Major US exchange Coinbase has withdrawn its support for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act after CEO Brian Armstrong warned it would leave the domestic crypto sector worse off than the current rules. Armstrong argued that the draft bill, released on Jan. 21 with a markup hearing scheduled for Jan. 27, could curb tokenized equities and DeFi, boost SEC authority over CFTC, and undermine stablecoin rewards while expanding government access to financial data.

JPMorgan expects institutional participation in crypto to expand in 2026, following nearly $130 billion of inflows in 2025—a roughly one-third rise from 2024. Analysts cite new rules, including the Clarity Act, and track flows via ETFs, CME futures, venture fundraising, and Digital Asset Treasuries. They also note weaker CME futures activity and mixed venture funding trends.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has publicly opposed the current draft of a U.S. cryptocurrency bill scheduled for a vote by the Senate Banking Committee, arguing it is worse than the existing regulatory framework. He raised concerns over privacy, DeFi oversight, stablecoin yields and the balance of authority between the CFTC and SEC, while USDC trades at $1.00 with a $75.75 billion market cap and $20.17 billion in 24-hour volume. The broader crypto industry remains split, with some stakeholders favoring further amendments to address divisive provisions.

On January 15, 2026, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the company has withdrawn support for the US Senate's crypto market structure bill after a 48-hour review of the Banking Committee draft. According to his post on X, the text would ban tokenized equities, constrain DeFi, expand SEC authority, weaken CFTC oversight, and curb stablecoin rewards.

On January 14, 2026, Nvidia's NVDA was down 2.6% year to date, with Q4 earnings slated for February 26. Analysts from Freedom Capital Markets, Wolfe Research, Baird, and Bernstein cited weak AI sentiment, competition, and rotation from growth stocks, while still highlighting price targets and valuation. According to TradingView, Alphabet (+77% YTD), AMD (+91%), and Broadcom (+51%) have outperformed.

On January 14, 2026, analysis of crypto markets pointed to a structural shift beneath recent price swings, with derivatives data showing over $700 million in short liquidations within 24 hours and leverage rebuilding more cautiously. At the same time, stablecoin market share briefly moved above 10% and on-chain balances stayed high, suggesting capital is rotating and waiting on the sidelines rather than exiting the crypto ecosystem.

During a live virtual event, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said AI has practical uses while characterizing cryptocurrency as speculative for consumers. He projected steady U.S. growth with inflation easing toward the Fed's 2% goal, but said he's unsure whether it will settle near 2.5% by year-end, and rejected claims that balance-sheet expansion amounts to QE.

On 14 January 2026, Figure Technology Solutions detailed plans for its On-Chain Public Equity Network (OPEN), a system where companies issue native blockchain-based shares instead of tokenized representations. Built on the Provenance blockchain, OPEN lets investors hold, trade, and lend equity directly via digital wallets while reducing traditional intermediaries and targeting use cases such as crypto-heavy public companies seeking tighter alignment with underlying asset values.