A crypto holder on the Ethereum network lost a total of $514,000 in USDT after an address poisoning scam, with the incident detected around 14:01 UTC and publicly flagged at 14:34 UTC. The victim first sent 5,000 USDT as a test to a lookalike address before following up with 509,000 USDT to the same destination, while a separate attack in December 2025 saw another trader lose $50 million in USDT using a similar tactic. These scams exploit users' reliance on abbreviated wallet displays and transaction history when copying addresses, making fund recovery onchain highly unlikely once transfers are confirmed.

The China-led mBridge platform has processed about $55.5 billion in cross-border transactions from over 4,000 central bank payments, with volume increasing 2,500-fold since 2022. The digital yuan now accounts for 95% of activity on the project, while in the U.S. President Donald Trump has halted federal CBDC efforts and instead backed privately issued stablecoins under new national regulation.

US President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office this week that a leaker tied to Venezuela is “in jail right now.” On January 15, 2026, Lookonchain highlighted two inactive Polymarket wallets and detailed profits, including a combined $630,484 linked to trades around Nicolás Maduro’s arrest.

Belarus signed a presidential decree this week, according to the decree, creating a legal framework for cryptobanks that integrates token-linked services into the regulated financial system. Applicants must be residents of the Hi-Tech Park and register with the National Bank, and they will operate under dual supervision. Officials say the structure aims to enable innovation while maintaining strong control.

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.