Gold and silver have surged to record highs as investors seek safety amid geopolitical tensions. Bitcoin has struggled, dipping below $88,000 before recovering slightly, reflecting increased volatility compared with traditional safe-haven assets.
AnaisHong Kong plans to issue its first stablecoin licences in the first quarter of 2026 as part of its wider push to develop a regulated crypto ecosystem. The city already licences cryptocurrency trading platforms and has been advancing tokenisation projects, including green bonds and digital asset pilots.
WeatherlyStablecoin issuer Circle has given a grant to the United Nations to help make humanitarian aid payments faster, cheaper and more transparent. The funding will support the UN’s Digital Hub of Treasury Solutions, building on earlier USDC trials to improve cross-border transfers and financial tracking across UN agencies.
WeatherlyVietnam has started accepting applications for licensed cryptocurrency exchanges under a new pilot programme requiring nearly $400 million in capital and strict local ownership rules. The scheme is limited to Vietnamese companies and aims to bring the country’s crypto market under formal government oversight for the first time.
AnaisTrump dropped planned tariffs on several European countries after reaching a framework deal with NATO on Arctic and Greenland cooperation. The move eased market fears, helping shares and Bitcoin recover as trade tensions cooled.
WeatherlyDXC Technology has partnered with Ripple to integrate digital asset payments and custody into the Hogan core banking platform, used by banks managing over $5 trillion in deposits. The setup lets banks offer crypto services without changing their existing systems.
AnaisBitGo Holdings priced its U.S. IPO at $18 per share, raising $212.8 million and giving the company a valuation of over $2 billion. The shares will start trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker BTGO on 22 January, reflecting strong demand from investors.
WeatherlySouth Korean prosecutors are investigating the loss of a large amount of Bitcoin that went missing while in state custody, with a phishing attack believed to be the cause. The missing funds, linked to an illegal gambling case, are estimated to be worth tens of billions of won, around $48–49 million.
AnaisAmazon is planning to lay off about 14,000 corporate employees next week as part of a wider plan to cut around 30,000 office jobs. The company says the move aims to reduce bureaucracy and focus more on AI, automation, and strategic growth areas.
WeatherlyLeaders at the World Economic Forum said billions of AI agents are likely to start making payments on their own, and current banking systems are too slow and manual to support that shift. They argued that stablecoins and crypto networks are the most practical way to handle fast, automated and global payments for AI-driven activity.
Anais