Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Monday (January 26) as of 9:00 p.m. UTC.
Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ether and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news.
Bitcoin and Ether price update
Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$87,515.29, up by 1.2 percent over 24 hours.
Bitcoin price performance, January 26, 2025.
Chart via TradingView
Crypto executives foresee a fragile market ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting, citing tightening liquidity, political uncertainty over Fed leadership and weak spot demand.
‘The crypto market is likely to remain in its current reactive, volatility-driven phase until inflation data prints provide easing signals and the overall macro backdrop allows for a market rally,’ added Farzam Ehsani, co-founder and CEO of crypto exchange VALR.
‘I expect BTC to trade near US$85,000-US$90,000 this week unless a black swan event or a surprise outcome from this week’s macro events drives further volatility. If BTC breaks below US$85,000, capital will likely continue to exit the digital asset market indiscriminately, making a decline towards US$80,000 and a steeper altcoin downturn plausible.’
Ether (ETH) was priced at US$2,899.05, up by 3.4 percent over the last 24 hours.
Altcoin price update
XRP (XRP) was priced at US$1.89, up by four percent over 24 hours.
Solana (SOL) was trading at US$123.50, up by 4.7 percent over 24 hours.
Today’s crypto news to know
Markup hearing rescheduled
Multiple outlets reported today that a spokesperson for Senator John Boozman (R-AR) said that the Senate Agriculture Committee would reschedule a markup for its version of a crypto market structure bill, called the Digital Commodity Intermediaries Act, from Tuesday (January 27) to Thursday (January 29). The winter storm that cancelled flights and caused transportation issues across a large part of the country over the weekend was cited as a likely reason for the change.
The bill will attempt to establish clear rules for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over digital assets.
Additionally, the CFTC and US Securities and Exchange Commission issued a joint statement today, also rescheduling a joint event on crypto oversight harmonization to Thursday.
Valour announces UK retail launch
Valour announced it has received permission from UK regulators to sell its yield-bearing BTC and ETH crypto products to everyday retail investors on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), effective immediately.
Both funds are yield-bearing, meaning they participate in ‘staking.’ This allows the funds to earn extra rewards from the underlying crypto networks, which are then added to the value of the investment.
Previously, these products were only available to professional investors in the UK. Now, anyone with a standard UK brokerage account can buy them like a regular stock.
Van Eck launches Avalanche ETF
VanEck said it has launched a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking the price of Avalanche (AVAX) in the US, trading on the Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) under the ticker symbol VAVX.
It is the first US ETF to offer exposure to both the price of the AVAX token and the rewards earned from staking on the Avalanche network.
According to the announcement, VanEck is waiving the management fee for the first US$500 million invested or until February 28, 2026. After that, the fee will be 0.20 percent per year.
Crypto funds see sharpest weekly pullback in months
Digital asset investment products just logged their biggest weekly outflows since November, with investors pulling roughly $1.73 billion from crypto-linked funds, according to CoinShares.
Bitcoin products absorbed the bulk of the selling, shedding about US$1.09 billion, while Ethereum funds lost another US$630 million as risk appetite thinned across the board.
The retreat comes as expectations for near-term interest rate cuts fade and crypto prices struggle to regain momentum. CoinShares said the market has yet to benefit from the “debasement trade” some investors expected amid global fiscal pressures.
Regionally, the selling was overwhelmingly concentrated in the US, while parts of Europe and Canada quietly added exposure on dips.
Bitcoin hovered near US$87,600 at last check, down more than 5 percent on the week, while Ethereum slid close to 10 percent.
The broader market strain also showed up quickly in derivatives, with crypto liquidations climbing toward US$750 million as prices fell over the weekend.
Strategy slows down Bitcoin buying spree
Despite the market slide, Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) continued adding to its Bitcoin stash, spending about US$267 million last week to acquire roughly 2,900 BTC.
The purchase marked a clear slowdown from its prior buying spree, when the company spent more than US$3 billion across two weeks. Strategy now holds more than 712,000 BTC, making it the largest corporate holder of the asset by a wide margin.
The latest buy was funded mainly through common stock issuance, alongside additional sales of its STRC preferred shares, which carry an 11 percent annualized cash dividend.
Executive Chairman Michael Saylor has pitched STRC as a yield-focused alternative to cash, with proceeds ultimately flowing back into Bitcoin.
GameStop’s Bitcoin transfer raises exit questions
Speculation swirled after GameStop (NYSE:GME) transferred its entire Bitcoin holding—about 4,710 BTC—to Coinbase Prime, a platform often used for institutional trading and custody.
The transfer, flagged by CryptoQuant, sparked talk that the retailer may be preparing to unwind its Bitcoin treasury experiment. Based on current prices, a full sale could lock in an estimated US$75 million to US$85 million loss, given that GameStop reportedly accumulated the coins near market highs earlier this year.
Currently, the company has not confirmed any sale nor addressed the speculations.
Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.