On 21 January 2026, Bhutan outlined plans to start operating a validator on the Sei Network in the first quarter, moving the country directly into the consensus layer of a public proof-of-stake blockchain. The initiative is led by Druk Holding and Investments in collaboration with the Sei Development Foundation and could later extend to tokenization, digital payments, and identity-linked services.

Vietnam's Ministry of Finance has enacted Decision 96/QD-BTC, creating a licensing regime for cryptocurrency trading platforms and detailing procedures for issuing, adjusting, and revoking exchange licenses as of January 20, 2026. The framework requires Vietnamese entities to meet strict capital, infrastructure, and staffing standards, which may reshape how firms enter the market while leaving short-term cryptocurrency prices largely unchanged.

In 2025, Bitcoin's global search interest fell about 50% even as the asset reached an all‑time high of $126,080. Posts on X mentioning "Bitcoin" declined 32% year over year to 96 million, and sentiment weakened following an October 10 liquidation of over $19 billion. By mid‑January 2026, social metrics turned more bearish despite prices rising from $90,320 to $97,540.

Tezos (XTZ) briefly climbed above $0.63 before sliding back under $0.59, even as TenX disclosed a $3.25 million purchase of 5.54 million tokens between January 2 and January 19, 2026. The price now hovers near key support levels, with traders watching $0.50 as a crucial threshold that could open the way to around $0.42 if broken.

Dogecoin co-creator Billy Markus has reacted on X to a sharp crypto market downturn that erased about $150,000,000,000 in value as Bitcoin dropped under $90,000 and gold set a fresh record above $4,800 per ounce. Markus, known online as "Shibetoshi Nakamoto," replied with a brief "oh" to a post highlighting the scale of liquidations, while separately the firm Strategy disclosed a purchase of 22,305 BTC for roughly $2.13 billion at a price of about $95,284 per coin.

Bitpanda will let users trade about 10,000 stocks and ETFs alongside crypto starting Jan. 29, according to an announcement. Stock and ETF orders will cost a flat 1 euro ($1.17) per trade, with access to real stocks across the European Union as the company advances a universal exchange model.

According to the Dutch central bank, indirect holdings of crypto-linked securities in the Netherlands reached about $1.4 billion by October 2025, up from $94 million in 2020 and equal to 0.03% of total securities. Exposure is concentrated in ETFs, ETNs, and crypto treasury shares, with households and pension funds among the largest holders.

XDC Foundation executive Billy Sebell argues that trade finance is blockchain's most significant real-world use case, citing a $9.7-trillion market and a $2.5-trillion funding gap. He points to the UK's 2023 Electronic Trade Documents Act and the US 2025 GENIUS Act, plus $18.9 billion in tokenized private credit, as catalysts for on-chain receivables and SME liquidity.