Gold and silver remain firmly supported in early 2026 as easing U.S. monetary expectations, sustained central-bank demand, and structural supply constraints reinforce what increasingly looks like a regime shift rather than a late-cycle rally. With gold trading near $4,600 and silver consolidating above $90, analysts see continued upside as macro tailwinds persist.

Ethereum has gained over 12.73% since the start of the year and was trading near $3,333 while testing the $3,450 resistance level. Despite whale trader James Wynn closing his ETH and PEPE longs and withdrawing funds from Hyperliquid, on-chain metrics like rising Taker Buy Dominance and a strong MACD still point to sustained buying interest. Technical indicators, including an RSI around 63.19, suggest the uptrend could continue if ETH holds the $3,200–$3,400 range, with a possible move toward $4,000 if $3,450 is broken.

Interactive Brokers has expanded its digital asset services by enabling clients to fund brokerage accounts with USDC stablecoins on Ethereum, Solana and Base, with deposits automatically converted into U.S. dollars. The firm plans to add support for RLUSD and PYUSD next week and says stablecoin funding can ease cross-border capital access by cutting costs and settlement times. The move follows its earlier rollout of USDC funding for retail brokerage accounts in December and comes amid a stablecoin market cap that recently exceeded $310 billion.

On January 15, 2026, Ki Young Ju highlighted on-chain signals that retail participation in Bitcoin has faded. By January 16, 2026, the market appeared subdued as larger holders accumulated, with smaller-wallet activity reverting toward long‑term norms. According to the article, spot Bitcoin ETFs saw early‑year inflows, while capital rotated to stocks and silver.

U.S. homebuilder Megatel Homes plans to introduce its MegPrime crypto rewards platform after receiving a no-action letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The program will use MP Tokens to reward renters and homeowners, including potential rent cashback toward future home purchases and mortgage rates below market averages.

Megatel Homes, a private homebuilder based in Dallas, has introduced a crypto payments and rewards token called MegPrime after receiving a no-action letter from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The token is positioned for everyday payments rather than as an investment, with users able to earn up to 20% back in rewards and, for renters, potentially apply up to $25,000 of past rent toward a future home purchase.

On January 14, 2026, California's Department of Financial Protection and Innovation fined Nexo $500,000 for issuing unlicensed crypto-backed loans. The agency found at least 5,456 residents received loans without a state license and ordered all California customer funds moved to a licensed U.S. affiliate within 150 days.

Analysts at JPMorgan, led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, reported that crypto exchange-traded funds pulled in a record $130 billion last year, with Bitcoin and Ethereum products and digital asset treasuries driving most of the demand. More than half of 2025's digital asset inflows, about $68 billion, came from DAT companies, while institutional activity in CME futures fell versus 2024. The analysts expect institutional flows to rebound in 2026, potentially supported by US regulatory initiatives such as the CLARITY Act, while Bitcoin recently traded around $96,050 after gaining 10% in two weeks.