At WEF 2026 in Davos, crypto wasn’t sitting on the sidelines it was part of the main conversation shaping the future of finance. And right at the center of that shift was Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao.
CZ took the stage to highlight how far the industry has come — and where the next wave of growth is forming.
He began with what crypto has already proven at scale:
🏦 Exchanges Platforms like Binance and Coinbase now operate in increasingly regulated environments, serving as gateways between traditional finance and digital assets.
💵 Stablecoins Quietly becoming the financial bridge between fiat systems and blockchain networks, enabling faster and more efficient global transfers.
But the real focus was on what comes next.
🌍 State-level asset tokenization Governments and institutions exploring blockchain infrastructure for real-world assets.
💳 Crypto as invisible payment rails – Powering transactions behind the scenes without users even realizing it.
🤖 AI agents transacting in crypto – Autonomous systems using blockchain as their native financial layer.
CZ wasn’t the only major voice present. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong also reinforced the case for economic freedom and Bitcoin’s role in a more open system.
At the same time, the World Economic Forum released a paper highlighting growing collaboration between banks and blockchain networks, signaling that institutional adoption is shifting from experimentation to implementation.
The takeaway from Davos is clear:
Crypto is no longer an outsider trying to prove itself.
It’s becoming part of the core architecture of global finance.
The conversation has changed and now the focus is on how quickly integration accelerates from here.
A major transition is unfolding in global finance and it’s happening with far less noise than you’d expect.
UBS, the Swiss banking powerhouse managing up to $7 trillion in assets, is preparing to introduce Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for select wealth clients. It may begin with private banking clients in Switzerland, but expansion into Asia and the U.S. is already being discussed.
This isn’t a retail trading app adding a new coin.
This is legacy capital infrastructure opening a door to digital assets. 🏦➡️🪙
And UBS is not moving alone.
Morgan Stanley is building crypto access.
JPMorgan is deepening digital asset exposure.
Traditional finance isn’t debating Bitcoin’s survival anymore — it’s preparing for client demand.
Why now? Because the environment is changing.
📜 Regulatory clarity is improving
🏛 Institutions are getting compliance comfort
💼 Wealth clients are asking for exposure
When private banks start offering Bitcoin, it changes the type of money entering the market. This is long-term portfolio capital, not short-term speculation.
Bitcoin doesn’t need trillions to move.
Even a fractional allocation from global wealth management channels can create meaningful supply pressure. Remember: BTC supply growth is fixed, but access channels are expanding.
That’s why price targets like $150K–$200K are no longer just hype narratives. They’re tied to distribution evolution.
Banks don’t chase volatility.
They build rails for sustained flows. 🚆
And once those rails are live, capital doesn’t arrive all at once it flows steadily, structurally, and with scale.
Bitcoin is slowly shifting from a fringe asset…
to a recognized portfolio component inside traditional finance.
The real story isn’t price predictions.
It’s this: How much sidelined capital is waiting for institutional green lights?
🚨 BTC’s $97K RALLY LOOKED BULLISH OPTIONS SAY “NOT SO FAST”
Bitcoin’s sprint toward $97,000 lit up the options market… but under the surface, the move lacked real conviction.
Glassnode flagged a key split: short-term call buying surged, yet longer-dated risk pricing stayed defensive. Translation? Traders played the bounce they didn’t fully believe in it.
📈 BTC jumped about 8% in a few days
📉 1-week 25-delta skew flipped toward neutral
Sounds bullish… until you zoom out.
⚠️ Short-dated call demand often = tactical trades, not long-term confidence.
Options flow backed that up:
📊 Put/Call ratio dropped from 1 → 0.4
That’s heavy call activity — but mostly front-end, not extended positioning.
Now here’s where it gets interesting 👇
Longer expiries barely moved.
🗓 1-month skew shifted only slightly, still pricing downside risk
🗓 3-month skew barely budged and stayed firmly in put territory
So while traders chased short-term upside, the broader market kept hedging for downside.
That’s the difference between flow and true risk repricing.
And volatility told the same story.
📉 As BTC rallied, implied volatility was SOLD, not bought
🎯 Gamma sellers used the pump to harvest premium
That’s not what strong, sustainable breakouts look like. Real breakouts usually see volatility bid aggressively, not compressed.
This combo short-term calls + vol selling — signals positioning, not a regime shift.
It also leaves price vulnerable once those short-dated bets expire.
🚨 BITCOIN STUMBLES UNDER $90K AS MACRO PRESSURE BUILDS
Bitcoin is back under $90,000, sliding nearly 5% this week as macro forces tighten their grip. What looked like a brief recovery turned into another reminder: BTC is trading like a high-beta risk asset, not digital gold.
Mid-week, markets caught a short burst of optimism after Trump’s Davos remarks cooled tariff tensions with Europe. That sparked a quick risk-on bounce, pushing BTC back above $89K. But the relief didn’t last.
🌍 Macro volatility is back in control.
Rising global bond yields — especially Japan’s 10-year yield hitting levels not seen since the late 1990s — triggered a risk-off rotation. When yields surge, liquidity tightens. And when liquidity tightens, leveraged positions get unwound fast.
That pressure hits crypto first. Always.
📉 Stocks pull back
🪙 Crypto drops harder
🥇 Gold & silver rally as safe havens
Bitcoin is no longer moving independently it’s reacting to rates, geopolitics, and cross-market stress.
But the real weight this week? Institutional money is stepping back.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. saw $1.22 BILLION in outflows through Thursday — the biggest weekly withdrawal wave since November. That’s not retail panic. That’s big capital reducing exposure.
Less ETF demand = less structural buying support.
Put it together and the picture is clear:
⚠️ Liquidity tightening
⚠️ Bond yields rising
⚠️ Institutional flows turning negative
BTC isn’t crashing randomly. It’s responding to a global shift in capital flows.
Until liquidity conditions improve, rallies may stay short-lived and volatility stays king.
XForceGlobal characterized the current market structure as a corrective phase within a bullish trend, suggesting it's establishing a new support level rather than a downturn. He pointed out the standoff between buyers and sellers, which is creating a new price floor. He stressed the sideways nature of the market: "They're not meant to go anywhere, really. Marketplaces always go through expansions and contractions."
The expert noted that prolonged consolidation wears down both sides, "psychologically eliminating even the leverage traders over time, not just in terms of price." He believes most traders are emotionally spent by the time the flat period resolves, which is imminent.
Positioning has largely been smoothed out, and the way forward is now unmistakable.
XForceGlobal pinpointed the flat as a three-part A-B-C Elliott Wave pattern. Waves A and B played out as corrective "three-wave" moves, while wave C represented impulsive "five-wave" advances. He noted that the market has ceased its drift, now demanding a resolution in this final phase. "Wave C needs to be impulsive because it settles the score for waves A and B," he explained. "It's not a continuation of a larger downward move." He linked impulsiveness to a sense of urgency and follow-through when one side "concedes defeat," thus clearing the range established by earlier legs.
That distinction is key for positioning, given his base case anticipates one more major downturn before a rally. In a "expanded flat" scenario, where wave B exceeds the prior high, he anticipates a local structural break "once" before the market shifts upward. He observed that $1.70 could be breached without invalidating the setup, provided broader support holds.
His upside targets, linked to the duration of consolidation, were higher levels "in this current cycle." "The longer we distribute here, the higher the targets are going to be," he stated, adding that his personal goal is $15 .
Bears Prepare Another Lower Push and XRP Price Signals Trouble
XRP fell below $1.920. The price is stabilizing and may fall more if it stays below $1.980.
Below $1.920, XRP fell again.
The price is below $1.9250 and the 100-hour SMA.
The hourly XRP/USD chart shows two bearish trend lines with resistance at $1.95 and $2.00.
XRP fell like Bitcoin and Ethereum after failing to remain above $2.00. Price fell below $1.950 and $1.9350 into a short-term negative zone.
Price dropped below $1.920. After hitting $1.90, the price is consolidating losses. Recovery occurred above $1.9120. The price crossed the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the decline from the $1.987 swing high to the $1.90 low, but bears persisted.
The price is below $1.950 and the 100-hour SMA. If there is a new upward advance, the price may encounter resistance between $1.9450 and the 50% Fib retracement level of the bearish move from $1.987 swing high to $1.90 low. The hourly chart shows two negative trend lines with resistance at $1.95 and $2.00.
First big barrier is about $2.00 and the second trend line. Close over $2.00 might drive price to $2.050. The next obstacle is $2.10. A clean break over $2.10 might push the market above $2.120. More advances might push pricing toward $2.150 barrier. The bulls may face a severe test at $2.20.
Downside Break? If XRP fails to break $1.95 barrier, it might fall again. The downside has first support at $1.90. Near $1.870 is the next important support.
If the price breaks down and closes below $1.870, it may fall to $1.8480. The price might fall to $1.7880 below the next key support at $1.820.
Ethereum's price action shows a slight recovery from the $2,865 mark. It's currently working through a period of consolidation, and a move above $3,050 could signal a potential rebound.
The price has been hovering just under $3,050.
Currently, it's trading below $3,040 and the 100-hour simple moving average.
ETH/USD managed to break out of a contracting triangle, overcoming resistance at $2,950 on the hourly chart.
Ethereum, like Bitcoin, faced a setback after reaching $3,050. ETH then entered a bearish phase, dipping below $3,000 and $2,920.
The bears then pushed the price down past $2,880. After hitting $2,865, the price is now holding steady, digesting its losses. The downward move from the $3,365 peak to the $2,865 low saw a slight bounce at the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level.
Furthermore, ETH/USD has cleared a contracting triangle on the hourly chart, with resistance near $2,950. Ethereum has dipped below $3,040 and the 100-hour simple moving average. Should the bulls manage to keep the price above $2,900, a recovery could be in the cards.
Immediate resistance is found around $3,050. The first major hurdle is the 50% Fibonacci retracement level of the bearish move from the $3,365 high to the $2,865 low, situated at $3,110. Following that, around $3,175, is the next significant resistance. A decisive break above $3,175 could see the price climb past $3,220.
A breach of $3,220 might open the door to further gains in the days ahead. Ether could be headed for a jump, possibly reaching $3,280 or even $3,300 shortly.
Could ETH Take Another Dip? Ethereum's price could retreat again if it can't surpass the $3,050 mark. The initial support level on the downside is roughly $2,910. Significant support is anticipated around $2,880.
A decisive move below $2,880 could see the market slide beneath $2,865. Further declines might bring the price closer to $2,820. The key support level is likely $2,750.
Cryptocurrency "whales" purchase volatility as regular investors pull back
Bitcoin's swift descent from $97,000 to $87,000 within a matter of days has rattled the market, leaving bulls on the back foot. This downturn coincided with a surge in geopolitical friction between the US and EU this week, marked by renewed trade-war talk and uncertainty surrounding potential retaliatory measures,
Despite this negative sentiment, on-chain data suggests the market structure is changing, not disintegrating. Bitcoin whales have been quietly accumulating spot supply during these corrective periods since January, even as price movements have slowed.
Meanwhile, retail investors appear to be pulling back in the wake of the price drop, resulting in decreased market activity and participation.
Smaller traders often get spooked by short-term fluctuations, while larger investors see volatility as an opportunity to buy in at lower prices.
Bitcoin's price is currently finding its footing in a critical psychological zone, but we'll need to see a resurgence in demand to determine if this is just a temporary dip or the beginning of a more significant decline.
Bitcoin Battles to Maintain $90K as Whales Accumulate
Bitcoin is striving to stay above $90,000 as volatility increases and traders seek stability after the recent price drop. Price movements have become more sensitive to macroeconomic news, and the $90K psychological level could be the key to whether the market consolidates or continues to fall.
Conversely, major holders have been increasing their exposure, which supports the notion that the current phase is one of structural accumulation rather than widespread distribution. This is significant because persistent whale purchasing during market dips suggests a less robust supply absorption, which in turn reduces the chances of a sell-off triggered by spot sellers.
Despite market turbulence, whale confidence remains intact. Unlike typical investors who tend to cut back during periods of volatility
Circle's stablecoin sector is experiencing 40% growth, and the company doesn't see banks as rivals
Jeremy Allaire, Circle's CEO, described a 40% compound annual growth rate as a "reasonable baseline."
He noted that banks have advanced from initial trials to widespread implementation.
Allaire dismissed the idea that banks or payment companies pose a threat.
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire also anticipates a 40% compound annual growth rate as a "reasonable baseline" for the stablecoin market.
The stablecoin sector, Allaire explained to CNBC Squawk Box at Davos on Thursday, is at a turning point, with institutional adoption shifting from pilot programs to full-scale deployments across the financial landscape.
Allaire noted a significant shift in how traditional banks are approaching stablecoins. "Banks have progressed from testing to real-world deployment," he stated, pointing to major financial players integrating stablecoins into their payment and treasury operations.
Circle believes payment providers and banks can coexist. Allaire explained that Circle doesn't see banks or payment processors as competitors within the stablecoin space. He likened Circle's function to constructing neutral infrastructure, enabling institutions to improve their offerings without directly competing with them. This positions USDC as a utility layer, accessible to banks, payment processors, and fintech companies without Circle vying for their customers.
Allaire's projection of 40% growth underscores the stablecoin sector's current momentum and its inherent advantages over traditional payment systems. He pointed to the increasing need for quick settlement, constant availability, and the programmability of money features that existing systems struggle to provide.
The stablecoin market, now valued at $300 billion, has expanded due to applications in cross-border payments, decentralized finance, and corporate treasury management.
Circle's positive outlook implies that legal clarity and institutional adoption will continue to bolster the stablecoin ecosystem through 2026 and beyond.
Positive indicators are emerging for Dogecoin (DOGE), though the recovery remains delicate
Dogecoin's resurgence started above $0.120 against the US Dollar. The cryptocurrency might find it challenging to surpass the $0.1280 mark.
Since hitting $0.1150, DOGE has climbed above $0.120.
The price remains below $0.130 and the 100-hour simple moving average.
On the hourly chart, DOGE/USD broke through a bearish trend line, encountering resistance at $0.1240.
Dogecoin, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, saw a rebound from the $0.1150 level. DOGE then broke through the $0.1180 and $0.120 barriers.
Following a decline from the $0.1512 swing high to the $0.1154 low, prices have moved above the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement line. Furthermore, the DOGE/USD hourly chart also broke above a bearish trend line, facing resistance around $0.1240.
Dogecoin is currently below $0.130 and the 100-hourly SMA. Should a further rally occur, immediate upward resistance is at $0.1260. Bulls could encounter initial resistance at $0.1285.
The immediate hurdle is $0.1330, a key 50% Fibonacci retracement of the drop from the $0.1512 peak to the $0.1154 low. A close above $0.1330 could see prices move towards $0.1420. Further gains might then push the price towards $0.150. Bulls could encounter resistance at $0.1550.
Could DOGE See Another Decline?
DOGE could keep falling if it can't surpass $0.1280. Initial bearish support sits at $0.1230. The next significant support level is near $0.120.
The primary support level is $0.1150. A break below $0.1150 could lead to further declines. The price might then drop to $0.1080 or even $0.1050 in the near term.
Crypto is about to explode and most people still don’t see it. 💣🚀
Gold, silver, and risk-on equities are smashing new ATHs 🏆📈 that’s not random, that’s capital warming up.
Next stop? Crypto. ⛓️💥
Liquidity never sleeps. It rotates. And when disbelief is loud, timelines are bearish, and confidence is low… that’s usually when alt season kicks the door in. 😶🌫️➡️🔥
By the time everyone agrees, the move is already gone.
This is how it always starts. 👀⚡
$SENT $DUSK $FOGO
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