Tether said in a Friday BDO-prepared report that 2025 net profit exceeded $10 billion, about 23% below the $13 billion recorded in 2024. The filing showed direct U.S. Treasury holdings above $122 billion and $50 billion of new USDt issued over 12 months, as demand moved outside traditional banking.

On Thursday, crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen said Bitcoin is likely to keep losing ground versus the stock market, warning that hopes for a rotation from gold and silver into crypto may be misplaced. Gold and silver hit all-time highs of $5,608.33 and $121.64, and Citi on Tuesday forecast silver could reach $150 within three months. Bitcoin traded at $82,859, down 7.78% over seven days, according to CoinMarketCap.

On Thursday, Ethereum advocate Griff Green said on the Unchained podcast that unclaimed Ether from The DAO’s 2016 hack will fund a new security initiative. He noted a multisig handled roughly $6 million in edge cases, over 80% has been claimed, and the remaining balance—now around $200 million—will be staked to support Ethereum security.

Crypto analytics firm Santiment reports that the number of XRP wallets holding more than 1 million tokens has increased since Jan. 1, 2026, despite broader market sentiment sitting in fear. Large-holder accumulation and an 11.55% rise in "smart money" XRP holdings over the past 30 days are seen by some as a supportive long-term signal, while analysts remain divided on near-term price direction.

On Jan. 28, six US senators sent a letter questioning Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's 2025 decision to disband the Department of Justice's national cryptocurrency enforcement team. They highlighted his then-crypto holdings, alleged conflict of interest, and a reported surge in illicit cryptocurrency activity in 2025 to argue the unit should not have been shut down.

US fast-food chain Steak ’n Shake added $5 million in Bitcoin to its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, lifting total holdings to $15 million after a $10 million increase announced on Jan. 18. The company credits Bitcoin adoption with an 18% rise in 2026 same-store sales and plans a $0.21-per-hour Bitcoin bonus for hourly employees starting March 1 with a two-year vesting period.

According to Polymarket market data, bettors now assign a 77% chance the U.S. government will shut down before the end of January, a 67% jump over the past 24 hours. The shift followed remarks from President Donald Trump on Thursday and a Saturday warning from U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer about DHS funding, while the CLARITY Act’s path through Congress remains uncertain.

US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $103.5 million in net outflows on Friday, extending a withdrawal streak that began the previous Friday and totaling about $1.72 billion over a shortened five-day trading period. Bitcoin traded at $89,160 at publication time and has remained below $100,000 since Nov. 13, while the Crypto Fear & Greed Index has been stuck in the “Extreme Fear” zone, with analysts describing the market as a phase of uncertainty.

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.