Venezuela now relies on Tether USDT for settlements and everyday transfers as sanctions restrict access to international banking. State oil producer Petróleos de Venezuela routed payments through intermediaries that convert proceeds into USDT, and households use stablecoins for remittances, wages, savings, and peer-to-peer transactions.

On 12 January 2026 at 09:35, analyst Ran Neuner said the crypto market appears to be leaving a free‑fall phase and building a tentative base, with Bitcoin breaking a short‑term downtrend and defending former resistance. He cautioned that a major long‑term resistance lies ahead, while broader participation and venue spreads imply confidence is returning but still unconfirmed.

On 12 January 2026, Coinbase signaled it could withdraw support for a forthcoming U.S. crypto market structure bill if it imposes strict limits on stablecoin rewards for users. The exchange argues that proposals reserving rewards for licensed banks would undercut a key revenue stream tied to USDC interest and disadvantage non-bank crypto platforms. The dispute has reopened divisions in Congress and may jeopardize the broader legislation's progress.

On 11 January 2026, the United Arab Emirates was highlighted as one of the governments actively sponsoring Bitcoin mining, using its natural gas resources to power state-linked facilities. Reports state that these operations, conducted through Citadel Mining, have accumulated over 6,300 BTC while operating under a framework that treats mining as strategic infrastructure but enforces strict land-use and energy regulations. The UAE’s strategy places it alongside countries such as El Salvador, Bhutan and Iran, which also integrate Bitcoin mining into broader energy and economic policies.

The International Monetary Fund indicates that stablecoins are shifting from a crypto market tool to infrastructure for cross border payments. Its analysis highlights growing use outside major financial centers, tighter links to dollar based assets, and policy concerns around hidden dollarization. Fragmented oversight and bank initiatives in tokenization point toward a hybrid payment architecture.

BitMine Immersion Technologies staked 86,400 ETH in a single-day allocation worth $266.3 million, lifting its staked total to 1,080,512 ETH. The deposits were routed via Ethereum's BatchDeposit contract, and with ETH near $3,091, the firm's holdings are estimated around 2.74 million ETH valued at roughly $8.5 billion.

On 11 January 2026, veteran fund manager Larry Lepard argued that subtle Federal Reserve balance-sheet expansion since late 2025 is quietly adding liquidity through reserve management rather than overt quantitative easing. He believes this "gradual print" environment, also described by macro analyst Lyn Alden, could favor scarce assets such as Bitcoin over time as investors seek protection from currency dilution.

On 11 January 2026, BitMine Immersion Technologies staked an additional 86,400 ETH in a single transaction, bringing its total staked balance to just over 1.08 million ETH. The company now holds about 2.74 million ETH overall, signaling a long-term, yield-focused approach that leans on its own validator infrastructure instead of short-term trading.

Ethereum staking demand has accelerated, with the activation queue at a yearly high and about 1.76 million ETH (~$5.5 billion) awaiting entry. New validators face a wait of just over 30 days, while the exit queue has fallen to zero. The shift comes as ETH price action remains relatively subdued.