Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers states in its Global Crypto Regulation Report 2026 that cryptocurrency use cases for payments, remittances, savings, capital markets and tokenization are developing unevenly across regions, creating a fragmented global ecosystem. The firm notes that banks, asset managers, payment providers and large companies are increasingly integrating digital assets into their infrastructure and balance sheets, while analysts highlight strong institutional demand for Bitcoin alongside uncertainty over how much this interest will impact prices without major catalysts.

The American Bankers Association has named restricting yield-bearing stablecoins as its leading policy goal for 2026, arguing they could undermine bank deposits and lending. Its plan includes preventing payment stablecoins from functioning as deposit substitutes by banning interest, yield or rewards, while crypto industry leaders counter that such yields support adoption and do not threaten financial stability.

On Wednesday, FFTT founder Luke Gromen said on Coin Stories that institutional investors are unlikely to propel Bitcoin from around $89,880 to $150,000 without a major catalyst. CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju countered that demand remains strong, citing 577,000 BTC (about $53 billion) purchased by institutional funds over the past year. Gromen also floated a potential drop to $60,000.

US equities and major cryptocurrencies posted modest gains on Wednesday after Donald Trump announced he would not proceed with Greenland-linked tariffs scheduled for Feb. 1. The S&P 500 rose 1.16%, while Bitcoin, Ether and Solana all edged higher, although crypto-related stocks and mining firms showed a mixed performance.

Between Jan. 10 and Jan. 19, Bitcoin wallets holding 10–10,000 BTC accumulated $3.21 billion worth of BTC while smaller retail wallets sold, according to Santiment. Over the same period, Bitcoin slipped, briefly dropping 4.55% in 24 hours to around $89,110, with analysts suggesting this divergence between whale buying and retail selling could support a longer-term bullish setup despite cautious market sentiment.

U.S. homebuilder Megatel Homes plans to introduce its MegPrime crypto rewards platform after receiving a no-action letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The program will use MP Tokens to reward renters and homeowners, including potential rent cashback toward future home purchases and mortgage rates below market averages.

Crypto lender Nexo Capital will pay a $500,000 fine to California's financial regulator over thousands of allegedly unlicensed consumer and commercial loans. The regulator claims Nexo failed to properly assess borrowers' repayment ability on at least 5,456 loans issued to state residents between July 2018 and November 2022.

On Wednesday, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes said Bitcoin could regain momentum and set new highs in 2026 as U.S. dollar liquidity expands. He cited potential Fed balance-sheet growth, lower mortgage rates, and more bank lending to strategic industries; in 2025, Bitcoin fell 14.40% while gold rose 44.40%, according to Curvo.

Major US exchange Coinbase has withdrawn its support for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act after CEO Brian Armstrong warned it would leave the domestic crypto sector worse off than the current rules. Armstrong argued that the draft bill, released on Jan. 21 with a markup hearing scheduled for Jan. 27, could curb tokenized equities and DeFi, boost SEC authority over CFTC, and undermine stablecoin rewards while expanding government access to financial data.