Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. World Liberty Financial (CRYPTO: WLFI), backed by President Donald Trump’s family, launched World Liberty Markets, a DeFi lending platform for its USD1 stablecoin worth $3.4 billion, even as critics point to conflicts of interest tied to Trump’s $800 million crypto income in 2025. USD1 Stablecoin Now Available For Lending And Borrowing World Liberty Markets allows users to lend and borrow digital assets u ...

Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. The U.S. CLARITY Act could become a major catalyst for Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), and broader institutional crypto adoption, according to Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan. What Happened: Crypto markets are entering a transition phase where regulation, infrastructure, and real-world use cases matter more than speculation, Hougan said on a Milk Road podcast episode. Hougan arg ...

Core Insights - Financial advisors are increasingly allocating to crypto, reaching the highest levels ever recorded, indicating a significant shift in their perception of digital assets [2][5] - The survey reveals that 32% of advisors allocated to crypto in client accounts over the past year, up from 22% in 2024, marking an all-time high [5] - 56% of advisors now personally own crypto, the highest level since the survey began in 2018, reflecting growing confidence in the asset class [5] Allocation Trends - Among client portfolios with crypto exposure, 64% now allocate more than 2% to crypto, a sharp increase from 51% last year, suggesting a trend towards treating crypto as a core portfolio asset [5][6] - 42% of advisors reported having institutional access to buy crypto for clients, up from 35% in 2024 and just 19% in 2023, indicating improved access is driving adoption [5][6] Investment Themes - Advisors are particularly excited about stablecoins and tokenization, leading interest at 30%, followed by "digital gold / fiat debasement" at 22% and crypto-linked AI investments at 19%, showcasing the evolving narratives around crypto [5][6]

Core Insights - Bitcoin's price surge to $95,000 has led to significant inflows into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, totaling $753.7 million on January 13, marking the strongest single day of inflows in three months [1][2] Group 1: Market Dynamics - The recent rally in Bitcoin, reaching a two-month high, is attributed to renewed institutional demand and a breakout above $91,000 after a period of consolidation [3] - Total net assets across all U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have increased to approximately $123 billion, representing about 6.5% of Bitcoin's total market cap of $1.89 trillion [4] Group 2: Institutional Behavior - Institutional rebalancing, improved macro sentiment, and the recognition of ETFs as providing regulated demand are driving factors behind the recent inflows [2] - Fidelity's FBTC led the inflows with a net flow of $351.36 million, followed by Bitwise's BITB and BlackRock's IBIT with net flows of $159.42 million and $126.27 million, respectively [3] Group 3: Future Outlook - The sustainability of the current momentum into Q1 is uncertain, with analysts suggesting that institutional demand may be more selective and cautious due to volatile ETF flows and high opportunity costs associated with non-yielding assets like Bitcoin [5] - The broader crypto market capitalization has increased by 3.3% to $3.32 trillion, influenced by the momentum from Bitcoin [5] Group 4: Regulatory Developments - Altcoins such as XRP, Solana, and Dogecoin have seen price increases of 2% to 6%, driven by optimism surrounding a new draft crypto market structure bill that could provide clearer regulatory status [6] - Analysts view the proposed legislation as a potential paradigm shift, which could lead to increased institutional inflows into altcoins and prompt other tokens to pursue ETF strategies [7]

Core Insights - The Bitwise/VettaFi 2026 Benchmark Survey indicates a significant shift in financial advisors' attitudes towards cryptocurrency, with increased participation and allocation strategies being reported [2][3] Survey Findings - 32% of advisors allocated to crypto in client accounts in the past year, up from 22% in 2024 [5] - 56% of advisors now own crypto in their personal portfolios, marking a rise in professional ownership [5] - 64% of portfolios with crypto exposure have allocations greater than 2%, an increase from 51% in 2024 [5] - 42% of advisors can now buy crypto in client accounts, more than double the access seen in 2023 [5] - Interest in stablecoins and tokenization is at 30%, followed by "digital gold" at 22% and AI-linked crypto at 19% [5] - 65% of advisors believe Bitcoin prices will be higher in 2026, with 62% confident in Ethereum and 57% in Solana [5] - 99% of advisors with crypto allocations plan to maintain or increase their exposure in 2026 [5] - Advisors show a preference for index funds (42%) over single-coin options for potential ETPs [5] - Most advisors are funding crypto positions by reallocating from equities (43%) or cash (35%) [5] - Crypto equity ETFs remain the top choice for advisors seeking crypto exposure in 2026 [5]

Core Insights - The altcoin market is currently underperforming, but analysts at Wintermute believe it could recover if certain conditions are met [1][3] - The primary issue is that new investments are primarily flowing into custodial vehicles like ETFs, limiting liquidity and reducing altcoin rally durations by 66% compared to previous years [2] - A potential altcoin recovery hinges on the expansion of ETF and Digital Asset Treasury mandates to include more altcoins [2] Group 1: Market Dynamics - Altcoins have not met traders' expectations in recent years, with Bitcoin typically leading rallies, but this pattern has not occurred despite Bitcoin reaching an all-time high of $126,000 [3] - Institutional investors are increasingly dominating crypto trading, focusing on long-term investments and being less reactive to short-term price changes, which has hindered altcoin rotations [4] Group 2: Potential Catalysts for Recovery - A new Bitcoin rally could create a wealth effect that benefits altcoins, especially following the passing of the Clarity Act, which aims to regulate the $3.1 trillion crypto industry [5] - The least likely catalyst for an altcoin upswing is the return of retail investors to the crypto market, as they are now more attracted to investments in public companies involved in cutting-edge technologies like AI, which offer similar risk and return profiles [6]

Approvals. Government nod. Crypto providers, it seems, can’t escape this. Regulators all over the world want blockchain companies, regardless of their offerings, to register and adhere to existing laws. By compliance, officials say crypto moves from the “wild”, unlocking institutional involvement. This is good and bad for crypto purists. However, in 2026, looking at recent trends, regulations has its benefits. After years of back and forth with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ripple, the ...

Ripple secured preliminary approval for an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license in Luxembourg on Jan. 14. This marks its second major European regulatory milestone in less than a week. The Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) issued a “Green Light Letter” to the enterprise blockchain firm. This designation indicates that the regulator has completed its legal review of the application. The company must now fulfill specific operational requirements to receive final authorization. ...

India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) has cracked down on an alleged cryptocurrency fraud operation in Maharashtra, resulting in investor losses of over Rs. 4.25 crore (approximately $472,000). The agency conducted search operations at three locations in Nagpur on January 7 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. India's ED Targets "Ether Trade Asia" in Crypto Scam Probe According to the press release, the locations were linked to Nished Mahadeo Rao Wasnik and his ass ...

Core Insights - Polygon Labs is acquiring Coinme and Sequence to enhance its stablecoin payment capabilities, supporting its Open Money Stack framework set to launch in 2026 [1][6] Group 1: Acquisition Details - Coinme operates a regulated digital currency payments business, allowing users to convert cash into cryptocurrency, and holds money-transmitter licenses in 48 US states [2] - Coinme manages over 50,000 locations for cash-to-crypto exchanges and serves over one million users through its consumer payments app [2] - Sequence provides technology to simplify crypto transfers across multiple blockchains, complementing Polygon's interoperability efforts [3][4] Group 2: Technology and Infrastructure - Sequence's offerings include enterprise-grade smart wallets and a 1-click cross-chain routing engine called Trails, which simplifies the user experience by hiding blockchain complexities [4] - Sequence's infrastructure is already utilized across various blockchain ecosystems, including Polygon, Immutable, and newer networks like SKALE and Etherlink [5] - Once integrated, Sequence and Trails will function as an orchestration layer, facilitating seamless money transfers across different chains without user intervention [6]