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Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan has warned that allowing interest payments on stablecoins could lead to an outflow of approximately $6 trillion from the banking system into the stablecoin market. This figure represents about 30-35% of total deposits in U.S. commercial banks. Moynihan explained that stablecoins are structurally similar to money market mutual funds, with reserves invested in short-term financial instruments like U.S. Treasurys rather than being used for bank loans. He noted that this structure keeps funds outside the traditional banking system, which would shrink the deposit base banks rely on for lending to households and businesses. The issue of permitting interest on stablecoins is currently a major point of contention between the banking and crypto industries amid discussions over the U.S. crypto market structure bill (CLARITY).

Bybit announced it will list LIT for spot trading at 2:30 p.m. UTC today.

The BSC Foundation has resumed purchasing ecosystem tokens for the first time in four days, according to on-chain analyst ai_9684xtpa. The foundation is buying two tokens: 币安人生 and 我踏马来了.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has risen above $97,000. BTC is trading at $97,009.98 on the Binance USDT market.

The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has announced the launch of its digital payment platform, LSEG DiSH. The open platform supports real-time, programmable payments through an independent network that operates both on-chain and off-chain. Supported assets for payment include various foreign currencies and digital assets.

Declining volatility in U.S. Treasurys, which has reached its lowest level in nearly four years, is strengthening expectations that BTC could surpass the $100,000 mark, Coindesk reported. According to the outlet's analysis, stable Treasury prices facilitate credit creation, which tends to encourage investors to increase their exposure to risk assets like cryptocurrencies. The MOVE Index, a measure of expected Treasury volatility over the next four weeks, has fallen to 58, its lowest point since October 2021. BTC has historically maintained a positive correlation with the Nasdaq 100 index and a negative correlation with the MOVE Index. With U.S. Treasurys now at their most stable in years, the analysis suggests BTC could break $100,000 for the first time since mid-November.

A growing number of DeFi protocols are suspending their Discord channels due to the platform's rampant phishing schemes, Cointelegraph reported. DeFi lending protocol MORPHO recently switched its official Discord channel to read-only mode, citing the platform's role as a hotbed for phishing. Similarly, DeFi data platform DefiLlama is also minimizing its channel activity in a move away from Discord. While the platform remains a popular communication tool for cryptocurrency users, its failure to address persistent security issues is reportedly causing a rift with the crypto community.

Binance has announced it will list FRAX/USDT perpetual futures at 8:00 a.m. UTC today. The new contract will support leverage of up to 50x.

Amendments to South Korea's Capital Markets Act and Electronic Securities Act, which provide the legal framework for token securities (STOs), have passed a plenary session of the National Assembly, Digital Asset reported. The passage comes approximately three years after financial authorities first released guidelines on the matter. The legislation officially defines the digitization of securities under the Capital Markets Act using distributed ledger technology. It also integrates token securities into the electronic registration system and establishes a new category of issuer account management institutions. This will allow qualified issuers to directly issue, record, and manage their token securities on a distributed ledger. The bill now awaits Cabinet approval and promulgation before becoming law.

The U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to halt the operation of sports prediction markets, CoinDesk reported. In a letter, the NCAA argued that these prediction markets are similar to sports betting but lack the consumer protection measures found in licensed betting operations. The organization pointed out that while these markets fall under the Commodity Exchange Act, they do not adhere to state-level regulations, allowing them to bypass rules on age limits, advertising, and monitoring for game integrity. The NCAA called for a temporary suspension of sports prediction markets until a robust, properly regulated system is established, warning that the current situation poses a serious risk to athletes, consumers, and the integrity of sports.

The following are the 24-hour long/short ratios for BTC perpetual futures on the top three global crypto futures exchanges by open interest: Overall: 51.04% long, 48.96% short 1. Binance: 51.18% long, 48.82% short 2. OKX: 51.27% long, 48.73% short 3. Bybit: 50.17% long, 49.83% short

The Bank of England is considering measures to protect stablecoins in a manner similar to commercial bank deposits, Bloomberg reported. Deputy Governor Dave Ramsden stated that maintaining long-term trust in stablecoins may require mechanisms analogous to depositor insurance schemes. He added that legal procedures designating stablecoin holders as priority creditors in the event of a bankruptcy could also be necessary. Ramsden noted that the bank is currently reviewing what actions are needed to prepare for the potential failure of systemically important stablecoins.

The South Korean crypto exchange Upbit announced it has resumed deposit and withdrawal services for digital assets on the SUI network following the completion of system maintenance. The affected assets include Sui (SUI), DeepBook (DEEP), Haedal Protocol (HAEDAL), LumiWave (LWA), Momentum (MMT), and Walrus (WAL).

A significant decrease in open interest (OI) in the Bitcoin derivatives market is being viewed as a positive sign of deleveraging, according to an analysis by CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost. The contributor noted that Bitcoin derivatives OI has fallen by 31% since last October, describing it as a healthy signal that excessive leverage is being cleared from the market. Historically, such movements have often established major market bottoms and created momentum for a rebound. However, Darkfost cautioned that if BTC falls further into a full-blown bear market, open interest could decline even more, potentially prolonging the market correction.

The decentralized perpetual futures exchange Aster announced via its official X account that Season 2 of its Human vs. AI trading competition will run from Jan. 22 to Jan. 29. The event, which will be held on the Aster Chain testnet, features a total prize pool of $150,000. Participants will include 40 professional traders, 30 traders selected through an application process, and 30 AI traders. Applications are open until 11:59 p.m. UTC on Jan. 18, and the results will be announced on the Aster platform on Jan. 20. In the previous competition, a human trader nicknamed ProMint won first place in the net profit category. However, the AI team outperformed the human team in the overall team results, posting a total return on investment (ROI) of -4.48% versus the human team's -32.22%.

Argentinian cryptocurrency exchange Lemon has launched a Visa credit card collateralized by BTC, according to Wu Blockchain. The card is reportedly the first of its kind in Argentina, allowing users to access it without a bank account or credit history. Lemon stated that its objective is to enable users to convert their long-term BTC holdings into a practical financial tool for everyday use.

On-chain analytics firm Santiment stated on X that pessimism about Bitcoin surged on social media this week, even as the asset rebounded. The firm noted that markets tend to move contrary to retail investor sentiment. With the strongest levels of FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) observed in the last 10 days, Santiment suggested that Bitcoin could potentially reclaim the $100,000 mark for the first time since Nov. 13 of last year.

Blockchain infrastructure firm Global Settlement Network (GSN) has announced a pilot program to tokenize water purification facilities in Jakarta, Indonesia, Cointelegraph reported. GSN stated that it plans to pursue a $200 million tokenization project across Southeast Asia. In the initial phase, the company will tokenize eight government-contracted facilities to raise $35 million, after which it will pilot a rupiah-based stablecoin payment infrastructure over the next 12 months.

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes predicted in a blog post that Bitcoin will see a renewed rally this year, attributing the potential upswing to increased U.S. dollar liquidity from the Trump administration's aggressive credit expansion policies. Hayes argued that Bitcoin's failure to rally last year was due to a contraction in dollar liquidity. He explained that gold, in contrast, performed strongly because central banks sold U.S. Treasurys to buy the precious metal following the U.S. decision to freeze Russian assets. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq rose despite reduced liquidity, buoyed by the Trump administration's designation of artificial intelligence as a national strategic industry. Hayes believes the Trump administration will seek to aggressively stimulate the economy ahead of the re-election, noting that the Federal Reserve's balance sheet has already begun to expand again. He stated that this injection of liquidity could put BTC back on an upward trajectory. He added that he has personally increased his holdings in Strategy (MSTR) and Metaplanet stock, which he expects to yield higher returns than spot BTC. Hayes also views the recent developer-related issues at Zcash (ZEC) as a buy-the-dip opportunity and is increasing his position in the asset.

Former New York Mayor Eric Adams has denied allegations of a rug pull related to the NYC token he endorsed, stating that he did not move investor funds or personally profit from the project, according to The Block. However, the NYC token project team has acknowledged a liquidity rebalancing occurred shortly after its launch, creating a conflict between the two parties' accounts. The allegations were first raised by on-chain analysis platform Bubblemaps, which reported that it had detected millions of dollars in liquidity withdrawals from wallets associated with the token. The NYC token's market capitalization surged immediately after its launch before plummeting by approximately 80%.

Two anonymous addresses, presumed to belong to crypto market maker Amber Group and the Ethena (ENA) Foundation, deposited a combined 3,956 ETH ($13.24 million) to Coinbase and Binance approximately seven hours ago, according to on-chain analyst The Data Nerd. The analyst added that, in contrast, an address believed to be associated with Arrington Capital withdrew 5,500 ETH ($18.51 million) from Coinbase. Exchange deposits are typically interpreted as a potential intention to sell, while withdrawals suggest an intent to hold or buy.

David Sacks, the White House adviser for AI and cryptocurrency, has urged the industry to resolve its disagreements over a crypto market structure bill, stating on X that its passage is near. He added that now is the time to secure the industry's future and establish a clear path forward. The call for unity follows Coinbase's withdrawal of support for the legislation. The exchange cited several issues, including a de facto ban on tokenized stocks, provisions that could block DeFi, a weakening of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) authority in favor of the SEC, and the potential for a ban on stablecoin reward features. Consequently, a Senate markup session on the bill, which was scheduled for Jan. 15, has been postponed.

Alchemy Pay (ACH) announced it has secured a Money Transmitter License (MTL) in the U.S. state of South Dakota. The company now holds MTLs in a total of 13 U.S. states.

U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs recorded $175.03 million in net inflows on Jan. 14, marking the third consecutive day of positive flows, according to data from Trader T. No individual ETF experienced net outflows during the day. BlackRock's ETHA led with $81.65 million in inflows, followed by Grayscale's ETH with $43.47 million and its ETHE fund with $32.35 million. Other notable inflows included $7.97 million for Bitwise's ETHW, $5.89 million for Fidelity's FETH, and $3.70 million for VanEck's ETHV.

Google will now require cryptocurrency exchange apps to submit documentation proving they have completed their Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registration with South Korea's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to be listed on the Google Play Store, Digital Asset reported. As a result, exchange apps that fail to meet this requirement will no longer be available for new installation in the country starting Jan. 28. This raises the possibility that global exchanges such as Binance, OKX, and Bybit, which have not completed VASP registration in South Korea, could see their app support discontinued. In response to questions about its plans for VASP registration, Binance stated that the matter has not been discussed internally.