On 17 January 2026, Megatel Homes detailed plans to launch a blockchain-based rewards program using its MegPrime token after an SEC no-action letter, according to the report. Tokens are earned via rent, mortgage, and everyday spending, and renters could apply up to $25,000 of prior rent toward buying a Megatel home.

On January 16, 2026, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin outlined a 2026 initiative on X to restore self-sovereignty and trustlessness. The plan emphasizes ZK-EVMs and Block Access Limits to make full nodes practical again, privacy tools like Helios, ORAM and PIR, and onchain app hosting; the network also raised its blob limit from 15 to 21.

Defiance ETFs, a Miami-based investment firm, will liquidate its Defiance Leveraged Long + Income Ethereum ETF (ETHI) and seven other products on January 30, 2026, after only four months of trading. The leveraged Ethereum ETF gathered about $6.4 million in inflows and delivered -66% returns, a scale the firm views as insufficient in a market where crypto ETFs saw roughly $50 billion in inflows in 2025. The last trading day for the affected funds is set for January 26, 2026, with remaining shares redeemed in cash at net asset value on the liquidation date.

Ethereum recorded nearly 8 million active addresses and a new peak in network usage on 17 January, alongside transaction fees at all-time lows. Despite this on-chain growth, ETH remained capped below its 200-day EMA, with price action hovering around a symmetrical triangle and key resistance levels between $3,800 and $4,000 in focus.

AVAX, the native asset of the Avalanche network, recently climbed to $14.85 before dropping back under $13.50 and now trades near $13.61. Analyst Ali Martinez’s January 16 chart study highlights repeated rejections around $14.83 and an inverse head and shoulders structure that could project upside targets at $17.59 and $18.41 if this resistance is cleared. AVAX has booked a 14.67% gain over the past month, hinting at a possible shift after a net negative Q4 2025.

US President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland tied to a proposed purchase of Greenland, with rates starting at 10% on February 1, 2026 and rising to 25% on June 1 if no deal is reached. Analysts estimate $1.2 trillion in annual trade could be affected and suggest a Greenland acquisition might cost about $700 billion. Bitcoin, which previously fell from $110,000 to below $75,000 after an earlier tariff wave, is currently trading just above $95,000 with minimal price movement.

On January 17, 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney advanced a Canadian auto production bill aimed at countering U.S. tariff pressure and retaining local manufacturing. The plan links a China trade arrangement to a quota of 49,000 EVs at a 6% tariff, includes a C$35,000 price-cap segment, and is set for a February rollout by Industry Minister Melanie Joly.

Global equity markets are trading at elevated valuations, with the MSCI World Index at 20 times forward earnings while Q4 results start to roll in. Investors are relying on strong profit growth from AI leaders, banks, consumer goods firms, and defense contractors to justify last year's rally and avoid renewed volatility. At the same time, shifting tariffs, oil supply threats, and surging defense spending are adding fresh uncertainty across regions.