Between Jan. 10 and Jan. 19, Bitcoin wallets holding 10–10,000 BTC accumulated $3.21 billion worth of BTC while smaller retail wallets sold, according to Santiment. Over the same period, Bitcoin slipped, briefly dropping 4.55% in 24 hours to around $89,110, with analysts suggesting this divergence between whale buying and retail selling could support a longer-term bullish setup despite cautious market sentiment.

U.S. homebuilder Megatel Homes plans to introduce its MegPrime crypto rewards platform after receiving a no-action letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The program will use MP Tokens to reward renters and homeowners, including potential rent cashback toward future home purchases and mortgage rates below market averages.

Crypto lender Nexo Capital will pay a $500,000 fine to California's financial regulator over thousands of allegedly unlicensed consumer and commercial loans. The regulator claims Nexo failed to properly assess borrowers' repayment ability on at least 5,456 loans issued to state residents between July 2018 and November 2022.

On Wednesday, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes said Bitcoin could regain momentum and set new highs in 2026 as U.S. dollar liquidity expands. He cited potential Fed balance-sheet growth, lower mortgage rates, and more bank lending to strategic industries; in 2025, Bitcoin fell 14.40% while gold rose 44.40%, according to Curvo.

Major US exchange Coinbase has withdrawn its support for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act after CEO Brian Armstrong warned it would leave the domestic crypto sector worse off than the current rules. Armstrong argued that the draft bill, released on Jan. 21 with a markup hearing scheduled for Jan. 27, could curb tokenized equities and DeFi, boost SEC authority over CFTC, and undermine stablecoin rewards while expanding government access to financial data.

Jan3 founder Samson Mow has outlined five ambitious Bitcoin forecasts for 2026, including a claim that Tesla CEO Elon Musk will aggressively increase his Bitcoin exposure. Mow also expects BTC to climb to about $1.33 million that year, far above more moderate outlooks from other crypto executives.

Ethereum’s social sentiment has fallen to levels similar to those seen ahead of its 2025 price surge back to its 2021 all-time high, according to Santiment analyst Brian Quinlivan. He argued this negative mood could limit further downside, even as Ether trades about 36% below its peak and broader crypto sentiment remains stuck in “Fear” territory.

Morgan Stanley's newly filed spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs could strengthen the bank's long-term crypto positioning even if fund inflows remain modest, according to ProCap CIO Jeff Park. He argues the launch may enhance Morgan Stanley's brand, support its ETRADE crypto ambitions, and help attract talent, while Morningstar's Bryan Armour says the bank can quickly migrate existing Bitcoin clients into its own ETFs and add further legitimacy to the crypto ETF market.

CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju said on Wednesday that capital flowing into Bitcoin has "dried up" as investors rotate toward stocks and precious metals, and he expects the asset to move "just boring sideways" for the next few months. Bitcoin is trading around $90,890 after retreating from a weekly high of $94,400 in early 2026, even though historical data show strong average gains in February and March.