BeInCrypto DE

Standard Chartered is currently adjusting several aspects: the bank is considering how to manage risks, how to structure its engagement in the crypto space, and which assets will likely be most important when the next institutional wave begins.

Crypto News: Standard Chartered is betting on coins – targeting Basel-III regulations

The reported plans by Standard Chartered to launch a crypto prime brokerage reveal more than just renewed interest in digital assets.

The bank intends to house the project within its venture division, SC Ventures. This allows Standard Chartered to find a way into the institutional crypto market without directly facing one of the sector's biggest hurdles: the stringent capital requirements under Basel III.

A trader turned 321 USD into 2.18 million USD in just eleven days using the Chinese memecoin 114514. This illustrates how heavily speculation is running on the market at the beginning of 2026. This surge aligns with targeted investments by the BNB Chain Foundation and the significance of the Year of the Horse. Analysts believe these trends could drive Chinese memecoins in the first quarter.

Binance listing pushes Binance Life to 153-million-USD valuation

Binance Life (币安人生) reached a market capitalization of 153 million USD after the Binance listing on January 7. The token was priced at 0.1519 USD on January 12, rising 16.9 percent in the past 24 hours. Trading volume reached 66.1 million USD, with 47.9 million USD coming from Binance, while KCEX and LBank were also utilized.

India's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has introduced stricter rules for crypto platforms, significantly improving user identity verification across the country.

Under the new requirements, regulated crypto exchanges must verify users during registration via live selfie and location check.

India intensifies verification: New rules against deepfakes and fake images

The current FIU rules go beyond simple document checks. Exchanges must implement live selfie procedures where users perform movements such as blinking or turning their heads. This method aims to prevent static photos or deepfakes from bypassing verification.

The breakout story of Bitcoin is ongoing, but the necessary recovery is not yet clear. The Bitcoin price has reclaimed a key support level, the narrative supports continuation, and short-term selling is hardly visible anymore.

However, every rise meets supply. The reason behind this is not solely visible from the price. A group of holders continues selling into strength, which could delay the next major uptick.

Breakout structure remains stable

The first month of the new year often brings important updates for networks and protocols. Altcoins usually benefit from this dynamic. Some have already shown such developments in the past few days.

BeInCrypto has analyzed three altcoins that could be interesting for investors in the second week of January.

Mantle (MNT): Current News and Developments

Mantle is about to undergo its first major network upgrade this year. With the mainnet update, Mantle aims to support all features of Ethereum's Fusaka upgrade. The update is expected to be activated this week. It could improve usability and scalability, and potentially attract more users to the chain, increasing activity.

Standard Chartered will establish an innovative crypto prime brokerage for institutional investors through SC Ventures. This marks a clear commitment to regulated digital asset infrastructure and brings fresh momentum to the integration of traditional finance and blockchain.

The announcement underscores a growing trend: increasingly, banks aim to bridge the gap between traditional financial markets and digital assets. Through this initiative, Standard Chartered could transform the way large investors access crypto trading, custody, and financing.

In the new Crypto Nerds podcast, AllUnity CEO Alexander Höptner explains how Euro Stablecoins gain new significance through MiCAR. Can AllUnity's regulated approach strengthen Europe's role in global payments?

He discusses opportunities, risks, and power dynamics within the crypto ecosystem. At the same time, this episode is aimed at Crypto Nerds seeking background insights beyond price movements.

Why stablecoins are more than just trading tools

Stablecoins have long been regarded as lubricant for crypto trading, especially in Asia. Against this backdrop, Host Eric clarifies in the latest Crypto Nerds podcast why USDT and USDC dominate the market, while Europe remains barely visible.

Crypto funds experienced strong outflows of 454 million USD last week. As a result, nearly all inflows since the beginning of the year, amounting to 1.5 billion USD, have been lost.

The sell-off is likely related to declining hopes for a rate cut by the US Federal Reserve in March. New economic data suggest the Fed will maintain its current policy for now.

Crypto funds lose 454 million USD as hopes for a rate cut fade

According to the latest data from CoinShares, these outflows followed a four-day streak of inflows totaling 1.3 billion USD.

The Ethereum price is rising again and gained over two percent in the past 24 hours before correcting once more. The trend remains positive for the current month. The renewed rise looks encouraging, although the price structure remains vulnerable.

A bearish pattern remains active. If key levels are not held, this rally could turn into a stronger correction.

Ethereum price rises despite fragile bearish structure

Despite the increase, Ethereum continues to move within a head-and-shoulders pattern on the daily chart. The peak on January 6th formed the right shoulder. Now the price is attempting to stabilize without invalidating the structure.

Ethereum's long-term development is entering a critical phase. Vitalik Buterin is advancing the concept of "Ossifiability" (freezability). This aims to allow the network to be frozen without losing its functionality—even if the key developers are no longer involved.

This idea was first introduced in 2024 as part of the "Walkaway Test." According to this concept, Ethereum is not only meant to be a platform for decentralized applications (dApps), but also to serve as a trustless foundation capable of functioning independently for decades.

Several important US economic data releases are scheduled for this week. These have significant impacts on investor sentiment and can therefore also influence the Bitcoin price.

Four important US economic events this week

The four most important macroeconomic events are taking place between Tuesday and Thursday. Therefore, the probability of stronger fluctuations in the Bitcoin price increases on these days.

The release of the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Tuesday is considered the most important event this week. Markets expect the trend of declining inflation to continue.

Monero (XMR) has now officially reached a new all-time high and has risen up to $598. The market capitalization has climbed above the $10 billion mark for the first time. Many analysts remain bullish and believe the movement has only just begun.

The experienced trader Peter Brandt is adding to optimism by comparing XMR's price behavior to that of silver.

Could Monero become the 'silver' of the crypto market?

On January 12, BeInCrypto price data showed that Monero had risen by more than 30 percent in just one week. The price was above $585, and the market capitalization exceeded $10.7 billion.

X (formerly Twitter) is at the center of an important technology debate. Elon Musk recently announced that the platform's recommendation algorithm, which controls the distribution of posts and advertisements, will be released as open source in seven days. Updates will be provided every four weeks, accompanied by detailed developer notes explaining the changes.

This step is seen as a sign of greater transparency. Immediately after the announcement, there were reactions from users, developers, and critics.

On January 7, China's state television broadcast dramatic footage: a man wearing a hood and handcuffs being led off a plane in Beijing. The detainee was Chen Zhi, the 38-year-old founder of Prince Holding Group from Cambodia. He is accused of operating one of Asia's largest Bitcoin fraud networks.

Chen had been arrested in Cambodia the previous day and handed over to China. This marked the end of years of speculation about whether the influential entrepreneur would ever face trial. While media outlets worldwide report on Chen's case, another question remains: What actually happened to his 15 billion USD in Bitcoin?

The Zcash price is under pressure. A governance shock has destroyed sentiment, the chart has broken down on a lower time frame, and the risk of falling prices is now clearly visible.

The unique aspect of this movement is that major Zcash holders have continued to buy heavily despite the decline, even as the ZEC price dropped 25 percent in a week. Price, sentiment, and the behavior of major holders are currently moving in opposite directions.

Breakdown patterns and EMA loss indicate a 30 percent risk

South Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC) has reportedly finalized guidelines allowing listed companies and professional investors to trade in cryptocurrencies.

With this, a ban on corporate crypto investments that had lasted for nine years comes to an end. Additionally, this measure aligns with the government's overall 'Growth Strategy 2026,' which also includes new laws for stablecoins and the approval of spot crypto ETFs, recently unveiled.

Framework for Corporate Crypto Investments

Multiple members of the crypto community accuse Nikita Bier, product chief at X and Solana advisor, of intentionally suppressing crypto posts on X (formerly Twitter).

These allegations emerged after many users reported seeing significantly fewer crypto posts in their feeds.

That's why concern within the community is now increasing

X has long been an important source for the crypto community to stay updated on news, market trends, new opportunities, as well as current projects and metas. Recently, however, users have expressed growing concerns about their feeds. Many report seeing more posts unrelated to crypto.

Federal Reserve Chairman (FED) Jerome Powell has suggested that a criminal investigation initiated by federal prosecutors is politically motivated. He indicated it stems from the central bank's refusal to adjust its monetary policy to the president's wishes.

This development is unfolding as Powell's term ends in May 2026 and tensions with President Donald Trump are growing.

Fed Chair: Investigations are slowing down interest rate decisions

In a recent video, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell said that the U.S. Department of Justice sent subpoenas to the Fed on Friday through a grand jury. According to Powell, this was linked to a threat of prosecution over a statement he made last year before a Senate committee regarding the $2.5 billion renovation of the central bank's headquarters in Washington, DC. There were also indications of investigations related to that statement.

As political tensions increase, the USD, which long served as a safe haven, does not show its usual reaction this time. Meanwhile, gold (XAU) and silver (XAG) send signals that go beyond a normal commodity rally.

Gold hits a record, silver follows – markets hedge against more than just inflation

Instead, capital clearly flows into so-called hard assets. As a result, gold approaches the $5,000 mark and silver rises above $80. These prices force investors to reconsider their old assumptions.

An early Ethereum investor has likely sold their entire ETH position. On-chain data shows the ETH holdings were transferred to a centralized exchange. With the sale, the individual reportedly made around $274 million in profit.

ETH remains under selling pressure from US investors. Nevertheless, some analysts remain bullish for the second-largest cryptocurrency.

Ethereum-OG-Whale bags 344 percent profit

The blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain reports that the investor has accumulated 154,076 ETH at an average price of $517. Since last week's end, the wallet has begun sending ETH to Bitstamp, a centralized crypto exchange.