South Korean business academics pushed back against a proposal to limit major shareholders' stakes in crypto exchanges to 15–20%. At a January 16 session in Seoul, they warned of property-rights and constitutional issues, while regulators say the aim is to curb governance risks. Separately, FSC guidelines would allow listed firms and professional investors to allocate up to 5% of equity capital to digital assets.

Tudou Guarantee, a Telegram-based escrow service tied to Huione Group, has reportedly begun winding down after returning around $130 million in USDT to public merchants since early 2026. The move, which followed an announced shutdown on its Telegram channel, could slow phishing and pig butchering schemes that flourished on the platform and had previously been linked to tens of billions of dollars in crypto transactions.

Starting January 28, Google Play will require crypto exchanges and wallet apps serving South Korea to provide proof of FIU VASP registration, with noncompliant titles removed and new installs blocked. The policy compels uploading a Report Receipt Complete document via the Developer Console and could affect overseas platforms lacking domestic corporate status and ISMS certification.

Three House Democrats wrote to SEC Chair Paul Atkins urging enforcement against Tron founder Justin Sun. They allege Sun contributed at least $75 million to WLFI between late 2025 and early 2026 and that his case was stayed in February 2025, framing a pay-to-play pattern; TRX rose 2.6% on 15 January.

On January 16, President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 19 establishing a legal framework for crypto banks. The measure defines these entities as joint-stock companies combining digital token operations with banking and payments and requires High-Tech Park residency and inclusion in a National Bank registry, according to BELTA.

Citron Research has publicly endorsed tokenization platform Securitize while accusing Coinbase of resisting a key US crypto market structure bill out of competitive concerns. Following Citron's comments, shares of Cantor Equity Partners II, the SPAC set to merge with Securitize in the first half of 2026, briefly surged around 10% as Coinbase stock fell nearly 4% on the same day.

Polymarket is under scrutiny over large bets tied to Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which critics say may blur the line between forecasting and market manipulation. One wallet reportedly turned a $30,000 position on Maduro's removal into more than $400,000, while other trades speculated on a US strike on Iran and Khamenei's potential loss of power. These activities have sparked debate about "information laundering" and prompted a proposed US bill to restrict officials from trading on prediction markets using non-public information.

In late December 2025, DZ Bank secured MiCAR approval from BaFin to operate the meinKrypto retail platform. The service connects 670 cooperative banks through the VR Banking App, enabling trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Cardano.