According to TRM Labs, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly used two UK-based exchanges, Zedcex and Zedxion, to route about $1 billion in crypto since early 2023, mostly USDT on the TRON network. Investigators said IRGC-linked flows accounted for 56% of these platforms’ volume between 2023 and 2025 and traced activity across 187 sanctioned wallet addresses.

Rain closed a $250 million Series C, announced January 9, led by ICONIQ, valuing the stablecoin payments firm at $1.95 billion. The company plans to expand infrastructure across five continents, integrate US ACH and European SEPA, and grow Visa-linked stablecoin cards serving 150+ countries. Additional backers include Sapphire Ventures, Dragonfly, and Bessemer, bringing total funding to over $338 million.

On January 8, 2026, Cyvers alerted to a suspicious on‑chain transfer tied to Truebit Protocol, citing an estimated exposure of about $26 million. The flagged movement involved 8,535 ETH and carried the on‑chain label "Truebit Protocol: Purchase." Truebit's team has not issued an official statement or confirmed any loss at the time of writing.

Poland's Senate approved corrections to the Crypto-Asset Market Act and sent the bill back to the Sejm. Deputies had cut the supervisory fee from 0.4% to 0.1%, but senators scrapped that change; the levy will rise to 0.5% with a €500 minimum. The Sejm passed the law in September, and the president vetoed it in early December.

Andreessen Horowitz's a16z crypto unit said in a Thursday outlook that the 2026 phase of digital assets will be driven by prediction markets, verifiable computation and "staked media" rather than launching new blockchains. The firm highlighted growth in platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, advances in zero-knowledge proofs for cloud workloads and a model where media participants back their claims with onchain, financially exposed commitments.

On January 9, 2026, video platform Rumble announced a partnership with stablecoin issuer Tether to roll out a non-custodial crypto wallet integrated into its site. The Rumble Wallet enables users to tip creators in Bitcoin, USDT and Tether Gold, and supports fiat on- and off-ramps via MoonPay as part of Rumble's broader push for alternative monetization tools.

On January 7, 2026, Ethereum-based Truebit reported an exploit that drained 8,535 ETH, worth about $26.6 million. The team advised users to avoid the compromised "Purchase" contract and said law enforcement is involved. The incident coincided with a sharp collapse in the TRU token's value.

Barclays announced an investment in U.S.-based stablecoin platform Ubyx, aiming to strengthen regulated digital money connectivity. The move was reported on January 7 and, according to the report, follows Ubyx's $10 million seed funding in June, with executives emphasizing interoperability and the role of digital wallets.