Market Signal Briefing

21Shares has outlined a three-scenario price outlook for XRP in 2026, arguing that the token is moving from a litigation-defined trade to one increasingly priced on ETF-driven demand and measurable on-ledger adoption.

In a Jan. 23 research note, 21Shares’ Matt Mena frames 2026 as a “defining turning point” in which XRP’s valuation becomes “anchored in institutional fundamentals” after the August 2025 settlement that ended the SEC case overhang. The firm says that resolution removed a structural constraint that had limited XRP’s upside “regardless of underlying utility,” allowing the market to reprice to a new all-time high of $3.66 and then consolidate with the former $2.00 ceiling acting as support.

XRP Price Predictions For 2026 21Shares describes the post-settlement regime as a tougher environment for the asset: less narrative optionality, more accountability. With the legal cloud cleared, the note argues XRP “can no longer rely on courtroom hype or regulatory uncertainty to drive its valuation or excuse underperformance,” introducing a “sell the news” risk if usage fails to scale and the market re-rates the asset on realized adoption rather than legal relief.

The firm’s view is that clarity expands the addressable buyer base and product surface area in the US “US-based institutions. Regulated funds and ETP issuers. Banks and payment companies.” In 21Shares’ telling, those channels were previously constrained by compliance risk, and their re-entry sets up a new phase of price discovery.

The second pillar is flows. 21Shares says US spot XRP ETFs have “fundamentally rewritten” XRP’s demand profile, reaching more than $1.3 billion in assets under management in their first month and logging a 55-day streak of consecutive inflows. The note leans heavily on a supply-demand argument, pairing ETF absorption with what it characterizes as unusually sticky retail positioning.

“Exchange reserves are at a seven-year low of 1.7 billion XRP. Institutional ETF demand is colliding with a community that refuses to sell.” That collision, the firm argues, is the “primary engine” for a potentially non-linear repricing, while also warning that reflexivity cuts both ways if inflows slow.

To ground the reflexivity case, 21Shares points to the first year of US Bitcoin spot ETFs as a template, citing nearly $38 billion in net inflows and a price move from roughly $40,000 to $100,000 inside 12 months. The distinction, in its view, is liquidity overhead: XRP launched its ETF era at a much smaller market cap than Bitcoin did at its debut, implying a larger marginal impact per dollar of net buying, provided those early capture rates persist through 2026.

The third pillar is utility, with 21Shares positioning XRPL as “financial plumbing” for tokenization and stablecoin settlement. The note highlights RLUSD’s growth to more than 37,000 holders and a market cap increase of over 1,800% from $72 million to $1.38 billion in under a year, alongside XRPL DeFi TVL expanding nearly 100x over two years to above $100 million. It also points to the Multi-Purpose Tokens standard as a mechanism for institutions to issue RWAs with embedded metadata and compliance rules.

Still, 21Shares flags execution risk: progress is “evolutionary, not explosive,” and XRPL trails rivals on developer and user engagement, with competition for RWA flows cited from Canton, Solana, and other ecosystems.

21Shares’ modeled peak ranges for 2026 put a base case at $2.45 (50% probability), a bull case at $2.69 (30%), and a bear case at $1.60 (implied -16%), with key swing factors being sustained ETF inflows, meaningful tokenization volumes, and RLUSD maintaining institutional traction.

XRP price predictions 2026 | Source: 21Shares At press time, XRP traded at $1.8792.

XRP trades below the key support zone, 1-week chart | Source: XRPUSDT on TradingView.com Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Elon Musk’s Companies Treat Bitcoin Like Digital Gold, Even as It Bites into ProfitsTesla and SpaceX held Bitcoin steady despite a 23% price drop and accounting losses.Bitcoin impairments were non-cash, reflecting accounting rules rather than operational stress.Musk’s firms frame Bitcoin as digital gold, not a short-term speculative asset.While many corporations might have sold into a 23% Bitcoin price slide, Elon Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX stood firm in Q4 2025—no buys, no sells.

Tesla released its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results after market close on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. This included the earnings update deck on ir.tesla.com, followed by an earnings call/webcast with Elon Musk and CFO Vaibhav Taneja, who discussed results, Bitcoin impairment, autonomy plans, and more.

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Tesla and SpaceX Stand Firm on Bitcoin as a Long-Term Treasury AssetTesla’s 11,509 BTC stack (unchanged since prior periods) took a $239 million after-tax mark-to-market impairment as Bitcoin fell from roughly $114,000 to $88,000–$89,000.

Bitcoin (BTC) Price Performance. Source: TradingViewYet the company framed this as one minor headwind among several, including tariffs and FX effects, offset by record energy margins and EPS beats.

This is a stark contrast to Tesla’s 2022 panic-selling, when roughly 75% of its Bitcoin holdings were offloaded near bear-market lows.

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Today, the company’s approach is deliberate, treating Bitcoin as a long-term strategic reserve on the balance sheet. Relative to Tesla’s $44 billion+ cash pile, the BTC holdings are small, but symbolically powerful, signaling belief in scarcity, upside, and multi-year value.

Tesla Bitcoin Holdings. Source: ArkhamSpaceX, whose IPO is in the works, mirrors this strategy, holding an estimated 8,200–8,285 BTC. The company has not sold meaningfully in over three years, and internal transfers appear to be wallet upgrades or consolidations rather than liquidations.

At current prices, this stack is worth roughly $730 million, quietly creating one of the largest non-institutional Bitcoin exposures outside pure crypto firms.

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SpaceX Bitcoin Holdings. Source: ArkhamThis deliberate stance stands in contrast to broader corporate behavior in 2025, when many public companies trimmed or exited crypto positions amid volatility.

Tesla’s impairment is purely non-cash GAAP accounting noise, meaning profits could rebound sharply if Bitcoin recovers.

Amid Tesla’s pivot to AI, robotics, and energy, and SpaceX’s escalating valuation (expected $1.5 trillion+ IPO in 2026), Bitcoin remains a small but ideological piece of a multi-trillion-dollar empire.

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Musk’s companies are signaling a growing thesis that Bitcoin is digital gold for forward-thinking corporate treasuries, not speculative trading fodder.

The $239 million mark-to-market loss is less a setback than a signal of conviction. Perhaps, for them, Bitcoin is not a side bet.

Rather, it may be embedded in the long game, a strategic hedge and treasury asset that could influence wider corporate adoption if the pioneer crypto stabilizes or surges again.

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Santiment data suggests XRP whales are accumulating during consolidation, even as price remains below key levels.

XRP has slipped about 4% since the start of 2026, trading near $1.90 on major exchanges, even as on-chain data shows a rise in large holders.

The divergence between price and wallet growth is shaping a cautious but closely watched setup for the token as investors weigh accumulation signals against weak short-term trends.

The data suggests that while XRP’s market price has struggled to regain levels seen earlier in January, a segment of high-balance holders is quietly increasing exposure, a pattern that often draws attention during consolidation phases.

Whale Wallets Rise as Price Holds Below Long-Term Trend On January 29, Santiment reported that XRP has added a net 42 wallets holding at least one million tokens since the beginning of the year, the first increase in “millionaire” wallets since September 2025. The analytics firm noted that the price decline over the same period remains modest at around 4%, pointing to accumulation rather than distribution among larger addresses.

At the time of writing, XRP was trading at $1.88, down about 2% over the past 24 hours and roughly 4% in the last seven days, according to CoinGecko data. On a monthly view, the token is slightly higher, up about 2%, but it remains close to 40% lower than a year ago.

Technical data cited by Arab Chain placed the Ripple token around 25% below its 200-day moving average, which sits near $2.50. Risk-adjusted metrics also reflect caution. The 30-day Sharpe Ratio is close to zero, suggesting recent returns have offered little compensation for volatility, while short-term momentum readings point to consolidation rather than a strong directional move.

This technical picture matches up with recent commentary from market watchers like XrpArthur, who warned against optimistic price targets circulating on social media, arguing that projections of $13 to $30 ignore macro conditions, liquidity, Federal Reserve policy, Bitcoin dominance, and actual usage on the XRP Ledger.

You may also like: Ripple (XRP) and Cardano (ADA) Show Deeper Undervaluation Than Bitcoin (BTC) Another XRP ETF Streak Ended This Week as Ripple’s Price Slumps Below $2 Ripple (XRP) Isn’t ‘Breaking Down’ Yet – But Sellers Still Haven’t Let Go ETF Flows, Regulation, and Expectations Shape 2026 Outlook Projections shared this week by crypto investment firm 21Shares offered a more measured framework for XRP’s path in 2026. The company outlined a base-case price near $2.45, a bull case around $2.70, and a bear case closer to $1.60.

The outlook leans heavily on regulatory clarity following the August 2025 settlement of the long-running SEC case, which reopened access for U.S. institutions and regulated funds.

21Shares also pointed to U.S. spot XRP ETFs as a structural demand source, noting more than $1.3 billion in assets under management within their first month. Still, the firm cautioned that sustained inflows, growth in tokenization activity, and adoption of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin remain necessary to justify higher valuations.

Recent technical coverage shows XRP moving within a narrow range between $1.80 and $2.00, with analysts watching whether the token can reclaim resistance near $2.00. As it stands, the increase in large wallets contrasts with a market that remains hesitant, leaving XRP in a holding pattern as 2026 unfolds.

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Company retires 92% of inherited debt and adds 334 BTC, highlighting strategic balance-sheet-driven crypto adoption

Market Sentiment:

Bullish Bearish Neutral

Published: January 29, 2026 │ 8:45 AM GMT

Created by Kornelija Poderskytė from DailyCoin

Financial service firm Strive Asset Management has solidified its spot among corporate Bitcoin heavyweights while cleaning up its balance sheet. 

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The company’s chairman and CEO Matt Cole announced it has retired roughly 92% of the debt inherited from its Semler Scientific acquisition and added approximately 334 BTC to its treasury.

The move propels Strive into the top 10 corporate Bitcoin holders, according to market trackers. The purchase came on the heels of a preferred stock offering that the company framed as long-duration equity funding, avoiding new leverage.

Upsized Raise Boosts Bitcoin Stack Investor demand for Strive’s Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock (SATA) reached roughly $600 million, prompting the company to increase the offering to $225 million from an initial $150 million. Proceeds were used to retire liabilities and expand Bitcoin holdings.

Strive retired $110 million in debt, including $90 million in convertible notes swapped for preferred stock and repayment of a $20 million Coinbase credit facility. 

With the facility cleared, the company’s BTC holdings are now fully unencumbered, and it plans to eliminate the remaining $10 million of debt within four months.

Reports vary slightly on the exact purchase, ranging from 333 BTC to 333.9 BTC at an average price of $89,851. Either way, Strive now holds 13,132 BTC, valued around $1.17 billion at current prices.

Stock Markets Stay Cautious Despite the stronger balance sheet and growing Bitcoin treasury, Strive shares dropped about 2.2% on the day of reporting, trading near $0.80. The stock remains down more than 90% from its previous peak linked to corporate Bitcoin enthusiasm.

Why This Matters Strive’s latest move underscores that corporate Bitcoin adoption is no longer just about stacking coins—it’s now about smart balance-sheet management and funding strategy, with investors paying close attention to how BTC is financed and whether it’s encumbered.

Dig into DailyCoin’s popular crypto scoops today:
Ripple Treasury Pushes Into RWAs and Stablecoins as DC Eyes Market Rules
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People Also Ask: What does it mean when a company holds Bitcoin?

It means the company has allocated part of its treasury or investment capital to purchase and store Bitcoin, often as a hedge, store of value, or for long-term appreciation.

How do companies fund Bitcoin purchases?

Corporations can fund BTC acquisitions using cash reserves, debt, equity offerings (like preferred stock), or a combination. Funding strategy affects financial stability and investor perception.

What does “encumbered” Bitcoin mean?

Encumbered Bitcoin is tied to a loan, obligation, or legal restriction, meaning it cannot be freely sold or transferred. Unencumbered Bitcoin is fully owned and unrestricted.

What does “corporate Bitcoin adoption” mean?

It refers to companies integrating Bitcoin into their treasury strategy, either as an investment, reserve asset, or part of financial operations, often signaling broader institutional acceptance.

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Fairshake and allied crypto PACs have raised $193m from Ripple, Coinbase, a16z and others as Congress wrangles over U.S. digital asset rules ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Summary

Fairshake and its affiliates amassed $193m by end‑2024 to back pro‑crypto candidates in 2025–2026.​ Ripple, Coinbase, a16z, Gemini, Crypto.com and Kraken anchor a multi‑million‑dollar industry lobbying push.​ TD Cowen now sees comprehensive U.S. digital asset legislation slipping to 2027–2029 amid election politics. Fairshake, a cryptocurrency-focused political action committee, raised $193 million by the end of 2024, positioning the group ahead of congressional votes on digital asset legislation and the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, according to CNBC.

Fairshake shakes up the crypto PAC landscape The total includes funds raised directly by Fairshake and its affiliated committees, Protect Progress and Defend American Jobs, which align with Democratic and Republican candidates respectively. The structure enables the network to support candidates across party lines, according to the organization.

Ripple, a blockchain firm, contributed $25 million in the second half of 2024, while venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz donated $24 million through its cryptocurrency division, a16z. Coinbase provided $25 million earlier in 2024, shortly before Fairshake disclosed it had accumulated $141 million.

The fundraising figure approaches what Fairshake collected during the entire 2024 election cycle. Federal Election Commission data show the PAC spent approximately $195 million during the last cycle supporting candidates it identified as favorable to digital assets. That spending period coincided with Congress passing initial legislation establishing regulatory guidelines for stablecoins.

A broader digital asset bill currently under negotiation in Congress is scheduled to receive its first vote this week in the Senate Agriculture Committee, while a parallel section under consideration by the Senate Banking Committee has been delayed amid ongoing disagreements, according to reports.

Fairshake reported spending more than $130 million on media purchases during the 2024 federal elections, promoting candidates it labeled “pro-crypto” and targeting opponents it considered hostile to the sector. The PAC now faces competition from several industry-linked political action committees that emerged in 2024.

Entities associated with cryptocurrency exchanges Gemini and Crypto.com disclosed a combined $21 million donation to a pro-Trump super PAC, according to reports. Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss separately donated $21 million worth of Bitcoin to the Digital Freedom Fund PAC. Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken committed $2 million to pro-crypto political efforts.

Fairshake spent more than $2 million on special House elections in Virginia and Florida in early 2025, according to the organization.

TD Cowen warned that efforts to establish a unified regulatory framework for digital assets in the United States could stall as lawmakers shift focus to the 2026 midterm elections. The bank’s Washington Research Group said the legislation is increasingly likely to pass in 2027 rather than 2025, with full implementation potentially delayed until 2029. Analysts stated that Senate Democrats may hesitate to support the bill ahead of elections that could reshape control of Congress.

Key NotesSources familiar with the matter said OpenAI’s social media platform will compete with major players such as X and Facebook, positioning itself as a “humans-only” platform.Worldcoin’s price rose from $0.45 to $0.65 before pulling back to around $0.52, while trading volume increased by more than 800%.OpenAI is reportedly considering a biometric “proof of personhood” system using Worldcoin’s iris-scanning technology. Sam Altman’s Worldcoin WLD $0.50 24h volatility: 9.5% Market cap: $1.40 B Vol. 24h: $828.78 M project is back in the spotlight as his AI company, OpenAI, unveils a new social media platform aimed at competing with Elon Musk’s X.

Following the announcement, Worldcoin’s price increased by 40%, attracting significant attention from traders.

Worldcoin Price Moves Following OpenAI Social Media News In the past 24 hours, Worldcoin rose from $0.45 to $0.65 before retracing to around $0.52. Its market capitalization currently stands at $1.44 billion.

Daily trading volume increased 820% to $681 million, indicating high activity among traders. WLD futures open interest also rose 75% to $192 million, according to Coinglass data.

Worldcoin rose on Jan. 29 after reports indicated that OpenAI is developing a new social media platform featuring a “proof of personhood” system.

In an interview with Forbes, sources familiar with the matter said OpenAI is exploring the development of a “humans-only” platform, which would allow it to differentiate itself from existing social media services.

Competing With Facebook, LinkedIn, and X Sources told Forbes that a small team of just 10 people is developing an app with a biometric identity verification feature.

They said any form of “proof of personhood” could be confirmed using Apple’s Face ID or the Worldcoin Orb scanner.

Worldcoin is a popular iris scanning identification project built by OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

The biometric verification system is intended to make sure that every account on OpenAI’s proposed social network corresponds to a real person.

On the other hand, platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and X have relied mainly on phone numbers, email verification, and behavioral or network-based signals to establish user authenticity.

None of these platforms currently use biometric verification.

In September 2025, OpenAI signed a $300 billion computing infrastructure agreement with Oracle, which briefly boosted Worldcoin’s price.

Separately, BitMine invested $250 million into WLD treasury reserves, citing the World ecosystem’s zero-knowledge proof technology as a tool for trust and verification in future platforms.

Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.

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Bhushan is a FinTech enthusiast and holds a good flair in understanding financial markets. His interest in economics and finance draw his attention towards the new emerging Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency markets. He is continuously in a learning process and keeps himself motivated by sharing his acquired knowledge. In free time he reads thriller fictions novels and sometimes explore his culinary skills.

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Dogecoin consolidates near key support as analysts split between a parabolic upside repeat of past cycles and a deeper bear phase if MA350 support finally breaks.

Tesla didn’t touch its bitcoin pile during the fourth quarter. The electric car giant still holds 11,509 coins worth roughly $1 billion, with bitcoin trading around $89,000 per coin as of late January.

The company dropped these numbers during its January 27 earnings call, and the news caught some folks off guard. Tesla took a $239 million hit on its digital assets during the quarter, which stung pretty bad considering bitcoin’s wild price swings. CFO Zachary Kirkhorn blamed market volatility for the loss but said Tesla still believes in bitcoin’s long-term potential. He kept things vague about future moves, though. The company’s approach stays “data-driven,” whatever that means in crypto terms.

Not exactly what Wall Street expected.

Musk’s firm jumped into bitcoin back in early 2021 with a massive $1.5 billion purchase that shocked the financial world. Since then, Tesla sold off about 10% of its holdings in 2021 to prove liquidity, but the company basically went quiet on major bitcoin moves after that. Now they’re sitting tight while bitcoin bounces around like a pinball. The decision to hold steady shows Tesla isn’t panicking, but it’s also not doubling down either.

Bitcoin crashed below $85,000 on January 25 before climbing back up. Those kinds of swings would make most CFOs lose sleep, but Tesla seems comfortable riding the waves. Musk has tweeted about crypto’s potential as decentralized money before, and his comments usually move markets. But he’s been quieter lately on the bitcoin front.

The $239 million loss hit Tesla’s balance sheet hard this quarter. That’s real money, even for a company Tesla’s size. But Kirkhorn said during the earnings call that Tesla views this as short-term noise rather than a fundamental problem with their bitcoin bet. “We remain optimistic about future opportunities in the cryptocurrency space,” he said, though he didn’t spell out what those opportunities might look like.

Tesla’s bitcoin strategy pretty much boils down to: buy, hold, and wait. The company hasn’t given any hints about selling more coins or buying additional ones. Analysts keep asking about it on earnings calls, but Tesla executives stay tight-lipped about their next moves. Maybe they don’t know yet, or maybe they’re just not telling.

The crypto market keeps doing its thing – swinging wildly and keeping everyone guessing. Bitcoin hit highs near $95,000 earlier this year before sliding back down. Tesla’s decision to hold through all that volatility shows either incredible patience or stubborn determination. Probably both. Other companies like MicroStrategy keep buying more bitcoin during dips, but Tesla seems content with its current stack.

Wall Street analysts can’t agree on whether Tesla’s bitcoin play makes sense anymore. Some think the company should sell and focus on cars and energy storage. Others believe holding bitcoin gives Tesla exposure to a potentially transformative technology. The truth is nobody really knows where bitcoin goes from here, including Tesla.

Tesla’s next earnings report in April might shed more light on their crypto thinking. Until then, investors will keep watching bitcoin’s price action and guessing what Musk might do next. The company’s silence on future bitcoin plans speaks volumes – they’re either playing it close to the vest or still figuring things out themselves.

For now, Tesla’s 11,509 bitcoins sit in digital wallets, gaining and losing millions in value every day. The company seems fine with that uncertainty, which is pretty remarkable for a traditional automaker. But then again, Tesla has never been traditional about anything.

The broader crypto market will keep testing Tesla’s resolve. If bitcoin crashes to $50,000, will Tesla finally sell? If it rockets to $150,000, will they buy more? Those questions remain unanswered, and Tesla isn’t talking. The company’s next quarterly report should reveal whether their hands-off approach continues or if market conditions force a change in strategy.

Tesla’s bitcoin experiment continues with no clear endpoint in sight. The company bought in during crypto’s early mainstream adoption phase and now finds itself holding a billion-dollar bet that could go either way. Musk’s influence on crypto markets remains significant, but he’s been more focused on Tesla’s core business lately rather than promoting digital currencies.

The January 27 earnings call didn’t provide much clarity on Tesla’s long-term crypto vision. Kirkhorn mentioned “future opportunities” but offered zero specifics about what those might entail. Tesla could start accepting bitcoin payments again, invest in other cryptocurrencies, or develop blockchain technology for its energy business. Or they could just keep holding and hoping bitcoin eventually justifies their faith.

Tesla’s bitcoin holdings put it in exclusive company among major corporations. Only a handful of public companies maintain significant cryptocurrency positions, with MicroStrategy leading the pack at over 400,000 bitcoins. Square (now Block) and Marathon Digital Holdings also hold substantial amounts, but Tesla’s billion-dollar stake makes it one of the largest corporate bitcoin holders globally.

The timing of Tesla’s bitcoin accumulation proved both fortunate and challenging. The company’s initial $1.5 billion purchase in early 2021 came just before bitcoin’s historic run to nearly $69,000 in November 2021. However, the subsequent crypto winter saw bitcoin plummet to around $15,500 by late 2022, creating paper losses that would have tested any corporate treasury strategy. Tesla’s current position suggests they weathered that storm without panic selling.

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Pi Coin selling pressure persists as CMF and MFI signal sustained investor outflows.February 2026 anniversary may revive interest, though market conditions differ significantly from launch.Pi Coin Price near $0.166 support; losing it risks drop toward $0.150 lows.Pi Coin price has extended its decline over the past few days, deepening losses across the market. The drop has pushed the altcoin closer to a potential new all-time low. 

Weak demand and fading investor support continue to weigh on price action. Current conditions suggest confidence remains fragile as selling pressure persists.

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Pi Coin Holders Are Not BullishPi Coin holders have increased withdrawals over recent days, signaling capital flight. The Chaikin Money Flow indicator has dropped below the zero line. It has also reached a six-week low. This shift confirms that outflows currently dominate inflows across the network.

Such CMF behavior typically reflects low conviction among investors. Market participants appear unwilling to accumulate Pi Coin at current levels. Without renewed buying interest, price stability remains difficult. The data suggests limited belief in a near-term recovery.

Want more token insights like this? Sign up for Editor Harsh Notariya’s Daily Crypto Newsletter here.

Pi Coin CMF. Source: TradingViewSelling pressure remains dominant across Pi Coin’s market structure. The Money Flow Index is sitting in negative territory. This indicates that volume-weighted selling outweighs buying activity. Such conditions limit the likelihood of a sustained rebound.

Historically, Pi Coin struggles to recover while MFI remains depressed. Buyers tend to stay sidelined during extended negative momentum. Until the indicator trends upward, price action is likely to remain constrained. Continued weakness could drive further declines.

Pi Coin MFI. Source: TradingViewSponsored

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Pi Coin Is Celebrating Its BirthdayFebruary 2026 marks Pi Coin’s first anniversary since its launch in February 2025. This milestone introduces a potential psychological catalyst. Anniversary periods often spark renewed interest among retail participants. Past performance, however, does not guarantee future outcomes.

In February 2025, Pi Coin surged 222% during its debut month. That rally was driven by early adoption and speculative demand. Whether similar enthusiasm returns remains uncertain. Market maturity and broader conditions now differ significantly.

Pi Coin Price Performance. Source: CryptorankPi Coin Price Is Closer To Historical LowsPi Coin price is trading near $0.166 at the time of writing. The token is hovering just above the $0.166 support aligned with the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement. This level is often viewed as a bear market support floor. Holding this zone is critical to avoid deeper losses.

If investor sentiment does not improve, further downside appears likely. A sustained breakdown could push Pi Coin toward its all-time low of $0.150. Such a move would place all holders in unrealized losses. This scenario would reinforce a bearish market structure.

Pi Coin Price Analysis. Source: TradingViewA recovery remains possible under improved conditions. If Pi Coin bounces from the 23.6% Fibonacci level, the price could reclaim $0.176. Flipping $0.180 into support would invalidate the bearish outlook. Positive momentum tied to anniversary-driven interest could aid this move.

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In line with the Trust Project guidelines, this price analysis article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice. BeInCrypto is committed to accurate, unbiased reporting, but market conditions are subject to change without notice. Always conduct your own research and consult with a professional before making any financial decisions. Please note that our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.

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Digital asset banking group Sygnum has completed the seed phase of the Starboard Sygnum BTC Alpha Fund. In the first four months, they raised “over 750” Bitcoin (BTC) from investors.

This response from professional and institutional investors, the press release says, shows “growing interest in actively managed Bitcoin strategies.” More specifically, these strategies can generate yield independent of spot price movements, Sygnum says.

The BTC Alpha Fund utilises institutional-grade service providers. Qualified professional investors in approved markets, including Switzerland and Singapore, can leverage its services.

📣 News: Sygnum and Starboard Digital raise over 750 BTC for BTC Alpha Fund

▪️ Over 750 BTC raised from professional investors in first four months, validating institutional demand for yield-generating Bitcoin strategies
▪️ First regulated bank globally to offer market-neutral… pic.twitter.com/1PTHym83RW

— Sygnum Bank (@sygnumofficial) January 29, 2026 The partners claim that the fund enables investors to grow BTC holdings over time while maintaining full exposure to the long-term price potential of the world’s number one crypto.

“The strategy captures pricing dislocations across major crypto markets by leveraging arbitrage opportunities between spot and derivatives instruments,” they explain.

At the same time, it maintains “a market-neutral exposure that seeks to limit reliance on Bitcoin’s day-to-day price movements.”

Moreover, the fund is integrated with Sygnum’s banking services. Select clients can access fund shares as collateral for USD Lombard Loans, therefore accessing “liquidity for other opportunities without selling their fund positions.”

This offer aims to solve what the team sees as an issue for long-term Bitcoin holders.

Nikolas Skarlatos of Starboard Digital Strategies commented that “generating yield on Bitcoin and still maintaining exposure to its appreciation potential has been a persistent challenge for institutional investors.”

Q4 Sees Annualised 8.9% Net ReturnSygnum cited a report that stated 68% of institutional investors have invested in BTC exchange-traded products or plan to do so. Interest in professionally managed, yield-generating strategies is increasing.

This is what the BTC Alpha Fund provides, it says.

Sygnum and Starboard Digital Strategies launched the Starboard Sygnum BTC Alpha Fund in October 2025. Starboard Digital is an Athens-based team that designs and operates proprietary and regulated asset solutions, market-neutral strategies, and tailored investment products.

📣 News: Swiss Bank Sygnum Launches BTC Alpha Fund in collaboration with Starboard Digital to Generate Yield on Bitcoin

▪️New fund enables investors to maintain Bitcoin price exposure while targeting 8-10% annual target returns through arbitrage trading strategies converted into… pic.twitter.com/M4poe8lit3

— Sygnum Bank (@sygnumofficial) October 1, 2025 Upon its launch, the fund’s stated target was 8%-10% annual returns in BTC through market-neutral arbitrage trading.

Per this latest press release, the fund delivered an annualised 8.9% net return in BTC for the last quarter of 2025.

Per Markus Hämmerli, head of the BTC Alpha Fund, “the fund’s Q4 performance demonstrates that professional Bitcoin management can deliver meaningful results even when spot markets are flat or declining.”

Notably, the teams note that investors are turning “from pure directional calls to generating additional returns that can hold up across different market conditions.”

This comes at the time when exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows “swing sharply,” and spot BTC is seeing “a structurally declining volatility.”

The team behind it says that they designed the novel fund specifically for those investors pursuing yield within an institutional-grade structure. It offers monthly liquidity and keeps assets off-exchange.

“As Bitcoin becomes a core portfolio allocation for institutional investors, we’re seeing growing demand for strategies that can generate returns beyond simple price appreciation,” Hämmerli concludes.

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Incoming Demand Shock and Multiplier Effect: Crypto Market Preparing for Strong Momentum, Says Sygnum CIO Fabian Dori

In an interview with Cryptonews.com, Fabian Dori, CIO at digital asset bank Sygnum, discusses a potential long-term demand shock, the power of “the multiplier effect”, shrinking BTC liquid supply, expanding ETF demand, the effect the shift has on the crypto market, and more. In a recent email, Dori argued that the crypto market is potentially in for a long-term demand shock, not short-term speculative flows. This follows significant regulatory progress, specifically in the US, which has...

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The crypto market saw massive selloffs on Thursday, causing the total market cap to fall more than 1% from $3.04 trillion to $2.98 trillion over the last 24 hours. Over $60 billion was wiped out further during the broader crypto market selloffs.

BTC pared earlier gains and fell back to $87K levels, with Friday’s $8.5 billion BTC options expiry potentially taking the price further lower. On Wednesday, CoinGape alerted about an upcoming Bitcoin price crash this week.

ETH also failed to hold upside momentum and dropped more than 2% to a low of $2,934 amid intense selling pressure. Top altcoins including XRP, SOL, DOGE, ADA, HYPE, and WLD saw massive profit booking after the US FED held rates steady and Jerome Powell highlighted a hawkish outlook.

Furthermore, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index slipped from 29 to 26 (fear) over the past 24 hours, indicating that positive sentiment among traders is waning.

Jerome Powell Signals Fed Rate Cut Pause amid Hawkish Tone The US FED kept interest rates steady following a two-day FOMC meeting, signaling the start of an interest rate pause cycle. Federal Reserve officials voted 10-2 to leave interest rates unchanged.

Fed Governors Stephen Miran and Chris Waller favored a 25 bps rate cut. The committee will continue to assess incoming data to adjust monetary policy.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell clarified that a rate hike isn’t the base case for anyone at the moment. The central bank is unlikely to make further rate cuts unless the labor market weakens again.

CME FedWatch Tool shows that market participants are already pricing in the possibility of the Fed holding interest rates steady at the March FOMC meeting.

The US dollar index (DXY) holds slightly above 96 after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed speculation of US intervention to support Japanese yen. Moreover, the US 10-year Treasury yield also rose slightly to 4.265%.

The rising uncertainty triggered crypto market selloffs, with BTC and ETH prices falling as traders turned cautious.

Massive Liquidations amid Crypto Market Selloffs CoinGlass data shows almost $350 million liquidated from leading crypto assets in the last 24 hours. More than 118K traders were liquidated in the last 24 hours. The largest single liquidation order of BTC happened on Hyperliquid, which was valued at $31.64 million.

Notably, almost $250 million in long and $100 million in short positions were liquidated over the past 24 hours. $105 million in long positions got liquidated in just an hour.

BTC, ETH, XAU, HYPE, SOL, WLD, XRP, RIVER, ENA, ZEC, DOGE, JTO, and SUI were the most liquidated in the past 24 hours. Worldcoin price spiked as Sam Altman’s OpenAI is exploring a biometric social media platform to fight online bots, but pared earlier gains.

Crypto Liquidations Per Hour. Source: Coinglass On-Chain Data Signals Weakness Ahead of Options Expiry Glassnode reported that BTC is consolidating with muted trading volumes, with spot interest rebuilding slowly and options traders leaning bearish. Notably, long-term Bitcoin holders have sold about 143,000 BTC in the past 30 days, the fastest pace since August.

Bitcoin Long-Term Holder Positions. Source: Glassnode BTC options with a notional value of $8.5 billion to expire on Friday, with a put-call ratio of 0.56. The max pain price is at $90,000, with options traders hedging for downside protection.

Meanwhile, Santiment noted that Bitcoin ETFs saw significant outflows leading up to the FED interest rate decision. In the last seven trading days, spot BTC ETFs have recorded a total of $1.86 billion in net outflows. It also highlighted money flows and trading volume in ETH, XRP, and SOL.

Bitcoin ETFs Outflows in 7 Days. Source: Santiment Bitcoin ETFs saw a net outflow of $19.6 million on Wednesday. BlackRock Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) led with $14.2 million in outflows. Capital rotates out of crypto into equities, gold, and metals.

Meanwhile, analyst Ted Pillows noted that Coinbase Bitcoin Premium continues to deteriorate. Institutional investors continue to sell BTC for other assets.

PI has marked at least three ATLs in the past few days.

Fundstrat Global Advisors managing partner Tom Lee says Bitcoin and crypto asset prices are failing to reflect improving industry fundamentals.

In a new interview on CNBC’s Power Lunch, Lee says the crypto sector continues to feel the effects of a major deleveraging event that occurred on October 10th, which he says “crippled many of the key players in the industry,” including exchanges and market makers.

That sell-off was triggered by President Trump threatening new, heavy tariffs on Chinese imports, specifically targeting rare earth metal restrictions.

“So the industry is sort of limping along, but the fundamentals have improved a lot. And I think even Davos really amplified that Wall Street is now starting to view traditional finance and tokenization and blockchains as one business that’s converging.”

Despite positive crypto developments, Lee says the precious metals move has “sucked a lot of the oxygen out of the room.”

He says part of the dynamic is mechanical. As gold and silver rise, Lee says investors using margin or options allocate capacity toward metals instead of other risk assets such as large-cap technology stocks or cryptocurrencies.

He adds that historically, pauses in gold and silver rallies have preceded surges in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).

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Generated Image: Midjourney

3 XRP Ledger Records Are Signaling a Strong RecoveryXRP Ledger sets three major records, signaling potential recovery despite price weakness.Whale wallets holding over one million XRP increase for first time.DEX and chain transactions surge, historically linked to strong god candle rallies.XRP’s price action on spot exchanges has continued to weaken toward the end of January. The token has dropped below $1.9, putting the year’s most important support level under serious threat. Despite the bearish price trend, on-chain data from the XRP Ledger (XRPL) has reached several notable record highs.

These new milestones give analysts reason to expect that XRP could soon stage a strong rebound.

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3 Key Records the XRP Ledger Set in JanuaryThis month, many investors have increased selling pressure by moving XRP onto exchanges and offloading their holdings.

This behavior has pushed XRP reserves on major platforms such as Binance and Upbit sharply higher. As a result, XRP’s price has fallen below $1.9.

At the same time, large players appear to be treating the decline as a buying opportunity.

Data from Santiment, an on-chain analytics platform, show that for the first time since September 2025, the number of wallets holding at least 1 million XRP has begun to rise again.

XRP Millionaire Numbers Growing. Source: SantimentThe chart indicates that 42 new wallets of this size have returned to activity on the ledger since the start of the year. At today’s XRP price, each wallet is worth at least $1.8 million.

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This development is widely seen as a bullish long-term signal. If selling pressure weakens while whale accumulation continues, XRP could recover sooner than expected.

“A net of +42 wallets with at least 1M $XRP have returned to the ledger, an encouraging sign for the long-term,” Santiment reported.

The second major record comes from activity on decentralized exchanges.

According to CryptoQuant, the 14-day average number of DEX transactions on the XRP Ledger has reached 1.014 million, breaking above a ceiling that had held since early 2025.

XRP Ledger: DEX Transaction Count. Source: CryptoQuantSponsored

This surge may reflect Ripple’s ongoing expansion of institutional and national partnerships over the past year. These efforts have aimed to increase adoption and real-world use of the XRP Ledger.

The chart suggests this is not just a short-term spike. The moving average confirms a steady upward trend in trading activity.

The rise highlights growing demand for token swaps and DeFi interactions across XRPL.

“Historically, breaking such a long-standing resistance in on-chain activity often correlates with renewed market interest and potential positive price action for the native asset,” CryptoQuant analyst CryptoOnchain commented.

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Additionally, a comparison of XRP’s transaction volume and price may indicate an early recovery.

Data from Artemis shows that XRP’s daily chain transactions have exceeded 2 million, reaching 2.5 million at certain points this month.

Ripple Chain Transactions. Source: ArtemisHistorical patterns reveal two similar periods in 2025 when transaction counts surged above 2 million. The first occurred between January and March 2025, and the second between June and July 2025.

Both phases were followed by explosive price moves. XRP formed a “god candle” rally above $3, and it reached an all-time high of $3.6 in July. Because of this, the recent return of strong on-chain activity may suggest the potential for another similar breakout.

These records do not guarantee that XRP will avoid further downside, especially given the broader negative sentiment across the crypto market. However, they note that the XRP Ledger’s underlying fundamentals remain strong. This sustained network growth continues to support confidence in a possible recovery ahead.

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Thu, 29/01/2026 - 6:36

Strategy is currently consuming nearly 350% of the new daily supply issuance of Bitcoin (BTC), but there are questions about possible rehypothecation.

Cover image via U.Today Strategy founder Michael Saylor recently took to the X social media network to clarify that the company actually buys real Bitcoin. 

The CEO asserts that MicroStrategy audits its custodians and rejects the dangerous practice of rehypothecation.

In a fiery exchange on X, the MicroStrategy founder pushed back against concerns raised by cypherpunk and Casa co-founder Jameson Lopp.

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The debate began after Saylor announced MicroStrategy’s latest acquisition on Jan. 26. As reported by U.Today, the company purchased a total of 2,932 BTC for $264 million. This brought the firm's total stack to a staggering 712,647 BTC following recent mammoth purchases. 

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Despite the supply shock, Bitcoin's price action remained eerily stagnant. MicroStrategy bought nearly 4x the amount of Bitcoin mined globally in 2026 so far, but the price barely budged. 

Lopp then caused quite a stir on social media by implying that Strategy does not actually buy real Bitcoin.

"Does Strategy actually verify that their bitcoin only belongs to them and isn't rehypothecated? I'm skeptical," he said. However, Saylor quickly took to X to reject this narrative. 

Rehypothecation, explainedMicroStrategy relies on third-party custodians (like Fidelity or Coinbase Prime). Lopp questioned how Saylor knows those custodians aren't lending out his massive stack to generate yield.

Rehypothecation occurs when a bank or broker takes assets that belong to a client and uses them for their own purposes. Such an asset can be lent out to other parties or used as collateral for their own trades.

Such a controversial practice creates a "paper claim" on the asset. If the bank or the borrower fails (as seen with FTX, Celsius, and BlockFi), the original owner may find that their assets are gone.

"Real Bitcoin" means the unencumbered asset sits in a specific address on the blockchain. "Rehypothecated Bitcoin" implies that the same coin might be promised to multiple people.

"People ask for proof of reserves since they don't even know what monitoring/assurances you put in place," Lopp retorted.

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The rising strength of precious metals like gold & silver has kept crypto markets largely muted, with Bitcoin once again slipping below the $88,000 mark. Major altcoins such as Ethereum, XRP, and Solana struggled to clear nearby resistance, reflecting broader indecision. Against this backdrop, Worldcoin stood out, posting a sudden surge of over 40% within minutes and briefly breaking away from the wider market trend. However, the move quickly unravelled. WLD price erased more than 12% soon after the spike, raising questions over the rally’s sustainability. What triggered the sharp reversal, and why did bullish momentum fade so quickly?

Rumour-Driven Rally Lacked On-Chain SupportA significant portion of Worldcoin’s sharp rally was fueled by renewed rumors that OpenAI could be exploring a “humans-only” social media platform that leverages Worldcoin’s identity-verification technology. The speculation was enough to ignite aggressive short-term positioning, triggering a sudden surge in trading activity. During the move, WLD volume spiked by over 800%, pushing the price rapidly from $0.45 to $0.65 as momentum traders rushed in.

However, despite the explosive rise in volume, on-chain participation told a different story. Retail activity failed to expand meaningfully during the rally. Santiment data shows that active address counts have continued to decline since the Q4 2025 spike, indicating a lack of fresh network engagement. This divergence suggests the move was likely driven by large holders, institutional flows, or market-making activity, rather than broad-based retail accumulation. The swift 12%+ pullback that followed further reinforces the view that the rally lacked structural demand and was vulnerable once momentum faded.

Worldcoin Price Analysis: Can WLD Reclaim $0.7 This Month?Worldcoin witnessed a strong upside expansion during the Q4 2025 mini bull run, rallying to highs above $2.20. Since then, price action has remained under sustained pressure, transitioning into a steep descending trend and eventually printing lows below $0.44. While the recent rebound attempted to reclaim the $0.70 supply zone, the move lacked strength and was decisively rejected, keeping the broader downtrend intact. This failure now raises a key question: is momentum fading further, or is WLD attempting to stabilize for a recovery?

As observed on the daily chart, WLD continues to trade within a descending parallel channel, reflecting persistent bearish control. Despite the latest pullback, the price is still hovering near the upper boundary of the channel, leaving room for short-term stabilization. However, momentum indicators flash caution. The RSI shows a bearish divergence, signaling weakening upside strength, while Bollinger Bands remain relatively expanded, suggesting the absence of volatility compression. Combined with subdued buying volume, this setup points toward continued consolidation or downside pressure, unless fresh demand enters the market.

The Bottom Line: Can Worldcoin Price Reclaim $1 in February 2026?Worldcoin’s recent volatility highlights a market driven more by speculation than structural demand. While rumors sparked a sharp price and volume surge, on-chain data showed no revival in active addresses, weakening the rally’s credibility. Technically, the WLD price remains trapped within a descending channel, with momentum indicators flashing caution. Reclaiming $1 in February 2026 would require a decisive breakout above channel resistance, sustained volume, and renewed network participation. Until then, upside attempts risk fading into consolidation or further pullbacks.

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Russia is moving closer to passing its most detailed crypto law so far, as lawmakers prepare to vote on a long-awaited regulation bill aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on the U.S. dollar.

The proposal aims to control crypto trading, limit retail exposure, and allow stablecoins for global trade, with full implementation planned for mid-2027.

According to Anatoly Aksakov, chair of the Financial Market Committee in the Russian State Duma, confirmed that the crypto regulation bill is set for a vote by late June. If passed, it would take effect on July 1, 2027, finally giving Russia clear rules for crypto trading.

Under the proposed law, all crypto exchanges would need to register and follow strict rules. Platforms operating without approval could face large fines or even prison time, similar to penalties for illegal banking activity.

Retail investors would face new limits. Before buying crypto, individuals must pass a qualification test. Even then, annual purchases would be capped at 300,000 rubles, or about $4,000/year. Lawmakers say this is meant to protect small investors from heavy losses.

Privacy-focused coins are expected to be restricted, and cryptocurrencies would still not be allowed for everyday payments inside Russia.

Stablecoins Allowed for Foreign TradeOne major change in the bill is how it treats stablecoins. While crypto payments will still be banned inside Russia, stablecoins would be allowed for foreign trade and cross-border payments.

The bill also gives the Central Bank of Russia the authority to decide which cryptocurrencies can be legally traded. 

This shows a softer approach from the central bank, which earlier supported a complete crypto ban.

Years of Delay, Momentum Finally BuildsCrypto regulation in Russia has been delayed for years due to disagreements between the finance ministry and the central bank. However, rising demand for dollar-free payments and more investment choices has pushed regulators toward compromise.

If passed, the law would allow both retail and institutional investors limited access to Bitcoin and other approved assets by mid-2027, marking a major shift in Russia’s crypto policy.

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Arthur Hayes thinks Bitcoin’s about to explode. The BitMEX co-founder sees the Federal Reserve getting ready to prop up Japan’s yen through what he calls stealth money printing, and that spells big gains for crypto.

Hayes dropped his prediction after watching the yen get hammered by global economic chaos and Japanese Government Bond yields spike higher. He’s betting the Fed will step in quietly to help Japan out, basically flooding markets with fresh cash that’ll find its way into Bitcoin and other digital assets. The move would be classic quantitative easing disguised as currency intervention, Hayes said. And crypto always loves more liquidity.

Markets are buzzing with speculation.

The yen’s been getting crushed lately, trading around 128 to the dollar on January 26. That’s putting serious pressure on Japan’s economy since everything they import costs more. Hayes thinks the Fed can’t just sit back and watch one of America’s biggest allies struggle with currency chaos. But the central bank hasn’t said anything official yet about helping Japan out.

Hayes told investors to watch the Fed’s H.4.1 report like hawks. That’s the weekly release showing exactly what’s on the central bank’s balance sheet and how much cash is sloshing around the system. Any big jumps in those numbers could signal the liquidity wave he’s expecting. “Keep your eyes glued to that report,” Hayes said in his latest blog post.

Bitcoin’s sitting around $35,000 right now. Traders are getting antsy.

The crypto crowd knows that when central banks start printing money, digital assets usually rocket higher. It’s happened before during past Fed interventions, and Hayes thinks history’s about to repeat itself. He’s got a track record of making bold calls that sometimes pan out big. But this time feels different because it involves two major central banks potentially working together.

The Bank of Japan didn’t make any moves at its January 27 meeting, which left everyone guessing about what comes next. Their February 2026 meeting could be huge if they decide to team up with the Fed on yen support. Market analysts are already gaming out scenarios where coordinated central bank action sends Bitcoin past $50,000. Others think it’s wishful thinking.

Hayes isn’t the only one watching these currency moves closely. The whole crypto market has been volatile as traders try to figure out which way global money flows are heading. When traditional currencies get shaky, investors often pile into Bitcoin as a hedge. And if the Fed really does start pumping liquidity to help Japan, that could be the catalyst crypto has been waiting for.

The timing matters here. Bitcoin’s been stuck in a range for weeks while traders wait for the next big move. Central bank intervention could break that pattern fast. Hayes pointed out that past Fed actions to support foreign currencies usually led to asset price inflation across the board. Crypto got some of the biggest gains during those periods.

Nobody knows exactly what the Fed’s planning. Officials haven’t confirmed any yen intervention plans, leaving markets to guess based on currency movements and bond yields. But the speculation alone has traders positioning for potential Bitcoin rallies. Some are already buying the dip, betting Hayes got it right again.

The next few weeks could be wild. Both the Fed and Bank of Japan have meetings coming up that might reveal their next moves. If they announce coordinated action to stabilize the yen, Bitcoin could see massive inflows from investors chasing the liquidity wave. Hayes thinks it’s basically guaranteed at this point.

Market watchers are split on whether Hayes called it right this time. His predictions have been hit or miss over the years, but he’s got enough credibility that people listen when he talks. The crypto community is definitely paying attention to every Fed statement and yen movement now. Any hint of intervention could send Bitcoin prices soaring overnight.

The yen situation keeps getting worse though. Japan’s import costs are crushing their economy, and something’s got to give soon. Hayes thinks the Fed won’t let a key ally suffer much longer. When they act, crypto wins big according to his theory.

Bitcoin hit $35,247 in early trading today as speculation builds around potential central bank moves.

The currency intervention playbook Hayes references has deep historical precedent. Back in 2011, the G7 nations coordinated a massive yen intervention after Japan’s earthquake and tsunami sent their currency spiraling. The Fed participated by providing dollar liquidity swaps, pumping billions into global markets. Risk assets including early crypto experiments saw significant gains during that period. More recently, the Swiss National Bank’s euro interventions in 2015 created similar liquidity spillovers that benefited Bitcoin when it was still trading under $300.

Japan’s debt dynamics make the current situation particularly explosive for crypto markets. The country’s debt-to-GDP ratio sits above 250%, making them extremely sensitive to rising bond yields. When 10-year JGB yields pushed past 1% last week, it triggered automatic selling by Japanese pension funds and insurance companies. These institutions manage over $6 trillion in assets and are required to rebalance when yields spike. Their forced selling creates the exact type of financial stress that historically pushes the Fed toward emergency liquidity measures. Goldman Sachs analysts estimate that every 0.25% rise in JGB yields forces roughly $200 billion in portfolio adjustments across Japanese institutions.

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As the market bounces from the recent lows, Dogecoin (DOGE) is attempting to turn a crucial area back into support. Some analysts have highlighted that the cryptocurrency could be repeating its past performances, which could lead to a massive move in the coming months.

Pump.fun has brought Polymarket, Delphi Digital, and Pantera Capital on board as advisors for its $3 million Build in Public hackathon.

Summary

Pump.fun launched a $3 million hackathon focused on building products in public. Advisors will support teams through feedback and visibility, not judging. Funding decisions are guided by open market activity and user traction. Pump.fun has appointed advisors from several prominent crypto firms for its new Build in Public hackathon, a $3 million initiative designed to support founders who launch and grow projects transparently.

The development was announced on Jan. 28 via a media release shared with crypto.news. Pump,fun’s new initiative is structured around a simple idea. Builders ship early, share progress publicly, and let real market activity determine which projects gain traction and funding. 

Pump.fun said the hackathon is open to founders at any stage, from early concepts to live products. Applications opened on Jan. 19 and close on Feb. 18, with some teams expected to secure funding before the deadline.

Advisors join as market participants, not judges The advisory group brings together executives and investors from across the crypto industry, including Polymarket, Delphi Digital, Pantera Capital, Kraken, Jump Crypto, Manifold Ventures, Arca, Draper Investments, Helius, Privy, and 6th Man Ventures.

Crypto’s BIGGEST Advisors are joining the Pump fun BiP Hackathon!

Now is your chance to access the most successful & biggest thinkers in crypto & beyond, as well as the chance to receive a part of the $3M investment from Pump Fund, regardless of your stage

Meet the Advisors 👇 pic.twitter.com/LoaymLUB1c

— Pump.fun (@Pumpfun) January 28, 2026 According to Pump.fun, advisors will engage with projects in public, share feedback, and help promising teams gain attention and distribution. They will not score applications or formally select winners. Instead, market momentum will serve as the primary signal.

Alon, co-founder of Pump.fun (PUMP), said the approach reflects how product development has evolved. While AI tools have lowered the barrier to building software, he noted that access to early-stage funding remains difficult. The aim, he said, is to let builders demonstrate demand first and allow capital to follow proven traction.

Delphi Digital co-founder Anil Lulla echoed that view, pointing to the growing importance of building in public and learning directly from users. As software creation becomes more accessible, he said, market response, rather than private pitch meetings, often reveals which ideas have staying power.

Funding structure and build-in-public approach The hackathon will allocate $3 million across 12 selected teams, with funding delivered through token-based deals. Participants must launch a token on Pump.fun, retain a portion of the supply to remain aligned with users, and share regular updates throughout the build process.

Projects are organized into three tracks based on maturity, ranging from early-stage ideas to working products with initial revenue signals. The program is open to both crypto-native and non-crypto teams, provided founders are willing to operate transparently and let usage, trading activity, and community engagement guide outcomes.

Pump.fun said it has already received applications across areas such as prediction markets, consumer apps, decentralized finance, trading infrastructure, developer tools, and AI-driven on-chain products.

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Crypto research firm CryptoQuant has flagged a potentially troubling development for Bitcoin (BTC) and the wider digital asset market, pointing to an early warning signal that has historically appeared ahead of prolonged downturns. 

In a report released Wednesday, the firm noted that Bitcoin’s supply in loss metric has begun to rise again, a shift that has often marked the early stages of past bear markets.

Possible Shift Toward Bear Market Structure According to analysis by CryptoQuant contributor Woominkyu, increases in supply held at a loss tend to signal that market weakness is spreading beyond short‑term traders and gradually affecting longer‑term holders.

In previous market cycles, including 2014, 2018, and 2022, this indicator started trending upward well before prices reached their eventual lows. 

During those periods, Bitcoin prices continued to decline even after the metric turned higher, with true market bottoms forming only once supply in loss expanded much further and broader capitulation set in.

BTC supply in loss. Source: CryptoQuant At present, CryptoQuant notes that Bitcoin’s supply in loss remains well below levels typically associated with full market capitulation. However, the change in direction itself is significant. 

The analysts say it suggests the market may be shifting into a bearish structural phase, rather than experiencing a brief correction within an ongoing bull market.

Bitcoin’s recent price action appears to reflect that uncertainty. The asset is currently trading around $89,700 and has struggled to reclaim the key $90,000 level as support. 

The 1-D chart shows BTC’s inability to reclaim and consolidate above the key $90,000 level. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView.com This follows a steady decline from earlier yearly-highs near $98,000, where upward momentum faded as buying pressure weakened and gains recorded at the start of the year were fully erased.

US Dollar Tests Historic Zone For Bitcoin Rallies Despite these cautionary signals, not all analysts believe the outlook is entirely negative. Analysts at Bull Theory have highlighted a potentially bullish catalyst that could emerge in the months ahead, centered on movements in the US dollar. 

In a recent post on social media platform X (previously Twitter) the firm pointed out that the US Dollar Index is testing the same zone that preceded major Bitcoin bull runs in both 2017 and 2021.

According to their analysis, the Dollar Index has broken below a long‑term trendline that has held for roughly 16 years and is now hovering around the critical level of 96. Historically, periods when the DXY fell below 96 and remained there coincided with strong Bitcoin rallies. 

As seen in the chart below, in mid‑2017, the index dropped under that level, after which Bitcoin surged nearly eightfold over the following five to six months. A similar pattern played out during the 2020 pandemic era. 

Bitcoin’s historical rallies against the US dollar’s performance. Source: Bull Theory on X When a wave of liquidity entered financial markets at the time, the DXY again slipped below 96, and Bitcoin went on to rise roughly seven times over the next seven to eight months. During that same period, Ethereum (ETH) and many altcoins posted gains of tenfold or more.

For now, the market sits at a crossroads. On‑chain data points to early bear‑market dynamics, while macro signals linked to the US dollar offer a counter‑narrative that could favor renewed strength. 

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com 

Dogecoin corrected some gains and traded below $0.1220 against the US Dollar. DOGE is now holding the $0.120 support but might decline further.

DOGE price started a fresh downside correction from $0.1275. The price is trading below the $0.1225 level and the 100-hourly simple moving average. There was a break below a bullish trend line with support at $0.1245 on the hourly chart of the DOGE/USD pair (data source from Kraken). The price could aim for a fresh increase if it remains stable above $0.1200. Dogecoin Price Trims Gains Dogecoin price started a downside correction after it failed to clear $0.1275, like Bitcoin and Ethereum. DOGE declined below the $0.1250 and $0.1245 levels.

There was a move below the 50% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $0.1175 swing low to the $0.1275 high. Besides, there was a break below a bullish trend line with support at $0.1245 on the hourly chart of the DOGE/USD pair.

Dogecoin price is now trading below the $0.1225 level and the 100-hourly simple moving average. Immediate resistance on the upside is near the $0.1235 level. The first major resistance for the bulls could be near the $0.1250 level.

Source: DOGEUSD on TradingView.com The next major resistance is near the $0.1275 level. A close above the $0.1275 resistance might send the price toward $0.1350. Any more gains might send the price toward $0.1380. The next major stop for the bulls might be $0.1420.

More Losses In DOGE? If DOGE’s price fails to climb above the $0.1250 level, it could continue to move down. Initial support on the downside is near the $0.120 level and the 76.4% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $0.1175 swing low to the $0.1275 high.

The next major support is near the $0.1192 level. The main support sits at $0.1150. If there is a downside break below the $0.1150 support, the price could decline further. In the stated case, the price might slide toward the $0.1080 level or even $0.1050 in the near term.

Technical Indicators

Hourly MACD – The MACD for DOGE/USD is now gaining momentum in the bearish zone.

Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for DOGE/USD is now below the 50 level.

Major Support Levels – $0.1200 and $0.1150.

Major Resistance Levels – $0.1250 and $0.1275.

Higher oil prices could add to inflation, making it harder for the Fed to cut rates rapidly.Updated Jan 29, 2026, 5:27 a.m. Published Jan 29, 2026, 5:22 a.m.

For bitcoin BTC$88,108.15 bulls, it feels like one setback after another. First precious metals like gold and silver surged to record highs, sucking capital away from the crypto market. And now oil's starting to surge too, threatening to skew macroeconomic forces in favor of bitcoin bears.

The per barrel price for the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, a type of light, sweet crude from Texas fields serving as benchmark for North American energy pricing, has risen by 12% to $64.30 this month. That's the highest price since September. It's European and international benchmark, Brent, has seen a similar rise to $68.22.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

This is bad news for bitcoin bulls counting on steady inflation and lower interest rates in the U.S. and other parts of the world to reignite the rally. Bitcoin peaked above $126,000 in early October and has since dropped to under $90,000.

Oil feeds into inflationOil is a key ingredient in everyday goods and services, so when its price rises, it raises costs across the board. Higher oil makes gasoline pricier raising transport costs for everything, including food deliveries, clothes, electronics and more. These costs are then passed on the final consumer, raising the general price level in the economy.

This, in turn, leads to workers asking higher wages to keep up with rising inflation, leading to a self-fulfilling cycle where salaries climb, companies then raise prices even more.

"We find that oil price pass-through to inflation is both economically and statistically significant, and that it occurs both directly and through second-round effects," Federal Reserve's explainer says. "Higher energy prices can also raise consumer and business expectations for future inflation, indirectly raising food and core prices now."

Central banks typically react to rising inflation by hiking borrowing costs, making credit and money pricier across the board, just as the Fed did in 2022 when it rapidly raised interest rates to tame inflation. Bitcoin fell by 64% that year, with the so-called Fed tightening playing a major role in destabilizing the asset.

The latest oil price upswing comes as the Fed grapples with fresh inflation worries. On Wednesday, the central bank kept interest rates unchanged in the target range of 4.5% to 4.75%, and said inflation remains “somewhat elevated” due to President Donald Trump's tariffs – taxes on goods imported from abroad.

According to ING, the accompanying statement and press conference suggested that the Fed is "more confidence that the policy easing cycle is close to a conclusion."

In other words, the Fed sees no rush to cut rates, and rising oil could firm up its stance against quick liquidity easing.

Why is oil rallying?Fears of Trump striking Iran, a major oil producer, plus shrinking U.S. inventories are pushing oil prices higher.

In a Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump said that a massive Armada was headed towards Iran and made references to Venezuela, which the US military raided early this month. He asked Iran to make a deal on nuclear weapons or face a "far worse" U.S. attack.

Iran retaliated to Trump's threat by vowing to "respond like never before," while highlighting the human and economic cost of a potential U.S. adventure.

At the same time, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data released Wednesday showed that oil inventories in the U.S. decreased by 2.3 million barrels during the week ended Jan. 24.

Dropping oil inventories typically signal stronger demand outpacing supply, where refineries pull more from stocks to meet needs.

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Crypto prices stabilized after an early-week dip, but bitcoin continued to trail gold and silver as macro trades dominated after the Fed’s policy hold.

What to know:

Bitcoin hovered around $89,100 after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, with trading subdued despite modest gains in ether, solana, BNB and dogecoin.A sharp rebound in the U.S. dollar and continued strength in commodities, especially record-high gold and elevated silver and copper, have overshadowed crypto markets.Analysts say bitcoin is trading more like a high-beta risk asset than a macro hedge, stuck in a bearish consolidation about 30 percent below its October peak and struggling to break above key resistance near $89,000.

Bitcoin traded down on Wednesday as gold rallied 4.4% over 24 hours, adding a massive $1.65 trillion to its market cap in a single day. 

Gold breached $5,500 per troy ounce, bringing it to a new all-time high, while its total market cap rose to $38.77 trillion, with the single-day increase nearly matching Bitcoin’s (BTC) $1.75 trillion market cap, Infinite Market Cap data shows.

Silver is on a tear too, having rallied 21.5% over the last week to a $6.6 trillion market cap, further expanding its lead on Nvidia — the largest publicly traded company — in the process.

Largest assets by market cap. Source: Infinite Market Cap
The multi-month precious metals rally — seen as a result of the “debasement trade” — has been in contrast to Bitcoin’s lackluster performance, despite arguements BTC should also behave like a safe haven asset. 

The price of Bitcoin has struggled to lift since early October, when it was hit by a crypto market crash that saw more than $19 billion worth of positions liquidated.

Before that Oct. 10 crash, investors were increasingly embracing the idea that Bitcoin and gold would serve as debasement trades during periods of fiscal irresponsibility and monetary expansion.

The current gap between gold and Bitcoin is more apparent when looking at a five-year timeframe, with gold outperforming Bitcoin over the last five years, having risen 173%, while Bitcoin is up only 164%.

Bitcoin could be undervalued, institutional investors sayHowever, a Coinbase survey released earlier this week found that 71% of 75 institutional investors think Bitcoin is undervalued when priced between $85,000 and $95,000.

About 80% of the institutional investors said they would either hold their crypto positions or buy more in response to another 10% crypto market fall, signaling long-term conviction in the asset class.

Bitcoin, gold sentiment on opposite ends of spectrumThe difference in investor confidence between Bitcoin and gold has also been reflected in sentiment indexes. 

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, which measures Bitcoin and broader crypto market sentiment, is currently 26 out of 100, in the “fear” zone, while JM Bullion’s Fear & Greed Index score for gold is 99 out of 100, in the “extreme greed” zone.

Source: JM Bullion
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