The Nasdaq Stock Exchange and CME Group have combined their crypto benchmarks by renaming the Nasdaq Crypto Index to the Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index, which currently tracks major assets such as Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Chainlink, Cardano and Avalanche. Executives and analysts expect crypto index benchmarks and exchange-traded products to gain traction as the digital asset market becomes more complex and investors increasingly seek passive, diversified exposure.

On Jan. 15, 2026, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 will face a key Senate Banking Committee vote, with analyst Alex Thorn warning it is unlikely to return for a second vote in 2026 if it fails to advance. He said Republicans will need seven to 10 Democratic senators overall, and at least four Democrats on the committee, to move the CLARITY market structure bill forward and sustain its chances.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has issued a no-action letter to crypto derivatives venue Bitnomial, allowing it to list event contracts and operate prediction-style markets. Under the letter, Bitnomial is exempt from standard asset swap reporting rules but must keep all positions fully collateralized and publish detailed market data, while supplying information to the regulator on request. The move comes after a surge of interest in US prediction markets, including major funding for Polymarket and strategic moves by Kalshi, ICE and Coinbase.

Stablecoins on the Solana blockchain added $900 million over a 24-hour period on Tuesday, lifting the segment to a $15.3 billion market cap. The jump coincided with Jupiter launching its JupUSD stablecoin in partnership with Ethena. USDC represented more than 67% of Solana's stablecoin supply.

The CoinMarketCap Crypto Fear and Greed Index moved back to a neutral score of 40 on Sunday, its first such reading since October 2025, after months spent in fear and extreme fear. Bitcoin recently recovered to around $91,000 following a historic flash crash that saw it fall from an all-time high above $125,000 to roughly $80,000, while altcoins suffered even steeper one-day losses.

According to analyst Michaël van de Poppe, the altcoin market, valued at over $879 billion, is holding critical support and could move back toward its previous peak near $1.2 trillion. Total3 has maintained support around $784 billion and is edging toward its 365-day moving average, even after a sharp 33% drop from its October high. While investors waited in 2025 for an altseason that never materialized, analysts cite changing market dynamics, ETF-driven liquidity siloes, and an oversupply of tokens as key factors.

Analyst and crypto treasury investor Adam Livingston argues that Metaplanet’s Bitcoin strategy is advantaged by Japan’s high debt and weakening yen, which reduce the real cost of its yen-denominated liabilities. He notes that since 2020, Bitcoin has gained 1,704% against the Japanese yen compared with 1,159% against the US dollar, while Metaplanet has grown its holdings to 35,102 BTC even as crypto treasury stocks have sharply declined. Livingston contrasts Metaplanet’s 4.9% coupon in yen with Strategy’s 10% dollar coupon, saying the yen weakness makes Metaplanet’s financing effectively cheaper in BTC terms.

Bitcoin held near $90,000 on Saturday after a brief dip below that mark, despite US President Donald Trump announcing airstrikes on Caracas and the capture of Nicolas Maduro. Analysts Michaël van de Poppe and Lennaert Snyder pointed to the 21-day moving average and potential post-weekend market activity as near-term factors for volatility.

On January 3, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto mined Bitcoin's Genesis Block, a date now celebrated by Bitcoin users as Genesis Day. As this year's anniversary passed, United States national debt climbed above $38.5 trillion, with the US National Debt Clock showing around $38,561,900,451,378 outstanding. Bitcoin advocates contrast the growing debt and expanding M2 money supply with Bitcoin's fixed 21 million coin cap and predictable issuance.