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CME Group plans to roll out cash-settled futures for Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), and Stellar (XLM) on February 9, pending regulatory approval. The contracts will be available on CME Globex in both standard and micro sizes, giving traders flexible access to regulated altcoin exposure. CME says demand for crypto derivatives continues to grow, supported by strong 2025 market activity that saw record daily volumes and open interest, signaling rising institutional interest in major cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Ethereum treasury firm Bitmine Immersion Technologies announced a $200 million equity investment in Beast Industries, the company behind MrBeast’s global media, Feastables snacks, and major philanthropic campaigns like feeding over 20 million people. Bitmine’s chairman, Tom Lee, said MrBeast’s huge reach with Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and Millennials makes the partnership strategic, while Beast CEO Jeff Housenbold said the funding will help scale the brand and explore decentralized finance opportunities. Backed by investors including Cathie Wood’s ARK, the deal is expected to close around January 19, 2026, during Bitmine’s stockholder meeting in Las Vegas.

Brevis and BNB Chain are expanding their collaboration into privacy infrastructure by partnering with 0xbow to launch an Intelligent Privacy Pool on BNB Chain in Q1 2026. This privacy layer builds on 0xbow’s Privacy Pools, which use zero-knowledge proofs to mask transaction details while maintaining compliance safeguards. Users will be able to prove the legitimacy of their funds on-chain through Brevis’ ZK Data Coprocessor or link off-chain KYC using zkTLS without revealing sensitive information. The initiative aims to bring privacy and regulatory compliance together on a major blockchain.

Crypto banking firm Sygnum forecasts that upcoming US regulations, including the CLARITY Act and Bitcoin Act, could drive sovereign Bitcoin reserves and boost tokenized bond issuance by major institutions in 2026. Countries like Brazil, Japan, and Germany may adopt BTC strategically, while traditional finance increasingly explores blockchain-based token rails. Wider adoption could raise Bitcoin’s global store-of-value share, potentially pushing prices toward $350K–$400K.

Argentine crypto exchange Lemon introduced a Bitcoin-backed Visa card, letting users access peso credit without selling BTC. By locking 0.01 BTC (~$960), customers receive 1 million pesos credit. The card will allow adjustments and stablecoin payments. This reflects growing crypto adoption in Argentina amid high inflation and ongoing distrust of traditional banks.

Argentina’s crypto platform Lemon has launched the country’s first Visa credit card backed by Bitcoin collateral, allowing users to access peso credit without selling their BTC or requiring a bank account or credit history. Customers deposit a small amount of BTC as collateral and receive a credit limit in pesos, which they can use at merchants worldwide that accept Visa. The card aims to make Bitcoin savings practical for everyday spending while keeping crypto holdings intact and usable through the Lemon app.

Ripple Payments Europe S.A. has received preliminary approval from Luxembourg’s financial regulator, the CSSF, to operate as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI). Once all requirements are met, Ripple will be able to issue e-money and offer regulated payment services across the European Economic Area under MiCA rules. This follows Ripple’s recent EMI license and crypto registration in the UK. With over 75 licenses globally and $95 billion in payments processed, Ripple continues to strengthen its presence in Europe.

Visa has partnered with payments firm BVNK to support stablecoin payouts, allowing businesses to send stablecoins directly to digital wallets. The collaboration could channel up to $30 billion in stablecoin flows from BVNK into Visa’s global payments network, which processes around $1.7 trillion in transactions. The move highlights Visa’s growing focus on blockchain-based payments and reflects rising demand from businesses for faster, more efficient digital settlement using stablecoins.

Pakistan has signed an MOU with SC Financial Technologies, affiliated with the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial, to pilot the USD1 stablecoin, pegged one-to-one to the U.S. dollar, within its payment system. The central bank aims to accelerate $30 billion in annual remittances while cutting high fees. Set for an official announcement in Islamabad, this is one of the first sovereign partnerships for the DeFi platform, launched in September 2024 by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, advancing Pakistan’s digital finance initiatives.

On Jan. 13, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a huge $754 million in inflows, marking the strongest single day since October. Fidelity’s FBTC led with $351 million, followed by Bitwise’s BITB and BlackRock’s IBIT. Other crypto ETFs also saw gains, including Ethereum ($130M), Solana ($5.9M), and XRP ($13M). The surge pushed total ETF assets near $123 billion, reflecting renewed institutional interest as Bitcoin climbed above $95,000 amid softer U.S. inflation data.