US spot Bitcoin ETF flows turned negative for January after a series of outflows this week totaling nearly $1 billion, data from SoSoValue shows. Cryptocurrency investment products faced heavy outflows on Thursday as the total crypto market capitalization fell about 6%. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) funds recorded nearly $1 billion in outflows, among the largest of the year so far, according to SoSoValue. Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) led the sell-off, shedding $817.9 million, exceeding last Wednesday’s $708.7 million outflows and marking the largest daily outflow since November 2025. Read more
DeFi's composability creates cascading exploit risks while protocols handle risk idiosyncratically. Institutional adoption demands TradFi-style standardized frameworks. Opinion by: Robert Schmitt, founder and co-CEO at Cork DeFi has entered its institutional phase. As large investors dip their toes into crypto ETFs and digital asset treasuries (DATs), the ecosystem is gradually evolving into an institutional-grade financial system in its own right, with the introduction of new financial instruments and digital counterparts of well-established ones. DeFi’s current growth exposes mounting risks that could lead to trust roadblocks. For institutions to confidently onboard, the ecosystem must implement stronger risk guardrails and resilient infrastructure. Read more
A tentative deal in Washington has eased some shutdown fears, but with key votes still pending, crypto, gold and silver are trading through liquidity jitters and foreign policy risk. US Senate leaders and the White House said they have reached a bipartisan framework to avert a partial government shutdown, but the agreement still needs to clear key votes in Congress before funding actually expires. Negotiations had stalled over funding for the Department of Homeland Security and immigration enforcement, with the current stopgap spending bill set to lapse Friday at midnight Eastern Time, leaving lawmakers racing to finalize and vote on the package before the deadline. On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump stated that the “only thing” that could slow down the country was “another long and damaging Government Shutdown.” He said that he was “working hard with Congress” to secure the necessary funding. Read more