BNB

BNB Chain's Layer 2 opBNB executed the Fourier mainnet hard fork at 03:00 UTC on January 7, reducing block intervals from 500 ms to 250 ms. According to BNB Chain developers, the upgrade targets faster confirmations and lower latency for dApps, with node operators moving to op-node v0.5.5 and op-geth v0.5.9.

On 7 January 2026, the total cryptocurrency market capitalization retreated to roughly $3.12 trillion, marking a daily loss of more than 3% amid intensified short-term selling. Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, Solana and XRP all declined over the past 24 hours, yet several still show solid gains on a seven-day basis, while sentiment gauges remain broadly neutral.

The opBNB network has finalized its Fourier mainnet hardfork on Wednesday around 03:00 UTC, after starting testing on its testnet earlier in the week and cutting block time from 500ms to 250ms. The upgrade introduces multiple protocol and node-level changes aimed at improving stability, finality, and compatibility, while BNB Chain reports a 40.5% annual TVL increase and BNB trades above $920 ahead of the January 14 Fermi hardfork. These developments come as BNB remains about 33% below its all-time high of $1,370 set last October.

YZi Labs criticized CEA Industries (aka BNC) for adopting a stockholder rights plan and bylaw amendments in December, saying they hinder written‑consent rights. The plan triggers at 15% and lets other holders buy shares at a 50% discount, expiring December 26, 2026. YZi also alleged a delay to the 2025 annual meeting and disputed BNC's token‑strategy claims.

Bitcoin briefly moved above $93,000 earlier today and is trading just below that mark. Since January 1, total crypto market value has risen by $200 billion, while BTC's market cap is above $1.850 trillion and dominance is slightly over 57%. Ethereum is nearing $3,200; XRP is above $2.10, and RENDER jumped 18%.

EGRAG CRYPTO estimates a 60% chance that XRP will break higher if it closes above the 21‑EMA and clears the channel top near $2.30, outlining targets at $3.10–$3.30. As of January 5, XRP traded above $2.10 with a 7‑day gain of 12%, while observers also flagged robust inflows into newly launched spot XRP ETFs since mid‑November 2025.

On January 5th, 2026 in Singapore, ChatAndBuild highlighted its AI Super App and newly launched Non-Fungible Agents (NFAs) during the BNB Chain Hack Abu Dhabi, where global builders focused on creating on-chain AI agents and platforms. Throughout 2025, ChatAndBuild and BNB Chain advanced their shared vision for AI in Web3, culminating in the deployment of NFAs on BNB Smart Chain mainnet and a dedicated hackathon track that produced projects across DeFi, energy, agriculture, data, and developer onboarding. The collaboration aims to make programmable, user-owned AI intelligence accessible to builders worldwide.

On Jan. 3, XRP reclaimed a $122,000,000,000 market capitalization and surpassed BNB to become the fourth-largest crypto by size, according to CoinMarketCap. Trading volume jumped over 140% to $4.14 billion, while price gains reached about 5.79% near the $2 mark. On Jan. 2, XRP ETFs recorded roughly $13.59 million of inflows.

Trust Wallet has reinstated its Chrome browser extension, announcing version 2.71.0 on January 2, 2026 following a supply-chain compromise over the Christmas period. The malicious build siphoned roughly $8.5 million and affected more than 2,500 addresses. The update introduces a verification-code system to confirm wallet ownership and curb false reimbursement claims.

On the second trading day of 2026, XRP moved ahead of BNB to regain the No. 3 cryptocurrency slot by market capitalization. At press time, XRP traded near $2.40 on Coinbase while Bitcoin hovered around $90,000 and the Crypto Fear & Greed Index registered 24. XRP previously hit $2.83 in January 2025 and a record $3.55 in July before rotating with BNB again in October near $2.63.