Stablecoins are gaining ground in cross-border payments, targeting the roughly $900 billion global remittance market, BlockBeats reports. World Bank data show average remittance fees remain above 6%, and industry participants say blockchain-based stablecoins can cut costs and time versus providers such as Western Union. In July, U.S. President Trump signed the GENIUS Act to establish a federal framework for stablecoins, prompting firms including Western Union and PayPal to explore related products. Analysts noted incumbents have compliance scale while crypto-native firms like Coinbase and Kraken are more agile; if regulatory details progress, penetration in remittances could increase this year, market participants said.

A planned US Senate Banking Committee hearing on a crypto market structure bill was postponed on January 17, Galaxy Digital Head of Research Alex Thorn said, highlighting sharp disagreements between Congress and the industry over stablecoin yield mechanisms and DeFi provisions. The delay came hours after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong withdrew his support for the bill and publicly opposed language on tokenized securities, DeFi limits and stablecoin yields, followed by Committee Chair Tim Scott's decision to postpone without setting a new date. Crypto assets broadly declined after the postponement, with Bitcoin and Ethereum down about 2% on the day and US-listed crypto-related stocks under pressure, including Coinbase down 6.5%, Robinhood down 7.8% and Circle down 9.7%.

Senate Judiciary Committee leaders Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin said in a January 17 letter to the Senate Banking Committee that Section 604 of the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act would "weaken" federal law on unlicensed money transmission. The section is intended to protect software developers from criminal liability when third parties misuse their products, but the letter said the Judiciary Committee, which oversees Title 18 of the U.S. Code, was not consulted for advance review and cited the Department of Justice's case against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm as illustrating prosecutors' ability to pursue parties allegedly tied to unlicensed money transmission under current regulations. The letter urged the Banking Committee to reject any provisions that may weaken the government's ability to hold unlicensed money transmission businesses responsible, and BlockBeats reported the Banking Committee canceled its planned Thursday debate and vote on Wednesday night amid growing opposition.

The White House's top digital asset adviser said on Jan. 17 that U.S. prosecutors have not liquidated Bitcoin and other digital assets seized from Samourai Wallet developers, BlockBeats reports. Patrick Witt, executive director of the President's Digital Asset Advisory Board, wrote on social media that the Department of Justice confirmed to him that under Executive Order 14233, seized Samourai Wallet assets have not been and will not be sold, and will instead remain on the government balance sheet as part of a strategic Bitcoin reserve. Earlier this month, Bitcoin Magazine reported, citing court filings and data, that the U.S. Marshals Service had sold more than $6 million in Bitcoin tied to plea agreement payments by Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill that were sent to a Coinbase Prime address, noting that any such sale would conflict with Trump's March order to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve.

Senate Democrats resumed negotiations on the CLARITY Act market structure bill on Jan. 17, holding a Friday call with crypto industry representatives, BlockBeats reports citing people familiar. The discussion came after the chamber's first vote on the bill was suddenly postponed earlier in the week; the Senate Agriculture Committee still aims to hold a markup by the end of the month. Coinbase said it cannot support the current version. Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott has not set a new markup date, while the Agriculture Committee plans a session on Jan. 27; if both committees pass their respective versions, they would be combined into a single bill for a full Senate vote.

Michael Novogratz said on Jan. 17 a crypto bill could be finalized in coming weeks and need not be perfect, The Block reports. Talks stalled last week amid a dispute over stablecoin rewards, with banking groups criticizing the GENIUS Act's issuer-interest ban that excludes third-party rewards.

Derin Securities (Hong Kong) Limited received conditional approval from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission on Jan. 15 to upgrade its Type 4 (advising on securities) license for virtual asset advisory, Derin Holdings announced. The service is limited to professional investors within its existing Type 4 clients. Derin Holdings expects trading to start in February after connecting and testing with SFC-licensed platforms.

US authorities proposed a tax reform in December that may require sovereign wealth funds to pay taxes on certain US investments, potentially affecting major backers of the country's private capital industry, BlockBeats reports. The Internal Revenue Service plans to revise Internal Revenue Code provisions that sovereign wealth funds and some public pension funds use to claim US tax exemptions, including broadening the definition of "commercial activities" to cover transactions previously treated as passive investments. Activities that could trigger tax liabilities include direct lending to companies, participation in bond default restructurings, and use of "blockers"—special purpose vehicles typically employed by sovereign wealth and pension funds when co-investing with private equity firms.