Washington's bid to create a single regulatory framework for the US crypto market is losing traction as the White House reassesses whether to support a broad market structure bill. Tensions with Coinbase, including public criticism from CEO Brian Armstrong over issues such as stablecoin yields, tokenized equities, data access and SEC authority, have delayed a Senate Banking Committee vote and left the legislation stalled.

On 17 January 2026, spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded more than $1.4 billion in net inflows over the preceding week, pointing to renewed interest from large investors. Ethereum ETFs also saw positive, though smaller, allocations as institutions cautiously rebuilt exposure. Analysts highlight that reduced selling by major Bitcoin holders, combined with ETF demand, is tightening available supply even as volatility persists.

On January 17, 2026, major US banks including JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Bank of America and Wells Fargo detailed new safeguards for Zelle transfers, according to NBC San Diego. Measures range from blocking payments tied to social media contacts to fraud attestations and pop‑up warnings. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleges more than $870 million was lost to Zelle scams over seven years.

Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich and Bitmine Immersion Technologies Chairman Thomas Lee are publicly backing their firms' Bitcoin and Ethereum holdings as core drivers of future income. In January 2026, Metaplanet bought $632.5 million in BTC under its "555 Million Plan," while Bitmine holds over 4.2 million ETH and targets owning 5% of the total supply. Both companies are building revenue strategies around BTC income tools and ETH staking amid strong ETF inflows and optimistic price projections for 2026.

On 17 January 2026, the White House began weighing whether to continue supporting the Digital Asset Market Structure Framework after relations with Coinbase deteriorated. The reassessment follows Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong rejecting the draft and a mid-January Senate Banking Committee markup being paused, leaving the bill’s trajectory and broader US crypto regulatory plans uncertain.

Binance will remove USDⓈ-M perpetual futures contracts for BIDUSDT, DMCUSDT, ZRCUSDT and TANSSIUSDT on January 21, 2026 at 09:00 UTC, affecting open derivatives positions in these markets. The exchange states that spot trading for the underlying BID, DMC, ZRC and TANSSI tokens will not be directly impacted, while market reaction from major crypto voices has so far remained limited.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said that in 2026 the network will work to restore "lost ground" in areas such as self-sovereignty, privacy, and user experience. He pointed to progress in institutional and retail privacy tools like Railgun and highlighted growing execution client diversity, with Geth's dominance reduced and alternatives like Nethermind and Besu gaining share.

Cardano has recorded a 10,654.62% spike in futures trading volume on BitMEX to $40.04 million, while its open interest hovers around $792.57 million. CME Group plans to launch ADA and Micro ADA futures contracts on Feb. 9, pending regulatory review. ADA is trading near $0.395, with key resistance seen at $0.4378 and $0.50, and support levels around $0.38, $0.33 and $0.27.