On January 1, 2026, Ripple plans to release up to 1 billion XRP from its long-running escrow program, marking the company's first scheduled token unlock of the year. The mechanism, launched in 2017, frees 1 billion XRP at the start of each month, with Ripple historically returning 60% to 80% to new escrows and retaining the rest for operational purposes. Traders are watching the January unlock for any impact on XRP's market dynamics, as the token recently traded around $1.98 after losing the $2 support level.

XRP's payments volume has surged into the billions over the past month, with single-day peaks near 1.7 billion. Yet the token trades below short-, mid-, and long-term moving averages in a descending channel, while RSI sits in the low-40s. Resistance is noted at $2.30–$2.45, with a potential breakdown risk near $1.90–$2.00.

On December 15, 2025, Ripple Labs' Managing Director for Middle East & Africa, Reece Merrick, underscored South Africa as a strategic market for the company amid rapid regulatory advances. He noted that the FSCA had received 512 CASP license applications and approved 300 by December 2025, shaping a more regulated ecosystem that could support Ripple's partnerships, including its custody collaboration with Absa Bank. Merrick also pointed to a 52% surge in Sub-Saharan Africa transactions to $205 billion between July 2024 and June 2025 as evidence of growing regional crypto adoption.

PEPENODE’s presale has entered its final 24 days, with the project raising over $2.3 million and pricing the token at $0.0011968. The Mine-to-Earn meme coin pairs a gamified mining system with staking yields of up to 554%, and more than 1.4 billion tokens are already staked.

MANTRA plans to upgrade its OM token to MANTRA on 19 January 2026 with a 1:4 non-dilutive split at target block 11,888,888. On-chain OM holders on MANTRA Chain will be converted automatically, while off-chain EVM holders must migrate to avoid stranded balances. The upgrade is designed to simplify tokenomics, support governance Proposal 26, and strengthen the project's institutional positioning.

Since February 2025, OM has fallen about 99% from its all‑time high while a months‑long dispute between Mantra and OKX has intensified into legal threats. In December, the two sides clashed over the timing and terms of OM’s migration from Ethereum to the Mantra mainnet, alleged market manipulation linked to loan collateral, and warnings that unmigrated ERC‑20 tokens could be treated as forfeited in early 2026.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin sold 1,400 UNI alongside 10,000 KNC and 40 trillion DINU, receiving 16,796 USDC. UNI trades near $5.40 after a 0.87% 24-hour drop, with resistance at $5.80–$6.00 and support around $5.10–$5.20 as Bitcoin hovers near $89,800.

XRP-linked investment products recorded about $990.00 million in net inflows over the last 30 days, with total net assets now above $1.18 billion. Despite declining prices around $2.00, allocations to vehicles from Grayscale, Bitwise and Franklin remain positive, highlighting a divergence between capital flow and spot performance.