🧠 ERNIE 5 Outperforms GPT-5.1, Uniswap on X Layer

Happy Friday!

Bitcoin eases to $95K as broader markets retreat across equities and metals. Meanwhile, Baidu’s ERNIE 5 leaps ahead in global AI benchmarks, beating GPT-5.1 in math, and Interactive Brokers unlocks round-the-clock funding with USDC, with plans to include more stablecoins later. Uniswap also extends its reach with a fresh DeFi expansion to OKX’s X Layer.

More news below! 👇

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News Roundup

Artificial Intelligence

• Baidu’s ERNIE 5 Climbs Global AI Rankings, Outperforming GPT-5.1 in Math (Decrypt)

• Viral ‘Stranger Things’ AI Video Raises Concerns Over Deepfakes (Decrypt)

• Book Publishers Move to Join Lawsuit Over Google AI Copyright Claims (Decrypt)

Decentralized, Centralized, & Traditional Finance

• KBC Becomes Belgium’s First Bank to Offer Bitcoin and Ether Trading (Bitcoin Magazine)

• Interactive Brokers Enables 24/7 Funding With USDC, Expands Stablecoin Lineup (The Block)

• Goldman Sachs Deepens Focus on Crypto, Tokenization, and Prediction Markets (CoinDesk)

• Ondo Finance TVL Surpasses $2B as Tokenized Treasuries Drive Growth (The Defiant)

• Russia Moves to Mandate Bank Reporting on Client Crypto Transactions (Cryptopolitan)

• State Street Launches Institutional Tokenization Platform (Cointelegraph)

• Uniswap Expands to OKX’s X Layer in DeFi Push (Uniswap)

• Newrez to Accept Crypto Assets in Mortgage Qualification Without Liquidation (Newrez)

• Jefferies Strategist Drops Bitcoin Over Quantum Computing Risk (Bloomberg)

• Dreamcash Launches USDT-Backed RWA Perpetuals on Hyperliquid (Dreamcash)

• Gusto Partners With Zerohash to Pilot Stablecoin Payroll Payouts (CoinDesk)

Exchanges

• Coinbase to List SportFun Token With FUN1 Spot Trading Launch (Coinbase Markets)

• Coinbase Enters Stocks Late, Armstrong Bets on Tokenized Equities (Fortune)

Exchange-Traded Funds

• U.S. Ethereum spot ETFs recorded $164.37 million in net inflows on Jan. 15.

• On Jan. 15, U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs posted $100.18 million in net inflows.

• On Jan. 15, U.S. Solana and XRP spot ETFs attracted $8.94 million and $17.06 million, respectively.

Infrastructure

• Cake Wallet Adds Zcash Support, Broadening Its Privacy-Focused Offering (The Block)

• Cookie.fun to Shut Down Snaps Product Following InfoFi Shift (Cookie DAO)

• Sui Details Validator Bug Behind Six-Hour Mainnet Outage (Sui Foudation)

• Vitalik Points to Three Apps Reviving Ethereum’s Original Web3 Vision (DL News)

• Ethereum Sees Surge in First-Time Users as Network Activity Grows (CoinDesk)

• Base App Shifts to Trading-First Focus After SocialFi Experiment (The Defiant)

Markets

• Starknet Expands STRK to Solana Through NEAR Interoperability (The Defiant)

• Iran’s Crypto Activity Surges to $7.8B as Unrest Drives Bitcoin Adoption (Decrypt)

• Policy Signals Weaken Bitcoin’s Four-Year Cycle (Decrypt)

• Iran’s Crypto Market Swells to $8B as Bitcoin Soars Amid Economic Collapse (DL News)

• Ondo Investors Brace for $737M Token Unlock as Supply Jumps 61% (DL News)

• Bitcoin Slips to $94K as Stocks and Metals Sell Off (CoinDesk)

• Jan 16 Options Expiry: BTC Skews Bearish, ETH Near Neutral (Greeks.Live)

• Crypto Volumes Cool as Policy Hopes Fade and ETFs Drive the Rally (Decrypt)

• Bitcoin Flashes Golden Cross Despite Short-Term Dip (Decrypt)

• Bitcoin, Ethereum Drift as Trading Volumes Cool After Capitol Hill Push (Decrypt)

Mining

• Solo Bitcoin Miners Defy the Odds With Back-to-Back $300K Block Wins (Decrypt)

• Why Venezuela’s Vast Oil Reserves Still Matter to Bitcoin Miners (Cointelegraph)

• Riot Platforms Jumps 11% After AMD Lease Signals AI Data Center Pivot (CoinDesk)

• Canaan Receives Nasdaq Warning Over Sub-$1 Share Price (PR Newswire)

Politics & Regulation

• House Democrats Question SEC’s Pause in Justin Sun Case, Flag ‘Pay-to-Play’ Risks (The Block)

• West Virginia Lawmaker Pushes Bill to Open State Treasury to Bitcoin Investments (Cointelegraph)

• South Korea Clears Legal Path for Tokenized Securities With Landmark Vote (The Block)

• California Fines Nexo $500K for Unlicensed Crypto Lending (Decrypt)

• South Korea to Block Offshore Crypto Exchanges on Google Play (News1)

• Belarus Establishes State-Regulated ‘Cryptobanks’ Under New Decree (Cointelegraph)

• Moldova Plans First Crypto Law Aligned With EU MiCA Framework (Cointelegraph)

• Venezuelan National Charged in $1B Crypto Money Laundering Scheme (DOJ)

• Senate Democrats Reopen Talks on Crypto Market Structure Bill (CoinDesk)

• White House Says Seized Samourai Bitcoin Was Not Liquidated (Decrypt)

Treasuries & Reserves

• Chainlink Reserve Adds 82,057.65 LINK to Holdings (Chainlink Foundation)

• XRP Treasury Firm Evernorth Eyes SPAC IPO (DL News)

Venture Capital

• Pantera Capital Caps Landmark 2025 With IPOs, Heavy Early-Stage Bets (Pantera Capital)

Other News

• Polygon Restructures After Acquisitions, Reports Point to Nearly 30% Staff Reduction (BeInCrypto)

• Utah Man Sentenced to Three Years for $2.9M Crypto-Linked Fraud Scheme (Decrypt)

• Five Bitcoin Narratives Analysts Are Watching Beyond the Price Chart (Cointelegraph)

• Audi Revolut F1 Team Names Nexo as First Official Digital Asset Partner (Nexo)

• X Users Rejoice Following Crack Down on InfoFi (The Block)

Check This Out!

A surge in new addresses interacting with Ethereum suggests growing participation from first-time users.

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