At this time’s high information highlights:
The President of Belarus signed a decree allowing the establishment of cryptocurrency banks.
Bitmine plans to invest $200 million in MrBeast’s Beast Industries.
Kaito will gradually phase out Yaps and its incentivized leaderboards, and launch Kaito Studio.
Binance Alpha will launch a token rollout today at 6 PM, with a minimum investment of 242 points.
Gemini co-founders Winklevoss brothers still hold $1.25 billion worth of Bitcoin.
Regulatory information
The President of Belarus signed a decree allowing the establishment of cryptocurrency banks.
On January 16, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 19, “On A number of Points Regarding the Regulation of Cryptocurrency Banks and Digital Tokens.” This decree goals to solidify the nation’s picture as a pacesetter in monetary data know-how and to create circumstances for the operation of “cryptocurrency banks” throughout the nation.
In accordance to the legislation, a “crypto financial institution” is outlined as a joint-stock firm approved to conduct enterprise utilizing digital tokens, whereas concurrently partaking in banking, funds, and different associated monetary operations. To enter the market, a crypto financial institution have to be a resident enterprise of a high-tech industrial park and be listed on the Nationwide Financial institution’s crypto financial institution registration listing. In conducting enterprise, it should adjust to the regulatory necessities relevant to non-bank credit score monetary establishments and implement the resolutions of the high-tech industrial park’s supervisory board.
Just lately, Chen Zhi, the top of a serious cross-border playing and fraud crime syndicate, was extradited from Cambodia again to China. Chen Zhi’s prison syndicate is suspected of a number of crimes, together with fraud, working casinos, unlawful enterprise operations, and concealing prison proceeds. The case is at the moment underneath investigation. So as to implement the precept of mixing leniency with severity in prison coverage, punish playing and fraud crimes in accordance to legislation, and on the similar time give fugitive suspects a chance to reform and search lenient therapy, the next discover is hereby issued in accordance with related legal guidelines: From the date of this discover till February 15, 2026, suspects who voluntarily give up to the general public safety organs and in truth confess their crimes could also be given a lighter or decreased punishment in accordance to legislation. Those that threaten, retaliate in opposition to, or hinder suspects intending to give up can be held criminally liable in accordance to legislation. The general public safety organs urge related suspects to acknowledge the state of affairs, cherish the chance, and give up themselves to the general public safety organs of their place of residence as quickly as doable to search lenient therapy. Those that refuse to give up can be publicly needed by the general public safety organs, and can be apprehended with all efforts and punished in accordance to legislation.
Challenge Updates
Google introduced that it’s going to take strict measures in South Korea beginning January twenty eighth to take away abroad cryptocurrency trade apps that aren’t registered with native monetary regulators. In accordance to Google’s up to date “Cryptocurrency Exchanges and Software program Wallets Policy,” builders concentrating on the South Korean market should submit proof of their registration as a digital asset service supplier with a monetary intelligence company. This can be a obligatory removing normal; apps that don’t meet the necessities can be unavailable for search or obtain on the South Korean Google Play Retailer. This transfer is predicted to straight affect abroad exchanges extensively utilized by South Korean traders, reminiscent of KuCoin and MEXC, which aren’t formally registered.
In accordance to Bitcoin Journal, KBC Group, Belgium’s second-largest financial institution, introduced that it’s going to provide Bitcoin and Ethereum buying and selling providers to retail purchasers by its on-line funding platform Bolero, changing into the primary financial institution within the nation to provide such providers. The service is scheduled to launch the week of February sixteenth and can function throughout the regulatory framework of the EU’s Crypto Asset Markets Regulation (MiCA).
KBC acknowledged that it has submitted a full notification to regulators concerning its function as a crypto asset service supplier. The service will function on an “execution-only” mannequin, requiring clients to make their very own choices and full a danger data and expertise take a look at earlier than buying and selling. To mitigate fraud and cash laundering dangers, the platform employs a “closed-loop” mannequin, permitting clients to purchase and promote solely throughout the Bolero platform and stopping asset transfers to exterior wallets or exchanges. Custody providers are offered by a financial institution.
In accordance to Cointelegraph, Newrez, a serious U.S. lending establishment, introduced plans to acknowledge crypto belongings for mortgage lending within the U.S. beginning in February, with out requiring them to be transformed into money.
Kaito AI founder Yu Hu offered supplementary data concerning the announcement of “taking Yaps and the motivation leaderboard offline.” Concerning the timeline: his workforce first acquired an electronic mail from the X platform account supervisor on January thirteenth a few doable reassessment, and issued a authorized response the identical day after receiving formal authorized notification; on January fifteenth, the workforce and the general public concurrently noticed the general public assertion from Nikita Bier, the X product supervisor.
Concerning the explanation for not issuing any prior announcement, Yu Hu defined that this was not the primary time that they had acquired authorized notices from the X platform. The earlier challenge was resolved amicably by a brand new company settlement. Subsequently, the workforce selected to watch for additional clarification and communication slightly than rapidly issuing an announcement. Yu Hu additionally acknowledged that the brand new Kaito Studio platform had been in preparation for a number of months and was initially deliberate as a complement to the Yaps mannequin. With the closure of Yaps, Kaito Studio will change into the core of the cross-platform enterprise in 2026, whereas different companies will stay unaffected.
Beforehand, X announced the cancellation of post rewards and banned “InfoFi” type apps from attracting users by rewarding posting behavior ; subsequently, Kaito announced that it would gradually shut down Yaps and the incentivized leaderboard and launch Kaito Studio .
Binance Alpha will launch a token rollout today at 6 PM, with a minimum investment of 242 points.
In accordance to the official announcement, Binance Alpha will listing RollX (ROLL), and Alpha buying and selling will start on January 16, 2026 at 18:00 (UTC+8). Customers holding not less than 242 Binance Alpha Factors can declare an airdrop of 355 ROLL tokens on a first-come, first-served foundation. If the reward pool isn’t totally allotted, the factors threshold will robotically lower by 5 factors each 5 minutes. Please be aware that claiming the airdrop will eat 15 Binance Alpha Factors. Customers should affirm their declare on the Alpha occasion web page inside 24 hours; in any other case, they are going to be thought of to have forfeited their airdrop declare.
An independent miner successfully mined block 932373, receiving a block reward of 3.157 BTC.
In accordance to Mempool information, at 20:20 Beijing time on January 15, an impartial Bitcoin miner efficiently mined block 932373, receiving a block reward of three.157 BTC, price roughly $304,800.
In accordance to BeInCrypto, sources acquainted with the matter stated that Polygon lately applied a large-scale inside layoff, with roughly 30% of its staff being laid off this week. On social media, a number of Polygon staff and ecosystem members have posted bulletins of exits or workforce adjustments. These layoffs happen after Polygon’s strategic shift in the direction of stablecoin funds and the completion of its $250 million acquisition of Coinme and Sequence. Kurt Patat, Head of Communications at Polygon Labs, confirmed that the layoffs are a part of the post-acquisition workforce integration measures, and the corporate’s whole headcount is predicted to stay steady. Associated studying: Polygon invests $250 million to full its puzzle; POL token’s deflationary development usheres in a “yr of rebirth”.
MetaMask has officially integrated the Tron network, supporting native TRX and USDT operations.
In accordance to The Block, MetaMask now natively helps the Tron community in cellular and browser plugin wallets, permitting customers to straight handle TRX and its DeFi purposes, ship USDT, stake TRX, and work together with native Tron dApps.
CME Group will launch ADA, LINK and XLM futures on February 9.
CME Group introduced that it’s going to launch Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM) futures contracts on February 9, protecting normal and micro contracts, pending regulatory approval.
Bitmine plans to invest $200 million in MrBeast’s Beast Industries.
In accordance to PRNewswire, Bitmine Immersion Applied sciences (NYSE: BMNR) introduced a $200 million funding in Beast Industries, with the deal anticipated to shut on January 19.
Evaluation & Opinions
In accordance to Cointelegraph, researchers at cybersecurity agency Group-IB have found {that a} ransomware program referred to as “DeadLock” is utilizing the Polygon sensible contract to conceal itself and rotate proxy addresses. First found final July, the ransomware dynamically updates the command and management infrastructure addresses used to talk with victims by calling particular sensible contracts. As soon as a sufferer is contaminated and their information is encrypted, DeadLock sends a ransom be aware threatening to promote the stolen information if its calls for usually are not met.
Researchers level out that storing proxy addresses on-chain makes its infrastructure extraordinarily troublesome to compromise as a result of there isn’t any central server that may be shut down, and blockchain information is completely saved on nodes worldwide. This methodology of abusing sensible contracts to cross proxy addresses is very variable. Though DeadLock at the moment has low visibility and a restricted variety of identified victims, its novel assault strategies nonetheless pose a possible risk to organizations that haven’t taken it severely.
In accordance to crypto KOL “vasucrypto”, an handle beginning with 0x049A, related to the Kaito workforce, transferred 5 million KAITO tokens to Binance seven days in the past, probably on the market.
In response, one other crypto KOL, “Crypto Fearless,” commented: “The Kaito workforce shipped over $5 million price of tokens seven days upfront. Throughout their communication with Twitter to cancel the API, the workforce knew concerning the adverse information and offered off their holdings forward of time. As well as, the unlocking of Kaito staking additionally reached a peak previously few days. Concerning the workforce’s prior data of the information, this was additionally talked about within the announcement by Kaito founder Yu Hu, who communicated with Twitter.”
In accordance to Cointelegraph, Financial institution of America CEO Brian Moynihan warned in an earnings name that interest-bearing stablecoins may siphon up to $6 trillion in deposits from the U.S. banking system if issuers are allowed to pay curiosity.
Moynihan, citing analysis cited by the U.S. Treasury Division, factors out that a considerable amount of financial institution deposits could also be diverted to stablecoins due to such merchandise. He states that these merchandise will function extra like cash market mutual funds, with funds held in money, central financial institution reserves, or short-term Treasury bonds slightly than used for lending. He believes this layer migration will shrink the dimensions of financial institution deposits, thereby weakening credit score provide capability, notably impacting small and medium-sized enterprises that rely extra on financial institution loans than capital markets, and probably driving up general borrowing prices.
Cathie Wood: Bitcoin will become an effective portfolio diversification tool in the coming years.
In accordance to Cryptobriefing, Cathie Wooden, CEO of ARK Make investments, acknowledged in her 2026 outlook that Bitcoin, due to its low correlation with main asset lessons reminiscent of gold, shares, and bonds, is predicted to provide asset allocators larger returns per unit of danger, changing into an efficient portfolio diversification instrument for years to come. ARK’s evaluation of weekly returns from January 2020 to early January 2026 reveals that Bitcoin’s correlation coefficient with gold is simply 0.14, far decrease than the 0.27 correlation coefficient between the S&P 500 and bonds. Bitcoin has the bottom correlation coefficient with bonds (0.06) and the very best with the S&P 500 (0.28), however that is nonetheless far decrease than the correlations between conventional asset lessons.
Wooden argues that Bitcoin’s protocol strictly limits its provide development, with new issuance rising at an annual fee of roughly 0.8% over the following two years, earlier than slowing to round 0.4% yearly. This mathematically fastened provide offers it inherent shortage. She factors out that the predictable provide sample, coupled with rising demand, has pushed Bitcoin’s 360% worth enhance for the reason that finish of 2022.
Essential information
Gemini co-founders Winklevoss brothers still hold $1.25 billion worth of Bitcoin.
In accordance to Arkham’s monitoring, Gemini co-founders Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss as soon as held 1% of the circulating BTC. Though they at the moment solely maintain about 10% of their unique holdings, they nonetheless maintain Bitcoin price $1.25 billion, and their amassed earnings have reached $2.3 billion.
On January 15, DDC Enterprise, a US-listed firm, introduced that it had bought 200 BTC that day, marking its first Bitcoin buy in 2026. Its whole Bitcoin holdings have now elevated to 1,383, with a Bitcoin yield of 16.9% to date.
In accordance to Onchain Lens monitoring, after closing its ETH lengthy place and making a revenue of $739,432, the whale “pension-usdt.eth” has now opened a BTC lengthy place with 3x leverage, with a measurement of 1,000 BTC (price $95 million).
