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Portugal’s gambling regulator, SRIJ, has ordered Polymarket to shut down and be blocked nationwide, ruling the crypto prediction platform illegal for operating without proper authorization and breaking the country’s ban on political betting. The decision comes after reports that over €4 million was wagered on Portuguese presidential markets just hours before results were announced, sparking concerns over insider trading and leaked exit polls. Total trading on these markets exceeded €110 million, drawing intense attention from regulators.

Crypto Trader “1011 market crash trader” suffered a massive setback as crypto markets plunged amid rising EU–US tensions. His unrealized profits dropped by $35.9 million as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana tumbled sharply. Once sitting on huge gains, his current long positions now show just $13 million in unrealized profit. After paying $7.7 million in funding fees, his net unrealized gains stand at only $5.2 million, highlighting how fast fortunes can change in volatile markets.

Belarus has signed Decree No. 19, legally creating crypto banks that can combine digital token operations with traditional banking services such as payments and deposits. These institutions must be joint-stock companies registered as residents of the High-Tech Park and listed in the National Bank’s crypto bank registry, and they’ll operate under dual oversight by park authorities and the National Bank. The move strengthens Belarus’s role as a regulated digital finance hub and reflects growing global trends toward integrating blockchain into mainstream financial systems.

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.

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.

Ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams, known as the pro-crypto “Bitcoin Mayor,” launched the $NYC token on January 12, 2026, in Times Square via X. He pledged 70 percent of the token supply to a reserve wallet to support causes like fighting antisemitism, anti-Americanism, HBCUs, and youth scholarships. The memecoin quickly reached a $600 million market cap before plummeting over 80 percent to around $108 million, amid liquidity withdrawals and top wallets taking $1 to $2.5 million in profits. On-chain analysis revealed heavy concentration among early holders and red flags for potential rug pulls. Fake clones also appeared on Pump.fun, and Adams has remained silent since the crash, highlighting the risks of memecoins even with celebrity backing.

After months of negotiation, Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott released the text of the nearly 280‑page Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, a bipartisan proposal to bring clarity to U.S. crypto regulation. The bill draws a clearer line between SEC oversight for early‑stage tokens and CFTC control for ‘digital commodities’, aiming to resolve long‑standing regulatory uncertainty. It also includes DeFi exemptions and self‑custody protections to support innovation. Supporters like Sen. Cynthia Lummis and former CFTC Chair Atkins back the approach, while Democrats, including Sens. Jack Reed and Elizabeth Warren, express concerns about the timeline and possible loopholes ahead of the upcoming markup.