On January 14, 2026, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the latest Senate Banking draft of the Digital Asset Market Structure Act is materially worse than current regulations and cannot be backed in its present form. He highlighted a de facto ban on tokenized equities, strict DeFi restrictions, potential weakening of the CFTC and an end to stablecoin rewards as key dealbreakers, even as prediction markets still price the bill's passage odds above 50% and industry leaders like Mike Novogratz continue to express cautious optimism.

On Wednesday, senators on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee submitted 137 amendments to the Digital Asset Market Structure Act ahead of a 5:00 PM deadline. The changes focus on issues such as DeFi oversight, the treatment of digital commodities versus securities, and new limits on stablecoin rewards that have sparked a clash between banks and major crypto firms.

Monero's XMR decoupled from the wider crypto market and broke above its 2018 peak, entering price discovery. According to CoinGecko, it has moved into the top 15 by market cap after clearing the $542 resistance and advancing past $640, with XMR up 13.2% against Bitcoin in the last 24 hours.

According to Michael Saylor, Strategy has acquired 13,627 BTC for about $1.25 billion, its largest single purchase since July 29, when it bought 21,021 BTC for $2.47 billion. The company's average cost stands at $75,353 per Bitcoin, and BTC is at $90,547, according to CoinGecko; cumulative spend is nearly $52 billion.

Monero is approaching an all-time high near $542.33 after almost eight years of consolidation below key resistance in the $475–$520 zone. A prominent trader described XMR as having the strongest chart in crypto as it forms an ascending triangle pattern that is now near its apex.

Canadian billionaire and mining executive Frank Giustra has renewed his criticism of Bitcoin, arguing it has not justified being described as "digital gold" and remains a speculative asset driven by dogma. He contends Bitcoin has gone through multiple failed narratives, accuses high-profile Bitcoin maximalists such as Michael Saylor of promoting risky advice to unsophisticated investors, and contrasts this with central banks and major powers accumulating physical gold as part of a broader financial reset. Giustra concludes that real power still lies with those who hold gold, while Bitcoin functions mainly as a distraction.

A so-called Satoshi-era Bitcoin miner has transferred 2,000 BTC, in what analyst Julio Moreno describes as the first notable on-chain move from this early cohort since November 2024, when Bitcoin traded near $91,000. Historical netflow charts suggest these long-term holders often move or sell coins during major price rallies, reinforcing their perceived influence over market sentiment.

BNY announced a system to tokenize bank deposits, with Ripple Prime joining as one of the first institutional users. The tokens represent a direct claim on cash and are designed for instant, programmable transfers around the clock, with the initial focus on collateral and margin workflows.

On Thursday, Evernorth, a newly public digital asset treasury firm holding over $1 billion in XRP and backed by Ripple and SBI Holdings, announced a partnership with Doppler Finance to develop institutional-grade treasury and liquidity frameworks for the XRP Ledger. The collaboration aims to turn XRP into a yield-generating asset for corporate treasuries by professionalizing XRPL infrastructure, risk management and liquidity access for large institutional holders.