Vietnam police reported arresting several suspects in Da Nang over an alleged cryptocurrency scam that mimicked a Nasdaq investment platform and caused losses of more than VND14 billion ($532,800). Authorities said the group operated from Cambodia, used social media and messaging apps to lure victims with promises of high returns, and converted misappropriated funds into crypto while the investigation remains ongoing.

On 18 January 2026, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong rejected reports that the White House plans to drop support for the CLARITY Act. He said talks remain constructive and that officials asked Coinbase to help explore compromises with community banks, including on stablecoin yield-sharing provisions. The Senate Banking Committee delayed its markup, with negotiations expected to resume in the coming weeks.

Tokenized stocks have grown to a market size of $867 million in under a year, edging toward $1 billion as monthly transfer volume hits $2.3 billion and holders reach 159,000. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong remains optimistic about on-chain equities despite controversy over the Senate's CLARITY Act, while BNB Chain has recently overtaken Solana as the leading settlement layer for these assets.

Ahead of the Consensus event in Hong Kong, Auros chief commercial officer Jason Atkins argued that the main issue in crypto markets is insufficient liquidity rather than volatility. He said thin order books and weak market depth make it hard for large institutions to deploy capital and manage risk without moving prices. Atkins warned that this cycle of volatility, caution and illiquidity is keeping major Wall Street players from fully entering the sector despite rising institutional interest.

On January 16 and January 18, 2026, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong rejected suggestions that the White House had pulled its support for the CLARITY Act and stressed that talks on the crypto market structure bill are continuing. Coinbase has paused backing for the legislation over its potential impact on DeFi, tokenized stocks, and stablecoin yields, while the Senate Banking Committee has postponed a planned markup to allow more time for negotiations.

On January 18, 2026, Donald Trump denied ever offering the Federal Reserve chair role to Jamie Dimon and said Dimon is unfit for the job. He also said he will sue JPMorgan within two weeks over alleged political debanking after January 6, as bank shares slid, with JPMorgan down around 5% over the last week.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on European imports via Truth Social, taking effect on February 1. Rates begin at 10% and could rise to 25% by June 2026, contingent on a Greenland purchase. The EU is preparing an emergency meeting to weigh responses, and countries named include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland.

On January 18, 2026, BitGo outlined plans to raise about $201 million through a US initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "BTGO." The institutional crypto custodian will sell 11 million new Class A shares plus 821,595 shares from existing holders at an indicative price of $15 to $17, while keeping a dual-class voting structure that leaves CEO Michael Belshe with majority control.