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Sui (SUI) announced on X that it has begun accepting applications for its Sui Hydropower Fellowship, a support program for early-stage founders. The program is targeting founders in several key areas, including real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, prediction markets, gamified trading, DeFAI (AI + DeFi), and incentive design.

The combined market capitalization of the top 12 stablecoins has decreased by $2.24 billion over the past 10 days, according to on-chain analytics firm Santiment. Over the same period, Bitcoin's price fell by approximately 8%. Santiment noted that this trend suggests a broader shift in capital flows, with funds moving from risk assets like cryptocurrencies to traditional safe havens such as gold and silver, which have recently hit all-time highs. The firm explained that a shrinking stablecoin supply indicates investors are converting their holdings to fiat currency and exiting the market. This reduction in liquidity could limit buying pressure in the short term, potentially slowing the pace of any market rebound.

Russia has banned transactions with cryptocurrency exchange WhiteBIT for its support of Ukraine, CoinDesk reported. The country has designated the exchange and its parent company, W Group, as Undesirable Organizations, making all related activities within Russia illegal. Russian authorities stated that since the war began in February 2022, the companies have supported the Ukrainian military with financial and technical infrastructure and planned money laundering operations to move funds abroad. WhiteBIT, a global crypto exchange founded in Ukraine, has provided at least $11 million in aid to the Ukrainian military, with approximately $1 million of that amount reportedly used to purchase drones.

Stablecoin issuer Tether (USDT) purchased 27 tons of gold in the fourth quarter of last year, Unfolded reported. The gold is valued at approximately $4.4 billion based on current prices.

A Brazilian Federal Supreme Court judge is reviewing election regulations, including a ban on the use of cryptocurrency in political campaigns, DL News reported. The review is expected to be completed by March, ahead of the country's general election on Oct. 3. This follows a Supreme Court announcement in February 2024 that it would maintain the existing ban. The media outlet noted that the court's reconsideration suggests impending reforms in Brazil and other nations. As cryptocurrency gains popularity in Brazil, more politicians are advocating for its adoption ahead of this year's election, with the issue expected to be a decisive factor for some voters. Previously, Brazilian presidential hopeful Renan Santos cited the example of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, stating that Brazil could also gradually build up its Bitcoin reserves.

Investment platform Republic Europe has launched a product allowing retail investors to indirectly invest in cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, The Block reported. The offering is structured as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which offers investors indirect exposure to fluctuations in Kraken's valuation without requiring them to hold company shares directly.

Brian Armstrong, CEO of U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, has predicted that even the most ardent critics will one day use cryptocurrency on a daily basis. He added that due to the nature of the technology, they may not even realize they are doing so.

A weaker U.S. dollar is not currently providing a significant boost to Bitcoin, according to an analysis reported by CryptoPotato. The report cited GugaOnChain, a CryptoQuant contributor and on-chain analyst, who explained that a weaker dollar only serves as a catalyst for a Bitcoin rally when macroeconomic conditions such as high inflation and abundant liquidity are present. In the current market, which is characterized by widespread fear and a strong risk-off sentiment, investors tend to prefer assets with a long-established role as a store of value, such as gold. The analyst added that if a dollar devaluation stems from a crisis of confidence and extreme risk aversion, cryptocurrencies typically decline alongside the stock market.

U.S. investment bank Jefferies stated in a recent report that the proposed CLARITY Act could become an inflection point for a surge in tokenization among traditional financial institutions, CoinDesk reported. The report noted that maturing blockchain infrastructure and greater regulatory clarity are laying the groundwork for this trend. However, it emphasized that clearer regulations, including a more precise definition of the U.S. crypto market structure, are essential. While the passage of the CLARITY Act remains uncertain, Jefferies believes its impact on financial institutions, blockchain-based companies, and the broader tokenization industry could materialize sooner than expected.

Asakura Tomoya, CEO of Japanese financial giant SBI Global Asset Management, has criticized the country's reported 2028 timeline for approving cryptocurrency spot ETFs and implementing new tax reforms, calling the plan "too late." His comments on X followed a Nikkei Shimbun report that Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) is expected to permit trading of spot crypto ETFs, including for Bitcoin, by 2028. Asakura argued that the response is too slow to keep up with global trends and that Japan risks falling behind the U.S., China, and other Asian competitors in crypto adoption. He urged the government to approve spot crypto ETF trading as soon as possible.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have postponed their joint event on cryptocurrency, originally scheduled for Jan. 27. The event will now be held on Jan. 29 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. UTC. Titled "SEC-CFTC Harmonization: U.S. Financial Leadership in the Age of Crypto," the event will take place at CFTC headquarters and be livestreamed on the SEC website and other platforms. Attendees will include SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins and CFTC Chairman Michael Selig.

Nasdaq-listed Sharps Technology, which is strategically investing in Solana (SOL), has released its first report on revenue generated from staking its SOL holdings. According to The Block, the company stated that its staking strategy has consistently maintained high returns since establishing its SOL treasury. Sharps Technology noted it has achieved an average annual staking yield of approximately 7%, excluding fees, through its validator partners. The company currently holds 2 million SOL, valued at around $250 million, with the majority of the assets staked. This positions Sharps Technology as the fifth-largest publicly traded company strategically holding SOL.

A database containing the login credentials for approximately 149 million user accounts has been found exposed online, according to the Helsinki Times. The leak was first discovered by cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler, who noted that the database was publicly accessible without any password protection or encryption. The exposed data included 48 million Gmail accounts, 17 million Facebook accounts, 6.5 million from Instagram, four million from Yahoo, and 3.4 million from Netflix. Notably, the database also contained credentials for 420,000 accounts from the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance. The owner of the database has not yet been identified.

Kraken has launched a new decentralized finance (DeFi) deposit product called DeFi Earn in Canada, the European Economic Area (EEA), and the U.S., The Block reported. The product offers an annual percentage yield (APY) of up to 8%. Kraken stated that the product will provide users of centralized exchanges with an easier opportunity to generate DeFi yields. The company also noted that while withdrawals are generally processed immediately upon request, temporary delays could occur during periods of low liquidity, a risk distinct from centralized systems.

U.S. asset manager VanEck announced on Jan. 26 the launch of the first Avalanche (AVAX) Exchange Traded Product (ETP) in the United States. According to an official statement, the product, named the VanEck Avalanche ETF (VAVX), will be added to the firm's lineup of digital asset-focused funds. Despite its name, the product is not an ETF approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and is considered a trust product.

Approximately 40% of transfers from major UK banks to cryptocurrency exchanges are being blocked or delayed, according to a recent survey-based report from the UK Crypto-Business Council (UKCBC), as reported by Cointelegraph. The report, which surveyed the top 10 centralized exchanges in the UK, found that eight of them have seen a noticeable increase in blocked or restricted customer transfers over the past 12 months, with no exchange reporting a decrease. The UKCBC argued that broad regulations are a major obstacle to the growth of the UK's crypto industry. The council stated that while the industry is actively working to address fraud, banks are using regulatory compliance as a pretext to hinder financial sector growth and effectively exclude crypto users from banking services.

A severe winter storm across the U.S. is causing a decrease in the hashrate of local Bitcoin mining firms, Decrypt reported. According to the report, the adverse weather is leading to power grid disruptions, prompting U.S. miners and mining companies to reduce their electricity consumption. This has resulted in lower operational rates for mining rigs, longer block generation times on the Bitcoin network, and a temporary decline in the overall hashrate.

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee has postponed a markup session for a crypto market structure bill, rescheduling it for 10:30 a.m. ET (3:30 p.m. UTC) on Jan. 29. The delay was attributed to a major snowstorm affecting the United States. Bloomberg previously reported that the markup was likely to be further delayed until late February or March.

The three major U.S. stock indices have opened higher. The S&P 500 is up 0.37%, the Nasdaq Composite has gained 0.23%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen 0.34%.

Crypto firm Zerohash is pursuing a $250 million funding round after its acquisition talks with Mastercard reportedly collapsed, according to CoinDesk. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report stated that Zerohash is in negotiations to raise the capital at a valuation of $1.5 billion. Although the acquisition deal has fallen through, Mastercard is still considering a strategic investment in Zerohash and discussions are ongoing. CoinDesk added that the specific figures are subject to change as the talks are still in the discussion phase.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong argued on X that conducting initial public offerings (IPOs) for private companies on-chain would dramatically reduce costs and increase accessibility. He expressed hope that such a future will be realized soon, adding that the fundraising process for private companies needs to be much easier. Armstrong noted that while there is immense demand for the IPOs of some large private companies, tightening regulations are creating negative side effects. He explained that the current structure often forces good companies to remain private for longer, allowing private and credit investors to capture most of the benefits. Consequently, when these companies finally go public, their stock performance is often poor due to a lack of early-stage liquidity to support a proper valuation.

Ripple (XRP) has partnered with Saudi Arabian fintech company Jeel, U.Today reported. Reece Merrick, Ripple's Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa, stated via his X account that Jeel is the fintech subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian bank, Riyad Bank. He added that the partnership aims to promote the adoption of blockchain within Saudi Arabia's financial infrastructure. The two companies will collaborate on areas including cross-border payments, digital asset custody, and expanding tokenization use cases.

Decentralized cryptocurrency exchange (DEX) Aster (ASTER) announced it will host two trading competitions with a total prize pool of $75,000. The first event, for the CMC20/USDT pair, will run until 2:00 p.m. UTC on Feb. 25. Rewards, based on trading fees and holding periods, will be distributed from a pool of $50,000 in ASTER tokens. The second competition, for RIVER/USDT perpetual futures, features a total prize pool of $25,000. To participate, users must achieve a minimum trading volume of $10,000. Points will be awarded based on holding duration. This campaign will run until 12:00 p.m. UTC on Feb. 1.

BitMine announced that it purchased a total of 40,302 ETH, valued at $110 million, last week. The company now holds a total of 4,243,338 ETH.

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, has submitted an S-1 application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch a Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, according to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas. The proposed fund is based on Bitcoin and will use a covered call strategy—buying the underlying asset while simultaneously selling call options—to provide investors with regular income. It is set to be registered as a spot product under U.S. securities law. The new offering is a follow-up to the firm's spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT), adding an income-focused approach to Bitcoin investment. The ticker and management fees have not yet been disclosed. BlackRock had previously registered an entity for the ETF in Delaware last September.