According to an official announcement, Bitget has launched USDT-based FRAX and FOGO perpetual contracts, with maximum leverage ratios of 50x and 25x respectively. A contract trading bot will also be available simultaneously. Additionally, participants can join the FOGO CandyBomb event to unlock airdrop rewards by completing specific contract trading volume tasks. Each participant can receive up to 5,000 FOGOs, with a total prize pool of 1,000,000 FOGOs. The event ends on January 22nd at 22:00 (UTC+8).

According to official news, OKX's "Collective Earning for Contracts Season" event is now officially launched. During the event, users can participate by forming teams of 5 new OKX users. Once the entire team completes registration, KYC verification, and contract grid trading tasks, they can receive a 200 USDT real-time reward. The reward is exclusively awarded to the team leader, while the invited contributors will receive exclusive rewards for new users. This event is for a limited time only, with no limit to the number of times a team can be formed. Each successful team formation and completion of a task will earn a 200 USDT reward, which can be accumulated multiple times. Users can access the event page through the event card on the OKX App homepage to participate in team formation and win rewards.

According to PANews, Belgium's second-largest bank, KBC Group, has announced plans to offer Bitcoin and Ethereum trading services to retail customers through its online investment platform, Bolero. This initiative makes KBC the first bank in the country to provide such services. The launch is scheduled for the week of February 16 and will operate under the regulatory framework of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA). KBC has submitted a comprehensive notification to regulatory authorities regarding its crypto asset service offerings. The service will follow an 'execution-only' model, requiring customers to make their own decisions and complete a risk knowledge and experience test before trading. To mitigate fraud and money laundering risks, the platform will use a 'closed-loop' model, allowing customers to buy and sell only within the Bolero platform. Assets cannot be transferred to external wallets or exchanges, and the bank will provide custody services.

Amid anti-government protests and government internet censorship in multiple parts of Iran, local residents are accelerating the transfer of Bitcoin to personal wallets. Chainalysis, a blockchain analytics firm, points out a significant increase in BTC withdrawals from local Iranian exchanges to unknown personal wallets between December 28, 2024, the start of the protests, and January 8, when the internet outage occurred. This indicates that people are holding their Bitcoin in custody more frequently during periods of social unrest. Chainalysis believes this behavior is closely related to the sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial. Data shows that the rial's exchange rate against the US dollar plummeted from approximately 420,000 to over 1.05 million in a short period, resulting in a rapid loss of purchasing power. In this context, Bitcoin, with its decentralized, censorship-resistant, and cross-border transfer characteristics, is seen as an important tool to hedge against currency collapse and economic instability. The report also notes that this trend is consistent with other regions globally experiencing war, economic crises, or repressive government policies. Furthermore, Chainalysis also revealed that addresses associated with the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accounted for over 50% of the total amount of crypto assets received in Iran in the fourth quarter of 2025, with on-chain processing exceeding $3 billion for the entire year. (CoinDesk)

Ethereum's bullish momentum has been strong, despite a few exits. source: https://ambcrypto.com/ethereum-will-this-whales-exit-lead-to-a-pullback-or-a-surge-beyond-3450/

Coinbase may withdraw support for the US crypto market structure bill if it limits stablecoin rewards, highlighting tensions between exchanges and banking interests. source: https://catenaa.com/markets/cryptocurrencies/coinbase-signals-possible-reconsideration-of-support-for-us-crypto-bill/

null source: https://x.com/BSCNews/status/2012047737181913391

Three Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins, requesting an explanation regarding the SEC's suspension of enforcement proceedings against TRON founder Justin Sun. Representatives Maxine Waters, Brad Sherman, and Sean Casten stated that the prolonged delay in the case could undermine investor confidence in the regulator's independence and credibility. The letter noted that the SEC has recently initiated or is pursuing suspensions or withdrawals of several crypto-related enforcement cases, including those involving Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken, and questioned the focus and effectiveness of its enforcement efforts. Regarding the Sun case, the SEC requested a court stay of proceedings in February to explore potential solutions, a process that has lasted approximately 11 months. The representatives also mentioned Sun's token transactions with World Liberty Financial, requesting the SEC to retain and provide all documents and communications related to the suspension of the case. The SEC has not yet publicly responded to these inquiries. (Cointelegraph)

Interactive Brokers, a leading online brokerage firm, announced an expansion of its crypto business, allowing clients to fund their accounts with stablecoins. According to the announcement, Interactive Brokers has partnered with stablecoin infrastructure provider ZeroHash to support clients depositing USDC via the Ethereum, Solana, or Base networks. The funds will be automatically converted to USD and credited to their securities accounts. Interactive Brokers stated that it will also support Ripple USD (RLUSD) and PayPal USD (PYUSD) within the next week. The company points out that compared to traditional cross-border wire transfers, stablecoin deposits offer near-real-time settlement, lower costs, and are not limited by trading hours, helping to alleviate the efficiency challenges international investors face when accessing global capital markets. Interactive Brokers CEO Milan Galik stated that stablecoin deposits will provide clients with faster and more flexible fund transfers, allowing them to complete deposits and begin trading within minutes. (Cointelegraph)

Electronic brokerage giant Interactive Brokers says its clients can deposit USDC, which will automatically conver to US dollars to fund their accounts. source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/interactive-brokers-usdc-stablecoin-fundingl-investors?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Animoca Brands is considering Hong Kong for its upcoming IPO due to the city’s growing digital asset sector. Despite a drop in valuation from $5.9 billion to between $1.5 billion and $3 billion, the company is focused on expanding and has yet to set a firm IPO timeline.