Month: January 2026

Citrea Bitcoin Rollup Launches Mainnet, ctUSD Stablecoin

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Founders Fund and Galaxy Ventures-backed Bitcoin zero-knowledge rollup (ZK-rollup) Citrea launched its mainnet on Tuesday with BTC collateral lending, BTC-structured products and a new US dollar stablecoin, ctUSD.  The launch is aimed at turning what Citrea calls “economically idle” Bitcoin (BTC) into base collateral for decentralized finance (DeFi) and payments, while anchoring more of that activity to Bitcoin’s base layer. The team expects active DeFi liquidity to reach $50 million in the first few weeks, with BTC lending, BTC-structured products, and decentralized trading already live from day one. The mainnet…

Ex-Coinbase, Airbnb execs launch programmable stablecoin platform for fintechs, enterprises

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Dakota, a stablecoin-focused neobank founded by veterans of Coinbase, Square, and Airbnb, has launched a platform that allows fintechs and enterprises to embed regulated, programmable global money movement via APIs. Cross-border money movement remains slow and expensive, and while stablecoins offer speed, adoption has been limited by regulatory and operational challenges. Dakota wants to address this by providing infrastructure that works across jurisdictions and rails, unlocking scalable global payments. The platform enables companies to offer payments, treasury, and payouts using stablecoins directly in their products, bridging digital assets with real-world…

Metaplanet targets $137M capital raise to expand Bitcoin holdings

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Metaplanet, Japan’s first publicly listed Bitcoin treasury firm, is raising $137 million through a new stock offering and warrants to expand its Bitcoin holdings, the company announced via its official X account. *Notice Regarding Issuance of New Shares and 25th Series Stock Acquisition Rights through Third-Party Allotment* pic.twitter.com/upB0YnvaXT — Metaplanet Inc. (@Metaplanet) January 29, 2026 The funds will also be used to expand the company’s Bitcoin Income business and partially repay its Credit Facility borrowings, thereby maintaining borrowing capacity for future initiatives. Metaplanet has diversified beyond its original hotel management…

Bitcoin Could Catch Up to Gold’s Rally Due to These Key Differences

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Bitcoin has been called “digital gold,” and some of its key properties may help BTC rally more than the precious metal in percentage terms. Bitcoin (BTC) has vastly underperformed gold (XAU) in the past year, dropping by 13.25% compared with the precious metal’s almost 100% rally. Can BTC catch up to gold’s gains? Key takeaways: Bitcoin’s supply is capped at 21 million, with roughly 1 million left to be mined. Gold miners increase production when prices rise, unlike Bitcoin miners. Bitcoin’s small size versus gold amplifies any potential upside even…

Bank of England to prioritize systemic stablecoins and tokenised collateral policy in 2026

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The Bank of England will focus on advancing a systemic stablecoins regime, setting out policy clarity on tokenised collateral under UK EMIR, and broadening the scope of the Digital Securities Sandbox in 2026, according to Sasha Mills, the bank’s Executive Director for Financial Market Infrastructure. Speaking at the Tokenisation Summit, Mills said the coming year would be “fundamental in shaping the UK’s digital financial future.” “We have the opportunity to build truly holistic digital financial markets in the UK, bringing real benefits to the real economy,” Mills said. Under the…

Analysts Say This Must Happen for Bitcoin to Take Out $90K Resistance

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Bitcoin’s (BTC) pre-FOMC rally on Wednesday stalled at $90,000 amid stiff overhead resistance and weak ETF demand. Still, several data points suggested that upward momentum may increase once the BTC/USD pair breaks above $93,000. Key takeaways: BTC bulls must flip the $90,000-$93,000 range into new support. Spot ETF outflows are stabilizing, suggesting a reduction in institutional sell pressure. Bitcoin price must reclaim $93,000 as support The BTC/USD dropped into a new range between $86,000 and $90,000, where it has been stuck since Jan. 20. “Bitcoin is back to retesting $86,000-$87,000…

OSL Group Raises $200M to Expand Stablecoin, Payments Business

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OSL Group has raised $200 million in equity financing as it steps up plans to expand its stablecoin trading and payment businesses globally. The Hong Kong–listed digital asset company said the capital injection will strengthen its balance sheet and support growth across regulated digital payment and settlement services, according to a Thursday announcement. “The market has strongly validated OSL Group’s strategic positioning within the stablecoin and payment space,” chief financial officer Ivan Wong said. “This financing round will allow us to welcome more like-minded strategic and long-term investors,” he added.…

Solana Validators Drop 68% From 2023 Peak

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Solana’s validator count has fallen dramatically over the past three years, raising concerns about the blockchain network’s decentralization as the economics of running a node squeezes out smaller operators. The number of Solana validators fell 68% to 795 as of Wednesday, from a peak of 2,560 validator nodes in March 2023, according to Solanacompass data. Validators are responsible for adding new blocks and verifying transactions in proposed blocks, playing a vital role in the operations of the decentralized ledger. While some of the decline reflects the removal of inactive or…

Pundit Says XRP Price Is Not A ‘Crypto’ Question, But A Systemically Important Liquidity Asset

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A crypto analyst has provided a new update on the XRP price, highlighting its role as a systemically important liquidity asset. According to the pundit, its price dynamics go beyond the typical crypto speculation, emphasizing its value as a foundational financial tool for global liquidity, settlement, and treasury management.  XRP Price Signals Value Beyond Crypto Speculation On January 27, crypto analyst and investor Rob Cunningham shared a new take on the XRP price that challenges conventional crypto thinking. He emphasized that the question of XRP’s value is not primarily about…

Metaplanet Greenlights $137M Overseas Capital Raise

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Tokyo-listed Bitcoin-focused company Metaplanet approved an overseas capital raise of as much as $137 million, combining new common shares and stock acquisition rights as it looks to expand its Bitcoin holdings and reduce debt.  In a Thursday filing, Metaplanet said it plans to issue 24.5 million common shares at 499 Japanese yen per share, raising about 12.24 billion yen ($78 million) upfront. It also approved the issuance of 159,440 stock acquisition rights, representing up to 15.9 million additional shares, which could raise about $56 million if exercised.  The warrants give…