Crypto

The spike reflects utility-driven growth, with lower fees and smoother Layer-2 activity after the Fusaka upgrade attracting new users.

The investigation into Zcash, launched with an SEC subpoena over a “matter of certain crypto asset offerings,” ended this week, according to the foundation. The foundation behind Zcash (ZEC) said that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will not pursue an enforcement action into the privacy coin after the end of an investigation launched in 2023. In a Wednesday notice, the Zcash Foundation said the SEC “concluded its review” over a “matter of certain crypto asset offerings” and would not recommend enforcement actions or changes. According to the foundation, the regulatory probe started in August 2023 after it received a subpoena from the SEC. “This outcome reflects our commitment to transparency and compliance with applicable regulatory requirements,” said the foundation. “Zcash Foundation remains focused on advancing privacy-preserving financial infrastructure for the public good.” Read more

Etherealize CEO Vivek Raman argues that ETH's lagging price masks strengthening fundamentals that could reshape how the token is valued in 2026. Ether’s price performance left many investors frustrated last cycle. While other assets captured attention with faster rallies, ETH has struggled to keep pace, raising questions about whether Ether is losing relevance or simply being misunderstood. In a recent interview with Cointelegraph, Vivek Raman, CEO of Etherealize, offered a very different perspective. Rather than focusing on short-term price action, Raman pointed to a growing gap between market sentiment and Ether’s (ETH) underlying fundamentals, which he says may define the opportunity in 2026. Raman highlighted Ethereum’s continued dominance in areas that matter most to institutions. Today, the Ethereum network and its layer-2 chains host the majority of stablecoin activity, within a market that exceeds $300 billion globally. Ethereum is also the leading network for tokenized real-world assets, with data sh...

Bitcoin rallied to $97,500, and multiple data points suggest bulls are planning to push the price above $100,000. Is the bull market back? Bitcoin’s (BTC) start-of-year recovery continued into the second week of January as the cryptocurrency made fresh 2026 highs above $96,000. The rally confirmed a new higher high structure, and traders are hopeful that a rally above $100,000 is the next target. Key takeaways: Bitcoin secured a daily close above $95,000, confirming a higher high and weakening near-term resistance. Read more

Senator Tim Scott, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, told CoinDesk that he hopes to advance the crypto market structure bill, but some issues are unresolved.

While Congress pushes ahead with the CLARITY Act, the unfinished fight over how the U.S. draws the line between “crypto” and “securities” is spilling into public view, and into a familiar blame game. Online, critics argue the bill’s structure could hardwire advantages for regulated incumbents, with centralized platforms accused of quietly backing tweaks that would […] The post Crypto yields expose the exact amount banks are underpaying you, and why they want Congress to ban it appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin pushes through $95,000 resistance to reach $97,000 as the digital asset finally aligns with broader risk-on sentiment, though analysts note political uncertainty and dollar weakness create mixed signals for sustained momentum. The post QCP Says Bitcoin’s Finally Waking Up After Lagging Stocks and Gold appeared first on Cryptonews.

ChatGPT placed the odds at roughly 20-30%.

FTX’s bankruptcy wind-down is still running on two tracks: returning money to creditors while trying to take it back from others.

Vitalik Buterin argues DeFi still lacks resilient decentralized stablecoins, highlighting benchmark risk, oracle design flaws and staking-driven incentives. A decentralized stablecoin aims to maintain a stable value while being issued and managed onchain, without relying on a single company to mint or redeem dollars. Stablecoins are already central to decentralized finance (DeFi). Because fiat money is not native to blockchains, stablecoins perform the day-to-day role of moving value between protocols and acting as collateral. Read more

The Nasdaq-listed company is rolling out an onchain equity system that allows real shares to be issued and lent directly on blockchain infrastructure. Figure Technology Solutions, a blockchain-focused financial technology company, is pushing stock lending on-chain with a new system that allows investors to lend shares directly to one another without relying on traditional securities intermediaries. Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the company has launched the On-Chain Public Equity Network, known as OPEN, which allows companies to issue real equity directly on Figure’s Provenance blockchain. Unlike other tokenized stock offerings, which typically mirror existing shares through synthetic instruments, the equity issued on OPEN represents actual ownership. Those shares can be lent or pledged directly on the blockchain, bypassing intermediaries such as custodians, exchanges and brokers, according to Figure CEO Mike Cagney. Read more

In this week’s Crypto Long & Short Newsletter, Josh Olszewicz of Canary Capital writes about equities, liquidity and crypto’s early — but still tentative — signs of a bullish turn. Then, Joshua de Vos examines ten major blockchain ecosystems and the trends to watch as we head into 2026.

Crypto payments firm Ripple has revealed its second European license approval in the last week, fueling expansion ahead.

BTC: 95k (+3%) | BTC.D: 59.2% (-0.1%). ETH: 3313 (+6%) | BNB: 936 (+3%) | SOL: 145 (+2%). Top Gainers: IP, ICP, PUMP, PEPE, ENA. BTC ETFs: +$754m | ETH ETFs: +$130m. Crypto rallies on largest ETF inflow in 3 months. Senate committee to vote on crypto bill on Jan 27. Stablecoin issues with bill still being fought over. Ethena Labs makes USDe free from gas fees. Bitdeer overtakes MARA on ‘managed hashrate’. Polygon Labs to buy Coinme, Sequence for $250m. BitPanda eyes Frankfurt IPO in 1H26. CZ invests in perp trading platform Genius Terminal. Coingecko eyes sales at $500m valuation. Russia to open crypto markets more for payments. Crypto wrench attacks continue in France. Pakistan to integrate WLFI’s USD1.

Also: Zcash token falls after developer quits, Smart Cashtags and BTC quantum computing defense

DASH price surged as capital rotated into privacy coins, with traders shifting away from Zcash after its governance turmoil. Key takeaways: DASH surged on privacy-coin rotation following the Zcash fallout. Multiyear resistance raises odds of an 80% price correction. Read more

The largest cryptocurrency extended its rally, pushing related equities higher as well.

The fight over stablecoin yield is less about protecting consumers and more about protecting banking incumbents, argues Bill Hughes, Senior Counsel and Director of Global Regulatory Matters for Consensys.

Bitwise launched its Chainlink ETF Wednesday, becoming the second spot LINK fund in the U.S. following Grayscale's December debut.

Banks argue that stablecoin rewards offered through exchanges exploit a GENIUS Act loophole, blurring the line between payment tokens and savings accounts. The GENIUS Act was designed to keep stablecoins as payment tools rather than savings products. As a result, it bans issuers from paying interest or yield to stablecoin holders. Community banks argue that a loophole exists because exchanges and affiliated partners can still offer rewards on stablecoin balances, even if the issuer itself does not pay yield. Smaller banks are more concerned than large banks because they rely heavily on local deposits. Any outflow of deposits could directly reduce lending to small businesses and households. Read more