Ethereum

On January 16, 2026, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin outlined a 2026 initiative on X to restore self-sovereignty and trustlessness. The plan emphasizes ZK-EVMs and Block Access Limits to make full nodes practical again, privacy tools like Helios, ORAM and PIR, and onchain app hosting; the network also raised its blob limit from 15 to 21.

Ethereum recorded nearly 8 million active addresses and a new peak in network usage on 17 January, alongside transaction fees at all-time lows. Despite this on-chain growth, ETH remained capped below its 200-day EMA, with price action hovering around a symmetrical triangle and key resistance levels between $3,800 and $4,000 in focus.

Ethereum is trading above $3,305, with price action around $3,312 supported by $474.6 million of weekly spot ETF inflows and Vitalik Buterin's 2026 development roadmap. Key resistance sits near $3,347 and $3,405, while rising network activity and institutional demand underpin a potential breakout.

On 17 January 2026, BlackRock was observed shifting more than $1.24 billion in Bitcoin and Ethereum across several days, involving withdrawals rather than direct liquidation. On-chain tracking indicates these flows are linked to portfolio and custody rebalancing, while BlackRock continues to hold hundreds of thousands of BTC and millions of ETH, maintaining significant exposure to both assets.

Ethereum has extended its advance from the December rebound and is now challenging a multi‑month resistance band near $3.3K–$3.5K while holding above the $3K area. The daily and 4‑hour charts show higher lows and a recent upside break from a symmetrical triangle, but overbought signals and on‑chain activity clustering under resistance leave a breakout toward $4K or a rejection back toward $2.7K–$2.5K both in play.

On January 17th, Defiance ETFs said it will liquidate its Nasdaq-listed Ethereum ETF (ETHI) together with seven other leveraged products. ETHI’s last trading day is January 26, 2026, with delisting after market close, and cash redemptions at net asset value set for January 30, 2026.

Arkham reported that the so-called $10B Hyperunit Whale, linked to Garrett Jin, expanded an existing Ether long by $66.2 million, taking the position to about $733.3 million and pushing overall ETH, SOL and BTC long exposure above $900 million. At the same time, chart data showed Ethereum's market dominance stabilizing around 12.5% near a key support zone, with MACD turning bullish and trading volume rising after a rebound from early 2025 lows.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs booked $1.42 billion in net inflows over the past week, the strongest since early October, with roughly $754 million Tuesday and about $844 million Wednesday, then a $395 million outflow Friday. Ether ETFs were similarly front-loaded, adding approximately $479 million for the week after about $290 million Tuesday, $215 million Wednesday, and roughly $180 million in net outflows Friday.

On January 16, 2026, a Bitmine wallet moved 20,000 ETH worth $65.4 million off Kraken. The firm also added 24,068 ETH this week and now holds 4.07 million ETH valued around $13.37 billion, equal to 3.36% of supply. At publication, ETH was $3,293, down 0.64% after rising over 6% in the past week.

U.S. mortgage lender Newrez will begin treating select crypto holdings as qualifying assets in its underwriting, with the change slated for February. Eligible assets include Bitcoin, Ether, spot ETFs tied to those coins, and U.S. dollar‑pegged stablecoins held with U.S‑regulated platforms. Valuations may be adjusted for volatility, and payments remain in USD.