Core Viewpoint - President Donald Trump has decided not to pardon former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who is currently serving a 25-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy, despite having granted clemency to other figures in the cryptocurrency industry [1][5]. Group 1: Pardon Decisions - Trump's refusal to pardon Bankman-Fried contrasts sharply with his clemency for other crypto industry figures, including Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, who was released in January 2025 after serving over a decade for facilitating $1 billion in illegal drug transactions [5]. - In March, Trump pardoned the co-founders of BitMEX, who violated anti-money laundering laws, and in October, he granted clemency to Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, who had pleaded guilty to enabling money laundering and paid a $50 million fine [6]. Group 2: Lobbying Efforts - Bankman-Fried's parents attempted to lobby for a pardon by meeting with lawyers and others in Trump's circle, but their efforts were unsuccessful [2]. - The lobbying campaign faced challenges, particularly given Bankman-Fried's previous political contributions, including a $5.2 million donation to the Biden campaign in 2020, which may have complicated the possibility of a Trump pardon [3]. Group 3: Current Status - Bankman-Fried is currently appealing his conviction and is housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, reportedly sharing a dormitory with rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, who also will not receive clemency [4].

Coinbase encourages users to hold USDC on its exchange by offering 3.5% rewards on their Coinbase One balances, for example. If the market-structure bill bans that incentive, fewer people may hold stablecoins on the exchange, and Coinbase’s total stablecoin revenue - projected to have reached $1.3 billion in 2025, according to Bloomberg data - could potentially decline.For Coinbase, the rewards are an important issue. The exchange and Circle Internet Group Inc. share some interest income generated from the ...

Group 1 - Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) is considered an oversold fundamentally strong stock to buy, with Bernstein analyst reducing the price target to $440 from $510 while maintaining an "Outperform" rating [1] - Rosenblatt also lowered its price target on Coinbase to $325 from $470, while keeping a "Buy" rating, citing a significant deceleration in trading volumes and expecting Q4 2025 total trading volume of approximately $207 billion, a decline of 35% from earlier estimates [2] - Despite the slowdown, Rosenblatt believes that the stock has largely discounted this deceleration and expects significant upside potential from product expansion initiatives and reduced dependency on cryptocurrency trading [3] Group 2 - Bernstein anticipates a tokenization supercycle for 2026 and remains optimistic about Bitcoin, suggesting that the digital asset markets have bottomed [1] - The decline in trading volumes follows a healthy Q3 2025 and record performance in October, indicating a shift in market dynamics [2] - The scaling of new revenue streams is expected to support significant multiple expansion for Coinbase [3]

Core Insights - The use of stablecoins for property transactions in Europe has increased significantly, with transactions ranging from $500,000 to $2.5 million, indicating a growing trend among wealthy crypto holders to utilize digital assets for real estate purchases [1][2] - Brighty, a Lithuania-licensed crypto payments app, has facilitated over 100 property deals, allowing high-net-worth clients to bypass traditional banking systems for faster transactions [1][2] Group 1: Market Trends - There is a notable shift in the preference for euro-pegged stablecoins over USDC for real estate transactions, driven by the desire to avoid conversion costs when purchasing properties in Europe [4][5] - Brighty has reported an increase in average transaction sizes for euro-backed stablecoins, rising from €15,785 in Q3 to €59,894 in Q4, as wealthy individuals opt for Circle's EURC instead of USDC [4] Group 2: Industry Dynamics - The demand for crypto-enabled property transactions is growing as traditional banks remain hesitant to process such deals, creating opportunities for specialized platforms like Brighty [6] - Brighty serves between 100 and 150 affluent customers, with an average monthly spending of $50,000, highlighting the platform's appeal among high-net-worth individuals [2]

Russia’s patents office has granted Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, approval for a trademark for the Hadron tokenisation platform. Tether submitted its application to the Russian Federal Intellectual Property Office, known as Rospatent, in October 2025, the Russian newspaper RIA Novosti reported on January 10. Rospatent reviewed the application late last year and approved it earlier this month, the outlet wrote. The development indicates Tether is looking to get in on Russia’s fast-growing c ...

Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Wagering on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei losing power has surged dramatically on Polymarket as anti-regime protests entered their 12th day. Bets On Khamenei And Iran Surge In just four days since launch, the trade volume for the “Khamenei out as Supreme Leader of Iran by January 31?” bet has spiked to $4.7 million. It currently stands as one of the most popular bets on the Polygon (CRYPTO: ...

Group 1 - The cryptocurrency market may be entering a "super cycle" due to a significant shift in the US regulatory stance towards digital assets, as stated by Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao [1] - The recent passage of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act has established the first federal framework for payment stablecoins, legitimizing them as a key component of the US financial system [2] - The Senate Banking Committee is set to mark up the CLARITY Act on January 15, which aims to resolve jurisdictional conflicts between the SEC and CFTC, requiring collaboration on compliance [3] Group 2 - The SEC has removed crypto from its 2026 examination priorities list, indicating a shift away from a "regulation by enforcement" strategy, and is now focusing on artificial intelligence and third-party vendor risks [4] - Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have attracted over $56 billion in new capital since their launch in 2024, reflecting the unlocking of institutional capital due to regulatory clarity [4] - Traditional financial institutions like JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley are developing crypto-focused products, although analysts caution that pro-crypto legislation alone does not guarantee consistent growth [5]

Core Insights - The crypto industry is transitioning into a new era defined as "Kinetic Finance," focusing on the efficiency of asset flow and profitability rather than just network speed [1][2][33] - Future opportunities in crypto are expected to center around three core transformations: asset transformation, subject transformation, and regulatory transformation [1][2] Asset Transformation - Real World Assets (RWA) are evolving from simple digital receipts to a global 24/7 settlement system, fundamentally enhancing capital efficiency [4][6] - Tokenized U.S. Treasury bonds have surpassed $7.3 billion, showing over 300% year-on-year growth, while tokenized U.S. stocks are emerging as the second major standardized asset with a current scale of approximately $500 million [6][7] - The RWA market is projected to reach $16 trillion by 2030, with a significant growth inflection point expected in 2026, where non-stablecoin RWA is anticipated to exceed $100 billion [7] Subject Transformation - The role of human traders is shifting towards AI agents, which will utilize DeFi protocols as financial APIs to seek optimal global returns [1][2][14] - AI-driven payment networks are expected to see substantial growth, with predictions indicating that on-chain automated trading volume will reach $5 billion daily by 2027, with a CAGR exceeding 120% [15] Regulatory Transformation - The regulatory landscape is moving from post-event supervision to code compliance, embedding privacy and compliance within the infrastructure to facilitate institutional capital entry [2][11] - The emergence of programmable privacy solutions is becoming essential for institutions to protect sensitive trading strategies while ensuring compliance [24][25] Institutional Adoption - The perception of crypto assets is shifting from speculative investments to global macro-hedging tools, with institutions increasingly focusing on compliance as a competitive advantage [21][23] - New financial products such as basis arbitrage and structured notes are being developed to provide institutions with diversified investment options [21][22] DeFi Evolution - DeFi is transitioning from passive smart contracts to proactive intelligent services, with a focus on strategy-driven asset management [28][29] - The market is witnessing a shift from human-to-machine interactions to machine-to-machine interactions, emphasizing the need for a DeFi adaptation layer [29][30] Conclusion - The industry is expected to focus on the release of asset efficiency rather than just network capacity, marking a significant shift towards "Kinetic Finance" [33][34] - Projects that can effectively reduce trust costs and enhance capital efficiency through code are anticipated to become foundational in this new paradigm [34]

Core Viewpoint - Lawmakers in the U.S. are reviving efforts to pass a market structure bill that will significantly impact the future of the crypto industry, with hearings scheduled to discuss revisions to the bill [1][2]. Group 1: Bill Objectives - The Clarity Act aims to establish legislative guardrails for the multitrillion-dollar crypto market, potentially accelerating the adoption of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies in the U.S. [3]. - The bill seeks to clarify the roles of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in regulating cryptocurrencies, as well as to create well-defined token classifications and outline registration and compliance standards for crypto brokerages and exchanges [4]. Group 2: Economic Implications - The proposed guardrails could attract more digital asset companies to operate in the U.S., stimulating the economy and enhancing the crypto market, according to industry leaders [5]. - The bill's final language will determine its implications for digital asset companies, crypto holders, and investors [5]. Group 3: Key Issues Under Discussion - Lawmakers are focusing on three main issues: stablecoin-linked rewards, the treatment of decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms and their developers, and preventing elected officials from profiting off crypto ventures [6]. - The stablecoin issue is considered the most significant outstanding issue, with both parties recognizing the need to address stablecoin rewards and yields in the bill [7]. Group 4: DeFi Considerations - Advocates for DeFi are pushing to ensure that developers are not held liable for illicit activities associated with their technology and want to include provisions for self-custody of crypto [9]. - There is a call for exemptions for software developers and blockchain service providers who do not control customer funds from being classified as money-transmitting businesses [9]. Group 5: Legislative Process and Timeline - The Senate Agriculture and Banking Committees are expected to release new drafts of the market structure bill, with discussions and revisions planned [10]. - The goal is to finalize the draft and move it to the Senate floor for further discussion, with proponents aiming for passage before the 2026 midterm elections to maintain momentum [11][12].

加密支付应用 Brighty 联合创始人 Nikolay Denisenko 表示，过去一年已有数百名高净值投资者使用加密 货币在欧洲购房。该平台已撮合100 余笔交易，主要集中在英国、法国、马耳他、塞浦路斯和安道尔， 单笔金额约 50 万–250 万美元。此前高净值客户多使用 Circle 发行的 USDC，目前为避免兑换成本，越 来越多客户转向锚定欧元的稳定币（如 EURC）。（CoinDesk） （来源：吴说） ...