Tether froze around $182 million in USDT across five Tron wallets on 11 January 2026, locking the funds while keeping them visible on-chain. The move appears linked to US authorities and follows Tether’s policy to halt wallets tied to sanctioned or illegal activity.
WeatherlyBitGo launched its initial public offering on 12 January 2026, aiming to raise up to $201 million and list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker BTGO. The IPO includes 11.8 million shares priced between $15 and $17, with the company targeting a valuation of up to $1.96 billion.
AnaisBakkt Holdings is acquiring Distributed Technologies Research Ltd., a stablecoin payment provider, by issuing about 9.13 million shares to DTR shareholders. The deal aims to speed up Bakkt’s stablecoin services, reduce reliance on third parties, and support upcoming neobanking and payment offerings.
WeatherlyMachi Big Brother reopened a $34 million leveraged Ethereum long on Hyperliquid with less than $2 million in collateral, and the trade quickly moved into a loss.
AnaisChinese AI company DeepSeek is rapidly expanding in Africa, Russia, Belarus, and other markets using low-cost, open-source models backed by government subsidies. Microsoft warns that U.S. tech firms risk falling behind as their paid, controlled AI systems struggle to compete on price and accessibility.
WeatherlyPayPal will soon be a payment option in Google’s new AI-powered checkout through the Universal Commerce Protocol, which connects AI agents, retailers, and payment providers. The protocol was developed with major retailers and aims to make online shopping easier, more secure, and interoperable across different platforms.
AnaisSpain’s government has approved draft laws making it illegal to use AI to create or reuse people’s images or voices for commercial purposes without consent, with stronger protections for children and a minimum age of 16 to give consent. Exceptions are allowed for creative, satirical, or public figure content clearly marked as AI-generated.
AnaisUganda cut off public internet access during the presidential election, causing a surge in downloads of the encrypted messaging app Bitchat. The app allows people to communicate without the internet, and VPNs also saw high downloads as users sought ways to access information.
WeatherlyPolygon Labs has bought US crypto payments company Coinme and Canadian crypto infrastructure firm Sequence to become a regulated payments platform in 48 U.S. states. The acquisitions give Polygon fiat on- and off-ramps, wallet infrastructure, and cross-chain tools to simplify crypto and stablecoin payments for businesses and consumers.
AnaisStablecoin payments on Revolut jumped 156% in 2025 to about $10.5 billion, with most transfers between $100 and $500 showing everyday use. Ethereum leads the volume, and Revolut’s easy exchange feature and growing user adoption are driving the surge.
Weatherly