On 16 January, Bitcoin fell 1.45% after President Trump again retreated from reports that he would appoint Kevin Hassett as the next Fed Chair, reinforcing broader risk-off sentiment across markets. Even with heightened macro volatility, whales holding BTC from the December trade near the $90k–$92k cost basis and strong institutional accumulation are maintaining upward positioning, as reflected in a 0.71 put/call ratio that signals renewed call demand.

Anchorage Digital is pursuing a $200 million–$400 million capital raise while weighing an IPO next year. The federally chartered crypto bank is expanding stablecoin, custody and wealth services, and it cited 2025 as a year of scale amid rising institutional demand. The firm previously raised $350 million in late 2021, valuing it above $3 billion.

On January 17, 2026, Democratic members of the Financial Services Committee sent a letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins questioning the agency’s retreat from crypto enforcement. The letter cites dropped actions involving Ripple, Binance, Coinbase and Kraken, notes favorable 2024 court rulings, and flags the May 2025 dismissal of the Binance case.

U.S. fast-food chain Steak 'n Shake has added a $10 million Bitcoin purchase to its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve after eight months of accepting BTC payments in its restaurants. The company links double-digit same-store sales growth and lower payment processing costs to its Bitcoin-focused strategy, which also includes BTC-themed menu items and loyalty rewards.

Journalist Eleanor Terrett reported on January 17, 2026, that the Trump administration is weighing whether to withdraw backing for the crypto market structure bill if Coinbase does not return to negotiations over stablecoin yield terms. Coinbase and CEO Brian Armstrong have criticized bank-driven changes they say restrict stablecoin rewards and tokenized equities, while critics like Citron Research allege the exchange is undermining the bill to fend off competition. The dispute has coincided with the Senate Banking Committee postponing its planned markup of the bill on January 15 without setting a new date.

On October 23, 2025, a shared network drive at law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP used by JPMorgan Chase was accessed by an unauthorized party, exposing data tied to 659 bank customers. The compromised files contained names along with account numbers, Social Security numbers, passport or other government ID details, and contact information, and Chase is now notifying affected clients, urging them to watch for identity theft and offering two years of complimentary credit monitoring.

On January 17, 2026, Rokas Baltrusaitis outlined how fatigue undermines crypto security, leading to rushed approvals, skipped checks, and subtle risk judgment errors. The article argues that 24/7 markets and convenience tools intensify decision overload, making attention management a primary defense. It recommends adding review friction, segmenting wallets, and routinely revoking stale permissions.

In January 2026, the XRP Ledger processed 1.45 million daily transactions, extending an upswing in activity that started in late 2025 alongside new payment corridors and stablecoin integrations. Analyst Sam Daodu notes that this growing on-chain usage, combined with eight-year-low exchange reserves and ETF inflows, contrasts with XRP's retrace from $2.42 to about $2.048 after a prior rally to $3.65, a pattern he says has historically preceded delayed price breakouts.