🎯 X Targets InfoFi, China’s Z.AI Debuts

Good afternoon,

Markets are taking a breather as Bitcoin dips below $96K, entering a potential consolidation phase. Elsewhere, Kaito’s token stumbles following new X policies, China debuts a homegrown image AI model built entirely on Huawei chips, and MetaMask adds native Tron support as part of its multichain wallet expansion.

Let’s unpack this and more! 👇

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News Roundup

Artificial Intelligence

• China’s Z.AI Unveils Image Model Trained Entirely on Huawei Chips (Decrypt)

• X Curbs Grok Image Tools After Deepfake Backlash Triggers Global Scrutiny (Decrypt)

• McConaughey Takes Legal Aim at AI Voice Imitation (Decrypt)

• Grok Draws Bans as ChatGPT Faces Lawsuits Over Alleged Harm (Cointelegraph)

Decentralized, Centralized, & Traditional Finance

• Crypto Cards Gain Traction as Incentives Drive Real-World Spending (The Block)

• DeFi Slippage Error Turns $3.7 Million Swap Into $112,000 (DL News)

• Lighter Makes LIT Staking Mandatory for Liquidity Pool Access (The Block)

• China Probes CBDC Architect Yao Qian Over Alleged ICO Bribery (Sina Finance)

• Lemon Launches Argentina’s First Bitcoin-Backed Visa Credit Card (La Nacion)

• GMTrade Expands Into Forex With Solana-Settled Perpetuals (GMTrade)

• LSEG Launches 24/7 Blockchain Settlement for Tokenized Bank Deposits (The Block)

• Galaxy Launches $75M Tokenized CLO on Avalanche to Back Crypto Lending (The Block)

• Bitmine Commits $200M to MrBeast’s Beast Industries in Strategic Equity Bet (PR Newswire)

• CME Group to Add Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar Futures to Crypto Lineup (PR Newswire)

• Anchorage Enables DeFi Lending With Offchain Collateral via Spark (The Block)

• Ripple Backs LMAX Expansion With $150M Stablecoin Financing Deal (The Block)

• Generic Protocol Launches GUSD, Wagering on Private Stablecoin Yield Model (The Block)

• State Street Deepens Tokenization Effort as Banks Move Core Finance Onchain (The Block)

• Inside BlockDAG’s $442M Web of Missing Funds and Broken Promises (DL News)

Exchanges

• Bankinter Backs Bit2Me as European Banks Deepen Crypto Ties (Cointelegraph)

Exchange-Traded Funds

• Bitwise Lists Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana ETPs on Nasdaq Stockholm (Cointelegraph)

• Robinhood CEO Flags Regulatory Barriers to Staking and Tokenized Stocks in U.S. (Vlad Tenev)

• U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $843.62 million in net inflows on Jan. 14.

• On Jan. 14, U.S. Ethereum spot ETFs saw $175 million in net inflows.

• On Jan. 14, U.S. Solana and XRP spot ETFs posted net inflows of $23.57 million and $10.63 million, respectively.

Infrastructure

• Sui Network Restored After Six-Hour Blockchain Outage (Decrypt)

• Algorand Foundation Relocates to U.S. as Crypto Policy Climate Warms (DL News)

• Brevis and BNB Chain Team Up With 0xbow on ZK Privacy Pool (Brevis)

• Fogo Goes Live With Ultra-Fast Mainnet After $7M Binance Token Sale (The Block)

• MetaMask Expands Multichain Reach With Native Tron Wallet Support (The Block)

• DeadLock Ransomware Hides in Polygon Smart Contracts (Decrypt)

Markets

• Beige Book Signals Firmer Economic Momentum Amid Stable Labor Conditions (FRB)

• Berachain Token Jumps on New Business Strategy (The Defiant)

• BNB Foundation Announces $1.27B BNB Token Burn in First 2026 Quarter (BNB Chain)

• Bitcoin Rally Shows Stronger Foundations as Short Squeeze Risk Grows (CoinDesk)

• Kaito Token Slides After X Cracks Down on InfoFi Apps (The Block)

• Bitcoin Pulls Back Below $97K as Market Enters Consolidation Phase (The Defiant)

Meme Coins

• Eric Adams Denies Profiting From NYC Token Amid Rug Pull Allegations (The Block)

Mining

• U.S. Loses Ground in Bitcoin Mining as AI Demand Reshapes Infrastructure (Decrypt)

• Solo Bitcoin Miner Defies Odds With 3.157 BTC Block Reward (DL News)

• NIP Group Mines 151.4 BTC as Crypto Arm Scales Up (Decrypt)

• DDC Enterprise Boosts Bitcoin Treasury With 200 BTC Purchase (Business Wire)

Politics & Regulation

• Coinbase Pushes Back on Senate Crypto Bill Over DeFi and Tokenization Concerns (Brian Armstrong)

• Lummis Signals Pause on Crypto Market Structure Bill Amid Industry Pushback (Cointelegraph)

• Crypto Leaders Split on CLARITY Act After Coinbase Withdraws Support (Cointelegraph)

• Senate Banking Committee Halts Crypto Market Structure Vote (CoinDesk)

• Manhattan DA Urges Stronger Crypto Enforcement Laws (Decrypt)

Token Generation Events

• Football.Fun Launches FUN Token as Sports Betting Fuels Onchain Prediction Boom (The Block)

Treasuries

• Vitalik Buterin and Sam Altman Set to Appear at Bitmine Shareholder Vote (DL News)

Other News

• Sonic Labs Begins Partial Recovery for Beets Exploit Victims (GitHub)

• Bitcoin Miners and Meme Stocks Top X Cashtag Searches (Nikita Bier)

• Crypto Projects Abandon Discord as Scams and Shifting Userbase Take Their Toll (DL News)

• Ex-Digital Yuan Chief Accused of Taking $8M in Crypto Bribes (DL News)

Check This Out!

Price predictions for Bitcoin in 2026 range from $110K–$130K on Polymarket to far higher targets, depending on timeframe, adoption, and sentiment.

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