Cryptopolitan

Ethereum-based stablecoins have experienced a decline in market capitalization for the first time during the current market cycle. According to data from DeFiLlama, the stablecoins have lost more than $7 billion in just a week.

The crypto market is facing significant headwinds amid the ongoing geopolitical landscape. The market capitalization of the Ethereum stablecoin market has plunged by nearly $7 billion in just one week, from $162 billion to $155 billion.

The massive decline marks the first time in this cycle that the Ethereum stablecoin market cap has declined in this magnitude.

Ethereum-based stablecoin market cap signals bearish sentiment

The decline in the ERC-20 stablecoin market cap is a negative sign that could indicate some investors are completely exiting the crypto market, taking liquidity with them. The data suggests that these investors may be converting their crypto assets into fiat currencies to explore other markets with better returns. 

Tether and Circle are the world’s largest stablecoin issuers. Data from DeFiLlama shows that USDT and USDC experienced the most significant market cap declines among the top 5 stablecoins. USDT’s stablecoin supply on the Ethereum blockchain is down 1.89% over the last 7 days and 4.96% over the last month, bringing its market cap to $83.702 billion. 

Circle’s USDT is down 5.47% over the last 7 days and 4.12% over the last 30 days. DeFiLlama shows that the stablecoin supply on Ethereum sits at approximately $46.781 billion. According to Tether’s transparency page, Ethereum has the most significant USDT supply in circulation, at around $97.9 billion.

Precious metals such as gold and silver have been on a strong rally for months. Gold is up nearly 20% year-to-date. On the other hand, the stock market has maintained a steady uptrend, signaling investor confidence. These markets could be responsible for the declining liquidity in the crypto market.

ERC-20 stablecoins record notable growth in 2025

The news comes after Cryptopolitan reported a notable growth in Ethereum-based stablecoins. A previous report highlighted that Tether had minted 1 billion USDT on the Tron blockchain on January 10. The report also noted that Tether and Circle had minted more than $3.75 billion that week. 

Another report brought Ethereum-based stablecoins into the spotlight after they reached a record turnover in the preceding 12 months. The report published on December 31 explained that Ethereum-based stablecoins had reached peak activity at the end of 2025.

According to the publication, the stablecoins recorded transactions from over 593,000 daily active wallets, with USDC logging a lower transaction count but transferring a larger financial value compared to other Ethereum-based stablecoins.

The report identified the prevalence of USDC transfers for high-value activities as a notable shift in 2025. USDC’s increased activity in 2025 showed that investors and institutions preferred fully regulated stablecoins, as the crypto asset can be used to power transactions without users facing any restrictions in the U.S. and Europe.

Despite the drop in market cap, analysts predict that the general stablecoin sector will grow significantly in the near future. Mercado Bitcoin, a Brazilian exchange, published a report highlighting that stablecoin’s potential growth could bring the market cap to $500 billion by the end of 2026. 

The exchange highlighted the crucial role stablecoins play in providing liquidity to the sector, which is the primary driver of market cap expansion. 

According to Coingecko, the stablecoin market capitalization across all chains currently sits at $313.337 billion, with a 24-hour trading volume of $110 billion. Tether still leads the pack with a market cap of $187 billion and a 24-hour trading volume of 95.7 billion. On the other hand, Circle trails in second place with a market cap of $72.4 billion and a 24-hour trading volume of $7 billion. 

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A brutal crypto crash has erased $150 billion in value and driven traders into a different kind of gamble; sports, politics, and real-world prediction markets.

People who used to trade memecoins now track election odds, weather forecasts, and even central bank decisions.

Analyst Nikshep Saravanan reportedly used to spend his days building a digital creator startup, pitching to VCs, and trading memecoins. But by January, he quit. “As I was trying to get traction without funding, the prediction-markets space started blowing up,” said Nikshep.

Traders leave altcoins and bet on real-world events

The traders aren’t just bored. They’re tired. Bitcoin is down nearly 30% since October. Many altcoins lost even more. Interest faded. Attention dropped. But prediction markets gave them something else. It’s still gambling. Still fast.

But now it’s about real things, with binary outcomes and quick results. No long whitepapers. No three-year plans. Just yes or no.

Nikshep started a new platform called HumanPlane. It tracks prediction markets linked to elections, sports, and anything else people are betting on. “Here I can do a lot more with no capital,” he said. “There’s so much more interest here.”

He isn’t alone. The weekly notional volume on sites like Polymarket and Kalshi went from $500 million in June to almost $6 billion in January, data from Dune shows.

Polymarket runs onchain. So does Kalshi. Most of the trade steps use crypto infrastructure. Only the order matching happens off-chain. So while token speculation is losing heat, the rails underneath it are still working. That’s why prediction markets exploded just as exchanges started to shrink.

Exchanges lose users as prediction platforms gain ground

Apps tell the story. Polymarket’s installs jumped from 30,000 to over 400,000 in one year, according to Sensor Tower. Kalshi went from 80,000 to 1.3 million. Binance, the biggest crypto exchange in the world, saw downloads drop by more than 50%.

Behind that drop is something deeper. More than 11 million coins died in 2025. CoinGecko called it the biggest extinction event in crypto history. Altcoins lost about $150 billion between late 2024 and late 2025, per TradingView. The October crash wiped out tokens and triggered auto-liquidations across exchanges. Platforms froze. Liquidity vanished. People gave up.

“Crypto is so ruggable,” said Nikshep. “People can remove liquidity, there’s swiping. People try to overcompete each other. People are kind of tired of the game.”

Tre Upshaw, another Canadian who got burned trading memecoins like SafeMoon, switched lanes too. He now runs Polysights, an analytics dashboard for prediction markets. “I realized that’s just hyper gambling,” said Tre. “I got burned so many times on memecoins.” But not everyone is winning in prediction markets either. Data from defioasis.eth shows 70% of trading addresses are at a loss.

The traders didn’t leave crypto completely. They just changed lanes. Polymarket and Kalshi now let users bet on Bitcoin’s price. One year ago, crypto contracts were the fourth most traded category on Polymarket. Now they’re second. Notional volume for those trades has gone up nearly tenfold, per Dune. Even CoinMarketCap now shows prediction markets on its homepage.

The big firms are following. Coinbase launched prediction markets in December. Trades go through Kalshi. Gemini and Crypto.com rolled out similar products. Crypto.com even white-labeled the service for Trump Media. Max Branzburg from Coinbase said users “want a single venue to trade everything.”

The money is showing up too. Clear Street’s Owen Lau said Coinbase could make $700 million from prediction markets in 2026. Robinhood is already making $300 million a year from it. A Mizuho survey found users on both platforms were nine times more likely to use prediction markets than the general public.

Coinbase bought The Clearing Company and plans to expand even more. “As we add more instruments, they tend to complement each other,” said Max.

Tre summed it up: “A lot of people who are still in crypto are using onchain prediction markets as well.”

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Virtune, a Swedish regulated crypto asset manager, has announced the launch of Virtune BNB ETP on Nasdaq Stockholm, the largest stock exchange in the Nordic region.

The product offers 1:1 exposure to the coin with a management fee of 1.95%. It will begin trading today and is denominated in SEK. Coinbase will serve as the custodian for the BNB ETP (VIRBNB).

The CEO of Virtune, Christopher Kock stated, “We are starting 2026 by continuing our expansion and broadening our range of regulated and physically backed crypto ETPs. The launch of Virtune BNB ETP is a natural next step in our product development, providing investors with access to one of the most established crypto assets in the market.”

Virtune add BNB ETP to its listing in Europe

This physically-backed exchange-traded product is designed to provide investors with a secure and low-cost channel for BNB investment.  Like all of Virtune’s ETPs, Virtune BNB ETP  is 100% physically backed by BNB.

The ETP has been added to a long list of 20 other Virtune ETPs including Virtune Bitcoin ETP, Virtune Staked Ethereum ETP, Virtune XRP ETP, Virtune Staked Solana ETP, Virtune Stablecoin Index ETP, and others.

Virtune Bitcoin ETP performance. Source: Virtune

Virtune’s product lineup has shown mixed performance so far in early 2026. Data from Virtune’s platform shows that some single-asset ETPs have posted small gains, such as Bitcoin ETPs at approximately 0.50% year-to-date and XRP ETPs at approximately 1.67%. On the other hand, staked Ethereum ETPs have declined by approximately 1.78% YTD. 

More defensive products have performed relatively better, with the Virtune Stablecoin Index ETP reporting gains of approximately 7.25% since the start of the year.

The launch of BNB ETP follows the announcement of a 10:1 share split of the Virtune Bitcoin Prime ETP to improve trading liquidity and accessibility. The split will take effect on February 2, 2026, with each existing share splitting into ten new shares, reducing the NAV per share by a factor of ten. 

Investors do not need to take any action as their total holdings’ value will not change. For example, if an investor owns 100 shares, they will have 1,000 shares post-split, with no change in total investment value. The product name and ticker will remain the same.

Institutional adoption fails to push BNB to new levels

Major institutions have adopted BNB in recent weeks. For instance, last week, the top crypto ETF issuer Grayscale filed a registration statement for a BNB ETF with the US SEC. The fund will also list on Nasdaq under the ticker GBNB. This is the second asset manager to file for the product after VanEck.

By extension, FLOKI became the first BNB chain coin to have an exchange-traded product in Europe. The product, Valour Floki SEK, officially debuted on Sweden’s Spotlight Stock Market on October 3. 

Additionally, it was reported that Hedge Fund execs were looking to raise about $100 million to accumulate the coin to create the BNB treasury. BNC Network Company also shared that they were closing in on 1% of the total supply of the Binance coin. The firm purchased 38,888 BNB tokens in a single transaction.

However, the altcoin has yet to reflect the effect of this activity on its value. The token has fallen by more than 6% in the past week, bringing its decline over the past six months to 10%.

BNB is trading at approximately $872 and has a market cap of around $119B. As reported by Cryptopolitan, price predictors of crypto have revised their 2026-2027 forecast to a moderate growth rate of $1,050 to $1,200, which is a possible 20% to 35% growth of the present stock.

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Strategy continued its streak of weekly purchases, though this time adding a smaller weekly purchase. For its latest report, Strategy added 2,932 BTC to its treasury. 

Strategy returned to a relatively smaller weekly BTC purchase, adding 2,932 BTC to its balance. The recent purchase follows two weeks of much larger additions, where Strategy made its highest weekly purchase in months. 

Strategy continued with its streak at an average price of $90,061 per BTC. To date, the company has acquired $54.19B of BTC. 

Strategy has acquired 2,932 BTC for ~$264.1 million at ~$90,061 per bitcoin. As of 1/25/2026, we hodl 712,647 $BTC acquired for ~$54.19 billion at ~$76,037 per bitcoin. $MSTR $STRC https://t.co/QBFRdARwtM

— Strategy (@Strategy) January 26, 2026

Strategy remains the main buyer among playbook companies, retaining the biggest share of total treasuries. 

The average price for Strategy also serves as a potential price floor for BTC at over $76,000 per coin. For now, Strategy still buys just above the market levels, keeping its average price relatively low. 

Strategy continues using MSTR

For this week’s purchase, Strategy returned to using MSTR, despite the common stock dilution. For the past week, $257M in proceeds came from the MSTR ATM facility. 

Although Strategy tries to slow down MSTR issuance, it has gone ahead of its schedule in using the common stock ATM. There is still demand for the common stock, as recently announced by one of Japan’s leading banks, Sumitomo Mitsui. The banking giant holds $96.6M in MSTR common stock. 

MSTR traded at $163.11, rebounding slightly in the past few days. The common stock moves with more volatility compared to BTC and bounced from recent lows in anticipation of this week’s purchase. The MSTR market also awaits the company’s earnings call on February 5. 

For MSTR, any BTC rally can cause an even larger price reaction, as the common stock historically amplifies BTC moves. Investors are currently pointing out that the ongoing new issuance is increasing dilution, not allowing MSTR to rally. At the current stage, critics claim that Strategy is hurting common stock buyers while managing to pay out dividends and yield to preferred stockholders. 

Strategy increases the importance of STRC

In this week’s purchase, Strategy raised $7M from its STRC preferred stock. In the past month, STRC was the most active of all preferred shares, reaching $103M in trading volume for the past week. 

Strategy’s goal is to issue and sell STRC if the price is in the $99-$100 range. The STRC sales and the ability to buy more BTC depend on the preferred stock demand. 

STRC and SATA expanded their influence, as Strategy expects the preferred stocks to make its playbook more efficient, with larger weekly purchases. | Source: Bitcoinquant

The biggest appeal of STRC is its 11.06% yield, which Strategy is so far solvent enough to repay. The goal is to keep STRC close to $100, allowing the company to raise more for BTC purchases.

However, the current hype for STRC does not guarantee that Strategy will be able to continue relying on the preferred stock. After two active weeks, STRC achieved a smaller share of the weekly structure and did not prevent another round of MSTR dilution. On the other hand, more STRC issues expand the dividend yield owed. 

SATA is also rising to the $100 par level and may become a part of the weekly purchase mix. Strategy’s next hope is to break the four-year BTC cycle by boosting prices through its preferred stocks. The market is closely watched for a slightly different playbook. For now, BTC also has a subdued reaction to Strategy’s purchases, which are still through OTC deals.

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Metaplanet, a Bitcoin treasury firm listed in Tokyo,  revised its full-year earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending December 2025 and issued its earnings expectation for the fiscal year 2026.

The report released on January 26 revealed that the company recorded a substantial non-cash Bitcoin write-down of about $680 million despite better operating performance, which put the business on course for a sizable financial loss.

BTC is currently trading at $87,747.87, down 0.8% over the last 24 hours. On-chain data from Coingecko shows the current price is down 5.6% from last week and 16.1% year-to-date.

Metaplanet revises FY2025 earnings forecasts amid Bitcoin write-down

*Notice Regarding Revision of Full-Year Earnings Forecast for Fiscal Year Ending December 2025, Recording of Bitcoin Impairment Loss, and Announcement of Full-Year Earnings Forecast for Fiscal Year Ending December 2026* pic.twitter.com/VIKYRYb981

— Metaplanet Inc. (@Metaplanet) January 26, 2026

According to the updated full-year revised earnings forecast, the Bitcoin treasury company estimated revenue of 8,905 million JPY (approximately $58.2 million) and operating income of 6,287 million JPY (approximately $41.1 million) for the fiscal year ending in December 2025.

These figures represented an increase of 31% and 33.8%, respectively, from earlier projections disclosed on October 1, 2025, of 6,800 million JPY ($44.4 million) in revenue and 4,700 million JPY ($30.7 million) in operating income.

Despite an improved operating outlook, Metaplanet now anticipates an ordinary loss of 98,558 million JPY ($644.6 million USD) and a net loss attributable to parent company shareholders of 76,633 million JPY ($498.89 million USD), despite the improved operating performance, primarily because of a non-cash Bitcoin write-down. 

The company said it will announce the final figures in the earnings report scheduled for February 16, 2026.

The company declared its Bitcoin holdings to the market at the end of each quarter during FY2025 in compliance with relevant accounting requirements. Consequently, as of December 31, 2025, a Bitcoin impairment loss of $681.19 million was reported as a non-operating expense.

However, the BTC treasury firm reported a steady growth throughout FY2025, despite the short-term price volatility.

By the end of 2025, BTC holdings had increased from 1,762 BTC at the end of 2024 to 35,102 BTC. For the whole of last year, BTC Yield’s BTC growth rate per diluted share reached 568%, indicating that the firm’s capital strategy and BTC acquisition program had surpassed initial goals.

Metaplanet further revealed in the report that medium to long-term BTC accumulation and capital plan are still on track.

According to the Metaplanet analytics page, it now has 1.1 billion issued shares with an average daily trading volume of 29.85 million during the last three months. Since adopting its BTC treasury strategy, the company has achieved returns of 2,405%.

Its Bitcoin net asset value (NAV) surpasses its initial market capitalization by 220.67 times, highlighting the impact of its crypto holdings. Additionally, BTC holdings represent 0.16715% of its portfolio, with a market NAV of 1.21.

The company further stated that because predicting Bitcoin prices is inherently complex, it does not offer predictions for regular income or net income.

Metaplanet targets strong 2026 growth across core businesses

Metaplanet said it expects operating income and revenue to continue to rise in fiscal year 2026, driven by its Bitcoin generation and hotel business.

Following the sharp expansion of its Bitcoin holdings in fiscal year 2025, Metaplanet said a larger capital and BTC available as collateral should support stable premium income from Bitcoin-related options. 

According to the company, the hotel business is expected to deliver consistent performance, contributing to overall growth. The consolidated earnings prediction for fiscal year 2026 projects operating income of 11,400 million JPY (about $74.5 million) and revenue of 16,000 million JPY (roughly $104.6 million). 

Notably, the 2026 anticipated growth indicates a 79.7% increase in revenue and an 81.3% increase in operating income compared to FY2025 predictions of 8,905 million JPY and 6,287 million JPY, respectively.

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Apple and Google have both issued warnings to millions of iPhone and Mac users, saying they could be exposed to security risks for using the Chrome web browser. The alerts center on operating system compatibility and recently discovered vulnerabilities that affected Apple’s software ecosystem.

According to Apple, users of older Mac computers, iPhones, and iPads, and those running outdated operating systems, are at risk of being hacked. The warnings follow weeks of security advisories and software update notices on Apple’s hardware lineup and Google’s Chrome browser support policies.

Both companies are urging users to update their devices to the latest software to avoid exposure to cyberattacks, including sophisticated spyware.

Browser warnings and the end of Chrome support for old iOS devices

Apple has been messaging iOS users about browser privacy and security, telling them that Safari is a safer option than Google Chrome on their devices. In a user-facing privacy message, Apple stated, “Unlike Chrome, Safari truly helps protect your privacy.”

At the same time, Google has confirmed that millions of Mac users will soon stop receiving updates to its native browser. The change applies to devices running macOS 12 (Monterey). 

Google announced that Chrome 150 will be the final version compatible with that operating system, since Apple had already stopped supporting Monterey in mid-2024.

“Chrome 150 is the last version of Chrome that will support macOS 12 (Monterey). Chrome 151 (tentatively scheduled for release on July 28, 2026) is the first version of Chrome that requires macOS 13 Ventura or later. You’ll need to ensure your device is running macOS 13 or later to continue receiving future Chrome releases,” the smartphone operating system developer said.

Those who cannot upgrade their Mac to macOS Ventura or newer will be left on an unsupported browser version.

“Older versions of Chrome will continue to work, but there will be no further updates released for users on this operating system,” the company continued, also adding that only those who upgrade to newer macOS versions will “continue to receive the latest security updates and Chrome features.”

Security researchers warn that running an unpatched browser significantly raises an internet user’s exposure to hackers. Web browsers are targets for attackers because they process untrusted content from the Internet daily. 

Almost two weeks ago, Google had to rush out updates after a vulnerability was disclosed that could expose applications to attack. Soon after, on January 13, Google Chrome’s Srinivas Sista issued a notice revealing that 10 new vulnerabilities had been identified. 

“The Chrome team is delighted to announce the promotion of Chrome 144 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac, and Linux,” Sista said. However, the statement also noted that the update would “roll out over the coming days/weeks.”

Apple devices hit by WebKit flaws 

Apple has also been working to address security weaknesses in its own software. Over recent weeks, the company sent alerts about a flaw that could impact half of all iPhone users if their devices are not updated. Apple disclosed two vulnerabilities in WebKit, the browser engine that powers Safari and all browsers on iOS.

The iPhone manufacturer found flaws in several malicious websites that, when visited, could trick devices into executing harmful code without the user realizing. Once compromised, attackers could take control of the device, steal login credentials, or access financial information. 

The vulnerabilities were discovered and reported by Apple Security Engineering and Architecture and Google’s Threat Analysis Group. Apple credited Google’s team with identifying CVE-2025-43529. Third-party browsers such as Chrome, Edge, and Firefox on Apple mobile devices were also affected at the engine level.

Apple released patches for the vulnerability on several versions, including iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 for newer iPhones and iPads, iOS 18.7.3 and iPadOS 18.7.3 for slightly older supported models.

On the Mac side, fixes were included in macOS Tahoe 26.2; on Apple TV, in tvOS 26.2; on Apple Watch, in watchOS 26.2; and on the Vision Pro headset, in visionOS 26.2. 

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XRPL Commons said it backed two network upgrades on Friday after completing its routine amendment voting session, following a successful development network testing.

According to the community’s statement on X released Monday, one of the two proposals it voted for reached the validator voting threshold to be integrated into XRPL. One amendment it had backed earlier on was rejected after a flaw surfaced, and another amendment on token escrow is under review pending more testing.

XRPL Commons Voting Update

On Friday January 23rd, we completed our regular amendment voting session.

Amendment votes:
🔷XLS-80 (Permissioned Domains): Voted YES following successful Devnet testing

🔷XLS-81 (Permissioned DEXes): Voted YES following successful Devnet testing…

— XRPL Commons (@xrpl_commons) January 26, 2026

XRPL Commons participates in the validator-driven process that determines which changes advance toward activation. Amendments require sustained support from a supermajority of validators before they go live on the ledger.

XRP validators greenlight credential-based network zones

88% of validators have voted in favor of the XLS-80 proposal, also known as Permissioned Domains, after successful Devnet testing. The group said the change is tracking an estimated activation date of February 4, 2026, at 09:57:51 UTC.

The proposal introduces restricted environments within the XRP Ledger that limit the participation of accounts holding approved credentials. The framework would not expose sensitive personal records, as only proof that a credential is valid is recorded on-chain, while any personal details remain off the ledger. 

Permissioned Domains are gated zones that institutions can use, provided they verify counterparties before transacting. This is different from the fully open access model that blockchain systems used before, including XRPL.

XRPL Commons also voted in favor of the XLS-81 “Permissioned DEX” amendment, which was proposed during the launch of software version v2.5.0 last year. According to the XRP amendment voting page, XLS-81 has not yet been enabled but is still in the voting phase.

The amendment requires 27 out of 34 validator votes to meet its threshold. At the time of reporting, consensus stood at 55.88%, with only 19 validators in favour.

The proposal expands the XRP Ledger’s built-in exchange by allowing trading inside controlled settings. Participants must hold approved credentials before placing or filling orders, including financial firms operating under identity and reporting rules.

Permissioned DEX instances have “allow-lists” that determine who can access a given trading venue. Orders placed in these settings are kept separate from the main open order books. One type limits activity strictly to traders within a specific domain. At the same time, another structure lets traders interact with both the restricted pool and the public exchange, giving priority to the controlled venue.

The framework is meant to work alongside XRP Ledger compliance mechanisms, such as authorized trustlines, asset freezing, and clawback functions, to enable regulated on-chain trading.

However, the Commons switched its vote on XLS-56 (Batch Transactions) from yes to no after the discovery of a software issue during review. According to the group, the bug could validate inner transactions in a batch that seemed properly signed when they were not. Commons recommended that developers make fixes before its support on the ledger could resume.

XRPL token escrow upgrade awaits further testing

The XLS-85 amendment that extends escrow features to issued tokens in other chains saw no change in position. XRPL Commons said more testing is scheduled ahead of the next voting session.

Per the proposal’s semantics, the ledger could hold IOUs and Multi-Purpose Tokens in escrow. It could also impact coin releases by conditions such as time, specific events, or programmable rules. 

Token issuers would be barred from placing their own assets into escrow, and any assets under escrow could not be clawed back during the lock period. Transfer fees for certain tokens would be calculated when the escrow is created.

The amendment was also introduced with software version v2.5.0 and would require 80% validator backing to activate. Still, it does not provide direct cross-chain escrow functionality as that limitation is outside its current scope.

Beyond amendment decisions, XRPL Commons said fee-based reserve remains at 1 XRP, while the owner reserve is capped at 0.1 XRP. All other open amendments had already been voted on in prior sessions, and no new proposals were added to the agenda this round.

The next amendment voting session is scheduled for February 6, when validators will revisit pending proposals and review test results.

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The crypto space has a new generation of crypto influencers. It’s Gen Z, aka Zoomers.

Unlike Millennials or Gen X, who prefer long-form videos, Gen Z influencers promote crypto through short-form content or live streams. They mix crypto with their version of internet culture, like brainrot slang, memes, and AI slop.

A new kind of crypto influence

Zoomers have a different kind of crypto influence. They’re a special breed. First, Gen Z isn’t foreign to social media and the internet. They were born between 1997 and 2012 and grew up with the rise of Web2 and now Web3.

Moreover, they have experienced two recessions: the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 recession. These economic events made Gen Z fearless. They don’t mind investing in risky assets like meme coins or NFTs.

According to a YouGov report, 48% of Generation Z use crypto exchanges, compared with 36% of Millennials. The new generation of investors isn’t that keen on traditional investing. Around 26% of Gen Z invest in stocks compared with 40% of Millennials.

Being part of crypto and DeFi is the norm among Zoomers. Most of them had heard of Bitcoin from a young age.

Who are “crypto influencers” in the Gen Z era?

In the Gen Z era, crypto influencers do not label themselves as professional traders or analysts. They are content creators first. The persona, the vibes, and the delivery method are important. The type of content, whether it’s news or educational, comes next.

The new generation of crypto influencers simplifies complex ideas. They react to trends, entertain, and build community engagement around Web3 topics. The influence of Zoomers is rooted in storytelling and social credibility. It’s not just market expertise.

Gen Z crypto content is mainly found on TikTok. Short-form videos that provide information in digestible chunks are the preferred way Zoomers learn about crypto. Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are among other popular apps for short clips.

Popular platforms among Gen Z users.

According to stats from The 2025 Sprout Social Index, some of the most popular platforms among Gen Z users are:

Instagram: 89%

YouTube: 84%

TikTok: 82%

TikTok leads Gen Z daily engagement. Over 83% of Zoomers logged into the app at least once a day in 2025.

For chatting and voice calls, Zoomers favor Discord. Many crypto influencers run dedicated servers for their communities. They host audio channels, share insights, analysis, memes, and other alerts in real time.

Discord continues to attract Gen Z males. Over 40 million U.S. users engage with the platform each week. X has limited traction among Gen Z. Only 22% used it regularly in 2025. Telegram use among Gen Z rose by 21% due to privacy and censorship issues.

Why Gen Z listens to them

Gen Z tends to distrust mainstream media and the old school approach to finance. Such media channels are often seen as outdated.

Instead, they turn to peer-like, digitally native creators for crypto information. About 37% of Gen Z investors in the U.S. and 38% in the U.K. take financial advice from social media influencers.

In addition, Zoomers prefer crypto information that is visual and informal. TikTok and YouTube Shorts crypto influencers create short, engaging videos. They simplify complex topics through relatable, story-like explanations.

Gen Z influencers are seen as more genuine and reliable than celebrities or institutions. They use familiar language and share personal stories. They ignore official qualifications.

How crypto influencers actually shape markets

Gen Z crypto influencers do not focus on market timing. They are more about compressing attention into short time windows.

Short form creators can take a vague theme like “this coin is trending,” or “this chart is breaking out,” and turn it into a shareable story that spreads faster than long form research.

Young crypto influencers can popularize memecoins and make them accessible. But they also amplify hype and misinformation. This is because their content is optimized for engagement.

Memecoins are basically attention products. They don’t need a complex utility case to travel. They need a narrative hook and social proof. Influencer-led attention can quickly inflate and deflate valuations. The fast rise and fall of the Hawk Tuah Girl memecoin is a good example.

Influencer content acts like a sentiment shock. A bullish clip sparks FOMO buying. A skeptical reaction triggers doubt, or a “warning” video accelerates exits. It’s a reflexivity loop of content, attention, price, and more content.

Moreover, Gen Z platforms don’t just broadcast. They recruit people. Comments like “I’m in,” “dev doxxed,” “listing soon” turn into evidence. TikTok duets or stitches create debates. And reposts and reaction threads simulate consensus.

Young influencers don’t directly impact crypto markets, but they grab and control attention.

Case patterns

A meme coin cycle is a case pattern that keeps repeating. It starts with a meme, a character, or a joke. Explainer content frames it as “the next trend.” It’s an easy story, with a low learning curve.

The cycle moves to the virality phase next. Comments, TikTok stitches, and reposts are social proof, creating a sense of consensus around a meme coin. The market starts moving next. A relatively small wave of buys can spike the price of a meme coin with thin liquidity.

Then the second wave of buyers arrive because the price spiked. Finally, the distribution phase follows. Early meme coin entrants exit into late FOMO, then regret posts flood social media.

Another repetitive case is the airdrop cycle. The cycle begins with “How to qualify?” Twitter threads and short videos spread fast, explaining tasks, points, and referrals.

People chase activities like swapping and daily check-ins, which are often framed as “free money.” The expectation of receiving a token gets priced. Pre-market IOUs launch, narrative bidding starts, and rumor cycles begin.

At last, the airdrop happens and leads to immediate volatility. As a result, social media content swings to asking whether it was worth it, with regret over farming.

Crypto education or crypto entertainment?

Gen Z crypto content sits on a spectrum. Some creators teach, others perform, and many do both in the same clip. This creates an education issue and a market integrity issue because social platforms will amplify misinformation and speculation.

Young investors use social media to learn about investing and crypto. Some creators genuinely educate. They play a positive role in investor education. Others simplify a topic to the point of distortion. Their content may include false claims, lack proper disclosures, and have conflicts of interest.

Moreover, short-form content favors clear answers, not nuance. It’s optimized for retention and virality. It tends to favor confident predictions. Simple buy/sell narratives are better than discussions of tradeoffs. And price movement is often treated as proof.

Education explains how something works, like gas fees, liquidity, tokenomics, etc. Speculative education uses explanation as a funnel into a trade. It’s often mixed with urgency and social proof.

Complex crypto content with a confident narrative can be risky. It can make new investors overconfident. They may overestimate what they understand, or underestimate drawdowns and liquidity risks. They could also mistake virality for validity.

In crypto, volatility is the baseline. When prices swing fast, confident content can prompt impulsive entries. Social proof can accelerate FOMO, and post-pump narratives can trap late buyers.

Distinguishing between crypto education and crypto entertainment is a critical skill.

Regulatory and platform attention

Regulators view crypto influencers as a fundamental part of modern investing. They are no longer just a minor issue.

If an influencer promotes crypto on social media, they must clearly and prominently disclose risks. Regulators now act together globally, giving official warnings and taking enforcement actions.

Enforcement through social media platforms is complex. This is because influencers or fraudsters can reappear through new or backup accounts. The crypto market is maturing, and regulators are no longer coming for creators. They are trying to reduce consumer harm and standardize disclosure.

How this changes the crypto information stack

Crypto’s information stack has changed from pull-based reading to push-based feeds. Instead of relying on blogs, forums, and long threads, people watch short clips.

The old information stack starts with the user. They search for a topic, follow specific accounts, or read long posts. The learning pace is slow, and narrative formation takes more time.

The new information stack starts with an algorithm. The user gets shown what performs, not what is most accurate. The content format is often viral clips, meme explainers, and stitched reactions. The learning pace is fast, and the narrative cycle compresses from days or weeks to hours.

The media structure affects market structure. That change in the crypto information stack doesn’t mean influencers control markets. It simply means the path from narrative to retail behavior is shorter.

Crypto info stack: old vs. new.

What comes next

Crypto creators are moving from solo accounts toward managed, monetized media businesses. A hybrid of influencer and journalist creators will be more common. But with more pressure for transparency and disclosures.

The goal post will move from who can go viral once to who can be trusted repeatedly.

Influence is the new volatility layer

Crypto markets react not just to data, but to narratives. Those narratives can become self reinforcing when attention and price feed each other.

There’s a strong correlation between social media sentiment and crypto volatility. And Gen Z crypto influencers are big drivers of social media sentiment. This doesn’t mean they control crypto markets. But in thin markets, attention is a volatility amplifier.

Understanding Gen Z crypto influencers is part of understanding crypto itself.

Nvidia just took the top spot from Apple at TSMC, the biggest chip foundry on the planet. It finally happened. After years of trailing behind, Nvidia now spends more money than any other company at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

Jensen Huang, the guy running Nvidia, said it himself on a podcast this month. He told Morris Chang, the founder of TSMC, decades ago that this day would come. Now he’s saying, “Morris will be happy to know Nvidia is TSMC’s largest customer now.”

Back when that conversation happened, no one expected this. Apple had been king of the chip world for a long time. They relied on TSMC to make chips for iPhones and Macs.

Those A-series and M-series processors were what kept Apple in front. But now things have changed, and Nvidia is the one piling up the orders.

Nvidia’s spending now beats Apple’s by billions

Ben Bajarin, who analyzes tech at Creative Strategies, said Nvidia is set to bring in $33 billion in revenue for TSMC this year. That’s about 22% of the foundry’s total. Apple, on the other hand, is expected to bring in just $27 billion, or around 18%. “The scale of this drastically changed,” Ben said. “A couple years ago, you could just see how much more capacity Nvidia was demanding from TSMC.”

TSMC doesn’t rank its 522 customers in public, but it did admit back in March that one customer brought in 22% of its revenue and the second biggest brought in 12%. That was the first big hint that Nvidia had taken the lead.

This shift didn’t come out of nowhere. Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, demand for AI chips exploded. Nvidia’s chips are now used in tons of data centers. The company is behind most of the AI accelerators out there, and that demand pushed TSMC’s high-performance computing sales up to 55% of revenue in the last quarter. In 2022, that number was 40%.

Nvidia’s chips cost more and demand more

Part of why Nvidia now dominates is that its chips are huge and complicated to make. Compared to what Apple makes, Nvidia’s hardware takes more time, more effort, and more money. That alone boosts how much TSMC earns from them.

In February, Nvidia is expected to report $213 billion in sales for fiscal 2026, which ends this month. That’s a 66% increase. Meanwhile, Apple’s sales for fiscal 2025, which ended in September, only grew by 6.4%.

Apple’s still pushing though. They’re reporting earnings this Thursday and expecting 12% revenue growth. Samik Chatterjee from JPMorgan raised his price target on Apple to $315, saying the stock could still rise 27%. He pointed to stronger iPhone 17 demand and lower expenses. Apple stock is up 11% over the past year, but still behind the S&P 500, which gained 13.4% in that time.

Samik said memory prices have been hurting Apple’s profit margins, but he expects that pressure to ease. He also said the company’s Services revenue could rise 7%, even though that’s less than the 14% Apple aimed for. Still, he thinks they’ve got other ways to grow.

TSMC is still the most dominant foundry out there. They work with almost everyone; AMD, Intel, Broadcom, Qualcomm, and more. Research group TrendForce said TSMC owns 70% of the global chip manufacturing market.

Intel, trying to play catch-up, wants to make advanced chips in the U.S. But they still don’t have a lead customer. Their stock dropped 13% on Thursday after giving weak production forecasts.

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IonQ is spending $1.8 billion to buy SkyWater Technology, locking in full control of its own chip supply chain for quantum computers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, executives said the deal would be announced Monday. It gives SkyWater shareholders $35 a share, split into $15 cash and $20 in IonQ stock.

“This is our move to make sure we are the ‘Nvidia’ of quantum,” said Niccolo de Masi, the IonQ CEO and chairman, in an interview. “It’s not only accelerating our company, but accelerating the quantum industry for the good of our nation.”

SkyWater stock had closed Friday at $31.32, putting its market cap around $1.5 billion. But IonQ, which is worth over $16 billion, is paying more than that, and it’s not a soft acquisition.

It’s a full grab for tighter timelines, cheaper production, and U.S.-based chipmaking that won’t rely on anyone overseas.

SkyWater doesn’t build its own branded chips. It’s a neutral foundry, meaning it manufactures for other companies, including those in defense and aerospace.

Deal creates vertical integration for IonQ hardware

De Masi said the takeover would let IonQ build a “vertically integrated quantum platform business,” where the company controls both the hardware and the fabrication process. He said that would speed things up and cut costs across the board.

The Trump administration’s strong support for both quantum and domestic chip production played a role in the timing. “The tailwinds here are considerable,” said de Masi.

SkyWater will keep its name and operate as a wholly owned subsidiary after the deal closes. It’ll still serve all of its existing customers. But it’ll now also offer IonQ’s technology to clients, and have more access to capital, according to executives.

Thomas Sonderman, SkyWater’s current CEO, will stay in charge of the foundry but report directly to de Masi.

The deal includes a stock collar, which means the final price in IonQ stock can shift depending on where IonQ shares land at closing. That’s to avoid massive pricing swings that could tank the deal value if IonQ stock moves too much.

IonQ expands deals while U.S. ramps up tech funding

Last year, IonQ bought Oxford Ionics, a U.K. startup, for over $1 billion. They also grabbed Lightsynq Technologies and Capella Space. That’s three companies in under a year, and now SkyWater makes four.

The U.S. government, especially under Trump, has been pouring money into quantum computing and AI as part of a push to stay ahead of China. The Commerce Department has already started boosting funding for these sectors.

IonQ’s hardware is based on trapped-ion technology, which the company claims gives it better accuracy compared to other quantum systems. The goal is to solve problems that normal computers just can’t handle; from drug discovery to national security.

Big tech giants Microsoft, IBM, and Alphabet are also all working on their own quantum computers, throwing billions at the problem.

IonQ already works with the Defense Department and other federal agencies. It launched a dedicated Federal division back in September to focus on government and defense contracts.

IonQ first went public through a SPAC merger in 2021.

Since then, the stock has climbed, thanks to investors betting big on the future of quantum computing.

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South Korea’s third-largest cryptocurrency exchange, Coinone, is exploring a potential partial sale of its controlling stake, drawing interest from Coinbase, the US crypto exchange giant. The discussions come amid a broader wave of consolidation in the nation’s digital asset industry. 

Chairman Cha Myung-hoon, who holds roughly 53.44% of Coinone’s shares through personal holdings and his company, The One Group, is reportedly reviewing options to sell part of that stake.

Coinone seeks to remain competitive in the rapidly expanding crypto market 

Reporters reached out to a Coinone representative for further clarity on the motive behind this sale. Responding to this request, the spokesperson disclosed that the company is in talks with major overseas exchanges and local financial institutions regarding prospective investment opportunities in the sale of shares.  However, the representative noted that no specific decisions have been finalized.

On the other hand, reports suggested that local gaming company Com2Us, the second-largest shareholder with a 38.42% stake purchased between 2021 and 2022, could play a key role in any agreement.

This sales strategy is adopted at a time when Coinone is experiencing financial strains, resulting in considerable losses lately. As a result, the firm’s book value sharply dropped to about 75.2 billion won, or rather $52.2 million, at the end of the third quarter. This figure reflects a drastic decline from its prior valuation of 94.4 billion won. 

Regarding the progress of Coinone’s motive, insiders from the company revealed that a leading, publicly traded cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, may participate in the sale. They also noted that executives from the US-based exchange are scheduled to visit South Korea this week. During their visit, the executives will interact with leaders from Coinone and spokespersons from other local firms.

Meanwhile, Cha, who transitioned from a cybersecurity background to entrepreneurship, has recently resumed active management duties after resigning as the company’s CEO for 4 months. This move aims to enhance the crypto exchange’s technical differentiation and operational competitiveness as the firm seeks to dominate the market.

It is worth noting that his return may be part of preparations to sell the shares or a significant deal.

Regarding his cybersecurity background, reports pointed out that the industry executive is widely known as a white hacker. Cha’s heightened interest in programming and ethical hacking prompted him to establish the crypto exchange, Coinone.

Sources still claim that the South Korea-based crypto exchange has not yet issued a public statement concerning any finalized deal. What has been revealed is that discussions are still in the preliminary phase.

Crypto exchanges look at acquisition to support operations 

South Korea’s cryptocurrency exchange industry is undergoing rapid consolidation, driven by tighter regulation and intensifying competition. Trading activity is increasingly concentrated among a handful of large platforms.

At the same time, smaller exchanges struggle to meet stringent compliance requirements. As a result, several minor operators have either exited the market or shifted focus away from retail crypto trading.

Moreover, several leading South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges have recently experienced major leadership changes. Dunamu Inc., a prominent South Korean fintech company primarily known for operating Upbit, became part of the South Korean internet giant Naver following a merger-acquisition agreement with Naver Financial, struck in November.

Another example was highlighted when reports confirmed that Binance completed the acquisition of Gopax, a prominent South Korean centralized cryptocurrency exchange. This acquisition occurred approximately 2 years after South Korean regulators approved the change in ownership.

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Ripple, the RLUSD stablecoin issuer has signed a memorandum of understanding with Riyad Bank’s innovation subsidiary to explore blockchain applications within the Kingdom’s financial infrastructure. 

We are committed to demonstrating how Ripple’s enterprise-grade digital asset technology can unlock efficiencies in areas such as cross-border payments, supporting Saudi Arabia’s ambition to build a world-leading and competitive fintech ecosystem.

Reece Merrick, the Managing Director, Middle East & Africa, Ripple.

Ripple and Jeel are collaborating to develop distributed ledger use cases and test how blockchain systems could be embedded into Saudi Arabia’s financial architecture. 

Riyad Bank’s Jeel taps Ripple for payments, custody, and tokenization 

Ripple and Jeel plan to develop several financial technology applications under the agreement, including cross-border payments and digital asset custody. For financial institutions in the Gulf region, blockchain systems are viable for cross-border settlements because they are fast and transparent. 

More big news from the Middle East! @Ripple is partnering with @Jeelmovement, the innovation arm of @RiyadBank, to advance Saudi Arabia’s financial future through blockchain innovation 🇸🇦

The Kingdom’s visionary leadership has established Saudi Arabia as a forward-thinking… pic.twitter.com/KhQ7giluhE

— Reece Merrick (@reece_merrick) January 26, 2026

Tokenization initiatives could also form part of the exploratory work, as converting traditional assets into digital representations gains traction in financial centers worldwide. Saudi policymakers have added financial innovation as a pillar of the Vision 2030 agenda. This includes open banking, digital payments, blockchain, and AI-powered financial services.

Jeel, the innovation and technology arm of Riyad Bank, was established to actualize the seven-decade-old digital initiatives and financial technology partnerships. In September, the subsidiary partnered with FinTech Saudi to launch digital innovation programs. 

That collaboration led to the launch of the Jeel Sandbox, a technical platform for the Saudi fintech community that supports development, testing, and licensing processes. It allows financial technology firms to try out digital asset trading services in line with the monarch’s regulatory boundaries.

Supporting Vision 2030 through our technology developments and partnerships with leaders in the area demonstrates how committed Mambu is to furthering the goals of the region. We look forward to working with Jeel to support financial institutions in the initial stages of growth.

Mambu regional lead Harjit Kang.

Jeel also teamed up with cloud-native core banking technology provider Mambu, which provides the modular banking architecture that underpins the platform’s technology layer. The sandbox is hosted on the Google Cloud platform and enables developers to deploy simulated interfaces for wallet services into banking-as-a-service platforms.

Cloud zone centers fuel Saudi’s digital infrastructure push 

According to a report from local news publication AGBI, Saudi Arabia is also launching a cloud computing special economic zone near Riyadh. The initiative is set to take effect from early April 2026 and will include tax and regulatory incentives for investors.

The policy targets cloud providers and data center operators with high setup costs, along with the energy demands of digital infrastructure projects. Companies in the cloud zone will be subject to corporate income tax, but zakat rules will not apply, different from other Saudi economic zones.

For the domestic tech community, it’s a strong signal that Saudi Arabia wants to accelerate cloud adoption and scale local digital infrastructure. Practically, it should make it easier for local cloud and digital infrastructure firms to build, partner, and grow around a larger cloud ecosystem.

Yusef Alyusef, managing director at Alvarez & Marsal.

Regulatory frameworks for the zones will enter legal force from early April 2026, following the publication in the official gazette on January 16. Licensed entities will have an additional 90 days to comply with requirements.

Alyusef noted that the guidance on tax relief and qualification conditions is pending, although he predicted a short settling-in period as administrative processes develop.

Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings said the Kingdom’s debt capital market could reach $600 billion outstanding by the end of 2026. The outstanding Saudi debt exceeded $520 billion in 2025, a 21% year-over-year increase, while Sukuk instruments accounted for 62% of the total.

“Almost all Fitch-rated Saudi sukuk are investment grade, with issuers on Stable Outlooks and no defaults. Following reforms, foreign investors now contribute more than 10 percent of the government’s outstanding direct domestic issuance in primary local markets at the end of 2025,” Fitch Ratings Islamic Finance head Bashar Al-Natoor told reporters earlier today.

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The European Commission has opened formal proceedings against Elon Musk’s social media platform X after its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok was found producing sexual images of real people without their permission, including pictures of children.

People using X have been making AI-altered versions of actual photographs by asking Grok to create them. A study released last week by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate found that Grok made roughly three million deepfake images of women and children in just a few days.

The controversy has prompted calls for investigations in several countries. In Ireland, a number of government ministers have closed their X accounts in response.

Regina Doherty, a member of the European Parliament from Fine Gael, confirmed the Commission’s move against the company in a statement released this morning. She said she supported the decision to start a formal investigation.

“When credible reports emerge of AI systems being used in ways that harm women and children, it is essential that EU law is examined and enforced without delay,” Doherty said.

She added that the case brings up serious concerns about whether platforms are following their legal responsibilities to check for risks and stop illegal and harmful material from spreading.

Doherty emphasized that the investigation needs to result in actual consequences.

“No company operating in the EU is above the law,” she stated.

She also pointed out that the situation shows bigger problems in how new AI technology is being regulated and monitored, asking for more steps to be taken at the EU level.

“This case underlines why the AI Act must remain a living piece of legislation. If gaps in enforcement or oversight become clear, then it is our responsibility to address them. EU laws must be enforceable in real time when serious harms occur,” Doherty said.

Investigation delayed due to Greenland crisis

According to German news source Handelsblatt, the Commission had planned to start the proceedings under the EU’s Digital Services Act last Monday, but the decision was pushed back as the bloc dealt with US President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland.

This is not the first time X has faced trouble with EU regulators. In December 2025, the platform received a €120 million fine from the EU for breaking the Digital Services Act. The violations included misleading blue checkmarks, not being transparent about advertising, and preventing researchers from accessing the platform.

Trump administration officials had strong words about that fine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance both criticized it heavily, calling it an attack on American technology platforms.

Focus on risk assessment and content moderation

The latest investigation focuses specifically on whether X properly assessed the risks of its AI chatbot and took enough steps to prevent the creation and spread of harmful content. The Digital Services Act requires large online platforms to identify and address risks related to illegal content and harm to users.

The rapid production of such a large volume of inappropriate images in such a short time period raised alarm bells among digital safety advocates and lawmakers.

The situation has become a test case for how EU regulations will handle emerging AI technologies. While the AI Act has been passed to govern artificial intelligence systems, this case is being pursued under the Digital Services Act, which covers online platform responsibilities.

The investigation could lead to additional fines or requirements for X to change how Grok operates. The Commission has the power to impose penalties of up to six percent of a company’s global annual revenue for serious violations of the Digital Services Act.

X has not yet publicly commented on the new investigation. The company’s handling of the situation will be closely watched as other countries consider their own regulatory responses. Multiple nations have already demanded urgent action to address the chatbot’s ability to create inappropriate images.

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Debates on South Korea’s comprehensive Digital Asset Basic Act have spilled into 2026 with no end in sight as regulators continue to clash over who should control stablecoin issuance and how far major cryptocurrency exchanges should be regulated.

Lee Eog-weon, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) chair, had promised that the second-phase virtual asset legislation would be ready by the end of last year. However, divisions between the FSC, the Bank of Korea, industry participants, and political parties have pushed implementation into the new year, with no clear timeline for resolution.

What is South Korea’s disagreement about stablecoins?

The Bank of Korea also wants the issuance of won-pegged stablecoins to be dominated by banks, with Governor Rhee Chang-yong stating that the structure will help to prevent monetary policy complications and risks.

The FSC does not share the same position with the Bank of Korea on this matter, as it calls for a more inclusive authorization system that would allow fintech companies and other approved entities to participate in the stablecoin market.

Industry groups want more participation for fintechs, stating that excessive bank control will yield the adverse effect of stifling innovation. They say this will in turn affect South Korea’s ability to compete on the international stage as global digital payment systems advance.

The proposed legislation would require stablecoin issuers to maintain reserves that are over 100% of their circulating supply. This reserve will be held exclusively in bank deposits or government bonds and must not be part of the issuer’s balance sheet.

The draft also introduces no-fault liability for digital asset operators, making them responsible for user losses even when there’s no proof of negligence.

Exchange ownership caps draws opposition

A separate proposal that is being contested would see a cap on individual voting shares in major exchanges at 15% to 20%.

The FSC argues that concentrated ownership allows founders to exercise excessive control and capture disproportionate profits from transaction fees.

The restrictions will mean that those who own significant stakes in the affected companies that exceed 20% may have to divest some of their holdings.

Industry critics warn the caps could violate property rights, destabilize management structures, and deter investment at a time when South Korean exchanges are faced with more competition.

What are the implications if this bill continues to lag?

The legislative impasse has blocked progress on related initiatives. 

Plans to launch spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, announced as part of the government’s 2026 economic growth strategy, cannot proceed without digital assets being recognized as underlying securities under the second-phase law. Korea Exchange has declared itself ready to list and trade crypto ETFs, but regulatory uncertainty continues to delay its fruition. 

A pilot program allowing approximately 3,500 corporations to transact in virtual assets, originally scheduled for the second half of last year, has similarly stalled. Financial authorities say they will only consider corporate access after implementing the broader legislative framework.

These delays come as other jurisdictions advance. The US approved spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024 and passed the GENIUS Act, its legislation on stablecoins in 2025. Hong Kong enacted stablecoin legislation in August 2025, while Japan launched its first yen-backed stablecoin in October.

The People Power Party plans to introduce a separate second-phase bill through a special committee, suggesting that all National Assembly deliberations will only begin once that legislation is tabled.

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Models like ChatGPT and Gemini have also given projections about Bitcoin’s potential future price movements. The systems predict that Bitcoin is likely to reach between $85,000 and $250,000 in 2026. Despite its strength, Bitcoin’s growth will increase less than triple its present worth.  Nonetheless, in case of investors desiring greater returns on an initial investment, they may invest in a new crypto known as Mutuum Finance (MUTM). It appears better and may bring higher returns, 50x higher than the present one. It is currently selling at $0.04 on its presale.

Mutuum Finance Presale – Last Chance for Low Prices

The Mutuum Finance presale provides the best terms for investors who invest early in the project. So far, the project has raised $19.97 million from over 18,880 investors. The sale is in Phase 7, and the token price is $0.04 per token. The token price has increased by 300% compared to the original price of $0.01. 

Phase 7 is selling out fast. On depletion, Phase 8 will start with a price of $0.045, making an entry today nearly 20% cheaper. The planned launch price is $0.06. This means that investors currently have a chance to make huge returns immediately upon listing. After launching, there is expected to be greater price movement given that there is a working product and a good strategic plan. Investors have a chance to make 2400% returns from a relatively small amount of investment as MUTM aims for $1.

Earn Regular Dividends from Platform Fees

It should be understood that Mutuum Finance is not a simple token; it is a platform built for growth. One of the major features of the platform is the buy-and-redistribute feature. Every time the platform is utilized for a transaction of borrowing or lending, a certain fee is charged, a part of which is utilized to automatically purchase MUTM tokens from the market. This repurchased token is subsequently paid out as a dividend to individuals who have staked within the system. This has the possibility of generating passive income for investors without further action.

Creating Stablecoin Yield with Overcollateralized Safety

The other notable feature will be the stablecoin, a cryptocurrency linked to the US dollar. Contrary to unstable stablecoins, this one will be backed by additional collaterals within the system, making it a safer option. Users will be allowed to mint the stablecoin by locking up their collaterals, like ETH, and later lend them out to generate income.

For instance, a user may put $10,000 as collateral in the form of cryptocurrency like ETH. Then the user may mint $6,000 worth of a stablecoin. After that, the user may lend out the stablecoin to earn a 10% yield. By doing so, investors can increase their capital without having to liquidate the cryptocurrency. Thus, the product is likely to attract more users to the Mutuum platform. As a result, the value of the token will increase for all the holders of the token, making it a top crypto to buy. 

Your Opportunity for Substantial Growth 

Though the major models in the field of AI have provided insights into the future path of Bitcoin, discerning investors are looking towards projects with more growth prospects. Mutuum Finance is differentiated by the favorable presale price as well as the profitable platform. The prevailing price of $0.04 is time-specific, with the next phase of price increase around the corner. It is advisable to invest in this opportunity soon if you are looking to invest in the most promising cryptocurrency to achieve high returns in the market. MUTM is one of those cryptocurrencies that you should not ignore if you are looking to invest in a genuine growth opportunity.

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

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

India will lower taxes on cars brought in from European Union countries, dropping rates from as high as 110% down to 40%, according to sources familiar with the matter. The move marks the biggest step yet in opening India’s large auto market and could be announced as soon as Tuesday when the two sides reveal a new free trade agreement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has agreed to cut the tax right away on a set number of vehicles from the 27 EU countries, as long as those cars cost more than 15,000 euros, which equals about $17,739.

Two sources that know about the discussions told Reuters this information. The tax will drop even more over time, going down to just 10%. This makes it easier for European car companies like Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW to sell in India.

Deal expected to boost bilateral trade

The sources asked not to be named because the talks are private and things could still change at the last minute. India’s commerce ministry and the European Commission both said they would not comment.

India and the EU expect to announce on Tuesday that they have finished long-running talks for the free trade deal. After that, both sides will work out final details and approve what people are calling “the mother of all deals.”

The agreement could increase trade between the two and help Indian exports of products like textiles and jewelry, which took a hit from 50% tariffs imposed by the United States since late August.

India ranks as the world’s third-biggest car market by sales, coming after the United States and China. But its car industry has had strong protection from outside competition. Right now, New Delhi charges tariffs of 70% and 110% on cars brought in from other countries. Business leaders, including Tesla chief Elon Musk, have often criticized these high rates.

New Delhi wants to cut import duties to 40% immediately for roughly 200,000 combustion-engine cars each year, one source said. This represents India’s most aggressive effort so far to open up the sector. The quota number might still change before everything is final, the source added.

Electric battery vehicles will not see any import duty cuts for the first five years. This protects money already put in by Indian companies like Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors, which are building up this new part of the market, both sources said. After five years pass, electric vehicles will get similar tax cuts.

European brands hold small share of Indian market

Lower import taxes will help European carmakers such as Volkswagen, Renault and Stellantis, along with luxury brands Mercedes-Benz and BMW. These companies already make some cars in India but have had trouble growing beyond a certain point, partly because of the high tariffs.

Cheaper taxes let carmakers sell imported vehicles at lower prices and try out the market with more models before deciding to build more cars in India, one of the two sources explained.

European car companies hold less than 4% of India’s car market, which sells 4.4 million units each year. Japan’s Suzuki Motor dominates, and Indian brands Mahindra and Tata together control two-thirds of sales.

The Indian market should grow to 6 million units yearly by 2030, and some companies are already planning new investments. Renault is returning to India with a fresh strategy as it looks for growth outside Europe, where Chinese carmakers are gaining ground. Volkswagen Group is working on its next round of investment in India through its Skoda brand.

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Foundry Digital continues to mine below capacity, after shutting down some of its hashrate ahead of the snowstorm expected to hit key mining locations in the USA. Miners keep producing blocks at a relatively high pace, barring unexpected conditions. 

Foundry Digital has prepared for the snowstorm expected to affect some of its locations in the USA. In the past few days, the pool shut down some of its hashrate from 1.08 ZH/s down to 780 EH/s. 

Winter is traditionally a slow season for miners, especially those depending on hydroelectric power. Short-term weather conditions are also affecting hashrate. 

Despite the slowdown, Foundry Digital emerged as the top mining pool, surpassing even Antpool, which is the usual leader. Antpool also shut down some of its capacity, from 335 EH/s down to 141 EH/s. 

As a result, overall Bitcoin mining slid to a six-month low of 742.93 EH/s. The exact contribution of pools may differ, as the entire hashrate reporting depends on methodology. The recent hashrate effect on major pools also shows how much US-based mining is key to Bitcoin’s security, as well as future data center investment decisions. 

Lower hashrate leads to lower difficulty

One silver lining of slower mining is that block production may become easier, resulting in higher rewards for some pools. Difficulty slid to a three-month low after the last two recalculation periods happened during a period of slower mining. 

BTC mining dropped to a six-month low as miners shut down some of their capacity, accelerating the decline as US miners prepared for a snowstorm. | Source: Coinwarz

While the change may be seasonal, lowered difficulty may alleviate the current mining distress. 

Miners keep producing blocks even as the hash ribbon indicator is flashing. The slide of BTC to $86,000 extended the period of distress for miners. The mining sector is closing in on two months of mining under distress conditions, as BTC moved down from its all-time high. 

Average cost to mine one BTC is now close to $75,000, serving as a price floor. However, some miners have lower costs, while new hardware may mean a more competitive advantage for newer mining farms. 

Is mining the bridge to AI?

While mining starts to look non-viable under distress, mining companies are still winning. The sector leader IREN is up over 21% in 2026, rising to $45.91. Riot Platforms (RIOT) also retained some of its gains, reaching $17.28.

All BTC mining operations retain access to relatively reliable sources of energy. As a result, some miners are still viable, while others are working toward AI and other forms of compute with a higher margin. 

BTC miners have been divesting some of their reserves, with 1.89M BTC left in storage. Despite this, the selling is relatively slow, while the daily reward of 450 BTC is easily absorbed by the market.

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Hong Kong’s government plans to broaden its bullion trade after signing a cooperation deal with mainland China’s gold exchange, as the special metal rises to a new all-time high price.

On Monday, the special administrative city signed an agreement with the Shanghai Gold Exchange during the annual Asian Financial Forum, according to official statements released by the city. 

Under the memorandum of understanding, the Shanghai Gold Exchange will help Hong Kong establish a new, centralized precious metals clearing infrastructure. The partnership includes technical support, regulatory input, and risk management assistance in creating the Hong Kong Precious Metals Central Clearing Co.

Gold prices climbed above $5,000 per ounce for the very first time, extending a rally that saw prices go up by more than 60% in 2025.

Hong Kong unveils gold ambitions with China’s support 

According to Nikkei Asia, the soon-to-be-launched clearing company will become the main system for gold transactions in the city. Government officials said in the ceremony that trial operations will begin later this year, once regulatory approvals and operational arrangements are completed.

An agency under China’s central bank, the Shanghai Gold Exchange, will help draft rules and approve institutions seeking to provide gold trading services. 

The new facility will provide efficient and reliable clearing services for gold transactions in compliance with international standards.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Financial Services, Christopher Hui, is slated to chair the company. At the same time, a representative from the Shanghai Gold Exchange will become deputy chair, according to people familiar with the arrangement.

The People’s Bank of China will support the Shanghai Gold Exchange in participating in the development of Hong Kong’s gold clearing system through various means to help Hong Kong build an international gold trading center and strengthen its connections with the global gold market.

China’s Central Bank Deputy Governor Zou Lan.

Zou also mentioned that the cooperation would make Hong Kong more suitable as an offshore market for China’s digital yuan.

China is both the world’s largest producer and consumer of gold, giving it outsized weight in price formation and physical supply. As of September last year, China held 7.7% of global gold reserves, according to data from the World Gold Council. 

The country has been a net buyer of gold for 14 consecutive months, and its official holdings to 2,306 metric tons as of last month. The government wants to develop a gold vault with a capacity exceeding 2,000 tons within three years, under the Shanghai Gold Exchange’s physical warehousing management system.

Russian gold shipments to China hit new records

As reported by state news agency RIA Novosti, Russia increased its physical gold exports to China in 2025 to 25.3 tonnes, up 800% from the previous year. Exports jumped 14.6 times to $3.29 billion, a record high for the entire history of gold trade between Russia and China. 

Gold exports to China in December alone reached $1.35 billion, equivalent to a monthly record of about 10 tonnes. Despite the surge, Russia was seventh among China’s gold suppliers by volume last year. Switzerland is still the largest exporter, selling gold worth $25.73 billion to China.

Canada followed with $11.06 billion, while South Africa shipped $9.42 billion. Australia and Kyrgyzstan rounded out the top five exporters, with $8.77 billion and $4.95 billion, respectively.

Meanwhile, Chinese rare-earth metal shares have been rallying, buoyed by supply concerns and policy support from Beijing. Sales and profits from the rare-earth sector are trending higher, as the total net profit for January through September 2025 from about 47 companies already matched the full-year total for 2024.

If current performance continues, the sector’s annual profits are likely to reach the highest level since 2016, according to figures from Shanghai-based information provider Shanghai DZH.

China began restricting exports of seven rare earth elements, including dysprosium, in April 2025. The move preceded the announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on Chinese goods by an angry US President Donald Trump, whose government is still in talks with Beijing.

In Europe, where prices are particularly sensitive to Chinese supply curbs, dysprosium reached $935 per kilogram in January, according to UK research firm Argus Media.

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Coinbase conducted a survey that revealed 70% of participating institutional investors believe Bitcoin’s current price undervalues the crypto, suggesting its true worth lies between $85,000 and $95,000. 

The findings were included in Coinbase’s Charting Crypto Q1 2026 report, which surveyed 148 participants—75 institutional investors and 73 independent investors. Upon completing their survey, Coinbase found that about 71% of institutions and 60% of independent investors firmly believed Bitcoin is undervalued.

On the other hand, a quarter of the institutional investors viewed Bitcoin’s current market price as a fair reflection of value, particularly given that its price fluctuated primarily between $85,000 and $95,000 during the survey period, while only 4% believed Bitcoin was priced too high.

Bitcoin’s current price status raises concerns among investors 

Data from CoinMarketCap shows that Bitcoin is trading at $87,831.91, down about 0.34% over the past 24 hours. This price demonstrates a decrease of more than 30% from its October all-time high of $126,080.

Analysts attributed this recent trend to a major market crash on October 10, which led to significant losses of over $19 billion in leveraged positions. Their findings also showed that cryptocurrency prices largely held steady or declined.

Since the market crash, the crypto market has shown no signs of improvement. The upward price trend is losing steam amid US President Donald Trump’s new tariff threats, which are increasing tensions between major trading partners, the US and the Middle East.

Coinbase cautions that this trend might intensify, stressing that “geopolitical tensions have increased in many parts of the world. Any rise in conflict that disrupts energy markets could hurt investor sentiment.”

Meanwhile, the prices of Gold and silver escalated, with gold attaining an all-time high of more than $5,000 on Monday, January 26, while silver saw its market value double since October. On the other hand, the S&P 500 stock market index rose by just 3%.

Institutional investors maintain a bullish outlook despite challenges in the crypto market 

While Coinbase proceeded with its survey, around 80% of institutional investors indicated plans to keep their existing cryptocurrency holdings or make more purchases if the market declined by an additional 10%.

Their remarks illustrated that institutional investors maintain high confidence in the future potential of cryptocurrencies. To further support this claim, reports noted that over 60% of these investors reported holding steady or increasing their crypto holdings since October, when Bitcoin attained its highest level. 

Interestingly, when reporters reached out to several institutional investors to comment on the current situation in the crypto market, these investors asserted that they see several future opportunities, with 54% interpreting the current market cycle as being either in a phase of accumulation or a bear market.

Seeing the investors’ bullish outlook, Coinbase predicted that the Federal Reserve might consider two rate reductions this year, despite ongoing uncertainty about monetary policy. This situation could be advantageous to riskier assets such as cryptocurrencies. 

Moreover, the crypto exchange alleged that “the economy seems to be stable to back the crypto market. Consumer inflation remained steady at 2.7% in December, and real gross domestic product grew by over 5% in the fourth quarter.”

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