In the 2024–25 financial year, 49 cryptocurrency exchanges registered with India's Financial Intelligence Unit, which now serves as the primary supervisor for virtual asset platforms under anti-money laundering rules. Non-compliant exchanges were fined a total of ₹28 crore, while authorities mapped regional transaction hotspots and flagged digital assets tied to scams, fraud, gambling and more serious criminal risks.

Chinese refiners avoided Venezuelan crude this week as U.S. naval pressure lifted prices and squeezed discounts. The Merey grade's discount tightened from $15 to $13 below Brent, according to Bloomberg, while crude loadings to China fell last month. Kpler estimates 82 million barrels of sanctioned oil are held in floating storage near China and Malaysia, giving buyers a buffer.

On Jan. 6, 2026, global equities advanced as investors weighed US policy moves and tensions linked to Venezuela. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose, the Dow hit a record, and energy, technology, defense, and major oil names gained, while gold and silver also climbed as some investors rotated toward safe havens.

Turkish crypto exchange BtcTurk reported a $48 million loss on 1 January 2026 after attackers drained funds from its hot wallets on Ethereum, Arbitrum and Polygon. The incident is the platform's third major hack since 2024, following earlier breaches in June 2024 and August 2025, and raises fresh questions about its custodial security and regulatory oversight.

On January 6, 2026, Bitcoin briefly traded above $94,000 amid fresh Federal Reserve liquidity operations. Repo injections totaling $74.6 billion coincided with risk-on flows, while spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $287 million into BlackRock and $471 million across funds. Altcoin activity picked up as Bitcoin dominance dipped below 60%.

On January 6, 2026 in New York, Manhattan's housing market was reported to be rebounding as lower mortgage rates supported a recovery in sales. Reduced borrowing costs are drawing buyers back, especially for 30-year fixed loans, but analysts warn that mortgage rates remain high by historical standards and could limit affordability. They also note that ongoing economic uncertainty and elevated property prices may challenge the durability of this upturn through 2026.

On 6 January 2026, crypto markets strengthened, with total capitalization around $3.21 trillion and a daily gain just over 2%. Bitcoin traded near $93,600 and dominance rose to about 58.3%, while Ethereum stayed above $3,230 with a weekly increase approaching 10%. Sentiment indicators remained neutral.

On November 3, 2025, Samourai Wallet developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill transferred 57.55353033 BTC, worth about $6.3 million, to the U.S. Marshals Service under a forfeiture agreement tied to their guilty plea. Critics argue that routing these funds to a Coinbase Prime address and liquidating them may conflict with Executive Order 14233, which directs that forfeited Bitcoin be added to the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve rather than sold. The case also raises concerns about the Southern District of New York's continued prosecutions of noncustodial crypto developers despite an April 7, 2025 DOJ memo limiting such actions.