Crypto Market Daily Update | Cryptocurrency market rises, with Bitcoin climbing to $95,000; the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee finalizes revisions for the crypto market structure bill.

On January 14, reports indicated that the cryptocurrency market trended higher. As of press time, $Bitcoin (BTC.CC)$ increased by 1.68%, reaching $95,017.30, with a gain exceeding 3% in 24 hours; $Ethereum (ETH.CC)$ surged by 4.59%, trading at $3,330.48, with a gain surpassing 6% within 24 hours.

$Strive (ASST.US)$ The announcement confirmed that shareholder approval had been obtained for $Semler Scientific (SMLR.US)$ , allowing Strive to proceed with an all-stock acquisition of the latter. Upon completion of the transaction, Strive will acquire 5,048.1 BTC held by Semler, bringing the combined total holdings to 12,797.9 BTC and making it the world’s 11th largest corporate Bitcoin holder. Strive also plans to divest Semler’s medical device business within 12 months post-transaction and repay its $100 million convertible bond and $20 million Coinbase loan.

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee is set to release its cryptocurrency market structure bill on January 21, followed by a key markup hearing on the bill text on January 27. The originally scheduled hearing on January 15 (postponed on Monday) will begin at 3:00 PM. The markup session is a crucial step in advancing legislation, during which lawmakers will debate amendments, vote on whether to include them in the base text, and then decide whether to send the entire bill to the full Senate for consideration.

The Senate Banking Committee will hold its own markup hearing on its version of the bill this Thursday. Late Monday night, a draft of the Banking Committee’s version was released, though further amendments are expected to be proposed by lawmakers before the hearing. Since the initial discussion draft was published, the Agriculture Committee has not yet released its bill text. Outstanding issues include ethics provisions (involving President Trump and his family’s ties to multiple cryptocurrency firms) and quorum rules (requiring regulatory bodies like the SEC and CFTC to be led by bipartisan commissioners).

Currently, both agencies have only Republican commissioners. According to insiders, the Banking Committee’s bill text similarly lacks provisions on ethics or quorum rules, making the current version unlikely to garner bipartisan support.

According to Bloomberg, Old Glory, a crypto-friendly bank headquartered in Oklahoma, United States, will go public through a SPAC deal with Digital Asset Acquisition Corp., valuing the transaction at $250 million. This includes $176 million in SPAC proceeds and at least $50 million in private investment. Old Glory is committed to fully integrating crypto assets into traditional banking services and plans to list on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “OGB.”

The U.S. crypto industry is engaged in an intense battle with banking lobbying forces, with stablecoin reward provisions becoming the latest point of contention. Crypto companies accuse major Wall Street banks of leveraging community bank influence in Congress to protect their deposit and payment businesses while obstructing digital asset legislative progress.

Companies like Coinbase have relied on the GENIUS Act to promote legitimate reward programs, but the latest draft of the Senate’s market structure bill restricts stablecoin rewards for ‘static holdings,’ allowing only earnings generated from transactions or activities. The crypto industry fears this move could weaken competition and limit consumer choice, while banks argue that such rewards threaten the deposit systems of community banks. The bill remains under committee review, with the final vote still pending.

A Bitcoin advocacy group has written to the U.S. Congressional Tax Committee, urging the extension of the de minimis tax exemption policy from stablecoins to Bitcoin and major public chain tokens. The coalition warns that granting tax relief solely to stablecoins compliant with the GENIUS Act will not address the compliance complexities of crypto payments. The letter recommends treating compliant payment stablecoins similarly to cash for tax purposes and providing tax-exempt status for network tokens with a market cap of no less than $25 billion, subject to a per-transaction cap of $600 and an annual cap of $20,000.

Ahead of this week’s Senate Banking Committee revisions on the crypto market structure bill, senators have submitted more than 130 amendments covering topics such as a complete ban on stablecoin yields, restrictions on public officials benefiting from crypto interests, and adjustments to definitions of tools like mixers and tumblers. Lawmakers from both parties have participated in submitting these proposals.

Galaxy Research has warned that a draft bill on cryptocurrency market structure circulating in the Senate Banking Committee could significantly expand U.S. financial surveillance powers, with regulatory measures on DeFi comparable to the largest expansion of monitoring authority since the 2001 USA PATRIOT Act. Galaxy pointed out that the draft proposes to grant the U.S. Department of the Treasury broader ‘special measures’ authority, including the ability to temporarily freeze digital asset transactions without a court order, and requires clarification of sanctions and anti-money laundering obligations for DeFi front-ends.

• KB Kookmin Card, under South Korea’s largest financial group, has applied for a patent for stablecoin credit card payment technology.

KB Kookmin Card, part of South Korea’s largest financial group, has applied for a patent for a stablecoin credit card payment solution. The system creates a hybrid payment mechanism by linking existing credit cards with blockchain wallets: during payment, the wallet’s stablecoin balance is prioritized, and any shortfall is covered by the credit card. KB stated that this design retains the current card-swiping system, user experience, and cashback and protection mechanisms while lowering the barrier for digital asset payments and promoting the mainstream adoption of stablecoins.

• Corporate Bitcoin treasury holdings increased by 260,000 BTC over six months, three times the new mining supply during the same period.

Over the past six months, corporate digital asset treasuries (DAT) have added a net increase of 260,000 BTC, far exceeding the approximately 82,000 BTC of newly mined supply during the same period. Reports indicate that corporate allocations to Bitcoin continue to expand. The total corporate BTC treasury holdings grew from about 854,000 BTC to 1.11 million BTC, an increase of approximately 30%. Among them, $Strategy (MSTR.US)$ hold approximately 687,410 BTC (60%), valued at around $65.5 billion, and recently resumed purchases, adding 13,627 BTC between January 5–11; the second-largest holder is $MARA Holdings (MARA.US)$ with 53,250 BTC (approximately $5 billion).

Delphi Digital released its top 10 cryptocurrency trend predictions for 2026: AI agents will enable autonomous trading, automatically settling via stablecoins and on-chain protocols; decentralized exchanges (DEXs) offering perpetual contracts are expected to become the ‘on-chain Wall Street,’ integrating trading, custody, clearing, and lending; prediction markets will evolve into traditional financial infrastructure for hedging risks such as earnings reports and macroeconomic events; public chains and applications will begin capturing stablecoin interest revenue, reducing issuer monopolies; DeFi will achieve uncollateralized or low-collateralized lending, with technologies like zkTLS driving it toward infrastructure; on-chain foreign exchange (Onchain FX) will find product-market fit in emerging markets; gold and Bitcoin will continue to lead the ‘currency devaluation trade’; exchanges will evolve into ‘super apps’; privacy infrastructure will accelerate development; altcoin returns will be highly polarized, with funds concentrating on projects with real demand, revenue, and competitive advantages.

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens,$Circle (CRCL.US)$ In the past eight hours, an additional one billion USDC has been minted on Solana. To date, Circle has minted a total of 4.25 billion USDC on Solana in 2026.

According to TASS, Anatoly Aksakov, Chairman of the Financial Markets Committee of the Russian State Duma, stated that a bill aimed at removing cryptocurrencies from the special financial oversight framework has been finalized. This legislation will make cryptocurrencies a common payment instrument in the daily lives of Russian citizens. Aksakov noted that the bill will allow non-qualified investors to purchase cryptocurrencies, but with a personal purchase cap of 300,000 rubles; professional financial market participants, however, can operate without restrictions in this market.

Additionally, cryptocurrencies will be usable for international settlements and will circulate in foreign financial markets after issuance in Russia. He stated that the State Duma will prioritize legislative efforts related to digital financial assets and cryptocurrencies during its upcoming spring session.

• Whale Garrett Jin: Ethereum has re-entered the fifth wave of its upward channel that began in April last year, targeting $5,413.

Garrett Jin, suspected insider whale ‘1011’, posted on the X platform: “Ethereum’s C-wave decline began on October 10 last year. The overall downtrend was halted around November 20 last year, and by December 18, the fifth wave of decline failed, indicating exhaustion of trend momentum. We believe Ethereum has re-entered the fifth wave of the upward channel that started in April last year. Theoretical targets are as follows: Target One: $5,413; Aggressive Target Two: $7,155.”

According to Bloomberg, informed sources revealed that Bitpanda GmbH, a cryptocurrency trading platform backed by billionaire Peter Thiel, is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) in Frankfurt as early as the first half of this year. The company is seeking a valuation between €4 billion and €5 billion through this offering. Bitpanda has engaged Goldman Sachs Group, Citigroup, and Deutsche Bank to manage the offering, which could occur as soon as the first quarter of this year.

The sources added that no final decision has been made, and specific details of the offering, including timing, may still change. A representative of Bitpanda stated that an IPO is among the options being considered for the company’s further development but declined to comment further. Representatives from Goldman Sachs, Citi, and Deutsche Bank all declined to comment. Founded in 2014, Bitpanda provides retail trading services in cryptocurrencies, stock derivatives, and commodities.

In August 2021, the company raised $263 million from investors, including Thiel’s Valar Ventures, with a valuation of $4.1 billion at the time. It boasts seven million users and serves as the official cryptocurrency trading partner of Arsenal Football Club.

According to a Reuters report, French market regulators warned on Tuesday that nearly one-third of approximately 90 registered crypto firms in France that are not yet MiCA-licensed have yet to communicate their plans to regulators as the transition period for the EU’s new crypto regulation, MiCA, is set to conclude on June 30 this year.

Stephane Pontoizeau, Executive Director of the AMF’s Market Intermediaries and Infrastructure Oversight Division, stated that as of now, 30% of the firms have applied for licenses, 40% decided not to apply, while the remaining 30% have neither communicated their plans nor responded to inquiries from regulators, which has raised concerns. According to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), companies without MiCA authorization must implement an ‘orderly wind-down plan’ before the end of the transition period. Previously, Coinbase, Circle, and Revolut had already obtained MiCA licenses.

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has officially implemented significant updates to its crypto token regulatory framework, shifting the responsibility of assessing the suitability of crypto tokens from regulators to licensed firms operating within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Under the amended rules that took effect this Monday, firms providing financial services involving crypto tokens are now required to independently determine whether the tokens they deal with meet DFSA’s suitability criteria. As part of the changes, DFSA will no longer maintain or publish a list of recognized crypto tokens.

This update follows a consultation process initiated in October 2025 and reflects a shift in the regulator’s approach since the introduction of the crypto token regulatory regime in 2022. The DFSA stated that it has been closely monitoring market developments and maintaining communication with relevant stakeholders during this period to ensure alignment of the framework with global standards.

According to Nikkei Asia, multiple Pakistani officials and experts have expressed concern over the government’s rapid advancement of crypto policies. An unnamed government official stated that the fast-tracking of crypto-related decisions could pose risks to an already fragile economy and that confusion has arisen within the government regarding how to address crypto issues.

Ikram ul Haq, a legal and tax advisor based in Lahore, pointed out that licenses for Binance and HTX are nearing approval despite incomplete regulatory frameworks and due diligence, while both exchanges continue to face compliance controversies in other jurisdictions.

According to The Block, Zama, a crypto privacy protocol, will launch an on-chain token sale with a fully diluted valuation (FDV) floor of $55 million through CoinList and its proprietary auction application. The sale will utilize a sealed-bid Dutch auction structure to distribute 12% of its total token supply of 11 billion. This 12% token sale is divided into three parts.

Prior to the main auction, a 2% community token sale will be conducted this week for Zama’s NFT holders; from January 21 to January 24, an 8% sealed-bid Dutch auction will be held in collaboration with CoinList; from January 27 to February 2, a final 2% post-auction sale will take place at the auction clearing price. While CoinList is the issuance partner for the primary auction, the sale is not limited to this platform. Participants can also place bids through Zama’s proprietary auction app.

The main auction will be conducted on the Ethereum mainnet in the form of a sealed-bid Dutch auction. Bids will be matched from highest to lowest, and the clearing price, which is the minimum price for token allocation, will be the price paid by all successful bidders. The reserve price for this auction is set at 0.005 US dollars per token, resulting in a fully diluted valuation (FDV) of 55 million US dollars based on the total supply of Zama tokens. Scott Keto, President of CoinList, stated that this sale by Zama marks CoinList’s first fully on-chain, non-custodial token sale.

According to Fortune, Polygon Labs announced the acquisition of two crypto startups, Coinme and Sequence, for over 250 million US dollars, aiming to strengthen its stablecoin payment network infrastructure. Coinme holds money transmitter licenses in multiple US states and focuses on crypto ATM infrastructure, while Sequence provides wallet and on-chain infrastructure services. Polygon stated that this move serves as a “reverse benchmark” to Stripe’s stablecoin strategy, intending to build a complete on-chain payment stack.

According to CoinDesk citing insiders, crypto data platform CoinGecko is exploring a potential sale and has engaged the investment bank Moelis to manage the process, targeting a valuation of approximately 500 million US dollars. This move comes amid accelerating activity in the crypto industry.Mergers and acquisitionsIn 2025, disclosed M&A transactions totaled 8.6 billion US dollars, setting a new record with 133 deals. CoinGecko, founded in 2014, stands alongside CoinMarketCap as one of the leading mainstream data platforms.

Editor/Joe