💰 The Evolution of Stablecoins: From Trading Tools to Global Payment Backbone

📈 Stablecoins are transitioning from mere trading instruments to essential components of global payment systems. This shift is highlighted by increasing settlement volumes and widespread adoption, positioning Ripple’s RLUSD favorably as blockchain transactions surpass traditional networks.

🌍 Ripple's Senior Executive Officer, Reece Merrick, emphasized this evolution on November 28. He noted that stablecoins have evolved beyond their initial purpose as a simple entry point for cryptocurrency purchases.

Fast forward to 2025 → whilst a large portion is still used for this purpose, stablecoins are also being used for actual payments and we’re seeing this huge demand at Ripple.

💼 Merrick outlined various use cases driving this adoption:

Cross-border remittances, payroll in emerging markets, B2B settlements, merchants accepting stablecoins, and this is just the beginning.

He described stablecoins as “the internet’s new payment layer, growing 150% CAGR while legacy rails stagnate.”

🔑 He also highlighted the regulatory framework supporting Ripple’s dollar-linked asset, RLUSD:

RLUSD is issued under a New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Limited Purpose Trust Company Charter.

This charter is recognized for its stringent regulatory standards, ensuring operational and compliance safeguards.

📊 Merrick pointed to significant growth in on-chain settlement trends. He cited data showing that annual stablecoin transfers have surged from approximately $0.5 trillion in 2020 to an expected $46 trillion by 2025. This growth indicates a shift towards blockchain-enabled settlement, driven by institutional adoption and cost efficiency.

🌐 Analysts suggest that this momentum supports the case for broader stablecoin use, especially in emerging markets. These markets are increasingly utilizing stablecoins for remittances, payroll, and efficient payment solutions.

🇦🇷 Central Bank of Argentina Considers Allowing Banks to Offer Cryptocurrency Services

📰 The Central Bank of Argentina is contemplating a significant shift in its regulatory approach by drafting a proposal that would enable private banks to provide cryptocurrency trading and custody services. This potential move could transform the country's crypto landscape and make it a pioneer in Latin America.

💬 According to Julian Colombo, Bitso’s manager for South America, the implementation of this measure

would encourage many more people to invest in crypto, by providing the ease and confidence of doing so through their bank.

This sentiment is echoed by members of the Argentine cryptocurrency industry, who believe that allowing banks to engage in crypto activities would broaden access to alternatives like bitcoin and stablecoins for the general public.

📈 Argentina is already one of the leading countries in crypto adoption, largely due to the use of stablecoins as a hedge against inflation and currency devaluation. In 2022, Banco Galicia became the first local bank to offer cryptocurrency trading services, allowing customers to trade BTC, ETH, USDC, and XRP. However, this initiative was short-lived as the central bank swiftly imposed a ban on such services under a previous administration.

🔍 If the Central Bank of Argentina decides to proceed with this new measure, it would not only reinstate banking involvement in the crypto sector but also position Argentina ahead of other Latin American countries like Bolivia and Venezuela, which have considered similar steps but have yet to act.

⏳ While no specific timeline has been announced, industry insiders anticipate that this measure could be implemented by April 2026. If realized, it would mark a significant milestone for Argentina's crypto ecosystem and provide citizens with new avenues for savings and investment through their banks.

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🌱 Sangha Renewables Launches 20-Megawatt Bitcoin Mining Facility in Texas

⚡️ Sangha Renewables has inaugurated a 20-megawatt bitcoin mining facility in West Texas, integrating renewable energy with flexible data-center operations. Located in Ector County near Odessa, the facility operates on a 150-megawatt solar farm and commenced full operations after a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony.

🔋 The site boasts a capacity of 19.9 MW and is powered by solar energy, supplemented by electricity and balancing services from Totalenergies. Under this partnership, Sangha manages the mining facility and provides its own hardware and load-management systems. Totalenergies offers retail power services, including firm power during non-solar hours and structured products to mitigate price volatility. The project was supported by Energy consultancy Links Genco for energy structuring and grid compliance.

📉 This launch comes at a time when bitcoin miners are facing a historically low hash price due to a recent decline in bitcoin's price, despite the network's hashrate remaining near record highs. Although there was a slight downward adjustment in the Bitcoin network's difficulty earlier this week, the reduction was less than 1%, providing only limited relief for miners experiencing tight margins.

♻️ Sangha views this project as a model for future endeavors, utilizing bitcoin mining to monetize renewable energy assets that encounter congestion or pricing issues. The company emphasizes that the ability of mining operations to quickly adjust power consumption makes them ideal for collaboration with intermittent energy sources like solar.

🎉 The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by local officials and representatives from Totalenergies and Links Genco.

📈 Bitcoin Mining Stocks Surge Ahead of Year-End

📊 On Friday, bitcoin mining stocks saw a significant increase, with a 9.43% rise in market cap. All of the top ten publicly traded miners ended the day positively, including three that experienced double-digit gains. As the year approaches its end, most miners are positioned to finish on a high note.

📈 IREN Limited, the largest bitcoin miner by market cap at $11.31 billion, closed at $39.92 after an 11.50% gain. Despite a slight dip of 0.52% over the past five days, the stock is up 306.51% year-to-date (YTD). Applied Digital also had a strong day, finishing at $27.85 with a 16.52% increase, while maintaining a 264.52% YTD rise.

📉 Cipher Mining ended the day at $16.21 with a 6.99% gain, despite being down 4.92% over the past week. Riot Platforms Inc. closed at $14.50 after climbing 8.37% on Friday, but saw a 5.22% decline over the week. Terawulf Inc. finished at $12.52 with a 6.19% gain, remaining up 121.20% YTD despite a recent drop.

📊 Core Scientific closed the week at $15.60 with a 7.14% increase, bringing its YTD gain to 11.03%. Hut 8 Corp. jumped 14.33% to close at $44.12, achieving a 115.32% YTD return. Other miners like MARA Holdings and Cleanspark Inc. also saw gains, although Bitdeer Technologies Group remained down for the year despite a 9.99% daily increase.

🔍 Overall, Friday's gains set a positive tone for bitcoin miners as they head into the final days of 2025. Despite some short-term fluctuations, most miners are in a strong position. Looking ahead to 2026, investors will focus on balance sheets, expansion plans, and bitcoin's price movements to determine which miners will maintain momentum and which may face challenges.

MarbleX (Netmarble) invests in $OPEN institutional trust in on-chain AI is here.

The market agrees: price is up ~15%, showing real strength. Current levels look like a prime holding zone as the story unfolds.

This isn't just a trend. It's structural, with the next evolution being a Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) for self-sustaining AI economies. Strength meets long-term vision.

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🚪 Bitfarms Exits Latin America with Sale of Paraguayan Mining Site

💼 Bitfarms, an American bitcoin mining company, has announced its exit from the Latin American (Latam) market by entering into a purchase agreement with the Sympatheia Power Fund (SPF) for its Paso Pe mining site in Paraguay. The site, which has a power capacity of 70 MW, is valued at $30 million. The transaction is set to close within 60 days and includes a cash payment of $9 million due in Q1 2026 and the remaining $21 million to be paid over the following 10 months.

🔄 Ben Gagnon, CEO of Bitfarms, described the sale as a significant step for the company as it shifts its focus entirely to North America. He stated,

The sale of Paso Pe is the culmination of a series of transactions to completely exit Latam, and refocus the company, its management team and capital on 100% North American power and infrastructure for HPC/AI.

This move aligns with Bitfarms' strategy announced last year to pivot towards the High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) sectors.

🔗 A representative from SPF, Josh Murchie, emphasized their commitment to ensuring a smooth transition, stating,

Our priority is to ensure an uninterrupted, seamless transition from day one — maintaining continuity at Paso Pe as we move into the next phase of growth.

This sale marks Bitfarms' complete withdrawal from the Latam region and its reconfiguration to operate solely within North American power infrastructure.

🆕 Nasdaq and CME Group Launch Nasdaq CME Crypto Index for Digital Asset Benchmarking

🤝 Nasdaq and CME Group have rebranded the Nasdaq Crypto Index to the Nasdaq CME Crypto Index, establishing a joint benchmark for investors seeking transparent exposure to digital assets. This partnership builds on nearly 30 years of collaboration between the two market infrastructure leaders.

📊 The newly introduced index provides institutional-grade governance, vetted exchanges and custodians, and is calculated by CF Benchmarks. It supports over $1 billion in assets across products in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. Giovanni Vicioso, Executive Director of Equity and Alternative Products at CME Group stated,

It is the combination of two gold standards to deliver the regulated diversification the market now demands.

🗓 The rebranding was announced on January 8, 2026, and the index is governed by a joint committee from Nasdaq and CME Group.

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📈 Bitcoin Derivatives Markets Show Signs of Volatility Ahead

📊 On January 18, 2026, Bitcoin's price fluctuated between $94,869 and $95,115 per coin, while derivatives traders remained active. The futures and options markets exhibited heavy open interest and a focus on price levels just below $100,000.

🔍 The aggregate bitcoin futures open interest was approximately 646,850 BTC, valued at about $61.48 billion. Although there was a slight increase in total open interest over the past hour, the 24-hour reading decreased by nearly 2%, indicating selective trimming rather than a broad exit from leverage.

📈 Among futures venues, Binance led with around 129,540 BTC in open interest, representing over 20% of the global total. CME followed closely with 122,640 BTC, highlighting its role as a preferred venue for institutional positioning. Other exchanges like OKX, Bybit, Gate, and MEXC also carried significant exposure despite mixed short-term changes in positioning.

📊 In the options markets, total open interest approached $36.88 billion, with Deribit hosting the largest share of contracts. Calls dominated the options landscape, making up about 57% of total open interest, while puts accounted for approximately 43%. This skew suggests that traders remain bullish over the longer term, despite some near-term caution.

📉 However, short-term volume showed a different trend, with put options slightly outpacing calls over the past 24 hours. This imbalance indicates tactical hedging as traders prepare for potential turbulence around upcoming expiries.

📊 Max pain levels provide further insight, with the largest concentration of notional value on Deribit clustering near the $90,000 to $93,000 range for late January expirations. In contrast, Binance's options market showed max pain closer to $100,000, suggesting that traders there are positioning for broader price swings.

📈 Overall, Bitcoin's derivatives markets reflect conviction without complacency. Futures traders remain engaged, options players are actively managing risk, and the price continues to hover around a zone where leverage, psychology, and patience intersect.

🔍 Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin? New Institutional Whales Emerge Amid Market Turmoil

⚠️ The debate over quantum computing's potential threat to Bitcoin's network has intensified. Recent on-chain data reveals that new institutional whales now control a larger share of Bitcoin's realized market cap, creating a significant $6 billion influence gap. Analyst Peter Brandt warns that technical indicators suggest a downside target of $58K–$62K for Bitcoin. This comes amidst global market shocks triggered by President Trump's unexpected 10% tariffs on select European nations and a selloff in Japanese bonds that affected U.S. Treasuries.

🧠 The growing concern among investors about quantum computing has led some to consider exiting their Bitcoin positions. However, the editor's comment questions whether this fear is justified or merely bullish FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt).

🐋 Recent data indicates that new institutional whales are now dominating Bitcoin's realized cap, surpassing long-term "OG" whales. While institutions typically have longer time horizons, they are also more sensitive to market volatility. This shift could significantly alter the future price chart of Bitcoin compared to previous years.

📉 Peter Brandt has highlighted risky chart patterns and diminishing momentum that suggest a potential new low for Bitcoin is imminent. Despite this bearish outlook, Bitcoin has a history of surprising its critics.

🌍 The global markets were rattled by Trump's tariff announcement, which he used as a tactic to create uncertainty regarding his Greenland takeover threat. This move has positioned him as a key figure in the macro world.

💥 Additionally, a sharp selloff in Japanese government bonds has prompted coordinated interventions from U.S. and Japanese officials. As these events unfold, the crypto market is closely monitoring the situation to assess potential impacts.

👀 US Court Sentences Chinese National to Nearly 4 Years for $37M Crypto Fraud

🙂 A Chinese national received a 46-month (Nearly 4 years) federal prison sentence for his role in laundering over $36.9 million stolen from American victims through a sophisticated crypto investment scam operated from Cambodia.

☄️ According to a DOJ release, Jingliang Su, 45, was also ordered to pay $26,867,242 in restitution following his guilty plea to conspiracy to operate an illegal money transmitting business. United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner handed down the sentence, marking another victory in the Justice Department’s escalating campaign against international scam center operations.

❗️ After gaining their targets’ trust, the scammers promoted fraudulent digital asset investments that appeared legitimate. Co-conspirators created fake websites that resembled legitimate cryptocurrency trading platforms and convinced victims to send funds to these counterfeit sites. The scammers would then falsely inform victims that their investments were appreciating in value, when in fact the money had already been stolen.

📊 “This defendant and his co-conspirators scammed 174 Americans out of their hard-earned money,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

🔔 “In the digital age, criminals have found new ways to weaponize the internet for fraud.”

⚠️ Two High Schoolers Charged in Arizona Home Invasion Targeting $66M in Crypto

🌐 Two teenagers from California are facing serious felony charges after authorities say they traveled hundreds of miles to carry out a violent home invasion in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a bid to obtain cryptocurrency believed to be worth $66 million.

📊 According to court records cited by local media, the 16- and 17-year-old suspects drove more than 600 miles from San Luis Obispo County and arrived at a residence in the Sweetwater Ranch neighborhood on the morning of Jan. 31 wearing delivery-style uniforms resembling those used by shipping carriers. Investigators say they forced entry into the home, restrained two adults with duct tape and demanded access to digital assets.

🔔 One victim denied holding cryptocurrency, after which the confrontation escalated into physical assault. Police were alerted when an adult son elsewhere in the house called emergency services. Officers arriving at the property found a struggle underway and one victim screaming. The suspects fled in a blue Subaru but were stopped at a dead end shortly afterward. Authorities recovered zip ties, duct tape, stolen license plates and a 3D-printed firearm without ammunition. It remains unclear whether the weapon was functional.

➡️ Both teens were initially placed in juvenile detention but prosecutors intend to try them as adults. Each faces eight counts including kidnapping, aggravated assault and burglary, while the older suspect also faces an unlawful flight charge.

🌐 Crypto ATM regulation bill advances to Virginia governor

⚠️ The legislation creates statewide licensing requirements, consumer protections, and transaction limits while prohibiting operators from marketing kiosks as ATMs or using ATM-related language. Delegate Michelle Maldonado, the bill’s sponsor, cited scam cases across Virginia including a Southwest Virginia victim who lost $15,000 and incidents in Fairfax County.

⚡️ Scams account for approximately 7% of the crypto kiosk industry’s business. This has prompted lawmakers to establish guardrails before the problem expands. “The thing about crypto is that once it goes into the exchange, which is in the blockchain environment, there’s no way to trace it. There’s no way to get it back,” Maldonado stated.

🔔 The legislation requires kiosks to register with the state, pay licensing fees, and cap consumer transaction fees. Operators must implement daily and monthly transaction limits along with ID verification for all transactions. A 48-hour hold applies to new users, allowing funds to be returned if fraud is suspected.

➡️ Clear warning notices must appear on all kiosks alerting users to scam risks. The registration system will track operators while refund mechanisms must be available for recoverable portions of funds sent through the machines.

❗️ Maldonado explained that crypto kiosks confuse consumers who mistake them for traditional ATMs. “They look like ATMs. They’re shaped like ATMs. But instead of taking money out, you’re sort of putting money in to purchase crypto that goes into a broader exchange,” the delegate said.

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📈 Bitcoin's Current Market Position and Future Outlook

❗️ As of 8 a.m. on Saturday, Bitcoin is trading between $67,974 and $68,138 per coin, with a market cap of $1.35 trillion and a 24-hour trading volume of $46.99 billion. The cryptocurrency is currently hovering just below a critical resistance band, indicating that a significant price movement may be imminent.

📉 On the daily timeframe, Bitcoin is in a corrective phase following a decline from approximately $97,900 to a low of $59,930. While there has been a rebound into the high-$60,000s, the price remains capped beneath $70,000 to $71,500, which is identified as a supply zone. Major support levels are at $59,900 to $60,000 and secondary support is between $65,000 and $66,000.

📊 The four-hour chart shows a series of gradually higher lows from $65,620, indicating a short-term ascending structure. Support is defined between $66,000 and $66,500, while resistance is concentrated between $68,800 and $69,200. Price action has been stalling below $69,000, creating a tightening range that historically precedes a decisive expansion.

🔍 On the one-hour timeframe, Bitcoin is in a tight consolidation between $67,500 and $68,800. Immediate support is at $67,600 with resistance between $68,800 and $69,000. Volume is decreasing and volatility has contracted, which are signs of pre-expansion behavior. A break of this micro-range is expected to generate an impulse move of $1,000 to $1,500.

🪙 Cryptocurrency Market Reacts to U.S. and Israeli Strikes on Iran

🌍 The cryptocurrency market experienced significant volatility over the weekend due to joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. As traditional markets were closed, digital assets like Bitcoin and altcoins became the primary indicators of global investor sentiment. Bitcoin dropped from approximately $65,500 to a low of $63,037 before recovering slightly to around $64,000, marking a 4% drawdown. However, the altcoin market faced more severe losses.

📉 Ethereum fell to $1,840 after struggling with the $2,000 resistance level, while XRP dropped 6.6% to $1.30. Other altcoins like SOL, DOGE, ADA, and BCH also saw declines of about 7%. Among the top 20 assets tracked by CoinGecko, only Figure Heloc and LEO managed to gain.

🚀 In contrast, ORBS stood out with a remarkable 59% surge, rising from $0.018 to $0.01617. This unusual performance is linked to its historical correlation with Israeli military operations. Some investors view ORBS as a "patriotic proxy" for exposure to Israeli tech resilience. Data from Cryptoquant showed a significant increase in exchange inflows from Israeli IP addresses following recent military actions.

📊 Despite some niche assets like DKA and GWEI finding liquidity, the overall altcoin market capitalization dropped from $982 billion to $910 billion shortly after the strikes. This incident highlights the cryptocurrency market's unique position as a 24/7 trading environment that can react swiftly to global events.

🌍 Tether's Strategic Investment in Axiym: Enhancing Global Financial Access

➡️ On March 5, 2026, Tether, the world's leading stablecoin issuer, announced a strategic investment in Axiym, a fintech innovator. This partnership aims to integrate USDT directly into Axiym's distributed treasury and settlement infrastructure, thereby enhancing global financial access.

🌐 Axiym operates across 140 countries and supports 70 currencies, facilitating international transactions through solutions like Pay Now, Settle Later (PNSL). The collaboration with Tether seeks to improve capital efficiency and simplify settlement processes for global aggregators and payment processors by embedding USDT into regulated payment ecosystems.

By supporting native USDT’s use cases in an advanced payment ecosystem, we are removing barriers to liquidity and simplifying access to the distribution of USDT, paving the way for more efficient and scalable payments worldwide

said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether.