On 13 January 2026, Thailand's government directed regulators to tighten oversight of gold trading, cryptocurrency platforms, and currency exchanges to curb illicit and so-called grey money flows. Authorities plan to build a centralized Data Bureau, lower reporting thresholds for gold purchases, and strictly enforce crypto Travel Rule requirements while also considering limits on daily foreign exchange and speculative gold activity to ease pressure on the baht.

Bitcoin hovered near $91,000 on Tuesday while Japan's Nikkei jumped as much as 3.6% to a record 53,814.79 and the Topix rose 2.4% to 3,599.31. Asian equities broadly opened with a mild risk-on tone, and traders focused on upcoming US inflation data and Federal Reserve events as key drivers for crypto and wider markets.

On Monday, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins criticizing President Trump's August executive order that makes it easier for crypto and private equity to be added to 401(k) plans. She warned that highly volatile digital assets and tokenized products could increase the risk of major losses for retirement savers and weaken SEC oversight. Warren pressed the SEC for details on market surveillance, investor education, and company disclosures, while unions also voiced concern that tokenization could create a regulatory loophole for retirement funds.

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis has teamed up with Senator Ron Wyden to introduce the bipartisan Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, seeking to shield blockchain developers from money transmitter licensing rules. The Senate’s Clarity Act markup has been postponed to the last week of January, with officials signaling that final details are still being negotiated ahead of expected regulatory changes and a potential crypto market shift in 2026.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has called for President Donald Trump's crypto adviser David Sacks to resign if the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act does not advance this quarter. He linked ongoing market weakness and regulatory uncertainty to gaps in U.S. policy as key crypto bills head toward Senate markups on January 15, warning that upcoming elections could further delay comprehensive legislation.

Binance top trader metrics show 76.16% of leading accounts long XRP, with a long/short account ratio of 3.19 and a position-based ratio of 1.97. SHIB printed a short-term "mini golden cross" as the 23-day SMA crossed above the 50-day SMA, and a Satoshi-era miner moved 2,000 BTC ($156 million), the first notable activity since November 2024.

Bakkt Holdings has agreed to acquire its long-time stablecoin infrastructure partner Distributed Technologies Research in an all-stock transaction involving approximately 9.1 million Class A shares. The company plans to change its corporate name to "Bakkt, Inc." effective January 22, 2026, while keeping its NYSE ticker "BKKT" and advancing its stablecoin settlement and neobanking strategy.

On January 12, 2026, Arthur Azizov analyzes perpetual futures, noting they comprised roughly 68% of Bitcoin trading volume in 2025. He explains how funding rates, unified collateral and shared risk engines are pushing perps toward core market infrastructure, while warning that liquidation cascades and collateral mispricing still pose systemic risks. Azizov proposes dynamic limits, transparent insurance and tiered margin frameworks to strengthen trust.