Listen to today’s podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-nqwUyvLDEvs7bV985k-gQ
Bitcoin/Crypto Daily Podcast 01/29/2026
Today’s podcast episode was created from the following stories:
Bullish bitcoin traders grab crash protection as Friday’s $8.9B expiry nears
Source: CoinDesk
By James Van Straten, Omkar Godbole — January 28, 2026
Billions in bitcoin and ether options expire Friday on Deribit, with positioning skewed toward calls even as traders buy puts to hedge Fed-related volatility. The put-call ratio at 0.56 signals bullish bias, yet downside protection has picked up around key strikes like 88k and 85k. Monthly expiries can spark short-term swings, but the notional is tiny versus bitcoin’s market cap, making lasting effects less likely.
Top stablecoins shrink as crypto cash flees, posing risk to bitcoin’s bounce
Source: CoinDesk
By Omkar Godbole — January 28, 2026
USDT and USDC market caps have fallen sharply to about $258 billion combined, with USDC leading the slide — a signal that cash is leaving crypto rather than sitting in stablecoins. Shrinking stablecoin supply can weaken rebound potential across bitcoin and altcoins by reducing instant buying power. Policy uncertainty, including delays to the Clarity Act, may be dampening U.S. stablecoin momentum.
Fidelity Investments starts its own stablecoin in a massive bet that future of banking is on blockchain
Source: CoinDesk
By Helene Braun — January 28, 2026
Fidelity will launch the Fidelity Digital Dollar (FIDD) on Ethereum in early February, redeemable 1:1 on its platforms and available on major exchanges. Backed by cash, cash equivalents, and short-term Treasuries under the GENIUS Act, FIDD targets 24/7 settlement and on-chain payments, with daily reserve disclosures and third-party attestations. The move puts Fidelity in direct competition with USDC and USDT and sets the stage for broader on-chain financial services.
Here’s how China’s response to Trump tariffs silently rocks bitcoin
Source: CoinDesk
By Sam Reynolds — January 28, 2026
China’s tight management of the yuan amid elevated U.S. tariffs is amplifying dollar-driven liquidity cycles, which in turn affect bitcoin’s macro-sensitive price action. JPMorgan notes China’s export resilience and a range-bound yuan, shifting focus to how FX policy and global liquidity transmission shape crypto markets. For BTC, risk-off spikes tied to tariff stress can sap liquidity, while easing tensions can fuel rebounds.
Long-term bitcoin holders resume selling as price lags behind traditional markets
Source: CoinDesk
By James Van Straten — January 28, 2026
Long-term holders have sold about 143,000 BTC over the past month, the fastest pace since August, as bitcoin underperforms other assets like gold and silver. While a brief accumulation in late December helped stabilize prices, distribution remains a headwind and echoes past cycles tied to halving dynamics. Roughly 2 million coins are now at a loss, and LTH supply still sits near 14.5 million BTC.
Bitcoin ETF $86K break-even level in focus amid US wirehouse influx reports
Source: Cointelegraph
By William Suberg — January 28, 2026
U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs have seen over $6 billion in outflows since October, with aggregate realized price near 86,600 acting as a psychological pivot for investor conviction. A sustained move below that level risks accelerating redemptions, while stability above it could steady flows. Despite recent outflows, industry voices suggest large wirehouse platforms are beginning to greenlight ETF access, setting up potential new demand.
Nomura’s Laser Digital applies for U.S. national trust bank to offer crypto custody
Source: CoinDesk
By Francisco Rodrigues, AI Boost | Edited by Sheldon Reback — January 28, 2026
Laser Digital has applied to the OCC to launch a federally regulated national trust bank offering crypto custody, spot trading, and staking for institutions. If approved, it would join a growing roster of federally supervised crypto-native trust banks alongside Ripple, Circle, BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Paxos. The move underscores institutional demand for regulated, bank-grade digital asset infrastructure.
The crypto bill is falling apart in Congress
Source: The Verge
By Tina Nguyen — January 28, 2026
Momentum behind the bipartisan Clarity Act is faltering amid escalating partisanship and an increasingly crowded legislative calendar. A major sticking point is whether stablecoin issuers and platforms can pass rewards to consumers, a provision drawing heavy pushback from the banking lobby. With elections nearing, industry stakeholders fear a shift in congressional control could shelve market-structure progress in favor of enforcement-focused agendas.
Criminal use of crypto spikes after years of steady decline, TRM report says
Source: CoinDesk
By Jesse Hamilton — January 28, 2026
Illicit crypto volumes jumped to $158 billion in 2025, but still accounted for only about 1.2% of total activity as the lawful ecosystem expanded rapidly. TRM highlights Russia-linked sanctions evasion and increasingly professionalized attacks — including DPRK-linked infrastructure compromises — as key drivers. The findings reinforce why illicit finance controls remain central to U.S. market-structure negotiations.
Grave Incidente En GitHub De ClawdBot Acaba En Estafa Crypto De $16M
Source: Una al día (Hispasec)
By Pedro Fernandez Gonzalez — January 28, 2026
A rushed rebrand exposed ClawdBot’s GitHub and social handles to hijackers, who launched a fake $CLAWD token on Solana that briefly hit a $16 million market cap before rugging. Security researchers also found hundreds of exposed ClawdBot instances leaking keys and enabling possible remote code execution. The episode underscores basic opsec lessons for open-source AI agents: secure identities first, harden deployments, and never run privileged tools on machines with sensitive credentials.
