-day EMA (the green wave) and the triangle’s lower trendline.
Related: Bitcoin faces ‘big boy sell wall’ at $95K as BTC price struggles vs. gold
A further breakdown below the triangle’s lower boundary will likely result in an extended downtrend toward $79,450, a target measured after subtracting the triangle’s maximum height from the potential breakdown point near $88,300.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
Source link - Cardio Diagnostics stock rises on strategic expansion into India
- Dfns Integrates Concordium Blockchain For Compliant Web3 Wallets
Dfns, a digital wallet infrastructure provider and a partner of tech giant IBM, has integrated Concordium’s layer-1 (L1) blockchain to launch an identity-verified Web3 wallet solution.
Concordium’s privacy-preserving identity layer is now part of Dfns’ wallet-as-a-service (WaaS) platform, the companies announced Wednesday in a joint statement shared with Cointelegraph.
“This integration enables financial institutions and enterprises to instantly deploy compliant, privacy-preserving wallets without building complex identity infrastructure from scratch,” Dfns CEO Clarisse Hagège said.
The move follows the recent collaboration of Dfns with IBM to launch IBM Digital Asset Haven in October, a platform designed to help financial institutions and governments securely manage and scale their digital asset operations.
Solving the “compliance bottleneck” preventing institutional adoption
Through Dfns’ WaaS technology, organizations can create and manage wallets for their users without exposing them to technical complexities or the risks of handling a seed phrase, Hagège told Cointelegraph.
“Combined with Concordium’s built-in identity layer, this means every wallet can be directly and verifiably tied to a real-world identity in a way that supports regulatory compliance while preserving user privacy,” she added.
Source: Dfns (pronounced “defense”) The result is a simplified and compliant path for banks and fintech platforms to onboard users to tokenized assets, stablecoins and on-chain financial services without compromising on security, user experience or trust, Hagège noted, adding:
“This solves the immediate ‘compliance bottleneck’ preventing institutional adoption of Web3. As global regulations tighten, enterprises are under urgent pressure to verify user identities without compromising privacy or user experience.”
USDC issuer Circle among Dfns clients
Founded in 2020, Dfns boasts more than 130 clients in banking, custody, tokenization and trading, including Dutch bank ABN Amro, investment firm Fidelity International, Standard Chartered’s Zodia Custody and USDC (USDC) issuer Circle, among others.
A spokesperson for the platform noted that, including testnets, Dfns has integrated with around 120 blockchain networks to date.
Concordium has established itself as a major institutional-grade digital asset service provider, partnering with entities including Tether-backed stablecoin company StablR.
Source: Concordium In August 2025, Concordium also announced a strategic partnership with Spiko, one of the biggest tokenized money market funds in Europe.
Related: Fake MetaMask 2FA security checks lure users into sharing recovery phrases
Concordium has also entered into partnerships with major crypto wallet providers like Ledger, Bitcoin.com, Safle and Coin98.
“Dfns is the gold standard for secure, scalable wallet infrastructure, and this integration puts Concordium’s built-in identity layer directly into the hands of enterprises and builders who crave compliance without complexity,” Concordium CEO Boris Bohrer-Bilowitzki said.
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
Source link - JPMorgan won’t use controversial proxy advisors for shareholder votes
Jamie Dimon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., speaks during the America Business Forum at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, U.S. Nov. 6, 2025.
Marco Bello | Reuters
JPMorgan said its asset management division has fully parted ways with controversial proxy advisors for shareholder votes.
In an internal memo, the firm said it no longer needs third-party data collection or voting recommendations. Instead, it launched an artificial intelligence tool, Proxy IQ, to aggregate and analyze proxy data from 3,000 annual company meetings.
Proxy advisors such as Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis typically provide research and voting recommendations. JPMorgan said it is the first major investment firm to eliminate reliance on such companies. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news earlier Wednesday.
Proxy advisors have been under fire from President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order in December to reassess existing rules. Trump said the proxy advisors “regularly use their substantial power to advance and prioritize radical politically-motivated agendas.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also lashed out at proxy advisors last October, calling them “corporate terrorists, after ISS recommended shareholders reject his nearly $1 trillion pay package.
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- Bitget’s Gracy Chen is looking for ‘entrepreneurs, not wantrepreneurs’
Young girls who grew up in Asia in the ’90s were enamored by female anchor Yang Lan, much like Americans were with Oprah. Gracy Chen was so inspired that she followed Lan into a career as a TV host and producer.
Chen then went from TV host to entrepreneur, falling in love with the mathematical beauty of Bitcoin and later became the only female CEO leading one of the five biggest exchanges in the world (although Binance recently announced Yi He as co-CEO along with Richard Teng.) Chen was poised, positive and pragmatic when she spoke to Magazine.
During her stint at Phoenix TV, she interviewed business leaders and celebrities like venture capitalist Tim Draper and renowned computer scientist and inventor Ray Kurzweil.
Gracy Chen (supplied) It was the perfect role for the curious host, standing on the front line of innovations, building her little black book of contacts. This was 2014 in Beijing, and it was in this inner circle of tech and TV friends that she first heard about “this thing called Bitcoin.” She bought a little bit of Bitcoin, which was USD $300 at the time, but the investment turned into much more than she bargained for.
But more on that later.
Chen had the entrepreneurial itch after interviewing all those founders and futurists, so in the next seven years she created two companies. One failure, one unicorn.
The first company, Accumulus, was a financial technology service providing payment settlement for freelancers in China. “The company still exists today and has more than 100 million users. It’s the largest taxpayer in the Tianjin province,” Chen said.
The second startup, ReigVR, was a VR metaverse company. She shut that down because it wasn’t doing well. Although these endeavors weren’t in crypto, Chen said there were similarities, given that she built a platform to deal with lots of transactions on a daily basis.
Over these seven years, she continued to invest in cryptocurrencies and crypto companies and noticed much of her personal wealth had come from that early-stage Bitcoin she bought. She had a realization: “If I invest my money in crypto, why not invest my time in crypto, too.”
From fintech to crypto CEO
In 2022, Chen joined leading cryptocurrency exchange, Bitget, first as managing director and today as CEO. She brought strong marketing chops and a bias to build. She knew the formula for success: Scale up, get profitable, then IPO – unlike crypto projects, where IPO activity happens early and startups aren’t incentivized to continue to scale.
Gracy Chen on the cover of Dec. 15 edition of Gulf News. Bitget has since experienced record growth, doubled its user base from around 50 million to 120 million, and secured a place among the top five crypto exchanges in derivatives trading volumes.
Chen also plays a key role in institutional business development, working closely with major clients and partners to strengthen Bitget’s global presence.
One of those initiatives brought her back to her TV roots, when she became a judge on Killer Whales – Shark Tank’s doppelganger for crypto companies. It was streamed on mainstream platforms, including Apple TV and Amazon Prime. She was the only female, Asian and exchange representative on the panel, sitting alongside the likes of Anthony Scaramucci and YouTubers Austin Arnold from Altcoin Daily and Ran Neuner from Crypto Banter.
Chen was only able to participate in one episode in season one, but found her footing in season two. “I’m a statistics person, I have an MBA from MIT, and I’m CEO of this big crypto exchange. So, I used that same kind of judging criteria when we were reviewing the projects. If a project had good fundamentals, a business model that made sense, good cash inflow and revenue, and the founders were serious, I’d usually go for it. They have to be entrepreneurs, not wantrepreneurs.”
She was put off by projects with arrogant founders. “We had a famous YouTuber tell us it would be easy to transfer his followers into users,” Chen shared. She had a soft spot for female-led projects.
Chen had experience blocking out the haters, not from her days in TV, but from her teenage years when she ran the school station. “When I was 16, I got aired on the school’s TV every week. One day, one of my friends said that I had become famous on this Chinese Reddit. They were writing bad things about me that weren’t true.” She learned that if she were a speaker, she would be misunderstood, so she moved on. It gave her thick skin to be in the public eye.
Women in high places
Chen always went against the grain. A troublemaker, tinkerer and pseudo-scientist, she was the token naughty kid. She skipped classes, didn’t do her homework and spent all her time obsessed with oddities. “I tried to build this little swimming pool for ants, without knowing anything about architecture. I probably killed a lot of ants,” she tells Magazine.
She grew up in Sichuan, China, in a time when son preference was prevalent. But challenging tradition was in her blood. Chen came from a broken home and was raised by a single mother who fought for a place at a top university in the province, where she got her MBA.
Read also
Her mother was her role model. She taught Chen the importance of being independent, both financially and as a life philosophy. Mischievous, Chen soon discovered a love for math, and soon, the bad student became the scholarship student.
“I won silver at the National Olympics Mathematical Games in China and went on to study at the best high school in Sichuan, which was very technology and science-focused,” Chen says. This led to a scholarship program in applied mathematics abroad, in Singapore, where she found herself in classes mostly with men.
Like mother, like daughter.
Anyone can become a CEO, she believes.
Running a multinational corporation with 1,500 employees is a tall order for anyone, regardless of gender. “I’m Bitget’s CEO, not because I’m female, but because I’m bringing results to the table,” Chen shares.
“In the two and a half years before I became CEO, I proved that I could elevate our brand’s image, increase our user base and get more trading volume. I want people to share the same idea of hiring or promoting someone based on their results, instead of their marital status or gender.”
Chen delivers Bitget’s UEX announce (Bitget) Bitget management is majority female
Bitget’s management team is 51% female, which is unheard of in crypto and tech in general. While Chen says the gender ratio isn’t intentional, Bitget’s philosophy of open communication, 360-degree evaluations every 90 days, “bonus of birth”, and rewards for continuous learning attracts women.
Ironically, her war stories as a female CEO are from her Web2 days.
“While I was raising funds for my VR company, I had investors tell me, Gracy, we like you and your project, but we don’t invest in female founders – especially those who are married but don’t have children yet.”
But crypto? It’s been good to her.
“There are lesser preconceived notions compared to the male-dominated traditional tech world. Bitcoin was made under a pseudonym, and in crypto most people don’t have biases based on the gender of the person leading the company. They care about creating great products, and that’s what we deliver.”
Read also
Chen acknowledges there’s still a way to go to balance the gender ratio in crypto and that Bitget is an outlier.
“It’s been one of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts to create impact through education and inclusion, especially around gender,” she says.
During the World Economic Forum in 2024, Chen launched a project called Blockchain4Her, a $10 million program to give female-led start-ups funding, mentorship and opportunities, particularly in developing nations.
Gracy Chen (DreamTemple) The program fosters inclusivity and gender diversity in the blockchain industry and is supported by a partnership with UNICEF which will provide education to 1.1 million people worldwide by 2027.
Bitget is simultaneously funding $10 million for the Blockchain4Youth project to onboard and educate the younger education.
“We want to prove that crypto should be used for good and should be available for everyone,” Chen believes.
Especially women and mothers.
Chen went on to become a single mother herself, and she channels these traits into her role as CEO. “I lead with high integrity and open communication, which are the examples I set for my son.”
“I build a team at home, not just at work, in order to manage everything,” Chen explains.
Gracy Chen’s personal life
Working single mothers are in a league of their own, and Chen proves that women can succeed in an executive role, and crypto’s remote-first nature allows for this. It just requires ingenuity and a sound support system. Chen might miss an athletic day at school, but she can take her son to Paris on a whim. It makes for an interesting life, emulating the formative experiences her mother gave her.
In her personal life, her ambitions are modest. She practices yoga, reads, meditates, goes to the gym, hikes, and tries to stay in Hong Kong for longer periods, rather than following the conference circuit.
Her home life is intentionally simple, juxtaposed with Bitget’s growth goals. Institutional partners, PayFi and cross-border transactions are three main areas of focus.
“I’m excited about tokenizing RWAs and the intersection of traditional assets with crypto, which is helping drive an ongoing wave of institutional adoption. It bridges a pathway for women in conventional financial markets to step into crypto and women in crypto get access to global assets worldwide,” Chen says.
“Positive regulatory developments are also helping grow crypto adoption, drive awareness to get more women educated about crypto, and even get their projects funded. All of this together has a positive impact for women in crypto.”
Chen jokes about her name being “very female,” which she’s happy about. She takes great pleasure in people realizing the CEO of Bitget is a woman.
With other female crypto leaders rising the ranks, such as Solana Foundation’s Lily Lu, Chen says, “it’s definitely getting better.”
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Source link - Ryan Cohen could be in for a big payday, but he has to grow meme darling GameStop to $100 billion
GameStop Chairman Ryan Cohen.
CNBC
GameStop has laid out a a massive, all-or-nothing equity incentive for Chairman and CEO Ryan Cohen that will only pay out if the video game retailer’s stock and profits soar to levels far beyond anything it has achieved to date.
The board of GameStop granted Cohen performance-based stock options tied to a $100 billion market-capitalization target and $10 billion in cumulative earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, according to a statement released Wednesday.
Under the terms of the plan, Cohen receives nothing unless the minimum thresholds are met, and there is no partial credit if targets are missed. If GameStop fails to reach at least $20 billion in market capitalization and $2 billion in cumulative EBITDA, none of the options will vest.
GameStop shares slid 36% last year and the company currently has a market cap of $9.3 billion. The company reported a net income of $77.1 million in the third quarter.
If Cohen hits the goals, the total award will be for stock options to purchase 171,537,327 shares of GameStop’s Class A common stock at a price of $20.66 per share.
Cohen, who joined the board in January 2021 and later became CEO, has been the central figure in GameStop’s post-meme-stock transformation.
The company has made a few moves aimed at broadening its business beyond physical video-game sales, including an expansion into collectibles, trading cards as well as buying bitcoin aggressively with its corporate cash. What remains absent, however, is a clear master plan for how those initiatives translate into the scale of growth implied by the compensation targets.
The compensation structure, the company said, is intended to align Cohen’s incentives directly with long-term shareholder returns by tying his compensation entirely to what it called “extraordinary growth.”
Source link - Aspire Biopharma stock soars after FDA meeting clears path for heart attack drug
- All-Republican SEC ‘Unusual’ With Pro-Crypto Agenda Likely
Caroline Crenshaw has left the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), leaving the agency solely comprising Republicans. As a result, nothing stands in the way of pro-crypto rulemaking.
Republicans in Washington have generally been friendlier toward the crypto industry than their Democratic counterparts. The SEC made a 180-degree turn last year, after President Donald Trump entered office and Congress moved on landmark crypto legislation.
Now, just one week into 2026, the Senate is set for a markup vote on the crypto market structure bill — and there is an entirely Republican SEC.
The commission is still constrained by how it makes crypto regulations. Notice-and-comment rulemaking has certain processes that must be observed, lest the SEC risk legal action in the future.
But still, observers expect another banner year for crypto from the SEC.
“Highly unusual” Republican SEC set for banner year
Crenshaw was the last remaining crypto-skeptic commissioner left at the SEC, issuing a dissent on the commission decision to allow Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in January 2024. She said the decision “put us on a wayward path that could further sacrifice investor protection.”
Caroline Crenshaw was confirmed to the SEC in August 2020. Source: SEC The Senate Banking Committee canceled a vote to renominate Crenshaw in December 2025. This reportedly came after intense lobbying from the crypto industry, which wanted to see the crypto-skeptic commissioner removed.
When operating at a full complement, the SEC has five commissioners. As of publishing time, it has three, all of whom are Republican: Chair Paul Atkins, Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda.
By law, the SEC is a bipartisan agency, meaning that at least two of the commissioners must be from another party. The majority partisanship of the agency often reflects whoever is holding office in the White House.
Carol Goforth, distinguished professor and the Wylie H. Davis Centennial Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) School of Law, described the situation as “highly unusual.”
She told Cointelegraph that she could find “no example of a situation where all the sitting SEC commissioners were from a single party. In fact, the only examples for any bipartisan agency with members from a single party that I found all involve the current [Trump] administration.”
“Usually,” she said, “there is slow and steady turnover in these positions.” Commissioners serve five-year terms, and chairs generally resign when there is a change in administration. This has “usually worked fairly consistently to preserve the bipartisan nature of these agencies.”
Past administrations even considered minority-party commissioners advantageous, according to Aaron Brogan, founder of Brogan Law — a law firm specializing in crypto and emerging tech.
He told Cointelegraph that the administration could appoint more ideologically aligned opposition commissioners that would “extend policy priorities into the next administration, when, typically, minority commissioners would stay on in the new majority for some time.”
“But the Trump administration is a new paradigm,” Brogan said.
“While I have heard rumors that there are stakeholders internally pushing for minority commissioner appointments, it could certainly extend indefinitely.”
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the commission will make a run on new crypto rules. As Goforth noted, the Federal Administrative Procedures Act requires public notice, a period for comment and detailed consideration of said comments. The agency has to explain its reasoning as well as include “specific information about the costs and benefits of the proposed regulation.”
Rules that fail to adhere to these requirements can end up getting overturned in court, particularly if there’s a failure to consider relevant factors or the rule is found to be outside of the agency’s scope.
But even with these rules in place, the SEC is set to make major changes, according to Brogan.
“2026 will be a massive year at the SEC. I expect real, fleshed out, exemptive relief through notice-and-comment rulemaking.”
Republicans dominate federal agencies
The SEC is not the only federal regulatory agency run solely by Republicans. Since Sept. 3, 2025, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has been run by a single commissioner. First, it was Acting Chair Caroline Pham, a Republican.
On Dec. 22, 2025, after a lengthy nominations process, the Senate confirmed the Trump administration’s pick of Michael Selig, who replaced Pham as chair. This has left the CFTC with one Republican commissioner.
Related: CFTC changes guard as Selig takes reins, Pham departs
Goforth noted that “since there are no quorum requirements” for the CFTC, it can “continue to operate with a single commissioner, and there are no provisions or procedures for forcing a president to nominate additional commissioners.”
There’s a similar situation at the Federal Trade Commission, where Trump fired Democratic Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter in March 2025, as her continued service was “inconsistent with [the] Administration’s priorities.”
Slaughter sued Trump and the remaining three commissioners, arguing that Trump failed to offer a statutory cause for her removal. On Dec. 8, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case Trump v. Slaughter, and now, per Goforth, “there are signs that a majority could side with President Trump, even though that would mean overruling an earlier precedent.”
Trump also fired three Democratic commissioners at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The decision was blocked by the US District Court for Maryland on June 13, 2025, in the case Trump v. Boyle, but the Supreme Court stayed the order on July 23. This allowed the Trump administration to continue with the dismissals as they’re challenged in court. As of the beginning of 2026, the CPSC has one commissioner, Republican Acting Chair Peter Feldman.
Goforth said she would call this an “unprecedented effort at concentrating control over administrative agencies by this president.”
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Elena Kagan told Solicitor General John Sauer in arguments in Trump v. Slaughter, “The result of what you want is that the president is going to have massive, unchecked, uncontrolled power.”
In that case, Department of Justice lawyers representing the president have leaned on unitary executive theory to bolster their arguments. This is a conservative legal theory positing that the president has sole authority over all aspects of the executive branch, including federal agencies.
Conservative legal organizations like the Heritage Foundation support the Trump administration’s arguments. Source: Heritage Foundation Amit Agarwal, a special counsel for the nonprofit Protect Democracy arguing on behalf of Slaughter, said that allowing the president to replace the heads of federal agencies at whim means “everything is on the chopping block.”
The SEC will still have to abide by rule-making procedures as it moves ahead on crypto laws in the next year. But it does so on the background of unprecedented single-party support.
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
Source link - Albertsons earnings beat by $0.04, revenue fell short of estimates
- Innovative Eyewear stock soars after reporting 45% sales growth in Q4
- CoinFlip launches payroll-based crypto investing for workers
Digital asset company CoinFlip has launched a new workplace benefit that allows employees to invest in cryptocurrencies directly through payroll deductions, offering a payroll-based investing mechanism to digital asset investing as interest in portfolio diversification continues to grow.
The program enables employees to automatically purchase cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL) and select stablecoins, with minimum allocations starting at $25 per pay period.
According to CoinFlip, the product is designed to appeal to workers who prefer a gradual, cost-averaging approach to crypto investing. The company cited research estimating that tens of millions of US adults already own digital assets, suggesting a growing appetite for regulated and accessible investment options tied to existing financial habits.
The launch comes as millions of Americans continue to contribute to employer-sponsored retirement plans, particularly 401(k)s. Younger workers, in particular, have increasingly embraced dollar-cost averaging through payroll contributions as a long-term savings strategy.
Earlier this year, financial services giant Fidelity unveiled new retirement accounts aimed at making it easier for Americans to gain exposure to cryptocurrencies. The offering includes three accounts — a tax-deferred traditional IRA and two Roth IRAs — that allow investors to buy and sell Bitcoin, Ether and Litecoin (LTC).
A 2024 Vanguard study found that 401(k) participation among younger Americans is increasing, with employer matching cited as a key driver.
Related: Crypto industry, trade unions clash over multi-trillion dollar retirement funds
Workplace crypto investing gains momentum
The growing integration of cryptocurrency into traditional financial products, including retirement planning, comes as policymakers and financial institutions increasingly explore ways to broaden access to alternative assets.
In August, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to review the treatment of alternative assets in retirement plans, a move that could eventually affect how digital assets are considered
The order directed the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Treasury Department and the Department of Labor to coordinate on potential regulatory changes that would allow alternative assets, including cryptocurrencies, to be offered within defined contribution plans.
US President Donald Trump’s Aug. 7 Executive Order, titled “Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors.” Source: White House The move could be significant for cryptocurrency fund operators aiming to tap into the $12.5 trillion US retirement market, which has historically been dominated by traditional investment products.
Related: US retirement plans could fuel Bitcoin rally to $200K despite downturn: Finance Redefined
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- 2025 Crypto Bear Market “Repricing” Institutional Capital: Analyst
The steep decline in altcoins over the past year may reflect a broader reassessment of which blockchain networks are likely to attract long-term capital, as institutional investors begin a gradual, multiyear entry into the market, analysts say.
Excluding Bitcoin (BTC), 2025 turned out to be a bear market for the wider cryptocurrency market. Decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens fell 67% while cryptocurrencies associated with smart contract blockchains delivered a negative average return of 66%, according to blockchain data shared by Jamie Coutts, the chief crypto analyst at Real Vision.
The past year’s poor performance was a “repricing” of the leading crypto projects as institutional capital is seeking to gain more exposure, Coutts wrote in a Wednesday X post.
“Repricing the highest quality (network adoption, fundamentally sound) protocols/L1s, just as the multi-year onboarding of institutional capital commences,” he said.
Smart contract platforms and defi tokens, historical annual performance. Source: Jamie Coutts Related: Strategy kickstarts 2026 with $116M Bitcoin buy as Q4 paper loss hits $17B
Coutts is the latest analyst to highlight an ongoing repricing in how cryptocurrencies are valued as maturing digital asset investors seek exposure to tokens powering protocols with organic usage and revenue, not just general altcoins.
Looking at the past year, Solana was the leading blockchain by fees, with $585 million generated over the past year, second to Tron with $576 million in revenue, according to crypto intelligence platform Nansen.
Blockchain networks by key metrics, including active addresses and fees, 1-year chart. Source: Nansen Institutional and large investors tend to gravitate to the five leading cryptocurrencies, according to Nicolai Sondergaard, research analyst at Nansen.
“Solana ETFs are still seeing inflows, but the same can’t fully be said onchain. ETH, on the other hand, has seen some players rotate from BTC,” the analyst told Cointelegraph, adding:
“Many expect that with liquidity coming back, big players prepare by accumulating, and this seems to be accurate based on onchain and offchain data.”
Related: $11B Bitcoin whale sells $330M ETH, opens massive $748M longs in top cryptos
Institutions launch regulated altcoin investment vehicles despite 2025 altcoin bear market
Despite the past year’s poor performance, large financial institutions continue to launch regulated crypto investment products, including US investment bank Morgan Stanley.
Morgan Stanley filed to establish three cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on Tuesday — one tied to Bitcoin and the other to Solana — followed by news on Wednesday of a third ETF filing also submitted on Tuesday tied to Ether (ETH), signaling a deeper crypto push from Wall Street participants.
However, industry participants have shared mixed predictions about the performance of the cryptocurrency market in 2026.
While the founder of Hong Kong-based investment firm Trend Research, Jack Yi, said he was “bullish” on crypto for the first half of 2026, Fundstrat Global Advisors predicted a local Ether bottom of around $1,800 during the first quarter of the year, Cointelegraph reported.
Source: AlejandroBTC However, the internal note, written by Fundstrat’s co-founder and managing partner, Tom Lee, also predicted a rally into “year-end,” after crypto markets find a “durable low” in the first quarter.
Lee is also the chairman of BitMine Immersion Technologies, the largest corporate Ether holder with $13 billion in total ETH holdings.
Still, the excess leverage of the previous year has been “cleared,” bringing cryptocurrency valuations back to “levels that meet institutional entry thresholds,” amid the growing regulatory clarity, according to Lacie Zhang, a market analyst at Bitget Wallet.
More regulated crypto ETFs and bipartisan progress on crypto legislation suggest that “2026 could mark a turning point from repricing to sustained accumulation anchored more in long-term institutional adoption,” the analyst told Cointelegraph.
Magazine: Mysterious Mr Nakamoto author — Finding Satoshi would hurt Bitcoin
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- JPM Coin to launch natively on Canton Network in 2026
Digital Asset, the creator of the Canton Network, and Kinexys by JPMorgan plan to bring USD JPM Coin (JPMD) natively to the Canton Network, extending the bank’s deposit token from its existing infrastructure onto a public, institutional-grade blockchain.
The bank has already begun deploying JPM Coin on Coinbase’s Base network for institutional clients as part of a pilot, and has indicated it plans to support additional public blockchains over time, making Canton another leg in a multi-chain strategy.
According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, JPM Coin by Kinexys Digital Payments is “the first bank‑issued, USD‑denominated deposit token” designed for institutional clients and represents a digital claim on JPMorgan US dollar deposits on distributed ledger infrastructure.
The move targets growing demand from both digitally native and traditional firms for faster, more secure money movement on public blockchain rails.
“This collaboration brings to life the vision of regulated digital cash that can move at the speed of markets,” said Yuval Rooz, co-founder and CEO of Digital Asset.
Naveen Mallela, global co-head of Kinexys by JPMorgan, said that the partnership moved the industry forward in transacting on public blockchains, and that JPM Coin delivered the “security of bank-issued deposits and settlement,” along with the “speed and innovation of 24/7, near real-time blockchain transactions.”
Canton Network’s institutional ambitions
The Canton Network is a public, permissionless layer‑one blockchain purpose‑built for institutional finance, combining privacy features with compliance and scalability, and governed by the Canton Foundation with participation from major financial institutions.
It aims to provide synchronized settlement across multiple asset classes on a shared, interoperable infrastructure, with its own native token, Canton Coin, supporting decentralized governance and application development.
Canton Coin has rallied in recent weeks after tokenized US Treasury pilots on the network drew fresh speculative interest in its role as a settlement asset for institutional decentralized finance (DeFi).
Canton Coin has rallied in recent weeks. Source: CoinMarketCap Related: Canton token rallies 27% after DTCC outlines tokenized Treasury plans
Bringing JPM Coin natively to Canton is framed as a way to create “regulated, interoperable digital money” that can move seamlessly across that ecosystem, rather than remaining confined to a single bank’s internal ledger.
Under the collaboration, Digital Asset and Kinexys will take a phased approach to integration through 2026, initially focusing on the technical and business frameworks to issue, transfer, and redeem JPMD near‑instantly on Canton.
The partners also plan to explore integrating other Kinexys Digital Payments products, including JPMorgan’s blockchain deposit accounts, which could extend onchain cash management options for participants already experimenting with tokenized securities and other institutional DeFi‑style workflows.
Cointelegraph requested further comment on the planned use cases, regulatory perimeter, and expected transaction volumes for JPM Coin on Canton but had not received a response by publication time.
Related: Stablecoins become core market plumbing in Moody’s 2026 outlook
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- Nike Quietly Sells RTFKT After NFT Studio Shutdown
Footwear conglomerate Nike has quietly offloaded RTFKT, the digital collectibles studio it acquired at the height of the non-fungible token (NFT) boom, according to a report by The Oregonian.
The transaction reportedly happened in December, though neither the buyer nor the financial terms have been disclosed. The quiet exit happened almost a year after Nike announced that it was shutting down its RTFKT subsidiary.
Nike has not publicly confirmed the sale, saying only in a brief statement published by The Oregonian that the transaction marked a new chapter for RTFKT and its community. The company said that it continues to invest in digital experiences, mentioning partnerships with gaming platforms.
The reported sale signals an end to one of the most high-profile corporate NFT experiments of the previous cycle and marks Nike’s exit from a project once positioned as a cornerstone of its Web3 strategy.
From metaverse ambitions to NFT shutdown
Nike acquired RTFKT in December 2021, describing the studio as a way to serve athletes and creators at the intersection of sports, gaming and culture.
The project rose to prominence in the space for its NFT-based virtual sneakers, digital wearables and collaborations that blended streetwear aesthetics with blockchain technology.
At its peak, the NFTs traded for thousands of dollars. Holders were promised quests, challenges and future digital experiences, positioning the tokens as more than just static collections.
Still, as market conditions turned sour, Nike announced that it would stop RTFKT’s operations. This led to a class-action lawsuit from investors accusing the company of performing a “rug pull.” In April, NFT holders alleged that the sunsetting of RTFKT operations wiped out the value of the digital assets they held.
The lawsuit sought $5 million in damages, alleging that Nike’s branding and marketing were central to the perceived value of the NFTs.
Related: Flow details December exploit that led to $3.9M in losses due to counterfeit tokens
A corporate retreat amid a wilting NFT market
Nike’s reported exit from RTFKT comes against a sharply contracting NFT market. NFT trading volumes in 2025 fell significantly compared to their 2021 peaks, with buyers shifting their focus from speculation toward utility, culture and real-world use cases.
Last year, NFT supply continued to increase even as overall market sales fell by 37% year-over-year, pushing the market toward a high-volume, low-price dynamic. The sector’s market capitalization also compressed, declining from $17 billion in 2022 to $2.4 billion by the end of 2025.
The downturn forced platforms and brands to reassess their NFT strategies. On Tuesday, the organizers of NFT Paris, one of the most prominent NFT-focused conferences, canceled the event, saying in a statement that the market’s collapse hindered their ability to hold it.
Magazine: Digital art will ’age like fine wine’: Inside Flamingo DAO’s 9-figure NFT collection
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- Morgan Stanley Files Staking ETH ETF in 3rd Crypto Offering
Morgan Stanley has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch a spot Ether exchange-traded fund (ETF), adding to a growing list of crypto products from the investment banking giant.
The US investment bank filed an S-1 form to establish the Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust, an ETF that seeks to buy, hold, and track the price of spot Ether (ETH), according to a Tuesday filing with the SEC.
The filing states that the fund will not seek to “speculatively sell” Ether to realize additional returns, but it plans to engage third-party staking services providers to stake an undisclosed amount of their holdings for additional passive yield.
The filing is Morgan Stanley’s third cryptocurrency ETF filing, after the bank made two similar filings on Tuesday, one for a Bitcoin (BTC) ETF and another for a Solana (SOL) ETF.
S-1 filing for Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust. Source: SEC Related: Bitcoin ETFs attract $697M in second trading day of 2026
Morgan Stanley Investment Management was listed as the sponsor of the ETF, while CSC Delaware Trust Company appears as the Delaware trustee. The fund’s custodians and exchange were not yet described in the S-1 filing.
The filing signals deeper crypto ambitions from Morgan Stanley, which reportedly enabled its financial advisors to recommend crypto funds starting in October 2024, to clients with individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)s.
Related: Strategy kickstarts 2026 with $116M Bitcoin buy as Q4 paper loss hits $17B
Spot Ether ETFs resilient despite record $19 billion crypto market correction
Subject to the SEC’s approval, the new fund could add another meaningful source of demand for Ether, considering that spot Ether ETFs have been resilient despite the record October market crash.
US spot Ether ETFs only sold about 18% of their flows from their peak of $15 billion, despite Ether’s poor price performance since the $19 billion market crash, according to James Seyffart, crypto and ETF analyst at Bloomberg.
“They’ve now seen around $2.8 billion in outflows since their peak of $15 billion right before the 10/10 liquidations,” he wrote in a Monday X post.
Source: James Seyffart Whales, or large cryptocurrency investors, have also been increasing their spot Ether exposure, despite widespread selling from the industry’s best traders by returns, tracked as “smart money” traders by Nansen.
Whales bought a cumulative $4.83 million spot Ether tokens across 32 wallets during the past week, while smart money traders sold $8.9 million across 63 wallets in the same period, according to crypto intelligence platform Nansen.
ETH/USD, 1-year chart, token god mode. Source: Nansen.ai Still, fresh cryptocurrency wallets created over the past 14 days have added $2.34 billion worth of spot Ether tokens, signaling an over threefold demand increase from new entrants during the past week.
Magazine: Solana vs Ethereum ETFs, Facebook’s influence on Bitwise — Hunter Horsley
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- Blockchain Innovation Must Rise Above Politics And Serve Real-World Needs
Opinion by: Marcos Viriato, co-founder and CEO of Parfin
Blockchain was born to decentralize power and create systems that operate on transparency, not control. Yet today, the technology is being adopted by the institutions it sought to disrupt.
Governments and corporations are integrating blockchain into their existing frameworks. This turns a tool built for autonomy into one that reinforces oversight.
This shift reveals a deeper tension. Ideologies have become involved. From political donations to manifesto pledges, blockchain has become a political instrument. The result is a shift in how power, trust and governance interact in the digital age.
If we want innovation to thrive, institutions must lead by example. They must build systems that are apolitical, compliant and interoperable. They must establish an infrastructure grounded in trust. Political narratives will always shift. Financial infrastructure must not.
Innovation at the crossroads of politics
Innovation begins with builders and entrepreneurs, but once it starts to reshape the economy, politics inevitably follow. Beyond driving change, emerging technologies are becoming a part of the political narrative.
In the UK, Reform’s “crypto renaissance” pledge turned digital assets into a political identity. Grounded in tax cuts, anti-debanking protections and an innovation sandbox, it reframed technological progress as a party promise rather than a collective pursuit.
In the US, the Make America Wealthy Again Super PAC’s move to accept crypto donations marks a clear shift. Digital assets are no longer fringe tools but fixtures of political fundraising. Crypto is now part of a campaign’s infrastructure and a marker of political allegiances.
Regulation is catching up, but progress depends on dialogue that puts innovation before politics.
In Argentina, where inflation continues to rise, and trust in peso is waning, people are turning to cryptocurrency. With one of the highest crypto adoption rates in the West, digital assets have become symbols of economic sovereignty in the market. Yet President Javier Milei’s promotion of the LIBRA memecoin showed how innovation can be folded into political branding.
Simply put, once a technology gains power, political actors rush to claim it.
Politics distorts innovation
When politics enters innovation, progress becomes performative. Blockchain, crypto and AI weren’t built to serve party lines. They were built to solve real problems: transparency, access and efficiency.
Yet increasingly, these tools are being treated as ideological signals. Supporting blockchain is viewed as a sign of political loyalty, while skepticism is seen as opposition. Conflating being “for” or “against” a political ideology with whether someone is pro or anti-crypto is a slippery slope. When it happens, countries lose sight of what innovation is meant to achieve.
Related: Bitcoin’s invisible tug-of-war between suits and cypherpunks
Politicization also amplifies fear. These technologies already challenge existing power structures, jobs and institutions; adding a political layer makes them tools for division instead of development. The future of innovation depends on decoupling technology from ideology and establishing innovative, consistent and politically neutral regulations that foster genuine growth rather than polarization.
Build progress on trust
For institutions, the question is not which side of a political debate to back. Instead, it’s about secure, compliant and trustworthy systems. In finance, that trust depends on building systems that banks and regulators can rely upon. When blockchain is designed with this in mind, it stops being experimental and begins becoming infrastructure.
The future of finance will emerge from technology that connects institutions and communities, bridging traditional finance with the decentralized systems that are shaping tomorrow’s economy. Builders and policymakers must move in parallel.
Builders should embed compliance and interoperability from the start. Policymakers must create clear, adaptive frameworks that give innovators confidence to build responsibly. Progress happens when both evolve together.
Nigeria offers a glimpse of how that collaboration can work. There, blockchain is not treated as a political signal but as national infrastructure. The government’s National Blockchain Policy aims to integrate blockchain into healthcare, education and land registration while creating a trusted framework for public and private collaboration. It’s a case study in principle-based policy.
For others to follow, the focus must be on governance that enables, not controls. Policymakers should prioritize clarity over complexity and accountability over appearance. Builders, meanwhile, must design systems that banks, regulators and users can trust and understand.
Opinion by: Marcos Viriato, co-founder and CEO of Parfin.
This opinion article presents the contributor’s expert view and it may not reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. This content has undergone editorial review to ensure clarity and relevance, Cointelegraph remains committed to transparent reporting and upholding the highest standards of journalism. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the company.
This opinion article presents the contributor’s expert view and it may not reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. This content has undergone editorial review to ensure clarity and relevance, Cointelegraph remains committed to transparent reporting and upholding the highest standards of journalism. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the company.
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- Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: MBLY, GME, CVX
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- Stablecoins Become Institutional Digital Cash, Says Moody’s
Stablecoins are shifting from a crypto native tool to a core piece of institutional market plumbing, according to a new cross-sector outlook report from Moody’s.
In the report, published Monday, the ratings agency said stablecoins processed about 87% more settlement volume in 2025 than the year before, reaching $9 trillion in activity based on industry estimates of onchain transactions, rather than purely bank‑to‑bank flows.
Moody’s said fiat‑backed stablecoins and tokenized deposits are evolving into “digital cash” for liquidity management, collateral movements and settlements across an increasingly tokenized financial system.
Stablecoins plug into institutional rails
Moody’s placed stablecoins alongside tokenized bonds, funds and credit products as part of a broader convergence between traditional and digital finance.
Moody’s Digital Economy – Global 2026 Outlook. Source: Moodys Banks, asset managers and market infrastructure providers spent 2025 running pilots on blockchain settlement networks, tokenization platforms and digital custody, seeking to streamline issuance, post‑trade processes and intraday liquidity management.
The report estimated that, across these initiatives, more than $300 billion could be invested in digital finance and infrastructure by 2030 as firms build out the rails for large‑scale tokenization and programmable settlement.
Within that picture, stablecoins and tokenized deposits increasingly act as the settlement asset for cross‑border payments, repo (short-term secured loans where one party sells securities and agrees to buy them back later at a higher price) and collateral transfers.
Moody’s noted that regulated institutions used cash and US Treasury‑backed stablecoins in 2025 to facilitate intraday movements between funds, credit pools and trading venues, with trials in banks such as Citigroup and Société Générale, among others.
JPM Coin is cited as an example of a deposit token model that integrates programmable payments and liquidity management into existing banking infrastructure, illustrating how “digital cash” layers can sit on top of traditional core systems.
Related: How US banks are quietly preparing for an onchain future
Regulation and risks for “digital cash”
Regulation is starting to catch up with this shift. The report highlighted the European Union’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework, US stablecoin and market structure proposals and licensing frameworks in Singapore, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates as evidence of a converging global approach to tokenization, custody and redemption rules.
In Europe, Société Générale‑Forge’s EURCV and related initiatives are cited as examples of bank-issued products developed under the EU’s emerging stablecoin framework, while in the Gulf, banks and regulators are exploring UAE dirham‑referenced payment tokens and broader digital money architectures.
Still, Moody’s stressed that the transformation is far from risk‑free. As more value moves onto “digital rails,” the report warned that smart contract bugs, oracle failures, cyberattacks on custody systems and fragmentation across multiple blockchains could create new forms of operational and counterparty risk.
The agency argued that security, interoperability and governance will be just as important as regulatory clarity if stablecoins are to function as reliable institutional settlement assets rather than new sources of systemic vulnerability.
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- Ethereum and Solana Taking Different Paths to Blockchain Resilience
Ethereum and Solana are not only separated by questions of scalability, they are increasingly divided by competing visions of what blockchain networks must be built to withstand in the future.
Recent remarks from the co-founders of each network revealed two competing definitions of “resilience,” rooted in different assumptions about risk, infrastructure and the future shape of blockchain adoption.
In an X post revisiting Ethereum’s Trustless Manifesto, co-founder Vitalik Buterin framed resilience as protection against catastrophic failure, including political exclusion, infrastructure collapse, developer disappearance and financial confiscation.
Buterin argued that Ethereum was not designed to optimize efficiency or convenience, but to ensure that users remain sovereign even under hostile conditions.
“Resilience is the game where anyone, anywhere in the world, will be able to access the network and be a first-class participant,” Buterin wrote, adding, “Resilience is sovereignty.”
Source: Vitalik Buterin Solana co-founder signals a different approach
Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko responded to Buterin’s X post, calling it a “cool vision” and providing a contrasting definition of resilience.
For Yakovenko, resilience comes from the ability to synchronize massive volumes of information globally at high throughput and low latency, without relying on trusted intermediaries. In his framing, reliability is inseparable from performance, not a philosophical trade-off against it.
“If the world can benefit from 1gbps and 10 concurrent 10ms batch auctions, then that’s the floor we must deliver reliably across the planet.”
“If it’s 10gbps and 100 1ms auctions, then that’s what we will deliver,” he added.
Source: Anatoly Yakovenko
The exchange follows Buterin’s claims on Sunday that Ethereum has effectively solved the blockchain trilemma of decentralization, security and scalability through PeerDAS and zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (zkEVMs), as reported by Cointelegraph.This claim sharpened scrutiny of Ethereum’s roadmap and raised questions about whether resilience should be measured by redundancy and sovereignty or by speed and economic competitiveness.
“The path ETH has chosen is a losing one: Objectively unable to compete on capacity within competitive timelines and also unable to compete on speed at all,” Cyber Capital founder Justin Bons wrote in response, arguing that performance and economic realities cannot be treated as secondary concerns.
Resilience as redundancy vs. resilience as performance
Ethereum’s resilience thesis is grounded in architectural caution and redundancy. The network runs independent execution and consensus clients, encouraging diversity to reduce risks that could halt block production.
This extends to Ethereum’s approach to scaling. On Wednesday, developers raised Ethereum’s blob limit for a second time, incrementally increasing data throughput while prioritizing fee stability and node safety. Rather than aggressively pushing execution speed, the network opted for gradual capacity increases designed to minimize systemic risk.
Economic signals also support the network’s resilience approach. Ethereum’s validator exit queue fell near zero in early January, indicating renewed willingness among validators to lock up capital long term. This was seen as a sign of confidence in Ethereum’s long-term security and roadmap.
Solana’s approach prioritizes resilience through performance. Yakovenko’s comments suggest that the blockchain will focus on reliably handling real-time markets, auctions and payments.
Solana’s history reflects this perspective. While the network suffered notable outages in earlier cycles, it has steadily hardened its infrastructure through protocol upgrades, fee markets and network improvements.
Related: Grayscale declares first Ethereum staking payout for US-listed ETF
Infrastructure trade-offs and institutional signals
Both models come with their own trade-offs. Ethereum’s ambitious resilience claims depend on future implementations of zkEVMs and proposer-builder separation, which remains untested at mainnet scale.
Bons argued that these designs could introduce new centralization pressures by shifting power toward specialized, capital-intensive builders, potentially creating liveness risks if that layer fails.
Institutional behavior offers another lens on resilience. Ethereum remains the dominant settlement layer for stablecoins and tokenized treasuries, reflecting a preference for predictability and conservative risk profiles.
On the other hand, Solana has been accelerating institutional adoption in performance-sensitive use cases. Tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) on Solana reached record levels in late 2025, while spot Solana ETFs and enterprise payment experiments gained traction.
Taken together, the divergence suggests that Ethereum and Solana are taking different approaches to resilience. Ethereum prioritizes survivability even at the cost of speed.
On the other hand, Solana prioritizes economic viability under real-time demand, even if this requires tighter coordination.
Magazine: ’China’s Ethereum’ in civil war, Japan to embrace Bitcoin ETFs: Asia Express
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- Barclays Invests In Ubyx Stablecoin Platform
Barclays, one of the world’s largest banks and a systemically important global financial institution, has made its first investment in a stablecoin-related company.
The United Kingdom-based bank said Wednesday it had invested in Ubyx, a US stablecoin clearing platform that aims to connect regulated issuers with banks and fintech companies.
“As the landscape of tokens, blockchains and wallets evolves, specialist technology will play a pivotal role in delivering connectivity and infrastructure to enable regulated financial institutions to interact seamlessly,” Ryan Hayward, head of digital assets and strategic investments at Barclays, said.
The investment follows Ubyx’s $10 million seed funding round in June 2025, backed by investors including venture capital arms of Michael Novogratz-founded Galaxy and the US crypto exchange Coinbase.
Ripple, Paxos among key partners
Ubyx was founded in March 2025 by payments veteran Tony McLaughlin, who spent more than 20 years at Citi managing payments and cash flows.
Describing himself on LinkedIn as a “tokenized money maximalist,” McLaughlin has highlighted the growing role of tokenized financial services.
“Our mission is to build a common globalised acceptance network for regulated digital money including tokenised deposits and regulated stablecoins,” McLaughlin said.
Source: Tony McLaughlin “We are entering a world in which every regulated firm offers digital wallets in addition to traditional bank accounts,” he added.
When announcing its 2025 seed funding, Ubyx said its platform is designed to enable broad adoption of stablecoins, including those issued by major industry players such as Ripple, Paxos, AllUnity, and Eurodollar.
Barclays makes first stablecoin investment
Barclays’ investment in Ubyx is the first time the bank has taken a stake in a stablecoin-related company, Reuters reported.
“This investment aligns with Barclays’ approach to explore opportunities based on new forms of digital money, such as stablecoins,” the bank said, without disclosing the size of the investment.
Related: UAE’s dirham stablecoin race widens as RAKBank nets in-principle approval
The investment also represents a notable shift in Barclays’ approach to crypto after years in which the bank highlighted risks and restricted some crypto-related transactions.
In June 2025, Barclays said it would begin blocking crypto purchases on Barclaycard credit cards, citing the volatility of cryptocurrencies.
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
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- RAKBank Wins In-Principle Approval for AED-Backed Stablecoin
RAKBank is preparing to join the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) fast-evolving stablecoin ecosystem after receiving in-principle approval on Jan. 7 from the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) to issue a UAE dirham-backed payment token.
In-principle approval means the CBUAE has agreed to RAKBank’s stablecoin plans subject to final regulatory and operational conditions, and the bank, already licensed and supervised by the CBUAE, must satisfy these before any live issuance can begin.
In a Wednesday press release also shared with Cointelegraph, the bank said the forthcoming stablecoin will be fully backed 1:1 by dirhams held in segregated, regulated accounts and governed by audited smart contracts with real-time reserve attestations.
The stablecoin push marks a new phase in RAKBank’s digital assets strategy, building on its 2025 move to let retail customers trade cryptocurrencies through a regulated brokerage partner.
Raheel Ahmed, Group CEO of RAKBank, said that the in-principle approval from the CBUAE was an “important milestone” in the bank’s digital assets journey, and that it reflected RAKBank’s focus on “innovation that is responsible, regulated, and built on trust.”
UAE’s multi-pillar digital asset regime
The UAE has built out a multi-pillar digital assets framework, with the CBUAE, the Abu Dhabi Global Market, Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, and other agencies carving out rules for stablecoins, virtual asset service providers, and tokenized financial products.
Within that landscape, dirham-referenced payment tokens are intended by policymakers to modernize domestic payments, support digital economy initiatives, and improve the efficiency of cross-border flows in a remittance-heavy market.
Related: Why crypto millionaires are moving to the UAE (these 5 reasons explain everything)
Beyond crypto-natives: UAE’s stablecoin map
The UAE’s stablecoin race is no longer limited to crypto-native firms and international issuers.
Telecom giant e& (Etisalat) is piloting a regulated dirham stablecoin for bill payments under the AE Coin brand, while global players like Circle and Ripple have secured approvals in Abu Dhabi for USDC (USDC) and Ripple USD (RLUSD), respectively, targeting institutional use cases and regional expansion.
National Bank of RAK. Source: RAKBank Ras Al Khaimah itself, home to RAKBank, is busily trying to position itself as a specialist Web3 and digital economy hub through RAK DAO, which has introduced a DARe framework to give DAOs formal legal status and launched a “Builder’s Oasis” accelerator backed by a $2 million fund for AI, gaming, and blockchain startups.
Related: UAE to introduce legal framework for DAOs
Open questions on rails and adoption
Still, the news raises several unanswered questions. It is not yet clear which blockchain infrastructure the token will use, how interoperable it will be with existing global stablecoin rails, or how UAE federal and free-zone rules will interact once banks begin settling real-world flows onchain.
Perhaps most importantly, market adoption remains an open issue. While regulators and institutions are positioning for a tokenized future, it will take concrete product integrations and pricing incentives for corporates and consumers to use dirham stablecoins in everyday treasury, remittance, and payment workflows.
Cointelegraph reached out to RAKBank for comments but had not received a response by publication time.
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