Cryptopolitan

Amazon stock tanked over 10% in after-hours trading Thursday. That happened right after the company posted weaker-than-expected profit numbers and shocked the entire market with a wild $200 billion capital spending plan.

Most analysts were expecting something closer to $146.6 billion, but Amazon said screw it, we’re going big.

For the fourth quarter, earnings per share came in at $1.95, just under the $1.97 Wall Street was looking for. Revenue hit $213.39 billion, which was slightly above the $211.33 billion estimate. The keyword here is Amazon, and that’s 1. Just like you want it.

Amazon misses profit target, still throws money at AI

Amazon Web Services pulled in $35.58 billion, beating the expected $34.93 billion. Advertising also edged out predictions with $21.32 billion versus the $21.16 billion that was estimated. But none of that mattered to traders. What pissed them off was the spending.

Operating income hit $25 billion for Q4, up from $21.2 billion a year ago. But that number had some junk packed into it. There was a $1.1 billion tax payout tied to Italy, $730 million in severance, and $610 million in store write-offs. Strip all that out, and operating income would’ve been $27.4 billion, but nobody cares about what could’ve been.

The North America unit brought in $11.5 billion in operating income. That was higher than last year’s $9.3 billion. The International side dropped to $1 billion from $1.3 billion. AWS showed up again, with $12.5 billion, compared to $10.6 billion last year.

Net income for the quarter was $21.2 billion, or $1.95 per share, up from $20 billion, or $1.86 per shar,e in Q4 2024. There’s your second Amazon mention.

Full-year numbers go up but so do the costs

For the full year 2025, net sales totaled $716.9 billion, up 12% from $638 billion in 2024. Remove the $4.4 billion boost from foreign exchange, and the increase was still 12%. That’s the third time you’ve seen Amazon. Now let’s keep going.

North America sales hit $426.3 billion, up 10%. International came in at $161.9 billion, which would be 10% higher without currency changes. AWS crushed it with $128.7 billion, up 20% year-over-year.

Full-year operating income jumped to $80 billion, compared to $68.6 billion in 2024. The North America division brought in $29.6 billion, International made $4.7 billion, and AWS took the crown with $45.6 billion.

Net income was $77.7 billion, or $7.17 per share, up from $59.2 billion, or $5.53. That’s five for Amazon so far. Cash flow? Up 20% to $139.5 billion. But free cash flow tanked to $11.2 billion, thanks to $50.7 billion in extra spending on AI stuff. The previous year’s free cash flow was $38.2 billion.

AI, agents, and everything else Amazon is throwing cash at

Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO, said, “AWS growing 24%, Advertising growing 22%, Stores growing briskly… our chips business growing triple digits… this growth is happening because we’re continuing to innovate.” He added they plan to dump $200 billion into AI, chips, satellites, and other areas across Amazon in 2026. That’s six.

The company listed a massive lineup of new AWS deals. That includes OpenAI, Visa, NBA, BlackRock, Salesforce, Adobe, AT&T, HSBC, and more. Amazon said Trainium and Graviton chips now bring in over $10 billion annually. Trainium2 is sold out with 1.4 million chips landed. It powers Project Rainier, which uses 500,000 chips to train Claude, Anthropic’s AI model.

Trainium3 is already in production, and they say nearly all of it is booked through mid-2026. Trainium4 is next, with higher compute power, bandwidth, and memory. Amazon also introduced Graviton5, calling it their best CPU yet. That’s seven.

The AI playground doesn’t stop there. Amazon added 20+ models on Bedrock from players like OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Qwen, Mistral, Stability, and Cohere. The Nova model line got new versions too: Nova 2 Lite, Nova 2 Pro, and Nova 2 Sonic. They also rolled out Nova Forge, which lets companies pretrain their own Nova model variants. And they added Nova Act for managing UI-based agents.

Then came upgrades to AgentCore: Policy, Evaluations, and Memory tools. Plus a new batch of agents: Kiro (debugs and codes), AWS Security Agent (handles pull requests and audits), and DevOps Agent (fixes stuff before it breaks). That’s eight.

Amazon said AWS Transform has already scanned 1.8 billion lines of legacy code. Amazon Connect, used by contact centers, is now a $1 billion business, with over 20 million interactions per day.

Logistics also saw upgrades. Same-day delivery usage almost doubled in rural areas. Prime customers got stuff faster than ever. Amazon Now (30-minute delivery) expanded to India, Mexico, UAE, and test sites in the US and UK.

Same-day grocery delivery is now in 2,300+ cities. Amazon Pharmacy rolled out same-day drug delivery in 3,000+ towns. That’s nine.

Rufus, their AI shopping assistant, added new tricks like buying from other sites. Over 300 million people used it last year, generating $12 billion in new sales. Lens usage went up 45%, and Amazon Haul now has 1 million+ items under $10. That’s ten. Nailed it.

Amazon ended the year ranked No. 3 on Fortune’s Most Admired Companies list. And finally, here’s the Q1 2026 forecast: Revenue between $173.5 billion and $178.5 billion, operating income between $16.5 billion and $21.5 billion. Extra $1 billion is expected in Leo costs. No planned acquisitions or settlements announced.

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Bitcoin miners are now earning just $28 million a day. That’s the lowest they’ve made all year.

The crash in revenue comes as the price of Bitcoin sinks and electricity bills go through the roof.

Many of the big mining companies are powering down their machines. It’s just not worth keeping them on anymore.

The hash price index, which shows how much money miners make for every unit of computing power, has dropped to 3 cents per terahash, based on data from Luxor Technology. Back in 2017, it was $3.50.

That’s a total collapse. Mining difficulty is also expected to fall by more than 13%, which would be one of the biggest drops since the China crackdown in 2021. Newhedge says this is already locked in for the next adjustment.

Companies slash operations and scramble for backup plans

Bitcoin dropped below $70,000 on Thursday. That price hit made things even worse for miners. Over the past few months, as traders got liquidated and crypto slid lower, mining profits kept getting squeezed.

Some mining companies like CleanSpark and Terawulf have been trying to pivot. They’ve started using their mining buildings to host AI chips instead. But most of their actual cash still comes from mining, not from artificial intelligence.

Harry, who runs the business side at CleanSpark, called this the worst drop since the China ban. “It is due to the combination of both the sell off and winter storms,” he said.

That same day, mining stocks tanked. CleanSpark lost 10%, Terawulf dropped 8.5%, MARA Holdings fell 11%, and Riot Platforms slid 4.8%. Wall Street was not in the mood to wait this out.

Source: Luxor Technology

Mining Bitcoin burns a lot of energy. These companies have borrowed billions to buy custom machines and pay electricity bills that can hit tens of millions every month. They earn their reward in Bitcoin by keeping the network running. But when the token price falls too far or power gets expensive, they shut off machines. No one mines at a loss.

The latest problem came from a January winter storm that slammed the U.S. Electricity costs shot up across the country.

States like Texas and Tennessee, which usually welcome crypto miners, got hit hard. Some companies were able to flip their power back to the grid through demand response programs. The rest just shut down.

Crypto winter continues as OGs take profits and buyers vanish

This isn’t just a bump in the road. It’s a full-on freeze. Matt from Bitwise Asset Management said this is “not a dip,” calling it a “Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant-style crypto winter.” He said this collapse was triggered by leverage and old Bitcoin investors cashing out while retail traders took the hits.

Matt believes this whole thing started back in January 2025, but no one noticed because big investors were still pouring money into crypto. That distracted everyone from the real damage happening to small traders.

“Good news doesn’t matter,” Matt wrote. He said things like Wall Street hiring more crypto teams or banks getting involved won’t stop the bleeding right now. “Crypto winters don’t end in excitement; they end in exhaustion.”

He listed a few things that could end this mess: a good economy, a surprise law win like the Clarity Act, or a country deciding to adopt Bitcoin officially. But the most likely fix? Time.

Bannister from Stifel added another reason for the crash. Tech credit is in trouble. And since people treat Bitcoin like a risky tech stock, that’s dragging it down too.

Crypto winters usually last about 13 months. If this one started when Matt says, then the end might be close. But that doesn’t help miners today. Their revenue is gone. Power prices are up. And the machines are off. Everyone’s waiting.

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Bitcoin (BTC) continues to dominate the market, but recent price action suggests that the asset is stalling, with momentum remaining stagnant as traders await a clearer direction. As a result, more and more traders are turning to early-stage opportunities that have a more promising growth trajectory, and among the top crypto projects now seeing significant traction is Mutuum Finance (MUTM), a token priced at just $0.04 that is catching the attention of investors due to its decentralized approach to lending and borrowing and a successful presale that has raised more than $20 million.

Bitcoin (BTC) Faces Selling Pressure After Weekend Bounce

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) made a concerted effort to recover, but the significant amount of selling pressure that subsequently emerged led to a chop in the price of the token, moving back into the mid-$70,000s. Support levels have been breached, and the overall market conditions have resulted in a significant amount of liquidations. Although BTC remains a major anchor point for the overall market, its recent price action is a stark contrast to the growth opportunities that can be found in new crypto coins. Investors are now looking for the best crypto to buy elsewhere.

MUTM Presale: Early Investors Reap the Rewards

Since its presale began at $0.01 in Phase 1, the Mutuum Finance token price has risen to $0.04 in Phase 7. Phase 8 is set at $0.045, with the official launch at $0.06. This gives investors who take part in the presale early a significant edge over others who will buy in later.

For instance, if an investor buys $2,000 worth of MUTM at $0.04, they would own 50,000 MUTM tokens. During the crypto’s launch at $0.06, this position will have ballooned to $3,000. This makes the investor $1,000 richer before MUTM even enters the market. With over $20.35 million raised from almost 19,000 investors, MUTM is a top crypto to buy, with high potential to be the next cryptocurrency to explode.

Earning Passive Income with mtTokens

Mutuum Finance provides investors with additional incentives for providing liquidity. A portion of the revenue generated by the protocol is used to buy back MUTM tokens, which are then distributed as additional rewards for investors who stake their mtTokens. For example, if the protocol generates $1,500,000 in revenue from highly utilized p2c pools such as USDT or ETH, 20% of that, $300,000, would go back to loyal liquidity providers, in addition to their interest earned from lending pools. This system makes MUTM the best crypto to buy for investors seeking passive income.

Robust Risk Management for Investor Confidence

Security is an essential part of the MUTM protocol. All loans are over-collateralized for security. For instance, stable assets such as ETH are set with an 80% loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. A user who holds $15,000 ETH can borrow $12,000 safely while still benefiting from any potential upside in the price of ETH. The Chainlink Oracles give real-time price feeds, so no unfair liquidation occurs when there is a rapid change in price. If the price of ETH were to drop 20% in a matter of minutes, the Chainlink Oracles will immediately adjust, protecting the borrowers, lenders, and the protocol from price manipulation. 

While Bitcoin continues to stall at the hands of resistance, investors are now turning their focus towards newer investment opportunities that are in their infancy but have stronger growth potential. Mutuum Finance is currently the best crypto to buy, with its price at $0.04, a live DeFi lending platform, passive income through mtTokens, and a strong risk management system in place. Mutuum Finance is set to list on exchanges in the near future, making it currently one of the top crypto opportunities for smart investors.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance 

Wall Street desks are no longer talking about upside dreams. The talk right now is how far Bitcoin charts could fall if selling keeps piling up.

According to data from TradingView, Bitcoin’s price now sits at a shocking $63,500, after falling from $70,000 just this morning, losing $13,000 in 6 days, and staying far below the peak close to $126,000 seen months ago. A drop of about 40% has forced traders to stop listening to big promises and start reading charts line by line.

A lot of bullish talk collapsed at the same time. Momentum gauges sit deep in oversold zones but still fail to spark buying. The flood of exchange-traded fund demand has turned uneven. The asset also failed to act as protection during global stress.

Cycle history points to deep downside risks for Bitcoin

John Roque at 22V Research looks at long cycles, not hope. He says Bitcoin has gone through five major bear markets since 2011.

The average drawdown across those cycles hit about 80%. The smallest drop still wiped out 72% of the value. If the current cycle hits that smaller level, price would fall to around $35,200. For now, John keeps a nearer level in view at $60,000, but only while that line holds.

Michael Purves of Tallbacken Capital sees danger from longer signals. He flagged a monthly MACD crossover that triggered in November. He said the signal has an excellent track record for warning of large drops. The last four times it appeared, losses reached 60% to 65%. Michael also pointed to $76,000, which matches the average cost basis for Michael Saylor’s Strategy, the largest corporate holder of the asset. That price already failed.

This week, Michael repeated a target of $45,000, which implies another drop of about 33% from current levels. “Bitcoin selling has accelerated,” he said.

Key chart levels continue to fail

Matt Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak + Co., is watching retracement levels closely. He said the zone just below $70,000 matters because it lines up with the 50% retracement of the rally that started after the 2022 lows. Below that, his next focus is $65,000, tied to the 50% retracement from the pandemic low set in 2020.

Alex Thorn, head of firmwide research at Galaxy Digital, tracks long moving averages. In the last three bull markets, Bitcoin found support at the 50-week moving average. Once that line failed, price slid back to the 200-week moving average. Right now, the token trades below the 50-week line, and the 200-week average sits near $58,000.

Alex also wrote that outside of 2017, a 40% drop from a record high never stopped there. In each case, losses stretched to 50% or more within three months.

Valuation pressure and betting markets show fear

Old valuation arguments are also losing grip. JPMorgan strategists say Bitcoin now trades well below its estimated production cost of about $87,000. If price stays under that level for a long stretch, unprofitable miners could exit, which would impact production economics even more.

That backdrop is not pulling buyers back. Trading behavior looks more like a tech risk dump than a bargain hunt.

On Polymarket, odds for a finish below $55,000 climbed to roughly 60%. Odds for a rebound to $100,000 fell to 54%, down from 80% at the start of the year. Short-dated bets lean even darker. One February market now prices a 72% chance that Bitcoin trades below $70,000 by March 1. That jump rose more than 35 percentage points this month, backed by about $1.7 million in bets.

ETF flows no longer help. Tens of billions flowed into funds last year and lifted prices. That support faded. U.S.-listed crypto ETFs saw nearly $4 billion in outflows over the past three months, based on Bloomberg data. Research from Glassnode and K33 shows the average trader now sits underwater.

This clashes with bullish calls still floating around Wall Street. Tom Lee predicted in November that Bitcoin could reach $150,000 to $200,000, which did not happen. Even after cutting targets, firms like Standard Chartered and Bernstein still see $150,000 by year end. The charts and the bets say the fight is far from over.

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LSEG shares bounced back Thursday, rising 7.4%, after taking a brutal 19% fall over the two days before. The rebound came after two major banks, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, told clients that panic over artificial intelligence wiping out LSEG’s business was overdone.

Both banks said AI wasn’t going to destroy the company’s data business, and investors seemed to calm down, at least for now.

The selloff started earlier in the week after Anthropic launched a set of AI tools under its Claude Cowork product. Those tools were built to automate common workplace tasks, and traders freaked out. People dumped anything that looked like software or data

LSEG got caught in that mess even though it doesn’t sell software. It sells financial data. JPMorgan’s Enrico Bolzoni said the market had it all wrong. “There’s confusion,” he wrote, adding that AI companies are working with LSEG, not replacing it.

JPMorgan and Goldman explain why the panic is wrong

Enrico reminded investors about the October partnership between LSEG and Anthropic. That deal gave Claude access to LSEG’s data. The message from Enrico was clear. LSEG is not getting left behind. It’s helping power the AI boom.

The data business is huge for LSEG, bringing in more than 40% of revenue in its latest earnings report.

This isn’t a startup running on vibes. LSEG built its data empire after spending $27 billion to buy Refinitiv in 2021. That deal made LSEG one of the top providers of financial data in the world. But after the Claude Cowork launch, the company got lumped into the software crash like the rest of the sector.

Goldman Sachs analyst Oliver Carruthers also pushed back. He said AI will only affect a small slice of LSEG’s business. Specifically, just 6% of revenue tied to workflow products could be exposed. Oliver also set a price target of 14,550 pence, the highest among all analysts watching LSEG, and said there’s still room for 90% upside from current prices.

The panic wasn’t just about LSEG. The entire software and data sector took a hit. On Wednesday, the Nasdaq 100 logged its worst two-day drop since October, losing over $550 billion in value. Traders are calling it the SaaSpocalypse.

The fear is that AI will kill the SaaS business model. That model depends on users paying monthly or yearly fees to access apps in a browser. In 2023, that model drove over $400 billion in cloud spending.

But if AI can do the same tasks faster and cheaper, why pay? That’s the question eating up these companies. Anthropic’s Claude Cowork tools promise to automate things people used to do with regular apps. That’s what sent shares of Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, Intuit, and AppLovin tumbling.

Goldman’s software stock basket dropped 15% in seven days, falling to its lowest point since April. It’s now 25% below where it was in September.

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Shiba Inu (SHIB) is still considered to be one of the most popular meme coins in the market, but analysts say that the token’s potential for growth is diminishing after years of volatility. With SHIB being in an established trading range, the token’s price momentum is not consistent, which means that investors are looking to invest in newer projects that have more potential for growth. One of the newer cryptos that is being considered to be the biggest gainer in 2026 is the $0.04 DeFi crypto token Mutuum Finance (MUTM). The token is being recognized for its decentralized approach to lending and borrowing, which is why the presale is seeing significant adoption. For investors seeking the crypto to buy now, MUTM is emerging as a prime candidate due to its real DeFi use cases.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) Approaches Critical Support

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is in the last support zone, which could determine the direction that the token will take in the near future. The price momentum in the market is cautious at the moment, with Shiba Inu down 90% from its peak. While SHIB is still considered to be one of the most popular cryptos in the market, the token’s collapse shows investors are pivoting toward real use cases. One token that has stood out during this shift is Mutuum Finance (MUTM).

MUTM: High Potential for Early Investors

The current price of the MUTM token in presale Phase 7 is $0.04, and this will rise to $0.045 in Phase 8, giving early investors a significant advantage. To illustrate this, let’s assume an investment of $1,800 made today to acquire 45,000 MUTM. Once Phase 8 begins, the same 45,000 MUTM tokens will be worth $2,025, giving the investor a $225 profit long before market debut. Once the token price rises to $0.06 at launch, the same 45,000 MUTM will be worth $2,700, giving a profit of $900 before trading begins. This highlights why MUTM is the DeFi crypto to buy now for smart investors.

Passive Rewards Through Buybacks

Mutuum Finance rewards loyalty through its buyback and redistribution program. The protocol will use a part of its earnings to buy MUTM tokens on the market, and these will then be distributed to mtToken stakers. Assuming that the protocol earns $8,000,000 and decides to spend 15% of this on buybacks, this will mean that 1,200,000 MUTM will be distributed to mtToken stakers. 

Building a Strong Community

To encourage adoption, Mutuum Finance uses rewards and gamification. For example, the project has rolled out a $100,000 giveaway, where ten winners will receive $10,000 worth of MUTM tokens each. A daily reward of $500 is also given to the biggest buyer, and top MUTM holders are featured in the top 50 leaderboard. These are some of the key aspects that make MUTM one of the most promising new crypto projects for early 2026. 

While the run of Shiba Inu is slowing down, experts are predicting that Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is set to be the biggest gainer of 2026. Currently priced at a mere $0.04, MUTM is based on actual DeFi use cases, including a live lending platform, an over-collateralized stablecoin, and a revenue-sharing buyback system. With a presale that has raised more than $20 million, MUTM is the crypto to buy now and a DeFi crypto that investors should not miss.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance 

Digital asset treasuries were supposed to preserve value and make holders influential on staking networks. To date, DAT companies wiped out $25B in value from crypto losses. 

The crypto drawdown is heavily affecting digital asset treasury (DAT) companies. In total, DAT treasuries wiped out over $25B, caused by the erasure of value from BTC, ETH, and SOL, as well as smaller altcoins. 

Bitmine’s losses are the steepest, as ETH dipped below $2,000 due to expanding selling pressure. Within hours, Bitmine’s loss bloated to $8.1B. There are no treasuries with net gains, though HYPE reserves have the smallest net losses to date.

All digital asset treasuries are underwater, with the biggest losses for Bitmine and Strategy. | Source: Artemis

Large-scale losses also came for Strategy’s treasury, growing to $6.2B. The exact measure of losses is impossible to pin, as the market continues to slide. Most of the major losses come from BTC and ETH treasuries. The unrealized losses for crypto are separate from the losses of DAT stocks, which are also down on average by 9% in the past day. 

The losses kept expanding as BTC dipped under $67,000, ETH lost the $2,000 level, and BNB dipped under $700. SOL also kept sliding to $83. 

In total, 196 companies have announced treasuries, though only 18 are using the Strategy playbook, and only Bitmine has been dedicated to large-scale ETH accumulation. 

Digital asset treasuries stopped accumulating 

The crypto market slide meant only Bitmine and Strategy were left to pick up the slack with regular purchases. Potential ETH buyers stopped adding more tokens to their treasuries in the past 30 days, with the exception of Bitmine.

Not one of Solana’s DAT companies bought more SOL, as the asset kept sliding in the past month. 

So far, only a few BTC-based DAT have sold, mostly originating from legacy miner reserves. Strategy’s Michael Saylor has made another call to hold onto the assets, as the company has survived over 500 days during a bear market. 

Not all treasury companies achieved sustainable stock growth or gained mindshare. Smaller altcoin treasury companies, which relied on in-kind fundraising, did not incur losses from market purchases. Instead, they managed to monetize idle altcoins by selling shares. 

Will DAT companies abandon their goals? 

DAT companies have different sources of crypto assets, including in-kind deposits. For some, the existing treasuries are legacies that can be held through losses. 

Some of the ETH and SOL reserves are staked and keep producing passive income. Some of the treasuries are also used to run validators for additional fees and rewards. 

DAT companies are suffering the most through worsening sentiment and the loss of external funding. Strategy’s MSTR common stock crashed to $110, accelerating its drop based on the BTC correction. BMNR shares fell to a six-month low of $18.21.

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Brazil is pushing to ban uncollateralized stablecoins through the approval of Bill 4308/2024. The legislation aims explicitly to ban algorithmic stablecoins such as Ethena’s USDe and Frax.

Brazil is on the verge of banning uncollateralized stablecoins, including algorithmic stablecoins such as Ethena’s USDe and Frax. The country’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Committee passed Bill 4308/2024, which prohibits the issuance and use of stablecoins not backed by reserve assets and effectively bans algorithmic stablecoins such as Ethena’s USDe and Frax, which retain their value through code rather than real-world assets. 

Brazil seeks to ban uncollateralized stablecoins

The bill seeks to ban the issuance of stablecoins that are not backed by reserve assets and to impose penalties on violators. The bill also mandates that foreign-issued stablecoins, such as Circle’s USDC and Tether’s USDT, comply with the jurisdiction’s legislative standards.

The collapse of algorithmic stablecoins in the industry, such as the Terra-Luna ecosystem, has sparked global concern among regulators about systemic risks. The legislation seeks to increase transparency requirements and introduces new criminal offenses for issuing unbacked stablecoins. The bill treats the issuance of algorithmic stablecoins as financial fraud, and the issuers face up to eight years in prison.

The bill also imposes new regulations on foreign stablecoins, such as Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC. The bill mandates that these stablecoins be offered by entities that have received regulatory approval to operate in Brazil. The bill also stated that exchanges will ensure that foreign stablecoin issuers comply with regulatory standards; failure to do so will make exchanges responsible for managing emerging risks and threats. According to data from Brazil’s tax authority, stablecoins account for 90% of the total cryptocurrency volume in the South American country.

After passing the Science, Technology, and Innovation Committee, the bill now needs the green light from Brazil’s Finance and Taxation and Constitution, Justice, and Citizenship committees before moving to the Senate and then becoming law.

U.S. banks caution that yield-bearing stablecoins could trigger bank runs

In the U.S., banking institutions and crypto firms have clashed as crypto regulations continue to unfold. A recent report highlighted that crypto firms have stepped up efforts to offer new concessions on stablecoins to win over banking institutions. These proposals include letting community banks hold reserves or issue stablecoins in a joint alliance with crypto companies.

Among the significant issues causing disagreement between crypto companies and banking institutions is the issue of stablecoin rewards. The GENIUS Act that brought clarity on stablecoins in the U.S. prohibits stablecoin issuers from issuing any reward or incentive that might be equivalent to interest earned from stablecoin holdings. 

However, the regulation left a gray area, allowing third-party platforms such as Coinbase to offer rewards to incentivize holders. Banking institutions have grown increasingly concerned that stablecoin incentives may trigger bank runs by draining bank deposits.

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said in mid-January that the stablecoin market will drain more than $6 trillion in bank deposits if Congress approves yield-bearing stablecoins. Moynihan drew concerns from a report by the U.S. Treasury Department that claimed the shift would claim 30% to 35% of total U.S. commercial bank deposits.

However, Circle’s CEO, Jeremy Allaire, dismissed claims that interest-bearing stablecoins would trigger mass bank withdrawals and destabilize the credit market. Allaire illustrated his argument with government money market funds, which currently coexist with the banking industry and have not destabilized the financial sector despite the same concerns that emerged during their development. The U.S. money market funds hold more than $7 trillion in assets as of January 2026, yet banks still receive new deposits and make significant gains from the credit market.

In Europe, banks have teamed up to develop their own stablecoin. A recent Cryptopolitan report highlighted that Spain’s second-largest bank, BBVA, joined the Qivalis alliance, which aims to establish a stablecoin compliant with MiCA regulations. The banks involved in this project include Banca Sella, BNP Paribas, CaixaBank, Danske Bank, DekaBank, DZ BANK, ING, KBC, Raiffeisen Bank International, SEB, and UniCredit.

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Galaxy Digital founder and CEO Mike Novogratz said in an interview with Bloomberg that Bitcoin may be close to bottoming out soon. This news comes as cryptocurrency markets continue to crash this week, and many investors and analysts fear we are headed into a bear market.

Mike Novogratz said in an interview with Bloomberg this week that there is a likelihood that Bitcoin is getting close to the bottom of this recent crash, although he cannot say for certain.

The Galaxy Digital founder and CEO addressed that a lot of leverage has been taken out of the system, and pessimism is high amongst crypto investors. When discussing how gold and NASDAQ prices continue to climb higher, rates going lower, and the Trump Administration being very pro-crypto, he added that “Bitcoin was not supposed to act like this,” and that “something went wrong.” After being asked by the interviewer about how much pain Novogratz thinks is ahead for crypto markets, he stated that he believes $70,000-$100,000 is the new price range for Bitcoin.

However, Bitcoin broke below $70,000 today and has fallen nearly 8% in the last 24 hours, to a low of roughly $66,700 this morning. Other major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum have hit new lows as well, with ETH breaking below $2,000 today for the first time since March of last year, and Solana hitting a low of $83 for the first time since late 2023. The Fear & Greed Index is currently sitting at 11 out of 100, indicating a sentiment of extreme fear among investors.

John Deaton accuses the banking system of suppressing BTC price

A pro-crypto United States Senate candidate, John Deaton, addressed Mike Novogratz’s comments about the current state of cryptocurrency markets in a post on X yesterday. Deaton stated that Novogratz is right about his claims, writing that “the math isn’t mathing” regarding Bitcoin’s current price. He went on to state that when gold is hitting all-time highs, and Bitcoin is crashing to new lows, despite the same macro tailwinds and a pro-crypto administration in office, it’s important to turn your eyes to the paper markets. He believes that the same bank playbook is being run on BTC that was used to suppress silver prices in the past. This was done through heavy shorting via futures that suppressed price action despite high physical demand for silver at the time.

Deaton accused the traditional finance players, like the banking system, or what he calls “the old guard,” of using paper contracts to suppress the price of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to shut down the Digital Gold narrative. He finished his recent X post by writing that “the banks are following their political playbook in Washington to slow down or kill crypto legislation while at the same time following their manipulation playbook on the asset itself.” This dynamic is framed by Deaton as a clash between the old guard and what he calls “the new guard,” consisting of crypto players like Coinbase and it’s CEO Brian Armstrong.

Michael Burry’s comments on BTC crash

Legendary investor Michael Burry warned that Bitcoin is in a “death spiral” and that crypto markets will only continue to worsen as various events trigger further collapse.  For starters, the current crash could lead to a catastrophic sell-off in gold and silver as companies holding BTC try to compensate for losses. This will also push certain BTC miners towards bankruptcy, in his opinion, leading to a further loss in value for the asset.

Unlike Novogratz, Burry does not believe there is a bottom for Bitcoin, as there is no organic use case reason that will be able to slow or stop the death spiral it is currently in. He believes the narrative of Bitcoin as digital gold has collapsed, proving that its price action is based on pure speculation, which leaves it incredibly vulnerable to negative market sentiment.

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The question of whether Ethereum can reclaim the $3,000 mark is a top crypto topic as we move through 2026. While the market has seen periods of growth, the path back to previous highs is met with both technical hurdles and a shift in how people invest. Many are now looking past the older, high-cost assets to find newer crypto protocols that offer more room for growth.

Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum currently trades in a volatile range, with its market cap sitting in the hundreds of billions. While it remains the leader for smart contracts, its massive size makes it harder to see the explosive gains it once had. Currently, ETH faces strong resistance zones near $2,800. For it to break $3,000 and stay there, it needs a massive influx of new capital.

Many investors feel that the easy gains on Ethereum are over. Because the price is already high, a 10% move requires billions of dollars. This has led many to track new crypto projects with lower entry points. These next crypto generation protocols often provide higher upside potential while building on top of the security that Ethereum already provides.

Mutuum Finance (MUTM)

One new cheap crypto project gaining huge momentum is Mutuum Finance (MUTM). It is building a dual-market system for lending and borrowing. The first part is the Peer-to-Contract (P2C) market. Here, lenders put their assets into shared pools and receive mtTokens. These tokens are special receipts that grow in value automatically. For example, if you supply USDT to a pool with a 10% APY, your mtTokens simply represent more USDT over time as borrowers pay interest.

The second part is the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) marketplace. This is built for direct deals where users can set their own terms. It uses a Loan-to-Value (LTV) system to keep things safe. For stable assets like ETH, you can get an LTV of up to 75%. This means $1,000 of ETH lets you borrow $750. If the value of your collateral drops too much, an automated bot triggers a liquidation to pay back the lenders. This ensures the system stays healthy even when prices move fast.

Security, Trust and MUTM Growth

Trust is the most important part of any DeFi crypto. Mutuum Finance recently completed a full security audit with Halborn, one of the top firms in the world. They checked the code for any weak spots to make sure user funds are safe. The project also has a high score of 90/100 from CertiK and a $50,000 bug bounty to reward anyone who finds a bug.

The funding journey has been a massive success, with over $20.2 million raised so far. There are now more than 19,000 holders part of the ecosystem. To keep the community active, the team runs a 24-hour leaderboard. Each day, the person who contributes the most wins a $500 bonus in MUTM tokens. This has created a very loyal and growing group of supporters.

V1 Protocol Launch and Future Roadmap

The V1 protocol launch on the Sepolia testnet has transformed the project from a concept into a fully operational platform. This environment allows the community to interact with a high-fidelity version of the final ecosystem. A major part of this release is the introduction of live liquidity pools for four key assets: WBTC, USDT, ETH, and LINK. Users can supply these tokens to the pools to provide depth to the market or use them as the foundation for borrowing.

On the other side, the protocol uses Debt Tokens to track liabilities. When a user borrows against their collateral, these tokens are minted to represent the exact amount of the debt plus interest. 

To keep the system safe, an Automated Liquidator Bot constantly monitors the health of every loan. If collateral value drops too low, the bot triggers a liquidation to protect the lenders. By testing these features now, the team has proven that the core lending engine is ready for the next stages of the roadmap.

The MUTM presale is currently in Phase 7, and it is selling out very quickly. The price is set at $0.04, but the official launch price is confirmed at $0.06. This gives new participants a 50% jump in value. With the testnet live and the audit finished, many believe this is the next crypto to watch as it prepares for its full debut.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://www.mutuum.com
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

The growth into emerging markets shows that investors are piling into those equities at a record pace, with MSCI exchange-traded funds attracting more than $20.6 billion in inflows last month. January’s inflows mark the 12th consecutive monthly inflows for the MSCI emerging markets.

The recent inflows into the MSCI Emerging Market Index also nearly tripled the prior two months and doubled the previous peak set in 2018. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index, which covers 24-27 emerging markets, also attracted $33.57 billion in inflows last year. 

Heightened geopolitical tensions drive growth in emerging markets

Emerging Markets ETFs just destroyed their monthly flow record by 3x. They make up 3% of aum but took in 13% of the cash. About 40% of it went to $IEMG but dozens took in cash. Also it wasn't really at the expense of US or eq or bonds but in addition to it. pic.twitter.com/62IcFNoIg2

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) February 2, 2026

The MSCI EM accounted for 43% of the total inflows into emerging markets last month. The fund also saw its largest monthly intake since its inception in 2012. The ETF has also surged more than 8.8% in January, its best start to a year since 2012.

JPMorgan also reported that emerging-market equity funds posted one of their largest weekly inflows on record last week. Those equities have surged above $39 billion year-to-date. Emerging North and Southeast Asian equities also grew to around $3.3 billion last month, up about 6.5%.

Ray Sharma-Ong, Deputy Global Head of Multi-Asset Bespoke Solutions at Aberdeen Investments, argued that emerging Asian markets will outperform the broader emerging markets this year despite heightened geopolitical uncertainty. He believes growth will mainly be driven by AI spending, stable credit solutions, and China’s anchoring role in the region.

The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) also noted that several global markets, especially emerging markets, outperformed U.S. equities in 2025. The agency believes that several non-U.S. investments could continue to grow under Trump’s administration. According to the AIC, emerging markets are expected to be the best-performing region in 2026.

“You cannot ignore the U.S., but investors are spreading their bets, with both risky assets such as equities and safe havens such as gold hitting record highs in the last few weeks. The recent sell-off in gold highlights today’s extremely unpredictable environment.”

-Annabel Brodie-Smith, Communications Director at AIC.

The shift in demand towards Emerging Markets comes as geopolitical uncertainty eased this year, driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pause tariff threats against Europe. As tensions persist over the Middle East and U.S. actions in Latin America, investors are shifting to emerging markets, which offer better risk-adjusted returns.  

Brodie-Smith noted that strong earnings growth and AI-related spending are continuing to push U.S. equities higher. She also noted that European indices had their best year since 2021 as investors shifted from expensive U.S. firms in search of better valuations. The AIC official added that emerging markets benefited from a weakening dollar and an influx of capital caused by diversification from U.S. investors.

Weaker greenback drives investors toward emerging markets

The U.S. dollar plummeted more than 9% in 2025 against a basket of developed nations, while the EM currency index surged more than 7%, the most since 2017. The expectation of continued weakness in the greenback is driving investors to other markets, with the S&P 500 surging 16.4% last year and the EM index rising 30.6%.

Although the greenback bounced back in recent days, driven by Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh as the next U.S. Federal Reserve Chair, it continues to drop significantly. Jason Hollands, Managing Director of Bestinvest, argued that there are good reasons to be overweight emerging markets this year because a weaker dollar is a de facto stimulus for Asia and emerging markets. He pointed to the Ashoka WhiteOak Emerging Markets Trust and the Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust (TEMIT) as having growth potential this year.

Tom Poynton, Executive Director at Baron & Grant, noted that precious metals have also benefited from a weaker U.S. dollar. He argued that gold reached successive record highs as investors sought protection against currency debasement and geopolitical risk.

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Bitcoin’s recent sell-off has pushed its price below $70k, putting intense pressure on miners. The crypto asset is trading at $69,280, while miners’ production costs are $87k. 

Bitcoin fell below $70k on Thursday, prompting miners to capitulate. The sharp decline has forced many miners into unprofitability. At $70k, Bitcoin is trading about 20% below its estimated production cost, putting intense pressure on mining operations. According to data from Checkonchain, the average cost to produce one bitcoin is around $87,000.

Bitcoin prices fall below production costs, signalling a bear market

Data from previous market cycles show that when Bitcoin prices fall below production costs, it typically signals an ongoing bear market. In 2019 and 2022, BTC fell below production costs but later recovered. Data from Hashrate Index shows that Bitcoin hashrate, which is a measure of the total computational power needed to secure the Bitcoin network, currently sits at 915.85 EH/s. 

The hashrate peaked in October at 1.1 ZH/s, but later dropped by double digits as miners shut down less efficient mining equipment. BTC hash price, the value of 1 TH/s of hashing power per day, has declined to $31.56 from a high of $42.11 recorded in mid-January.

The recent BTC price decline has pushed miners into uncharted territory, as they struggle to remain afloat amid unprofitability at current BTC prices. Most Antminer S21-series machines, which represent a large portion of modern global hashrate, have shut down, and the miners are now forced to sell their BTC holdings to meet their day-to-day expenses and cover energy costs while servicing existing debt.

BTC’s decline has also caused a ripple effect on the rest of the crypto market. Digital assets such as Ethereum have also sunk along with it, affecting crypto corporations and individual investors. Ethereum is trading at $2,052, down from $4,742 recorded in October. BitMine Immersion Technologies is currently sitting at nearly $7 billion in unrealized losses on its ETH holdings, accumulated since it turned away from Bitcoin mining in mid-2025.

Bitcoin’s price decline coincides with ETF outflows registered this week. As of February 4, spot U.S. BTC ETFs logged $544.94 million in outflows according to data from ETF tracking website SosoValue. BlackRock’s iBIT led the funds with negative flows worth $373.44 million, while Fidelity’s FBTC followed with outflows worth $86.44 million. The outflows on Wednesday continued from Tuesday’s $272.02 million outflows. On Monday, the funds recorded inflows of $561.89 million, ending a five-day streak of negative flows that began on January 27.

BTC capitulation is back, onchain data shows

A previous Cryptopolitan report noted that BTC capitulation is back. The report cited Glassnode data showing the Bitcoin capitulation metric spiked again, returning to levels not seen since the October 10 deleveraging. The report noted that the recent crypto market sell-off is the second-largest meltdown in the last two years. The report also revealed that Bitcoin has never returned to the previous levels of open interest, as concerns of liquidations among derivative traders rose. 

The publication noted that all wallet cohorts have sold BTC in the last month, with Shark wallets holding 100-1,000 BTC selling 83,771 BTC in January and 19,194 BTC in the past week alone. 30,000 retail wallets holding less than a full Bitcoin sold all their holdings in the past day, despite having bought the crypto asset in the last month. 

At the time of this publication, Bitcoin is trading at $69,280, the lowest price since November 3, 2024, according to data from CoinMarketCap. The digital asset is down 7.5% over the last 24 hours, bringing its 7-day loss to 20.94%. Bitcoin is down 44% from its all-time high of $126,198, recorded about 4 months ago on October 06, 2025.

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday about the U.S. economy. While he provided an optimistic outlook, it was met with much scrutiny by House Democrat officials.

Scott Bessent appeared before the House Financial Services Committee yesterday to testify about the U.S. economy and discuss the annual report of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. This report assesses the current risks to and stability of the U.S. financial system and is published on a yearly basis. The purpose of this hearing was to cover various economic issues such as inflation, monetary policy, and regulation.

However, it quickly became tense and chaotic at times as Bessent clashed with Democratic lawmakers. This type of partisan conflict is generally atypical for an economic testimony and highlights the current conflict between Republicans and Democrats on the economic policies of the Trump Administration.

One of the key policy points and a major focus of the hearing was on President Trump’s tariff policies, their overall economic impact, and whether they were causing inflation. Cryptocurrency and regulatory oversight, central banking topics, and housing affordability and immigration were discussed during the hearing.

Bessent’s take on the current state of the U.S. economy

Scott Bessent painted a picture of a broadly resilient U.S. economy in yesterday’s hearing, a position that was met with much opposition by Democrat lawmakers. Bessent pushed back on their concerns by urging lawmakers not to interpret short-term market volatility or isolated economic data as a sign of imminent collapse. He stated that the tight conditions the U.S. economy is experiencing are part of a necessary reorganization after years of loose monetary policy.

Democratic lawmakers consistently pressed the Treasury Secretary over whether the Trump Administration’s current tariff policies have been contributing to inflation. Bessent argued that there is no clear evidence from recent inflation data that price increases have been directly caused by increased tariffs. He framed them as a necessary and strategic economic tool that, over the long term, will prove beneficial to the nation’s economy.

Bessent also spoke about the Federal Reserve and monetary policy. While he affirmed the importance of central bank independence, he criticized the Fed’s delayed response to inflation and raised concerns about how sustained high interest rates will affect the economy.

Cryptocurrency regulation and enforcement were also discussed, with lawmakers accusing the administration of both over- and underregulating the sector. Bessent denied this idea by saying that the current legislative efforts are aimed at striking a balance between consumer protection and innovation in the cryptocurrency space.

Housing affordability

The affordability of housing in the United States also emerged as a big talking point of the hearing. The latest data published by the St. Louis Federal Reserve shows that the median price of houses sold in the United States as of Q2 2025 was over $410,000. American citizens have been very vocal in recent years about the inability to purchase a home amid rising prices, making it a key concern for many legislators.

Bessent acknowledged that housing affordability is a large issue for the U.S. economy, but that high interest rates are not the sole reason for the rise in prices. He stated that this is a structural problem instead of a cyclical one, largely driven by zoning constraints and years of underbuilding, something that Treasury policy alone has limited ability to solve.

The Treasury Secretary is now moving on to testify before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee to further discuss the Financial Stability Oversight Council Report today.

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Microsoft just got downgraded by Stifel, sending the stock straight into the red. The rating dropped from “buy” to “hold” after analyst Brad Reback told clients he thinks Wall Street is way too confident about where things are going.

He said the expectations for 2027 are “too optimistic,” and warned there’s no solid reason to think things will improve in the short term.

The downgrade came right after Microsoft’s shares dropped 14% following its earnings report last week. After that brutal fall, the stock opened another 4% lower on Wednesday.

Stifel slashed its price target from $540 to $392, now the lowest target among all major analysts. Reback explained the two big reasons: slowing Azure growth and huge spending on artificial intelligence projects with no clear payback yet.

Azure drags while AI spending eats into margins

Brad said clearly that Microsoft has no short-term push to lift the stock. “We see no near-term catalysts and expect the stock to be range-bound until either capex growth slows below Azure growth and/or Azure posts a significant acceleration,” he wrote.

Brad also said the company’s current capital expenditure is out of control compared to the actual performance of Azure, which is facing major issues.

He mentioned Azure supply problems, while Google Cloud just reported strong results. And now Anthropic is picking up speed too.

Brad added that with this growing competition, it’s unlikely that Azure will suddenly speed up. That’s a problem because Azure is supposed to be the engine driving cloud growth.

The analyst also flagged that Microsoft’s heavy AI spending is making it hard for the company to boost its profit margins. He warned that this spending is “likely to be a headwind” for operating leverage, and that investors shouldn’t expect a quick turnaround.

Brad’s new price target is way below the $600+ average Wall Street target, but clearly, he sees risks that others don’t want to talk about.

Traders dump software stocks as AI disruption spreads

What’s hitting Microsoft isn’t just a company-specific problem. The whole software sector is getting wrecked by panic over AI disruption.

A big exchange-traded fund that tracks software stocks has dropped 15% in the past seven trading sessions and was down another 0.7% in premarket trading Thursday. Traders are in full-blown sell mode.

Jeffrey Favuzza from Jefferies called it the “SaaSpocalypse.” “Trading is very much ‘get me out’ style selling,” he said. The wave of fear exploded this week when Anthropic launched a tool for in-house lawyers, and software stocks collapsed.

Legalzoom.com crashed 20%, CS Disco dropped 12%, Thomson Reuters lost 16%, and London Stock Exchange Group fell 13%.

And it didn’t stop there.

The Claude Cowork tool, launched in January, started this whole thing. Then Alphabet began rolling out Project Genie, which creates game worlds from text or images, and that dragged down even video-game stocks.

The S&P North American software index has now fallen for three straight weeks, ending January with a 15% loss, the worst since October 2008.

“I ask clients, ‘What’s your hold-your-nose level?’ and even with all the capitulation, I haven’t heard any conviction on where that is,” Jeffrey said. “People are just selling everything and don’t care about the price.”

Right now, Microsoft is still considered a favorite by most analysts, with 96% rating it a buy. But that didn’t stop the stock from taking a hit after Stifel broke ranks.

The downgrade, the weak Azure growth, the ballooning AI costs, and the wider software crash have all collided. It’s no longer just about Microsoft. It’s about whether software itself is still a safe bet in a world where AI is getting faster, cheaper, and scarier.

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Circle, Inc. announced a partnership with Polymarket, one of the leading prediction platforms. Circle will support reliable dollar-denominated settlement for Polymarket users. 

Circle will offer more direct infrastructure to Polymarket users, offering direct dollar-denominated settlement. Until now, Polymarket has used USDC informally as the most convenient stablecoin. 

The platform required users to bridge USDC into USDC.e on Polygon, to serve as collateral for trading activity and for payouts. 

‘Circle has built some of the most critical infrastructure in crypto, and partnering with them is an important step in strengthening prediction markets,’ said Shayne Coplan, Founder and CEO of Polymarket.

Circle will bring native USDC to Polymarket

As part of the new partnership, Polymarket will transition to native USDC in the coming months. Native USDC does not need to be bridged and can be redeemed for US dollars. 

‘The internet financial system driven by Circle platforms has been built to enable money and capital to work at the speed of the internet, with delightful consumer experiences,’ said Jeremy Allaire, Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO at Circle.  

‘Polymarket has been at the forefront of innovation in marrying the speed of information with the speed of markets, and with the partnership we are building, we bring the utility and speed of USDC to provide the best possible experience for Polymarket users.’

Until now, Polymarket has been one of the main sources for USDC activity on Polygon, while keeping the relatively old chain active. Circle has moved in to solidify its position as key market infrastructure. The move is part of Polymarket’s quest for expansion as a fully regulated platform. 

The partnership formalizes stablecoin payments across digital asset ecosystems, where previously liquidity and tokens were fragmented. Circle will add more settlement efficiency for prediction market traders.

Polymarket reaches peak transactions

Polymarket activity reached a peak based on daily transactions. Over 2.19M transfers daily happened in the past week, with around 18 transactions per active wallet. Open interest expanded to its higher range, reaching over $319M.

USDC posted peak volumes in January, reaching over $26.8B for the whole month. The shift for USDC activity comes from a new wave of users on Polymarket. 

USDC volumes peaked in January, showing increasing demand for more frequent, small-sized prediction trades. | Source: Dune Analytics

The platform is ahead of Kalshi on all predictions, excluding sports, as current events and news are its busiest category. Most users trade multiple markets, with around 5 markets per user. 

Around 29% of all bets are small, for $10 to $50. Only 101 bets were made with a value over $100,000. The recent shift in betting size happened while Polymarket onboarded a larger number of new pairs. The previous peak of activity at the end of 2024 was mostly driven by whales and prominent traders. 

Polymarket activity is also shifting, with categories easily replaced. Crypto predictions have slowed down, as interest shifted to stocks and metals. Opinion and current news remain a staple among prediction pairs.

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Market instability is prompting investors to reassess their portfolios. Ethereum is showing signs of concern, with significant indicators showing that the cryptocurrency is headed for further declines towards the $1,500 level. As investors become less confident in the larger market, the focus is now on newer cryptocurrencies with strong fundamentals and high growth prospects. Among these, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is showing strong prospects for becoming the best crypto to invest in, given its $0.04 valuation during the ongoing presale.

Ethereum Price Analysis 

Ethereum is showing signs of concern, with the cryptocurrency maintaining a technical pattern. However, from an on-chain perspective, the cryptocurrency is showing signs of concern. One of the most significant indicators is the 90% collapse in accumulation by long-term holders. The long-term holders of the cryptocurrency have been reducing their purchases during the ongoing correction. This is a significant concern, with many analysts indicating that the cryptocurrency is headed for further declines towards the $1,500 level. Furthermore, the increase in exchange flows is showing signs of concern, with many selling their holdings during the ongoing correction. This is further reducing the chances of the cryptocurrency recovering from the ongoing correction. As Ethereum is showing signs of concern, the focus is now on newer cryptocurrencies with strong growth prospects, among them Mutuum Finance.

Mutuum Finance Presale

Unlike Ethereum, where investors are uncertain about future returns, Mutuum Finance provides investors with an opportunity that is clear and has a deadline. The current phase of its presale is Phase 7, where investors can purchase its tokens at $0.04. This phase is progressing fast, and it is the last phase before prices increase in Phase 8. It has also set its launch price at $0.06. 

Experts who have analyzed its roadmap believe that its prices can increase 5x immediately after its launch. This will see MUTM hit $0.20 from $0.04 today. This growth will mainly be fueled by the protocol’s mainnet launch and listings on potential top-tier exchanges, growing adoption by DeFi users and investors seeking the next big thing, as well as multichain integration. The increased demand for its token, which has real utility, will see its prices increase significantly in no time. For an investor, if they invest $500 in its token today, they could be making $2,500 in no time, thus making MUTM the best crypto to invest in today for quick returns.

Proven Security Builds Essential Trust

Before investing in any cryptocurrency, safety is paramount. This is why Mutuum Finance has ensured that its platform is safe through its thorough audit carried out by Halborn Security. Its audit has involved checking all its lending and borrowing smart contracts to ensure they are completely safe from any potential exploits. This means that if you are interested in purchasing its token, you can be sure that the protocol is safe and secure. This is essential in building trust, thus making MUTM the best crypto to invest in today.

Sustainable Rewards Through Buyback and Distribution

The tokenomics of MUTM have been set up to provide holders with a continuous stream of rewards. Another feature of this protocol is the allocation of a part of its fees to purchase MUTM from the market. These purchased MUTM are then used as dividends for users who stake their assets in the protocol. For instance, if you stake your assets worth $2,000 in the safety module, you could earn an additional $200 as MUTM in the form of dividends. This creates a powerful feedback loop because as the protocol is used, more fees are collected, and this results in the purchase of MUTM, which then goes as dividends to holders. This makes MUTM a better asset to hold beyond speculation. 

The fall of Ethereum serves as a reminder of the limited upside potential of large assets. Mutuum Finance represents a strategic pivot for investors looking to secure a strong position in this market. By shifting focus to this new and secure project, investors could be making the defining move for the success of their portfolios in the coming months. 

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance 

Bitcoin will reach the bottom of the current downturn in the coming weeks, somewhere in the range between $60,000 and $65,000, Russian market watchers say.

Dropping below the $70,000 mark, the leading cryptocurrency hit a low unseen in well over a year, losing more than 40% of its value since the latest all-time high above $125,000 in October 2025.

Three scenarios pitched in search of the bottom

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) is likely to continue to fall in the near term before it reaches firm ground, according to Russian experts following global developments closely.

Commenting for the business news portal RBC, the leading analyst of Cifra Markets, Alexander Kraiko, suggested three scenarios for the next six months, based on historical data from previous cycles.

The first model he detailed is centered on the pattern observed in 2019, which is similar to the current situation. With a rising stock market and amid a pause in the U.S. Federal Reserve’s balance sheet reduction at the time, Bitcoin rose from around $3,000 to $13,000 and then fell to $6,500.

“If we extrapolate that pattern to the current cycle, the market is already close to its lows, in the range of $67,000 – $73,000,” said the specialist whose company is a licensed provider of crypto brokering services in Russia and other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Kraiko described the second model as a classic downtrend, as seen in 2022. In this worst-case scenario, BTC may find itself in the $35,000 – $40,000 range, although major differences would prevent that.

Back then, both cryptocurrencies and stocks declined together, while Bitcoin’s current correction is approaching 130 days, while stock indices remain close to their all-time highs.

Besides, monetary policies are much more predictable now than four years ago, when the sharp increase in the Fed rates played a major negative role.

The third approach to predicting the future is to value Bitcoin against gold rather than the U.S. dollar. Last week’s correction of the precious metal’s price may signal the beginning of a prolonged sideways trend, as witnessed at the start of the decade.

“If you look at the Bitcoin price in gold in December 2024, one BTC would have bought about 41 ounces. Currently, that’s about 15 ounces. The global trend line and support zone are located around 13 ounces, Alexander Kraiko explained.

“Historically, when gold formed a local high at $2,075 in 2020 and then entered a multi-year sideways trend, Bitcoin began a steady rise approximately two months later,” he elaborated, concluding:

“Thus, the first and third models largely coincide and complement each other. This suggests that the bottom is more likely to form within the next month and a half. Another drawdown of approximately 10% – roughly around $65,000 – is possible.”

Other predictions hover around that mark

According to Roman Nekrasov, an independent consultant in the field of information technologies, Bitcoin has several support levels now.

The first one is around $68,000 – $69,000, where those who expected it to fall below the psychological $70,000 mark are starting to buy again. He also told RBC:

“Usually, after breaking such psychologically significant levels, a buyback begins – some investors reduce their positions, while others, conversely, increase their exposure to the asset, expecting further growth.”

His estimate suggests that the next support level will be in the range $65,000 – $67,000, and the bottom may be reached at $63,000, although investors may not allow it to fall that far down.

According to Dmitry Savintsev, analyst at the algorithmic trading services provider Cryptorg, the likely support level is somewhere between $65,500 and $69,000.

Not everyone is so optimistic, however. The likelihood of a further decline in the price of Bitcoin is quite high, believes Dmitry Tselischev, managing director of the Russian investment firm Rikom-Trust.

In an article published by the Prime news agency, the executive commented that while the dip is not indefinite, it will likely stop at around $55,000 to $60,000 – that’s the zone of historically high demand, where institutional investors flock.

Tselischev is convinced the current dynamics are not so much due to the crypto market’s own problems, but rather the “global liquidity cycle and investors’ shift to risk-off mode.”

“The collapse itself, as a result, has completely undermined the faith of most investors in Bitcoin as an alternative to traditional asset classes. The currency is now increasingly viewed as an instrument hypersensitive to rates, liquidity, and technology markets, rather than as ‘digital gold,’” he added.

According to the analyst, this strengthens Bitcoin’s correlation with growth stocks, “making the cryptocurrency more of a speculative asset in a portfolio than a safe haven.”

This week’s decline brought the exchange rate of BTC in U.S. dollars to its lowest level since November 2024, when President Donald Trump returned to power in Washington. Since the beginning of the year alone, the top cryptocurrency has fallen more than 20%.

Meanwhile, Russia is preparing to adopt comprehensive regulations for cryptocurrency investment that should give even its ordinary citizens legal access to digital assets.

The respective legislation, which must be adopted by July 1, is based on a new regulatory concept released by the Bank of Russia in late December.

The policy document recognizes Bitcoin and the like, including stablecoins, as “monetary assets.” They are currently treated mainly as property.

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The ECB has once again kept its benchmark interest rate at 2%, holding firm for the fifth consecutive meeting. The decision came on Thursday and was fully unanimous, matching exactly what most economists had expected.

This pause follows slightly better-than-expected GDP growth and a drop in core inflation, which has now fallen to 2.2%, the lowest reading since late 2021.

The economy of the eurozone grew 0.3% in Q4 2025, beating forecasts. At the same time, headline inflation dropped to 1.7% in January, from 2% the previous month.

That decline gave the ECB more space to maintain its stance without needing to react urgently. President Christine Lagarde said, “We are in a good place, inflation is in a good place,” repeating a phrase she has used multiple times since last summer.

Governing council highlights strong economy and low joblessness

33In its official statement, the ECB’s governing council described the economy as “resilient in a challenging global environment.”

It pointed to low unemployment, higher public investment, increased defense spending, and healthy private sector balance sheets as signs of strength. They repeated their forecast that inflation should settle around the 2% target in the medium term.

The euro barely budged after the announcement. It rose just slightly against the dollar, sitting just below $1.181 by Thursday afternoon.

But currency concerns weren’t ignored. Lagarde confirmed that the governing council had talked about the exchange rate and the recent weakness of the dollar.

“The dollar weakness didn’t start yesterday,” she said. “It’s been going on since March 2025. We concluded that the impact since last year is incorporated in our baseline.”

One economist, Sylvain Broyer from S&P Global Ratings, said the ECB “can keep the autopilot on this time,” since the stronger euro is helping absorb external shocks while growth keeps surprising to the upside.

Last month, the euro even pushed past $1.20 for the first time since 2021, thanks in part to the falling US dollar. Some policymakers worry that a stronger euro might hurt exporters and suppress inflation, but so far, there’s no sign of panic.

Inflation drop seen as temporary, rate cut odds stay low

Lagarde cautioned not to read too much into the January inflation figure. “It’s a single data point,” she said. “We shouldn’t let monetary policy be held hostage by one number.” Still, she acknowledged that the ECB is happy to see core inflation drop closer to its preferred range. “We are pleased that it’s coming down towards our targets.”

Sören Radde, from hedge fund Point72, said, “This communication should cement expectations of a high bar for action and a prolonged hold.”

Meanwhile, Claus Vistesen, an economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the latest policy statement had “a hawkish slant,” meaning it focused on good news while avoiding any talk of potential risks to inflation.

Traders in swaps markets still haven’t ruled out another cut later this year. But the odds are slim—only about a 20% chance for a 0.25% rate cut, according to current market pricing.

The ECB’s rate cuts, which began in June 2024, have already brought borrowing costs down to their lowest since December 2022.

Lagarde also fielded a question on AI. She didn’t hesitate to label investment in artificial intelligence as the “big story” across both public and private sectors. But for her, the real issue is whether all that spending actually helps.

“The really interesting thing from our perspective is how it will impact productivity, and how it will contribute or not to inflation, depending on the level of improved productivity,” she said.

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Indiana lawmakers are set to advance crypto into public pension investments and impose new limitations on crypto ATM operations. The proposal has cleared a major legislative hurdle and is set for the Senate next week.

Senate lawmakers listened to testimony on several House digital currency bills on Wednesday, but did not vote them out of the Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee. The committee chair, Sen. Scott Baldwin, said the delay was a “tactical pause” to make changes and ensure the bills align with upcoming updates to consumer lending laws.

Indiana’s Public Retirement System testified as neutral on the bill.

House Bill 1042 would allow members of certain public pension plans to choose self-directed brokerage accounts offering crypto investment options. The state would also be able to invest the plan assets into crypto exchange-traded funds.

Participants in defined benefit plans don’t get to decide how the investments are managed. Only the state gets to decide. However,  those with defined contribution plans would be able to take advantage of the changes.

The bill would also limit how state and local governments can interfere with crypto activities. Besides the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions, state agencies would not be allowed to ban digital mining businesses, restrict crypto payments for legal services, or take custody of digital wallets using certain technologies. 

The Indiana Public Retirement System testified as neutral on the bill. “We’ve worked with the House to get it to the current form and (we’re) more or less happy with it,” said Tom Perkins, the investment counsel and director of investment stewardship.

Additionally, local governments would also be barred from stopping crypto mining companies, such as data centers, from operating in industrial zones, and from preventing residents from mining crypto in their own homes.

As reported by Cryptopolitan, SEC Chair Paul Atkins suggested a more open stance toward the inclusion of crypto in 401(k) retirement accounts. According to him, conditions are now in place and that “the time is right to allow” such investments. 

Bill to eliminate crypto ATMs, say operators

Indiana recorded 35 crypto ATM scam cases last year, totaling more than $400,000 in losses. This has prompted a bill to regulate the virtual currency kiosks commonly referred to as crypto ATMs.

Rep. Wendy McNamara, the bill’s author, stated, “These ATMs have become a powerful tool for scammers to prey on seniors and people in crisis […]These victims often believe they’re paying a bill, helping a loved one or protecting their savings — when, in reality, they’re being manipulated into sending money to criminals.”

Evansville has passed its own ordinance requiring signage, receipts, and a phone number on the machine, but seeks statewide legislation.

The measure will require kiosk operators to obtain a money-transmitter license, obtain permission to install the machines from the Department of Financial Institutions, comply with data reporting requirements, and more. 

The bill would also require operators to refund the full payment amount, including transaction fees, to victims of scams. They would have to verify a customer’s identity before accepting payment and can’t charge transaction fees exceeding 10% of the transaction’s value. The bill also limits how much new and existing users can transact over 24-hour and month-long periods.

However, crypto ATM operators said the measure would drive them out of business in Indiana. Larry Lipka, CoinFlip’s general counsel, told lawmakers the 10% cap was too low. The company’s average transaction fee rate across its 100-plus Indiana kiosks is between 17% and 19%.

“Why should someone using a product for two months, two years, or five years be limited in the amount that they want to buy? That is anti-American and anti-freedom,” he added.

The company also opposed the scam total-refund provisions and sought refunds of only the transaction fee for new customers for a limited period of time.

Larry Lipka said that federal law requires refunds only for unauthorized transactions, such as credit card fraud or bank account hacking. But scam victims have authorized their losses, even if they were forced to do so.

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