Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin mining company Riot Platforms announced it has sold 1,080 bitcoins and will use the proceeds of approximately $96 million to purchase a site in Rockdale for a data center development project. The company has also signed a data center leasing and services agreement with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to deploy 25 megawatts of critical IT load capacity at the Rockdale campus. Initial deployment will be phased, starting in January 2026 and completed by May 2026. (Globenewswire)

According to Odaily, Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin financial services company Strive has officially completed its acquisition of Semler Scientific. Following the merger, the combined entity now holds a total of 12,797.9 Bitcoins, making it the 11th largest publicly traded company in terms of Bitcoin holdings globally. Additionally, Strive has announced the appointment of Avik Roy as Chief Strategy Officer. Former Semler Scientific Chairman Eric Semler has joined Strive as an independent director, while Joe Burnett, previously Bitcoin Strategy Director, has been named Vice President of Bitcoin Strategy at Strive.

According to Cointelegraph, recent data indicates a significant shift in revenue flow within the crypto industry, with user-facing applications such as decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms increasingly capturing more fees than the underlying blockchain networks. This trend suggests a potential change in focus for investors and developers, as DeFi applications like wallets, decentralized exchanges (DEXs), and other protocols are now generating five times the fees compared to blockchains. Jamies Coutts, chief crypto analyst at Real Vision, highlighted this development, noting that while blockchain networks will continue to hold value due to their network effects, the front-end applications are beginning to capture more of the industry's revenue. Data from DeFiLlama further supports this trend, showing that DeFi protocols now dominate the list of highest-earning crypto products. Over the past 30 days, the top 17 fee-generating entities were applications or protocols, rather than base-layer blockchains. Solana was the only blockchain to make it into the top 20, capturing over $20.4 million in fees, while stablecoin issuer Tether led with $563 million. Ethereum also appeared in the rankings, generating $10.3 million in fees, placing it 27th. This shift in revenue distribution suggests that developers and institutional investors may increasingly focus on DeFi applications, as these platforms continue to attract a larger share of total revenue. The activity on blockchain networks also reflects this trend, with Solana emerging as the most-used network, boasting over 68 million active addresses in the past 30 days, a 14% increase according to Nansen. Ethereum, while still significant, ranked sixth with 13 million active monthly addresses, marking a 53% increase. This dynamic indicates a growing interest in DeFi applications, which are becoming central to the crypto industry's revenue generation, potentially reshaping the landscape for developers and investors alike.

Digital assets are poised to become a routine part of daily life in Russia as lawmakers advance legislation to remove them from special financial regulation, according a top Russian financial official. source: https://dailyhodl.com/2026/01/16/brics-nation-russia-drafts-bill-to-make-crypto-assets-commonplace-in-daily-life-report/

As DePIN projects generate revenue and AI agents move onchain, builders are shifting focus from speculation to fundamentals, but questions remain about Web3’s decentralization ethos. source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/from-memecoins-to-machines-why-web3-s-real-economy-narrative-is-back-in-2026?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume. source: https://finbold.com/bybit-opens-byusdt-to-retail-users-following-vip-rollout/

Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin financial services company Strive announced today the completion of its acquisition of Semler Scientific. The merged company now holds a total of 12,797.9 bitcoins, becoming the 11th largest publicly traded company globally in terms of BTC holdings. Strive also announced the appointment of Avik Roy as Chief Strategy Officer, while Eric Semler, former Chairman of Semler Scientific, joined Strive as an independent director. Joe Burnett, former Director of Bitcoin Strategy, was appointed Vice President of Bitcoin Strategy at Strive. (Globenewswire)

Renewed spot Ethereum ETF inflows topped $474 million this week while network metrics smashed records, positioning ETH for a rally to $4,500 in the coming weeks. source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/ethereum-etf-buying-outpaces-new-supply-eth-price-4-5k?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

A growing amount of the blockchain industry’s fees are captured by DeFi protocols rather than the underlying networks, signaling a potential investor shift to front-end facing applications. source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/defi-apps-capture-more-fees-than-blockchains?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Opinion Labs still accelerates its activity in January, with a record of over $138M in open interest. source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/opinion-prediction-platform-open-interest/

Predictions, the crypto market, how volatile are prediction markets? Jinse Finance, using data to tell: Who is the true volatile king? Which is the best value choice?

对于风险投资者而言，真正的机会不在于押注“加密”还是“传统金融”，而在于识别那些正在构建桥梁、基础设施与应用层的公司，它们将定义这一融合后的未来。

On January 15, HTX DAO announced that the burning of $HTX tokens in the fourth quarter of 2025 has been successfully completed.

Cryptocurrencies are rising from a “financial instrument” to a “geopolitical instrument,” becoming a new medium connecting national strategies with the global economy.

Cathie Wood, head of ARK Invest, asserts that technological deflation and a productivity boom will drive a V-shaped rebound in the U.S. economy in 2026.

Chainalysis says Bitcoin has become a financial lifeline — and a tool of resistance — amid currency collapse, internet shutdowns and growing state pressure.

A Utah man, Brian Garry Sewell, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for defrauding investors of nearly $3 million and running an unlicensed cash-to-crypto business. He was also ordered to pay over $3.8 million in restitution to victims and the Department of Homeland Security.

On January 14, the CLARITY Act, a bill aimed at regulating the U.S. cryptocurrency market, will face a crucial vote in the Senate Banking Committee.

Ultimately, the way to harness AI is not to keep up with the pace of AI tool iterations.

The co-founder and CEO of Yellow Card, how he decided to create Yellow Card, how it survived the cryptocurrency ban in Nigeria, and a summary of its development experience.