Analysts are examining claims that Venezuela may control a hidden Bitcoin reserve worth up to $60 billion, based on estimates from its gold sales since 2018. Blockchain intelligence firms say they have found no onchain evidence supporting a 600,000 BTC stash, even as Venezuela's long-running crypto experiments and use of digital wallets for oil trade keep its actual holdings opaque.

Bitcoin Core developers released version 30.1 on Jan. 1 and, on Monday, disclosed a migration bug affecting 30.0 and 30.1 that can delete wallet directories during legacy upgrades. Developers pulled both binaries and advised against using migration tools until 30.2 is available; Coin Dance reports Bitcoin Core powers about 78% of reachable nodes.

At the start of 2026, Bitfinex analysts point to a structurally weaker dollar (down roughly 9% from January 2025) and a steepening Treasury curve—about 70 basis points on 2s10s and 140 basis points on 2s30s—as tailwinds for Bitcoin. Corporate accumulation persists, with Strategy Inc. at 673,783 BTC and BitMine adding 32,977 ETH last week.

Adam Back recently reshared Michael Saylor's May 23, 2024 X post about a potential Bitcoin "Godzilla" move, hinting at ultra-bullish expectations. At the same time, BTC is trading around $93,220 after falling from above $120,000, while Saylor's firm Strategy has disclosed a new purchase of 1,287 BTC, lifting its holdings to 673,783 coins and expanding its USD reserve to $2.25 billion.

According to Capriole data, Bitcoin has entered a rare double-trigger pattern in which both the Net Institutional Buying indicator and the Bitcoin treasury Buy-Sell Ratio ROC have turned positive, a setup last seen more than a year ago. In past occurrences since 2020, this configuration preceded average gains of about 109%, with prior rallies reaching up to 390%, while the current move is reported to be just above 5%. Capriole's Charles Edwards also notes that Ethereum treasuries show a strongly positive trend, indicating institutional demand is not limited to Bitcoin.

On Jan. 5, Bitcoin crossed $94,000, its highest since Dec. 10, after a 24‑hour rally lifted crypto market value by nearly $100 billion. US spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $471 million net inflows on Jan. 2, options open interest on Deribit approached $1.45 billion, and CoinGlass recorded $438 million in short liquidations.

Bitcoin climbed to a three-week high above $93,000, coinciding with more than $186 million in short positions being liquidated in the past 24 hours. Market analysts forecast further upside for BTC over the coming months, while silver has rallied over 33% on the monthly timeframe and Peter Schiff argues precious metals are entering a historic bull run.

In the first week of 2026, data from Capriole Investments showed institutions purchasing more Bitcoin each day than miners added to circulation, with net buying exceeding new supply by 76% on one recent day. The firm's Net Institutional Buying indicator has now been positive for eight consecutive sessions, a pattern that previously coincided with average BTC price gains of 109% since 2020. After Bitcoin plunged nearly 40% from its October all-time high of $126,200, some analysts suggest the asset could revisit levels above $100,000 in January, although outcomes remain uncertain.