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.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has stated that 2026 will mark a turning point for the network to regain self-sovereignty, decentralization, and user privacy. He outlined plans to prioritize tools like social recovery wallets, timelocks, ZK-EVM-based verification, and quantum-resistant cryptography to strengthen long-term security and censorship resistance.

On January 17, 2026, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said a Senate Banking market-structure draft could block stablecoin interest and weaken the CFTC. In a Fox Business interview, he alleged major banks seek to undermine Donald Trump's crypto agenda and added Coinbase cannot support the bill after a 48-hour review.

Anchorage Digital plans to raise between $200 million and $400 million in 2025 as it prepares for a possible initial public offering the following year. The New York-based federally chartered crypto bank is also moving into U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins through a partnership with Tether while citing 2025 as a strong expansion year driven by acquisitions and new services.

On January 16 2026, DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis said China's artificial intelligence capabilities are only a few months behind those of the United States. He noted that Chinese tech groups such as Alibaba, Moonshot AI, Zhipu and DeepSeek have built strong models, but still lag in breakthrough innovation, while U.S. chip export controls and limited access to Nvidia's most advanced processors may slow China's progress.

Interactive Brokers announced on January 15 that it has integrated 24/7 USDC funding, allowing clients to top up brokerage accounts at any time. The firm, working with Zerohash, automatically converts incoming USDC on networks like Ethereum, Solana, and Base to U.S. dollars, and plans to add RLUSD from Ripple and PYUSD from PayPal as additional stablecoin options.

On January 14, 2026, US President Donald Trump approved a 25% tariff on a narrow group of advanced semiconductors, including Nvidia's H200 and AMD's MI325X, in connection with a deal that permits Nvidia to ship Taiwan-made H200 AI chips to China. The chips will be taxed when entering the US before being re-exported, while broader semiconductor tariffs remain postponed as negotiations and national security reviews continue.

CleanSpark has signed a definitive agreement to buy 447 acres in Brazoria County, Texas, to build large-scale AI and high-performance computing data centers as Bitcoin mining becomes less profitable. The new location can initially support 300 MW of power with expansion up to 600 MW, and combined with the firm's Austin County site, offers nearly 1 GW of potential capacity for AI customers. CleanSpark plans to serve both front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter power needs, using Texas's strong grid to deliver reliable energy and long-term growth options. Rising mining costs and volatile margins are driving the company and other miners to diversify into AI and HPC infrastructure.