In Q4 2025, the Eurozone's seasonally adjusted GDP increased by 0.3%, exceeding the 0.2% growth that analysts had projected. Spain led with 0.8% expansion, while Germany and Italy each grew by 0.3% and France by 0.2%, offsetting weaker exports and trade tensions. Most projections suggest Eurozone growth could hover around 1.2%-1.5% in coming years, as the region looks more reliant on domestic demand.

The Democratic Party of Korea plans to table the Virtual Asset Phase 2 Act before the Lunar New Year, focusing on stablecoin oversight and ownership limits for crypto exchanges. The package highlights a ~$3.46 million (5B won) capital floor for issuers as debates continue over a 15%–20% shareholder cap and whether banks or tech firms should issue KRW-pegged tokens.

On January 28, 2026, Donald Trump Jr. said USD1 reached a $5 billion market cap. CoinMarketCap data shows the Trump-linked stablecoin now ranks fifth, surpassing PYUSD at $3.75 billion, with 583K holders versus 101K for PYUSD. In late December, Binance added TRX/USD1 and USD1/U margin pairs and offers 20% APR to spur adoption.

On January 28, 2026, several U.S. Senators sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche questioning the Department of Justice's decision to dismantle its crypto enforcement unit after he reported significant digital asset holdings. The lawmakers argue his actions may violate federal conflict-of-interest rules, while also highlighting 2025 data showing illicit crypto volume of $158 billion and a sharp rise in activity tied to sanctioned entities.

On January 28, 2026, Coinbase integrated Jupiter Exchange into its on-chain trading stack, enabling customers to trade Solana-native tokens using existing account balances and payment methods via self-custodial wallets. Under the new setup, Jupiter aggregates liquidity across Solana DEXs and executes trades on-chain, while Coinbase focuses on distribution, fiat on- and off-ramps, and user experience. The move comes alongside strong crypto M&A activity in 2025, including Coinbase's reported $2.9 billion acquisition of Derbit.

On Tuesday, major Wall Street institutions including JPMorgan, Citadel, and SIFMA met with the U.S. SEC's crypto task force to raise concerns over the regulator's pro-crypto direction. The firms warned that exemptive relief for tokenized securities and some DeFi projects could destabilize markets, while U.S. banks also argued that yield-bearing stablecoins may drain deposits and threaten the traditional lending system. Tether has meanwhile received approval to launch a USA₾ stablecoin in the U.S. under the Genesis Act framework.

On Wednesday, WisdomTree expanded its tokenized funds to the Solana blockchain, with access through its WisdomTree Prime and WisdomTree Connect platforms. The announcement was updated on January 28, 2026, and, according to Nick Ducoff of the Solana Foundation, real‑world assets on Solana have surpassed $1 billion.

On Wednesday, Ripple introduced Ripple Treasury, a new enterprise platform built on its recently acquired GTreasury technology, following a $1 billion deal completed last October. The solution targets CFOs, treasurers and accounting teams, offering liquidity management, risk tools and support for digital assets including the RLUSD stablecoin. Ripple also rolled out a Treasury Solution with API connectivity and cross-border RLUSD transfers, and partnered with Jeel, a Riyad Bank subsidiary, to explore blockchain payments and tokenization in Saudi Arabia.

Tether is purchasing up to 2 tons of gold per week and storing the bullion in a high-security Swiss vault, significantly increasing its role in the global gold market. The company's gold-backed token XAU₿ accounted for about 60% of the gold-backed stablecoin supply in 2025, while Tether also launched the dollar-pegged USA₿ for U.S. jurisdictions under the GENIUS Act. Tether reports that its gold reserves exceed 140 tons and that its primary dollar stablecoin has $186 billion in circulation.