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The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued a no-action letter to crypto derivatives exchange Bitnomial, allowing it to offer event contracts and prediction markets without being subject to strict asset swap reporting requirements that are impractical for high-volume, fast-moving platforms. While exempted from those reporting rules, Bitnomial must still publish transparent consumer-facing information such as timestamps and sales data and provide information to the regulator upon request. All positions on the platform must be fully collateralized on a one-to-one basis, prohibiting leverage and reducing the risk of liquidity shortfalls or cascading liquidations.
The decision reflects a broader shift among US regulators toward greater acceptance of prediction markets, particularly as blockchain-based infrastructure enables new financial applications. Interest in these markets surged during the 2024 US elections, with platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi gaining institutional attention and mainstream visibility. High-profile developments since then include major media exposure, a multibillion-dollar investment by Intercontinental Exchange into Polymarket, and Coinbase’s planned acquisition of a prediction market startup ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections, a period expected to further drive trading activity. Source
South Korea’s proposed Digital Asset Basic Act has stalled as regulators and lawmakers disagree over who should be allowed to issue won-backed stablecoins. The Bank of Korea is pushing for a banks-first approach, often framed around a requirement that banks hold at least a 51% stake in any issuing consortium, arguing that stablecoins could affect monetary policy, capital flows and financial stability if they scale rapidly. The Financial Services Commission and many lawmakers oppose hard-wiring bank dominance into the rules, warning that it could restrict competition, slow innovation and limit the role of fintech firms, with the deadlock now expected to delay the legislation into 2026.
The debate reflects broader concerns about how stablecoins already function in South Korea, where crypto participation is high and large volumes of won are converted into stablecoins, often dollar-pegged, to access global markets. While the central bank favours a cautious rollout anchored in the banking system, others argue that excluding non-bank issuers risks pushing activity offshore and weakening regulatory visibility. Even if non-banks are eventually permitted, authorities are expected to impose strict safeguards around reserve quality, custody, segregation and redemption to prevent systemic risk, as banks, fintech firms and platforms like Toss prepare for multiple possible regulatory outcomes in 2026. Source
Publicly traded Ethereum treasury firm SharpLink Gaming has staked $170 million worth of ETH on Linea, an Ethereum layer-2 scaling network, as part of a previously announced plan to deploy up to $200 million to improve risk-adjusted on-chain yields. The company said the structure allows it to earn additional returns beyond standard staking rewards while keeping assets within a qualified custodian, combining liquid staking, bridging and institutional-grade DeFi. Shares of SharpLink rose 1.4% on the day of the announcement, though the stock remains down more than 30% since the strategy was unveiled in October.
SharpLink holds 864,840 ETH valued at nearly $2.7 billion, all of which is staked through custodians, making it the second-largest publicly traded Ethereum treasury firm. Through its Linea deployment, the company will earn native ETH staking yields alongside restaking rewards and incentives from Eigen Cloud, EtherFi and Linea, even as Linea’s total value locked has declined sharply since its token launch. The firm signalled it plans to pursue similar transactions going forward, positioning Ethereum as a long-term foundation for institutional finance despite recent price weakness in ETH. Source
Morgan Stanley plans to launch a digital asset wallet in 2026 as it broadens its crypto investment offerings, with support for cryptocurrencies and tokenized real-world assets such as stocks, bonds and real estate. The wallet is expected to expand its supported assets over time and aligns with the firm’s decision to allow users of its E*Trade platform to trade cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Solana and Ether starting in 2026, reflecting growing institutional adoption of blockchain-based financial products.
Alongside the wallet, Morgan Stanley has filed multiple crypto ETF applications with US regulators, including spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs and a staked Ether ETF that would generate staking income in addition to tracking ETH prices. The firm has gradually expanded crypto access from high-net-worth clients to its broader customer base and now recommends limited crypto allocations depending on portfolio risk profiles, signalling a more mainstream approach to digital assets within traditional finance. Source
A group of Zcash developers who recently left Electric Coin Company announced plans to launch a new Zcash wallet called cashZ, built using the same codebase as the existing Zashi wallet. The move comes less than a day after the team’s departure, which followed internal disputes over governance and nonprofit constraints. The developers say the new wallet will be released within weeks and that current Zashi users will be able to migrate seamlessly, while continuing to focus entirely on Zcash rather than creating any new cryptocurrencies. Thousands of users have already registered interest in the upcoming wallet.
The team said the decision to form a new company was driven by a desire to return Zcash development to its cypherpunk roots, arguing that strong privacy should be treated as a normal expectation similar to physical cash. They also cited the need for better alignment and faster execution, stating that nonprofit structures tend to slow innovation, while startups are better suited for rapid development. Finally, they pointed to Zcash’s growth and renewed momentum, saying it now requires an organization capable of scaling quickly to compete with major blockchain networks. Meanwhile, the ZEC token dropped sharply following the upheaval, before showing a modest recovery, though it remains far below its historical highs. Source
Wall Street representatives and crypto industry leaders held a private meeting to resolve disagreements over the Senate’s crypto market structure bill as it approaches a critical committee vote next week. The talks included members of a major securities trade group and advocates from the decentralized finance sector, with participants describing the discussion as productive and showing signs of progress, particularly around how DeFi should be treated under the legislation. Tensions have centred on proposed regulatory carve-outs for decentralized platforms and developers, which some traditional finance groups have opposed.
The negotiations are taking place under intense time pressure, as Senate leadership has scheduled a key markup that could determine whether the bill advances with bipartisan support. Crypto advocates are also pushing back against efforts to restrict certain yield-generating stablecoins and to impose rules that could expose DeFi software developers to criminal liability. While industry groups continue lobbying lawmakers and the White House to shape the final draft, some participants have expressed frustration that the rushed timeline could derail months of bipartisan work on legislation seen as potentially transformative for the US crypto market. Source
Global sanctions against nation-states drove illicit cryptocurrency activity to record levels in 2025, as sanctioned entities increasingly turned to blockchain networks to move value. According to blockchain analytics data, illicit crypto addresses received at least $154 billion during the year, a sharp rise from the previous year and largely attributed to sanctioned actors. Nation-state involvement reached unprecedented levels, highlighted by Russia’s launch of a ruble-backed token that processed over $93 billion in transactions within its first year, reflecting how sanctioned governments are using crypto to bypass traditional financial restrictions.
Despite the surge in illicit volumes, such activity still represents a small fraction of the overall crypto economy. Stablecoins dominated illicit transactions, accounting for the majority of volume due to their ease of transfer, lower volatility, and cross-border utility, closely mirroring trends seen in legitimate crypto usage. Even so, illicit transactions remained below 1% of total crypto activity, with most transactions continuing to be lawful, while fiat currencies remain the primary channel for global criminal finance. Source
Markethive Supergroups are designed as fully integrated hubs that combine community building, marketing campaigns, and e-commerce into a single branded environment. They function as customizable online storefronts where entrepreneurs can attract prospects through targeted campaigns, guide them into capture pages, and seamlessly onboard them into an active group ecosystem. Once inside, members engage through newsfeeds, blogging tools, broadcasts, and collaborative features that support communication, content distribution, and lead nurturing, all while reinforcing brand identity and enabling direct monetization through integrated shopping cart functionality.
Beyond lead generation, Supergroups emphasize long-term growth through cooperative marketing, referral systems, and advanced analytics. Members benefit from verified leads, automated onboarding, incentive mechanisms such as token airdrops and promo codes, and fair referral attribution through permalinks and rotators. Group-based advertising co-ops, traffic rotators, SEO tools, backlink tracking, and detailed performance reporting allow teams to pool resources, scale campaigns efficiently, and measure results with precision. Together, these features position Supergroups as a comprehensive platform for building engaged communities, executing sophisticated marketing strategies, and driving sustainable business expansion. Source
Bank of America upgraded Coinbase from neutral to buy, joining Goldman Sachs in doing so within the same week, as it sees the company becoming a central player in shifting financial activity on-chain. The bank pointed to Coinbase’s evolution beyond a pure trading platform toward a broader everything exchange, driven by expansion into tokenized real-world assets such as stocks and ETFs, as well as prediction markets. Despite the stock being down significantly from its July highs amid a broader crypto correction, Bank of America believes Coinbase’s product development pace has accelerated and its total addressable market has expanded.
The bank set a price target of 340 dollars, implying around 38 percent upside, supported by easing tax-loss selling pressure and a potential reversal in short interest. It also highlighted longer-term catalysts including Coinbase’s Base layer-2 network, suggesting a potential token launch could raise substantial capital and attract developers, even though no such plan has been announced. Additional tailwinds include a more crypto-friendly US political environment under President Donald Trump, while risks remain from possible renewed competition if Binance re-enters the US market and from further crypto price volatility. Source
US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded nearly 1 billion dollars in net outflows over three consecutive days, reflecting cooling risk appetite as early-year optimism fades. The funds saw 205.5 million dollars in outflows on the most recent day, bringing the three-day total to 934.8 million dollars, even as the seven-day net flow remained positive. Bitcoin’s year-to-date gains narrowed sharply, with the price hovering around 91,100 dollars after briefly dropping below 90,000, as ETF flows continued to mirror weakening market sentiment rather than a collapse in long-term demand.
Market analysts attributed the outflows to tactical de-risking, capital reallocation after year-end, failure to break resistance near 92,000 dollars, and rising macroeconomic uncertainty. On-chain data shows a heavy supply zone between 92,100 and 117,400 dollars, where recent buyers may sell to break even, limiting near-term upside. Options market indicators suggest the January momentum trade has ended, with expectations shifting toward sideways consolidation, while a key level to watch in any recovery attempt is the short-term holder cost basis near 98,900 dollars. Source
The October crypto crash wiped out 20 billion dollars and ended the era of easy profits for market makers, according to BitMEX. Automated deleveraging forced exchanges to liquidate profitable, leveraged positions, breaking the “safe” delta-neutral strategies that traders relied on for steady yield. This caused liquidity to vanish from orderbooks, leaving them at multi-year lows, and marked the collapse of strategies that had previously allowed arbitrage between spot and futures markets to generate reliable returns. Funding rates fell sharply, underperforming traditional Treasury bills, and the crash exposed vulnerabilities in both market structure and risk management.
BitMEX also highlighted a shift in trading dynamics, with market participants moving toward high-performance on-chain perpetual decentralized exchanges, while B-Book operators exploited user trades and manipulated pre-launch tokens. Despite decentralization, the report warned that transparency alone does not prevent manipulation, pointing to attacks on illiquid tokens as an example. The crash ultimately favored established, battle-tested centralized exchanges, clearing the field for more credible innovation while exposing the fragility of previously dominant trading strategies. Source
Iran’s government cut off internet access as protests spread over worsening economic conditions and the rial hitting record lows against the US dollar, raising challenges for the country’s roughly seven million crypto users. Between January and July 2025, about 3.7 billion dollars in crypto flows were tracked in Iran, highlighting significant local adoption. While some observers have suggested Bitcoin as a potential store of value, the lack of internet access makes transacting more difficult, limiting the ability to send or confirm transactions on-chain.
Several technologies and initiatives could allow Iranians to continue using crypto despite the blackout. Starlink satellite internet can provide high-speed connectivity in isolated areas, and Blockstream’s satellite network can broadcast Bitcoin data globally without traditional internet access. Peer-to-peer solutions like Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat and tools in development such as Darkwire or Machankura use Bluetooth, mesh networks, or mobile telecom systems to transmit Bitcoin transactions offline, though eventually an internet-connected device is required to confirm them on the blockchain. Source
Stablecoin payment flows are projected to reach 56.6 trillion by 2030, driven by rapid institutional adoption and growing use in countries experiencing economic instability. Current flows totaled 2.9 trillion in 2025, reflecting an annual growth rate of roughly 80 percent if projections hold. USDT remains the most widely used stablecoin for everyday payments and business transactions, while USDC is preferred in decentralized finance platforms. Together, USDT and USDC accounted for more than 95 percent of the record 33 trillion in transaction volume last year, despite a decline in decentralized platform activity.
The stablecoin market, currently valued at 312 billion, is expected to grow significantly, with the US Treasury estimating it could reach 2 trillion by 2028. Regulatory frameworks are being explored in countries like Canada and the UK, while institutional adoption is expanding with companies like Western Union, MoneyGram, and Zelle planning stablecoin payment systems to enable faster cross-border transactions. This combination of regulatory support and practical adoption suggests stablecoins may become a core element of global finance. Source
Three masked men broke into a home in Manosque, France, tying up a woman at gunpoint and stealing a USB drive containing her partner's cryptocurrency data. The victim was unharmed and freed herself shortly after the attack, contacting police, who have opened an investigation. France has emerged as a hotspot for violent crypto-related crime, with over 14 such incidents documented last year, part of a global trend of more than 70 crypto “wrench attacks” reported in 2025. Experts cite the combination of visible crypto wealth, growing digital asset expertise, and a relatively high baseline of criminal activity as factors making the country attractive to opportunistic and organized criminal networks.
The rise in crypto-related attacks coincides with cases of insider abuse, including a French tax official indicted for using state tax data to identify potential crypto targets and passing personal information to criminal actors. Criminals are increasingly motivated by cryptocurrency’s appeal for faster cross-border transfers, lower traceability, and high liquidity. Analysts warn that established networks in France may integrate crypto into more crimes as the market continues to expand, highlighting the growing risks associated with the mainstream adoption of digital assets. Source
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin compared Ethereum to the Linux operating system, describing it as an open-source platform for transferring value and risk on the internet. Both Linux and Ethereum allow for customized implementations, with Ethereum achieving this through its layer-2 scaling networks while Linux does so via software modifications. Buterin emphasized that Ethereum aims to provide a decentralized foundation for finance, identity, social, and governance functions, enabling individuals and organizations to access the network’s full capabilities without relying on intermediaries. This vision positions Ethereum as an operating system for the internet that supports distributed computation, consensus, and value transfer.
The Ethereum ecosystem currently hosts 127 layer-2 networks, offering users optionality and potentially higher throughput, though critics argue that too many layer-2s may cannibalize Ethereum’s base layer revenue and fragment liquidity. Proponents highlight that the modular, rollup-centric approach allows experimentation with different execution environments and block times, enhancing flexibility for developers. However, analysts caution that without true interoperability, a proliferation of high-throughput chains could trap user liquidity in isolated pools, limiting the overall user experience and cohesion of the Ethereum ecosystem. Source
In 2026, investors are reassessing scarcity for Bitcoin, gold, and silver through market narratives, access, and financial structures rather than purely physical limits. Bitcoin’s scarcity remains fixed and transparent through its 21 million coin cap, but its role is increasingly shaped by ETFs and derivatives, transforming it from a self-sovereign asset into a financial instrument whose price reflects liquidity and market access. Gold’s scarcity relies more on trust, neutrality, and its function as a reserve asset than on mining output, with different forms—physical bars, futures, or ETFs—affecting trading and collateral use. Silver, by contrast, occupies a dual role as both an investment metal and industrial input, meaning its scarcity can be constrained by industrial demand even when investor sentiment is weak, making its pricing more volatile and market-sensitive.
Exchange-traded products and derivatives play a central role in redefining scarcity across all three assets, allowing rapid price adjustments and broader market participation without changing underlying supply. Scarcity is increasingly seen as a tradeable market attribute rather than a fixed condition, with Bitcoin emphasizing certainty and portability, gold emphasizing institutional trust and neutrality, and silver reflecting industrial demand and sensitivity to supply shifts. Investors now approach scarcity as a nuanced concept shaped by accessibility, credibility, and liquidity, rather than simply a measure of limited supply, creating distinct roles for each asset in portfolios while influencing liquidity, volatility, and capital flows. Source
Disclaimer: These articles are provided for informational purposes only. They are not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or any other advice.
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