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.

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.

European Union institutions and allied policymakers are supporting a €500 million initiative to launch W, a regulated social platform positioned as an alternative to Elon Musk's X. The beta is expected by February, with mandatory identity checks, strict moderation, and EU-based data hosting among core requirements. The public rollout is planned for later in the year, according to the project's leaders.

On January 20, 2026, the American Bankers Association unveiled its Blueprint for Growth and put restrictions on stablecoin rewards at the top of its policy agenda. Senator Tim Scott released draft language on January 9, and the Senate Agriculture Committee set a markup for January 27, while major crypto firms oppose broader limits.

The Financial Times reported on Friday that Ledger is in talks with Goldman Sachs, Jefferies and Barclays about a potential US IPO that could value the firm above $4 billion. Ledger posted a record 2025 with revenue in the triple-digit millions amid rising crypto hacks, and it declined to confirm the IPO discussions when contacted.

Merkle Manufactory, developer of the Farcaster social protocol, said late Thursday it will return $180 million in venture funding to investors. Co-founder Dan Romero stated the network remains active, citing 250,000 December MAU and over 100,000 funded wallets, while Neynar assumes control of smart contracts, code repositories, the mobile app, and the Clanker token launchpad.