At the beginning of 2026, the cryptocurrency and technology markets continued their strong momentum, with significant news emerging from various sectors. From Tether's large Bitcoin purchases to the advancement of El Salvador's national strategy, and the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on interest rate cuts, market dynamics are volatile and full of opportunities. Meanwhile, the surge in venture capital and regulatory trends in prediction markets also provide new dimensions for investors to consider. This article will outline today's key events and include the latest token listings and airdrop announcements from leading exchanges such as Binance and OKX, helping readers stay in tune with the market.
Highlights in the Cryptocurrency Sector
Tether (USDT) issuer made a large-scale Bitcoin acquisition at the end of Q4 2025. According to Onchain Lens monitoring, Tether purchased approximately 8,888 Bitcoins, valued at about $784 million. This move further solidified Tether's influence in the crypto ecosystem and reflects the stablecoin giant's confidence in Bitcoin's long-term value. Tether's Bitcoin reserves have become a focal point of market attention, and this increase may support Bitcoin's price in the short term.
Meanwhile, El Salvador continues to deepen its crypto strategy. Reports indicate that the country will advance a national development strategy centered on Bitcoin and artificial intelligence in 2026. This initiative aims to integrate cryptocurrency into the economic system, potentially including more Bitcoin reserve accumulation and AI-driven financial innovations. As the world's first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, El Salvador's policy direction often has a demonstrative effect on emerging markets.
However, not all news is optimistic. Coinbase announced the suspension of its local services in Argentina, stating that from January 31, 2026, the platform will no longer support the buying and selling of the stablecoin USDC using the Argentine peso. A company spokesperson emphasized that this is a strategic pause rather than a complete exit, with plans to return to the market in the future for a better user experience. This decision stems from an internal assessment of local market performance and may reflect challenges posed by regulatory and economic fluctuations in emerging markets.
Looking back at 2025, the total amount of crypto venture capital reached $49.75 billion, a staggering increase of 433.2% compared to 2024. Although the number of projects decreased by 42.1% to 898, funding has clearly concentrated on larger projects. Major transactions included Naver's $10.3 billion all-stock acquisition of Upbit's parent company Dunamu, as well as several billion-dollar financings led by institutions such as Strategy, ICE, and Abu Dhabi MGX. DeFi projects accounted for the highest share at 22.4%, indicating that this sector continues to attract capital inflows. This data provides a positive signal for the recovery of the crypto market in 2026.
Regulation and Innovation in Parallel
In the United States, regulatory attention on prediction markets is heating up. According to The Block, Congressman Ritchie Torres plans to introduce the "2026 Financial Prediction Markets Public Integrity Act," which would prohibit federal officials from participating in political prediction market trading when they possess significant non-public information. This proposal stems from an incident where a Polymarket account profited over $400,000 from a $32,500 bet on Maduro's ousting before a U.S. military raid, raising concerns about insider trading. The total trading volume in prediction markets reached $44 billion in 2025, and if this bill passes, it could reshape the compliance framework in this field.
The IPO wave among tech giants is also noteworthy. According to the Financial Times, SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic are preparing for IPOs in 2026, with expected fundraising amounts reaching hundreds of billions of dollars. OpenAI's valuation could reach $750 billion, SpaceX's secondary market valuation has exceeded $800 billion, and Anthropic is seeking a valuation of over $300 billion. If all three successfully go public, it would surpass the total scale of U.S. IPOs in 2025, bringing unprecedented returns to investment banks and venture capital. This "most significant IPO wave in history" may further integrate AI and crypto elements, driving cross-industry innovation.
Regarding the Federal Reserve, Philadelphia Fed President Harker stated that if inflation cools, the Fed may be able to cut interest rates further, but additional measures will not be implemented immediately. In her speech in Philadelphia, she noted that the current target interest rate range of 3.5% to 3.75% still appears "somewhat tight," creating conditions for future adjustments. Harker expressed mixed signals regarding the job market, emphasizing the need to wait for more data. This cautiously optimistic attitude may influence global liquidity in 2026, indirectly benefiting crypto assets.
In China, "the difference between digital yuan and WeChat Alipay" topped Baidu's trending search list. Analysis indicates that starting January 1, the balance in digital yuan wallets will earn interest based on current deposit rates. The core difference lies in that digital yuan acts as electronic cash, paid directly to merchants, while WeChat and Alipay function more like wallets from which funds are withdrawn for payments. This heated discussion highlights the unique positioning of digital yuan in the payment ecosystem and may accelerate its widespread adoption.
Token Unlocking and Market Liquidity Warning
Today's market also requires attention to the token unlocking windows of several projects. According to forecasts, popular projects such as Sipher (SIPHER), Cyber Arena (CAT), and Ethena (ENA) will release new tokens within the next 24 hours. Among them, Cyber Arena will unlock 55 million CAT in a single instance, Sipher will unlock 2.114 million SIPHER, and Ethena will release 171.88 million ENA. Most projects have already exceeded 50% of their unlocking progress, with this round accounting for 1%-3%. The unlocking may increase market liquidity, but potential selling pressure should also be monitored, and investors should closely track price fluctuations.
Latest Announcements from Leading Exchanges: Token Listings and Airdrop Information
To supplement today's dynamics, we have added the latest announcements from leading exchanges such as Binance and OKX (based on data from January 4). This information reflects the exchanges' rapid response to new assets, potentially providing opportunities for traders.
Binance Announcement:
New Token Listings: Binance recently announced the addition of four crypto assets, including Acala, to the Watch Tag list (effective from January 2), including potential monitoring tags to alert users to risks. Potential candidates for listing in 2026 include Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER, a Bitcoin Layer 2 solution), Maxi Doge (MAXI, a meme coin with high leverage trading themes), and PEPENODE (PEPENODE, a virtual mining project). These projects will be launched through the Launchpad and Launchpool platforms, aiming to attract more liquidity.
Airdrop Information: The Binance Megadrop event is ongoing, allowing users to lock BNB and complete Web3 tasks to earn enhanced airdrop rewards. The Mining Pool also offers more mining reward opportunities. Additionally, upcoming airdrops for the fourth week of January include projects like Sui RWA, which users can track through the Binance announcement page. On platform X, users reported instant airdrop activities for $MARLEE, $LIBERTADOR, and $AIAV (redeemable using Alpha points on Binance Alpha), all based on the Solana ecosystem, providing quick verification and redemption mechanisms.
OKX Announcement:
New Token Listings: OKX has launched spot trading pairs for SOL/BTC and ETH/BTC, as well as WET/USD (HumidiFi project). Memefi (MEMEFI) was listed today, currently priced at approximately $0.0006573, down 1.01% within 24 hours, with a market cap of $6.57 million. Additionally, new spot pairs including DASH/USD, ZEC/USD, and ZEN/USD have been added to enhance cross-chain trading efficiency.
Airdrop Information: The OKX Bounty Hunt Week 11 event is in its final day, with users competing for a reward of 5,000 USDT through participation and referrals. The Monad Airdrop investment opportunity is open, offering potential free tokens to eligible users. Posts on X mentioned that the listing of the HYPE project on OKX has enhanced global accessibility and liquidity, allowing users to participate in zero-fee promotions. Furthermore, the USDT-USDS zero-fee promotion is about to end, encouraging users to act promptly.
These exchange dynamics indicate that at the start of 2026, meme coins, Layer 2, and DeFi projects remain in focus. Investors are advised to verify eligibility before participating and to be mindful of market volatility.
Overall, today's market dynamics reflect the deep integration of crypto and traditional finance. Tether's Bitcoin accumulation and the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut signals may boost confidence, while increased regulation and the IPO wave remind us of the inherent risks. Looking ahead, paying attention to unlocking events and exchange announcements will help capture short-term opportunities. The market is ever-changing, and investors need to make rational decisions.
Upcoming Unlocks
【Token Unlocking Announcement】Multiple project unlocking windows are about to open! Popular projects such as Sipher (SIPHER) and Cyber Arena (CAT) will unlock new tokens within the next 24 hours: Cyber Arena will unlock 55 million CAT in a single instance, Sipher will unlock 2.114 million SIPHER, and Ethena will release 171.88 million ENA. Some projects currently have unlocking progress exceeding 50%, with this unlocking accounting for 1%-3%. Be sure to pay attention to changes in market liquidity after the unlock!
Project Name
Unlocked Token Amount
Percentage of Locked Position
Unlock Countdown
Sipher (SIPHER)
2.114M SIPHER
2.11%
13 hours 19 minutes
Cyber Arena (CAT)
55M CAT
1.10%
21 hours 3 minutes
Ethena (ENA)
171.88M ENA
1.15%
21 hours 3 minutes
Superp (SUP)
10.31M SUP
1.03%
21 hours 3 minutes
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