Ethereum is evaluating EIP-8004/ERC-8004 "Trustless Agents," a proposal to let autonomous AI agents operate on-chain through new identity, reputation, and validation registries. According to U.Today, the proposal is under review and may align with 2026 network upgrades, as the Glamsterdam hard fork targets a move toward six-second blocks in Q2 2026.

Tether has announced a new partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to fund cybersecurity education in Senegal, victim support in six African countries, and blockchain awareness initiatives in Papua New Guinea. The collaboration follows an earlier enforcement phase in which Tether froze $3.3 billion across 7,268 wallet addresses between 2023 and 2025, and now shifts toward development-focused efforts aimed at tackling scams, human trafficking, and digital asset fraud.

As of January 10, 2026, this review outlines compliant crypto casinos accessible to US and EU players, noting that U.S. licensing is absent and EU rules are state-driven. Highlights include Curaçao-licensed platforms, Estonia-licensed Yolo, and offers such as a >50,000 USDT jackpot, $2,500 welcome rewards, and bonuses up to 470%.

On January 10, 2026, reports highlighted that a UK-based crypto entrepreneur connected to Paradox Metaverse was linked to what authorities described as the largest illegal drug operation in the country. According to The Guardian, MHRA officers raided a Northampton unit last October, seizing thousands of unlicensed Alluvi pens, raw chemicals, equipment, and £20,000 in cash.

According to TRM Labs' forthcoming 2026 Crypto Crime Report, UK-registered exchanges Zedcex and Zedxion operated as a single platform that routed about USD 1 billion, mostly in USDT on TRON, through wallets linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The analysis shows that IRGC-associated activity dominated Zedcex's flows in 2023, 2024, and 2025, including more than USD 10 million in late 2024 reportedly transferred directly to an OFAC-designated Houthi financier without intermediaries. TRM argues this case illustrates how offshore crypto exchanges can become long-term sanctions-evasion infrastructure rather than one-off laundering channels.

In early January 2026, crypto reporter Eleanor Terrett reported that a newly formed group called Investors For Transparency began running prime-time Fox News ads urging opposition to DeFi-related provisions in the CLARITY Act. The campaign portrays decentralized finance as a regulatory threat, drawing criticism from industry figures who question the group's anonymous backing and warn that applying traditional banking rules to DeFi could damage the $120 billion decentralized lending market.

Investors For Transparency reportedly aired Fox News ads urging viewers to contact senators and remove DeFi provisions from the CLARITY Act. The Senate Banking Committee scheduled a markup for Thursday, Jan. 15 at 10:00am Eastern Time. In April, the US Treasury estimated $6.6 trillion in bank deposits could exit if stablecoins see broad adoption.

On 10 January 2026, stablecoin-powered cards were presented as a leading payments theme for the year. Backed by rapid 2025 growth at Rain and a valuation near $2 billion, the model routes card settlement over blockchains while keeping the consumer experience unchanged. Western Union is preparing a Solana-based settlement system in 2026, underscoring institutional momentum.