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The US federal government is heading toward a partial shutdown, putting bitcoin markets on alert. However, unlike last year’s 43-day full shutdown, the smaller scale of this potential closure suggests price impact may be contained.

With six of twelve spending bills already passed and historical data showing 60% of shutdown crises end in last-minute deals, markets appear to be pricing in a limited disruption scenario.

Shutdown Odds at 75% with $13.3 Million Wagered

According to the prediction market platform Polymarket, the probability of a shutdown on January 31 is 75% in the Asian morning hours. Total betting volume has exceeded $13.3 million. The impasse stems from Democrats’ opposition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated, “I will vote no on any legislation that funds ICE until it is reined in and overhauled.” If no agreement is reached by midnight on January 30, some federal agencies will cease operations.

Partial Shutdown: A Different Scenario from Last Year

This potential shutdown differs significantly from the one in October 2025. Back then, all 12 appropriations bills were blocked, triggering a record 43-day full government shutdown. This time, six spending bills have already been signed into law.

According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Commerce, and Energy have secured full fiscal-year funding. DHS also holds approximately $178 billion from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed last year. This allows the agency to continue operations largely uninterrupted.

A pseudonymous market analyst known as “CryptoOracle,” who correctly predicted last October’s shutdown days before it began, had warned that a full shutdown would send shockwaves through both traditional and digital markets. “The shutdown will break liquidity first, then fix it later,” he wrote at the time. “Expect a 30–40% Bitcoin correction — and then the rally of the decade.” His downside target was $65,000–$75,000, a zone he called the “fear range.”

However, CryptoOracle’s prediction was based on the full shutdown scenario from last October. A partial shutdown may not drain liquidity from markets as much as a full shutdown.

During last October’s full shutdown, the Treasury General Account swelled to $1 trillion. This drained approximately $700 billion in liquidity from markets. BitMEX analysts described it as “starving risk assets of capital.”

This time, half of the appropriations bills are already signed into law. DHS also holds $178 billion in reserve funding. The TGA buildup — and the resulting liquidity squeeze — would be significantly smaller.

Last-Minute Deal Remains Possible

Historically, shutdown crises have often been resolved at the eleventh hour. According to analyst SGX on X, between 2013 and 2023, only three of five shutdown crises actually materialized — a 60% rate of last-minute deals.

SGX outlined several reasons why this shutdown might be averted: Republicans could separate DHS funding and pass remaining bills with a 60-vote threshold; some Democrats are privately willing to compromise if the harshest border provisions are removed; and a one-week shutdown costs the economy $4–6 billion with 2–3% market drops — political liability neither party wants.

“Historical pattern + economic pressure + exit plans from both sides = likely deal by Jan 31 via DHS compromise,” SGX wrote. “But it’s theater. No guarantees.”

Bitcoin Holds Steady Despite Uncertainty

Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $1.33 billion in net outflows for the week ending January 23. However, analysts attribute this to multiple factors, including the Federal Reserve rate decision and Big Tech earnings, rather than shutdown fears alone.

Bitcoin is currently trading at $89,177 at press time, up 0.9% over the past 24 hours. The price remains approximately 29% below its October all-time high of $126,000.

Markets widely expect the Federal Reserve to hold interest rates steady at Wednesday’s FOMC meeting. In an interview with BeInCrypto, former Reagan advisor Steve Hanke agreed, citing persistent inflation.

Hanke argued that growing policy uncertainty has distorted US economic priorities. He said the effects are no longer confined to monetary policy but are increasingly visible in trade, currency markets, and global confidence in US leadership.

Fed to Hold Rates Amid Political Pressure

Ahead of the next FOMC meeting, there is widespread expectation that the Federal Reserve will not cut interest rates. 

The decision will come amid significant pushback from the Trump administration, which has reiterated its desire for the Fed to cut interest rates. 

Hanke sided with the Fed, looking at inflation as the natural explanation.

“The inflation genie in the United States has not been shoved back in the bottle. Inflation has come down, but it’s been stuck for six months or so, and I anticipate that it’s going up,” Hanke told BeInCrypto, adding, “The reason for that is the monetary policy is becoming looser and looser under, in part, pressure from the White House.”

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated a criminal probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The news came less than a year after the DOJ opened another criminal inquiry into Fed governor Lisa Cook for mortgage fraud.

Rather than prompting the Fed to comply, Hanke said the pressure is likely to reinforce the central bank’s resolve.

“With this threat of a criminal suit against Chairman Powell, I think the Fed establishment decided that they were going to dig in and not let Trump push them around,” he said.

Hanke said this pattern of resistance extends beyond monetary policy, reaching other parts of the administration’s economic agenda.

Global Trade Pushback Weakens US Influence

Since the start of his second term, Trump has repeatedly threatened trading partners with US tariffs, using them as leverage to extract concessions in trade and foreign policy negotiations.

While these tactics initially proved effective, countries have increasingly pushed back. A recent example occurred last week, when Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European countries unless they agreed to the US purchase of Greenland.

The European Union rejected the proposal outright, and within hours of Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the tariff threat was withdrawn.

Other countries are pushing back through new trade agreements.

Canada recently agreed to a trade deal with China and is now in negotiations to strike one with India as well. Meanwhile, the European Union and India announced a separate free trade agreement. 

“It’s ironic. The US, which is the home of free market capitalism, taking a pivot toward protectionism, intervensionism and anti-free market [while] China, the biggest communist country in the world, [is] pivoting towards free trade and free markets,” Hanke said, adding, “[Meanwhile], India who has always been hampered by huge protectionism and interventionism– theyre pivoting toward liberalizing.”

As countries increasingly resist tariff pressure, perceptions of US economic dominance waver. In that context, the dollar comes under pressure. While Hanke said concerns about dollar weakness are often overstated, he warned that continued trade policies could gradually erode confidence.

Recent rallies in precious metals have suggested markets are already positioning for that outcome.

The Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) appears to have intensified what increasingly looks like a technology-driven crackdown on crypto media. 

Across the country, users reported disrupted access to several crypto news outlets, with no official explanation.

To determine whether the disruptions followed a broader pattern, we tested access to multiple crypto media websites from different locations and ran network-level diagnostics. 

Several outlets failed to load on devices connected to domestic Wi-Fi networks. However, the same sites loaded normally when accessed through alternative connections.

As a result, the issue did not come from website outages or server failures. Instead, the findings point to network-level interference.

Blocking Patterns Point to ISP-level Enforcement

At the same time, Russia’s crypto regulation continues to evolve, including steps to ease restrictions on personal crypto trading. 

Against that backdrop, testing conducted by the Outset PR analyst team shows that access to several international crypto media outlets is restricted at the network level.

For this analysis, we selected a representative group of crypto and financial media outlets to reflect differences in language, geography, and editorial focus. 

The list included Benzinga, Coinness, FastBull, FXEmpire, CoinGeek, Criptonoticias, Cointelegraph, CoinEdition, The Coin Republic, AMBCrypto, and Nada News. This is not an exhaustive list.

According to estimates cited by industry analysts, access restrictions may affect as many as one in four crypto and financial publications.

Notably, BeInCrypto did not experience the same access disruptions during testing. This provided a neutral comparison point when assessing whether the restrictions were selective or network-wide.

Network-level blocking is not new in Russia. Authorities already use it to restrict access to social media platforms, messaging apps, and online gaming services.

After confirming that the affected domains failed to load on domestic Wi-Fi networks, we conducted further technical checks to identify the likely enforcement method. 

The tests focused on whether Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) was involved, a technique that allows telecom providers to inspect and selectively restrict internet traffic.

When we enabled a DPI circumvention tool, the previously inaccessible websites loaded without issue. This shift strongly suggests the restrictions rely on DPI-based filtering rather than DNS manipulation, server-side issues, or website outages.

To assess whether access varied by internet provider, we asked 10 crypto users across different regions to open the same websites using domestic Wi-Fi networks, without VPNs or other tools. Only two reported little to no difficulty. For the remaining participants, none of the selected sites loaded.

This pattern does not resemble a centralized shutdown. Instead, it aligns with a distributed enforcement model, where providers apply restrictions using their own technical systems and timelines. 

As a result, some networks blocked access entirely, while others allowed intermittent or consistent access.

Despite these local differences, the blocking behavior was strikingly similar. Users encountered the same connection-reset errors across regions and providers.

No Record in Official Blocking Registries

We also checked whether the affected websites had been formally restricted. However, none of the domains appeared in Roskomnadzor’s public blacklist.

Source: Rkn.gov.ru

This suggests the restrictions are not enforced through standard content takedown procedures. Roskomnadzor itself notes that certain access limitations do not require public disclosure:

“Access to internet resources may be restricted under Articles 65.1 and 65.2 of Russia’s Federal Law ‘On Communications.’ Information about such restrictions is not reflected in this public registry.”

Taken together, the findings show that access to multiple crypto and financial media websites was restricted on some domestic networks but not others. The blocking occurred at the provider level rather than through a centralized shutdown.

The affected sites were absent from Roskomnadzor’s public registry, and the connection behavior remained consistent wherever restrictions appeared. 

Overall, the evidence points to unevenly applied network-level access controls across Russian internet service providers.

Revolut has made a decisive move into Mexico. On Tuesday (27), the British fintech announced the launch of full banking operations in the country, ending its testing phase. 

This marks the first time Revolut has opened a licensed bank outside Europe.

Revolut Bets on Mexico’s Costly, Fragmented Banking System

Mexico was a deliberate choice. With a population of around 130 million and a traditional banking system widely viewed as expensive and bureaucratic, the country presents a strong opportunity for a fully digital bank. 

Revolut sees demand for app-based banking with lower fees and simplified access.

To secure its Mexican banking license, Revolut took an unusual route. It became the first independent digital bank to gain approval through a direct application to regulators, without acquiring a local institution or forming a partnership.

The company capitalized the operation with more than $100 million, twice the regulatory minimum. At launch, its capital adequacy ratio stood at 447.2%, far above requirements. 

Credit rating agencies responded favorably. HR Ratings assigned a long-term HR AAA rating, while S&P Global issued an ‘mxA+’ rating with a stable outlook.

High Capital Buffer and Product Design Target Consumer Trust

Revolut’s product offering targets key consumer pain points. Its checking account provides automatic interest on balances, with higher returns applied to the first 25,000 Mexican pesos. Users do not need to move funds into a separate savings product.

Transfers between Revolut users are instant and free. International transfers to external bank accounts come at lower costs. The app supports balances in more than 30 currencies, with currency exchange at competitive rates.

The fintech is also targeting specific segments. Its Metal plan includes a customized card and access to airport lounges in Mexico City. Revolut Kids & Teens, aimed at users aged 6 to 17, is set to launch soon.

CEO and co-founder Nik Storonsky described Mexico as a blueprint for future expansion into emerging markets. He said the launch would serve as a model for scaling Revolut’s banking infrastructure globally.

The expansion is backed by strong financials. Revolut reported $3.8 billion in revenue in 2024, its fourth straight profitable year. 

In 2025, the company reached a $75 billion valuation after a new funding round.

The US crypto market structure bill, known as the CLARITY Act, has exposed a growing split inside the crypto industry. While Coinbase withdrew support after recent Senate amendments, Ripple has publicly backed the bill and urged lawmakers to move forward.

The divergence highlights how the same regulatory framework can produce very different winners and losers, depending on a company’s business model and strategic direction.

What the CLARITY Act Is Trying to Do

The CLARITY Act aims to settle a long-running dispute in US crypto regulation: who should oversee crypto markets. 

At its core, the bill tries to draw clearer lines between the SEC and CFTC. 

That decision affects how tokens trade, how exchanges operate, how stablecoins are structured, and how DeFi fits into US law.

Why the Senate Amendments Changed the Politics

The House passed an earlier version of the bill that many crypto firms supported. But the Senate Banking Committee introduced a full rewrite, not minor tweaks.

The Senate draft expands SEC influence, adds disclosure requirements for tokens, restricts stablecoin rewards, and brings parts of DeFi closer to bank-style compliance and surveillance. 

Those changes reshaped the incentives for major crypto companies.

Why Coinbase Opposed the Senate Version

Coinbase argues the Senate amendments cross several red lines. The company says the draft weakens the CFTC’s role, expands SEC discretion, and creates uncertainty for token listings.

More importantly, Coinbase objects to provisions that restrict stablecoin rewards. Stablecoin yield is a key part of Coinbase’s consumer-facing model and a competitive tool against traditional banks.

Coinbase also warned that language around tokenized equities and DeFi could limit innovation and increase regulatory risk for platforms operating at scale.

Why Ripple Supports the Bill Anyway

Ripple’s position is shaped by a very different business model. Over the past year, Ripple has shifted heavily toward institutional infrastructure, regulated payment rails, and compliance-first expansion.

For Ripple, regulatory clarity—even if strict—is often better than uncertainty. A clear framework makes it easier for banks, payment firms, and institutions to engage with XRP, RippleNet, and Ripple’s stablecoin, RLUSD.

Stablecoin Rules Benefit Ripple More Than Coinbase

The Senate draft treats stablecoins primarily as payment instruments, not yield-generating products. That approach aligns closely with Ripple’s strategy for RLUSD, which focuses on settlement and payments rather than consumer yield.

For Coinbase, the same rules reduce differentiation and shift the advantage back toward banks. For Ripple, they normalize stablecoins as regulated infrastructure and raise barriers for competitors built around retail incentives.

DeFi and Compliance Create a Regulatory Moat

The Senate amendments also expand compliance expectations around DeFi and on-chain activity. That creates higher costs and legal complexity for firms closely tied to open DeFi access and retail trading.

Ripple’s exposure to DeFi is limited. Its focus on enterprise partnerships means tighter rules can actually reduce competition and favor firms that already operate within regulatory frameworks.

The SEC vs. CFTC Question Matters Less to Ripple

Coinbase has consistently pushed for a CFTC-led model, which would lower securities-law risk for exchanges and token listings. Ripple, after settling years of SEC litigation, prioritizes predictability over regulator identity.

As long as the rules are clear and stable, Ripple can operate within an SEC-influenced framework. Coinbase, which lists and supports a broad range of tokens, faces much higher downside from expanded SEC authority.

The CLARITY Act debate is no longer just crypto versus regulators. It is increasingly crypto versus crypto, with firms backing the version of regulation that best fits their economic interests.

Whether the bill passes or stalls, the split reveals a deeper shift in the industry—and signals that “regulatory clarity” does not mean the same thing to everyone.

WhiteBIT denied claims made by Russia’s Prosecutor General alleging that it facilitated illegal fund transfers out of Russia to finance Ukraine’s armed forces. 

The Ukrainian crypto exchange asserted it stopped operating in Russian territory since wae broke out between the two countries. 

WhiteBIT Rejects Russia’s Allegations

In an official statement, WhiteBIT pushed back against Russia’s ban, stating that it had completely ceased operations in the country shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.

“Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, WhiteBIT took a principled stance: it blocked all users from Russia and Belarus, and discontinued trading pairs with the Russian ruble,” it read.

The centralized exchange also noted that this decision cost the company approximately 30% of its user base at the time.

These clarifications come days after Russia’s Prosecutor General announced a ban on WhiteBIT, labeling it an “undesirable organization.”

The move followed Russia’s allegations that the exchange facilitated illegal fund transfers out of the country and helped finance Ukraine’s armed forces.

Alleged Transfers Described As Donations

Russian authorities accused WhiteBIT’s management of transferring approximately $11 million to Ukraine since 2022. In response, WhiteBIT clarified that the funds did not originate from within Russia.

“Over the four years of full-scale war, WhiteBIT has donated around 11 million USD of its own funds to support Ukraine’s defense forces and humanitarian initiatives for civilians,” it said.

Among other allegations, Russian officials claimed that WhiteBIT provided technical support to UNITED24, Ukraine’s state-backed crypto donation platform.

WhiteBIT confirmed that it had worked with United24 by enabling Whitepay, a crypto-processing service used to facilitate cryptocurrency donations for the platform and other humanitarian foundations in Ukraine.

“In total, WhiteBIT and Whitepay have facilitated more than 160 million USD in crypto donations, supporting both humanitarian and defense-related fundraising.”

The exchange concluded by stating that, despite the initial loss of users after exiting the Russian market, its business has grown more than eightfold.

Ukraine Accelerates Crypto Use During War

Although Ukraine has long been an early adopter of cryptocurrencies, adoption accelerated significantly following Russia’s invasion.

Individuals increasingly turned to cryptocurrencies for fundraising and donations, as they offered faster and more efficient ways to deliver funds where they were needed. This shift began even before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to an Elliptic report, Ukrainian NGOs and volunteer groups created crypto wallets to receive donations, raising just over $570,000 in 2021 alone.

By February 2022, the Ukrainian parliament passed legislation formally legalizing cryptocurrencies.

One year into Russia’s war on Ukraine, these figures had increased by roughly 122-fold. A 2023 Chainalysis report showed that donations to addresses provided by the Ukrainian government had grown to nearly $70 million.

Cryptocurrency use remains widespread among Ukrainians. While basic legislation has legalized digital assets, authorities continue working toward comprehensive regulation and a formal tax framework.

Seeker’s post-launch momentum has faded fast. After topping near $0.067, the Seeker price is now down almost 70%, trading around $0.024. That drawdown has erased most of the early excitement. While the token is still well above its launch base, price action shows buyers stepping aside rather than defending levels.

The key question is no longer upside potential. It is whether Seeker can avoid another leg lower. Right now, that outcome no longer depends on bulls. It depends on bears.

Momentum And Flow Signals Show Selling Pressure Is Still Dominant

The first warning comes from money flow.

On the 4-hour chart, Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) has stayed below zero since January 24. CMF measures whether capital is flowing into or out of an asset using price and volume. A negative reading means money is leaving, not entering.

Seeker attempted a CMF recovery on January 26, but failed. Since then, CMF has continued to trend lower, suggesting buyers are not returning with conviction. Right now, the CMF seems to be breaking down the ascending trendline, which, if confirmed, could be detrimental for the Seeker price.

Weak Money Flow Bothers Seeker: TradingView

Want more token insights like this? Sign up for Editor Harsh Notariya’s Daily Crypto Newsletter here.

Short-term momentum confirms this weakness. On the 1-hour chart, Seeker made a marginal higher high between January 26 and 27, but RSI printed a lower high.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) measures momentum strength. When price rises, but RSI weakens, it signals that buying pressure is fading. This bearish divergence explains why recent bounces failed to extend.

RSI Weakens: TradingView

Together, weakening CMF and RSI suggest the downtrend pressure is still active.

Spot Data Shows No Accumulation as Price Approaches Risk Levels

On-chain data reinforces the bearish setup. Over the past 24 hours, exchange balances rose 5.31%, lifting total exchange-held SKR to 467.08 million tokens. That equals roughly 23.6 million SKR moving onto exchanges.

When tokens move onto exchanges, it usually signals selling intent. At the same time, smart-money holdings dropped around 4%, showing no meaningful dip buying and rebound conviction.

No Demand For SKR: Nansen

In simple terms, spot demand is missing. That matters because Seeker is now approaching levels where buyers normally step in after correcting almost 70% from the post-launch highs. Under normal conditions, bulls would defend this zone. But they are not showing up.

Why Derivatives Bears Now Decide Whether Seeker Price Crashes

This is where the story flips. With spot buyers absent, the only remaining force capable of stopping a breakdown is bearish leverage.

A liquidation map shows where leveraged traders would be forced to close positions. Liquidations can create sharp price moves, even without real demand. Leverage means traders are borrowing to increase position size, which increases liquidation risk.

On Bitget’s 30-day SKR/USDT perpetual market, there is roughly $3.06 million in short leverage, compared with about $1.49 million in long leverage. That means bearish positions dominate by more than 100%.

Liquidation Map: Coinglass

If the SKR price rebounds toward $0.030, around $1.2 million in short positions would begin to be liquidated. That could trigger a short squeeze, forcing bears to buy back SKR and pushing the price higher.

But this distinction is critical. A short squeeze is not bullish conviction. It is forced buying.

Seeker Price Analysis: TradingView

If bears are not trapped, Seeker risks sliding through $0.019 and triggering the 17% breakdown path. If bears are trapped, their liquidations may be the only thing that temporarily saves the price. That is why Seeker no longer depends on bulls.

Zcash has faced renewed volatility after a recent pullback, but price action now points toward a potential recovery. ZEC has begun stabilizing following the decline, reducing the likelihood of a deeper breakdown. 

Current market conditions suggest the altcoin may avoid the projected 55% crash and instead regain upside momentum.

Zcash Holders Accumulate Heavily

ZEC holders have shown strong conviction over the past 24 hours. Exchange balance data indicates a sharp reduction in available supply, with ZEC held on exchanges dropping by roughly 48% during this period. Such a move typically reflects active accumulation, as investors withdraw tokens to private wallets.

This decline in exchange balances signals bullish intent. Reduced sell-side liquidity limits immediate downside pressure and often precedes price recoveries. Holders appear increasingly confident that Zcash is undervalued at current levels, supporting the case for a rebound rather than continued weakness.

Zcash Exchange Balance. Source: Nansen

On-chain indicators reinforce this positive shift. The Chaikin Money Flow has formed a bullish divergence against price. While ZEC posted lower lows, CMF continued to print higher highs, highlighting a disconnect between price action and capital flows.

CMF tracks net inflows and outflows using price and volume data. Rising CMF alongside falling price suggests accumulation beneath the surface. This divergence often precedes breakouts, as sustained inflows eventually translate into upward price movement once selling pressure fades.

ZEC CMF. Source: TradingView ZEC Price Could Be Saved

ZEC trades near $380 at the time of writing, remaining range-bound between $340 and $405. The altcoin broke down from a triangle pattern last week, which projected a potential 55% decline toward $171. However, market conditions have since shifted materially.

The probability of that bearish scenario appears reduced. Accumulation trends and improving flow metrics suggest the pattern may be invalidated. A confirmed move above $450 would cancel the downside projection. Breaking that level could open the path toward $504, aligning with renewed bullish momentum.

ZEC Price Analysis. Source: TradingView

Downside risk remains if sentiment reverses. A resurgence of selling or broader market weakness could pressure ZEC below $340. Under that outcome, price may slide toward $300, keeping the bearish pattern active and delaying any meaningful recovery.

Peter Steinberger, the creator of the open-source AI assistant ClawdBot, has publicly rejected any association with crypto. This is after scammers hijacked his online identity to promote fake token projects.

The controversy erupted following ClawdBot’s rebrand to Moltbot, a move Steinberger says was forced by trademark concerns raised by Anthropic and later exploited by crypto promoters.

AI Founder Draws a Hard Line as Crypto Scammers Hijack His Identity

In a series of posts on X (Twitter), Steinberger made his position unequivocal, articulating that he would never do a coin.

“Any project that lists me as a coin owner is a SCAM. No, I will not accept fees. You are actively damaging the project,” he wrote.

Steinberger added that he has never issued tokens, does not endorse any crypto initiative, and will not accept deployment or endorsement fees under any circumstances.

The situation traces back to ClawdBot’s rise in visibility within AI developer circles. The self-hostable AI agent gained attention for its always-on capabilities, prompting discussions around both its utility and its risks.

As the project grew, Anthropic raised trademark concerns about the “ClawdBot” name. This forced Steinberger to rebrand it as Moltbot, a nod to the lobster-themed assistant “molting” into a new identity.

However, the transition did not go smoothly. Steinberger acknowledged that operational errors during the rename allowed bad actors to seize his former handles.

According to Steinberger, crypto scammers quickly squatted his old X and GitHub accounts and began using them to launch or promote meme coin-style token schemes falsely claiming his involvement.

He later confirmed that his original GitHub account had been taken over and publicly appealed for help.

Harassment Persists as Meme Coin Culture Collides with Open-Source AI

Despite repeatedly distancing himself from crypto, Steinberger said the harassment has continued. He described persistent messages from crypto practitioners urging him to “claim” token deployment fees.

Reportedly, some also urge him to acknowledge token launches conducted in his name, actions he says are actively harming the open-source project and confusing users.

“Those people make my online life a living hell. I can barely use my account. It’s nonstop pings. They invade our Discord server, ignore the server rules, spam me on Telegram, and squat my account names. They’re making my online life a living hell. It makes zero sense to have a coin for this. I am not throwing my reputation away for a quick buck,” said Steinberger in an exclusive statement to BeInCrypto.

Community reaction to Steinberger’s warnings has been mixed. Replies to his posts ranged from jokes about accepting “free money” to strong defenses of his refusal to engage with token culture.

The episode has highlighted how deeply meme coin speculation has permeated online tech communities, even when creators explicitly opt out.

While Steinberger has previously mocked the space through parody ideas like “vibecoin,” he has stressed that ClawdBot (now Moltbot) is not, and will never be, a crypto project.

BeInCrypto asked Steinberger whether his Vibecoin reference may have unintentionally made ClawdBot more vulnerable to being misinterpreted as crypto-adjacent.

“I don’t think many of them got the pun. It’s like they look at it for 5 seconds. What demographic is this? Children?” Steinberger replied.

Notably, some users have already reported the need to change their domains in response to this incident, to avoid being targeted by bad actors.

Steinberger supported this move, amid mounting complaints targeting users.

Shruti Gandhi from Array VC says they were attacked 7,922 times over the weekend after using Clawdbot.

Security Risks Mount as Viral AI Tools Attract Unwanted Attention

The project’s sudden prominence also drew attention to its security implications. Browser developer Brave issued public guidance warning that always-on AI agents like ClawdBot can pose serious risks if misconfigured.

As a result, the browser recommends that users run the bot on isolated machines, limit account access, and avoid exposing it directly to the internet.

“…there is no ‘perfectly secure’ setup for such tools,” Brave emphasized.

For Steinberger, the incident reflects the risks faced by open-source AI developers as projects go viral. What began as a technical rebrand is now a case of identity hijacking, speculative excess, and the growing overlap and friction between AI innovation and crypto hype.

Crypto whales are already positioning for the next market phase as February 2026 approaches. On-chain data reveals large holders accumulating select altcoins ahead of a potential trend shift.

BeInCrypto has analysed three such altcoins that stand out as whales are buying, which have strong upside narratives for the coming months.

Aster (ASTER)

ASTER has emerged as a standout token as whale accumulation accelerates. Over the past month, addresses holding more than $1 million in ASTER added roughly 15 million tokens. This sustained buying highlights growing confidence among large holders, even as broader market conditions remain uneven.

Despite strong accumulation, ASTER price has trended lower since mid-November 2025 and trades near $0.65. The ongoing downtrend reflects weak short-term sentiment. However, continued whale support could help ASTER rebound toward $0.71 in the coming weeks and potentially target $1.00 if markets turn decisively bullish.

Want more token insights like this? Sign up for Editor Harsh Notariya’s Daily Crypto Newsletter here.

ASTER Price Analysis. Source: TradingView

The bullish outlook depends heavily on external factors. A shift in whale behavior or renewed market weakness could pressure price action. Under that scenario, ASTER may fall toward $0.57 or lower, invalidating the bullish thesis and extending the corrective phase.

Chilliz (CHZ)

CHZ has emerged as a whale-favored token over the past month. Addresses holding between 100 million and 1 billion CHZ accumulated more than 100 million tokens, valued at $5 million. This activity reflects growing confidence among large holders despite broader market volatility.

During the same period, CHZ price advanced roughly 30% and now trades near $0.054. The rally aligns with sustained whale accumulation, which often supports trend continuation. If buying persists, CHZ could target $0.066 in the medium term and potentially extend gains toward $0.080.

CHZ Price Analysis. Source: TradingView

Profit-taking remains a key risk. Large holders may choose to lock in gains, increasing sell-side pressure. If that occurs, CHZ price could stall and retrace toward the $0.045 or $0.041 support levels, invalidating the bullish thesis and slowing the recovery.

Axie Infinity (AXS)

Another one of the altcoins that whales are buying is AXS, which has delivered a strong performance, trading near $2.55 at the time of writing after surging roughly 213% since the beginning of the month. The sharp rally reflects renewed investor interest and improving sentiment, positioning AXS among the top-performing altcoins during the recent market rebound.

Whale activity has played a central role in sustaining the uptrend. Addresses holding between 100,000 and 1 million AXS accumulated more than 6 million tokens, valued at $15 million, over the past month. Continued accumulation could support a move toward $3.00 in the short term and $4.00 longer term.

AXS Price Analysis. Source: TradingView

The bullish outlook carries notable risk. A shift in whale behavior toward profit-taking could quickly reverse momentum. If large holders sell, AXS may break below the $2.00 level. Such a move could trigger a deeper decline toward $1.30 or lower, invalidating the bullish thesis.

Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.

Grab a coffee and settle in—things in banking and crypto are about to get interesting. What started as a quiet corner of the digital asset market is now nudging its way into the core of traditional finance (TradFi). Some of the biggest shifts may still be on the horizon, and not all banks are equally ready for them.

Crypto News of the Day: Standard Chartered Warns $500 Billion in US Bank Deposits Could Flow to Stablecoins by 2028

Standard Chartered first warned of the threat stablecoins pose to TradFi banks in October, as reported in a previous US Crypto News publication. Now the bank is issuing another warning, only this time, with a timeline.

The rapid adoption of stablecoins could pose a significant threat to US banks, according to Standard Chartered’s Head of Digital Asset Research, Geoff Kendrick.

In a report released today, Kendrick projects that as much as $500 billion (roughly one-third of US bank deposits) could migrate into stablecoins by the end of 2028.

“The tail is starting to wag the dog,” Kendrick said, highlighting the growing influence of stablecoins on traditional banking operations.

He noted that this shift is not limited to emerging markets, where he previously projected around $1 trillion in deposit outflows over the same period, but is increasingly relevant to developed markets, including the U.S.

Using net interest margin (NIM) income as a percentage of total revenue as a risk indicator, Kendrick identifies regional banks as the most exposed.

Deposits remain a core driver of NIM, meaning any significant outflows to stablecoins could directly impact bank earnings.

In contrast, diversified and investment banks are relatively insulated from these pressures due to broader revenue streams.

Regulatory Uncertainty Compounds the Risk for US Banks

The recent delay in the US CLARITY Act, intended to create a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets, highlights banks’ potential vulnerability.

The latest draft prohibits digital asset service providers from paying interest or yield to users holding stablecoins. Notably, this restriction prompted Coinbase to remove certain offerings.

Although Kendrick expects the CLARITY Act to pass by the end of Q1 2026, the delay highlights the ongoing challenges that US banks may face as digital asset adoption accelerates.

The risk is not just theoretical. Stablecoins could shift core banking functions such as payments and deposits away from TradFi institutions, creating a structural challenge for banks that rely heavily on deposit-driven income.

The Standard Chartered executive suggests that regional banks, in particular, need to prepare for the possibility of meaningful deposit outflows over the next several years.

“I try to determine which banks are relatively more/less exposed to this risk…regional banks are most exposed,” he indicated.

Therefore, the new US analysis extends the concern from emerging to developed markets, signaling a global reassessment of banking exposure to digital assets.

Ethereum Hits New Highs as Institutional Buying and Macro Tailwinds Bolster Crypto Markets

Despite these headwinds, the broader crypto ecosystem is showing signs of resilience. Ethereum activity continues to hit all-time highs, fueled by post-Fusaka upgrades that have improved capacity and sustained institutional interest.

BitMine (BMNR), for example, has increased its Ethereum holdings to nearly 5% of its Digital Asset Treasury, with plans to continue buying.

BitMine Ethereum Holdings. Source: CoinGecko

Macro developments, including easing pressure on global risk assets and favorable expectations for US monetary policy under potential Fed leadership changes, further support market stability.

Chart of the Day

Standard Chartered Shows Which US Banks Are Most at Risk to Mass Adoption of Stablecoins Byte-Sized Alpha

Here’s a summary of more US crypto news to follow today:

Tether buys gold like a Central Bank—only faster and without a mandate.

Ethereum in ETFs enjoys $110 million in inflows while institutional ETH wipes out.

Asia doesn’t buy Trump after he cried wolf too often.

Bitcoin price’s rise to $100,000 will warrant a pit-stop at this level.

What VanEck’s Avalanche ETF debut reveals about investor sentiment in January.

XRP price eyes a domino effect to relive the $3.30 dream – Here’s how.

Bitcoin job listings grow 6% in 2025: Here’s what employers are looking for.

Crypto Equities Pre-Market Overview

CompanyClose As of January 26Pre-Market OverviewStrategy (MSTR)$160.58$160.82 (+0.15%)Coinbase (COIN)$213.48$214.70 (+0.57%)Galaxy Digital Holdings (GLXY)$31.28$31.51 (+0.74%)MARA Holdings (MARA)$9.98$10.05 (+0.70%)Riot Platforms (RIOT)$16.23$16.40 (+1.05%)Core Scientific (CORZ)$19.05$19.31 (+1.36%)

Crypto equities market open race: Google Finance

The Cardano price fell more than 20% between January 14 and January 25, dropping to fresh local lows. On the surface, that ADA move looked bearish and uncomfortable.

But under the surface, something very different was happening. While the ADA price was falling, big money was quietly stepping in. Two bullish metrics explain why that dip attracted buyers instead of panic. And how could the Cardano price react next?

Big Money Accumulates as Retail Steps Back

The first signal comes from wallet behavior. Data shows that large ADA holders (whales) were not selling into the drop. Instead, they started adding near the lows.

Wallets holding 10 million to 100 million ADA increased their balances after January 25, when the price hit its local bottom. Their combined holdings rose from about 13.59 billion ADA to 13.62 billion ADA, even as the price stayed weak. At current prices near $0.35, that accumulation represents over $10 million.

Smaller but still influential holders also joined in. Wallets holding 1 million to 10 million ADA briefly reduced exposure during the selloff. But once the ADA price stabilized, they returned as buyers. Their balances increased from roughly 5.60 billion ADA to 5.61 billion, around $3.5 million, within a day.

ADA Whales Adding: Santiment

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This accumulation matters because it happened while retail behavior, smaller ADA wallets, moved the opposite way. Smaller ADA wallets, holding between 100 and 10,000 coins, continued trimming positions, showing hesitation and risk avoidance.

Smaller Holders Selling: Santiment

These cohorts started trimming positions right before 2026 and have been exiting throughout. That split is important. Big money tends to buy during fear, while retail often sells to reduce stress.

Two Bullish Metrics Signal the Selloff Is Losing Strength

The second layer of evidence comes from the chart itself. One momentum indicator is flashing an early reversal signal, something that whales might be picking on.

It is the RSI, or Relative Strength Index. RSI measures momentum and helps identify when selling pressure is weakening. Between December 18 and January 25, the ADA price made a lower low. RSI did not. Instead, RSI formed a higher low.

Bullish Divergence: TradingView

That is a standard bullish divergence. It suggests sellers are losing control, even though the price still looks weak. These signals often appear before trend reversals, not after them. When the lower low formed, the ADA price corrected over 20% as part of the bear pole. The recent consolidation formed the bear flag, but the RSI strength and whale accumulation pattern suggest the breakdown might not actually occur.

The second signal comes from MFI, or Money Flow Index. MFI tracks whether money is flowing into or out of an asset by combining price and volume. Between January 21 and January 26, the price continued drifting lower. MFI moved higher.

Dip Buying Continues: TradingView

This tells us something important. The dip was being bought. While price fell, money flowed in, not out. That supports what wallet data already showed. Big money was active during the drop, not waiting on the sidelines.

When RSI shows momentum stabilizing, and MFI shows active dip buying, the odds of a clean breakdown fall. It does not guarantee a rally. But it strongly weakens the bearish case.

Cardano Price Levels That Decide the Next Move

With accumulation and momentum signals in place, the Cardano price levels now matter most.

ADA is currently trading near $0.35. The first big technical hurdle sits near $0.390. That zone marks roughly half of the prior drop and aligns with a critical Fibonacci level. A move above this area would invalidate the bearish flag structure on the daily chart.

However, the first real resistance has to be the 20-day EMA, or exponential moving average. An EMA gives more weight to recent prices and helps track short-term trend direction. The last time ADA reclaimed this EMA, on January 2, the price rallied over 17%.

If ADA closes above the 20-day EMA again, momentum could shift quickly. In that case, upside levels near $0.427 and even $0.484 come back into focus.

Cardano Price Analysis: TradingView

On the downside, risk remains. A daily close below $0.339 would weaken the recovery case. A break under $0.332 would invalidate the bullish divergence setup and reopen downside risk.

For now, the message is clear. The 20% drop did not scare big money away. It pulled them in. Two bullish metrics show why. Whether price follows through depends on the next few daily closes.

The cryptocurrency exchange is often seen as a crowded, speed race where only the most adaptable survive. Since its inception in 2021, Zoomex has managed to carve out a distinct space by blending high performance technology with a surprisingly grounded, user first philosophy.

Leading the charge in one of the world’s most sophisticated markets is Fernando Aranda, Marketing Director for Zoomex. With a deep understanding of the European regulatory shift and a passion for community growth, Fernando is steering the platform through the complexities of MiCA and the evolving needs of modern traders.

We sat down with Fernando to discuss everything from their strategic partnership with the Haas F1 Team to why the future of finance lies in the hybrid bridge between CEX and DEX.

BeInCrypto: Zoomex was founded in 2021 with a core mission to be user centric. In a crowded exchange market, how does Zoomex practically translate this philosophy into the daily trading experience?

Fernando Aranda: In 2021, we created Zoomex with the goal of bringing trading closer to users, placing them at the center of the product and fostering a strong sense of belonging and community. Over the years, we have implemented different strategies aligned with this philosophy, and we believe we are now beginning to see tangible results.

We are a brand in constant evolution. Every week, we receive feedback and improvement suggestions through our various channels, and each one is carefully reviewed and addressed. This commitment to active listening, showing genuine interest and applying user feedback to the product, reinforces the relationship with our community and demonstrates that their contributions truly matter.

Zoomex is also committed to the principles of fairness, integrity, and transparency. This fairness is reflected in clear and consistent trading rules, verifiable trade execution, and asset visibility. We provide safe, frictionless profit access for users, KOLs, and high-volume traders, and offer optional KYC to respect users with high privacy requirements. In this way, we naturally drive word-of-mouth growth. There is no better marketing than genuine recommendations.

BeInCrypto: Zoomex is an official partner of the Haas F1 Team. What is the strategic connection between the world of Formula 1 and crypto trading?

Fernando Aranda: I think we are all aware of the magnitude of this sport. Formula 1, like other major global sports, is a powerful vehicle for exposure and a very effective tool for brand positioning. We’ve been working with Oliver Bearman for many years because from the very beginning we saw an innate talent in him. His development and growth allowed us to take this step and ultimately opened the door to this opportunity with the Haas F1 Team. Our goal now is to continue showcasing ourselves to the world, reinforcing key values such as reliability and security, supported by a brand as well-known and respected globally as the Haas F1 Team.

BeInCrypto: With the industry moving towards tighter regulation, Zoomex has secured MSB licenses in Canada and the U.S. How important is this for building long-term trust with European investors?

Fernando Aranda: With regulation tightening globally, compliance is no longer a checkbox—it’s a trust signal. In terms of security and compliance, Zoomex holds regulatory licenses including Canada MSB, U.S. MSB, U.S. NFA, and Australia AUSTRAC, and has successfully passed security audits conducted by Hacken.

Europe, especially under MiCA, is moving toward a framework where transparency, custody standards, AML controls, and operational resilience are non-negotiable. When European users see that an exchange is already operating compliantly in North America, it sends a clear message: this is a platform built for the long term, not regulatory arbitrage.

From a product and innovation perspective, strong compliance actually unlocks growth. It allows us to design products with institutional-grade risk controls and build integrations with regulated partners. For European investors specifically, trust is built over time through consistency. A solid compliance framework ensures that innovation at Zoomex happens within clear guardrails, protecting users and creating a foundation where new products can scale sustainably.

BeInCrypto: How do you balance the need for simplicity for beginners with the demand for professional-grade performance for veteran traders?

Fernando Aranda: That balance is one of the hardest and most important things to get right. At Zoomex, we approach it through progressive complexity. Beginners should feel comfortable from day one, while professional traders should never feel constrained as they grow.

For new users, the focus is on a clean interface and clear onboarding. As users become more experienced, the platform naturally opens up advanced order types, execution controls, and API connections. Under the hood, everyone is using the same core infrastructure. We don’t run a “lite” engine for beginners and a separate one for professionals—we build one high-performance system and expose different layers of it based on user needs. This way, simplicity is a choice, not a limitation.

BeInCrypto: Copy trading has become a major entry point for many. What makes Zoomex’s approach unique, especially for those intimidated by technical analysis?

Fernando Aranda: Copy trading is often the first step for users who want exposure to the market without being overwhelmed by charts. At Zoomex, it isn’t just about mirroring trades; it’s about education and risk control. What makes our approach different is our curated strategy providers, we focus on consistency and historical performance over hype.

We provide clear performance metrics like win rate and drawdown so users don’t need deep technical analysis to make informed choices. For users who feel intimidated, copy trading becomes a learning layer. They participate while observing how experienced traders manage risk. Over time, many transition to independent trading. It’s a structured on-ramp into more confident participation.

BeInCrypto: You also offer a “Boost Your Trading Capital” feature. Can you explain how this works?

Fernando Aranda: This is designed to solve capital efficiency. In many cases, skilled traders have strong strategies but are constrained by the size of their available capital. With this feature, Zoomex allows eligible users to access additional trading capital under controlled risk parameters. It is built with clear rules around drawdowns and profit sharing, ensuring both the platform and the trader are protected. It empowers disciplined traders to trade closer to their true potential.

BeInCrypto: As the Marketing Director for the EU, what specific trends are you seeing among European crypto adopters right now?

Fernando Aranda: Europe is maturing as a market with a strong institutional focus. Crypto ownership is trending upward primarily as an investment vehicle rather than for everyday payments—the majority of holders treat digital assets as medium- to long-term investments.

Regulatory clarity is shaping behavior. The implementation of MiCA has been a catalyst for confidence among European investors, making the market feel safer and more standardized. Adoption growth is broad but varied; ownership has more than doubled in markets like Greece and Lithuania, suggesting a deepening user base across the region. Unlike markets in Asia or Africa where crypto is often used for remittances, European uptake still leans on regulated products and institutional flows.

BeInCrypto: Where does Zoomex fit into the debate between Decentralized vs. Centralized exchanges over the next 3-5 years?

Fernando Aranda: We see this not as an either/or choice, but as a spectrum. Centralized exchanges (CEXs) continue to serve traders who want liquidity depth and performance. However, the industry is evolving toward greater user control. That’s why Zoomex has developed integrated decentralized capabilities. Our platform now supports a DEX component that allows users to connect wallets and trade directly without KYC.

Instead of keeping these worlds separate, Zoomex’s strategy is hybrid by design: giving users the flexibility to choose between centralized and decentralized experiences within a single ecosystem. This hybrid model allows us to serve both traditional traders and Web3-native users seeking privacy.

BeInCrypto: Finally, what is the next big milestone for Zoomex?

Fernando Aranda: One of the most important milestones is our expansion into Real-World Assets (RWA). We see RWA as a key bridge between blockchain technology and public life. Tokenizing assets such as treasuries, commodities, or real estate allows blockchain to move beyond speculation and into real economic utility.

However, for us, RWA isn’t just about listing tokenized assets,it’s about making that value accessible and spendable in the real world. This is where the Zoomex Card, launched in partnership with the Swiss-licensed financial institution UR, becomes a game-changer.

BeInCrypto: Can you elaborate on how the Zoomex Card fits into this vision of real-world utility?

Fernando Aranda: The Zoomex Card is the heart of our hybrid ecosystem. It’s a global, multi-currency financial tool that allows users to bridge the gap between their digital portfolio and their daily expenses. It’s not just a card; it’s a gateway to financial freedom.

The Zoomex Card is central to our RWA vision, beginning with Swiss-grade security where assets are held by UR to ensure institutional-grade protection and compliance for every transaction. It facilitates a seamless bridge between digital and traditional finance, allowing users to convert USDC into major fiat currencies like USD, EUR, and CHF for effortless global spending. Because the card is fully virtual and compatible with Apple, Google, and Samsung Pay, crypto gains become instantly usable for anything from daily coffee to international subscriptions. 

To further empower our community, we’ve integrated exceptional incentives like 1% monthly cashback and a Free Pro Upgrade that removes withdrawal and SEPA fees. By offering free issuance with no annual or inactivity costs, we’ve removed the traditional barriers to entry, making the shift toward a crypto-integrated lifestyle both secure and rewarding.

Our goal is to ensure that blockchain truly “illuminates public life.” By connecting decentralized technology with the Zoomex Card, we are ensuring that the value generated on our platform, whether through trading or RWA is always at the user’s fingertips for real-world use.

Tether has launched USA₮, a new dollar-backed stablecoin designed specifically for the US market, as the company moves to comply with America’s new federal stablecoin law under the GENIUS Act.

The new token, announced on January 27, is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A., a federally chartered US bank. It marks Tether’s first stablecoin built to operate fully within the United States’ regulated financial system.

A Stablecoin Built for US Law

USA₮ is structured to meet the GENIUS Act’s requirements for payment stablecoins, including bank issuance, full reserve backing, and ongoing regulatory supervision.

According to Tether, the stablecoin is designed for use by US institutions and platforms that require a federally regulated digital dollar. Cantor Fitzgerald will act as reserve custodian and preferred primary dealer, providing transparency over reserves from launch.

In its initial phase, USA₮ will be available through platforms including Kraken, Crypto.com, MoonPay, OKX, and Bybit.

Why Tether Needed a New Stablecoin

The launch follows regulatory pressure created by the GENIUS Act, which introduced the first nationwide framework governing stablecoins offered to US users.

Under the law, only stablecoins issued by federally or state-qualified entities may be marketed or distributed to US persons. 

Offshore-issued tokens that do not meet these standards face restrictions from US-regulated exchanges, banks, and payment providers.

This framework limited the use of USDT, Tether’s flagship stablecoin.

The move places Tether back into direct competition with Circle’s USDC, which has benefited from regulatory clarity and early alignment with US institutions.

By launching a bank-issued stablecoin, Tether can now offer US institutions a regulated alternative while maintaining USDT’s role as the dominant global dollar token.

This dual structure allows Tether to defend its market position at both the domestic and international levels.

Chinese-language money laundering networks (CMLNs) have emerged as the dominant infrastructure for crypto-based illicit fund laundering.

The rapid rise of these Telegram-based networks marks a fundamental shift in how criminal proceeds move globally, with significant implications for national security and enforcement strategies worldwide.

$16.1 Billion Ecosystem: Scale and Speed

According to Chainalysis’s 2026 Crypto Crime Report, released on Jan. 27, CMLNs now account for approximately 20% of known cryptocurrency money laundering activity, making them the industry’s largest laundering channel.

The report reveals that CMLNs processed $16.1 billion in 2025 alone, equivalent to roughly $44 million per day, operating through more than 1,799 active wallets. Since 2020, inflows to CMLNs have grown 7,325 times faster than those to centralized exchanges, 1,810 times faster than those to decentralized finance (DeFi), and 2,190 times faster than intra-illicit on-chain flows.

Chainalysis identified on-chain behavioral fingerprints of six discrete service types that comprise the CMLN ecosystem: running point brokers, money mule motorcades, informal OTC services, Black U services, gambling services, and money movement services.

Division of Roles Across Six Service Types

Running point brokers serve as the initial entry channel for illicit fund transfers. Individuals are recruited to rent out their bank accounts, digital wallets, or exchange deposit addresses to receive and forward fraudulent proceeds.

Money mule motorcades handle the “layering” phase of money laundering, forming networks of accounts and wallets to obscure the origins of funds. Some vendors have expanded their operational reach to five African countries.

Informal OTC services advertise “clean funds” or “White U” and process fund transfers without KYC verification. However, on-chain analysis revealed extensive connections between these services and illicit platforms such as Huione.

Source: Chainalysis

Black U services specialize in “tainted” cryptocurrency derived from hacking, exploits, and scams, selling them at 10-20% below market rates. These services demonstrated the fastest growth, reaching $1 billion in cumulative inflows within just 236 days. In Q4 2025, the average clearing time for very large transactions was just 1.6 minutes.

Gambling services leverage high cash volumes and frequent transactions to launder funds, and some Telegram vendors have been confirmed to offer rigged outcomes.

Money movement services provide mixing and swapping functionality, which illicit actors in Southeast Asia, China, and North Korea actively use.

Patterns Mirror Traditional Money Laundering

On-chain data revealed that CMLN financial flows mirror the traditional phases of money laundering: placement, layering, and integration. Black U services exemplify aggressive “structuring” (smurfing) behavior. Small transactions under $100 increased by 467% from inflow to outflow. Medium transactions ($100-$1,000) increased by 180%. Very large transfers (over $10,000) reached 51% more destination wallets than source wallets.

In contrast, gambling insiders, running point brokers, and OTC services operate as the ecosystem’s primary aggregators. These services pool funds from multiple points and consolidate them into wholesale amounts suitable for reintroduction into legitimate financial systems.

Source: Chainalysis Guarantee Platforms as Central Hubs

At the center of the CMLN ecosystem are guarantee platforms such as Huione and Xinbi. These function as marketing venues and escrow infrastructure for money laundering vendors, but don’t control the underlying laundering activity.

Even after Telegram removed some of Huione’s accounts, vendors continued operations by migrating to alternative platforms. This demonstrates the need to target actual operators rather than just the platforms themselves.

Regulatory Response

Recent enforcement actions include the designation of Prince Group by the US Treasury’s OFAC and the UK’s OFSI. FinCEN issued a Final Rule designating Huione Group as a primary money laundering concern. The agency also released an advisory on Chinese money laundering networks.

However, while these actions have proven disruptive, core networks persist and migrate to alternative channels when challenged.

Expert Analysis

Tom Keatinge, Director of the Centre for Finance & Security at RUSI, said these networks have rapidly developed into multi-billion-dollar cross-border operations. He attributed the rapid growth to Chinese capital controls, explaining that wealthy individuals seeking to evade them provide the impetus and liquidity needed to service transnational organized crime groups across Europe and North America.

Chris Urben, Managing Director at Nardello & Co, noted that the biggest change in recent years has been a rapid transition from traditional informal value transfer systems to crypto. He explained that crypto offers an efficient way to move funds across borders, with less KYC compliance than traditional banks and the ability to carry billions of dollars in a cold wallet stored on a hard drive.

Need for Public-Private Collaboration

Chainalysis emphasized that addressing crypto-integrated laundering networks requires a shift from reactive enforcement against individual platforms to proactive disruption of underlying networks.

Urben advised that detecting these money laundering networks requires combining open-source and human-source intelligence with blockchain analysis. “Only when these tools work together, and develop leads that feed into each other, will you be able to match the players to the currency movements and map the networks,” he said.

After a brief upward move at the start of the year, the XRP (XRP) price has predominantly remained under pressure, mirroring the broader market-wide downturn.

As the crypto market faces ongoing headwinds, a key signal from the derivatives market suggests a potential bullish recovery once investor interest returns.

XRP Price Struggles, But Derivatives Setup May Favor Recovery

BeInCrypto Markets data showed that XRP started 2026 strongly, climbing more than 27% in the first five days of January. However, the momentum quickly faded, and the altcoin changed course, giving back most of its early gains.

Over the past 24 hours, XRP has extended its downtrend, posting a modest 0.078% loss. At the time of writing, it was trading at $1.88. While price action remains subdued, developments in the derivatives market are drawing closer attention.

XRP (XRP) Price Performance. Source: BeInCrypto Markets

In a recent post, analyst Darkfost pointed to a pronounced decline in XRP’s open interest after it reached a peak of $1.76 billion on Binance on July 17.

The analyst added that the downturn coincided with a sharp price correction in XRP. The altcoin slid from $3.55 to around $1.83, wiping out nearly half of its value.

“As positions were liquidated or voluntarily closed, open interest on Binance continued to decrease, recently dropping below the $500M threshold. This level had now persisted since the exceptional liquidation event that occurred on October 10,” the post read.

XRP Open Interest Decline. Source: Darkfost/CryptoQuant

The open interest contraction highlights a significant reduction in liquidity in the derivatives market, especially after the October market crash. The analyst also noted that falling prices mechanically compress open interest figures, intensifying the overall drop.

Despite the severity of the pullback, Darkfost emphasized that such deleveraging phases play a critical role. They help flush out excess leverage and reset market structure to healthier levels.

“Such periods are highlighted when XRP open interest on Binance falls below its semi-annual average. Historically, these cleanup phases have often been followed by a bullish recovery, once investor interest gradually returns to the derivatives market,” the analyst stated.

In addition to the derivatives market, BeInCrypto also identified potential recovery signals. The analysis shows the Liveliness metric has declined, indicating increased accumulation by long-term holders. This shift typically lessens sell-side pressure.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) recently recovered from oversold levels below 30, a common marker of exhausted downward momentum. Furthermore, XRP trades within a descending wedge pattern, a setup that often precedes bullish breakouts if confirmed.

The mix of derivatives market signals, long-term accumulation, and oversold technical indicators creates a potentially positive setup for a recovery. Yet, headwinds persist that might challenge the bullish outlook.

Data shows that XRP reserves on Binance and Upbit rose in January, together accounting for nearly 10% of the circulating supply. This concentration, especially after price declines, can indicate heightened selling pressure as coins move to exchanges for likely liquidation.

Overall, the coming weeks will determine if the deleveraging phase has cleared enough excess to support a true recovery or if further declines are likely.

Pump.fun token price jumped over 20% over the past 24 hours, a sharp move that stands out. Over the past month, the PUMP price has been up more than 60%. But zoom out further, and the trend still looks weak, with the token down roughly 37% over the past three months.

That contrast matters. This rally is not happening in a strong uptrend. It is happening inside a broader downtrend. That raises an important question. Is this move topping out, or is price simply hitting a wall before the next leg higher? The charts suggest the second option deserves serious attention.

The First Breakout Still Points Higher

The current rally did not come out of nowhere. On January 13, PUMP broke out of the handle of a large cup-and-handle pattern. This pattern forms when price rounds out a base, pauses, then breaks higher.

When that handle broke, the breakout projection pointed toward the $0.0045 area. That target has not changed. Even after the recent rally, the price is still moving in line with that original path.

PUMP Breakout Structure: TradingView

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The key point is simple. The breakout structure remains valid. Nothing in the recent move has broken it. Price is still behaving the way a post-breakout asset typically behaves. Plus, another cup is under formation, per the chart.

What has changed is speed. The PUMP price moved quickly into resistance, and that is where the wall appears.

A Second Cup Forms As Momentum Hints At Consolidation

After the January breakout, the PUMP price did not collapse. Instead, it started forming a smaller cup structure on a lower timeframe. This is important.

The first cup had a downward-sloping neckline. The current formation shows an upward-sloping neckline. That difference matters. An upward-sloping neckline usually signals improving demand, even if price pauses.

Right now, price is pressing into resistance near the top of that smaller structure. That is the wall. When price runs into resistance after a sharp move, it often pauses, not because buyers are gone, but because sellers finally show up.

To see whether that energy is building or leaking, momentum indicators help. The Relative Strength Index, or RSI, helps measure momentum. During the current move, RSI seems to be pushing higher even as the price begins to slow.

Momentum Hints At Consolidation: TradingView

A hidden bearish divergence would confirm (price making a lower high and RSI forming a higher high) if the next PUMP price candle forms under $0.0031. Also, a similar hidden bearish divergence was observed when the last handle consolidation began on January 6.

Flows Signal Consolidation, Not PUMP Price Reversal

At the same time, whale behavior supports that view. Large holders reduced their balances by about 3.6%, bringing total whale holdings down to roughly 14.37 billion tokens. That selling happened after the rally, not before it.

This matters because whale selling after a surge usually signals profit-taking, not panic. It often leads to sideways movement rather than a full trend break. Another sign of consolidation.

PUMP Whales: Nansen

Exchange flow data tells a similar story. After steady outflows over the past two days, PUMP saw a sudden shift to net inflows, around $900,000 moving onto exchanges. When coins move onto exchanges after a rally, it usually reflects short-term selling pressure. That lines up with the idea of consolidation and whale behavior.

PUMP Retail Sells: Coinglass

Now the levels become critical.

A pullback toward $0.0028 or even $0.0026 would still fit cleanly within the consolidation range. A drop below $0.0023 would weaken the structure. A move under $0.0022 would invalidate the bullish setup entirely.

On the upside, the key level to watch is near $0.0032. A clean break and hold above that area would signal that the wall has been absorbed. If that happens, both the original cup-and-handle breakout and the newer cup formation point toward the same target near $0.0045.

PUMP Price Analysis: TradingView

That alignment is rare. Two separate patterns pointing to the same level usually strengthen the case, not weaken it.

For now, the PUMP price has slammed into resistance at $0.0031.

But everything around that wall suggests pressure is building, not fading. If the consolidation holds, the PUMP bounce that follows could be stronger than the prior move.

While Ethereum (ETH) has fallen below $3,000, dropping even under its opening price at the start of 2026, ETH staking activity has reached a record high. Among the most aggressive participants is BitMine, a NYSE-listed company (BMNR) led by CEO Tom Lee.

This development raises a critical question: Can BitMine become a major catalyst for ETH, or does it represent a significant risk, especially as fear-driven market sentiment returns?

BitMine Steps up Ethereum Accumulation and Staking in January

BitMine recently announced that it purchased more than 40,000 ETH in the past week. According to CoinGecko data, the company now holds over 4.2 million ETH, valued at more than $12.4 billion. This amount represents over 3.5% of Ethereum’s total supply.

This move aligns with BitMine’s long-stated goal of controlling 5% of Ethereum’s total supply.

BitMine Ethereum Holdings Charts. Source: CoinGecko

The chart shows steady buying from mid-last year to now, with no clear signs of slowing.

CEO Tom Lee has expressed strong confidence in Ethereum’s future after listening to discussions among global leaders and policymakers at Davos.

“In 2016, the story of Davos was AI and the fourth industrial revolution. Over the following decade, AI and data centers expanded massively, and nations pivoted their strategies. A decade later, 2026 marks the year when policymakers and world leaders view digital assets as central to the future financial system. As Larry Fink has noted, this is positive for smart blockchains. Ethereum remains the most widely used blockchain on Wall Street and the most reliable, with zero downtime since inception,” Lee stated.

In addition, Lookonchain reported that Tom Lee, through BitMine, staked an additional 209,504 ETH—worth approximately $610 million—in a single day. BitMine’s total staked ETH now stands at 2,218,771 ETH, valued at around $6.52 billion. This accounts for more than 52% of the company’s total ETH holdings.

Meanwhile, Validator Queue data shows that the ETH entry queue for validator participation has reached a record high, exceeding 3.3 million ETH.

Ethereum Validator Queue. Source: ValidatorQueue

A previous BeInCrypto report indicated that total staked ETH has surpassed 36 million, representing 30% of the total supply. When ETH is currently included in the entry queue, this figure could soon approach 40 million ETH.

What do Analysts Predict About BitMine’s Impact on ETH Price?

Analyst Milk Road notes that a single entity, BitMine, controls roughly 3.52% of Ethereum’s circulating supply. BitMine’s strategy goes beyond simple “buy and hold.” The company focuses on large-scale accumulation combined with yield generation through staking. This scale of buying creates sustained demand, helping keep ETH within an upward price channel.

ETH Upward Price Channel. Source: Milk Road

“It’s exactly this kind of institutional accumulation that keeps $ETH in its ascending channel. More importantly, it helps pull the price back into that channel when macro shocks temporarily push it out,” Milk Road explained.

On-chain data supports this view. As spot market ETH supply declines due to increased accumulation and staking, price support strengthens.

However, analysts also warn about significant risks from excessive concentration. BitMine began purchasing ETH in July 2025, yet ETH has since dropped by more than 40% from its August peak.

According to BitMine’s disclosures, the average cost of its ETH holdings is $2,839 per ETH. With ETH trading near $2,900, the company has a slim profit margin and could quickly fall into losses if the downtrend continues.

Analysts at Seeking Alpha argue that overexposure to ETH creates extreme risk, especially when combined with potential share dilution.

“Management is pushing shareholders to approve a charter amendment that increases authorized shares from 500 million to 50 billion. While authorization does not guarantee immediate issuance, it effectively gives management a green light to issue new shares in nearly unlimited volumes,” analyst RI Research from Seeking Alpha said.

Recent shareholder meetings have also drawn controversy. The newly appointed CEO and CFO did not attend, and the promised guest speakers failed to appear. In addition, a controversial $200 million investment in MrBeast’s media venture—unrelated to BitMine’s core blockchain strategy—has raised concerns about management’s focus and capital-allocation priorities.

The long-term effectiveness of BitMine’s strategy remains uncertain. However, as its share of Ethereum’s total supply approaches 5%, the company is becoming a key variable in ETH price dynamics—one that investors should monitor closely alongside broader market conditions.

XRP price is up around 1% over the past 24 hours, but that move alone means very little. What matters more is what is happening underneath the surface.

Short-term traders are exiting, medium-term holders are stepping in, and XRP ETF flows have quietly turned positive again. Together, these shifts are setting up a potential domino effect, where one small technical trigger could lead to a much larger move. Possibly to a level that XRP claimed last year.

Conviction Is Replacing Speculation as XRP Holders Shift

One of the clearest changes is visible in XRP’s HODL waves. The HODL Waves metric shows how long coins have been held, helping separate short-term traders from long-term conviction holders.

Over the past month, speculative supply has dropped sharply. Holders in the 1-day to 1-week group fell from about 1.5% of supply to 0.76% between January 9 and January 26.

The 1-week to 1-month group dropped from 5.71% to roughly 2.07%, month-on-month, starting December 27. At the same time, longer-term holders are doing the opposite.

Speculative Money Leaves: Glassnode

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The 6-month to 12-month cohort increased from 19.5% to 22.3%. Additionally, the 1-year to 2-year group also ticked higher, from 11.73% to 11.92%.

Mid-And-Long Term Holders Enter XRP: Glassnode

This matters because speculative money usually exits near local lows, while conviction money tends to build positions quietly. XRP ETF flows, one of the biggest conviction metrics, support this view. After ending last week in net outflows, the current week has started positively, with fresh inflows returning.

XRP ETFs: SoSo Value

In simple terms, fast money is leaving, patient money is arriving.

Price Chart Reveals The Domino Setup, Not an Instant Breakout

On the price chart, XRP is forming a large inverse head-and-shoulders structure that began in early November. At first glance, the setup looks unrealistic because the neckline sits far above the current price.

From here, XRP would need roughly a 31% move just to reach the neckline. If the breakout happens, the measured upside is around 33%.

That sounds distant, but the domino effect does not start at the neckline. The first trigger is momentum. XRP recently lost its 20-day EMA on January 17. An exponential moving average, or EMA, gives more weight to recent prices and helps track short-term trend strength.

XRP Price Chart: TradingView

Reclaiming the 20-day EMA would require only a 3–4% daily move. The last time XRP reclaimed this same EMA, on January 2, the price rallied nearly 26%. That kind of push could help XRP reach the neckline faster.

Momentum support is already appearing through RSI. The Relative Strength Index, or RSI, measures whether price momentum is strengthening or weakening.

Between late November and January 25, the XRP price made a lower low, while the RSI formed a higher low. This bullish divergence often signals that selling pressure is fading, even before the price turns higher.

Bullish Divergence: TradingView

This is how the domino begins:

RSI stabilizes → EMA reclaim follows → momentum builds → neckline comes into play → neckline breaks, activating the breakout.

Whale Accumulation Supports the Final XRP Price Domino Toward $3.30

Large holders appear to be positioning for that sequence. For instance, wallets holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP increased their combined balances from about 11.16 billion to 11.19 billion tokens after January 25.

This buying began shortly after the bullish divergence appeared, suggesting whales are responding to the same momentum shift seen on the chart. The accumulation is cautious, not aggressive, but it aligns with the broader conviction trend.

XRP Whales: Santiment

From here, price levels matter.

The XRP price first needs to reclaim the 20-day EMA. Above that, resistance sits near $2.05 and $2.20. A break and hold above $2.52 would put the neckline back in focus.

XRP Price Analysis: TradingView

If the neckline breaks, the domino effect completes, opening the path toward $3.30 ($3.34 level to be exact), the 33% path projection from head to neckline. Moreover, this was one of the XRP price levels hit last year, in October.

The structure weakens below $1.80 and is fully invalidated below $1.76.

For now, XRP is not breaking out. But the sequence that leads to breakouts is quietly forming.

In 2025, the Bitcoin (BTC) ecosystem saw a 6% increase in job listings, with non-developer roles accounting for the majority of new openings, according to a recent report.

The data suggests the Bitcoin job market is maturing, as cultural fit, community involvement, and visible contribution increasingly outweigh traditional credentials in hiring decisions.

Bitvocation Report Details Evolving Bitcoin Job Market in 2025

Bitvocation’s 2025 Bitcoin Jobs Data report highlighted the hiring trends among Bitcoin-only companies and Bitcoin-adjacent companies. The report defines Bitcoin-only companies as businesses that meet three conditions:

Their products are exclusively focused on Bitcoin and not any competing cryptocurrencies.

They publicly identify as Bitcoin-only or Bitcoin-first in their mission or communications.

They actively contribute to the Bitcoin ecosystem, such as through open-source development or community involvement.

According to the findings, in 2025, there were 1,801 unique Bitcoin-related job listings. This marked a 6% increase from 1,707 in 2024.

Bitcoin-only firms accounted for 47% of total listings, up from 42% last year. At the same time, Bitcoin-adjacent companies represented 53%. This signals that the gap between Bitcoin-focused and Bitcoin-adjacent companies continued to narrow in 2025.

Growth among Bitcoin-only employers was broadly distributed. The report counted 154 Bitcoin-only companies, each averaging 6 hires.

Bitcoin-Only Companies’ Job Listing Growth. Source: Bitvocation

Riot Platforms led these firms but held only a modest share. Collectively, the top 10 Bitcoin-only employers saw 122% year-over-year growth.

“This is a distributed ecosystem. Growth isn’t concentrated in a few giants — it’s spread across mining, lightning network, financial services, and self-custody companies building at sustainable scale,” the report read.

In contrast, hiring at Bitcoin-adjacent companies was concentrated. Bitdeer accounted for almost one-third of all adjacent roles, with 307 postings. The top 10 adjacent firms captured 85% of their segment’s positions.

Meanwhile, non-developer roles accounted for 74% of all positions, up from 69% in 2024. Product Manager ranked highest among non-technical roles.

Bitvocation also observed a sharp increase in director-level hiring, suggesting that companies are expanding their operations. On the technical side, demand was highest for software engineers, particularly at senior levels. According to the report,

“Bitcoin-only companies lean toward mining, media, and design, and hire more at entry and leadership levels. Bitcoin-adjacent companies lead in finance, HR, and engineering, with a preference for senior and mid-level experience.”

Bitcoin Job Growth Remains US-Led, With Expansion Across Asia

Regionally, the US continued to dominate the Bitcoin job market by a wide margin, hosting more Bitcoin-related roles than all other countries combined. Moreover, Asia also posted strong growth.

Singapore stood out with a 158% increase in Bitcoin-related job postings, driven largely by expansion at a single major employer. Smaller but notable clusters of hiring also emerged in countries such as El Salvador, Bhutan, and Brazil, highlighting how Bitcoin-friendly policies can translate into local job creation.

“The Americas are Bitcoin-only territory. North America leads with 309 Bitcoin-only jobs. Europe and Asia lean Bitcoin-adjacent, with a few exceptions,” Bitvocation noted.

Remote work remained a core feature of the Bitcoin job market in 2025, although its share declined year over year. Of the total job listings, 809 roles, or 45%, were advertised as remote, down from 53% in 2024.

Bitcoin-only companies continued to show a stronger preference for distributed teams, with 56% of their roles offering remote options.

What Bitcoin Employers Value Most

Bitcoin employers in 2025 reported that hiring challenges were less about the volume of applicants and more about finding candidates with the right combination of skills, mindset, and ecosystem understanding.

Rather than relying solely on formal credentials or polished resumes, employers increasingly looked for proof of work, such as open-source contributions, community involvement, public writing, or hands-on experience within the Bitcoin ecosystem.

“The hardest roles to fill cluster at two ends: highly specialized technical positions (Bitcoin Core, Lightning, security) and nontechnical roles that require translating Bitcoin’s values into product, growth, operations, or communication,” the report added.

Versatility also emerged as a key theme. Many Bitcoin companies, particularly at earlier stages, favored individuals who could adapt across functions and take on multiple responsibilities.

Strong communication skills and the ability to translate Bitcoin principles into product, operations, growth, or strategy were seen as especially valuable in non-technical roles.