Cointelegraph.com
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Cointelegraph.com - 13:13 Jan 29, 2026
Citrea’s Bitcoin rollup has become a live experiment in whether BTC can support a full DeFi and stablecoin stack, and how much complexity Bitcoin should anchor at the base layer. Founders Fund and Galaxy Ventures-backed Bitcoin zero-knowledge rollup (ZK-rollup) Citrea launched its mainnet on Tuesday with BTC collateral lending, BTC-structured products and a new US dollar stablecoin, ctUSD. The launch is aimed at turning what Citrea calls “economically idle” Bitcoin (BTC) into base collateral for decentralized finance (DeFi) and payments, while anchoring more of that activity to Bitcoin’s base layer. The team expects active DeFi liquidity to reach $50 million in the first few weeks, with BTC lending, BTC-structured products, and decentralized trading already live from day one. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 12:30 Jan 29, 2026
Current blockchain infrastructure has inadequate throughput and systematic front-running. Real-world finance demands sub-second finality and fair transaction ordering. Opinion by: Joshua Sum, head of product at Solayer Labs Consider a single, borderless financial market operating around the clock, where a farmer in Nebraska can instantly hedge wheat futures. At the same time, a pension fund in Tokyo trades Tesla shares seamlessly, all without permission, intermediaries or geographic constraints. This isn’t science fiction. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 12:13 Jan 29, 2026
Bitcoin has been called "digital gold," and some of its key properties may help BTC rally more than the precious metal in percentage terms. Bitcoin (BTC) has vastly underperformed gold (XAU) in the past year, dropping by 13.25% compared with the precious metal’s almost 100% rally. Can BTC catch up to gold’s gains? Key takeaways: Bitcoin’s supply is capped at 21 million, with about 1 million left to be mined. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 11:34 Jan 29, 2026
Heavy outflows from Bitcoin ETFs have diminished, putting BTC price in a better position to overcome the next hurdle at $93,000. Bitcoin’s (BTC) pre-FOMC rally on Wednesday stalled at $90,000 amid stiff overhead resistance and weak ETF demand. Still, several data points suggested that upward momentum may increase once the BTC/USD pair breaks above $93,000. Key takeaways: BTC bulls must flip the $90,000-$93,000 range into new support. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 11:24 Jan 29, 2026
Hong Kong-listed OSL Group plans acquisitions and global expansion after securing fresh capital to scale its stablecoin and digital payments business. OSL Group has raised $200 million in equity financing as it steps up plans to expand its stablecoin trading and payment businesses globally. The Hong Kong–listed digital asset company said the capital injection will strengthen its balance sheet and support growth across regulated digital payment and settlement services, according to a Thursday announcement. “The market has strongly validated OSL Group’s strategic positioning within the stablecoin and payment space,” chief financial officer Ivan Wong said. “This financing round will allow us to welcome more like-minded strategic and long-term investors,” he added. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 11:12 Jan 29, 2026
Solana’s validator count has dropped 68% since 2023 as rising costs and zero-fee competition push smaller node operators offline. Solana’s validator count has fallen dramatically over the past three years, raising concerns about the blockchain network’s decentralization as the economics of running a node squeezes out smaller operators. The number of Solana validators fell 68% to 795 as of Wednesday, from a peak of 2,560 validator nodes in March 2023, according to Solanacompass data. Validators are responsible for adding new blocks and verifying transactions in proposed blocks, playing a vital role in the operations of the decentralized ledger. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 10:45 Jan 29, 2026
Metaplanet said proceeds will be used for Bitcoin purchases, its Bitcoin income business and partial debt repayment as it executes its capital strategy. Tokyo-listed Bitcoin-focused company Metaplanet approved an overseas capital raise of as much as $137 million, combining new common shares and stock acquisition rights as it looks to expand its Bitcoin holdings and reduce debt. In a Thursday filing, Metaplanet said it plans to issue 24.5 million common shares at 499 Japanese yen per share, raising about 12.24 billion yen ($78 million) upfront. It also approved the issuance of 159,440 stock acquisition rights, representing up to 15.9 million additional shares, which could raise about $56 million if exercised. The warrants give investors the option to buy shares later at a fixed price above the current market level, but only over the next year. Both the shares and warrants will be sold privately to overseas investors, subject to routine closing conditions, according to the filing. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 10:03 Jan 29, 2026
Regulators gain wider discretion to vet shareholders, finances and controls as South Korea tightens crypto market access. South Korea’s National Assembly has approved an overhaul of the country’s crypto licensing regime, tightening entry requirements for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and expanding scrutiny to include controlling shareholders. On Thursday, lawmakers passed an amendment to the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information, a cornerstone of Korea’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) framework for digital assets. The committee substitute bill was approved at a plenary session and is expected to take effect six months after the law is enacted. The new rules widen background checks for crypto firms applying to operate in South Korea. Regulators will now vet not just company executives but also major shareholders. The list of red flags has expanded beyond financial crimes to include offenses such as drug trafficking, tax evasion, fair-trade violations, serious economic cr... -
Cointelegraph.com - 09:14 Jan 29, 2026
Crypto exchange Bybit said its new “My Bank” accounts will give users personal IBANs, instant fiat access, multi-currency transfers and crypto trading under their own name. Bybit, one of the world’s biggest crypto exchanges by trading volume, plans to launch retail banking services on its platform starting in February, the company said Thursday. Bybit unveiled the product, “My Bank powered by Bybit,” during a live online keynote on Thursday. Bybit CEO Ben Zhou said the service will offer users a personal IBAN (international bank account number), allowing them to send and receive funds across banks in multiple currencies, with US dollar transfers supported at launch. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 08:15 Jan 29, 2026
Hang Seng plans to offer tokenized gold fund units recorded on public blockchains, though the product remains subject to regulatory approval and will not trade on secondary markets. Hang Seng Investment Management has launched a new physically backed gold exchange-traded fund (ETF) in Hong Kong, with an option for future tokenized access to the asset. The Hang Seng Gold ETF, which began trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Thursday under stock code 3170, is designed to track the LBMA Gold Price AM, the widely used morning benchmark set in London. The fund is structured as a passive ETF and holds physical gold bars that meet London Bullion Market Association good delivery standards, according to product details. Gold held by the ETF is stored in vaults in Hong Kong, with HSBC acting as gold custodian. The structure allows for both in-cash and, in certain cases, in-gold creation and redemption by participating dealers, though retail investors trade units on the secondary market like ordinary shares. Read ... -
Cointelegraph.com - 08:15 Jan 29, 2026
ETH price charts confirmed a triangle breakdown, shifting the near-term bias lower and putting $2,250 in focus if sellers stay in control. Ether (ETH) is now more than 14% below its local peak near $3,400, underscoring the sellers’ tenacity above $3,000. A bearish technical setup suggests the pressure may extend into February. Key takeaways: ETH fell back below $3,000, confirming a triangle breakdown that targets $2,250. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 07:18 Jan 29, 2026
Abu Dhabi’s Universal Digital has launched USDU, the first US dollar‑backed stablecoin registered by the UAE central bank under its Payment Token Services Regulation. Abu Dhabi-based Universal Digital has launched USDU, the first US dollar‑backed stablecoin to be registered by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) as a Foreign Payment Token under the Payment Token Services Regulation (PTSR), the company said. According to a release shared with Cointelegraph, the registration makes Universal the UAE’s first Foreign Payment Token Issuer and creates a clear, regulated US dollar‑denominated settlement option for digital assets in the UAE. Juha Viitala, a senior executive officer of Universal, told Cointelegraph that the PTSR had allowed a transition period for payment token issuers to become PTSR-compliant and that, among all the USD stablecoins, USDU was the first to obtain such registration. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 07:00 Jan 29, 2026
Sygnum says its market-neutral BTC Alpha Fund posted 8.9% annualized returns in Q4 and raised more than 750 Bitcoin from professional and institutional investors. Cryptocurrency banking group Sygnum said its market-neutral Bitcoin fund posted an annualized return of 8.9% in the fourth quarter of 2025, highlighting growing institutional demand for yield-focused crypto strategies amid volatile prices. Sygnum on Wednesday announced seed-phase completion of its Starboard Sygnum BTC Alpha Fund, which attracted more than 750 Bitcoin (BTC) from professional and institutional investors in just four months following its October 2025 launch. The amount is worth around $66 million at current prices. Sygnum said the fund reflects a broader shift among institutional investors toward structured Bitcoin products that aim to produce steady returns while maintaining exposure to the asset. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 06:02 Jan 29, 2026
The validator entry queue for the Ethereum network is heavily congested, with 3.6 million ETH lined up to be staked with a forecasted 63-day wait. Ether held on crypto exchanges has declined over the last six months as the price of Ether has held steady, while holders are continuing to participate in staking, according to Santiment. In an X post on Tuesday, Santiment shared data from Sanbase showing that after July saw the highest amount of Ether (ETH) on exchanges with 12.31 million tokens, the amount has steadily declined to 8.15 million. Santiment analysts predict that the amount of Ether on exchanges could continue to decline as price movements remain muted and more ETH is sent for staking. Ether has been drifting between $2,801 and $3,034 in the last seven days, according to CoinGecko. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 05:53 Jan 29, 2026
Cere Network is facing a second lawsuit this month that accuses its co-founder and board of fraud in relation to a public token launch for the platform in 2021. Update (Jan 29, 10:30 a.m. UTC): This article has been updated to correct the name of the plaintiff. The co-founder and board of crypto infrastructure platform Cere Network are facing a $100 million lawsuit that alleges a pump-and-dump scheme tied to the project’s 2021 token launch. In a lawsuit filed in a San Francisco federal court on Tuesday, Vivian Liu, who said she worked for and invested in the company, claimed Cere co-founder Fred Jin, his brother, his wife, and the company’s board stole $41 million from investors. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 02:00 Jan 29, 2026
Sony has added a $13 million investment to its partnership with Startale, signaling a longer-term infrastructure strategy, a year after Soneium’s mainnet debut. Sony Group Corp. made a follow-on investment in Startale Group, deepening its involvement in the Soneium blockchain about a year after the network’s mainnet launch. In a Thursday announcement sent to Cointelegraph, Startale disclosed an additional investment of $13 million from the Sony Innovation Fund. The funding round came after Soneium moved from testnet experimentation into live operation, allowing Sony to observe how the network performed under real-world conditions. Data from Soneium’s public block explorer shows the network has processed about 524 million transactions since its mainnet launch in January 2025. Over the same period, Nansen data shows Avalanche and Algorand recorded 442 million and 383 million transactions, respectively. Transaction counts alone do not indicate user adoption or economic activity. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 00:24 Jan 29, 2026
Strive has now become one of the top 10 largest corporate Bitcoin holders, with a treasury of 13,132 BTC, worth $1.17 billion. Bitcoin treasury company Strive said it has retired 92% of the debt it inherited after acquiring Semler Scientific earlier this month, and bought another 334 Bitcoin, following the closure of a preferred stock offering. Strive said on Wednesday that it saw $600 million in demand for its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock, trading under “SATA,” and had upsized its target raise from $150 million to $225 million in response. The stock offering is a form of long-duration equity financing designed to fund Bitcoin (BTC) accumulation without increasing leverage. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 21:54 Jan 28, 2026
US President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to break a deadlock over crypto market structure legislation as lawmakers remain divided on stablecoin yield. Officials in the administration of US President Donald Trump are reportedly set to sit down with executives from the banking and cryptocurrency industries on Monday as lawmakers attempt to revive the stalled CLARITY Act. People familiar with the matter told Reuters the meeting will be hosted by the White House’s crypto council and will bring together industry trade groups to discuss how the bill treats interest and other rewards offered on dollar-pegged stablecoins. The legislation has been held up in the Senate for months, with a scheduled Banking Committee vote postponed earlier this month amid concerns from lawmakers and industry groups over the stablecoin interest provision. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 21:30 Jan 28, 2026
Built on Ripple’s GTreasury acquisition, the platform integrates cash management with blockchain settlement as digital assets gain a foothold on corporate balance sheets. Ripple has expanded its push into enterprise finance with the launch of a corporate treasury platform that combines traditional cash management tools with digital asset infrastructure. According to a blog post on Tuesday, the platform combines GTreasury’s treasury management software with Ripple’s blockchain and stablecoin rails, allowing companies to manage cash, payments and liquidity from a single system while maintaining existing controls and workflows. Ripple said the platform is designed to address common treasury pain points such as multi-day settlement cycles and limited visibility across accounts, using digital asset infrastructure to shorten settlement times and reduce cross-border payment friction. Read more -
Cointelegraph.com - 21:18 Jan 28, 2026
The FOMC paused rate cuts, but a weakening dollar may be doing the easing instead, reshaping expectations for Bitcoin, crypto markets and US monetary policy. The US Federal Reserve voted to leave interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, a decision that was widely anticipated by investors. While the move signals a pause for now, market commentators suggest a path toward monetary easing could still emerge indirectly. Members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted to hold the federal funds rate steady for the first time since July, keeping it in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, while cautioning that inflation remains “somewhat elevated.” Two Fed officials dissented, voting in favor of an additional 25-basis-point rate cut. Read more
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