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XRP has been in a steep freefall since the peak on January 6th, with the price dropping nearly 15% in just six days. Several support levels have already broken, and the mood remains weak. However, something unusual is happening under selling pressure: whale accumulators are buying coins at a rapid pace, a trend not seen since September 7th.

Key XRP price ranges remain intact, and demand is gradually building under pressure. This creates a unique divergence between price movement and behavior on the blockchain.

Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) announced on Monday that it had spent 1.25 billion dollars to purchase 13,627 bitcoins, which is its largest purchase in six months. The latest purchases have focused on the range between 88,000 and 92,000 dollars, and this area is still considered increasingly important as a psychological support level for investor sentiment.

If Bitcoin drops clearly below this level, MSTR faces an immediate downside pressure risk as sentiment weakens and the valuation gap narrows.

Does spending behavior set a market comparison value for MSTR?

Machi Big Brother has returned to the Ethereum market with one of his most aggressive trades to date. On January 12th, this well-known crypto whale reopened a 34 million dollar leveraged ETH-long position on the Hyperliquid platform.

The investment turned against him almost immediately, and the trade resulted in a loss of approximately 325,000 dollars within a few hours. The situation, however, looks even worse when viewed in a broader context. According to on-chain tracking, his Hyperliquid account is now at a loss of 22.5 million dollars and over 67 million dollars below peak equity.

Over the past month, analysts have increasingly viewed Bitcoin as being in a prolonged bear market. However, five key indicators suggest that a cyclical repositioning is underway in the market following a sharp price rally that pushed prices to record highs at the end of 2025.

The sector and ETF data now indicate that the selling wave is losing momentum. Long-term investors are not exiting, but the data suggests that latecomer buyers are forced to sell as stronger owners buy them up.

Polymarket users placed 27 bets on the final results of the Golden Globe awards, 26 of which were correct. As the popularity of the leading prediction market grows, so does concern about insider trading.

Polymarket's collaboration with the Golden Globes has raised questions about whether this will become the new norm for future award ceremonies.

Polymarket reports a 96% accuracy rate for Golden Globes predictions

On Friday, the Golden Globes announced in a press release their partnership with the world's largest prediction market for the annual award ceremony.

The crypto market is showing early signs of rotation after an unstable start to the year. While many assets continue their price consolidation, some setups are gradually tightening under significant resistance levels. In this scenario, BeInCrypto has identified altcoins that could reach all-time highs as market momentum strengthens.

Each setup combines a strong price structure, clear breakout triggers, and clearly defined stop-loss levels that should be closely monitored this week.

The memecoin market area is sending conflicting signals. Although the entire category has declined by over 5% last week, prices have risen by about 5% over the past 24 hours, hinting at renewed interest. In this situation, three memecoins stand out for different reasons.

One rises even as whales sell, another gathers strongly during a drop, and the third attracts increasing volume around a key technical level's reassertion.

Pump.fun (PUMP)

Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing — here are the most important crypto news for the day in a compact package.

Grab a cup of coffee and dive into today's topics: Standard Chartered is making changes to its structure. The company is focusing on how exposure is managed, where risks lie, and which asset classes it believes will be impacted by the next institutional wave.

Today's crypto news: Standard Chartered's crypto exposure may surpass Basel III capital requirements

Standard Chartered's plans to establish a crypto prime brokerage service may indicate more than just a new investment in digital assets.

The altcoin market starts the second week of January with uncertain signs. Some tokens have reached all-time highs. Others have recovered despite skepticism. Most altcoins are still suffering losses from the intense sell-offs in last October.

In this situation, three altcoins face a significant liquidation risk, as traders may misjudge actual demand.

1. Solana (SOL)

The meme coin boom at the beginning of 2026 is not particularly strong, but it shows that traders are more willing to take risks. The Solana ecosystem has set several new records. The DEX volume on pump.fun is at an all-time high. The number of newly created meme coins per day has also increased noticeably.

As digital asset ownership matures globally, the conversation shifts from speculation toward structure, compliance, and long-term infrastructure. Few companies represent this transition as clearly as Bitpanda. Originally founded in Europe, the platform has steadily evolved into a well-regulated, diversified investment ecosystem with a growing global footprint.

In a recent discussion with Vishal Sacheendran, Bitpanda's senior supply chain executive responsible for global market strategies and operations, one theme emerged repeatedly: regulation does not hinder the company's growth – it enables expansion.

Monero's coin price has risen over 35% in the past seven days, and another significant increase was seen in the last 24 hours. The surge pushed XMR near a new all-time high of $598 before sellers emerged, and now the price is just below this new level.

Although the direction still appears strong from the surface, several underlying indicators suggest that the price rally may be transitioning into a vulnerable phase. The key question now is whether Monero will consolidate before a new rise, or whether the growing divergences beneath the surface will lead to a more substantial correction.

Cryptomarkets are preparing for a significant week regarding token releases. Over the next seven days, over $1.69 billion worth of new tokens will enter circulation. Particularly, three major ecosystems, Ondo (ONDO), Official Trump (TRUMP), and Arbitrum (ARB), will release new tokens to the market.

These releases bring additional liquidity, but may also cause short-term price fluctuations and increased volatility. Below are the key points to monitor for each project.

India's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has introduced stricter requirements for cryptocurrency platforms, significantly increasing identity verification for users across the country.

According to the new rules, regulated crypto exchanges must verify user identities using live selfie verification and geolocation data during the registration process.

India's enhanced verification standards target deepfakes and static images

FIU: The latest regulations go beyond mere document verification. Exchanges must use live selfie verification, which requires actions such as blinking or turning the head to ensure the user's physical presence. The purpose is to prevent misuse of static images or deepfake technology in identity verification.

A trader turned $321 into $2.18 million in just 11 days with the Chinese meme coin 114514, highlighting the strong speculation driving the market at the beginning of 2026.

This rise reflects BNB Chain Foundation's targeted investments as well as the cultural significance of the Horse of the Year. Analysts believe these trends could accelerate the development of Chinese meme coins in the first quarter of the year.

Binance listing boosts Binance Lifen's value to $153 million

Crypto funds experienced a sharp reversal last week: investments were withdrawn totaling 454 million dollars, nearly wiping out the 1.5 billion dollars invested at the beginning of the year.

The selling wave appears linked to declining expectations of a U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cut in March. Recent macroeconomic data suggests the Fed may maintain its current stance.

Crypto funds lose 454 million dollars as Fed's interest rate cut expectations fade

According to the latest CoinShares data, the recent outflow from crypto investments was preceded by a four-day period during which a total of 1.3 billion dollars were withdrawn.

The field of cryptocurrency asset investment has undergone significant changes over the past decade. What began as a niche technological experiment, characterized by "HODLing" and simple spot purchases, has evolved into a complex financial ecosystem that mirrors traditional financial markets.

As the market landscape has expanded, so too have the profiles and preferences of participants. Many users now leverage a broader toolkit and features that support various ways of engaging with cryptocurrency assets. These tools can be utilized in different market conditions. However, it is important to recognize that they also entail specific risks, and they are not suitable for all users.

The first month of the new year brings significant network and protocol upgrades. Altcoins can leverage this momentum, and some projects have already shown examples in recent days.

BeInCrypto has analyzed three altcoins that investors should watch during the second week of January.

Mantle (MNT)

Mantle is preparing for its first major network upgrade of the year. The Mainnet update aims to support all features of Ethereum's Fusaka upgrade. The update is expected to go live this week, potentially improving utility and scalability while attracting new users and increasing chain activity.

Ethereum's long-term development is entering a critical phase, as Vitalik Buterin advances the concept of 'ossification' — the idea that the network could 'freeze' without losing functionality, even if core developers disappeared.

This vision, originally introduced in 2024 as part of the walkaway test, pushes Ethereum's decentralized applications (dApps) platform further — creating a trustless foundation capable of operating independently for decades.

The story of Bitcoin's breakout continues, but the necessary pullback is unclear. Bitcoin's price has risen above key trend support, history supports continuation, and short-term selling has decreased.

However, every upward attempt faces supply. The reason isn't visible just from the price. One owner group continues selling into strength, which could delay the next upward move.

The breakout structure remains intact

Bitcoin is moving within a cup-and-handle pattern on a daily basis. The price quickly approached the handle breakout point, around $92,400, but then retreated. However, the structure remains valid as long as key support holds.

Ethereum's price is rising again, up over 2% in the last 24 hours, and remains positive for the month. The rebound looks promising, but the underlying structure remains fragile.

The consolidation pattern at Laskumarkkinan remains active, and unless key levels are defended, this rise could turn into a deeper correction.

Ethereum price is rising within a fragile bear market structure

Despite the pullback, Ethereum continues moving along the main and shoulder pattern on the daily chart. The peak seen on January 6th formed the right shoulder, and price is now attempting to stabilize without invalidating the structure.