Senate Judiciary leaders Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin have warned that a developer exemption in Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott's crypto market structure bill could limit prosecutions for money laundering and other illicit finance tied to decentralized platforms. They argue the provision, modeled on the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, might have blocked charges in cases like Tornado Cash, while Republican backers and industry groups say protections are vital for thousands of open-source blockchain developers. The markup has been postponed after Coinbase withdrew support, as lawmakers and crypto firms continue to debate how to balance innovation with law enforcement authority.

Late on Sunday, January 18, the crypto market reversed sharply, erasing roughly $100 billion in about 12 hours by press time on January 19. Total capitalization fell from near $3.2 trillion to around $3.09 trillion, then partially rebounded to $3.1 trillion. Bitcoin dropped 3% to $92,762, while Ethereum fell 4.16% and XRP declined 4%.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump announced tariffs on eight European countries tied to Greenland, starting at 10% on February 1 and rising to 25% by June 1. Within 24 hours, crypto liquidations reached $875 million and Bitcoin slid about 3% to $92,000 as traders cut leveraged exposure.

On January 19, Bitcoin fell toward $92,000 and Ether slipped below $3,200 as liquidations hit a yearly high, according to Coinglass. CoinGecko showed total crypto market cap at $3.217 trillion, down more than $100 billion in 24 hours, while geopolitical headlines and elevated leverage pressured risk sentiment.

On January 15, the China Securities Regulatory Commission outlined steps to curb speculation and, last week, lifted margin funding requirements on all mainland exchanges to 100% from 80%, with the change effective on Monday. The adjustment covers only new contracts and follows early‑2026 gains led by AI and space themes, with mainland tech shares trading about 40% above Nasdaq 100 peers.

Bitcoin slid to a six-day low below $92,500 as fresh escalation in the US–EU trade dispute rattled markets and coincided with weaker Asian equities and US futures. Over the past 24 hours, around $870 million in crypto positions were liquidated, with nearly $790 million in longs affected and close to 250,000 traders impacted, while gold advanced to another all-time high.

On 19 January 2026, at 09:31, Washington's CLARITY Act stalled, a development some analysts frame as a constructive pause. Crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe argues the draft risked locking in restrictive rules. Coinbase withdrew support, and CEO Brian Armstrong flagged tokenized equities, yield-bearing stablecoins, and DeFi user data access as unacceptable provisions.

Crypto markets started the week with sharp price swings as traders reacted to new US–EU trade tensions and looming macroeconomic data. Bitcoin briefly dropped below $92,000 and the total crypto market cap slid to about $3.21 trillion, while altcoins saw even steeper declines. Investors now face a packed calendar of US and Asian economic events, along with major corporate earnings and the Davos forum, which could inject further volatility.