Month: January 2026

Kazakhstan President Signs Laws Regulating Digital Assets

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Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed legislation establishing a framework to regulate digital assets, including cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). Tokayev signed the laws “On Banks and Banking Activities” and “On Amendments and Supplements to Certain Legislative Acts on the Regulation and Development of the Financial Market, Communications, and Bankruptcy,” according to a government statement. The rules introduce a classification for digital assets, including stablecoins, assets backed by financial instruments and property, and financial instruments issued in electronic digital form. The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) will act as a key…

Crypto Markets Shed Over $100B as These Alts Plunge by Double Digits: Market Watch

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SUI is among the poorest performers today. Following a rather untypical trading weekend in which geopolitical tensions skyrocketed, BTC’s price tumbled by several grand on Monday morning to just under $92,000. Most larger-cap alts have followed suit with even more painful declines. ETH is down to $3,200, XRP is below $2.00, while XMR and ICP have defied the downturn with impressive gains. BTC Dipped Below $92K The primary cryptocurrency rallied at the beginning of the previous business week and peaked on Wednesday when it tapped a multi-month high of…

CertiK Traces $63M in Tornado Cash Funds to $282M Crypto Hack

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Roughly $63 million in Tornado Cash deposits has been linked to the $282 million cryptocurrency wallet compromise of Jan. 10. Blockchain security firm CertiK said in a Monday X post that its monitoring systems identified Tornado Cash interactions tied to the exploit.  The update expands on the post-theft money laundering mechanics of the Jan. 10 incident, which is being tracked by multiple crypto investigators due to the amount lost and the speed at which funds were moved. Source: CertiK CertiK diagram maps the laundering path According to CertiK’s analysis, a…

Hong Kong Lobby Seeks Softer CARF, CRS Penalty Rules

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The Hong Kong Securities & Futures Professionals Association (HKSFPA) has urged the city’s government to soften some elements of its planned implementation of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) crypto reporting standards. The industry body warned that the OECD’s Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and related Common Reporting Standard (CRS) amendments could saddle local institutions with operational and liability risks. CARF is a new standard for automatic tax information exchange for crypto asset users across borders, while CRS is the OECD’s existing automatic information exchange regime for traditional…

Bitcoin’s New Tariff Battle May Take BTC Back to $80,000

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Bitcoin (BTC) takes a beating as the new week begins with markets held hostage by global trade tariff uncertainty. Bitcoin dips below $92,000, but traders warn that a much deeper support retest is on the horizon. Tariffs take center stage again as analysis agrees that conditions will likely get worse before the risk-asset bull run continues. Gold and silver take the opportunity to make fresh all-time highs, but faith that Bitcoin will copy them remains. US macro data is due for release as Fed rate cuts fade into the background.…

Why Is Ripple’s Price Down Today and What’s Next for XRP?

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XRP is further away from BNB in terms of market cap. Ripple’s native cross-border token joined the rest of the cryptocurrency market in an early Monday morning price correction, dropping below $2.00 for the first time since January 2. Moreover, the token plunged to its lowest price since the start of the year at $1.84 before recovering some of the losses to the current $1.97. This means that the asset had dumped by over 23% since its January 6 high of $2.41. XRPUSD Jan 19. Source: TradingView Naturally, the…

Pi Network Price Slips Toward All-Time Lows

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PI has dumped by over 7% in the past 24 hours. After weeks of stagnation when it seemed that Pi Network’s native token is immute to any market moves in either direction, the asset has plummeted hard in the past 12 hours or so. The most obvious reason is not related to anything within the Pi Network ecosystem. Instead, all eyes are focused on the escalating tension between the US and the EU, where the POTUS announced a new set of 10% tariffs against eight countries as he is…

4 Things That Could Further Rattle Crypto Markets in Week Ahead

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Crypto markets have already started the week with a massive dose of volatility following the escalation of trade wars between the United States and the European Union.  Markets are reacting this morning to European retaliation to Donald Trump’s trade tariff announcement over the weekend. Crypto markets have tanked 3% over the past few hours, shedding $115 billion in a fall to $3.21 trillion, largely led by Bitcoin, which fell below $92,000 on some exchanges. Trump’s announcement of 10% tariffs on eight countries in Europe triggered an emergency meeting of EU…

Why Wrench Attacks Are Becoming Crypto’s Most Violent Crime

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In January 2025, French authorities freed Ledger co-founder David Balland after kidnappers demanded a large ransom in cryptocurrency. The case illustrated what crypto crime can look like when it leaves the screen and becomes a physical hostage situation. In fact, crypto-related disputes and theft are increasingly linked to real-world violence, including abduction attempts and ransom schemes designed to force victims to hand over access. That is the logic of a wrench attack. Instead of hacking a wallet, criminals use threats or force to make the holder unlock it or send…

Ethereum’s “Walkaway Test”: Why Quantum Readiness Matters

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What is the “walkaway test?” Vitalik Buterin’s “walkaway test” is a way to assess Ethereum’s long-term credibility. The network is intended to remain secure and functional even if its core developers were to stop actively upgrading it. In a recent analogy, Buterin suggested that a protocol should resemble a tool you own, such as a hammer, rather than a service that gradually degrades if the “vendor” loses interest or becomes constrained by external pressures. The end state he points to is an Ethereum that could “ossify if we want to,”…