Iran's crypto economy reached $7.78 billion in 2025, with activity rising during protests and conflicts. Chainalysis' January 15, 2026 analysis also indicates IRGC-linked addresses accounted for roughly 50% of Q4 activity, while Bitcoin withdrawals to self-custody jumped between late December 2025 and early January 2026.

KBC will open retail access to Bitcoin and Ether trading through its Bolero self-directed platform from mid-February. The bank says all assets will be held under its custody and structured to meet MiCA standards, after Belgium's implementing law took effect on Jan. 3, 2026. KBC has filed its crypto asset service provider notification.

On January 16, 2026, the total crypto market cap stood at $3.32 trillion as Bitcoin hovered near $95,000. TradingView data showed $139 billion in session volume and dominance around 59%, while Coin Bureau noted $1.8 billion of ETF inflows over four days. DefiLlama reported DeFi TVL at $129 billion, with Ethereum's TVL near $71 billion.

Coinbase withdrew support for the CLARITY Act on January 14 after Brian Armstrong warned of a de facto ban on tokenized equities, expanded DeFi data access, and possible limits on stablecoin rewards. Citron Research alleged he sought to blunt competition, while a Senate committee delayed a planned markup on January 15.

Gold and silver remain firmly supported in early 2026 as easing U.S. monetary expectations, sustained central-bank demand, and structural supply constraints reinforce what increasingly looks like a regime shift rather than a late-cycle rally. With gold trading near $4,600 and silver consolidating above $90, analysts see continued upside as macro tailwinds persist.

Interactive Brokers has expanded its digital asset services by enabling clients to fund brokerage accounts with USDC stablecoins on Ethereum, Solana and Base, with deposits automatically converted into U.S. dollars. The firm plans to add support for RLUSD and PYUSD next week and says stablecoin funding can ease cross-border capital access by cutting costs and settlement times. The move follows its earlier rollout of USDC funding for retail brokerage accounts in December and comes amid a stablecoin market cap that recently exceeded $310 billion.

Analysts at JPMorgan, led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, reported that crypto exchange-traded funds pulled in a record $130 billion last year, with Bitcoin and Ethereum products and digital asset treasuries driving most of the demand. More than half of 2025's digital asset inflows, about $68 billion, came from DAT companies, while institutional activity in CME futures fell versus 2024. The analysts expect institutional flows to rebound in 2026, potentially supported by US regulatory initiatives such as the CLARITY Act, while Bitcoin recently traded around $96,050 after gaining 10% in two weeks.

California's Department of Financial Protection and Innovation has ordered Nexo Capital Inc. to pay a $500,000 penalty for issuing unlicensed crypto-backed loans to 5,456 state residents between 2018 and 2022. The action adds pressure to Nexo's plans to re-enter the U.S. market, following earlier nationwide settlements tied to securities violations and investor disclosures.