The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry has scheduled a January 27 markup for the CLARITY Act, a bipartisan crypto market structure bill, with full text set for release on January 21. The proposal seeks to define oversight roles for the SEC and CFTC, address areas like DeFi and stablecoin yields, and strengthen U.S. leadership while enhancing consumer protection. Lawmakers including John Boozman, Cynthia Lummis and Paul Atkins have highlighted the need for regulatory clarity and a consistent framework for digital assets.

This guide distills seven common red flags in DeFi scams and offers practical checks users can run before committing funds. It highlights unrealistic "guaranteed 1,000% APY" promises, missing audits, opaque tokenomics, centralized governance, FOMO-driven marketing, anonymous teams, and fake or broken dApps. The focus is risk awareness, not investment advice.

Layer 2 networks built on Ethereum allow users to process transactions faster and at significantly lower cost while still relying on the main chain for security. By bridging assets from Layer 1 to networks such as Arbitrum, Optimism, or zkSync, users can trade, stake, and handle NFTs with reduced congestion and fees. This approach helps make DeFi platforms and NFT marketplaces more scalable and accessible for everyday crypto activity.

Multi-sig wallets require multiple approvals before funds move, making shared crypto safer for teams and DAOs. By defining signers and a threshold—such as 2-of-3 or 3-of-5—groups block single-point failures and keep actions transparent. Flexible setups help treasuries adapt as membership changes while preserving accountability in collective decisions.

On December 25, 2025, Trust Wallet confirmed that version 2.68 of its Chrome browser extension had been compromised, exposing users' seed phrases and leading to about $7M in crypto losses. The non-custodial wallet provider has started a compensation program, asking affected users to submit detailed claims so funds can be reimbursed. The incident, which impacted assets across Bitcoin, Solana, and EVM-compatible networks, has renewed concerns over the security of browser-based crypto tools.

The People's Bank of China plans to allow commercial banks to pay interest on digital yuan (e-CNY) wallet balances starting January 2026, marking a shift from a pure "digital cash" model toward a deposit-like framework. The updated CBDC design adds value storage and cross-border payment features, which could enhance domestic adoption and position the digital yuan as a more versatile instrument in international finance. Analysts note that these interest-bearing wallets may compete with traditional bank deposits while still requiring strong public trust and cybersecurity safeguards.

South Korea plans to extend its Travel Rule to cryptocurrency transfers below 1 million won to deter smurfing and tighten anti-money laundering controls. A Korea FIU task force is reviewing updates to the Special Act, including tools such as account suspension and broader professional obligations. The initiative seeks closer alignment with FATF standards while reinforcing oversight of virtual asset service providers.

The Moscow Exchange and St. Petersburg Exchange say they are ready to begin regulated cryptocurrency trading once the Bank of Russia finalizes its framework, expected by mid-2026. Under the experimental regime, access targets highly qualified investors, including individuals holding over 100 million rubles in securities and deposits or earning more than 50 million rubles annually.

AI-enhanced phishing now produces tailored messages, look‑alike sites, and synthetic voice or video lures that are harder to detect. This overview outlines five tactics attackers use and offers practical safeguards such as verification, URL inspection, and basic security tools. With awareness and routine checks, users can reduce exposure to these evolving threats.