Listen to today’s podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-nqwUyvLDEvs7bV985k-gQ
Bitcoin/Crypto Daily Podcast — January 31, 2026 Roundup
Today’s podcast episode was created from the following stories: a fast-moving mix of market moves, policy shifts, and infrastructure updates shaping the next phase of digital assets.
Bitcoin, ether fall as shutdown clock hits and markets brace for a messy Monday
By Shaurya Malwa — January 31, 2026
Crypto spent Friday on edge as a brief U.S. government funding lapse collided with thin weekend liquidity, putting pressure on risk assets. With the SEC running on very limited staff and prediction markets wrestling over what “shutdown” means in practice, traders kept positions light and waited out headlines. Net-net, it’s more of a sentiment stress test than a direct shock, making dips feel heavier into Monday.
Silver’s 35% plunge ends up beating bitcoin in a rare crypto liquidation shock
By Shaurya Malwa — January 31, 2026
Tokenized silver futures drove roughly $142 million of liquidations, outpacing bitcoin and ether as CME hiked margins up to 50% and leveraged metals bets unwound. In total, about $544 million in positions were cleared across 129,000 traders, underscoring how crypto rails now transmit macro trades beyond purely digital assets. The largest single wipeout hit a $18.1 million position on Hyperliquid.
Binance pins crypto’s worst-ever liquidation day on macro risks, not exchange failure
By Shaurya Malwa — January 31, 2026
Binance says the Oct. 10 crash was sparked by a macro shock meeting heavy leverage and vanishing order book depth, with crypto OI above $100B and liquidity evaporating across venues. The exchange acknowledged two platform-specific issues but said they were not causal, compensating users and updating methodologies. All told, Binance paid out over $328 million while pointing to cross-market stress, blockchain congestion, and systemic deleveraging as primary drivers.
Tether’s gold holdings top $17 billion as net profits surpassed $10 billion for 2025
By Krisztian Sandor — January 31, 2026
Tether closed 2025 with more than $10B in net profit, $6.3B in excess reserves, and USDT supply above $186B, while amassing $122B–$141B in U.S. Treasuries. The firm also held $17.4B in gold and $8.4B in bitcoin, signaling a diversified reserve strategy as it launches a U.S.-focused stablecoin (USAT) with Anchorage Digital. The balance-sheet scale cements Tether as a major holder of U.S. debt and a key liquidity provider across crypto.
NYSE’s 24/7 plan could fix key problem for stock tokens, Ondo’s de Bode says
By Krisztian Sandor — January 31, 2026
Ondo Finance’s Ian de Bode says 24/7 tokenized stock trading by NYSE/Nasdaq would be a “godsend,” eliminating weekend liquidity gaps that hobble market making. Ondo’s platform has topped $500M TVL and $7B in volume, leaning on instant mint/burn to keep prices tight and enable DeFi-native collateral use. The firm plans to scale assets and chains, positioning tokenized equities as a practical, high-liquidity crypto use case.
U.S. imposes sanctions on crypto exchanges tied to Iran for the first time
By Francisco Rodrigues, AI Boost | Edited by Shaurya Malwa — January 31, 2026
OFAC sanctioned U.K.-registered exchanges Zedcex and Zedxion for facilitating transactions for Iran’s IRGC and links to sanctioned businessman Babak Zanjani. The move freezes U.S.-linked assets and bars American dealings, marking the first Iran-specific designation against full exchange entities. It’s a clear signal that enforcement is widening from wallets and tools to platforms seen enabling state-linked flows.
$1.82B pulled from spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs amid metals rally
By Ciaran Lyons — January 31, 2026
U.S. spot BTC and ETH ETFs saw about $1.82B in outflows over five sessions as metals stole the spotlight and crypto prices softened. ETF analyst Eric Balchunas called the Bitcoin gloom “short-sighted,” noting BTC massively outperformed in 2023–24 and likely priced in the institutionalization narrative early. Volatility aside, strong prior inflows and sentiment swings suggest narrative catching up may take time.
Active Solana addresses spike 115%, four in 10 merchants take Bitcoin: Month in Charts
By Aaron Wood — January 31, 2026
Solana’s daily active addresses topped 5 million, up ~115% amid a memecoin-launch frenzy powered by new AI tooling, while fees surged on key days. Ethereum activity also climbed 25% with sub-cent fees after upgrades, and PayPal reports 4 in 10 U.S. merchants now accept crypto. The data points to broader onchain engagement and growing real-world payments traction despite macro noise.
Bitcoin vs. gold: BTC is a ‘better opportunity’ than in 2017, data says
By Yashu Gola — January 31, 2026
On a money-supply-adjusted basis, BTC hit a record low versus gold, a zone that historically aligned with major crypto bottoms and potential rotation back into Bitcoin. Some analysts see flows shifting as soon as February–March, while others warn metals’ strength could delay any pivot. Long-term holders, however, are quietly rebuilding positions—often a precursor to more durable recoveries.
Bitcoin options turn bearish as BTC flirts with drop below $80K
By Marcel Pechman — January 31, 2026
Options skew flashed its highest fear in a year as BTC retested $81K and U.S. spot ETFs recorded $2.7B in net outflows since mid-January. Quantum-computing worries added to jitters, though many leveraged longs have already been cleared, potentially improving market health. Stablecoin pricing in Asia shows only a modest discount, hinting at cautious—not panicked—risk appetite.
