Author: John Smith

Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $249.99 million in net outflows on January 9, extending a multi-day redemption streak. Summary Bitcoin ETFs saw $1.38B in outflows over four days, led by BlackRock’s IBIT. Ethereum ETFs posted $351M in redemptions after a strong start to January. Solana ETFs were flat while XRP ETFs still attracted fresh inflows. BlackRock’s IBIT led withdrawals with $251.97 million in outflows, while Fidelity’s FBTC posted the only inflow at $7.87 million. Ethereum spot ETFs saw $93.82 million in net outflows on the same day and was the third consecutive session of redemptions. Solana spot ETFs recorded zero flows,…

Fasial Tariq, co-founder of Paradox Metaverse dubbed a “Ponzi” by crypto investigator Coffeezilla, has been linked to what UK authorities call the world’s largest seizure of illegal weight-loss drugs. Summary UK authorities seized £250K in illegal weight-loss drugs linked to a crypto gaming founder. Fasial Tariq was tied to companies operating from the raided Northampton facility. Coffeezilla previously labeled Paradox Metaverse a Ponzi after investigating the project. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency raided an industrial estate unit in Northampton. They seized retatrutide (nicknamed the “Godzilla” of weight loss jabs) along with £20,000 ($27,000) in cash, raw chemical ingredients,…

With $763.5 million in cryptocurrency funding spread across six projects, the first full week of 2026 got off to a great start thanks to Rain’s $250 million Series C round. Summary Rain led the week with a $250M Series C, valuing the stablecoin firm at $1.95B. BlackOpal and Tres Finance together added $330M via funding and M&A activity. Bitcoin infrastructure projects like Babylon and ZenChain also secured new capital. According to Cryptofundraising data, the following summarizes this week’s cryptocurrency funding activity: Rain Raised $250 million in a Series C round Fully diluted valuation of $1.95 billion Rain is a blockchain-based…

Coinbase stock price remains under pressure this week as the recent momentum in the crypto market waned. Summary Coinbase stock price has crashed by 50% from its highest level in 2025. Wall Street analysts from Goldman Sachs and Bank of America are bullish on the stock. Technical analysis suggests that the stock has more downside in the near term. Coinbase, the biggest American crypto exchange, dropped by 50% from its highest level in 2025. It was trading at $247 today, January 8, giving it a market capitalization of $66 billion. Wall Street analysts are becoming bullish on the stock, which…

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly moved about $1 billion in cryptocurrency through two UK-registered exchanges over the past two years, according to a report by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs. Summary Investigators at TRM Labs, a blockchain intelligence firm, found that the IRGC used Tether (USDT) on the TRON blockchain to route funds. Exchanges called Zedcex and Zedxion collectively processed a large majority of the transactions. The flow of funds helped the IRGC sidestep traditional banking restrictions, directing money to affiliated groups and other sanctioned entities. According to The Washington Post, the heavily sanctioned military force moved roughly…

According to CryptoSlam data, NFT sales volume has plunged by 27.65% to $62.58 million, down from last week’s $88.29 million. Summary NFT volume fell nearly 28% as buyer and seller counts dropped more than 75% week over week. Ethereum held top chain spot while Bitcoin NFT sales crashed over 65% in the past week. CryptoPunks led collections even as overall NFT activity hit multi-week lows. Market participation has crashed, with NFT buyers plummeting by 82.75% to 60,985 and sellers collapsing by 77.69% to 56,228. NFT transactions fell by 23.64% to 690,550. This bearish performance is happening as Bitcoin (BTC) price…

Rain, a provider of enterprise-grade stablecoin payments infrastructure, has raised $250 million in a Series C funding round. Summary Rain raised $250 million in a Series C round led by ICONIQ, valuing the stablecoin payments company at $1.95 billion and bringing total funding to over $338 million. Rain’s platform enables businesses to launch compliant stablecoin cards, wallets, and payouts, currently processing over $3 billion annually for 200+ partners, including Western Union and Nuvei. The funding will support expansion into key markets across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. ICONIQ led the effort. Other investors such as Sapphire Ventures,…

A bipartisan‑tinged group of House Democrats introduced legislation Friday that would stop federal officials from placing bets on prediction markets — a response to high‑profile wagers that critics say look a lot like insider trading. Summary House members unveiled the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026, aiming to bar federal officials and staff from participating in prediction markets. The bill targets officials who could act on material nonpublic information, prompted by high-profile bets on platforms like Polymarket that critics argue may exploit insider knowledge. Critics of the bill argue that prediction markets can efficiently surface information. The…

XRP price suffered a big reversal and dropped for four consecutive days as the recent crypto market rally lost momentum. Summary XRP price has retreated in the past few days, erasing some of the recent gains. The supply of stablecoins in XRP Ledger has crossed the $400 million milestone. Technical analysis suggests that the token has more gains ahead. Ripple (XRP) dropped to $2.09 at last check on Friday, Jan. 9. That’s down by nearly 15% from its highest point this year. See below. Source: CoinGecko Still, technicals and its stablecoin growth mean that the token may be on the…

Pump.fun, the Solana-based memecoin launchpad, is shaking up its creator-fee system after realizing last year’s Dynamic Fees V1 incentivized coin creation over the trading activity that fuels the platform. Summary Pump.fun is updating its creator-fee structure after Dynamic Fees V1 incentivized low-risk coin creation over active trading, which is vital for platform health. The platform’s creator fee sharing allows teams to split fees across up to 10 wallets, transfer coin ownership, revoke update authority, and assign fee percentages post-launch. Future updates will adopt a market-based approach, letting traders determine whether a token narrative justifies creator fees, rebalancing incentives heading into…