Binance has introduced a USD1-based rewards programme that will distribute $40 million in WLFI tokens via weekly airdrops between January 23 and February 20. Users’ WLFI allocations depend on their net USD1 balances across supported Binance accounts, with higher rates for USD1 used as collateral in margin or futures products. USD1’s market capitalisation has climbed above $3 billion and WLFI usage has expanded across DeFi platforms and payroll applications.

The Netherlands plans to introduce the Wet werkelijk rendement Box 3 system on January 1, 2028, shifting to a tax on actual annual returns for assets including Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Under the proposal, a 36% flat tax will apply to positive net returns above a €1,800 per-person threshold, and losses can be carried forward to offset future gains. The rules would tax both realised profits and unrealised gains, meaning investors may face annual liabilities based on portfolio value changes rather than only on asset sales.

Pakistan's government signed an MoU with SC Financial Technologies, a World Liberty Financial affiliate, to explore integrating the USD1 stablecoin into regulated cross-border payments. The agreement includes collaboration with the central bank on potential technical integration, aligning with Pakistan's broader push to expand digital finance and advance virtual asset regulation.

Dubai's DFSA has updated its Crypto Token Regulatory Framework, enforcing a ban on privacy tokens and related tools across the DIFC from Jan. 12. Stablecoins must now be fiat-pegged and backed by high-quality, liquid reserves, while algorithmic designs like Ethena are excluded from the stablecoin category. Token approval decisions are shifted to licensed firms, which must assess and document the suitability and compliance of assets they list.

Tether froze roughly $182 million in USDT within 24 hours on Jan. 11, targeting five Tron wallets with balances from about $12 million to nearly $50 million. The tokens were locked at the contract level. Since 2023, over $3 billion has been frozen, and stablecoins now dominate illicit-activity metrics.

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.

Binance has introduced perpetual futures contracts for gold and silver under the tickers XAUUSDT and XAGUSDT, expanding its derivatives offering beyond purely crypto assets. The products, settled in USDT and operating under FSRA oversight in Abu Dhabi’s ADGM, give traders onchain access to precious metals price movements without physical delivery. Other major exchanges already list similar contracts, underlining growing demand for safe-haven exposure via crypto-native infrastructure.

Wyoming has introduced the Frontier Stable Token (FRNT), described as the first stablecoin issued and backed by a US state government. The dollar-pegged token, which went live on January 7 and initially trades on Kraken via Solana, is fully collateralized by cash, cash equivalents, and short-term US Treasuries managed by Franklin Templeton. Interest from the reserves is directed to Wyoming public schools instead of FRNT holders, and state officials are testing its use for government payments amid ongoing federal regulatory uncertainty.

China's major financial industry associations have jointly stated that real-world asset tokenization falls under illegal fundraising, securities, or futures activities and is treated as unlawful finance. The directive targets Hong Kong-linked and offshore structures with mainland staff and applies liability across the Web3 service chain, from token issuers to technology, marketing, and payment providers.