Bitcoin traded below $90,000 on Friday while Asian equities advanced after the Bank of Japan kept its policy rate around 0.75%. Regional moves followed a Wall Street rebound driven by softer US tariff rhetoric, as gold and broader crypto market gauges showed only modest declines.

On Thursday, the SEC and CFTC said their chairs, Paul Atkins and Michael Selig, will convene an event on Tuesday to discuss harmonizing crypto oversight. The move comes as Senate committees work on market-structure legislation, with recent drafts adding restrictions on stablecoin yields and decentralized finance, prompting Coinbase to withdraw its support.

On Saturday, President Trump used thin weekend liquidity in digital asset markets to unveil new tariff threats against eight European countries, coinciding with the first anniversary of his administration. Since he took office in January 2025, major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have fallen 13% while meme coin Shiba Inu has dropped 65%, with analysts framing the swings as part of an 11-step tariff cycle and a broader “Tariff Playbook” tied to Greenland negotiations. On-chain data shows SHIB volumes spiked 150% during the latest escalation, even as token burns exceeded 5 billion units and active addresses stayed above 1.3 million.

In 2025, under Chairman Paul Atkins, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reduced its cryptocurrency enforcement actions by 60%, concentrating on fraud and direct investor harm while scaling back broad registration cases. The agency brought only 13 crypto-related actions and cut monetary penalties by $142 million from the prior year, coinciding with dismissals involving platforms such as Coinbase and Binance. As of January 23, 2026, Ethereum is trading at $2,960.55 amid heightened volatility and an evolving regulatory approach.

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.

BitGo Holdings went public on the New York Stock Exchange on January 22, 2026, pricing its IPO at $18 per share and raising about $212 million. The deal included 11,026,365 new shares and 795,200 from existing holders, with Goldman Sachs and Citigroup managing the offering. The stock traded as high as $24.50 before closing at $18.25.

The SEC initiated 13 crypto-related enforcement actions in 2025, a 60% decline from 33 in 2024. Five were opened before Gary Gensler's January 2025 departure and eight under Paul Atkins, who took office in April 2025 and centered new actions on alleged fraud. Total penalties reached $142M, with seven cases dismissed.