BitMine Stakes $259M More ETH as Validator Queue Nears 1M Ether

BitMine Immersion Technologies has added another 82,560 Ether, worth roughly $259 million, to Ethereum’s staking system, intensifying congestion in the network’s validator entry queue as institutional demand for yield continues to build. Data from Arkham shows that the Ether (ETH) treasury firm sent multiple large deposits to Ethereum’s BatchDeposit contract within the past few hours….

Bitcoin Becomes a Yardstick for Venezuela Reaction at $90,000

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped below $90,000 on Saturday as crypto markets reacted to the US military action in Venezuela. Key points: Bitcoin attempts to hold recent gains as the US mounts an attack on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. Traders remain optimistic about the outlook for BTC price action if certain levels hold. Gold starts to flag on…

Billion-Dollar Bitcoin Hacker Ilya Lichtenstein Released, Thanks Trump

Ilya Lichtenstein, the hacker behind one of the largest Bitcoin thefts on record, has been released from prison just over a year after receiving a five-year sentence, thanks to a criminal justice reform law signed during former President Donald Trump’s first term. “Thanks to President Trump’s First Step Act, I have been released from prison…

Dogecoin spikes 11%, pepe jumps 25% as 2026 starts with a bang for memecoins

Dogecoin and pepe led a sharp meme coin bounce on Friday, with traders leaning into “meme season” talk as 2026 gets underway. Dogecoin was up about 11% over 24 hours, while pepe rose roughly 17% on the day after a stronger intraday push. Crypto’s meme basket has also been heating up more broadly. CoinGecko’s GMCI…

Official Trump Meme Team Pull $94M USDC to Coinbase

Onchain analysts tracking the Official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin on Solana have flagged large transfers from wallets labeled as parts of the “Official Trump Meme” cluster moving about $94 million in USDC from TRUMP liquidity pools over the past month.  The most recent movement, highlighted by blockchain data platform Arkham, involved 33 million USDC (USDC) being…

Crypto Sentiment Starts 2026 ‘Very Positive’

Sentiment among crypto market participants on social media has started the year strong, according to a Santiment analyst, who warned that further market upside depends on retail investors staying level-headed. “We need retail to continue to be a bit cautious, a bit pessimistic, a bit impatient,” Santiment analyst Brian Quinlivan said in a video published…

Coinbase Executive Defends US Clarity Act Timeline

The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, or CLARITY Act, is moving along the right pathway, despite the crypto industry’s growing impatience, according to a Coinbase executive. “I completely understand why this is taking longer,” Coinbase Institutional head of strategy John D’Agostino said during an interview on CNBC on Friday. “It’s the kind of bill that…

Ilya Lichtenstein credits Trump’s First Step Act for early release in Bitfinex hack case

Ilya Lichtenstein, who was sentenced to five years in prison in November 2024 after pleading guilty to charges tied to the 2016 Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange hack, was released from prison after just 14 months behind bars. “Thanks to President [Donald] Trump’s First Step Act, I have been released from prison early,” Lichtenstein said on X…

Trader Claims $1M Profit From Unusual Market Maker Activity on Binance

A trader claimed to have profited about $1 million on New Year’s Day by capitalizing on “abnormal” trading behavior of a suspected market maker account on Binance. Investor Vida said on X that the abnormal trading activity was tied to BROCCOLI714, a low-liquidity token on the BNB Chain. The memecoin had an abrupt price surge…

Aave Founder Responds to Governance Vote With New Strategy

Aave founder and CEO Stani Kulechov has outlined a broader strategic vision for the protocol following a contentious governance vote that rejected a proposal to transfer control of Aave’s brand assets and intellectual property to its decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). The failed vote has prompted renewed debate within the Aave community over the protocol’s long-term…