Brevis (BREV) entered price discovery on January 6 following simultaneous listings on BingX, Binance Alpha, and major Korean exchanges, driving heavy early volume and sharp volatility. With just 25% of supply circulating, disciplined tokenomics, and strong KRW-pair demand offsetting near-term airdrop sell pressure, BREV is now consolidating above key technical support as traders assess whether zero-knowledge infrastructure adoption can sustain momentum beyond its post-listing shakeout.

January 2026 is shaping up as one of the most lucrative months ever for crypto airdrop hunters, with several confirmed, high-profile distributions set to deliver billions of dollars in tokens across DeFi, wallets, mobile Web3, NFTs, and prediction markets. Backed by a $3 trillion+ crypto market and record DeFi TVL, major drops from projects like Solana Mobile (SKR), MetaMask (MASK), Polymarket (POLY), OpenSea (SEA), and Jupiter (JUP) are driving intense community interest as teams use airdrops to reward early users, decentralize ownership, and accelerate adoption at scale.

Travis VanderZanden has introduced Buck (BUCK), a non-collateralized stablecoin positioned as a "dollar of the Bitcoin world" that offers users a 7% annualized yield without lock-up or lending. The token is currently limited to non-U.S. users with AML checks, trades via buck.io, and on January 7, 2026 was priced at $0.99 with more than a 32% 24-hour volume decline and no market capitalization due to zero circulating supply.

On Monday, the Community Bankers Council of the American Bankers Association asked the Senate to amend the GENIUS Act to prevent indirect stablecoin rewards via exchanges and partners. The group warned such incentives could pull deposits from local banks and constrain lending. Crypto industry associations and Coinbase countered that tighter rules would hinder innovation and misinterpret the law.

On January 7 2026, RAK BANK said it had obtained in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE to develop an AED-backed stablecoin, pending completion of regulatory and operational conditions. The bank plans a 1:1 AED-pegged token with audited smart contracts and real-time reserve attestations, while other UAE institutions such as FAB Bank, Crypto.com and Al Maryah Community Bank are also advancing their own AED stablecoin initiatives.

On January 7, 2026, Barclays said it acquired an equity stake in Ubyx, a United States stablecoin settlement provider, marking its first direct investment in stablecoin infrastructure. The bank did not disclose deal size or valuation. Ubyx previously raised a $10 million seed round in June 2025 led by Galaxy Ventures with Coinbase Ventures participating.

Ripple will remain private despite a $500 million fundraising at a $40 billion valuation that added Fortress Investment Group and Citadel Securities to its cap table. President Monica Long said the firm can fund growth through strategic investors and its balance sheet; earlier in 2025, Ripple completed a $1 billion tender offer at the same valuation.

The Ethereum network is showing a strong structural shift as the validator exit queue has fallen to zero while more than 1.3 million ETH is lined up for staking. This combination reduces immediate selling pressure and reflects growing long-term commitment from participants, creating conditions that may support price stabilization or a future recovery.