Michael Saylor, Strategy's founder and chairman, rejected claims the firm buys "paper BTC," asserting it acquires real Bitcoin and audits custodians. The company holds 712K BTC, with more than 110K said to be untraceable across custodians, and invested about $20B in 2024, $23B in 2025, and close to $4B in 2026. MSTR slipped about 2% to $157.45.

Circle has launched USDCx, a USDC-backed stablecoin on the privacy-first Aleo blockchain, targeting demand for confidential transfers. Over the past 24 months, institutional stablecoin settlements reached $1.22 trillion, while private settlement flows remained below 1%, highlighting what some see as a large upside for privacy-oriented infrastructure.

In 2025, corporate Bitcoin treasuries led by Michael Saylor's Strategy accumulated 494,000 BTC, pushing their combined holdings to 1.13 million coins even as BTC ended the year down 6.4%. These firms now control 5.1% of the total BTC supply, while ETFs hold about 7.1%, and the joint demand tracked by Apparent Demand Growth has stayed negative since December, limiting price recovery. Despite reduced selling by long-term holders, analysts note that ETF flows and subdued demand continue to weigh on BTC's ability to break above prior highs.

Since 2020, stablecoins have expanded 76x and supply surpassed $300 billion. In 2025, according to Artemis and McKinsey, global payment volumes totaled $2 quadrillion while stablecoin volume reached $35 trillion, yet only $390 billion were real-world transfers (~1%). B2B hit $226 billion (+733% YoY) and card-linked spending rose 673%.

The Ethereum Foundation in 2026 designated post‑quantum security as a top priority and formed a dedicated team led by Thomas Coratger with Emile (leanVM). EF outlined bi‑weekly coordination, active PQ devnets, and a $1 million Poseidon Prize, with Justin Drake saying years of research since 2019 now feed into Ethereum’s long‑term roadmap.

Leveraged hedge funds cut Bitcoin CME futures shorts from $444 million in August to $78 million by mid‑January, an 82% drop. Basis trade yields fell from nearly 10% to 5%, while spot ETFs saw $1.33 billion in outflows this week and the 30‑day average turned negative. Macro focus shifts to the Fed's 28 January decision as FX risks have eased.

Bitwise has introduced the Bitwise Proficio Currency Debasement ETF (BPRO), a combined Bitcoin-gold fund aimed at investors seeking protection from currency devaluation and rising fiscal debt. The ETF recorded $13.2 million in first-day trading volume and $52.4 million in assets under management, even as Bitcoin has recently lagged behind gold and silver.

According to the report, the crypto market ended the week on a firm note even as U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded four consecutive days of outflows totaling $1.68 billion and BTC hovered near $90k. In equity markets, Asian indices rose after Japan paused rates on 22 January, while BitGo's NYSE debut saw its share price swing between $22 and $24.5 before closing at $18.49 on day one. Ethereum-based privacy project Railgun introduced its Railgun_connect integration for private DeFi usage, as attention turned to the U.S. Federal Reserve's 28 January rate decision.

Strategy (Nasdaq: MSTR), formerly MicroStrategy, has for the first time lifted its preferred stock balance of $8.36 billion above its total convertible debt of $8.21 billion, marking a key shift in its capital structure. Analysts say the move toward preferred equity, which has no fixed maturity, reduces bankruptcy-linked risk as the firm continues expanding its Bitcoin holdings and could support MSTR’s long-term stock performance.