Bitcoin (BTC) is looking like the loser versus gold as precious metals top new all-time highs Monday. Key points: Bitcoin is not the debasement trade after years of losses against gold, analysis concludes. As precious metals hit all-time highs, BTC price action fails to rebound. Gold starts grilling the S&P 500, potentially shifting a years-old…
Recent turmoil in Venezuela and Iran has again put the spotlight on the duality of stablecoins, with the US dollar-backed assets such as Tether acting as both a savior for embattled citizens and a tool for blacklisted entities to evade sanctions. Both Venezuela and Iran have been catching headlines at the beginning of 2026 amid…
The price of Ether (ETH), the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum layer-1 blockchain network, bottomed out in April 2025, and its price action mirrors the 2019 cycle, according to market analyst Michaël Van De Poppe. A surge in stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), which are traditional or physical assets represented as tokens on a blockchain,…
CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju has criticized X for suppressing crypto-related posts while failing to rein in a surge of automated spam, arguing that the platform is punishing legitimate users instead of addressing the underlying bot problem. In a Sunday post on X, Ju pointed to a sharp spike in automated activity tied to the…
The Bitcoin (BTC) network mining difficulty, the relative computing challenge of adding a new block to the decentralized blockchain ledger, fell slightly to 146.4 trillion on Thursday, in the first difficulty adjustment of 2026. “The next Bitcoin difficulty adjustment is estimated to take place on Jan 22, 2026, 04:08:12 AM UTC, increasing the Bitcoin mining…
Betterment has warned users to disregard a crypto promotion message that circulated on Friday, describing it as an unauthorized notification that was sent through a third-party system. The incident surfaced after multiple users reported receiving a message that appeared to promote a limited-time cryptocurrency offer. Screenshots shared on Reddit showed the notification urging recipients to…
Crypto remains a key technology for maintaining America’s technological edge, according to a16z, which has raised another $15 billion to back American-aligned tech investments. Tech-focused venture capital firm Andreessen “a16z” Horowitz said it raised over $15 billion to invest in companies and technologies it sees as critical to secure America’s future and win the next…
Cryptocurrency markets experienced a limited recovery this week as investor liquidity gradually returned after the holidays. Bitcoin (BTC) topped a weekly high of $94,458 on Monday, before declining to about $90,937 at the time of writing on Friday. US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) demand saw a sharp reversal after $1.1 billion in inflows on…
Financial authorities in the United Kingdom set a timeline for a new crypto licensing regime, requiring aspiring companies to seek full authorization before the framework comes into force. Crypto asset service providers (CASPs) will be able to apply to enter the UK under the crypto licensing regime starting this autumn, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)…
Nexo has launched a zero-interest crypto lending product that allows Bitcoin and Ether holders to borrow against their assets through fixed-term loans. According to a company announcement, the product, called Zero-interest Credit, offers fixed-term loans for users who hold Bitcoin (BTC) and ETH (ETH), with repayment conditions set in advance. Loans are settled at maturity and…
