On Jan. 16, Pennsylvania-based lender Newrez said it will start counting certain cryptocurrency holdings toward mortgage applications beginning in February, adding to moves prompted by a 2025 directive from the Federal Housing Finance Agency. While some US lenders are now willing to consider Bitcoin and other regulated crypto assets as collateral, borrowers may face discounts on asset values and lingering regulatory and political uncertainty around how these loans are structured.

A US Senate crypto market structure bill, initially targeted for passage by September 2025 and later pushed to the end of the year, has hit a stalemate after key markup sessions were canceled in early 2026. Lawmakers remain divided from major crypto firms, with Coinbase pulling support over concerns including DeFi limits, tokenized equities, stablecoin interest and the balance of power between the SEC and CFTC, while experts warn that any eventual rulemaking could take years to complete.

Ethereum’s recent protocol upgrades have driven daily average transaction fees down to around $0.15 and pushed active addresses to over 791,000, surpassing prominent layer 2 networks. Over the past year, active addresses rose 71% and daily transactions hit record highs, while developers advanced long-term plans such as Pectra and Fusaka to scale blob capacity and move the network toward a more durable, "100-year" architecture.

Crypto and tech billionaires in California are threatening to relocate after a union proposed a 5% asset tax on residents worth over $1 billion, plus a one-time $1 billion levy on those above $20 billion. Critics warn of lost tax revenue and capital flight, while multiple studies on wealth taxes and millionaire migration suggest the ultra-rich rarely move, raising doubts over how many will actually leave if the measure reaches the November 2026 ballot.