Bitcoin traded around $91,000 on Friday while major Asian stock indices posted modest gains ahead of key US nonfarm payrolls data and a potential Supreme Court decision on President Donald Trump's tariffs. Crypto markets stayed rangebound, with Bitcoin, Ether and XRP moving narrowly as investors weighed the Federal Reserve's rate path and broader macro headlines.

As of May 2025, the Global Sanctions Inflation Index estimated that just under 80,000 entities and individuals worldwide were subject to sanctions, while Chainalysis reported that illicit cryptocurrency addresses received at least $154 billion that year. The firm said volumes linked to nation-states on-chain activity reached unprecedented levels in 2025, driven in part by sanctioned actors and Russia's ruble-backed A7A5 token, even though illicit activity still accounts for less than 1% of total crypto transaction volume.

In a report updated January 9, 2026, the CFTC issued a no‑action letter to Bitnomial Exchange and its clearing affiliate, enabling regulated prediction markets tied to crypto prices and economic data. Reports say Bitnomial must publish precise market timestamps and sales figures, maintain full collateral with 1:1 backing and no leverage, and furnish information to the commission on request.

On January 9 2026, President Donald Trump reiterated in a New York Times interview that he will not grant a pardon to Sam Bankman-Fried, who is serving a 25-year sentence over the FTX collapse. Bankman-Fried's prospects on prediction platforms remain low, with one market pricing his chances of a Trump pardon before 2027 at single-digit percentages. Trump has, however, issued clemency to other high-profile crypto-linked figures such as Ross Ulbricht and Changpeng Zhao.

Bank of America has lifted Coinbase shares to a buy rating, pointing to easing tax-loss selling, reversing short interest and the exchange’s push to bring traditional finance onchain. The bank estimates COIN could climb about 38% from current levels to $340, while shares have swung between $151.8 and $419.8 over the last year. Analysts also highlight a potential Base network token and crypto-friendly policy under President Donald Trump as additional catalysts, though competition and market corrections remain risks.

New York Assembly member Clyde Vanel has reintroduced the ORACLE Act, a bill seeking to curb which event contracts platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket can list in the state. The proposal would prohibit certain prediction markets tied to sports matches, political outcomes, deaths, catastrophic events and public company stock prices, while imposing fines of $1 million per day on noncompliant operators. It also requires platforms to offer user self-exclusion tools and limits on time and money spent.

President Donald Trump has announced a $200 billion mortgage-backed securities purchase program through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, intended to push U.S. mortgage rates lower and ease housing affordability pressures. The move, framed as a large-scale market intervention using existing executive authority, has drawn comparisons to quantitative easing and is expected to influence mortgage costs, housing dynamics, and broader financial conditions.

On 9 January 2026, Morgan Stanley outlined plans to merge digital assets, private company exposure, and traditional investments into a single operating model aimed at long-term wealth clients. The bank intends to enable E*Trade users to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana and launch its own digital wallet in 2026, while also expanding access to private-company shares through partnerships with Carta and the planned acquisition of EquityZen. In parallel, it has filed an S-1 with the U.S. SEC for a spot Ethereum Trust, following earlier registrations linked to Bitcoin and Solana as part of a broader institutional crypto strategy.