At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the French central bank governor and Coinbase CEO clashed over whether trust in money comes from institutions or decentralized Bitcoin. The long-running tension between central banks and Bitcoin resurfaced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where senior executives and policymakers debated regulation versus innovation in digital finance. Trust in money must come from regulated public institutions rather than private crypto issuers, French central bank Governor François Villeroy de Galhau said during a panel titled “Is Tokenization the Future?” on Wednesday. “The guarantee for trust is independence on the central bank side,” Galhau said, adding: “I trust more independent central banks with a democratic mandate than private issuers of Bitcoin.” Read more
Crypto markets dip as global macro pressures mount, with US-EU trade tensions and Japanese bond sell-offs fueling institutional caution. Spot Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) faced heavy outflows on Tuesday, as macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty continued to weigh on markets. Spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs recorded $483.4 million in daily outflows, with the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF (GBTC) leading the selling at $160.8 million, followed by Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) at $152 million, according to data from SoSoValue. Spot Ether (ETH) ETFs posted $230 million in net outflows, ending a five-day streak of positive flows, with BlackRock's ETHA seeing $92.3 million exit. Spot XRP (XRP) ETFs also registered their largest single-day outflow yet at $53.3 million, while Solana (SOL) ETFs bucked the trend with $3 million in net inflows. Read more
Several chartists warn that Bitcoin could decline toward $30,000 in February as the price action mirrors previous four-year cycles. Bitcoin’s (BTC) 30% drawdown from all-time highs did little to deter large investors, who continued to increase their holdings throughout January. Key takeaways: Large holders are buying the dip, signaling long-term confidence. Read more
More crypto platforms are edging toward universal exchange ambitions, with research firms predicting a crypto “super app” race. Bitpanda is expanding beyond digital assets as it moves to offer stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the same platform, advancing its push toward what it calls a universal exchange model. Beginning Jan. 29, the Vienna-based crypto exchange will open access to about 10,000 stocks and ETFs, according to a Tuesday announcement shared with Cointelegraph. Bitpanda said the move will allow users to trade traditional financial products alongside cryptocurrencies within a single app. The company said trades in stocks and ETFs will be priced at a flat fee of 1 euro ($1.17) per transaction, with no additional order flow, custody or withdrawal charges. Bitpanda described the rollout as part of an effort to simplify investing across asset classes. Read more
Trade finance’s financing gap and paper-based inefficiencies create blockchain’s largest opportunity. Tokenized receivables can unlock global liquidity for SMEs. Opinion by: Billy Sebell, executive director at XDC Foundation In just over a decade, blockchain technology has rewritten the rulebook for global finance, bringing transparency, speed and access to financial markets. It has clearly established its worth in digital assets, decentralized finance (DeFi) and cross-border payments, among other effective use cases. Perhaps the greatest unrealized potential for blockchain lies in one of the world’s most vital sectors: global trade finance. Read more
Attackers have hijacked trusted Snap Store publishers via expired domains, allowing malicious wallet updates to reach long-time Linux users. Blockchain security company SlowMist flagged a new Linux-based attack vector that exploits trusted applications distributed through the Snap Store to steal users’ crypto recovery seed phrases. In a post on X, SlowMist’s chief information security officer, 23pds, said attackers are abusing expired domains to hijack long-standing Snap Store publisher accounts and distribute malicious updates through official channels. The compromised applications reportedly impersonate popular crypto wallets, including Exodus, Ledger Live and Trust Wallet, using interfaces that closely resemble legitimate software. Read more
With Boomers controlling more than half of US household wealth, the coming generational transfer may funnel a portion of this capital into crypto markets, a new OKX survey shows. Younger Americans are growing more confident in crypto, while older generations remain firmly aligned with traditional finance, according to a new survey published as part of the OKX Insights series. The survey, which polled 1,000 Americans in January, found a sharp generational divide in trust, outlook and expectations for digital assets. The younger the respondent, the more likely they were to view crypto as both credible today and central to finance tomorrow. When asked how much they trust crypto platforms, 40% of Gen Z (aged 12–29) and 41% of Millennials (aged 29–45) gave high confidence scores, rating their trust at seven or above on a 10-point scale. Among Baby Boomers (aged between their late 50s and late 70s), just 9% did the same, making younger generations almost five times more trusting than their older counterparts. Read ...
Bitcoin risks a further decline to $84,000, following increasing whale exchange deposits and accelerated long-term holder selling. Bitcoin (BTC) slipped below $90,000 during the New York trading session on Tuesday alongside an increase in long-term selling. Large holders also exited their positions, keeping the downside pressure firmly in place. Key takeaways: Bitcoin dips below $90,000 as whales deposit over $400 million to exchanges. Read more
Bitcoin hit a key BTC price target from the start of January, with other CME futures gaps now above price, but traders remained cautious. Bitcoin (BTC) looked for cues near $90,000 on Wednesday as BTC price action hit a key target for a rebound. Key points: Bitcoin price action drops to fill a CME futures gap created at the yearly open. Read more
The submissions add to mounting pressure on regulators as Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong calls for compromise to pass market structure legislation. The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Crypto Task Force “Written Input” page added two new submissions on Tuesday that focus on self‑custody rights and how proprietary trading in tokenized and decentralized finance (DeFi) markets should be regulated. One submission comes from “DK Willard,” centered on Louisiana retail users, and the other from the Blockchain Association Trading Firm Working Group on dealer rules for tokenized equity markets. The Louisiana submission cites state law HB 488, which affirms residents’ right to self-custody digital assets, and argues that upcoming federal crypto market structure legislation should preserve strong registration, transparency and anti‑fraud and anti‑manipulation requirements. Read more