Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin warned in an X post that years of protocol complexity and bloat are undermining trustlessness and self-sovereignty. He advocated pruning underused features and slimming core components to restore simplicity, setting 2026 as a year to "take back lost ground."

Ethereum's Proof-of-Stake deposit contract holds 77.85 million ETH, representing 46.59% of supply and nearly $256 billion. The staked balance rose 38.4% year over year, easing near-term sell pressure while exit dynamics still pose volatility risk. Active validators climbed to roughly 977,000–1.04 million, up from about 890,000 at end-2023.

Shiba Inu closed below its 20-day moving average and the mid-Bollinger Band yesterday, shifting the setup toward a pullback. The lower band near $0.00000718 sits 14.36% beneath the latest $0.00000839 reading, a gap that often narrows unless a swift recovery occurs. Bulls now need to reclaim the 20-day level to avoid further slippage.

XRP has continued to defend the $1.96–$2.0 support zone while trading above the $2 psychological demand area. On-chain and derivatives metrics, including funding rates, spot CVD and cost basis distribution, suggest buyers may be accumulating and a local bottom could be forming near current levels. A move below $1.96 could deepen bearish sentiment, while the $2.15 region remains a key resistance for bulls.

In a Sunday post on X, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin urged adding a "garbage collection" function to cut protocol bloat stemming from perpetual backward compatibility. He warned that excessive code and complex cryptography weaken trustlessness and self-sovereignty. His proposal targets fewer lines of code, reduced reliance on advanced primitives, and more invariants.

On January 18, analyst Ali Martinez shared on X a setup suggesting SUI could break above roughly $1.84 and aim for $2.29. The token moved between $1.70 and $1.90 over the past week, and was around $1.78 with a 0.9% daily dip. Martinez's view hinges on a bull flag continuation pattern.

A total of 803.78 million XRP is locked across ETFs from major issuers, alongside a +22.63M XRP net inflow this week. Price action marked a Jan. 12 low at $2.03, followed by a test of the $2 support and resistance seen near $2.56 amid an hourly death cross.

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.