On January 19, Bitcoin fell toward $92,000 and Ether slipped below $3,200 as liquidations hit a yearly high, according to Coinglass. CoinGecko showed total crypto market cap at $3.217 trillion, down more than $100 billion in 24 hours, while geopolitical headlines and elevated leverage pressured risk sentiment.

On January 15, the China Securities Regulatory Commission outlined steps to curb speculation and, last week, lifted margin funding requirements on all mainland exchanges to 100% from 80%, with the change effective on Monday. The adjustment covers only new contracts and follows early‑2026 gains led by AI and space themes, with mainland tech shares trading about 40% above Nasdaq 100 peers.

Bitcoin slid to a six-day low below $92,500 as fresh escalation in the US–EU trade dispute rattled markets and coincided with weaker Asian equities and US futures. Over the past 24 hours, around $870 million in crypto positions were liquidated, with nearly $790 million in longs affected and close to 250,000 traders impacted, while gold advanced to another all-time high.

On 19 January 2026, at 09:31, Washington's CLARITY Act stalled, a development some analysts frame as a constructive pause. Crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe argues the draft risked locking in restrictive rules. Coinbase withdrew support, and CEO Brian Armstrong flagged tokenized equities, yield-bearing stablecoins, and DeFi user data access as unacceptable provisions.

Crypto markets started the week with sharp price swings as traders reacted to new US–EU trade tensions and looming macroeconomic data. Bitcoin briefly dropped below $92,000 and the total crypto market cap slid to about $3.21 trillion, while altcoins saw even steeper declines. Investors now face a packed calendar of US and Asian economic events, along with major corporate earnings and the Davos forum, which could inject further volatility.

On January 19, 2026, Fitch Ratings affirmed the long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating of Saudi Arabia at A+ and maintained a Stable Outlook. The agency cited net foreign assets near 70% of GDP, general government debt projected below 30% versus a 54% A+ peer median, and a 2.3% of GDP fiscal deficit in 2025 amid ongoing reforms.

BTCC processed $5.72 billion in tokenized gold trades in 2025, with fourth-quarter volume at $2.74 billion. From the first to the fourth quarter, activity rose 809%, and Q4 represented 48% of the year alongside a 130% quarter-over-quarter increase. GOLDUSDT, PAXGUSDT, and XAUTUSDT were major drivers, while tokenized gold's market cap climbed 177% to $4.4 billion, according to CEX.IO.

Binance has restored direct bank transfers and PayID deposits and withdrawals for Australian users, roughly two years after being cut off from local banking. As of last Friday, the rollout resumed and began with a small cohort last year, according to a Monday press release. The exchange partnered with Bolt Financial Group to provide the new fiat rails.