On January 15, South Korea's National Assembly approved amendments to the Capital Market Act and the Act on the Electronic Registration of Stocks and Bonds to formally recognize security token offerings. The new rules introduce a blockchain-based framework with issuer custody accounts and OTC oversight, with implementation targeted for early 2026 and potential expansion of tokenized real-world assets.

On January 14, Bank of England Deputy Governor Dave Ramsden said at King’s College London that stablecoin holders may eventually need protections similar to deposit insurance and priority creditor status. He linked this idea to the recent cash deposit protection cap increase from £85,000 to £120,000 and indicated that rules for sterling stablecoins should be finalized by year’s end.

On January 15, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee called off a scheduled meeting on the Market Structure Act after Coinbase withdrew its backing for the bill. The exchange objected to proposed limits on passive yield for stablecoins, putting an estimated $355 million in quarterly stablecoin revenue at risk and raising concerns over future crypto regulation. Market data shows USDC trading at $1.00 with a $75.77 billion market cap and $19.58 billion in volume as of January 15, 2026.

On January 12, 2026, Ukrainian authorities ordered communication providers to block access to prediction market platform Polymarket, citing unlicensed gambling activities. The decision, issued under Resolution No. 695 by the National Commission for State Regulation of Communications and Informatization, has led to uneven access across the country while more than $410 million in Ukraine-related bets and $270 million in completed wagers are tied to the platform. Polymarket’s dependence on USDC and Polygon leaves it navigating recurring geo-blocks in multiple jurisdictions.

On January 12, 2026, World Liberty Financial launched World Liberty Markets, a digital asset lending platform on Ethereum linked to the Trump family. The service supports stablecoins, ETH, USD1 and WLFI to expand utility and liquidity, with plans for mobile apps and tokenized assets to broaden access.

Bernstein’s latest report warns that political and industry tensions over stablecoin yields are compressing the timeframe for passing the U.S. Crypto Market Structure Act, which must advance by Q2 2026 to avoid prolonged delays. The dispute between banks and crypto firms over interest-like returns on stablecoins threatens to slow legislation impacting a stablecoin market already valued at about $275 billion, with future trillion-dollar potential at stake.

On January 12, 2026, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was subpoenaed as the Department of Justice launched an investigation into alleged political pressure tied to rate-setting and his prior testimony on renovations. U.S. equities fell the same day, with the Dow down 290 points (0.6%), the S&P 500 off 0.4%, and the Nasdaq lower by 0.3%.

Elon Musk has said on X that the platform's recommendation algorithm will be published as open source within seven days and refreshed every four weeks with detailed developer notes. The initiative aims to increase transparency around how organic and advertising posts are surfaced, drawing both support and skepticism from the crypto community and aligning with calls for auditable social media systems.

Grayscale transferred 8,242.844 ETH and 1,188 SOL, valued around $25 million, to a Coinbase Prime address. The activity was observed in recent days and reflects its use of institutional services. Grayscale and Coinbase have not issued public statements on the specific transfers.