WazirX has stated that it has finished issuing recovery tokens to all eligible users under its court-approved restructuring plan, completing the process within the previously promised 60-day window on a pro-rata basis. The exchange, which resumed trading on October 24, 2025 after a 2024 hack involving more than $234.9 million, said initial distributions covered about 85% of approved user claims at the scheme's reference pricing date. WazirX plans to use future profits and recovered assets, subject to a $10 million recovery threshold per period, to buy back these recovery tokens and further reimburse users.

On 10 January 2026, OKX confirmed it had overhauled its global institutional business, resulting in a notable reduction in staff. People familiar with the matter indicated that around one-third of the institutional sales team left, with estimates of eight to ten layoffs alongside voluntary departures. The exchange says the move follows a strategic review and aims to adopt a more traditional coverage model for institutional clients.

In its latest 2026 Crypto Crime Report, Chainalysis reports that illicit cryptocurrency transactions surged 162% in 2025 to at least $154 billion, driven by sanctioned states and organised criminal networks. The study highlights Iran's IRGC, Russia's ruble-linked A7A5 token, North Korean hackers and Chinese money laundering networks as key actors in this ecosystem. It also notes a sharp rise in physical attacks and kidnappings targeting crypto users, underscoring mounting security risks for the industry.

On January 10, altcoins captured over 50% of crypto trading volume, compared with Bitcoin at 27% and Ethereum at 23%. High-beta plays including Solana memecoins, Polygon, and Beefy posted strong gains, while January 9 data showed $93.82 million net withdrawals from U.S. spot ETH ETFs, amid mixed momentum for BTC and ETH.

In 2025, Chainalysis reported that illicit crypto addresses received at least $154 billion, with a large share tied to sanctioned entities and heavy use of stablecoins. Russia’s ruble-backed A7A5 token, launched in February 2025, processed more than $93.3 billion in transactions within the year. Although these volumes grew rapidly, illicit activity still accounted for less than 1% of overall on-chain transaction volume.

In 2026, ISO 20022 moves from implementation to enforcement, with unstructured addresses due for removal by November 2026, while G20 P2P ambitions and instant-payment upgrades gather pace. RedCompass Labs says these shifts, plus Visa's USDC settlement run rate above $3.5 billion by late November last year, could help turn crypto sentiment.

On January 10, 2026, BingX launched BingX TradFi, a futures product linking crypto infrastructure to traditional markets. The service offers contracts on more than fifty underlying instruments, including commodities such as cocoa and soybeans, with leverage reaching up to 500x.

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.