On Sunday, a South Korean presidential spokesperson said the government will seek direct discussions with the United States to secure favorable terms under Donald Trump's new 25% tariff on imported artificial intelligence chips. Officials aim to ensure Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix remain outside the initial scope of the measure, which currently targets advanced AI chips from Nvidia and AMD rather than South Korean memory chips.

China exported 6,745 tons of rare-earth products in December, down from 6,958 tons in November, according to customs data released Sunday. Beijing has introduced tighter controls on shipments with potential military use that mainly affect Japan, while the U.S., G7 finance ministers and partners met in Washington to discuss reducing dependence on Chinese rare earths and supporting alternative supply chains.

On 18 January 2026, data from Alphractal indicated that waning search and social interest in Bitcoin and altcoins is now reflected in on-chain stablecoin activity. USDT volumes on Ethereum and Tron are losing momentum, while USDC usage is growing in a measured way that aligns more with institutional or treasury-style behavior than speculative trading.

Between January 12 and January 16, 2026, BlackRock directed substantial capital into Bitcoin and Ethereum via its spot ETFs, with IBIT logging roughly $1.04 billion and ETHA about $219 million. Combined exposure reached about $1.25 billion for the week, while Bitcoin stood at $95,093 and Ethereum at $3,309 at press time.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee, chaired by Tim Scott, has delayed a planned January 15 vote on the CLARITY Act, a key bill on crypto market structure. The postponement, which follows intense industry lobbying, adds uncertainty around rules for DeFi treatment, stablecoin yields and token issuance while drawing mixed reactions from market participants.

Vietnam police reported arresting several suspects in Da Nang over an alleged cryptocurrency scam that mimicked a Nasdaq investment platform and caused losses of more than VND14 billion ($532,800). Authorities said the group operated from Cambodia, used social media and messaging apps to lure victims with promises of high returns, and converted misappropriated funds into crypto while the investigation remains ongoing.

On 18 January 2026, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong rejected reports that the White House plans to drop support for the CLARITY Act. He said talks remain constructive and that officials asked Coinbase to help explore compromises with community banks, including on stablecoin yield-sharing provisions. The Senate Banking Committee delayed its markup, with negotiations expected to resume in the coming weeks.

Tokenized stocks have grown to a market size of $867 million in under a year, edging toward $1 billion as monthly transfer volume hits $2.3 billion and holders reach 159,000. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong remains optimistic about on-chain equities despite controversy over the Senate's CLARITY Act, while BNB Chain has recently overtaken Solana as the leading settlement layer for these assets.