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War scenarios do not allow for simple stories. Markets usually do two things simultaneously: first, they rush into safe assets, and then, after the initial shock has passed, they reassess the world. Bitcoin sits on that fault line.

Therefore, 'World War III Trade' is not a one-off bet. It is a continuous process. In the first few hours, Bitcoin behaves like a high-beta risk asset. Over the following weeks, depending on national responses, it may begin to show its face as a portable and censorship-resistant asset.

Since reaching a peak on January 6th, XRP has been experiencing a continuous decline, dropping approximately 15% over six days. Multiple support levels have already been broken, and momentum is weakening. However, behind this bearish market, an unusual phenomenon is occurring: investors with 'belief-based buying' are entering at a pace not seen since September 7th.

The main price range for XRP remains intact, and demand is quietly forming beneath the surface. This situation is causing an unusual divergence between price movements and on-chain activity.

MicroStrategy (formerly MicroStrategy) announced it invested 1.2 billion dollars in buying 13,627 BTC on Monday. This is the largest purchase in the past six months. Recent multiple purchases have concentrated around the range of 88,000 to 92,000 dollars, which is increasingly seen as a key psychological support zone for investor sentiment.

If Bitcoin clearly breaks below this range, MSTR may face heightened short-term downside risks due to worsening investor sentiment. Valuation premiums are also likely to shrink.

Machi Big Brother has reappeared in the Ethereum market. This time, it became one of the most aggressive trades in history. On January 12, the renowned crypto whale re-established a 34 million USD leveraged ETH long position on Hyperliquid.

This position quickly reversed shortly afterward, resulting in a loss of approximately 325,000 USD within hours. However, the overall picture is even worse. According to on-chain tracking, the cumulative losses in his Hyperliquid account have now reached 22.5 million USD, falling more than 67 million USD below his peak asset value.

In the past month, analysts have increasingly viewed Bitcoin as entering a prolonged bearish phase. However, according to five key data points, the market is now entering a reset phase within the intermediate cycle, following a sharp rally toward an all-time high by the end of 2025.

On-chain data and ETF data indicate a decline in selling pressure. Rather than long-term holders leaving the market, late entrants are being weeded out, while more resilient holders are absorbing the supply.

Polymarket users placed 27 bets on the Golden Globe Awards results, with 26 of them being correct. While the popularity of the largest prediction market continues to grow, concerns about insider trading are also increasing.

Polymarket's partnership with the Golden Globe Awards has raised questions about whether this will become the new norm at future award ceremonies.

Polymarket achieves 96% accuracy in Golden Globe Awards predictions

On Friday, the Golden Globe Awards announced in a press release that they have partnered with the world's largest prediction market for their annual award ceremony.

The cryptocurrency market, after volatile swings since the beginning of the year, is showing early signs of rotation. While some assets are consolidating within ranges, others are quietly converging near key resistance levels. Under these conditions, BeInCrypto has identified altcoins that could reach new all-time highs if momentum continues.

Each stock has strong price movements, clear upward triggers, and obvious invalidation levels to watch. This week requires special attention.

The meme coin market is currently showing complex movements. Although this category has dropped by more than 5% over the past week, it has risen by about 5% in the last 24 hours, regaining attention. Under these conditions, three meme coins are emerging for different reasons.

One is rising despite being a whale sell-off, another is seeing strong buying pressure in a consolidation phase, and the third is experiencing increased trading volume at a key technical level.

Welcome to the U.S. Morning Digest. At the start of the day, we deliver a helpful summary of today's key developments in the crypto market.

Today's reading, with a cup of coffee in hand. Watch Standard Chartered as it adjusts its foundation, focusing on the structure of exposures, risk positioning, and identifying the most crucial assets as the next wave of institutional investors arrives.

Today's crypto news: Standard Chartered, a Basel III workaround?

The altcoin market is entering its second week of January without clear direction. Some tokens have reached new all-time highs, while others have pulled back amid growing skepticism. Many altcoins are still struggling to recover from the large-scale sell-off in October last year.

Amid these conditions, there is a risk that traders may be misjudging actual market demand, increasing the large-scale liquidation risk for three altcoins.

As the global digital assets industry matures, the focus of discussion is shifting from speculation to structure, compliance, and long-term infrastructure. One company that most clearly embodies this change is Bitpanda. Originally founded in Europe, the company has continuously evolved into a multi-asset investment ecosystem operating within regulated environments, steadily expanding its global presence.

In a recent conversation with Vichal Sachindran, Deputy CEO of Bitpanda's Global Market Strategy and Operations, one point was consistently emphasized: 'Regulation does not hinder the company's growth—it is actually a driving force for expansion.'

The price of Monero (XMR) has risen by over 35% in the past 7 days and recorded a sharp increase in the past 24 hours. This move pushed XMR up to around $598, near its all-time high, but then selling pressure emerged, leaving the price lingering slightly below the high range.

Although it may appear to be a strong trend at first glance, multiple internal signals indicate that the upward movement is entering an unstable phase. The key question is whether Monero is in a corrective phase before further gains or whether underlying supply-demand imbalances are worsening, potentially triggering a deeper decline.

The cryptocurrency market is set to see a large-scale token unlock over the next week. Over the coming 7 days, the total amount of newly supplied tokens is expected to exceed $1.69 billion. In particular, three major ecosystems—Ondo (ONDO), Official Trump (TRUMP), and Arbitrum (ARB)—are scheduled to release new tokens into the market.

While these unlocks may boost liquidity, they could also trigger short-term price fluctuations and increased volatility. Key points of attention for each project are outlined below.

India's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has introduced stricter compliance requirements for cryptocurrency platforms, significantly enhancing identity verification for users nationwide.

Under the new rules, regulated cryptocurrency exchanges are required to conduct identity verification through live selfie authentication and geolocation data collection during user registration.

India strengthens identity verification standards, monitoring deepfakes as well

FIU's new rules go beyond simple document verification and strengthen user authentication. Exchanges must implement live selfie authentication requiring dynamic movements such as blinking or head motion to confirm that users are real individuals. This measure aims to prevent spoofing attacks using static images or deepfakes.

A trader turned $321 into $2.18 million in just 11 days using the Chinese meme coin '114514'. This exemplifies the intense speculation set to move the market at the beginning of 2026.

This surge coincides with strategic investments by the BNB Chain Foundation and the cultural significance of the Year of the Dragon. Analysts believe these trends will drive the Chinese meme coin market in the first quarter of this year.

Listed on Binance, Binance Life has a market cap of $153 million

Cryptocurrency funds recorded outflows of $454 million last week, nearly erasing the $1.5 billion inflows seen at the beginning of the year.

The recent sell-off appears to be driven by weakening expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in March. Following the latest macroeconomic indicators, speculation has strengthened that the Fed will maintain its current policy.

Cryptocurrency funds saw a JPY 4.54 billion outflow due to retreated expectations of U.S. interest rate cuts

According to the latest CoinShares data, cryptocurrency outflows reached over $1.3 billion for four consecutive days last week.

The first month of the new year is typically when major network and protocol upgrades occur. Altcoins are capitalizing on this momentum, with several showing movement in the past few days.

BeInCrypto analyzed three altcoins to watch in the second week of January.

Mantle (MNT)

Mantle is approaching a major network upgrade at the beginning of the year. This mainnet update is expected to support all features of Ethereum's Fusaka upgrade. Launch is scheduled for this week, with expectations of improved utility and scalability. This could lead to acquiring new users and increasing on-chain activity.

Ethereum's long-term evolution is reaching a critical juncture. At its core is Vitalik Buterin's concept of 'Oscillation Resistance'—the idea that the network can continue functioning without core developers, avoiding 'freezing.'

This vision was first clearly demonstrated in 2024 as part of the 'Walkaway Test.' It positions Ethereum not merely as a platform for decentralized applications (dApps), but as a trustless infrastructure capable of independent operation for decades.

The bullish scenario for Bitcoin is ongoing, but the necessary rebound is hard to clearly define. Bitcoin's price has recovered key trend support, past data suggests further upward movement, and short-term selling pressure has decreased.

Still, supply continues with each rise. The price alone does not provide a clear reason. A certain holding group continues to sell despite the bullish market, which is acting as a factor delaying the next upward phase.

Ethereum's price is rising again. It has gained over 2% in the past 24 hours and remains in positive territory for the month. Although the rebound is encouraging, the underlying support structure remains fragile.

The weak pattern continues. If the key level is not held, this rebound could turn into a deeper decline.

Ethereum price rises within a weak structure

Despite the rebound, Ethereum continues trading within a head and shoulders pattern on the daily chart. The high on January 6th serves as the right shoulder, and currently, prices are attempting to stabilize without invalidating this structure.