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Mantra is restructuring after what its leadership described as one of the most difficult periods in the project’s history, following a severe collapse in its OM token and months of sustained market pressure that have forced the company to reassess its cost structure and priorities.

On Wednesday, Mantra CEO and co-founder John Patrick Mullin announced that the blockchain project would reduce its workforce and shift to a leaner operating model as it heads into 2026.

Today, I’m sharing one of the most difficult decisions we’ve had to make at MANTRA.

After the most challenging year MANTRA has faced for a multitude of reasons, I’ve decided to restructure the company. This includes reducing our team size and parting ways with a number of…

— JP Mullin (, ) (@jp_mullin888) January 14, 2026

The decision comes after a year marked by aggressive expansion, a brutal token drawdown, and a prolonged downturn in market sentiment toward real-world asset tokenization.

Mantra Tightens Operations Token Collapse and prolonged market pressure

In a statement shared publicly, Mullin said the restructuring would involve job cuts across several teams, with business development, marketing, HR, and support roles among those most affected.

He claimed it was done as a response to the reality of matching expenditure with short-term realities since the cost base of Mantra could not be sustained in the face of the deteriorating market conditions.

Mullin added that the company would now be directed to disciplined execution, tightening of resources, and capital efficiency as it aims at stabilizing and rebuilding.

Going into 2024 and early 2025, Mantra had big growth plans and heavy investments to scale its RWA infrastructure, its chain, and its overall ecosystem.

Such effort assisted in making the project one of the top Layer-1s that concentrate on tokenized real-world assets.

However, Mullin said a combination of unfavorable events in April 2025, intensifying competition, and a prolonged market downturn ultimately forced the company to change course.

On April 13, the token fell from around $6.30 to below $0.50 during low-liquidity weekend trading, wiping out more than $6 billion in market capitalization within 24 hours, and triggered widespread concern across the DeFi sector.

MANTRA's core team denies wrongdoing after its native token $OM suffers a massive 90% token drop, sparking investor panic and allegations of a rug pull.#Mantra #OM https://t.co/PtDjGiHbCT

— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) April 14, 2025

Mantra denied any wrongdoing at the time, attributing the crash to forced liquidations by a large token holder on a centralized exchange.

Source: CoinGecko

CoinGecko data shows that OM had reached an all-time high of $8.99 in February 2025 before falling to as low as $0.59 by mid-April and remains trading roughly 99% below its peak.

Mantra Seeks Fresh Start After Cuts Back

In the aftermath of the collapse, Mantra took several steps aimed at restoring confidence, with Mullin announcing plans to burn 150 million OM tokens allocated to him at mainnet genesis, with the unstaking process completed later in April 2025.

A token buyback program and a public tokenomics dashboard were also introduced as part of a broader effort to improve transparency.

The project’s challenges were compounded later in 2025 by a public dispute with crypto exchange OKX over the timing and structure of OM’s token migration.

Mullin accused the exchange of publishing incorrect migration dates and urged users to withdraw tokens and follow official Mantra channels instead. The dispute added to uncertainty for holders already shaken by the April collapse.

Mantra CEO @jp_mullin888 warns $OM holders to withdraw tokens from OKX immediately amid disputed migration dates #OM #OKX #Mantrahttps://t.co/p9rRttPXcs

— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) December 8, 2025

Against that backdrop, Mullin said the restructuring is designed to extend Mantra’s runway and refocus the company on execution rather than expansion.

As the company looks to the future, Mullin explained that Mantra would be more disciplined and will ship faster and push itself forward into a sustainable and profitable future.

He said the company remains committed to its RWA strategy and believes a leaner structure will leave it better positioned to navigate market volatility and deliver on its long-term vision as the next phase of crypto adoption unfolds.

The post Mantra Slashes Staff and Restructures Following ‘Brutal’ OM Token Collapse appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin melonjak melebihi $97.000 pada hari Rabu saat kripto akhirnya mengejar rally yang lebih luas di pasar saham dan logam mulia, dengan lebih dari $100 juta posisi pendek dilebur hanya dalam satu jam.

Sumber: TradingView

Pelepasan ini terjadi setelah berminggu-minggu Bitcoin tertinggal dari aset tradisional, dengan QCP Capital mencatat bahwa aset digital ini telah mampu menembus level resistensi $95.000 yang sebelumnya membatasi kenaikan sejak bulan November.

Langkah naik ini mencerminkan lingkungan yang semakin mendukung risiko, didorong oleh inflasi AS yang stabil dan pasar tenaga kerja yang tangguh, menciptakan apa yang disebut QCP sebagai lingkungan 'Goldilocks' di mana investor beramai-ramai membeli berbagai aset mulai dari saham hingga logam mulia dan kini kripto.

Pertukaran terdesentralisasi permanen bergerak dari pinggiran perdagangan kripto menuju pusat pasar, seiring data dan komentar terbaru dari Delphi Digital yang menunjukkan platform-platform ini bisa berkembang menjadi tempat layanan keuangan lengkap yang menantang peran tradisional bank.

Langkah ini disebabkan oleh fakta bahwa para pedagang masih tertarik pada infrastruktur berbasis blockchain, yang mengurangi perantara, menurunkan biaya, dan beroperasi sepanjang waktu, meskipun harga token di pasar fluktuatif.

BONK baru saja mendapatkan kepercayaan pertama dari TradFi, yang menjadi dorongan untuk prediksi harga Bonk yang bullish, sedang dipertimbangkan untuk suite produk investasi Grayscale.

Koin meme ini telah diidentifikasi sebagai kandidat dalam pembaruan Aset yang Diperhitungkan Q1 2026 Grayscale, menempatkannya dalam jangkauan eksposur pasar TradFi teratur di AS.

Pelajari berbagai aset digital yang sedang kami pertimbangkan untuk produk investasi masa depan dan jelajahi aset yang sudah menjadi bagian dari penawaran kami dalam pembaruan terbaru tentang Aset yang Diperhitungkan. Apakah ada yang terlewat?

Open interest Bitcoin telah anjlok lebih dari 31% dari puncaknya di 2025, kini stabil sekitar 10 miliar dolar AS seiring para analis mengidentifikasi penurunan ini sebagai formasi dasar kritis yang bisa mendorong BTC menuju terobosan ke level 105.000 dolar.

Fase deleveraging, yang dipicu oleh likuidasi besar-besaran, telah mendorong open interest di bawah rata-rata bergerak 180 hari sementara aktivitas perdagangan terus melonjak dengan volume spot mendekati 60 miliar dolar AS.

Analisis on-chain dari Darkorst menggambarkan 2025 sebagai tahun spekulasi tanpa preceden, dengan volume perdagangan Binance futures saja melebihi 25 triliun dolar.

Bitnomial telah meluncurkan kontrak berjang pertama yang diatur oleh AS terkait Aptos (APT), menambahkan tempat yang diatur bagi akses institusi ke ekosistem blockchain Layer 1.

Kontrak-kontrak tersebut mulai diperdagangkan pada 14 Januari di Bitnomial Exchange, menawarkan tempat yang diatur bagi pedagang institusi maupun ritel untuk penemuan harga dan manajemen risiko.

Pasaran yang Diatur untuk Paparan APT

Kontrak berjang APT baru ini memiliki jatuh tempo bulanan dan dapat diklaim dalam dolar AS atau APT, tergantung pada arah posisi.

Pemerintah Inggris telah menyerah dari kewajiban bagi pekerja untuk mendaftar dalam sistem ID digital baru untuk membuktikan hak bekerja mereka, menandai kemunduran besar setelah dukungan publik runtuh dan hampir tiga juta orang menandatangani petisi menentang skema tersebut.

Meskipun pemeriksaan hak bekerja digital akan tetap menjadi wajib pada tahun 2029, pekerja kini dapat menggunakan metode verifikasi alternatif, termasuk paspor biometrik dan aplikasi komersial, alih-alih mendaftar dalam program ID digital pemerintah, menurut BBC.

Rancangan undang-undang struktur pasar kripto di Senat AS kini memicu kekhawatiran baru dari industri aset digital, dengan Galaxy Digital memperingatkan bahwa ini bisa memberi Departemen Keuangan wewenang pengawasan dan penegakan hukum yang luas, menyerupai Undang-Undang Patriot AS.

Peringatan ini muncul saat para pembuat kebijakan bergerak untuk menyelaraskan proposal pengaturan antara DPR dan Senat di tengah volatilitas pasar yang terus berlangsung dan ketidakpastian kebijakan.

RUU Crypto Senat Memberi Kewenangan Baru yang Luas kepada Departemen Keuangan, Kata Galaxy

Dalam catatan riset yang diterbitkan Selasa, Galaxy mengatakan rancangan dari Komite Perbankan Senat jauh melampaui RUU Klarifikasi Pasar Aset Digital yang telah disetujui DPR, khususnya dalam penanganan keuangan ilegal.

Data PPI bulan November menunjukkan inflasi harga produsen melonjak ke 3,0% secara tahunan, jauh melampaui perkiraan 2,7% dan mencatat angka tertinggi sejak Juli 2025.

Bitcoin tetap berada di sekitar $92.000 saat kejutan kenaikan memperkuat kekhawatiran tentang inflasi yang sulit reda, yang menekan kemampuan The Fed untuk menurunkan suku bunga secara agresif pada 2026.

PPI bulanan mencapai 0,2% sesuai perkiraan, tetapi percepatan tahunan ke level 3,0% menandakan tekanan harga di tingkat produsen tetap tinggi dan dapat berdampak pada harga konsumen di masa depan.

Crypto.com sedang memulai 2026 dengan acara "SOL Airdrop Arena", di mana pengguna berpotensi mendapatkan hadiah Solana (SOL) dengan menahan CRO, token asli platform tersebut. Ini adalah kampanye besar, dengan pertukaran menawarkan hadiah total Solana senilai $250.000, membuatnya menarik bagi pemegang CRO maupun penggemar Solana, kata mereka.

Acara SOL Airdrop Arena berlangsung dari 1 Januari hingga 31 Januari 2026, memberi pengguna waktu terbatas untuk mengumpulkan poin dan bersaing mendapatkan bagian dari hadiah Solana senilai $250.000.

Apa Itu SOL Airdrop Arena Crypto.com?

Bitcoin kembali menarik perhatian setelah data inflasi AS menenangkan kekhawatiran tekanan harga yang berkepanjangan, membangkitkan kembali permintaan terhadap aset berisiko dan mendorong BTC jauh melampaui ambang $95.000. Dengan CPI yang mengonfirmasi penurunan inflasi dan struktur teknis berubah menjadi bullish, Bitcoin tampaknya bukan sekadar rebound spekulatif, melainkan lebih merupakan kelanjutan dari tren yang dipimpin oleh institusi.

CPI Inti di 2,6% Mendorong Bitcoin Menuju $95.000

Bitcoin sedang diperdagangkan mendekati level $95.000 setelah naik lebih dari 3% dalam 24 jam terakhir, didukung oleh data inflasi yang lebih lembut dan penurunan moderat dalam dolar AS. Laporan Indeks Harga Konsumen AS terbaru menunjukkan inflasi inti tetap stabil di 2,7% year on year pada bulan Desember, sesuai dengan ekspektasi pasar, sementara inflasi inti tetap tidak berubah di level 2,6%, yaitu tingkat terendah sejak 2021.

Animoca Brands telah bergerak untuk memperkuat posisinya dalam koleksi digital setelah mengakuisisi studio game dan koleksi Somo, memperluas cakupannya dalam hiburan berbasis Web3.

Poin Penting:

Animoca Brands mengakuisisi Somo untuk memperluas strategi koleksi Web3-nya.

Perjanjian ini selaras dengan rebound pasar NFT awal 2026 yang tajam.

Meskipun terjadi lonjakan baru-baru ini, valuasi NFT masih jauh di bawah puncak siklus sebelumnya.

Perusahaan mengatakan pada hari Rabu bahwa Somo akan diintegrasikan ke dalam ekosistem Web3 yang lebih luas dari Animoca, menambahkan rangkaian koleksi digital yang dapat dimainkan, diputar, dan diperdagangkan ke portofolio platform berbasis blockchain-nya.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren has called on federal banking regulators to pause their review of World Liberty Financial’s application for a national bank charter, arguing that the process should not move forward while President Donald Trump maintains direct financial ties to the crypto platform.

The request raises fresh questions about conflicts of interest at a moment when stablecoins are moving deeper into the US financial system and Washington is debating how far to go in regulating the sector.

Stablecoin Charter Puts OCC in Political Crosshairs, Warren Says

In a letter sent Tuesday to Jonathan Gould, the Comptroller of the Currency, Warren urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to delay consideration of World Liberty Financial’s bid until Trump divests from the company and removes what she described as “real and serious” financial conflicts involving himself and his family.

Source: Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Warren, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said the situation was no longer hypothetical after a World Liberty subsidiary formally applied on January 7, 2026, to operate a national trust bank designed to support stablecoin services.

World Liberty Financial was launched in 2024 and lists Trump and his sons Barron, Eric, and Donald Trump Jr. as co-founders.

Trump-backed World Liberty Financial has launched World Liberty Markets, a new crypto lending platform tied to its #USD1 stablecoin.#Stablecoins #DeFi #USD1 #CryptoNewshttps://t.co/vginSli5es

— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) January 12, 2026

The platform has grown quickly, raising more than $550 million through token sales and launching a dollar-backed stablecoin, USD1, in March 2025.

USD1 has since expanded to an estimated $3.4 billion in market value and has been used in high-profile transactions, including a $2 billion Binance investment by a third-party firm using the token.

A World Liberty subsidiary, WLTC Holdings, filed for the charter that would allow it to issue, custody, and convert USD1 directly under federal supervision.

World Liberty Financial filed for a US national banking charter, seeking OCC oversight to bring its dollar-backed stablecoin USD1 fully inside the regulatory perimeter. @worldlibertyfi#WLFI #OCC https://t.co/kDgbVB1c25

— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) January 8, 2026

Warren argued that the application places the OCC in an unprecedented position.

Under the National Innovation for US Stablecoins Act, or GENIUS Act, signed into law by Trump in July 2025, the OCC became the primary regulator for federally licensed stablecoin issuers.

That role includes approving charters, writing rules, supervising issuers, and enforcing violations.

Warren said that approving World Liberty’s application would effectively make the president responsible for overseeing a financial company from which he and his family benefit, while the regulator itself serves at the president’s pleasure.

Crypto Policy Debate Intensifies as Trump Family Ventures Expand

In a public report cited in Warren’s letter, Trump and his family have earned more than $1 billion from World Liberty Financial and other crypto ventures.

Beyond World Liberty, the Trump family controls entities tied to an official Trump-branded meme coin launched on Solana in early 2025, several NFT collections that have generated millions in licensing revenue, and a Bitcoin mining company established by Trump’s sons last year.

These ventures mark a sharp shift from Trump’s earlier skepticism of digital assets and have been accompanied by a policy agenda that has rolled back enforcement actions and positioned the US as a global crypto hub.

The charter filing comes as regulators have shown greater willingness to bring crypto firms under bank-style oversight.

In December, the OCC approved national trust bank charters for several digital asset companies, including BitGo, Circle, Paxos, Ripple, and others.

The OCC has conditionally approved five crypto firms, including @Circle and @Ripple, to launch national trust banks.#Ripple #Circlehttps://t.co/wCeTNrhOQZ

— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) December 13, 2025

Trust banks cannot take deposits or make loans, but they can provide custody and settlement services, making them an attractive structure for stablecoin issuers seeking tighter integration with the traditional financial system.

Warren’s push also lands amid broader legislative friction. There are many efforts going on in Congress, including the Stop TRUMP in Crypto Act and the End Crypto Corruption Act, that aim to restrict elected officials and their families from owning or profiting from digital assets, but none have advanced into law.

The post Elizabeth Warren Urges Regulator to Freeze World Liberty Bank Bid Until Trump Cuts Crypto Ties appeared first on Cryptonews.

Pasar crypto naik hari ini, dengan kapitalisasi pasar cryptocurrency meningkat 3,6% menjadi $3,33 triliun. Pada saat penulisan, 95 dari 100 koin teratas telah mencatatkan kenaikan selama 24 jam terakhir. Selain itu, total volume perdagangan crypto mencapai $174 miliar, kembali ke level yang biasa kita lihat akhir-akhir ini.

TLDR:

Kapitalisasi pasar crypto naik 3,6% pada Rabu pagi (UTC);

95 dari 100 koin teratas dan semua 10 koin teratas mengalami penurunan hari ini;

BTC meningkat 3,4% menjadi $91.271, dan ETH naik 6,6% menjadi $3.328;

Ethereum telah memiliki momennya dalam siklus ini. Di musim panas tahun 2025, ETH akhirnya menembus level tertinggi sebelumnya dan mencatatkan rekor tertinggi baru mendekati $4.900, didorong oleh aliran ETF yang kuat, permintaan staking, dan minat baru dari investor ritel.

Sejak saat itu, pergerakan harga telah mereda. Ethereum mengikuti tren pasar yang lebih luas turun dan mundur sekitar 40%, membawa ETH kembali ke zona yang sekarang dilihat banyak investor jangka panjang sebagai konsolidasi daripada kelemahan.

Pada saat yang sama, karena pasar bear sedang berlangsung, proyek-proyek tahap awal mulai mendapatkan perhatian. Salah satunya adalah BMIC (BMIC).

Laporan terbaru dari bursa kripto CEX.IO menunjukkan bahwa emas yang telah tokenisasi menjadi salah satu segmen paling cepat berkembang dalam pasar aset dunia nyata (RWA) pada tahun 2025.

Kegiatan perdagangan dan ekspansi pasar melampaui banyak produk investasi emas tradisional.

Emas yang Telah Tokenisasi Menyumbang Sepertiga dari Pertumbuhan RWA

Menurut laporan, emas yang telah tokenisasi mencatat kenaikan 177% dalam kapitalisasi pasar pada tahun 2025, melonjak dari sekitar 1,6 miliar dolar AS menjadi 4,4 miliar dolar AS. Ini menambah nilai bersih hampir 2,8 miliar dolar AS, yang mencakup sekitar 25% dari pertumbuhan nilai aset dunia nyata (RWA) secara keseluruhan sepanjang tahun.

Ripple has secured preliminary approval for an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license from Luxembourg’s financial regulator, marking another regulatory milestone as the firm expands its payments business across Europe.

Key Takeaways:

Ripple secured preliminary EMI approval in Luxembourg to expand regulated EU payments.

Back-to-back approvals in Luxembourg and the UK deepen Ripple’s European footprint.

The licenses support Ripple’s push to deliver payment infrastructure for banks and institutions.

The approval was granted by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier and came in the form of a “green light letter,” Ripple said in a recent blog post.

While the authorization remains subject to final conditions, it positions the company to broaden its cross-border payments platform across the European Union, allowing financial institutions to move funds using stablecoins and other digital assets within a regulated framework.

Ripple Secures UK and Luxembourg Approvals to Deepen EU Presence

The Luxembourg decision follows closely on Ripple’s recent regulatory progress in the United Kingdom, where it received both an EMI license and cryptoasset registration from the Financial Conduct Authority.

Together, the approvals strengthen Ripple’s footprint in two key European markets as regional rules for digital assets continue to take shape.

Ripple President Monica Long said Europe’s regulatory approach has given financial institutions the confidence to move blockchain technology beyond pilot programs.

She added that expanding Ripple’s licensing portfolio allows the company to offer an end-to-end payments solution that combines stablecoins with onchain liquidity, helping institutions modernize legacy systems and operate around the clock.

Ripple Payments operates as a licensed, end-to-end cross-border payments platform, managing the flow of funds on behalf of clients while connecting them to a global network of payout partners.

By handling blockchain infrastructure and operational complexity internally, Ripple enables banks and payment providers to launch digital services without building or maintaining their own systems.

We’ve secured our preliminary Electronic Money Institution license approval from Luxembourg’s Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF).

This is a pivotal step toward scaling Ripple Payments across the EU, bringing institutional-grade digital asset infrastructure… pic.twitter.com/GW3c9gVhDs

— Ripple (@Ripple) January 14, 2026

According to the company, Ripple Payments has processed more than $95 billion in transaction volume to date and now reaches over 90% of daily foreign exchange markets.

The firm holds more than 75 licenses and registrations worldwide, placing it among the most heavily regulated companies in the digital asset sector.

Cassie Craddock, Ripple’s managing director for the UK and Europe, said Luxembourg’s supervisory framework offers the legal certainty needed for financial innovation.

She described the preliminary approval as a pivotal step toward delivering compliant blockchain infrastructure across the EU, noting Ripple’s focus on aligning its operations with Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regime.

Ripple’s RLUSD Wins Regulatory Green Light in Abu Dhabi

As reported, Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin RLUSD was cleared for institutional use in Abu Dhabi after receiving recognition as an Accepted Fiat-Referenced Token from the local regulator.

The approval allows licensed firms within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) to use RLUSD for regulated financial activities inside the free-zone financial center.

The decision strengthens Ripple’s expansion across the UAE. In recent months, the company secured approvals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and onboarded partners including Zand Bank and Mamo.

As reported, Ripple is also weighing whether to bring staking to the XRP Ledger (XRPL), a move that would push the decade-old blockchain deeper into the rapidly expanding world of decentralized finance.

The post Ripple Wins Luxembourg EMI Approval to Expand European Payments appeared first on Cryptonews.

Pemerintah Uganda menerapkan pemadaman internet nasional pada Selasa sebelum pemilihan presiden pada Kamis, memicu lonjakan unduhan Bitchat, sebuah aplikasi pesan terdesentralisasi yang beroperasi secara offline.

Komisi Komunikasi Uganda memerintahkan penyedia layanan seluler untuk menghentikan akses internet publik mulai pukul 18.00 waktu setempat, dengan alasan kekhawatiran tentang informasi menyesatkan dan penipuan pemilu saat Presiden Yoweri Museveni yang berusia 81 tahun berusaha memperoleh masa jabatan ketujuh melawan lawan oposisi, Bobi Wine.

Pengembang Bitchat, Calle, melaporkan aplikasi tersebut menjadi aplikasi paling banyak diunduh di Uganda saat warga bersiap menghadapi pemadaman internet.

Visa telah menjalin kemitraan dengan BVNK untuk mendorong pembayaran stablecoin melalui jaringan Visa Direct, menambah upaya lebih luas mereka untuk mengintegrasikan aset digital ke dalam infrastruktur pembayaran global.

Berita menarik: kami sedang mendorong pembayaran stablecoin untuk @Visa Direct

Memulai tahun ini dengan program uji coba, BVNK akan menyediakan infrastruktur stablecoin untuk jaringan pembayaran real-time @VISADIRECT senilai $1,7 triliun, memungkinkan pergerakan uang global yang lebih cepat dan fleksibel. pic.twitter.com/0SxgIRrhof

— BVNK (@BVNKFinance) 14 Januari 2026

Ketua Komite Pertanian Senat John Boozman mengumumkan teks legislatif mengenai struktur pasar kripto akan dirilis pada akhir hari kerja Rabu, 21 Januari, dengan rapat peninjauan komite dijadwalkan pada Selasa, 27 Januari, pukul 15.00.

Timeline ini mengikuti tindakan paralel oleh Komite Perbankan Senat, di mana senator mengajukan 137 amandemen terhadap Undang-Undang CLARITY sebelum rapat peninjauan hari Kamis, menurut sumber yang melihat daftar pengajuan tersebut.

"Jadwal ini menjamin transparansi dan memungkinkan tinjauan menyeluruh saat komite melanjutkan legislasi untuk memberikan kejelasan dan kepastian bagi pasar kripto," kata Boozman dalam pernyataan.