Ethereum

Ethereum network fees have fallen to their lowest level since 2017, with Glassnode reporting the average transaction cost slid from a $200 peak to $0.14. Upgrades including Proof-of-Stake and Dencun, higher gas limits, and broader use of Layer 2s are cited, while Layer 1 transaction volume exceeded 16 million in January.

Vitalik Buterin has pledged 16,384 ETH, valued at about $44.5 million, to support a sovereign technical stack focused on privacy-centric infrastructure for Ethereum's long-term roadmap. At the same time, Binance has overhauled its $1 billion SAFU insurance reserve to hold only Bitcoin, prompting debate among traders over alleged price suppression around the $80,000 level. These moves highlight how major crypto entities are tightening spending and reconfiguring reserves to reinforce resilience in a volatile market.

On Thursday, cryptocurrency investment funds saw significant redemptions as total crypto market capitalization fell about 6% and nearly $1 billion exited Bitcoin and Ether products. Spot Bitcoin ETFs alone recorded $817.9 million in single-day outflows, contributing to roughly $1.1 billion in net redemptions so far in January and turning monthly flows negative. Ether and XRP products also posted sizable outflows, while broader risk-off sentiment tied to tariff concerns, tech stock weakness and high leverage unwinds added pressure across digital assets.

UK crypto ownership has declined to 8% from 12% in 2024, equating to about 4.6 million adults versus roughly seven million previously. Despite slower adoption, existing investors are increasing stakes: the £1,001–£5,000 cohort rose to 21% from 17%, and £5,001–£10,000 reached 11%. Recognition of Bitcoin remains strong, and stablecoin awareness has climbed.

On January 29, 2026, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse praised the Senate Agriculture Committee’s advancement of a crypto market structure bill that builds on the CLARITY Act. He said regulatory clarity is 100% necessary for future entrepreneurs and argued it could resolve SEC–CFTC overlap while easing lawsuit-driven uncertainty.

Ethereum developer Griff Green outlined a plan to repurpose unclaimed Ether from The DAO's 2016 exploit into a staking-backed security fund for the network. The pool includes roughly 70,500 ETH plus about 4,600 ETH and DAO tokens, with yield earmarked for audits and tooling; the remainder tied to past claims is valued at around $200 million.

In a recent X post, Vitalik Buterin said the Ethereum Foundation will adopt an austerity approach and that he will take on more responsibilities, allocating 16,384 ETH over the next five years, with part staked. The Foundation retains 172K ETH, and ETH traded at $2,733.58 following a market downturn.

About 91,000 Bitcoin options contracts, with a notional value near $8.3 billion, are set to expire on Friday, Jan. 30. The batch has a put/call ratio of 0.54 and max pain around $90,000, while Ethereum expiries add $1.3 billion. Crypto markets fell this week, and Friday’s Asia session saw sharp declines.

Bitmine staked an additional 250,912 ETH valued at about $745 million over the past 18 hours, lifting its locked position to 2,582,963 ETH and 61% of holdings. Ethereum remains below the 3,000 level as key moving averages cap upside attempts and sentiment stays cautious. Large-scale staking tightens liquid supply while volume contraction and elevated leverage point to fragile short‑term positioning.

On Thursday, Ethereum advocate Griff Green said on the Unchained podcast that unclaimed Ether from The DAO’s 2016 hack will fund a new security initiative. He noted a multisig handled roughly $6 million in edge cases, over 80% has been claimed, and the remaining balance—now around $200 million—will be staked to support Ethereum security.