Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong unveiled a policy blueprint to expand tokenized access to capital markets, aiming at roughly 4 billion adults excluded from equities and bonds. On January 16, 2026, Coinbase began rolling out stock trading to select users, aligning with his "everything exchange" vision.

Bitcoin slipped below $95,000 after a pullback from near $98,000, while U.S. spot ETFs flipped from $1.3 billion in outflows to $1.7 billion in inflows. BlackRock's IBIT collected $1.035 billion during the January 12–16 trading week. Glassnode data indicates easing sell pressure and renewed accumulation despite price consolidation.

Wintermute's year-end 2025 analysis argues that crypto's historical four-year bull cycle has broken down, with ETF and digital asset treasury flows concentrating liquidity in Bitcoin and Ethereum instead of rotating into altcoins. The firm's trading and derivatives data shows shorter altcoin rallies, deepening institutional engagement, and a major October 10 deleveraging, while it highlights three potential catalysts that could broaden market participation in 2026.

Over the weekend, the report notes nearly $900 million in crypto liquidations as XRP dipped to fill a $1.97 CME 4H gap and retest its daily trend. On January 19, 2026, on-chain analyst KryptoMessi said this setup could fuel a decoupling move toward $3. Matt Hughes added that XRP/ETH rose above the two‑week Ichimoku Cloud for the first time since 2021.

Privacy-focused cryptocurrencies climbed 13% over the past week while broader crypto markets suffered nearly $1 billion in liquidations and major coins declined. Monero, Dash and DUSK led the move, with DUSK up 110.5% on the day and more than 354% over the week, pushing the sector’s market cap to $21.7 billion. Investors are rotating into censorship-resistant assets amid tightening KYC and AML rules, large-scale Tether wallet freezes and regulatory actions such as Dubai’s recent ban on privacy token trading.

Senate Judiciary leaders Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin have warned that a developer exemption in Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott's crypto market structure bill could limit prosecutions for money laundering and other illicit finance tied to decentralized platforms. They argue the provision, modeled on the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, might have blocked charges in cases like Tornado Cash, while Republican backers and industry groups say protections are vital for thousands of open-source blockchain developers. The markup has been postponed after Coinbase withdrew support, as lawmakers and crypto firms continue to debate how to balance innovation with law enforcement authority.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump announced tariffs on eight European countries tied to Greenland, starting at 10% on February 1 and rising to 25% by June 1. Within 24 hours, crypto liquidations reached $875 million and Bitcoin slid about 3% to $92,000 as traders cut leveraged exposure.

President Donald Trump announced tariffs on eight European countries that begin at 10% on February 1 and escalate to 25% by June, conditioning removal on Denmark selling Greenland. Bitcoin trades near $95,000 after weeks in a $94,000–$97,000 range, with anxiety rekindled by October 2025’s $19 billion liquidation precedent.

On January 17, 2026, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko argued the chain's survival depends on continuous iteration, countering Vitalik Buterin's January 12 call for optional protocol ossification. He emphasized decentralized, developer-driven upgrades and disciplined governance. Recent metrics show 2.4 million daily active addresses (+5.64%) and $11.80 billion in DeFi TVL (+6.98%) amid a broader liquidity reset.