Vietnam's competition authorities fined TikTok about 880 million dong ($33,516) for misleading users and breaching data privacy and consumer protection rules. A commission statement cited missing mechanisms for user privacy rights and complaint submission. Separately, reports say TikTok completed a deal to shift major US operations to domestic investors, with executives expressing confidence a nationwide ban will be avoided.

On January 23, 2026 (UTC), Changpeng Zhao argued that as AI automates more work, crypto, tokenization and DeFi will become core to digital economic activity. He predicted AI agents will pay with crypto rather than cards, and warned that 99.99% of current AI tokens lack real utility.

China is preparing a 2026 GDP target in the 4.5%–5% range. The goal is expected to be set at the National People's Congress in March 2026 and reflects a turn toward steadier growth after 5% in 2025, as soft household spending, weaker investment and a prolonged property slump weigh on momentum.

On January 23, 2026, President Donald Trump said he had completed interviews for the next Federal Reserve chair and already settled on a candidate. According to Scott Bessent, who is overseeing the selection, four names are on the shortlist and an announcement could come before month-end, while Jerome Powell’s term as chair concludes in May.

Nasdaq-listed DeFi Development Corp., a Solana treasury-focused company, faces insider trading allegations after a single wallet bought roughly 29 billion DisclaimerCoin ($DONT) tokens for about $4,100 before the public launch and later exceeded $1.1 million in value. On-chain analysts linked the wallet’s funding paths and staking activity to infrastructure associated with the firm, while the company said it conducted an internal review, labeled the address an "early sniper," and burned over 17 billion $DONT tokens.

On January 21, 2026, Senator John Boozman released a draft crypto market structure bill that is set for markup on January 27, 2026, while Republicans and Democrats remain split on core policy issues. The proposal centers regulation on crypto intermediaries and largely excludes DeFi, self-custody wallets, and non-custodial interfaces, and its progress may be pushed back as the Senate Banking Committee prioritizes President Trump's affordability initiative and related executive order on single-family home purchases.

On January 22, 2026, Polymarket traders assigned a 98% probability that the Federal Reserve will keep its benchmark rate unchanged at the January 27–28 meeting. A January 16–21 survey of 100 economists showed unanimous expectations for a 3.50%–3.75% target range, with 58% anticipating no change through the quarter.

The US Senate Banking Committee has pushed back consideration of a key digital asset market structure bill by several weeks to devote more time to housing affordability legislation. The committee now expects to revisit the crypto regulation package in late February or early March 2023, while disagreements over DeFi oversight and stablecoin yields continue to slow progress.

In a January 21 interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks said banks and crypto firms could consolidate into a single digital asset industry once a market structure bill is approved. He urged lawmakers, banks, and crypto companies to find common ground on the CLARITY Act, while the American Bankers Association reported spending over $2 million in 2025 that included efforts related to the bill.