For much of 2025, crypto traded as if U.S. President Donald Trump was its inevitable savior. Prices ran ahead of policy, altcoins priced in political permissions, and the industry waited for a regulatory green light that never quite arrived. But as the year wound down, and Trump's reinauguration faded into memory, the market did not follow. For Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, the fading Trump trade marked a turning point. The moment clarified that crypto’s next phase would n ...

Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) CEO Brian Armstrong urged Congress on Thursday to enact laws ensuring fair competition, following the postponement of the cryptocurrency market structure bill. Armstrong Pushes For Stablecoin Rewards Speaking to CNBC, Armstrong advocated for a “level playing field” while enacting legislation in Congress. “This is allowed, this is not allowed. Now, all American companies ...

Core Viewpoint - Coinbase's CEO Brian Armstrong asserts that there is no rift between Coinbase and the White House regarding the new crypto legislation, emphasizing constructive discussions with government officials [1]. Group 1: Legislative Developments - The proposed bill aims to shift regulatory control and impose bans on passive yields from stablecoin holdings, reflecting a contentious atmosphere among industry stakeholders [2]. - Coinbase withdrew its support for the bill just before the Senate was set to debate it, leading to speculation about increased demands for changes from market players, which may complicate negotiations [3]. - Allegations surfaced that the White House was upset with Coinbase's unilateral decision to withdraw support, but Armstrong refuted claims of a rift, stating that the White House remains engaged in discussions [3]. Group 2: Industry Reactions - The bill has received mixed reactions within the crypto industry, with some welcoming regulatory clarity while others view it as a concession to traditional finance, particularly concerning stablecoin yields [5]. - Armstrong criticized the potential impact of stablecoin yields on banks, arguing that consumers should have the opportunity to earn more on their investments [5]. - A source close to the Trump administration indicated that the White House was not informed of Coinbase's decision in advance, suggesting that one company should not represent the entire industry [4].

Core Viewpoint - Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong refuted rumors regarding the White House's withdrawal of support for the cryptocurrency market structure bill, asserting that the White House has been "very constructive" on the relevant legislation [1] Group 1: Legislative Support - The White House reportedly requested Coinbase to engage with the banking sector to explore agreements aimed at benefiting community banks from the legislation [1] - Coinbase's sudden withdrawal of support for the bill last week sparked speculation about a "bank vs. crypto" conflict, leading to the temporary cancellation of a scheduled Senate hearing [1]

Group 1 - Economist Peter Schiff prefers a gold-backed cryptocurrency over Bitcoin during crises, particularly in contexts like Iran's currency crisis [2][4] - Schiff emphasizes that Bitcoin is not backed by any tangible asset, while he advocates for tokenized gold as a more reliable option [2][3] - The Iranian Rial's devaluation has led to increased interest in cryptocurrencies as a hedge, with Bitcoin being one of the options [4] Group 2 - Bitcoin's performance has been underwhelming, with a decline of 4.17% over the past year, while precious metals-backed cryptocurrencies like Tether Gold and PAX Gold have seen significant gains of over 70% [7][8] - Tether Gold is currently priced at $4,591, reflecting its strong performance compared to Bitcoin's price of $95,430.78 [8]

Crypto markets have spent the past year talking up institutional demand, but one constraint keeps resurfacing beneath the headlines: there's just not enough liquidity currently in the market to let Wall Street enter with its size and scale without destabilizing prices. Speaking ahead of Consensus Hong Kong, Jason Atkins, chief commercial officer at crypto market maker Auros, said illiquidity, not volatility, remains the industry’s biggest structural problem. "You can’t just say institutional capital wan ...

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - January 17, 2026) - WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of investors in cryptocurrency issued by Balancer (ticker: BAL), resulting from allegations that Balancer may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.SO WHAT: If you purchased Balancer cryptocurrency you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through ...

Stablecoins were crypto’s breakout product in 2025 to the mainstream — and in 2026, the industry is pushing to put those onchain dollars to work by turning everything from equities to money market funds to gold into tokenized, tradable building blocks on blockchain rails. After years of pilots and proof-of-concepts, tokenization now look less like a niche crypto experiment and more like a distribution upgrade for capital market, with financial giants like BlackRock, JPMorgan or BNY deeply involved. The to ...

Quick Read MSTU provides 2x leveraged exposure to MicroStrategy (MSTR) which holds over 500,000 Bitcoin. Daily resets create friction that erodes returns. MicroStrategy fell 53% over one year while MSTU collapsed 91%. Volatility decay compounds ruthlessly in choppy markets. MicroStrategy reports Q4 earnings on February 5. Quarterly earnings growth fell 77% year-over-year. A recent study identified one single habit that doubled Americans’ retirement savings and moved retirement from dream, to realit ...

Core Insights - The IRS treats crypto and digital assets as physical property for tax purposes, making transactions taxable at the federal level, while state taxation varies significantly [1] State Taxation of Crypto - Crypto gains are taxed similarly to other investment gains, with short-term capital gains applicable for holdings under a year, often at higher rates than long-term gains [2] - Approximately ten states do not tax crypto gains, while others impose substantial taxes [2] States with High Crypto Taxation - California imposes a tax rate of up to 13.3% on crypto gains, including an additional 1% for households earning over $1 million [4] - Hawaii has a tax rate of up to 11%, with unclear regulations affecting the trading environment [5] - New York taxes crypto gains at a rate of up to 10.9%, with lower rates for households earning under $1 million [6] - Minnesota's tax rate on crypto gains is up to 10.85%, including an additional 1% for high-income households [7] - New Jersey imposes a tax rate of up to 10.75% on crypto gains, treating them as regular income [8][9] - Oregon has a tax rate of up to 9.9%, also treating crypto gains as regular income [10] Record Keeping for Crypto Investors - Detailed transaction records are crucial for crypto trading in taxable accounts, with traders receiving Form 1099-DA in early 2026 to report sales proceeds [11]