According to CryptoPotato, Bitcoin steadied around $90,500 on Friday with minimal movement over the past 12 hours after expectations for heightened volatility did not materialize. Altcoins were mixed: POL rose 17% toward $0.17, while ZEC fell 12% to $380; ETH hovered below $3,100 and XRP near $2.10. The total crypto market cap added roughly $20 billion to reach about $3.180 trillion.

On January 10 2026, crypto exchange BingX announced BingX TradFi, a new trading feature offering futures tied to more than 50 traditional underlying assets with leverage reportedly up to 500x. The move places BingX alongside Bitget and Binance in expanding beyond pure digital assets into multi-asset trading, including commodities, forex, metals, indices, and stock-linked contracts. These exchanges are using their existing crypto infrastructure to provide broader market access while operating under varying regulatory frameworks.

Morgan Stanley investment analysts project that the Chinese yuan could firm to 6.85 against the US dollar by the first quarter of 2026, supported by China's evolving global investment approach. The forecast comes as outbound investment from Chinese firms now exceeds inbound foreign capital and the country pivots from fast, investment-heavy expansion toward higher-quality growth. The bank also anticipates that a narrowing interest-rate gap between the US and China, alongside domestic policy measures, could further underpin the currency.

On January 8, 2026, Nasdaq and CME Group unified their crypto benchmarks by reintroducing the Nasdaq Crypto Index as the Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index. The multi-asset gauge includes Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Chainlink, Cardano, and Avalanche, and is calculated by CF Benchmarks with quarterly rebalancing to support regulated products exceeding $1 billion in assets.

BNY Mellon has launched tokenized bank deposits for institutional clients, using an in-house permissioned blockchain to represent onchain cash claims fully backed by the bank. The initiative aims to improve settlement speed, transparency, and liquidity as U.S. regulators in September 2025 outlined plans for around-the-clock capital markets. Positioned alongside similar moves by major banks exploring real-world asset tokenization, the product is initially focused on collateral and margin use cases as part of a broader shift toward always-on finance.

On January 1, 2026, the UK's HMRC brought in new rules requiring cryptocurrency platforms to gather and submit detailed user information to help recover an estimated £300 million in tax. The framework targets Capital Gains Tax on digital asset disposals, sets a £3,000 tax-free CGT allowance, and encourages investors to use self-assessment and voluntary disclosure for past gains.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman is weighing whether to delay a January 15 markup of a broad crypto market structure bill as bipartisan negotiations with Cory Booker continue. The talks aim to strengthen cross-party backing for the legislation while parallel action in the Senate Banking Committee and pressure from the White House highlight growing urgency around digital asset regulation. At the same time, US community bankers are urging Congress to tighten the GENIUS Act to curb stablecoin-related rewards they say could pull deposits from local banks.

On 10 January 2026, Nasdaq and CME Group consolidated their crypto benchmarks into the joint Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index. The basket covers large, liquid assets including Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Chainlink, Cardano, and Avalanche to provide market-wide exposure. The collaboration lays groundwork for ETFs and derivatives aimed at institutional investors.