Tether and Circle expanded the stablecoin float by $1.5 billion within about two hours on January 20, 2026. The mints were executed through several large transactions, indicating a purposeful increase in supply. Such bursts of issuance often align with rising liquidity needs across exchanges and professional counterparties.

One year after Donald Trump's January 20, 2025 inauguration as U.S. President, Bitcoin is down about 15% and trading near $91,000, while Ethereum has slipped roughly 8% to around $3,100. Over the same period, many altcoins have fallen far more sharply, with large caps losing 40% to 60% and mid- to small-cap and meme tokens dropping 70% to about 90%.

The South Korean Democratic Party's Digital Asset Task Force held a closed-door meeting at the National Assembly Members' Office Building to finalize a party-line bill for the Digital Asset Basic Act, which it aims to submit early next month. The proposed framework focuses on comprehensive rules for digital assets and won-pegged stablecoins, including an integrated approach to regulating non-secured virtual assets and stablecoins. Lawmakers highlighted legislative delays, unresolved disagreements with government bodies and the ruling party, and the need to balance industry growth with financial system stability.

De Nederlandsche Bank reported that Dutch companies, institutions and households held about €1.2 billion in indirect crypto securities as of October 2025, up from roughly €81 million at the end of 2020. These holdings, concentrated in a small number of foreign-issued ETFs, ETNs and crypto treasury shares, still account for only 0.03% of the Dutch securities market despite strong price-driven growth. Pension funds, investment funds and households each show distinct patterns of exposure across ETFs, ETNs and crypto-related equities.

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.

Suki Yang, now CEO of Icon Trading after roles at Electric Capital, Pantera Capital and CertiK, is focused on building a system-driven institutional crypto trading platform that goes beyond individual judgement. The firm emphasizes a unified architecture for risk, execution and research, aiming for explainable, repeatable returns as crypto markets mature and narrative-driven inefficiencies fade.

On Jan. 19, Intercontinental Exchange, the parent of the NYSE, outlined plans for a separate trading venue for tokenized US‑listed equities and ETFs, built around stablecoin-based funding and blockchain settlement. The platform aims to enable 24/7 trading, near‑instant settlement with tokenized capital, and fractional share trading while preserving traditional investor rights and remaining subject to regulatory approval. Industry debate now centers on how much value this shift in market plumbing will actually deliver to existing crypto tokens versus blockchains and DeFi infrastructure.

3M Company reported fourth-quarter 2025 results that exceeded forecasts, with adjusted EPS of $1.83 versus $1.80 expected and revenue of $6.1 billion against $6.01 billion. The company also outlined 2026 targets, including adjusted EPS of $8.50 to $8.70 and approximately 4% adjusted total sales growth.