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According to BlockBeats, on January 8, data from validatorqueue indicates that the amount of ETH queued for staking in the Ethereum network has risen to 1,664,453. This increase is largely attributed to BitMine's recent decision to stake a significant portion of its ETH holdings. The estimated activation delay for these queued ETH is approximately 28 days and 22 hours. In contrast, the number of ETH in the exit queue of the Ethereum PoS network is only 32, with an estimated exit wait time of about one minute.

According to Odaily, analyst Rania Gule from brokerage firm XS.com stated that the current rally of the dollar might be limited and temporary unless Friday's non-farm payroll report exceeds expectations. In her report, she highlighted that the dollar is in a 'vulnerable position,' and any signs of further weakening in the labor market could push it down. Despite recent weak data, the dollar has seen a slight increase, indicating that investors prefer to hold their positions until the outlook becomes clearer. This behavior reflects a temporary balance between concerns over a slowing U.S. economy and the dollar's role as a safe haven, which could quickly shift with any unexpected changes in labor market data.

According to Foresight News, the virtual asset fraud case involving Lee Hee-jin, known as the 'Cheongdam-dong Stock God,' has been transferred from the Gangnam Police Station to the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Lee was previously sued by his partner, the representative of Pica Coin's issuing company, for failing to pay a settlement of approximately 1.88 billion KRW. The lawsuit was later expanded, claiming damages had reached 28 billion KRW. The two had signed an agreement in 2020 to jointly develop a token for fractional investment in artworks, but Lee allegedly did not adhere to the agreed profit-sharing ratio. Lee Hee-jin is also facing separate charges for allegedly conducting a 90 billion KRW fraud through false advertising and market manipulation involving Pica Coin and two other tokens. He was arrested in October 2023 and was granted bail in March 2024.

According to ChainCatcher, Florida has recently introduced an innovative bill aimed at establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve. The proposed legislation would permit the state government to allocate up to 10% of essential public funds for holding Bitcoin and Bitcoin ETF products.

According to Odaily, data from Santiment indicates that XRP whale activity reached its highest level in three months yesterday, with 2,802 transactions exceeding $100,000. This surge in activity suggests that future volatility may increase.

According to BlockBeats, on January 8, Coinbob's popular address monitoring revealed that a whale address starting with 0xfc66 has recently established 18 stock positions on-chain. The larger positions are primarily short positions in Tesla (TSLA), MicroStrategy (MSTR), and Micron Technology (MU). Additionally, the address's main holdings remain 20x leveraged short positions in ETH, BTC, and SOL, with a combined scale of approximately $45.64 million and a current floating profit of about $1.3 million. The on-chain stock positions are as follows: TSLA short position: Approximately $560,000 at an average price of $437, with a floating profit of 5%. MU short position: Approximately $480,000 at an average price of $440, with a floating profit of 2%. MSTR short position: Approximately $470,000 at an average price of $164, with a floating profit of 7.2%. PLTR (Palantir) short position: Approximately $450,000 at an average price of $181, with a floating loss of 5.5%.

According to PANews, the market capitalization of stablecoins on the Solana blockchain has reached a new record high of $15 billion, as reported by Cointelegraph. Data from Token Terminal indicates that this marks a 200% increase over the past year.

According to PANews, a recent analysis of 295,000 historical market data points on the Polymarket platform has revealed several key trends. Firstly, over 60% of short-term markets have become inactive, with 63.16% of contracts in markets active for less than one day recording zero trading volume in 24 hours. This indicates a significant lack of liquidity in short-term crypto markets. In comparison, short-term sports markets have an average trading volume of $1.32 million, which is 30 times higher than the $44,000 average for crypto markets, highlighting the disparity in liquidity support. Furthermore, an extreme concentration of trading volume is evident, with only 505 contracts exceeding $10 million in trading volume, yet these account for 47% of the platform's total trading volume. Long-term predictions, defined as those lasting more than 30 days, show an average liquidity 45 times greater than single-day markets. Among these, U.S. political markets lead with an average volume of $28.17 million. Additionally, the geopolitical sector is emerging rapidly, with its active participation rate reaching 29.7%, making it the fastest-growing segment. The data suggests that Polymarket is evolving into a platform characterized by "high-frequency sports betting" and "macro-political hedging," with liquidity heavily concentrated in a few dominant narratives.

According to BlockBeats, on January 8, Hyperinsight monitoring revealed that a whale known for consistently shorting ZEC has increased its short positions today. The whale is currently shorting 5,000 ZEC with double leverage, valued at approximately $2.01 million, at an average entry price of $499.32 per ZEC, resulting in a floating profit of $490,000. Previously, this address has shorted ZEC seven times without ever taking a long position, accumulating a total loss of $508,000.

According to PANews, Russia has initiated the large-scale integration of the digital ruble into its budget system and banking sector, aiming for a full rollout by September this year. Since the beginning of the year, the digital ruble has been actively used in transactions related to the state, including government budget transfers and payments to federal agencies. Russia has established a phased timeline and deadlines for banks and businesses to adopt the digital ruble. By September 1, 2026, the country's largest banks and their retail clients must enable transactions using the digital ruble. Additionally, the Russian Central Bank has decided that, starting last week, transactions involving digital ruble accounts for paying taxes, fees, and government-related payments will not incur any fees.

Binance Alpha announced that users can begin claiming today’s Binance Alpha airdrop starting at 12:00 UTC.To be eligible, users must hold at least 251 Binance Alpha Points. Airdrop claims will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, and will remain available until the airdrop pool is fully distributed or the event expires, whichever comes first.Binance said additional details regarding the airdrop mechanics will be released in a follow-up announcement.Key details at a glanceAirdrop start time: 12:00 UTC (today)Eligibility: Minimum 251 Binance Alpha PointsClaim method: First-come, first-servedAvailability: Until pool depletion or event expiryUsers are advised to prepare in advance, as Alpha airdrops are often claimed quickly due to limited allocation.

According to CoinMarketCap data, the global cryptocurrency market cap now stands at $3.07T, down by 2.47% over the last 24 hours.Bitcoin (BTC) traded between $89,642 and $92,299 over the past 24 hours. As of 09:30 AM (UTC) today, BTC is trading at $90,036, down by -2.12%.Most major cryptocurrencies by market cap are trading mixed. Market outperformers include ZKP, FXS, and GUN, up by 70%, 62%, and 26%, respectively.Top stories of the day:Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Decreases by 1.20% at Block Height 931,392U.S. Treasury Establishes Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Without PurchasingEthereum's Total Value Locked Surpasses $300 BillionBrazil Presidential Candidate Advocates for National Bitcoin ReserveSenate Agriculture Committee to Review Cryptocurrency Market StructureGold and Silver Briefly Reclaim Top Market Cap Rankings as Uncertainty Drives Safe-Haven Demand XRP Whale Activity Reaches Three-Month High, Signaling Potential Volatility SEC Cryptocurrency Task Force to Visit Miami for Direct Talks U.S. Outlines Three-Phase Plan for Venezuela Federal Reserve's January Rate Decision: High Probability of No ChangeMarket movers:ETH: $3107.01 (-3.80%)BNB: $881.47 (-3.61%)XRP: $2.1052 (-6.74%)SOL: $134.57 (-2.49%)TRX: $0.2954 (+0.03%)DOGE: $0.14294 (-4.98%)WLFI: $0.1717 (+1.78%)ADA: $0.391 (-5.56%)BCH: $630.6 (-0.22%)WBTC: $89861.36 (-2.15%)

According to Odaily, BitcoinTreasuries.NET announced on the X platform that Stacking Sats Inc has increased its Bitcoin holdings by 0.22 BTC, bringing its total to 26.03 BTC.

According to ChainCatcher, South Korea's Financial Services Committee (FSC) has shifted its stance to support the Bank of Korea's (BOK) proposal for stablecoin regulation. The proposal mandates that stablecoins be issued by bank-led consortia, with banks holding more than 50% of the shares to maintain control. While technology companies can be the largest single shareholder, their shareholding must remain below the total held by banks. However, this plan faces opposition in the National Assembly from lawmakers, including those from the ruling Democratic Party, highlighting divisions between the ruling party, financial regulators, and the central bank. The proposal also imposes stricter requirements on cryptocurrency exchanges, such as higher IT stability standards, mandatory compensation for hacking losses, and fines of up to 10% of annual revenue.

According to PANews, Jake Ostrovskis, head of over-the-counter trading at Wintermute, has indicated that $13 million has been invested in Bitcoin call options with strike prices ranging from $98,000 to $100,000. This suggests a potential increase in Bitcoin's price during the first quarter.

According to Odaily, Wintermute's OTC trading head Jake Ostrovskis shared options market data on X, noting ongoing bets on upward movement. Overnight, $13 million was invested in call options expiring on February 27 at $100,000 and January 30 at $98,000. As the new year begins, the market is establishing new positions, with price trends suggesting a potential relief rally in the first quarter. Odaily explains that a relief rally typically occurs after sustained negative pressure, panic, or declines, driven by easing negative sentiment.

According to BlockBeats, on January 8, several mainstream and emerging blockchain platforms have experienced a substantial decrease in their DeFi Total Value Locked (TVL) compared to their peak values. Notably, Tether's stablecoin blockchain, Stable, saw its DeFi TVL plummet to an astonishing $29,231, sparking widespread discussion within the community. Eclipse and Berachain also witnessed a dramatic reduction in TVL, losing approximately 95% from their peak values.Among established blockchains, Ethereum's DeFi TVL is currently reported at $72.773 billion, marking a decline of over 25% from its peak of $97.3 billion in August 2025. Solana's DeFi TVL stands at $8.86 billion, down about 33% from its September 2025 peak of $13.22 billion. Bitcoin's DeFi TVL is at $7.01 billion, reflecting a drop of over 23% from its October 2025 peak of $9.12 billion. BNB Chain's DeFi TVL is reported at $6.797 billion, a decrease of over 25% from its October 2025 peak of $9.15 billion. Base's DeFi TVL is currently $4.745 billion, showing a decline of over 12% from its October 2025 peak of $97.3 billion.Emerging blockchains have also faced significant declines. Stable's DeFi TVL has reached an unexpected low of $29,231, previously exceeding $100 million. Eclipse's DeFi TVL is reported at $2.72 million, down approximately 95% from its February 2025 peak of $4,900, with Eclipse's official account previously stating, "We have no users." Plasma's DeFi TVL is at $3.205 billion, a reduction of about 50% from its October 2025 peak of $6.36 billion. Monad's DeFi TVL is currently $283.72 million. Berachain's DeFi TVL stands at $174.11 million, down approximately 95% from its May 2025 peak of $3.306 billion.

According to the announcement from Binance, the platform is introducing a special promotion exclusively for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) to celebrate the new year. This promotion allows EEA users to earn up to 20% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on USDC for a period of 10 days. The offer includes a 19% Bonus Tiered APR in addition to Real-Time APR rewards. The promotion period is set from 2026-01-08 00:00 (UTC) to 2026-02-05 23:59 (UTC).Eligibility for this promotion is limited to EEA residents who purchase USDC through Binance's Buy Crypto feature during the specified period. Participants can subscribe to Simple Earn USDC Flexible Products to benefit from the offer. The subscription process involves navigating to the Buy Crypto page on the Binance website or app, completing the purchase, and subscribing to the Simple Earn USDC Flexible Products. It may take up to 48 hours for eligible users to access the special offer, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis.The reward structure includes a Bonus Tiered APR, which is distributed daily to users' Spot Accounts, starting the day after accrual begins. Real-Time APR is accrued and accumulated in users' Earn Accounts every minute. The special offer is valid for up to 10 days, and users can enjoy both Real-Time and Bonus Tiered APR rewards during this period. However, redemption within the 10-day period will terminate the accrual of Bonus Tiered APR rewards. After the promotion ends, only Real-Time APR rewards will be available. Binance reserves the right to amend the terms and conditions of the promotion at its discretion.

According to PANews, the Indian Income Tax Department (ITD) has raised concerns during a parliamentary finance committee meeting about the difficulties in tracking crypto income due to foreign exchanges, private wallets, and DeFi tools. These factors are complicating tax enforcement efforts. Despite India imposing a fixed 30% tax rate on crypto profits and a 1% TDS on transfers, the anonymity of cross-border transactions makes it nearly impossible to reconstruct transaction chains. The official stance remains cautious, even as local adoption continues to rise.

According to PANews, the address 'pension-usdt.eth' has closed its leveraged Ethereum short position, securing a profit of $2.75 million. As of now, the total profit accumulated by this address amounts to $22.3 million.