Month: January 2026

DeFi Technologies UK Subsidiary Gets Regulatory Approval for ETPs

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Valour, the UK subsidiary of digital asset company DeFi Technologies, has secured regulatory approval to offer crypto exchange-traded products to retail investors on the London Stock Exchange. In a Monday notice, DeFi Technologies said the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) had approved Valour’s exchange-traded products tied to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) staking. The offerings, called 1Valour Bitcoin Physical Staking and 1Valour Ethereum Physical Staking, began trading on the London Stock Exchange on Monday. “The UK is one of the world’s most important financial markets, and these approvals broaden our…

VanEck Launches US-listed Avalanche ETF

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Global asset manager VanEck has launched a US-listed exchange-traded product offering exposure to Avalanche’s native token, AVAX (AVAX), marking the first spot Avalanche ETF to trade in the United States. According to Monday’s announcement, the product is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, though it may be subject to other US securities laws. The fund will trade under the ticker VAVX, tracking the price of Avalanche’s AVAX token and potentially generating returns through staking. VanEck said it will waive sponsor fees on the ETF’s first $500 million…

VanEck launches first ever AVAX ETF in the US

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VanEck launched the VanEck Avalanche ETF on Monday under ticker VAVX, offering US investors exchange traded exposure to Avalanche token AVAX with the potential for staking rewards reflected in fund performance. According to the prospectus, VAVX is expected to list on Nasdaq under existing generic listing standards, allowing the product to come to market without a separate SEC rule change filing. The trust is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is designed to passively track the price of AVAX alongside staking returns. VanEck said it is…

Gold’s Digital Rally Signals Dollar Stress as Tokenized Gold Surges

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The market for tokenized gold is expanding in step with rising demand for physical bullion, highlighting a broader shift toward traditional safe-haven assets as geopolitical tensions and trade uncertainty push investors away from the US dollar. On Monday, Tether said its Tether Gold (XAUt) now represents more than half of the entire gold-backed stablecoin market, with a total value exceeding $2.2 billion. Tether disclosed that 520,089 XAUt tokens were in circulation at the end of the fourth quarter, with each token backed one-for-one by physical gold held in reserve. Tether…

Tether dominates $4B gold-backed stablecoin market as gold tops $5100

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Tether said today that it is at the forefront of tokenized gold products as demand for onchain exposure to physical bullion continues to grow. Its gold-backed stablecoin XAU₮ has surpassed $2.2 billion in market capitalization, representing more than half of the total tokenized gold market, which now stands slightly above $4 billion. The growth reflects rising interest from both institutional and retail investors seeking safe-haven assets that remain fully onchain. Gold prices have surged rapidly since late September 2025, with bullion recently trading near the $5,100 per ounce level. Geopolitical…

Will Bulls Buy The Dip?

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Key points: Bitcoin is attempting a recovery, but higher levels are likely to attract solid selling by the bears. Several major altcoins are at risk of breaking below their support levels. Bitcoin (BTC) bounced off the $86,000 level, but the bulls are struggling to sustain the higher levels. That shows selling on rallies. Although analysts are divided about the near-term prospects of BTC, Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao said in an interview with CNBC that BTC could witness a super cycle in the next 12 months. In contrast, Bloomberg Intelligence strategist…

Silver surges past $115/oz as gold extends rally toward $5100

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Silver posts double digit gains as momentum buying and tight supply drive precious metals higher. Silver surged to a fresh record above $115/oz today, rising nearly 12% and sharply outperforming gold and most risk assets. The precious and industrial metal has been lifted by tight physical supply, strong retail participation, and momentum-driven buying. Analysts noted that Chinese silver prices are trading at a premium to London benchmarks, signaling further near-term upside, though elevated prices could eventually weigh on industrial demand. Gold followed with continued strength, reinforcing its role as a…

Tezos completes Tallinn upgrade, cutting app storage costs by up to 100x

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Tezos has successfully activated its Tallinn protocol upgrade following a decentralized, on-chain governance process involving bakers and community members. Developed by Nomadic Labs, Trilitech, and Functori, the 20th upgrade shortens block times, strengthens network security by expanding validator participation, and introduces an address indexing system that considerably reduces storage costs for developers. As noted by the team, the 20th upgrade reduces layer 1 block times to six seconds, improves finality, and strengthens security through universal validator attestations using BLS signatures. “Adapting to market demand 20 times over 7 years without…

Microsoft rolls out Maia 200 AI chip to reduce reliance on Nvidia

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Microsoft is rolling out its second-generation AI chip, the Maia 200, as the company seeks to improve efficiency across its cloud and AI services while reducing dependence on Nvidia hardware. The processor is being manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and deployed to Microsoft data centers in Iowa, with additional rollouts planned for the Phoenix area. Some of the first chips will be allocated to Microsoft’s superintelligence team to generate data for future AI model development, cloud and AI chief Scott Guthrie said in a blog post. The Maia 200 will…

XRP Price Could Consolidate for Longer Before a ‘Liftoff’ to $10

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XRP (XRP) may see another sharp rise to a double-digit price, but similar market setups in 2022 and 2017 pointed to an extended consolidation period before this happens. Key takeaways: XRP macro setup targets $10, but an extended consolidation is required before any sharp liftoff. XRP holds strong $1.80–$2 support since Dec 2024, which has historically produced 35%-90% price rebounds. Onchain data suggest XRP is at levels that have previously preceded sideways price action.  XRP’s needs “longer accumulation” before rebound XRP defended the $1.78–$2 support band that it has held…