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Major on-chain indicators for Ethereum are signaling a potential rebound despite a broader crypto market downturn, according to an analysis by Cointelegraph. While ETH has declined approximately 15% over the past week, its network fees and Layer 2 activity have increased. Trading volume on decentralized exchanges has also been on the rise. Multiple experts attribute this ecosystem growth to an upgrade late last year that improved data processing capacity and lowered fees. In the derivatives market, easing fear sentiment has allowed the put/call ratio to return to a neutral level, leading to forecasts that ETH could rebound to the $3,300 level.

Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood said in an interview with CNBC that the recent decline in Bitcoin was due to a $28 billion deleveraging event triggered by a Binance software error last October. She added that she believes most of the selling pressure has now dissipated, predicting that Bitcoin will consolidate between $80,000 and $90,000 before concluding its four-year down cycle and resuming its upward trend.

The market for on-chain investment vaults could double by the end of this year, driven by rising demand for stablecoins, Bloomberg reported, citing a study from Bitwise. The Total Value Locked (TVL) in these vaults has already surpassed $6 billion. The report highlights that vaults are distinguished from centralized platforms by their non-custodial structure, which allows users to deposit funds into lending protocols or trading pools via smart contracts without directly surrendering custody of their assets. However, risks remain, as illustrated by last year's losses on the DeFi platform Stream Finance. While the passage of the U.S. stablecoin regulation bill, known as GENIUS, is expected to encourage more asset managers to utilize vaults, the report cautions that the risks behind the potential yields should not be overlooked.

A PayPal survey found that approximately 85% of respondents expect cryptocurrency payments to become commonplace within the next five years, The Block reported. The report, based on a survey of about 620 payment option decision-makers conducted late last year, also revealed that around 90% have received customer inquiries about crypto payments. Of those surveyed, roughly 40% have already added cryptocurrency as a payment option, with these transactions accounting for more than a quarter of their total revenue. Furthermore, about three-quarters of the businesses that have adopted crypto payments reported a rise in their crypto-related revenue over the past year. May Zabaneh, PayPal's head of crypto, stated that the adoption of crypto payments is accelerating due to customer demand for faster, more flexible options. Zabaneh added that companies are experiencing tangible value after introducing crypto as a payment method.

U.S. fast-food chain Steak 'n Shake announced on its official X account that it has purchased an additional $5 million in Bitcoin. The company previously stated that it accepts BTC for payments and holds all the cryptocurrency it receives from customers.

Laser Digital, a crypto trading firm backed by Nomura, is pursuing a U.S. banking license, Unfolded reported via X. The move follows earlier reports that London-based neobank Revolut is also seeking a new banking license from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

DefiLlama has acquired over-the-counter (OTC) data provider Bulletin, DL News reported. The company stated the move will enable it to provide more granular data on the valuations of private cryptocurrency firms, explaining that the inclusion of OTC trades allows for a more specific assessment of the secondary market value of unlisted companies. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Shares of AVAX One, a digital asset manager advised by SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci, have plunged 32% amid uncertainty over a potential shareholder sell-off. According to CoinDesk, the company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to register up to 74 million shares held by insiders for possible sale. While the timing of the sale has not been specified, the move makes the shares available for resale on the public market, fueling concerns about the potential dilution of the stock's value.

Rick Rieder, the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of BlackRock, is emerging as a notable candidate for the next Federal Reserve Chair, a development that could be a positive catalyst for Bitcoin, according to CoinDesk. The outlet highlighted that Rieder has frequently spoken about the merits of the cryptocurrency. As early as 2020, Rieder predicted that Bitcoin could become a store of value that surpasses gold, noting it is far more practical than exchanging gold bars. More recently, he stated in an interview with CNBC that Bitcoin should be part of a sensible investment portfolio, adding that both Bitcoin and gold contribute to portfolio stability. The report explained that the Fed Chair holds significant influence over the cryptocurrency space. In addition to being a key policymaker, the chair has a powerful impact on the health and direction of the U.S. economy. The appointment of a strong Bitcoin advocate to this position would be an unprecedented event, the media outlet concluded.

Patrick Witt, executive director of the White House Digital Asset Advisory Committee, said in an interview with Coindesk that the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos served as a platform for the Trump administration to demonstrate its commitment to normalizing cryptocurrencies globally. Witt stated that President Trump reaffirmed his promise at the event to establish the U.S. as the world's crypto capital. He explained that the administration aims to strike a balance through a symbiotic relationship where traditional financial institutions and new crypto entrants can coexist and compete. According to Witt, this competition will benefit consumers and position the administration as a staunch supporter of technological innovation. He also described stablecoins as a gateway drug to global finance, adding that the U.S. is working to provide regulatory clarity.

Coinbase has announced the addition of Tria (TRIA) and Zama (ZAMA) to its listing roadmap.

The three major U.S. stock indices opened mixed. The S&P 500 is up 0.37%, the Nasdaq Composite is up 0.80%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 0.82%.

Real-world asset tokenization platform Theo has partnered with Libeara, a venture backed by Standard Chartered, to launch thGOLD, a yield-generating tokenized gold product. The offering is designed to address the profitability limitations that have historically challenged the on-chain gold market. thGOLD tracks the spot price of gold while providing additional yield through a lending service collateralized by physical gold inventory. The product is based on FundBridge Capital's MG999 On-Chain Gold Fund. It distributes interest to investors generated from loans to large retailers, such as Singapore's Mustafa Gold, who borrow against their gold inventory to secure liquidity. Theo plans to list thGOLD on major decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, including Hyperliquid, Uniswap, Morpho, and Pendle, to support its use in trading and as collateral.

On-chain money laundering is projected to surge from $10 billion in 2020 to over $82 billion by 2025, according to a forecast by blockchain data analytics firm Chainalysis. The report noted that the scale of cryptocurrency money laundering has expanded rapidly over the past five years, a trend largely driven by services with Chinese roots. The Chinese-language money laundering network (CMLN) is now believed to account for approximately 20% of all known illicit activities. Chainalysis attributed the rapid growth to increased liquidity in the cryptocurrency market and the professionalization of laundering services that operate openly across messaging platforms and various blockchains.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has identified cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence (AI), and payment systems as key risks falling into regulatory gray areas, according to its 2026 outlook report. In the report released on Jan. 27, the regulator stated that its top priority for the year is to combat unlicensed operations and misleading advertising that exploit these legal ambiguities. ASIC specifically warned against the structural risks that arise when new financial services operate outside of existing licensing and disclosure frameworks, rather than focusing solely on the price volatility of virtual assets. While noting that the decision to formally regulate cryptocurrencies rests with the government, ASIC affirmed its commitment to clarifying licensing boundaries and increasing oversight of regulatory blind spots to minimize market disruption.

Crypto payments network Mesh has raised $75 million in a Series C funding round, The Block reported. The round was led by Dragonfly, with participation from Paradigm, Moderne Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, SBI Investment, and Liberty City Ventures. The company was valued at $1 billion.

Citrea, a ZK-based Bitcoin Layer 2 network, has launched its mainnet, The Block reported. Co-founder and CEO Orkun Kilic explained that the mainnet enables Bitcoin-based financial applications to be implemented on-chain, allowing capital to be directly operated, managed, and settled within the native Bitcoin ecosystem. Citrea previously launched its dollar-pegged stablecoin, ctUSD.

Tokenized asset startup Tenbin Labs has raised $7 million in a funding round led by Galaxy Ventures, CoinDesk reported. Other participants in the round included Wintermute Ventures, GSR, and FalconX. The company plans to launch a tokenized gold product early this year.

Decentralized exchange (DEX) ASTER announced on X that it has launched a campaign to celebrate the new listings of the ARTX, 安, and LIBERTY tokens. The promotion runs until 2:00 p.m. UTC on Feb. 3 and features a total reward pool of $50,000 in ASTER, additional ARTX, 7 million 安, and 249.9 million LIBERTY. During the campaign, a 1.2x symbol boost will apply to the 安/USD1, LIBERTY/USD1, and ARTX/USDT trading pairs, while fees for the USD1/USDT pair will be waived. Rewards are based on trading fees generated, with a 3% cap per person. The exchange specified that wash trading and Sybil attacks are excluded.

U.S. investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW) has downgraded its investment ratings for Bitfarms, Bitdeer, and HIVE Digital from Outperform to Market Perform, Cointelegraph reported. In a report, KBW stated that while the companies' attempts to pivot to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) hosting are positive, the path to monetization involves significant execution risks and could be lengthy.

The expansion of the stablecoin market has slowed since the fourth quarter of last year following a period of rapid growth, according to an analysis by Sentora, formerly IntoTheBlock. The firm noted that the month-over-month slowdown is primarily due to a decline in the market capitalization of Tether's USDT and Circle's USDC. In contrast, newer stablecoins such as PayPal's PYUSD and the Ripple-affiliated RLUSD have continued to see relative growth, steadily expanding their market share.

Tether has officially announced the launch of USAT, a dollar-pegged stablecoin designed to comply with U.S. federal regulations. The company explained that USAT is structured in line with the U.S. stablecoin bill known as GENIUS. The crypto bank Anchorage Digital will serve as the issuer, while Cantor Fitzgerald will manage reserve custody and act as the primary dealer. Initial distribution will begin on exchanges including Bybit, Crypto.com, Kraken, and OKX.

OKX has announced that it will list the USAT/USDT spot trading pair at 3:00 p.m. UTC on Jan. 27.

Liquidity in the altcoin market has severely deteriorated, according to an analysis by AmberCN. The firm noted that 1INCH, considered a major altcoin with a market capitalization of approximately $180 million, plunged 7% following a single sell order of less than $2 million. The token's decline has since widened to 13%. AmberCN also highlighted that the 24-hour trading volume for the 1INCH/USDT trading pair on Binance is only $1.5 million. Of this total, $1.16 million is attributed to arbitrage bots, placing the actual liquidity at around $340,000.

A bill that would exempt cryptocurrencies from property taxes in Arizona has passed a state Senate committee, according to Decrypt. On Jan. 26, the Arizona Senate Finance Committee approved both Senate Bill 1044, which excludes assets like Bitcoin from property tax, and Senate Concurrent Resolution 1003, a measure to amend the state constitution accordingly. The legislation will now advance to the Senate Rules Committee for further review before a full floor vote. Final approval is contingent on a voter referendum scheduled for this November.