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.

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.

President Donald Trump announced tariffs on eight European countries that begin at 10% on February 1 and escalate to 25% by June, conditioning removal on Denmark selling Greenland. Bitcoin trades near $95,000 after weeks in a $94,000–$97,000 range, with anxiety rekindled by October 2025’s $19 billion liquidation precedent.

On January 17, 2026, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko argued the chain's survival depends on continuous iteration, countering Vitalik Buterin's January 12 call for optional protocol ossification. He emphasized decentralized, developer-driven upgrades and disciplined governance. Recent metrics show 2.4 million daily active addresses (+5.64%) and $11.80 billion in DeFi TVL (+6.98%) amid a broader liquidity reset.

On January 16, 2026, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin outlined a 2026 initiative on X to restore self-sovereignty and trustlessness. The plan emphasizes ZK-EVMs and Block Access Limits to make full nodes practical again, privacy tools like Helios, ORAM and PIR, and onchain app hosting; the network also raised its blob limit from 15 to 21.

Analyst Don Wedge, with interpretation from Gigabrain, sees a rising wedge near $94,000, with $92,000 as key support and potential downside to $86,000. Coinglass notes whale accumulation at $90,000–$92,000 and sell walls around $95,000, while Glassnode places the Short‑Term Holder cost basis at $98,300, a level watched for trend validation.

On January 16, 2026, Bloomberg reported that Jefferies' global equity strategist Christopher Wood removed Bitcoin after four years, eliminating a 10% allocation and shifting the exposure to physical gold and gold-mining stocks due to quantum-computing concerns. Researchers estimate around 30% of circulating BTC could face quantum exposure under certain conditions, while debate across the crypto sector highlights divergent views on timelines and mitigations.

Starting January 28, Google Play will require crypto exchanges and wallet apps serving South Korea to provide proof of FIU VASP registration, with noncompliant titles removed and new installs blocked. The policy compels uploading a Report Receipt Complete document via the Developer Console and could affect overseas platforms lacking domestic corporate status and ISMS certification.

Bitcoin has reinforced its upside bias by breaking above the $94,200 resistance and moving close to the 50-week EMA near $97,200, with price action forming a double-bottom around the $86,300 area. On-chain Value Days Destroyed readings near 0.53 in January 2026 indicate that long-term holders are largely inactive, supporting a thesis that the advance toward and potentially beyond the $100,000 region is being driven by sustained demand rather than heavy distribution. Technical resistance around the $97,600-$98,200 band and higher levels at $103,650 and $111,600 remain key thresholds for confirming a stronger bullish continuation.