Circle and Aleo said Tuesday that USDCx, a privacy‑oriented representation of USDC, is live on Aleo via Circle's xReserve. The asset is fully backed by USDC held in xReserve and interoperable with USDC on networks such as Ethereum, reflecting privacy‑focused chains' efforts to access regulated, dollar‑pegged assets amid growing demand for onchain confidentiality tools.

On January 27, 2026 in London, CT3 announced the public release of CT3 Secure Storage, a decentralized data service open to all users. According to CT3, it introduces NFT-based access keys, supports files up to 1TB, uses pay‑as‑you‑go pricing with automatic refunds, and has migrated from Solana to Polygon (EVM) to enhance reliability and integrations.

Chainalysis' 2026 Crypto Crime Report states that Chinese-language money laundering networks processed $16.1 billion in illicit crypto during 2025, averaging about $44 million per day across more than 1,799 active wallets. The report finds these networks now account for roughly 20% of known laundering activity and increasingly handle funds from pig butchering scams, highlighting a growing national security concern tied to crypto-enabled cross-border flows.

Wemade has announced that Chainlink Labs has joined the Global Alliance for KRW Stablecoin, a consortium focused on real-world adoption of Korean won-backed stablecoins and compliance with local regulations. The alliance, launched in November 2025, aims to build institutional-grade infrastructure, with Chainlink Labs contributing technical expertise, interoperability, and data services to support Korea's evolving stablecoin ecosystem.

As of January 27, 2026, Bitwise will act as a vault curator on Morpho and roll out a non-custodial strategy targeting 6% APY, with plans to add more approaches. The firm will appoint Jonathan Man, CFA, to oversee the portfolio. According to the article, Morpho held $6.72B in TVL and generated $7.28M in weekly fees.

The Federal Court of Australia ordered BPS Financial to pay 14 million Australian dollars ($9.3 million) for operating the Qoin Wallet without an Australian Financial Services Licence and for misleading conduct. The court said the wallet ran from January 2020 to mid‑2023, rejected an authorized‑representative defense in 2024, and affirmed that conclusion on appeal in 2025.

Former SEC attorney Teresa Goody Guillen filed a public comment on the SEC Crypto Task Force page supporting Ripple's contention that speculation alone should not trigger securities laws. She also circulated a discussion draft for the Digital Markets Restructure Act of 2026 proposing a new Digital Value Instruments category for assets that do not fit as securities or commodities.

KuCoin has appointed former London Stock Exchange Group executive Sabina Liu as managing director of KuCoin EU to drive its Markets in Crypto-Assets rollout from Vienna, following the exchange's crypto asset service provider license in Austria. The move signals a compliance-first strategy in Europe and leverages Liu's LSEG tenure and prior leadership of KuCoin's institutional business.