Category: Peer to Peer

Markets has begun offering around-the-clock, on-chain trading of a synthetic version of Tesla stock, a move that sharpens the debate over how far crypto platforms can go in replicating traditional equities without triggering the full weight of securities regulation.The product, described by Markets as a tokenised representation of Tesla, allows traders to take leveraged positions of up to 12 times and to buy or sell at any hour, including when United States equity exchanges are closed. The company says the

Bitcoin has pushed through a stubborn price ceiling near $95,000, reviving bullish sentiment after weeks of consolidation, yet underlying data points to a phase of heightened risk as participation from smaller wallet holders continues to thin. The advance, driven largely by institutional flows and derivatives positioning, has brought the market back to levels that previously triggered sharp corrections, prompting analysts to warn that price strength may be more brittle than it appears.The recovery gathered pace after Bitcoin broke above a

Dubai’s financial regulator has rolled out a strengthened framework for crypto tokens in the Dubai International Financial Centre, marking a significant step in the evolution of the emirate’s digital assets oversight as global scrutiny of the sector intensifies.The updated regime, announced on Tuesday by the Dubai Financial Services Authority, replaces and expands the rules introduced in 2022 and applies to all crypto token activities conducted within the Dubai International Financial Centre. Officials said the changes are designed to bolster market

Tether has frozen $182 million worth of its USDT stablecoin across five wallets operating on the TRON blockchain, signalling an assertive enforcement step as the issuer tightens controls around illicit finance risks. The action was executed on January 11, 2026, and followed coordination with law-enforcement and compliance partners, according to people familiar with the move.The freeze places the affected balances beyond transfer or redemption, effectively neutralising the funds while investigations continue. USDT remains the most widely used dollar-pegged token by

Dubai’s financial regulator will bar privacy-enhancing cryptoassets from operating inside its main international finance hub from January 12, 2026, sharpening the emirate’s stance on anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance while tightening how stablecoins can be issued and used.The decision by the Dubai Financial Services Authority applies within the Dubai International Financial Centre and prohibits regulated firms from trading, holding, promoting or facilitating privacy tokens and transaction-obfuscation tools such as mixers and tumblers. Assets designed to conceal transaction trails, including well-known

Moves to prohibit political donations made in cryptocurrency are gathering pace at Westminster, as lawmakers warn that digital assets could be exploited by hostile states and anonymous actors to influence elections and undermine democratic safeguards.Cross-party concern has sharpened following intelligence assessments that flagged the vulnerability of political finance rules to opaque funding channels. Legislators argue that while donations in cash and traditional banking systems are subject to disclosure and oversight, cryptocurrencies can obscure the true source of funds, complicating efforts

Chainlink’s token LINK is showing signs of technical strain as chart patterns point to a bearish pennant forming against a backdrop of fading institutional demand for exchange-traded crypto products tied to the oracle network. The setup has drawn attention across digital-asset desks at a time when broader crypto markets remain sensitive to shifts in liquidity, regulatory signals and risk appetite.LINK has spent several weeks consolidating after an earlier advance, with lower highs compressing against a relatively stable support band. Market

A high-profile dispute within the XRP online community has spilled into federal court, with crypto entrepreneur Jake Claver filing a $30 million defamation lawsuit against influencer Zach Rector, alleging a sustained smear campaign that damaged his reputation, commercial relationships and earning capacity.Court records show the complaint was lodged on January 9, 2026, in the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Claver’s filing claims that Rector, who commands a large following on social media platforms popular with

Asset manager VanEck has outlined a long-range capital market assumptions model that positions bitcoin as a potential multi-million-dollar asset by 2050, citing structural adoption as a settlement currency and reserve asset as key drivers of value. Under the firm’s base-case scenario, which assumes a compound annual growth rate of around 15 per cent through to mid-century, one bitcoin could be worth approximately $2.9 million, a dramatic elevation from current trading levels.The analysis, authored by Matthew Sigel, VanEck’s head of

JPMorgan Chase has played down claims that stablecoins pose a systemic threat to the banking sector, diverging from warnings issued by banking trade groups that argue the growth of yield-bearing digital tokens could drain deposits and undermine credit creation across the United States.The debate intensified after the American Bankers Association sent a letter to the U. S. Senate cautioning that certain stablecoins, particularly those offering interest or rewards, could pull funds away from regulated banks and weaken their ability to

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has warned that decentralised stablecoins, long promoted as a trust-minimised alternative to fiat-backed tokens, continue to suffer from deep structural weaknesses that have yet to be resolved. His assessment underscores persistent concerns around price benchmarks, oracle security and incentive design, at a time when stablecoins are becoming more central to crypto markets and policy debates.Buterin’s comments centre on the challenge of maintaining reliable price stability without relying on centralised custodians or off-chain reserves. While decentralised designs

Senate Republicans are accelerating plans to bring a sweeping cryptocurrency bill to a vote, betting that momentum and industry pressure can overcome lingering Democratic reservations even as bipartisan talks remain unsettled. The move was confirmed late on Friday by the chair of the Senate Banking Committee, who said the panel would press ahead with scheduling despite parallel efforts by the Senate Agriculture Committee to refine a cross-party compromise.The push sets up a high-stakes test for digital-asset regulation on Capitol Hill,

Robinhood Markets has set out plans to build an Ethereum layer-2 network as part of a broader push to deepen its role in crypto trading, tokenised equities and on-chain yield products, arguing that anchoring the project to Ethereum’s security is central to winning user trust and regulatory confidence.The brokerage, best known for commission-free equity trading, says the layer-2 is designed to handle higher transaction volumes at lower cost while settling back to Ethereum for finality. Executives involved in the project

 Changpeng Zhao, the former chief executive of Binance, has drawn attention to what he describes as a widening divide in the Bitcoin market, with large United States banks and institutional players accumulating the cryptocurrency while many retail investors sell amid price volatility and regulatory uncertainty. His remarks, circulated widely across market circles, have intensified debate about whether another structural shift is under way in the digital asset ecosystem.Zhao’s comments come at a time when Bitcoin has shown sharp swings following

 Bitcoin’s derivatives market has thinned to levels last seen in 2022, with aggregate open interest sliding sharply as leveraged traders cut exposure amid quieter price action and tighter funding conditions.Data compiled from major crypto derivatives venues show total open interest across futures and perpetual contracts falling to the lowest point in more than two years. The drawdown reflects a sustained retreat by speculative traders who once amplified price swings through aggressive leverage, particularly during last year’s strong rally that followed

Binance has moved deeper into the intersection of digital assets and traditional finance by introducing perpetual contracts linked to gold and silver, offering round-the-clock trading and USDT settlement as the exchange broadens its derivatives portfolio beyond cryptocurrencies. The launch positions the platform to tap demand from traders seeking continuous exposure to precious metals without the constraints of conventional market hours.The new products, described by the exchange as TradFi Perpetual Contracts, allow users to speculate on the price movements of gold

Decentralised derivatives trading on public blockchains has crossed a defining threshold, with on-chain perpetual futures volumes touching about $12 trillion over the past year as traders migrated from centralised venues to faster, cheaper and more transparent rails. Data compiled across major protocols show that activity more than tripled through the year, with monthly volumes cresting near $1.8 trillion in October, underscoring how on-chain markets have matured from a niche experiment into a core part of global crypto trading.Perpetual futures, contracts

RAKBANK has secured in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE to issue a dirham-backed stablecoin, marking a significant step in the country’s effort to anchor digital finance within a regulated banking framework. The approval places the Ras Al Khaimah-based lender among a widening circle of UAE financial institutions seeking to deploy tokenised money for payments, settlements and treasury use as demand accelerates across regional and global markets.The move comes as stablecoins gain traction as a bridge between traditional

Bank of New York Mellon has outlined plans to offer tokenised deposit accounts to institutional clients, marking a significant step by the world’s largest custodial bank into blockchain-based settlement infrastructure. The initiative is designed to mirror traditional deposit balances on a private blockchain, allowing large investors to move cash and securities with greater speed while remaining within the perimeter of regulated banking.BNY said the proposed structure will represent deposits held at the bank as digital tokens recorded on a permissioned

Crypto exchange OKX has cut a significant portion of staff from its institutional business as part of a wider global restructuring, people familiar with the matter said, marking one of the most substantial internal overhauls at the company since it began expanding beyond retail trading.According to one source with knowledge of the changes, roughly one-third of the institutional sales team has exited, either through redundancies or non-renewal of contracts. The reductions form part of a broader effort to refocus resources,

Donald Trump has said he will not grant a presidential pardon to Sam Bankman-Fried, the former chief executive of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, making clear that the disgraced entrepreneur will continue to serve his prison sentence if Trump returns to the White House.Speaking in an interview, Trump dismissed speculation that he might intervene on behalf of Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after being convicted of fraud, conspiracy and related offences tied to the dramatic

Binance has revised how it presents proof of reserves data, changing the display to show a clearer one-to-one backing of customer balances after incorporating platform-held assets and liabilities into its calculations. The update addresses long-running questions from users, analysts and regulators about how reserve ratios are derived and whether headline figures accurately reflect the exchange’s ability to meet withdrawals under stress.The crypto exchange said the revised presentation aligns assets held on-chain with corresponding customer liabilities, presenting a more comprehensive snapshot

Meme-themed cryptocurrencies have overtaken all other altcoins in attracting large holders, with blockchain analytics pointing to sustained whale concentration and trading momentum since the start of the year. Data compiled by Santiment shows that wallets holding significant balances have been more active in meme coins than in decentralised finance tokens, layer-two networks, or gaming-focused assets, underscoring a sharp shift in speculative behaviour across the digital asset market.The analytics firm says that whale transactions, typically defined as transfers above a high

SharpLink has moved $170 million worth of Ether into restaking arrangements on Linea, using Anchorage Digital as its custody and staking partner, signalling a calculated effort to extract yield from a growing corporate Ethereum treasury while leaning on regulated infrastructure to manage risk.The deployment represents a defined slice of SharpLink’s wider Ethereum holdings, which the company has disclosed at about $2.7 billion in value. By placing a portion of those assets into restaking, SharpLink is seeking to earn incremental rewards