💰 Introducing Buck: A Savings-Focused Digital Asset

🌟 The Buck Foundation has launched a new digital asset designed for savings and backed by Strategy’s bitcoin-collateralized perpetual preferred stock. This innovative product offers holders a 7% annual reward that accrues continuously, positioning itself as a savings-oriented alternative to traditional stablecoins.

🔗 The credibility of the Buck digital asset is reinforced by its backing from the Buck Foundation’s holdings in Strategy’s perpetual preferred stock (STRC). STRC is a bitcoin-collateralized instrument that provides monthly returns to Buck’s treasury at a variable annual rate. Token holders can vote on the distribution of these earnings, fostering a transparent savings community rooted in STRC’s overcollateralization.

💼 Buck Labs, the U.S. technology company behind this initiative, is led by Travis Vanderzanden, a seasoned bitcoin investor and former executive at Lyft and Uber. Vanderzanden emphasizes that Buck is designed to offer a straightforward way for people to earn crypto rewards without speculation. He stated,

By offering access to the Bitcoin Dollar with 7% rewards, we aim to make saving in crypto intuitive and accessible for everyone.

💵 Priced at $1 per token, Buck allows for 24/7 trading with rewards accruing based on the exact duration of token ownership. This enables investors to transact directly in cryptocurrency, avoiding fiat conversions and traditional banking systems. The aim is to provide a borderless and user-friendly savings experience.

🔄 Vanderzanden also highlights Buck’s complementary role to stablecoins:

Stablecoins act as the checking account, providing liquidity for daily activity. Buck is positioned as the high-reward savings coin, delivering dependable returns and financial discipline.

🩺 The End of Bitcoin's Four-Year Cycle? Willy Woo Weighs In

🔍 Willy Woo, an on-chain analyst, is challenging the growing skepticism surrounding Bitcoin's four-year cycle. He argues that the data still supports this traditional pattern until at least 2026. Woo compares the misinterpretation of social media to misunderstanding a heartbeat's existence when its pace varies.

if your heart beats at 70 bpm and drops slightly while you sleep, it does not mean a resting heartbeat no longer exists just because the timing varied

Woo explains. He suggests that minor deviations in timing or intensity due to external factors do not undermine the fundamental health of the four-year cycle driven by supply and demand mechanics.

⚖️ Woo's perspective contrasts with industry leaders like Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan and researcher Ryan Rasmussen. They argue that the 2024–2026 period signifies a permanent shift in Bitcoin's macro reality. They believe that the forces driving these cycles, such as halving and leverage-fueled busts, are weaker than before. They assert that the influx of institutional capital through spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is creating a prolonged bull market without the violent crashes of the past.

📈 Experts interviewed by Bitcoin News support this view, stating that institutional capital flows and ETF demand now shape Bitcoin's trajectory more than miner reward halvings. This shift has resulted in slower, steadier movements rather than the sharp boom-and-bust patterns of earlier cycles. They argue that Bitcoin has outgrown its halving-driven DNA and is now influenced more by institutional adoption and macroeconomic forces.

No, that was Murad’s fund,” Woo explained. “My first fund was Crest in 2022; it’s 4 years old and is still operational today having delivered consistent returns

Woo responded to a critic questioning his credibility. He pointed to two primary drivers supporting the cycle: the internal halving supply shock and the four-year global liquidity cycle that determines risk-on/risk-off behavior.

Two impacts: internal halvening supply shock and 4-year global liquidity cycle determining risk on/off

Woo noted that Bitcoin has historically led the macro market into risk-off environments. He mentioned that the current federal injection of billions into the market may eventually fuel the cyclical expansion he expects to continue.

🚨 Breaking: JPMorgan Now Expects No Fed Rate Cuts in 2026, Bitcoin Falters

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🌐 Animoca Brands Expands Web3 Ecosystem with Somo Acquisition

🤝 On January 14, 2026, Animoca Brands completed its acquisition of Somo, integrating the latter's digital collectibles and gaming titles into its global Web3 network. This strategic move aims to combine Somo's crypto-native collectible mechanics with Animoca's extensive platforms and community reach to enhance cross-promotion and growth.

🌍 "The acquisition aims to connect it to our global network of games, communities, and partners," said Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands. This integration will leverage Animoca's existing tokenization and blockchain infrastructure to scale Somo's interoperable game loop and collectible economy. The rollout will adhere to applicable laws and platform integrations in each jurisdiction.

📅 Key details of the acquisition include:
- Acquired Entity: Somo, including its collectible games and gaming ecosystem.
- Completion Date: January 14, 2026.
- Integration Purpose: To incorporate Somo into Animoca's global Web3 ecosystem for cross-promotion and community growth.

📉 The Absence of Altseason: Analyzing the 2025 Cryptocurrency Landscape

📊 In 2025, Bitcoin reached unprecedented heights, yet the expected "altseason"—a period of capital rotation towards altcoins following Bitcoin peaks—failed to materialize. Analysts attribute this to several factors: institutional ETF inflows, diluted capital from numerous new token launches, and a shift in investor preference towards utility-driven projects.

While market participants waited for the customary flood of liquidity into smaller-cap assets, the altcoin index told a different story.

📉 The altcoin index, which measures altcoins' performance against Bitcoin, only briefly reached the critical 75-point threshold once during the latter half of the year. For the rest of 2025, it remained at levels indicating that Bitcoin's dominance was becoming a permanent aspect of the market.

🤔 This shift from historical trends has sparked intense debate among analysts and investors. The focus has shifted from when altseason will occur to whether the concept of a synchronized altseason is still relevant. Contributing factors to this stagnation include the influx of institutional capital through spot Bitcoin ETFs and the overwhelming number of new token launches each month, which dilute capital and hinder a unified rally.

These narratives sparked brief bursts of activity but failed to develop into durable, market-wide rallies.

📉 According to Wintermute's 2025 Digital Asset OTC Markets Review, altcoin rallies typically lasted 45 to 60 days between 2022 and 2024. However, in 2025, they averaged just under 20 days. This decline is attributed to market fatigue, structural constraints, and insufficient altcoin liquidity to sustain narratives beyond their initial phases.

The overall verdict is that the market has transitioned from “clean” four-year cycles to a regime of selective speculation.

📉 Additionally, a significant liquidation event on October 10, 2025, which wiped out approximately $19 billion, acted as a psychological turning point. This led retail traders to retreat to major tokens perceived as safer. The overwhelming volume of new token launches further complicated the situation; by year-end, about 85% of altcoins traded below their launch price, making a unified market rally nearly impossible.

🔍 In conclusion, the cryptocurrency market has shifted from predictable four-year cycles to a landscape characterized by selective speculation. Future altcoin performance will depend more on specific utility and structural demand rather than broad momentum shifts driven by Bitcoin.

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💱 Ripple Partners with DXC Technology to Integrate Blockchain into Traditional Banking

🌍 Ripple is advancing the integration of blockchain technology into traditional finance through a strategic partnership with DXC Technology. This collaboration aims to embed crypto custody and payment solutions into a core banking platform that manages trillions in global deposits.

📅 On January 21, 2026, DXC Technology announced its partnership with Ripple, focusing on enhancing digital asset custody and payment capabilities for regulated financial institutions. DXC's Hogan core banking environment will incorporate Ripple’s blockchain-based tools, supporting $5 trillion in deposits and 300 million accounts worldwide.

DXC integrates Ripple’s institutional-grade blockchain technology into its Hogan core banking platform, which supports $5 trillion in deposits and 300 million accounts globally

👤 Sandeep Bhanote, Global Head and General Manager of Financial Services at DXC, emphasized the need for secure custody and seamless payment capabilities for digital assets to enter the financial mainstream. He described the partnership as a means for banks to engage with digital assets while maintaining their existing operational frameworks.

💡 As banks and fintechs face increasing pressure to modernize, this partnership aims to transition institutions from limited pilot programs to live production environments. Joanie Xie, Vice President and Managing Director for North America at DXC, explained that integrating digital asset custody and payment functionality directly into core banking platforms supports secure and compliant deployment at an enterprise scale.

🔗 The collaboration also aligns with Ripple Payments, a licensed cross-border payment solution, and Ripple Custody, which facilitates the management of digital assets, stablecoins, and real-world assets. Together, DXC and Ripple position their combined offering as a bridge between legacy financial infrastructure and on-chain finance, enabling banks to adopt crypto-related services while preserving stability and compliance.

It enables compliant, enterprise-scale adoption of digital assets without changing mission-critical banking systems

🪙 USDU: The First USD-Backed Stablecoin Registered by the UAE Central Bank

🌍 Universal Digital Intl Limited has made a significant announcement regarding its stablecoin, USDU. On January 29, 2026, in Abu Dhabi, it was revealed that USDU is now registered by the Central Bank of the UAE as a Foreign Payment Token under the Payment Token Services Regulation (PTSR). This milestone makes Universal the first Registered Foreign Payment Token Issuer in the UAE. The reserves for USDU are held on a 1:1 basis in safeguarded onshore accounts at Emirates NBD and Mashreq, with Mbank serving as a strategic banking partner. Additionally, Aquanow has been appointed as the global distribution partner, facilitating USDU–AECoin conversion to support domestic settlement mechanisms.

💼 The significance of this development lies in USDU's provision of a regulated, USD-denominated settlement option for digital assets in the UAE. In this region, payments for digital assets and derivatives must be conducted in either fiat currency or a Registered Foreign Payment Token. This regulatory framework supports institutional uptake, enhances transparency through monthly reserve attestations, and promotes interoperability where permitted by local regulations. Juha Viitala, CEO of Universal, emphasized that

USDU sets a new benchmark for regulated digital value.

However, the availability and use of USDU are subject to UAE regulatory requirements and necessitate integrations with institutional partners and market infrastructures.

📅 Key FAQs regarding USDU include its regulatory status as the first USD-backed stablecoin registered by the Central Bank of the UAE, its local launch date on January 29, 2026, the holding and attestation of reserves at Emirates NBD and Mashreq on a 1:1 basis with monthly independent attestations, and the role of Aquanow as the global distribution partner enabling institutional access across the UAE and other regulated markets.

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🚨 Just-In: Wall Street Giant Citigroup Goes Bullish on MicroStrategy Stock

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❓ US adds 130,000 jobs in January, beating forecasts despite massive payroll revisions

‼️ The Labor Department reported Wednesday that nonfarm payrolls increased by 130,000 last month, well above economists’ forecasts of 70,000 and a sharp acceleration from December’s downwardly revised gain of 48,000. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.3% from 4.4%, defying expectations for a steady reading.

🔔 However, the report also included significant benchmark revisions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics erased roughly 898,000 jobs from payroll estimates covering April 2024 through March 2025. As a result, total nonfarm employment growth for 2025 was revised down substantially, from 584,000 to 181,000.

🔖 The revisions suggest the labor market was considerably weaker over the past year than previously reported, even as January’s headline figures point to renewed hiring momentum at the start of 2026.

📉 Analyst Predicts Potential XRP Dip Below $1 Amid Market Weakness

🌐 A cryptocurrency analyst has warned that XRP could drop below the $1 mark, with a potential decline to $0.85 as downside pressure intensifies and the broader crypto market shows signs of weakness. The analyst, Tara, shared her insights on social media platform X, indicating that deeper macro support near $0.87 remains in play amid the ongoing correction.

📊 Tara outlined a short-term rebound scenario but cautioned that broader market weakness could trigger another leg lower. She identified $1.30 as potential interim support and $1.65 as resistance during a retrace before renewed downside risk emerges. In response to a question about a possible double bottom in the $1.20-$1.30 range, she stated:

This could bring XRP down to ~$1.30 as short-term support with another wave up expected as high as the .5 at $1.65- now turned resistance.

However, she also warned:

A new low is still possible as far down as $.85.

🔗 Linking XRP’s outlook to Bitcoin’s projected move, Tara explained that a decline in BTC to $52,200 support would likely push XRP down to its .786 Fibonacci support level near $0.87. At the time of writing, XRP was trading at $1.36, below the price level at which it was trading when the analyst issued the prediction.

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🚀 XRP Surges as Ripple CEO Joins U.S. Regulatory Committee

📈 XRP has experienced a significant price increase, trading at $1.52609, up 8.09% in the last 24 hours. This rise follows Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse's appointment to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) Innovation Advisory Committee. The committee advises on blockchain, AI, and digital asset policy, indicating increased regulatory engagement with industry leaders.

During XRP Community Day, Garlinghouse described XRP as the "North Star" of Ripple’s strategy

and suggested that 2026 could be a pivotal year for crypto markets. This aligns with recent developments such as Binance's integration of RLUSD on the XRP Ledger, which has boosted the stablecoin's market capitalization to $1.5 billion.

📊 Technical indicators show strong momentum for XRP, with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 81.87, indicating overbought conditions that may require consolidation. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) also reflects bullish momentum. However, trading near the upper Bollinger Band suggests a potential cooling phase if momentum fades.

If XRP continues to hold above the $1.48–$1.47 support band defined by the moving averages,

the technical structure remains constructive with $1.54240 as the immediate upside reference. A decisive break above this level would reinforce bullish continuation. Conversely, a downturn in RSI or a contraction in the MACD histogram could signal waning momentum.

🔼 Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Sees Significant Increase Amid Low Revenue

📈 Bitcoin's mining difficulty experienced a sharp increase of 14.73% on Thursday, reversing a previous decline of 11.16% that occurred two weeks earlier. This adjustment, which took place at block height 937440, highlights the volatile nature of the mining landscape where rapid changes are common.

📉 The earlier decrease in difficulty was the most significant since 2021 and was partly due to an Arctic storm that affected operations in the United States. Miners had to reduce their activities to alleviate pressure on the power grid. However, once conditions improved, they resumed operations with greater intensity, leading to the recent spike in difficulty.

⚡️ The network's hashrate surpassed 1 zettahash per second (ZH/s), resulting in shorter block intervals and setting the stage for the difficulty adjustment. This latest recalibration not only reversed the previous drop but also exceeded it, marking a notable shift in the mining environment.

📊 This adjustment is reminiscent of past significant increases, such as the 21.53% rise in May 2021. Since then, there have been several notable gains, but Thursday's increase stands out due to the current low revenue levels for miners. Despite the rise in hashrate and accelerated block production, miner revenue has decreased further, with earnings currently at $29.30 per petahash per second (PH/s).