Blockchain & Digital Assets

January 12, 2026 @ 10:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) has signaled it might pull its backing from a key market structure bill if the legislation goes beyond requiring better transparency and instead curbs rewards for stablecoin users. This development, highlighted in a recent Bloomberg update, underscores growing tensions in Washington‘s push for… Read More

January 12, 2026 @ 9:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tether has immobilized over $182 million worth of its USDT stablecoin in five separate addresses on the Tron network. This action took place on January 11, as revealed by blockchain transaction records and alerts from monitoring service Whale Alert. The affected wallets held amounts varying… Read More

January 12, 2026 @ 3:50 pm By JD Alois  |  

Digital asset firm Ripple has been approved in the UK as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The firm was approved on January 9, 2026, under RIPPLE MARKETS UK LTD. Via a post on X, Ripple said that it had… Read More

January 12, 2026 @ 2:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has launched a new crypto regulatory framework. According to a statement distributed by the DFSA, they have monitored market developments over the past three years, while working with policy counterparts and industry insiders to ensure the new rules are… Read More

January 12, 2026 @ 11:43 am By JD Alois  |  

“Without a meaningful digital Euro, our dependence will deepen as US-backed private digital currencies are gaining ground.” Sustainable Finance Lab has posted an open letter signed by 70 European Academicians supporting a central bank digital currency (CBDC) or digital Euro. The supporters included economists and… Read More

January 12, 2026 @ 8:37 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

According to the data collected by Slowmist, cybercriminals stole nearly $3 billion in crypto hacks and scams in 2025. Researchers recorded a total of 202 hack events, of which one was responsible for almost half of all losses. In February, a large-scale outflow of funds… Read More

January 12, 2026 @ 7:54 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Tennessee has emerged as a key player in enforcing state-level regulations against platforms blending prediction markets with sports outcomes. On January 9, 2026, the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council (SWC) issued cease-and-desist orders to three major operators—Kalshi, Polymarket, as well as Crypto.com—accusing them of violating the… Read More

January 12, 2026 @ 1:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ripple has announced that it has received key regulatory permissions from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), paving the way for the expansion of its Ripple Payments platform across the region. The approvals, granted on January 9, 2026, include an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence… Read More

January 12, 2026 @ 12:18 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Dfns, a Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) provider, this week announced a strategic integration with Concordium, the Layer-1 blockchain that embeds privacy-preserving identity directly into its protocol. The integration enables financial institutions, fintechs, and consumer platforms to programmatically create Concordium wallets and verified onchain identities for users This… Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 11:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Lloyds Banking Group has reportedly completed the UK’s first public blockchain transaction using Tokenized Deposits. Partnering with digital asset exchange Archax and the Canton Network, the bank executed the purchase of a Tokenized Gilt, marking a global first for sterling deposits on a public ledger…. Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 6:15 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

After a few weeks off, Web3 Thoughts of the Week returns with commentary on Ethereum, Bitcoin and the impacts from Venezuela. “While some myopic pundits are hyper-focused on the price of ETH, they are missing the huge institutional adoption cementing Ethereum as the new king… Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 6:13 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Ilya Volkov, co-founder and CEO of YouHodler, believes 2026 will see continued mainstream progression for Bitcoin, AI, stablecoins and more. Read on to learn ore. In 2026, Bitcoin will graduate from alternative asset to global macro asset “We are witnessing Bitcoin’s transition into the global… Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 3:17 pm By Michael Wong  |  

PhotonPay, a stablecoin-based payments infrastructure provider, said it had raised a Series B funding round of “tens of millions of dollars” led by IDG Capital, as investors step up bets on blockchain-enabled rails for cross-border commerce. Hillhouse Investment also participated alongside Enlight Capital, Lightspeed Faction,… Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 3:16 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

WisdomTree (NYSE: WT) has officially abandoned its efforts to introduce an exchange-traded fund (ETF) focused on XRP in the American market. The company submitted a formal request to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to pull back its application, marking a retreat from a… Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 3:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Colombia’s tax authority has rolled out enhanced regulations for cryptocurrency transactions, aligning with burgeoning worldwide protocols designed to promote transparency in digital assets. This development comes at a time when nations globally are grappling with the expansion of crypto markets, seeking to integrate them into… Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 3:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fireblocks, a provider of digital asset infrastructure, has this past week announced its acquisition of Tres Finance. This acquisition integrates crypto accounting capabilities into Fireblocks’ ecosystem, creating what the company describes as the first complete operating system for digital assets. The deal underscores the convergence… Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 3:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

In the volatile world of web3 and blockchain-powered cryptocurrencies, a stark reality has emerged: more than half of all digital coins have met their demise. According to a recent report from CoinGecko, as of December 31, 2025, the majority or 53.2% of cryptocurrencies tracked on… Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 3:09 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Rain, which provides infrastructure that lets companies issue stablecoin-linked wallets and payment cards, said it raised $250 million in a Series C round led by ICONIQ, valuing the company at $1.95 billion. The financing also drew participation from Sapphire Ventures, Dragonfly, Bessemer Venture Partners, Galaxy… Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 3:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BNY (NYSE: BK) has launched new digital cash capabilities by enabling the on-chain mirrored representation of client deposit balances on its Digital Assets platform. Announced recently, this initiative represents the first concrete step in BNY’s strategy to tokenize bank deposits, paving the way for real-time,… Read More

January 11, 2026 @ 12:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Tim Scott announced on January 10, 2026, that the committee will hold a markup session for comprehensive digital asset market structure legislation.  Scheduled for January 15, 2026, at 10 a.m. EST, this move signals a renewed push… Read More