Key players in the Ripple-backed XRPL ecosystem are preparing an XLS-66 lending upgrade on testnet, aiming to unlock institutional DeFi strategies via single-asset vaults and fixed-rate loans. Evernorth plans to center its XRP treasury strategy on the upcoming lending protocol, while RLUSD’s supply has climbed above $1 billion even as XRPL’s DeFi TVL has fallen to about $60 million. Large XRP holders show mixed signals, with +1 million XRP wallets returning to accumulation as the token trades around $1.7 amid easing but still net selling whale flows.

In late 2025, the Bank of England proposed a 60/40 reserve model and holding caps for sterling-backed stablecoins. On 29 January, the U.K. Parliament’s Financial Services Regulation Committee launched an inquiry to assess growth, risks, and these frameworks, with evidence submissions due by 11 March 2026. Critics warn the caps—£20K per individual and £10 million per business—could undermine competitiveness.

Michael Saylor, Strategy's founder and chairman, rejected claims the firm buys "paper BTC," asserting it acquires real Bitcoin and audits custodians. The company holds 712K BTC, with more than 110K said to be untraceable across custodians, and invested about $20B in 2024, $23B in 2025, and close to $4B in 2026. MSTR slipped about 2% to $157.45.

Circle has launched USDCx, a USDC-backed stablecoin on the privacy-first Aleo blockchain, targeting demand for confidential transfers. Over the past 24 months, institutional stablecoin settlements reached $1.22 trillion, while private settlement flows remained below 1%, highlighting what some see as a large upside for privacy-oriented infrastructure.

In 2025, corporate Bitcoin treasuries led by Michael Saylor's Strategy accumulated 494,000 BTC, pushing their combined holdings to 1.13 million coins even as BTC ended the year down 6.4%. These firms now control 5.1% of the total BTC supply, while ETFs hold about 7.1%, and the joint demand tracked by Apparent Demand Growth has stayed negative since December, limiting price recovery. Despite reduced selling by long-term holders, analysts note that ETF flows and subdued demand continue to weigh on BTC's ability to break above prior highs.

Since 2020, stablecoins have expanded 76x and supply surpassed $300 billion. In 2025, according to Artemis and McKinsey, global payment volumes totaled $2 quadrillion while stablecoin volume reached $35 trillion, yet only $390 billion were real-world transfers (~1%). B2B hit $226 billion (+733% YoY) and card-linked spending rose 673%.

The Ethereum Foundation in 2026 designated post‑quantum security as a top priority and formed a dedicated team led by Thomas Coratger with Emile (leanVM). EF outlined bi‑weekly coordination, active PQ devnets, and a $1 million Poseidon Prize, with Justin Drake saying years of research since 2019 now feed into Ethereum’s long‑term roadmap.

Leveraged hedge funds cut Bitcoin CME futures shorts from $444 million in August to $78 million by mid‑January, an 82% drop. Basis trade yields fell from nearly 10% to 5%, while spot ETFs saw $1.33 billion in outflows this week and the 30‑day average turned negative. Macro focus shifts to the Fed's 28 January decision as FX risks have eased.

Bitwise has introduced the Bitwise Proficio Currency Debasement ETF (BPRO), a combined Bitcoin-gold fund aimed at investors seeking protection from currency devaluation and rising fiscal debt. The ETF recorded $13.2 million in first-day trading volume and $52.4 million in assets under management, even as Bitcoin has recently lagged behind gold and silver.