On January 12, 2026, Ukrainian authorities ordered communication providers to block access to prediction market platform Polymarket, citing unlicensed gambling activities. The decision, issued under Resolution No. 695 by the National Commission for State Regulation of Communications and Informatization, has led to uneven access across the country while more than $410 million in Ukraine-related bets and $270 million in completed wagers are tied to the platform. Polymarket’s dependence on USDC and Polygon leaves it navigating recurring geo-blocks in multiple jurisdictions.

On January 12, 2026, automated trading bot platform Trojan introduced a Solana-based trading terminal that integrates MetaMask as its native wallet. The new terminal, branded as the Trojan on Solana Bot, targets millions of existing users with features like lightning-fast execution, custom routing, copy trading, and auto-selling. With support for Ethereum, Solana, and Bitcoin via MetaMask, the platform aims to enhance the trading experience and draw in users from multiple blockchains.

Dubai's DFSA implemented updated crypto rules that took effect on 12 January 2026. The measures ban privacy tokens and "privacy devices" within the DIFC and replace the regulator's token whitelist with firm-led suitability assessments, while easing limits on fund participation and opening access for brokers and custodians using compliant assets.

On January 12, 2026, Arthur Azizov analyzes perpetual futures, noting they comprised roughly 68% of Bitcoin trading volume in 2025. He explains how funding rates, unified collateral and shared risk engines are pushing perps toward core market infrastructure, while warning that liquidation cascades and collateral mispricing still pose systemic risks. Azizov proposes dynamic limits, transparent insurance and tiered margin frameworks to strengthen trust.

On January 11, 2026, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell disclosed that the U.S. Department of Justice had issued grand jury subpoenas to the Fed and threatened criminal charges, which he characterized as politically motivated pressure linked to interest-rate decisions rather than a $2,500,000,000 building renovation. Following the news, Bitcoin traded around $90,822 (+0.1% 24h) on CoinGecko and $91,226 (+0.42% 24h) on CoinMarketCap, while analysts highlighted the implications for Fed independence, U.S. institutional credibility, and demand for non-sovereign assets like BTC. Market commentary pointed to a backdrop of heightened equity volatility, a weaker dollar, and record spot-gold prices as desks reassessed rule-of-law risk and future rate-cut timing into June and September 2026.

On January 12, 2026, World Liberty Financial launched World Liberty Markets, a digital asset lending platform on Ethereum linked to the Trump family. The service supports stablecoins, ETH, USD1 and WLFI to expand utility and liquidity, with plans for mobile apps and tokenized assets to broaden access.

On January 12, 2026, Michael Egorov argued that Bitcoin liquidity will remain concentrated on centralized exchanges, ETFs and custodians because DeFi has yet to replicate professional market makers. He noted that only 0.79% of BTC supply is deployed in DeFi, while products like ETFs already hold about 7% of Bitcoin’s market cap. Until on-chain systems can automate pricing and passive liquidity like CEXs, he believes most institutional and retail capital will avoid complex DeFi tools.

ETH’s estimated leverage ratio eased from 0.79 on Jan. 2 to 0.67 by Jan. 11 while open interest climbed, and spot-led buying strengthened. Aggregated futures OI has rebounded toward pre-Q4 2025 drawdown levels, yet ETH trades about 27% below its Oct. 10, 2025 opening price. Staking inflows and macro signals add potential tailwinds for a push toward $4,000.