On Jan 19, 2026, Hinkal introduced its Private Send feature, allowing users to route transfers through a smart contract so that payments appear to originate from the contract rather than their own wallets. The tool supports ETH, DAI, USDC, and USDT on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, and Polygon, and lets users split payments and schedule randomized execution windows while keeping their main public wallets.

On Monday, Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin argued that most existing DAOs function only as token‑voting treasuries and need to be redesigned for critical infrastructure such as oracles and onchain dispute resolution. He suggested different DAO models for "convex" and "concave" governance problems, emphasized privacy tools like zero‑knowledge proofs and warned that DAO governance should use but not be controlled by AI. He added that teams building new oracles or governance layers should treat DAO design and communication as a core part of their work amid a DAO token market capitalization of at least $17.5 billion.

On January 19 (SGT), SUN.io, the flagship DeFi platform on TRON, announced a Chinese rebrand to "Sun Wukong" with a new visual system, unifying products such as SunSwap, SUN DAO, SunPump, and SunX under one identity. The platform reports over $490 million in TVL on SunSwap, more than 23.94 billion USDT in cumulative trading volume on SunX, and a burn of over 650 million SUN tokens through protocol revenues and fees.

On Jan. 10, a $282 million cryptocurrency wallet compromise linked to a social engineering scam saw stolen Bitcoin bridged to Ethereum, split across wallets and funneled into Tornado Cash. Blockchain security firm CertiK reported that around $63 million was later deposited into the mixer, complicating efforts to follow the funds and recover assets.

On 19 January 2026, SWIFT detailed a January 2026 pilot with Societe Generale-FORGE, BNP Paribas Securities Services, and Intesa Sanpaolo that settled tokenised bonds using both fiat money and a euro-denominated stablecoin. The test executed delivery-versus-payment, coupon disbursements, and final redemption flows with SG-FORGE's MiCA-compliant EUR CoinVertible token, while preserving existing SWIFT messaging standards and banking roles.

In January 2025, French authorities released Ledger co-founder David Balland after kidnappers allegedly demanded a significant cryptocurrency ransom, highlighting how digital assets can fuel coercive, real-world crimes. Wrench attacks, where criminals use threats or violence to force victims to unlock wallets or authorize transfers, appear to be rising alongside total crypto market capitalization and the growth of visible on-chain wealth. Public-facing founders, influencers and OTC or P2P traders in regions such as Western Europe and parts of Asia-Pacific are described as especially exposed, prompting calls to reduce personal visibility, limit instantly accessible balances and treat data leaks and support impersonation as part of the same threat landscape.

Indian security officials said on Sunday that a sophisticated "crypto hawala" network is allegedly channeling funds to support terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The operation reportedly uses mule bank accounts, private crypto wallets and unregulated P2P traders, while foreign handlers from multiple countries rely on VPNs and avoid KYC checks. Authorities warn the scheme bypasses India's FIU registration rules for Virtual Digital Asset Service Providers and could strengthen separatist elements in the region.

Security experts warn that "Evil Twin" public Wi-Fi clones can intercept credentials and expose crypto accounts. Last year, Australian Federal Police charged a man over fake airport Wi-Fi, and in January an X user reported a wallet drain after hotel Wi-Fi. Experts advise avoiding sensitive actions, using trusted VPNs, and confirming networks with venue staff.