Author: Oguz Ozdemir

In brief President Trump has ruled out a pardon for disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried Bankman-Fried was convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges tied to the misuse of billions in customer funds and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The decision contrasts with Trump’s earlier clemency for other crypto-linked figures, including Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht and executives tied to BitMEX and Binance. President Donald Trump ruled out a pardon for FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried on Thursday, seemingly drawing a line between his crypto-friendly agenda and the industry’s most infamous fraud case.Trump was responding to questioning from a New…

President Donald Trump said this week that he has no intention of pardoning Sam Bankman-Fried, the former FTX chief executive who is serving a lengthy federal prison sentence for one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history. In an interview with The New York Times, Trump was asked whether he would consider granting clemency to several high-profile inmates. Among the names raised was Bankman-Fried, the onetime cryptocurrency billionaire convicted in 2023 of stealing billions of dollars from FTX customers.  Trump’s response was that he is not considering it, according to The New York Times. The remark puts somewhat of…

In brief Internet traffic monitors say internet traffic in Iran fell to near zero Thursday evening and remains offline. The shutdown followed days of protests driven by economic grievances and calls for regime change. It’s unclear whether satellites providing internet services like Starlink are accessible. Iran’s internet traffic cratered on Thursday as authorities imposed a nationwide shutdown amid escalating protests calling for regime change, according to data from Cloudflare and independent monitoring groups.“Current internet usage in the region is basically non-existent,” David Belson, head of data insight at Cloudflare, told Decrypt. Internet traffic in Iran “dropped to near-zero as of…

The era of the hooded hacker hoarding Bitcoin in a dark web wallet is over.In 2025, the center of gravity in the illicit cryptocurrency economy shifted decisively away from the volatility of the original cryptocurrency and toward a dense, dollar-linked shadow system.According to new Chainalysis data shared with CryptoSlate, stablecoins accounted for 84% of the $154 billion illicit transaction volume last year, marking a clear shift in risk toward programmable dollars.This structural shift has enabled Chinese money laundering networks to scale “laundering-as-a-service” operations while nation-states like North Korea, Russia, and Iran plugged into these same rails to evade Western controls.Why…

US lawmakers are debating last‑minute changes to the GENIUS Act after banking groups urged Congress to block third‑party rewards on stablecoins. The push landed as stablecoin supply passed $316 billion, a sign that everyday users already rely on dollar‑pegged tokens for payments and savings. The fight taps into a bigger theme: who controls digital dollars as crypto moves closer to the financial mainstream. Stablecoins like USDC and USDT held steady at $1, but the policy noise hit crypto stocks and DeFi tokens tied to on‑chain yield. Traders read the debate as a warning that Washington still holds the steering wheel.…

Ethereum breaks out of a triangle with a $3,700 target, but weak US demand and mixed on-chain signals could limit short-term upside. Ethereum (ETH) started 2026 with renewed strength after ending 2025 just under the $3,000 mark. The recent price move above $3,200 has triggered technical breakout signals and renewed attention from traders. However, mixed on-chain data suggests that some caution may still be required. Bollinger Bands Tighten on ETH Chart On the 3-day chart, Ethereum is showing a narrow Bollinger Band squeeze. This setup points to low volatility and is often followed by a larger move. As of…

Ki Young Ju’s view challenges both crash narratives and quick-bull expectations, pointing instead to a prolonged period of low excitement. Bitcoin (BTC) inflows have dried up, according to CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju, who said that the market is likely heading into several months of flat, uneventful price movement rather than a dramatic sell-off. His comments matter because they challenge both crash fears and near-term bull expectations at a time when Bitcoin is trading just below key recovery levels after a volatile end to 2025. Capital Rotation Replaces the Old Bitcoin Cycle Writing on X, Ki noted that fresh…

Whale activity has re-entered focus after Fasanara Capital transferred 25,000 HYPE, worth roughly $667,700, to Bybit, introducing visible sell-side risk.  Earlier, the same wallet received 500,000 HYPE, valued near $13.3 million, from a burn address, which initially reduced circulating supply pressure.  However, partial exchange deposits often matter more than headline inflows. They signal intent rather than liquidation completion.  Despite the Bybit transfer, the wallet still holds about 575,000 HYPE, worth nearly $15.4 million, keeping most supply off-exchange. However, even small deposits can influence short-term liquidity.  As a result, traders now weigh whether this move represents tactical distribution or testing market…

Rebeca Moen Jan 09, 2026 00:53 VanEck’s analysis forecasts Bitcoin’s valuation to hit $2.9 million by 2050, with a projected 16% CAGR, impacting strategic asset allocation. According to a detailed analysis by VanEck, Bitcoin (BTC) could witness a significant rise in its valuation, reaching approximately $2.9 million by the year 2050. This projection is based on a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16%, highlighting the potential long-term appreciation of the leading cryptocurrency. Long-Term Growth Projections VanEck’s long-term capital market assumptions reveal a bullish outlook for Bitcoin, which is expected to significantly influence…

Key takeaways PI is down 1% in the last 24 hours and has now dropped below $0.21. The cryptocurrency could record further bearish performance amid market correction. PI trades at $0.2072 as the market undergoes a correction PI, the native token of the Pi Network, has lost 1% of its value in the last 24 hours and is now trading at $0,2072 per coin. The bearish performance comes as centralized exchanges (CEXs) received 1.90 million PI tokens over the last 24 hours, suggesting risk-off sentiment among holders. According to data obtained from PiScan, over 1.90 million PI tokens were deposited…