On Jan. 30, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said he signed an agreement to integrate USDCx, a Circle-linked stablecoin, into the network. The initiative aims to channel sustained on-chain dollar liquidity for DeFi, though rollout timing and scope remain unconfirmed. USDCx is issued on a partner chain and backed one-to-one via Circle's xReserve, which is designed to reduce reliance on traditional bridges.

Gold hit a record $5,594.82 per ounce before slipping to about $5,330, a 4.7% pullback, while Bitcoin fell 7% to roughly $82,381. With volatility climbing as GVZ rose from 30.01 on Jan. 23 to 39.67 on Jan. 28, traders are evaluating whether crowded gold positioning unwinds into Bitcoin or reflects broader macro pressure.

Bitcoin has fallen nearly 7% in the last 24 hours to $82,513 and is on track for a fourth consecutive monthly decline, with long traders seeing more than $750 million in liquidations. Analysts are now focused on an $81,000 support band, warning that a breakdown could trigger a deeper capitulation similar to prior downturns.

On Jan. 23, BlackRock filed for the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, which would track BTC via IBIT while distributing option premiums from selling covered calls, typically overwriting 25%–35% of net assets. IBIT's scale—$69.2 billion AUM and $62.816 billion cumulative net inflows—positions BlackRock to mass-produce this volatility-as-income strategy despite warnings that crowded call selling may compress premiums.

On Jan. 27, Lookonchain identified three whale addresses withdrawing about $14.33 million of tokenized gold (XAUT and PAXG) from Bybit, Gate, and MEXC while Bitcoin slowed into a narrow range. In a Jan. 26 note, Bitwise Europe reported $1.811 billion weekly outflows from global crypto ETPs, framing the gold bid as hedging rather than an exit from BTC.

Binance announced on Jan. 21 that it will list Ripple's RLUSD and open RLUSD/USDT, RLUSD/U, and XRP/RLUSD spot markets on Jan. 22 at 8 AM UTC, with zero fees on RLUSD/USDT and RLUSD/U until further notice. RLUSD's circulating supply is about $1.4 billion, and analysts say fee-free routing can materially influence stablecoin market share and liquidity.

On Jan. 19, Intercontinental Exchange, the parent of the NYSE, outlined plans for a separate trading venue for tokenized US‑listed equities and ETFs, built around stablecoin-based funding and blockchain settlement. The platform aims to enable 24/7 trading, near‑instant settlement with tokenized capital, and fractional share trading while preserving traditional investor rights and remaining subject to regulatory approval. Industry debate now centers on how much value this shift in market plumbing will actually deliver to existing crypto tokens versus blockchains and DeFi infrastructure.

Bitcoin is highlighted as a possible long-term winner in a scenario where authorities confirm the existence of non-human intelligence, according to analysis by former Bank of England analyst Helen McCaw. Her framework suggests an initial phase of broad risk-off selling and liquidity stress, followed by a second phase in which investors reassess trust in state-linked assets and may seek borderless alternatives like Bitcoin.

On Jan. 16, Jefferies' Christopher Wood removed a 10% Bitcoin allocation, citing quantum-computing tail risk. In contrast, ARK Invest's Cathie Wood points to weak correlations, with ARK reporting 0.14 versus gold and 0.06 versus bonds. Grayscale calls quantum fears a 2026 "red herring," while Bitwise's Andre Dragosch highlights today's vast computational gap.