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Sela Network has announced plans to address the risks of dependency on social media platforms through its decentralized, node-based web access infrastructure. The announcement follows a recent policy change at X, where Head of Product Nikita Bier stated that apps offering financial rewards for posting on the platform are no longer permitted under its API terms. X immediately blocked access for such services, directly impacting the operations of businesses that relied on its API. Sela Network is positioning its infrastructure as an alternative that does not depend on any single social API, explaining that it provides an environment where development teams do not have to risk their entire business on one platform.

Decentralized artificial intelligence (AI) agent project Infinity Ground (AIN) has launched its AIN staking service. Users can stake their tokens for five different periods, ranging from one to 24 months, to earn annual yields of 10% to a maximum of 40% depending on the duration. The project stated that stakers will also be eligible for future airdrops from projects incubated by Infinity Ground and can participate in joint incentive programs with ecosystem partners. Rewards are weighted based on the staking period and amount. The service is built on the BNB Chain, ensuring compatibility with major wallets and ecosystem infrastructure.

South Korean law firm Bae, Kim & Lee LLC has outlined the key implications of Google Play's policy to block overseas virtual asset exchange and wallet applications. The firm noted that the policy applies to all overseas crypto businesses not registered with South Korea's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), expanding beyond the government's existing blacklist. However, the restrictions do not affect iOS devices, meaning iPhone users can still download and update these apps. The law firm also clarified that virtual asset transfers from domestic exchanges are only restricted for entities on the FIU's blacklist, while transfers to major overseas exchanges and wallets not on the list are expected to remain unaffected.

Belgian bank KBC plans to offer trading services for BTC and ETH starting Feb. 16, Cointelegraph reported. The bank has submitted its registration as a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) to the relevant authorities in compliance with the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a bill allowing for the establishment of cryptocurrency banks, local media outlet BelTA reported. According to the legislation, these crypto banks must comply with the legal requirements applicable to non-bank credit and financial institutions.

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) is developing regulations that would hold cryptocurrency exchanges strictly liable for damages from hacking incidents, MTN News reported. The regulator is also considering imposing punitive fines of up to 10% of an exchange's revenue. The proposal has drawn criticism from the industry. An official from the virtual asset sector noted that the 10% fine is more than three times the maximum 3% penalty applied to electronic financial businesses under the amended Electronic Financial Transactions Act, calling the proposed standard excessive for virtual asset service providers.

The South Korean crypto exchange Upbit has announced it will temporarily suspend deposits and withdrawals for Hippo Protocol (HP) starting at 9:00 a.m. UTC on Jan. 28 due to a network upgrade.

Coinbase's decision to withdraw its support for the crypto market structure bill known as the CLARITY Act is a move to stifle competition from security token platform Securitize, according to market research firm Citron Research. Citron stated that Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong recently expressed concerns about Securitize in a CNBC interview. The research firm highlighted Armstrong's dissatisfaction with regulations on tokenized stocks while simultaneously seeking to protect Coinbase's stablecoin revenue model. Citron argued this reveals a contradictory stance, where Coinbase wants the regulatory clarity the bill could provide but aims to avoid the potential competition it would create. The firm concluded that Coinbase's opposition is not driven by concerns that the bill would harm the crypto industry, but rather by an effort to prevent legislation that could be more favorable to Securitize.

Opposition is growing in South Korea from the ruling Democratic Party, industry, and academia against a proposal to cap major shareholder stakes in cryptocurrency exchanges at 15-20%, ZDNet Korea reported. Within the ruling party, there is a strong consensus that strengthening regulations on unfair trading practices should be prioritized over direct ownership limits. Proponents of this view argue that strictly regulating insider trading, market manipulation, and conflicts of interest would be more effective. Concerns have also been raised that excessive ownership restrictions could stifle industry innovation and deter investment. With calls for caution also emerging from within the Democratic Party's task force on the issue, it is expected that the industry's perspective will be significantly reflected in the party's final draft of the Digital Asset Basic Act.

Bitcoin is approaching a critical inflection point, according to Glassnode analyst Chris Beamish. In a post on X, he noted that the recent BTC rebound is increasing the likelihood that short-term holders (STHs) will return to profitability. Beamish explained that this is typically a prerequisite for a resumption of upward momentum. However, he cautioned that if the recovery fails, the rally could prove to be merely a temporary technical rebound.

Japan's largest credit card company, JCB, has begun testing payments using U.S. dollar and Japanese yen-pegged stablecoins at physical stores, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported. For the initiative, JCB is collaborating with banking group Resona Holdings and IT services firm Digital Garage.

Hana Financial Group has formed a consortium of financial institutions to issue a stablecoin, News1 reported. The consortium includes BNK Financial Group, iM Financial Group, Standard Chartered Bank Korea, and OK Savings Bank. The group plans to establish a special purpose company (SPC) through a joint investment to handle the future issuance. This initiative aligns with a plan currently under review by South Korean financial authorities to grant initial issuance rights to consortiums where a bank holds a majority stake of over 50%, a measure intended to ensure market stability.

The number of new Ethereum addresses has surged over the past 30 days, leading to a distinct increase in network activity, CoinDesk reported. The outlet's analysis suggests this indicates an influx of new investors and reflects expanding public interest in DeFi, stablecoin transfers, NFTs, and other applications.

The aggregate 24-hour long/short ratio for BTC perpetual futures across the top three crypto futures exchanges by open interest is 50.34% long to 49.66% short. The individual exchange breakdown is as follows: 1. Binance: 50.59% long / 49.41% short 2. OKX: 50.17% long / 49.83% short 3. Bybit: 50.53% long / 49.47% short

DDC Enterprise, an e-commerce company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has purchased an additional 200 BTC. The company now holds a total of 1,383 BTC.

The Winklevoss brothers, co-founders of the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, are estimated to hold a total of $1.25 billion in BTC, according to on-chain data platform Arkham. The brothers, who once held 1% of the total BTC supply, are now believed to hold only about 10% of their initial investment.

South Korean crypto exchange Coinone announced that it has designated eight tokens as investment warning assets: Cloudbric (CLBK), LoungeM (LZM), Crust Network (CRU), Fancy (FNCY), Iskra (ISK), Everyworld (EVERY), Havah (HVH), and sKLAY (SKLAY).

South Korean crypto exchange Upbit announced that it has designated GoChain (GO) as an investment warning item.

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb announced it has placed Witch Token (WITCH), Talken (TALK), and Havah (HVH) on its investment watchlist.

The South Korean crypto exchange Upbit announced that it has designated Napoli (NAP) as an investment warning item.

The city of Cheongju in South Korea's North Chungcheong Province has sold cryptocurrency seized from high-value and habitual local tax delinquents, Newsis reported. The city collected 21 million won (around $15,200) by selling the assets of 12 individuals on the South Korean exchange Upbit and is currently selling assets from eight delinquents on Bithumb. This marks the first time the city has completed a sale of such assets since it began seizing them in 2021.

Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood stated in the firm's 2026 market outlook report that Bitcoin's low correlation with major asset classes like gold, stocks, and bonds makes it a viable alternative for asset allocation investors seeking higher risk-adjusted returns. She added that new Bitcoin issuance is limited to an annual rate of around 0.8% for the next two years, after which it is expected to fall to 0.4%. Wood noted that unlike gold, where mining can increase in response to price hikes, Bitcoin's supply is fixed by its protocol, giving it structural scarcity. This combination of supply constraints and growing demand has contributed to a price increase of approximately 360% since the end of 2022.

South Korea has specified its valuation standards for virtual assets subject to inheritance and gift taxes, Money Today reported. The new rules state that the value of a crypto asset will be determined by its average market price over the two-month period spanning one month before and one month after the date of transfer. This approach excludes professional appraisals, reflecting the nature of assets traded on public markets. The government explained that this change applies the existing tax law principle—valuing assets with verifiable transaction prices at market value—to virtual assets. Additionally, the valuation method for corporate crypto transactions will shift from the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method to the total average method, a change made to account for the high frequency of corporate trading. South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance announced these measures on Jan. 16 in a revised enforcement decree following the 2025 tax reform. The ministry plans to promulgate the decree at the end of February.

The team behind Kaito, an AI-based Web3 information platform, is facing allegations from multiple crypto communities of dumping KAITO tokens using inside information. The accusations center on claims that the team had advance knowledge of X's policy change to ban "InfoFi apps" and the subsequent shutdown of its own "Yapping" service, which rewarded users with tokens for posting about the project on X. Crypto influencer vasucrypto, who has approximately 29,000 followers on X, claimed that a Kaito team-affiliated address beginning with 0x049 deposited five million KAITO to Binance seven days ago, likely for the purpose of selling. The influencer also noted that 1.1 million KAITO, the largest single amount ever, is scheduled to be unstaked tomorrow. Given that the unstaking process takes seven days, vasucrypto suggested the team may have initiated the withdrawal after learning about the X policy change and the impending shutdown of its reward service. Further fueling the speculation, the South Korean crypto-focused Telegram channel "Dopamine Research Institute" pointed out that other InfoFi platforms also appeared to have prior knowledge. The channel stated that another platform, Pulse, reportedly received a policy violation notice from the X team on Dec. 3 of last year, and that platforms like COOKIE issued announcements immediately following X's API policy change. Kaito officially announced the termination of its "Yaps" service early yesterday, after which the KAITO token's price fell by approximately 20%.

Whale Alert reported that 260,741,570 USDC has been transferred from an unknown wallet to Coinbase. The transaction is valued at about $261 million.