The stablecoin sector is expected to grow to $500 billion, while altcoin ETFs are projected to reach $10 billion, driven by regulatory clarity and adoption.
Sharplink Pockets $33M From Ether Staking, Deploys Another $170M
Public companies and crypto-focused treasury firms are increasingly turning to staking as a source of passive income.
Sharplink Gaming, the world’s second-largest corporate Ether (ETH) holder, generated 10,657 Ether ($33 million) in passive yield on its staking operations during the past seven months, according to the company’s dashboard.
Staking allows investors to earn passive income through committing their tokens to secure proof-of-stake blockchain networks.
At current prices, SharpLink said staking activity added about $1.4 million in value for shareholders over the past week. “Our thesis remains unchanged: 100% ETH and 100% staked,” the company said in a post on X on Wednesday.
Related: BitMine buys $105M Ether to kick off 2026, still holds $915M in cash
SharpLink expands yield-focused strategy
SharpLink deployed another $170 million Ether into the Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Linea for additional Ether restaking rewards, the company announced on Thursday.
SharpLink said the structure combines native Ethereum staking returns with restaking rewards and incentives from Linea and related protocols.
SharpLink announced the multi-year initiative in October, which is custodied through institutional-grade safeguards by Anchorage Digital Bank, SharpLink’s qualified custodian.
Institutions normalize crypto staking yields
BitMine Immersion Technologies, the largest corporate Ether holder, has also increased its staking activity, surpassing 936,512 in staked Ether worth about $2.87 billion as of Thursday.
In comparison, SharpLink has staked a total of 864,840 Ether, which represents the company’s total holdings, acquired at an average price of $3,609 per token, the company’s dashboard shows.
Related: $11B Bitcoin whale sells $330M ETH, opens massive $748M longs in top cryptos
More institutions are moving into Ether staking, including investment banking giant Morgan Stanley, which filed to launch a spot Ether exchange-traded fund seeking to capture additional staking yield, Cointelegraph reported on Wednesday.
The increasing institutional participation signals that cryptocurrency staking is growing from a niche decentralized finance (DeFi) experiment into a yield-generating strategy employed by corporations.
Magazine: Sharplink exec shocked by level of BTC and ETH ETF hodling — Joseph Chalom
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Tennessee orders Kalshi, Polymarket and Crypto.com to cease sports betting contracts
The firms, federally regulated by the CFTC, were told to shut down Tennessee-based activity, refund deposits, and void open contracts by Jan. 31.
Ethereum Co-founder Reiterates Support for Roman Storm, Citing Privacy
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain, has doubled down on his support of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, who could be retried on two felony charges sometime this year.
In a Friday X post, Buterin warned his followers about privacy from both the public and governments, adding that he had used Tornado Cash to make transactions in furtherance of this principle. The Ethereum co-founder has supported Storm since before his criminal trial, saying that developing software for others to use for privacy was not a crime.
“I have personally used Roman’s software to make transactions — to buy software for my own use, without my name ending up in corporate databases, to support charities that protect valuable human rights, and other goals,” said Buterin. “Roman has been a principled and steadfast developer of these principles. Unlike some others, who use these causes as an excuse to make profit and write software that has flashy advertising but is broken under the hood […]”
Storm was indicted in August 2023 for running an unlicensed money transmitter business and engaging in a conspiracy to commit money laundering and a conspiracy to violate sanctions. He was found guilty of the first charge in August, but a jury deadlocked on the other two.
Related: Roman Storm asks DeFi devs: Can you be sure DOJ won’t charge you?
As of Friday, it was uncertain whether US prosecutors would retry Storm on the two felony charges or when he would be sentenced for running an unlicensed money transmitter business. He has repeatedly claimed he was innocent and drew support from many in the crypto industry, who claim “writing code is not a crime.“
Presidential intervention in Storm’s case?
In November, following the verdict in Storm’s criminal trial, a group of crypto companies and advocacy groups called on US President Donald Trump to step in and “urge the Department of Justice to dismiss all open charges” against the Tornado Cash developer.
Trump had not publicly commented on Storm’s case as of Friday, nor had he suggested that he planned to issue a presidential pardon. Polymarket’s event contract on potential Trump pardons before 2027 showed several crypto industry figures including former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon, but not Storm.
Storm’s lawyers and prosecutors are scheduled to return to court for a conference to discuss the case on Jan. 22.
Magazine: When privacy and AML laws conflict: Crypto projects’ impossible choice
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently. Read our Editorial Policy https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy
Crypto Markets Edge Lower After US Jobs Miss Expectations
Bitcoin slipped under $91,000, while Ethereum and Solana dropped 1.5%.
Crypto markets ticked lower on Friday, Jan. 9, as new U.S. labor data showed the economy added far fewer jobs than expected in December.
Bitcoin (BTC) is trading near $90,927, down 1% over the past 24 hours, while Ether (ETH) changes hands around $3,095, down roughly 1.5% on the day.
Among other large-cap tokens, XRP fell 3% to $2.09, though it remains up about 5.3% over the past week. BNB rose 0.7% to around $895, while Solana (SOL) slipped 1.6% to $137, according to The Defiant’s price page.
Total cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at roughly $3.19 trillion, down 0.6% over the past 24 hours, while total trading volume fell to around $109 billion, according to CoinGecko.
POL (ex-MATIC) led today’s gainers, rising about 14%, while pumpfun (PUMP) added 9% and Cosmos Hub (ATOM) climbed roughly 5%. On the downside, Midnight (NIGHT) fell 10%, World Liberty Financial (WLFI) dropped nearly 8%, and Canton (CC) slid about 7%.
Liquidations and ETF Flows
About $189 million in leveraged positions were wiped out over the past 24 hours, according to Coinglass. Long positions accounted for roughly $105 million, while short liquidations totaled about $84 million.
Bitcoin recorded the largest share of liquidations at around $55 million, followed by Ethereum with $46 million. Elsewhere, Solana recorded about $12 million, while XRP and Zcash each saw around $10 million and $4 million, respectively.
In the exchange-traded fund (ETF) space, flows remained mixed. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded nearly $399 million in outflows on Jan. 8, while Ethereum spot ETFs posted about $159 million in net outflows.
By contrast, XRP and Solana spot ETFs bucked the trend. XRP spot ETFs recorded $8.7 million in inflows, while Solana spot ETFs added about $13.6 million.
“The flow pattern suggests tactical balance-sheet management ahead of macro catalysts, not a breakdown in the longer-term allocation case,” said Iliya Kalchev, Nexo Dispatch analyst, in comments shared with The Defiant. “For now, Bitcoin is behaving like an asset waiting for permission – with macro clarity, not crypto-specific news, likely to determine whether it can reclaim higher ground.”
Macro Developments
Friday’s downturn comes as fresh U.S. labor data showed further signs of a cooling job market. The economy added just 50,000 jobs in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, marking the weakest monthly gain of 2025.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate edged lower to 4.4%, down from a revised 4.5%, suggesting slower hiring. This comes after job openings fell more than expected in November, per the latest JOLTS data.
Looking ahead, Kalchev said attention will shift to a “dense macro calendar that is likely to determine whether Bitcoin can challenge the $95,000 level again or remain range-bound.”
Key events next week include a U.S. 10-year Treasury auction on Monday, CPI data on Tuesday, and retail sales figures on Wednesday.
Bitcoin Whales Drop BTC Longs in New Bull Signal
Bitcoin whales began repeating a classic bull signal as they took BTC long positions off the table after a year of declining overall market exposure.
Bitcoin (BTC) whales are “aggressively” reducing long exposure as a classic bull signal reappears.
Key points:
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Bitfinex whales are rotating out of BTC long positions — something that preceded major price gains in the past.
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A Wyckoff-style “spring” bottom should come next before a major reversal, analysis says.
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Whale holdings drop by around 220,000 BTC in 2025.
Bitcoin whales trigger six-figure BTC price target
Data from TradingView reveals that whale long positions have started dropping after hitting a peak of 73,000 BTC in late December.
Bitcoin whales are considered to be the “smart money” among the investor base, and traders monitor their actions for clues about future price trends.
History shows that whales closing out longs after a local peak tends to precede BTC price upside.
“Bitfinex whales are aggressively closing $BTC longs, a signal that historically precedes massive volatility,” commentator MartyParty observed in an X post on the topic Saturday.
“Last time this ‘unwind’ happened in early 2025, Bitcoin was stalling at $74k.”
MartyParty used the Wyckoff method to put whale shifts into context. In April last year, the start of a downtrend in longs almost exactly coincided with BTC/USD hitting sub-$75,000 lows, which remain in place.
This swing low, known as the “spring” in Wyckoff analysis, marks the start of a new uptrend.
“The flush cleared leverage and ignited a 50% rally to $112k in just 43 days,” the post continued.
“With $BTC currently consolidating near $91.5k, a similar fractal move targets $135k+.”
”Maturing” BTC price cycle sees whales pull back
Taking a look back over the past year, onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant shows that overall, whale holdings have decreased by over 200,000 BTC.
Related: Bitcoin RSI hints at $105K BTC price rebound as bull signals multiply
At the same time, smaller investor classes have upped their exposure, signalling what CryptoQuant calls a “maturing market cycle.”
“Overall, Bitcoin seems to be transitioning from a cycle dominated by whale-driven accumulation into a phase supported by a wider base of investors,” contributor CryptoZeno wrote in a “Quicktake” blog post.
“This type of shift is often seen in maturing market cycles, where volatility remains part of the landscape, but the long-term trend gains stability as ownership becomes more distributed and aligned with structural demand forces.”
At the start of January, CryptoQuant argued against claims that whales were in fact accumulating BTC at prices around $90,000.
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South Korea To Approve Spot Bitcoin ETFs In Policy Shift
South Korea is reportedly preparing to open its financial markets to spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) this year, marking a shift in the country’s long-standing approach to digital assets as regulators accelerate work on a comprehensive new crypto law.
The plan was outlined in the government’s newly released 2026 Economic Growth Strategy, with the Financial Services Commission (FSC) taking the lead on implementation.
If approved, spot bitcoin ETFs would become available to domestic investors for the first time, placing South Korea alongside markets such as the United States and Hong Kong, where similar products have already attracted billions of dollars in inflows.
Until now, Korea’s capital markets rules have not recognized cryptocurrencies like bitcoin or bitcoin ETFs as eligible underlying assets for ETFs, effectively blocking their launch. That stance is now changing as policymakers look to bring more crypto activity into regulated channels and reduce the flow of capital to offshore platforms.
The bitcoin ETF push is moving in parallel with a broader overhaul of digital asset regulation. The FSC is fast-tracking what it calls “Phase Two” digital asset legislation, a bill expected to focus heavily on stablecoins.
According to government plans, the law will introduce a licensing system for stablecoin issuers, minimum capital requirements, and strict reserve rules requiring at least 100% backing of issued tokens. Issuers would also be required to guarantee user redemption rights.
Regulators say the framework is designed to prevent failures like the 2022 Terra-Luna collapse, which wiped out roughly $40 billion and had deep ties to South Korea.
Alongside domestic rules, authorities are drafting standards for cross-border stablecoin transfers and transactions, reflecting growing use of digital tokens in trade and remittances. The effort is being coordinated between the FSC and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Global bitcoin ETF implementation
Officials point to global precedents as a key influence. Spot bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. and Hong Kong have seen strong demand, with major asset managers now treating the products as mainstream investment tools.
Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit estimates that more than 10 million people are eligible to trade digital assets domestically, underscoring the scale of potential demand.
Beyond private markets, blockchain is also moving into public finance. The government plans to digitize parts of the national treasury using so-called “deposit tokens,” a form of government-linked digital currency distinct from stablecoins, according to reports.
By 2030, up to 25% of treasury operations could be conducted via blockchain-based payments.
Pilot programs are already underway, and lawmakers are reviewing amendments to the Bank of Korea Act and the National Treasury Act to establish a legal foundation for these systems.
Officials say the goal is faster settlement, lower administrative costs, and improved transparency.
The Senate moves toward a market structure vote: State of Crypto
Lawmakers will (finally) vote on a market structure bill next week.
Robinhood explains building an Ethereum layer-2: 'We wanted the security from Ethereum'
CoinDesk sat down with Robinhood’s head of crypto, Johann Kerbrat, to get an update on its upcoming layer-2 network, its tokenized stocks program, and its staking offerings.