Short News

Cronos Labs has joined the MiCA Crypto Alliance to align its CRO token with the EU’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets rules, effective since late 2024. The partnership introduces MiCA‑ready white papers and standardized disclosure templates, supported by members like Hedera and Ripple, to ensure transparency. Meanwhile, the Cronos network is growing with over 500 dApps, new liquidity integrations, and an ambassador program guiding users. The community sees this as a key step toward sustainable growth and real-world crypto adoption.

Vanguard Group’s Value Index Fund (VVIAX) bought 1.23 million MicroStrategy (MSTR) shares for $202.5 million, marking its first investment in the Bitcoin-focused company holding 687,410 BTC. Earlier, Vanguard’s Mid-Cap Fund (VMCIX) acquired 2.91 million shares worth $505 million as MSTR reached mid-cap benchmarks. While some see this as traditional finance warming up to crypto, others note it’s likely routine index tracking by the $12 trillion firm rather than an active investment bet.

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.