Cryptocurrencies took center stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 23, 2026, as central bank governors warned that digital assets could threaten monetary sovereignty while the industry sheds its "illegal currency" label, BlockBeats reports. U.S. President Donald Trump positioned crypto regulation as part of a geopolitical strategy, calling for rapid passage of the CLARITY Act market structure bill to establish the United States as a global crypto hub, while the Banque de France governor and other European central bank officials argued that privately issued money may endanger monetary sovereignty and advocated for tighter oversight and central bank digital currency development. Coinbase's CEO and the Banque de France diverged on "monetary sovereignty," with Coinbase highlighting Bitcoin's decentralization relative to traditional monetary systems and French officials stressing the importance of monetary control and sovereign authority. Stablecoins, tokenized assets and crypto infrastructure are increasingly embedded in the global financial agenda at Davos, though regulatory approaches remain unsettled and consensus is still emerging.

Binance filed an authorization application under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework with the Hellenic Capital Market Commission in Greece on January 23, Cointelegraph reports. The move follows a January 13 warning from France's Autorité des marchés financiers stating that 90 registered crypto firms, including Binance, had yet to obtain MiCA licenses, with France's MiCA transition period ending on June 30 and non-compliant entities required to cease operations in July. Data from the European Securities and Markets Authority show Greece has not granted any MiCA licenses so far, while Germany and the Netherlands have issued 43 and 22 licenses respectively.

Nasdaq filed a rule change with the SEC on Jan. 23 to remove the 25,000-contract position limit on spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF options, BlockBeats reports. The SEC has opened a comment period, with a final decision expected by end-February, according to Cointelegraph.

SEC Chair Paul Atkins will join CFTC Chair Mike Selig at a jointly hosted public event next week to discuss how the two U.S. regulators coordinate oversight of the crypto sector, BlockBeats reports. Atkins said on Jan. 23 that the agencies will work together to advance President Trump's commitment to make the United States the global crypto capital. The event will take place at CFTC headquarters and will be open to the public and streamed online.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Jan. 23 he has completed interviews for the next Federal Reserve chair and will likely select a "very respected, extremely well-known" figure to replace Jerome Powell when his term ends in May, BlockBeats reports. The publicly discussed shortlist includes National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett, BlackRock fixed-income chief Rick Rieder, current Fed governor Christopher Waller and former governor Kevin Warsh, with Trump suggesting Hassett may remain at the White House. After Trump recently praised Rieder as "impressive," prediction market Kalshi data show Rieder's implied probability of nomination rose to 33% from about half that level earlier this week and 3% ten days ago, while Warsh remains the frontrunner at 45%. Treasury Secretary Bessent said Trump could announce his final decision next week, with market participants viewing the appointment as significant for U.S. monetary policy and global financial markets.

F/m Investments, which manages $18 billion in assets, has filed an application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to record ownership of its flagship F/m US Treasury 3 Month Bill ETF (TBIL) on a permissioned blockchain, Cointelegraph reported on Jan. 22. The firm said tokenized TBIL shares would preserve the same rights, fees, voting power and economic terms as existing TBIL shares, with the only change being the method of recording ownership. If approved, TBIL could be available through both traditional brokerage channels and digital-native platforms, F/m Investments added.

China's Foreign Ministry responded on Jan. 22 to U.S. President Trump's Davos statement about keeping the U.S. ahead in crypto and preventing China's involvement, BlockBeats reports. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China actively engages in multilateral and bilateral monetary and financial cooperation, participates in global macro policy coordination and international financial rule-making, and directed specific questions to competent Chinese authorities.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 22, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and French central bank governor François Villeroy de Galhau debated stablecoin yields and Bitcoin, BlockBeats and CoinDesk reported. Armstrong argued that yield-bearing stablecoins boost consumer returns and U.S. competitiveness, while Villeroy warned they could pose systemic banking risks and said the digital euro should not compete on yield. The exchange also covered the CLARITY Act, banking lobbying, and Bitcoin’s role, with Armstrong emphasizing decentralization and Villeroy raising sovereignty concerns.