Crypto

Blockchain data showed that stolen Bitcoin was bridged to Ethereum, fragmented into multiple wallets and later routed into the crypto mixer. Roughly $63 million in Tornado Cash deposits has been linked to the $282 million cryptocurrency wallet compromise of Jan. 10. Blockchain security firm CertiK said in a Monday X post that its monitoring systems identified Tornado Cash interactions tied to the exploit.  The update expands on the post-theft money laundering mechanics of the Jan. 10 incident, which is being tracked by multiple crypto investigators due to the amount lost and the speed at which funds were moved. Read more

SUI is among the poorest performers today.

The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association is backing the OECD’s CARF and tougher tax transparency, but wants lighter treatment and more flexible recordkeeping. The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association (HKSFPA) has urged the city’s government to soften some elements of its planned implementation of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) crypto reporting standards. The industry body warned that the OECD’s Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and related Common Reporting Standard (CRS) amendments could saddle local institutions with operational and liability risks. CARF is a new standard for automatic tax information exchange for crypto asset users across borders, while CRS is the OECD’s existing automatic information exchange regime for traditional financial accounts. Read more

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed new laws creating licensed crypto exchanges and giving the central bank authority to approve tradable coins. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed legislation establishing a regulatory framework for digital assets, including licensed cryptocurrency exchanges and granting the country’s central bank authority to approve which cryptocurrencies can be traded on regulated platforms. The legislation amends Kazakhstan’s banking and financial market laws, setting out new rules for the issuance and circulation of digital assets and introducing licensing requirements for crypto exchanges operating in the country, according to a government statement. The rules introduce a classification for digital assets, including stablecoins, assets backed by financial instruments and property, and financial instruments issued in electronic digital form. Read more

The privacy coin category posted gains amid a broad market sell-off, as experts cite growing demand for "defensive" assets.

Bitcoin faced the prospect of turning its $98,000 highs into a liquidity hunt as tariffs put new BTC price local lows back on the table next. Bitcoin (BTC) takes a beating as the new week begins with markets held hostage by global trade tariff uncertainty. Bitcoin dips below $92,000, but traders warn that a much deeper support retest is on the horizon. Tariffs take center stage again as analysis agrees that conditions will likely get worse before the risk-asset bull run continues. Read more

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong publicly sparred with crypto reporter Eleanor Terrett this week after she questioned the exchange’s stance on crypto regulation, prompting an exchange that quickly spilled onto social media and reignited tensions between industry leaders and the broader community. Senate Banking postponed its planned Jan. 15 markup of the CLARITY Act, leaving timing […] The post Coinbase accused of “rug pull” as the White House weighs killing the CLARITY Act over yield appeared first on CryptoSlate.

U.S.-listed spot bitcoin and ether ETFs logged their strongest week in three months, led by bullish bets.

XRP is further away from BNB in terms of market cap.

PI has dumped by over 7% in the past 24 hours.

Bitcoin plunged to a six-day low, most altcoins slumped even harder.

Crypto markets have already started the week with a massive dose of volatility following the escalation of trade wars between the United States and the European Union. 

Rising crypto wealth is increasing the stakes of physical coercion. “Wrench attacks” show how digital assets can become real-world targets. In January 2025, French authorities freed Ledger co-founder David Balland after kidnappers demanded a large ransom in cryptocurrency. The case illustrated what crypto crime can look like when it leaves the screen and becomes a physical hostage situation. In fact, crypto-related disputes and theft are increasingly linked to real-world violence, including abduction attempts and ransom schemes designed to force victims to hand over access. That is the logic of a wrench attack. Instead of hacking a wallet, criminals use threats or force to make the holder unlock it or send the funds themselves. Read more

Hyperliquid is consolidating its lead in on-chain derivatives, even as falling volumes elsewhere highlight the limits of incentive-driven growth.

Ethereum’s walkaway test asks whether the network can remain credible, secure and adaptable without constant intervention, even as quantum risks loom. Vitalik Buterin’s “walkaway test” is a way to assess Ethereum’s long-term credibility. The network is intended to remain secure and functional even if its core developers were to stop actively upgrading it. In a recent analogy, Buterin suggested that a protocol should resemble a tool you own, such as a hammer, rather than a service that gradually degrades if the “vendor” loses interest or becomes constrained by external pressures. Read more

Since mid-2023, Binance Australia users have only been able to deposit or withdraw fiat funds from their crypto exchange accounts via debit or credit card. Update Jan.19, 6:50 am: This article has been updated to include a statement from Matt Poblocki. Crypto exchange Binance has reintroduced direct bank transfers in Australia two years after the exchange was abruptly “cut off” from the Australian banking system.  As of last Friday, Binance Australia has relaunched direct fiat bank and PayID deposits and withdrawals to its Australian users.  Read more

The Republican and Democratic Senate Judiciary leaders have called for changes to the market structure bill, arguing it would “weaken” the ability to police money transmitters. US Senate Judiciary Committee leaders are seeking to remove crypto developer protections from the Senate’s crypto market structure bill, arguing the provisions would weaken unlicensed money transmitting laws. Senate Judiciary chair Charles Grassley and the committee’s top Democrat, Richard Durbin, told Senate Banking Committee chair Tim Scott and top Democrat Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday that the crypto bill as drafted would “create a significant enforcement gap for decentralized digital asset platforms.” “Such a gap risks attracting illicit actors — like cartels and other sophisticated criminal organizations — to decentralized platforms,” Grassley and Durbin said in a letter Politico first reported on Friday.  Read more

A trader exploited thin weekend liquidity and automated market-making bots on Polymarket to lock in a $233,000 profit, sparking debate over whether the strategy crossed the line into market manipulation.

Bitcoin futures open interest has begun to recover in January after a sharp Q4 deleveraging, though analysts say the rebound remains modest. Bitcoin futures open interest (OI) — a measure of derivative market participation — has gained almost 13% from the start of the year, which analysts say could reflect more risk appetite for crypto.  The increase follows a sharp deleveraging phase from October through December, when Bitcoin derivatives exposure fell alongside a broad market correction. Bitcoin futures OI has fallen 17.5% from 381,000 BTC to 314,000 BTC over the past three months, following a roughly 36% price correction from early October, “reflecting a phase of risk reduction and the unwinding of leveraged positions,” said CryptoQuant analyst “Darkfost” on Monday. Read more

The record jump comes as Ethereum’s validator exit queue has dropped to zero while entry queues remain long.