RWA blockchain Mantra is restructuring and cutting staff after an OM token collapse and prolonged market pressure strained its business model in 2025. Update Jan. 14, 2:20 pm UTC: This article has been updated to add comments from Manta CEO John Patrick Mullin. Mantra, a blockchain project focused on real-world assets (RWAs), is restructuring its operations after what its leadership described as the most difficult year in the company’s history, marked by a sharp token collapse and prolonged market pressure. On Wednesday, Manta CEO John Patrick Mullin announced that the company would transition to a leaner and more capital-efficient structure following a period of expansion. The changes include job cuts across multiple teams and a streamlining of operations to better match near-term market conditions. Read more
ISLAMABAD: The World Economic Forum (WEF) finds geo-economic confrontation as the top risk for 2026, followed by interstate conflict, extreme weather, societal polarisation, and misinformation and disinformation, its report said on Wednesday. The Global Risks Report 2026, a premier source of original global risks data for Switzerland-based WEF, warned that the multilateral system is under pressure. “Declining trust, diminishing transparency and respect for the rule of law, along with heightened protectionism, are threatening longstanding international relations, trade and investment and increasing the propensity for conflict,” it read. Geo-economic confrontation topped the near-term rankings, with 18 per cent of respondents viewing it as the risk most likely to trigger a global crisis in 2026. It was also ranked first for severity over the next two years, up eight positions from last year. State-based armed conflict followed in second position for 2026, dropping to fifth position in the two-year timeframe. Sh...
Crossmint has secured MiCA authorization from Spain’s CNMV to operate as a crypto asset service provider, allowing it to passport stablecoin infrastructure services across the EU. Crossmint has secured a Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) authorization from Spain’s securities regulator CNMV to operate as a crypto asset service provider (CASP), positioning it as a regulated stablecoin infrastructure provider across all 27 European Union member states. Miguel Angel Zapatero, Crossmint general counsel, told Cointelegraph that the company was held to “the exact same standards” as traditional financial institutions, marking an end to any notion that MiCA offers a lighter regime for crypto businesses. He said that MiCA created a “level playing field” and built confidence in the sector thanks to “consistent standards and enforcement,” adding that the days of the “wild wild west” era were over, and that MiCA brought “certainty to more traditional clients who were not confident enough in crypto technology.” ...
Bitcoin ETF flows have swung sharply in early 2026 as investors pour billions into traditional ETFs, leaving crypto funds lagging behind. Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have had a volatile start to 2026, with sharp swings in investor demand even as money pours into traditional ETFs at an unusually fast pace. US-listed spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs pulled in $753 million on Tuesday in their second consecutive day of inflows after a four-day losing streak, according to Farside Investors data. Bitcoin ETFs have raked in a total of $660 million in net inflows so far in 2026 as demand for the funds continued to fluctuate. Read more
Romania's current account deficit surged to EUR27.1 billion in January-November 2025, compared to EUR26.06 billion in the same period of 2024, central bank data showed on Wednesday (January 14, 2025).