On January 3, 2026, CYFIRMA detailed Android/BankBot‑YNRK, a trojan spreading through counterfeit Google News apps and aiming at more than 60 banking and finance apps across Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Indonesia. The malware exploits accessibility services to automate transactions, capture screen content and harvest credentials, with crypto wallets such as MetaMask, Exodus and Trust Wallet also listed as at risk.

On January 3 2026, security researchers reported a phishing campaign targeting Cardano users with emails promoting a fake Eternl Desktop wallet. The attackers use a newly registered domain to distribute a malicious MSI installer that secretly bundles a remote management tool and enables unauthorized access. Victims who run the installer risk having their systems monitored and controlled remotely while believing they are installing a legitimate staking and governance wallet.

On January 3, 2026, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong defended the economic design of content and creator coins on Base and Zora after former Coinbase engineer Hish Bouabdallah said the model is largely speculative and zero-sum. Armstrong argued that liquidity pools on Zora link content coins to creator coins, while critics pointed to the 67% crash in YouTuber Nick Shirley's token as evidence of structural flaws in current SocialFi experiments.

Senator Cynthia Lummis is pressing Congress to move the CLARITY Act forward, saying it would establish clear crypto rules and retain firms in the U.S. Lawmakers will review the bill on January 15, and Senate passage would require 60 votes. The discussion unfolds amid U.S. debt above $38 trillion and quicker crypto policy moves abroad.

Coinbase's institutional strategy chief John D'Agostino told CNBC that market-structure legislation will take longer than stablecoin rules, with bipartisan momentum targeting 2026. The Senate Banking Committee scheduled a CLARITY Act markup for January 15 after delays over DeFi oversight and token standards, as competitive pressure from Europe's MiCA accelerates action.

In 2025, wallet drainer phishing attacks across EVM chains caused $83.85 million in losses, an 83% decline from nearly $494 million in 2024, with victim counts also falling sharply. Security researchers note losses still tracked market rallies, highlighted by a $6.5 million Permit-based theft, emerging EIP-7702 signature exploits, and a continuing shift toward smaller, retail-focused scams.

On 3 January 2026, industry figures highlighted that the U.S. CLARITY Act is advancing slowly because it is intended as a broad, long-term framework for digital asset market structure rather than a narrow crypto bill. While Europe proceeds under MiCA, institutional investors are already positioning for 2026, when many expect U.S. regulatory clarity, a key Senate session on 15 January, and a potential new growth phase for Bitcoin and Ethereum to intersect.

Blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs linked ongoing cryptocurrency thefts to the 2022 LastPass breach, saying affected wallets have been drained in waves over months or years. The United States Secret Service last year reported seizing more than $23 million in crypto tied to decrypted vault data. TRM also observed laundering via Wasabi Wallet's CoinJoin.