French market regulators warn that around 30% of the 90 crypto firms registered in France have not indicated whether they will seek authorization under the MiCA framework ahead of the June 30 deadline. Companies must inform the AMF if they will apply for a MiCA licence or close down, or they risk losing the right to operate in France and across the EU. Industry voices say compliance costs and banking-style requirements, especially for stablecoins, could push smaller actors out of the European market.

On January 16, 2026, President Donald Trump signaled he may keep Kevin Hassett in his current role rather than nominate him as Fed chair, shifting attention to former Governor Kevin Warsh. Markets reacted, with the dollar firming and stocks slipping; Polymarket odds moved to 59% for Warsh and 18% for Hassett.

On Wednesday, Coinbase withdrew support for the digital asset market structure bill, prompting the White House to consider pulling its backing. According to journalist Eleanor Terrett, officials labeled the move a "rug pull" and may drop support unless Coinbase re-enters talks under a yield framework acceptable to banks. Brian Armstrong cited concerns in a January 14, 2026 post.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said on Friday that the network has drifted from decentralization, privacy, and user control, and he wants 2026 to mark a course correction. He outlined priorities like easier full-node operation, privacy-preserving payments, and resilient app design, and introduced the walkaway test earlier, on January 12, 2026.

On January 14, 2026, Peter Schiff called Bitcoin’s surge to $97,000 a “huge sucker’s rally,” urging traders to favor mining stocks over Bitcoin and MSTR. Within the past 24 hours, BTC briefly crossed $97,000 before retracing to about $96,200, while U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw roughly $1 billion in net inflows and MSTR gained over 3% then slipped more than 1% after-hours.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee halted a planned markup of its crypto market structure bill after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced the exchange could not back the current draft. Despite the delay, White House AI and crypto adviser David Sacks argued that passage of market structure legislation remains "as close as it's ever been," while disputes over stablecoin rewards and ethics rules continue to complicate negotiations.

On Jan. 12, Strategy founder Michael Saylor sharply rejected doubts about the corporate Bitcoin treasury model during an exchange on the What Bitcoin Did podcast. He dismissed concerns over more than 200 companies using equity and debt issuance to buy Bitcoin, even as many trade below the value of their holdings and some stocks have dropped by up to 99%. Strategy has raised over $50 billion via securities offerings to amass about 687,000 BTC, while critics question whether such treasury-focused business models can endure prolonged market downturns.

CFTC Chair Mike Selig has rebuilt the Innovation Advisory Committee with a crypto- and fintech-heavy lineup. Announced Monday, the membership spans Gemini, Kraken, Polymarket, Kalshi and major market operators such as Nasdaq, CME Group, ICE and Cboe, with the group set to advise on AI, blockchain, DeFi and market structure.

World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance venture linked to the Trump family, has launched its World Liberty Markets onchain lending platform centered on the USD1 stablecoin and WLFI governance token. The platform allows users to borrow and lend major crypto assets, while the company also pursues a U.S. national trust bank charter and evaluates adding tokenized real-world assets as collateral amid a broader rebound in DeFi credit activity.