On Thursday, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin detailed updates to the Protocol team's public "Strawmap", a four-year roadmap to speed block production and shrink confirmation times. He targets slot time falling from ~12 seconds to as low as 2 seconds and finality moving from ~16 minutes to between 6 and 16 seconds, with seven forks planned roughly every six months.

Ethereum jumped more than 15%, clearing $2,000 before topping at $2,158 and pulling back. If price remains below $2,120, a retest of $2,000 is possible, while a break above $2,150 may aim at $2,200. ETH still trades above $2,000 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average, with RSI above 50 and MACD losing momentum.

Aave said it has exceeded $1 trillion in cumulative lending as CEO Stani Kulechov outlined plans to deepen bank and fintech integrations. The protocol secures over $27.2 billion in TVL and generated $83.3 million in fees in the past 30 days, while AAVE holders debate a package of up to $42.5 million in stablecoins and 75,000 AAVE for Aave Labs.

Bitcoin’s long-term holders are increasingly active around a cost basis of $38,900 while the spot price trades far higher, highlighting potential downside risk if historical patterns repeat. On-chain indicators show renewed coin movements and modest profit-taking from long-term investors, but recent selling has been led mainly by short-term holders.

Ethereum has traded under sustained selling pressure this year, repeatedly failing to regain the $2,000 level and slipping toward the $1,900 area as momentum weakens. According to Arkham, Vitalik Buterin has sold about 11,422 ETH worth roughly $23.33 million over the past month as part of a planned 16,384 ETH distribution, with around 4,962 ETH still potentially to be moved. While these transactions from a key Ethereum figure may weigh on sentiment in a fragile liquidity environment, the market could gradually absorb the remaining supply if demand holds steady.

Bitcoin advanced above $68,000 after building support over $66,000, setting a high at $70,000. It is trading above $67,500 and the 100‑hour simple moving average, with resistance at $68,500 and $69,200; failure to break higher could send price back toward $67,200, $66,250, $66,000, and the main support at $65,500.

Maple Finance's SYRUP gained over 15% within 24 hours as syrupUSDC's monthly transfer volume climbed from $2.143 billion to $4.982 billion by late January 2026. At the same time, active loans, TVL, and on-chain fees increased, while technical indicators showed SYRUP testing the upper boundary of a descending channel near the $0.24 level. A break above this resistance could open the way toward the $0.28–$0.30 price zone, though failure to clear it would challenge the bullish setup.

On Wednesday, ETHZilla announced it is rebranding to Forum Markets and will do business as Forum. Shares rose over 13% to $3.91 as the company pivots from a crypto treasury strategy to tokenization, with a ticker change to FRMM set for Monday at market open pending Nasdaq approval.