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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.

Tether Gold (XAUT) experienced a brief surge of as much as 25% on South Korean won trading pairs within the last 30 minutes, according to a CoinNess analysis. The momentary price spike of over 20% was observed only on local exchanges such as Upbit and Bithumb and did not occur in the global market. The token has since pared its gains and is currently trading at 6,742,000 won ($4,885) on Upbit, up 0.96%.

Spot gold has set a new all-time high, surpassing $4,600 per ounce. The precious metal is up $280 per ounce since the beginning of the year.

President Donald Trump said that he is closely monitoring anti-government protests in Iran and is considering strong response options, Walter Bloomberg reported.

A whale who accumulated 101,000 ETH five years ago at an average price of $660 deposited 26,000 ETH, worth $80.88 million, to the Bitstamp exchange four hours ago, EmberCN reported. With this latest transaction, the investor has now transferred the entirety of the original 101,000 ETH holding to exchanges, realizing a profit of $269 million.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has issued a statement in response to a U.S. federal prosecutor's investigation into his conduct. He asserted that the probe is unrelated to his testimony or a building renovation, calling it a pretext for the Trump administration to pressure the central bank. Powell argued that the investigation paradoxically demonstrates the Fed has set interest rates for the public good, free from political influence or presidential considerations. He described the Department of Justice's actions, including issuing a subpoena and threatening indictment, as unprecedented. Powell stressed that the Fed is at a crossroads, facing a choice between continuing its evidence-based rate decisions or succumbing to political threats, framing the issue as a fundamental defense of the institution's independence.

According to Tokenomist, major token unlocks for the week of Jan. 12-18 include: Jan. 15 - 12:00 a.m. UTC: CONX unlocks 1.32 million tokens ($20.59 million), 1.59% of circulating supply. - 12:00 a.m. UTC: STRK unlocks 127 million tokens ($10.33 million), 4.83% of circulating supply. - 12:00 p.m. UTC: SEI unlocks 55.56 million tokens ($6.7 million), 1.05% of circulating supply. Jan. 16 - 12:00 p.m. UTC: ARB unlocks 92.65 million tokens ($18.88 million), 1.86% of circulating supply. Jan. 17 - 12:00 a.m. UTC: DBR unlocks 618 million tokens ($11.52 million), 14.81% of circulating supply. - 8:00 a.m. UTC: ZK unlocks 173 million tokens ($5.89 million), 3.16% of circulating supply.

CoinMarketCap's Altcoin Season Index currently stands at 26, a level considered to be a Bitcoin season. The index is calculated by comparing the price performance of the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization against Bitcoin over the past 90 days, excluding stablecoins and wrapped tokens. An altcoin season is designated when 75% of these top altcoins outperform Bitcoin during this period. A score closer to 100 signals a stronger altcoin market.

Jan. 12 - 5:30 p.m. UTC: Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic speaks. - 5:45 p.m. UTC: Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin speaks. - 11:00 p.m. UTC: FOMC member John Williams speaks. Jan. 13 - 1:30 p.m. UTC: U.S. December Consumer Price Index (CPI) is released. - 9:00 p.m. UTC: Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin speaks. Jan. 14 - 1:30 p.m. UTC: U.S. December Producer Price Index (PPI) is released. - 5:00 p.m. UTC: Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari and Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic speak. - 7:00 p.m. UTC: The U.S. Federal Reserve releases its Beige Book. - 7:10 p.m. UTC: FOMC member John Williams speaks. Jan. 15 - 1:00 a.m. UTC: South Korea announces its interest rate decision. - 1:30 p.m. UTC: U.S. initial jobless claims are released. - 1:35 p.m. UTC: Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic speaks. - 2:15 p.m. UTC: Fed Vice Chair Michael Barr speaks. - 5:40 p.m. UTC: Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin speaks. Jan. 16 - 4:00 p.m. UTC: FOMC member Michelle Bowman speaks.

An address believed to be linked to Bitmine has staked an additional 109,504 ETH, valued at $340 million, according to Onchain Lens. The address has a total of 1.19 million ETH staked, worth $3.7 billion.

U.S. federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, The New York Times reported, citing sources. According to the newspaper, Powell is accused of downplaying the scale of a remodeling project for the Federal Reserve building during his testimony before Congress. The investigation was reportedly approved last November by Attorney General Jeanine Pirro, a known associate of President Donald Trump. The move is seen as an escalation of government pressure on Powell, who has been a frequent target of Trump's calls for interest rate cuts. Powell's term as chair is set to expire this May, while his term as a Fed Governor extends until January 2028. He has not yet indicated whether he plans to remain at the Fed after his chairmanship ends.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index from data provider Alternative has dropped two points to 27, indicating continued fear in the market. The index, where 0 represents extreme fear and 100 signifies extreme greed, is calculated based on factors including volatility (25%), trading volume (25%), social media mentions (15%), surveys (15%), Bitcoin's market dominance (10%), and Google search volume (10%).

Tether has frozen more than $182 million in USDT held in five Tron wallets, BeInCrypto reported. The company possesses administrator keys that enable it to instantly freeze funds at the smart contract level, an authority it frequently uses at the request of U.S. law enforcement agencies such as the Department of Justice and the FBI.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined three key structural challenges facing decentralized stablecoins, according to The Block. These challenges include finding a better index than the U.S. dollar, designing decentralized oracles that cannot be dominated by large capital pools, and addressing the competition they face from staking yields.