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The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has completely banned privacy tokens within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), citing risks related to anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance, Coindesk reported. The measure is part of a broader overhaul of the emirate's cryptocurrency regulatory framework. Effective Jan. 12, the new rules prohibit the trading, promotion, fund management, and creation of derivatives involving privacy tokens. Under the revised framework, the responsibility for token approval shifts to individual firms, and the definition of stablecoins has been strengthened. The DFSA will now focus on supervision aligned with international regulatory standards rather than approving individual cryptocurrencies. The decision comes at a time when privacy coins such as ZEC and XMR have been regaining investor attention.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has postponed its decision on two cryptocurrency-related exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Cointelegraph reported. On Jan. 12, the regulator announced it would take up to an additional 45 days to review T. Rowe Price's active crypto ETF and Canary's PENGU spot ETF under the 19b-4 procedure for exchange rule changes. Separately, the SEC also began soliciting public comment on the listing of options for the Grayscale CoinDesk Crypto5 ETF, which tracks an index of BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, and ADA.

Cointelegraph has outlined three key factors to watch in the Bitcoin market this week: - The ongoing leverage squeeze, which could lead to sharp short-term price fluctuations. - The release of the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) for December. - A reduction in the size of long positions held by large-scale investors on Bitfinex.

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit has announced it will suspend digital asset deposits and withdrawals to and from BingX. The exchange stated the decision follows guidance from regulatory authorities, leading to BingX's removal from its list of exchanges verified for account holder identification.

APAC market entry consulting firm K1 Research and Web3 venture capital accelerator Klein Labs announced they will co-host "2026 Seoul Signal: Navigating the Next Wave of Web3" on Jan. 22, 2026, at People the Terrace in Gangnam, Seoul. The insight and networking event is designed to examine the future of the Web3 industry from the perspectives of market structure, capital flow, and execution strategy. The event will feature keynote speeches, networking, a prize drawing, and a reception, bringing together builders, creators, and traders to share practical strategies and insights in preparation for the 2026 bull market. CoinNess is a media partner for the event.

Nansen CEO Alex Svanevik stated that while Ethereum is highly useful as a public blockchain, this does not automatically mean ETH is a valuable investment. In an interview with Bonnie Blockchain, he explained that the utility of a network and the investment value of its token are judged by entirely different criteria. Svanevik drew an analogy to the U.S. dollar, noting that while it is very important, no one considers it a long-term hold asset. He added that although Ethereum has succeeded as infrastructure, with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) becoming a development standard, this fact alone does not guarantee that ETH possesses scarcity and profitability as an asset.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has fallen below $91,000. BTC is trading at $90,997.44 on the Binance USDT market.

Polycule, a trading bot service based on Polymarket, has halted withdrawals without notice, raising suspicions of a rug pull, according to Mr.RC, founder of insiders.bot, a social trading platform for prediction markets. The Polycule team had previously announced on Jan. 8 that a hacking attack had affected $230,000 in user funds. At the time, the team stated it would suspend service operations and complete a security check by the weekend. However, community members report that users are still unable to withdraw their funds, and the Polycule team has not provided any further updates on the situation.

Binance announced it will list the U/USDT and U/USDC spot trading pairs at 8:00 a.m. UTC on Jan. 13.

Swedish health tech firm H100, which is strategically accumulating BTC, has announced plans to acquire Swiss BTC asset management company Future Holdings. H100 has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Future Holdings' shareholders for a 100% acquisition of the company's shares.

Binance has announced it will list the LINK/USD1, PEPE/USD1, and USDC/MXN spot trading pairs at 8:00 a.m. UTC on Jan. 13.

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: 49.15% long, 50.85% short 1. Binance: 48.68% long, 51.32% short 2. OKX: 49.79% long, 50.21% short 3. Bybit: 49.98% long, 50.02% short

South Korean crypto exchange Korbit has paid a 2.73 billion won ($1.98 million) fine imposed by South Korea's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Dailian reported. The penalty was levied after an inspection last year found the exchange had violated its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) obligations.

South Korean crypto exchange Upbit announced it has updated the circulation plan for WalletConnect (WCT) at the project's request. A CoinNess review confirmed the change affects the planned supply for the first quarter of this year, which has increased by 8,183,738 WCT from 351,144,932 to 359,328,670. The exchange also reported that the circulating supply for the second quarter stands at 405,955,682 WCT.

OKX founder Star Xu announced via X that the exchange will show no tolerance for users caught buying or selling their accounts. His statement was a direct response to a user on X who requested the unfreezing of an account containing 40,000 USDT, which the user admitted to having purchased. Xu explained that OKX considers the identity information provided at registration to be the most reliable. He added that the platform will not be pressured by emotional appeals or public sympathy campaigns on social media, noting that such posts could be a new type of scam that harms the actual account owner. Xu stated that if the individual is the legitimate owner, they must submit the necessary documents to prove it.

Goldman Sachs now expects the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points in both June and September, Walter Bloomberg reported on X. The investment bank had previously forecast rate cuts for March and June.

Hippo Protocol (HP) announced on Jan. 12 that its decentralized application, DataHippo, has signed an agreement to supply clinical data to the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). According to the announcement made via X, the deal provides a practical use case for blockchain technology in medical data research. Hippo Protocol stated that the achievement demonstrates tangible demand for blockchain-based clinical data, showing that node-based data exchange is moving from a theoretical concept to a practical application.

The following shows estimated liquidation volumes and position ratios for major crypto perpetual futures over the past 24 hours: - BTC: $29.08 million liquidated (78.74% shorts) - ETH: $27.55 million liquidated (68.9% shorts) - SOL: $9.97 million liquidated (78.59% shorts)

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has risen above $92,000. BTC is trading at $92,000 on the Binance USDT market.

The Trove token team has been accused of causing losses for Polymarket investors by arbitrarily changing its token sale rules. Polymarket trader tsybka stated that just five minutes before the sale's scheduled conclusion, the Trove team abruptly changed the deposit receipt date to Jan. 20. As the price of shares predicting an on-time finish plummeted, large buy orders for 100,000 to 300,000 shares were placed, which tsybka suggested likely came from the Trove project itself. Fifteen minutes later, the team announced a five-day extension to the token sale. Tsybka noted that investors who had entered the market for short-term gains suffered losses in the process, highlighting one instance where an investor lost approximately $73,000 on an $89,000 investment.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he is not involved with the Department of Justice's (DOJ) subpoena of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Walter Bloomberg reported. The statement follows an earlier report from the New York Times that U.S. federal prosecutors had opened an investigation into Powell.

U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase is considering withdrawing its support for the CLARITY Act if a provision banning stablecoin rewards is added, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The report noted that a withdrawal of support or active lobbying against the bill by Coinbase could have a significant impact, as the crypto industry, led by the exchange, made substantial donations during the 2023-2024 election cycle. Coinbase alone donated $1 million to President Donald Trump's inauguration. The issue is critical for Coinbase, as stablecoin rewards are a key part of its business. The company shares interest income generated from USDC reserves with Circle. For users, USDC deposited on Coinbase provides a source of stable returns, particularly during bear markets.

Memecoin launchpad Pump.fun (PUMP) announced on X that it has introduced a creator fee sharing feature as part of an overhaul to its fee system. The new functionality allows creators to share fees with up to 10 different wallets. The update also includes tools for transferring coin ownership and revoking update authority.

Indonesia's Financial Services Authority (OJK) has granted an operating license to International Crypto Exchange (ICEx), making it the country's second officially licensed cryptocurrency exchange, Tech in Asia reported. The exchange previously secured a $70 million strategic investment.

A new report from Asian Web3 research and consulting firm Tiger Research concludes that 99% of Web3 projects do not generate even one dollar in revenue. Titled "How Do 99% of Unprofitable Web3 Projects Survive?", the report states that despite having no income, these projects spend significant sums on marketing and events each month. The firm describes them as being in a "zombie state," covering operating expenses through token sales and investor funds, which it calls a structural flaw built on the sacrifices of investors. The report cites data from Token Terminal showing that only about 200 projects generated at least $0.10 in revenue over the last 30 days, meaning 99% of crypto projects lack the minimal ability to cover their own costs. Tiger Research attributes this situation to a deformed cycle in the industry, including flawed fundraising structures that lead to excessive valuations, the subsequent pressure to justify those valuations, and founders who can profit even if their projects fail.