Crypto

Your day-ahead look for Jan. 20, 2026

South Korea is reportedly reviewing exclusive bank partnerships for crypto exchanges as regulators assess competition and prepare the Digital Asset Basic Act. South Korea’s financial regulators are reviewing a long-standing practice that effectively ties each cryptocurrency exchange to a single banking partner, as part of a broader examination of competition in the country’s crypto market, according to local media. Business media outlet the Herald Economy, citing government officials familiar with inter-agency discussions, said a review effort is being coordinated between the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the Fair Trade Commission as policymakers evaluate whether existing practices contribute to market concentration.  Although the “one exchange–one bank” model is not explicitly codified in South Korean laws, it emerged in practice due to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and customer due diligence requirements.  Read more

The moves highlight growing uncertainty over whether crypto prediction markets are to be treated as finance or gambling. Update Jan. 20, 12:29 p.m. UTC: This article has been updated to include a paragraph on the details surrounding Portugal’s ban on Polymarket. Hungary and Portugal have taken steps to restrict access to the crypto-based prediction market Polymarket, adding to mounting regulatory pressure on the platform across Europe. Hungary’s regulatory authority, Szabályozott Tevékenységek Felügyeleti Hatósága, has temporarily blocked access to Polymarket’s domain and subdomains, citing the “forbidden organization of gambling activities.” According to an official notice released Friday, the restriction will remain in place until the authority completes its review. Read more

The veteran trader who accurately called the 2018 bitcoin crash has tipped bitcoin to fall to $58,000. Experts said macro conditions favor a bearish bitcoin trend.

The social media platform has taken a step towards transparency amid ongoing battles over platform spam and non-consensual AI images.

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the owner of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), announced plans on Jan. 19 to develop a new trading platform for tokenized US-listed equities and exchange-traded funds. While the headline features include stablecoin-based funding and blockchain integration, the initiative represents a deeper structural bet on the future of market infrastructure where settlement […] The post ICE is ditching traditional banks to settle NYSE trades with tokenized cash, and the hidden risks are actually massive appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin erased last week’s rally as Asia-led selling hit crypto alongside falling U.S. equity futures.

An attacker used flash loans to manipulate pricing data in Makina’s DUSD/USDC Curve pool, draining more than $4 million before MEV bots captured part of the haul.

ETF allocations to Stretch, Strife, and Stride underscore institutional appetite for MSTR income securities.

XRP falls to $1.93 after rejecting $2, while weekly MACD tightens. Analysts watch $1.90 support and $2.05 reclaim.

Betting on political events is illegal in Portugal, and the regulator gave Polymarket 48 hours to cease operations in the country.

Insider trading is hard to curb on non-KYC prediction markets, but even identity checks do not fully eliminate abuse, according to Messari’s Austin Weiler. Concerns over insider trading on prediction markets have intensified after a series of high-profile bets on geopolitical events, prompting fresh questions over whether it’s even feasible to curb such practices in the growing industry sector. Preventing insider trading is realistically possible only on prediction markets applying Know Your Customer (KYC) measures, according to Austin Weiler, a research analyst at the blockchain intelligence firm Messari. “For KYC’d platforms, the most effective mechanism is to restrict access upfront for users to specific markets,” Weiler told Cointelegraph, adding that state actors could be restricted from political or geopolitical markets. Read more

Bitcoin bulls defend $90,000 as Hash Ribbons and Fear and Greed Index flash buy signals, hinting at a potential rally. Bitcoin’s (BTC) leading indicators flashed buy signals as bulls fought to keep the price above $90,000. Key takeaways: Bitcoin Hash Ribbons flashed a "buy" signal amid miner capitulation recovery, an occurrence that has historically preceded strong rallies. Read more

On-chain data show whales accumulating ETH, LINK, and BTC as retail selling pressure persists, highlighting a market divergence.

ICP and XMR have plunged the most over the past day.

The warning came as Hong Kong consults on new virtual asset advisory and management licenses, expanding oversight beyond crypto trading platforms. The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association (HKSFPA) warned that the city’s proposed rollout of new crypto licensing regimes may unintentionally force compliant crypto managers to cease activities if regulators proceed without transitional arrangements.  The warning centers on what the group described as a potential “hard start,” under which existing firms would be required to be fully licensed by the commencement date of the new rules or cease regulated activities while their applications are under review.  Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission and the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau are currently consulting on new licensing regimes that cover virtual asset dealing, advisory and management services, which would expand regulatory oversight beyond the city’s existing framework for crypto trading platforms.  Read more

The attacker used a 280 million USDC flash loan and oracle manipulation to extract nearly $5 million in value.

[PRESS RELEASE – Denver, United States, January 20th, 2026] The XXKK crypto exchange announced an initiative aimed at making the platform more transparent and strengthening communication with users across the globe. The XXKK crypto exchange wants to build long-term trust. The XXKK crypto exchange will set standards and share information consistently across its cryptocurrency platform. The move […]

Natural gas prices surged 17.76% on Jan. 19, driven by cold forecasts across Northeast Asia and Europe, tightening liquidity in global LNG markets, and short-covering in European storage inventories sitting 15% points below the five-year average. For most crypto traders, a weather-driven commodity spike registers as irrelevant noise. Something for energy desks to manage, not […] The post Natural gas surged 17% yesterday and it’s triggering a macro trap that could suddenly tank Bitcoin prices appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin's price dropped by more than 2.5% in the past 24 hours. Here is why.