At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire outlined a scenario in which autonomous AI agents begin using stablecoins for routine payments over the next three to five years. He argued that these agents will require a monetary system that is stable, fast, and programmable, positioning tokenized dollars like stablecoins as a logical fit. Allaire also suggested that billions of AI agents could eventually conduct continuous economic activity on behalf of users, raising new questions for regulators and infrastructure builders.

French authorities opened a preliminary probe into a breach at crypto tax platform Waltio that may have exposed users' personal data. The group known as Shiny Hunters reportedly demanded a ransom and claimed possession of information from about 50,000 users, mostly in France. Officials warned affected users could face attempts to manipulate them into moving digital assets.

On January 23, CertiK stated it is working toward a public listing as it aims to become the first publicly traded Web3 infrastructure firm, supported by a recent investment from Binance that makes the exchange its largest backer. The company is expanding its institutional security products through Skynet Enterprise and advancing formal verification with its Spoq engine, while reporting over $600 billion in secured assets, more than 180,000 detected vulnerabilities, and a valuation above $2 billion.

Crypto investigator ZachXBT linked a crypto wallet holding $23 million to alleged $90 million thefts involving the U.S. government and other victims via public blockchain analysis. The connection emerged after an online chat where the individual known as John (aka Lick) showcased wealth. Industry reactions stress vigilance as no formal statements were issued.

On January 23, 2026, the American Bankers Association named halting yield-bearing stablecoins as a top 2026 priority, citing risks to deposits and community lending. Bank of America's Brian Moynihan warned up to $6 trillion could shift, while Circle's Jeremy Allaire and Binance's CZ defended stablecoin yields at the WEF.

Crypto payments firm Mercuryo has teamed up with Visa to offer near real-time crypto-to-fiat off‑ramps via Visa Direct, allowing eligible users to route proceeds to Visa debit and credit cards within minutes. The integration aims to lower costs and speed up cross‑border payouts, with fiat funds spendable at more than 150 million Visa‑accepting merchant locations.

BitGo said it has moved its headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as it prepares for a potential IPO. The company aims to improve tax efficiency and operational predictability while keeping an international presence. Leadership plans to retain overseas offices to support institutional clients and ongoing growth.

As of January 2026, Railgun, an Ethereum-based mixer, is rolling out a confidential DeFi framework using 0zk private addresses and its Railgun_connect connector. It is currently testing this privacy system via Terminal Wallet and the CowSwap DEX aggregator, while its private pool holds about $100M in assets and the RAIL token trades at $2.30.