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š° TOP NEWS
Bitcoin slides below $83k as Wall Street pulls over $1B from crypto ETFs after Fed pause
Bitcoin's price dropped below $83,000 amid a broader crypto market pullback, as spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded over $1 billion in net outflows since January 16 following the Federal Reserve's decision to pause rate cuts. Institutional selling was led by BlackRock's IBIT and Fidelity's FBTC, with hedge funds reportedly unwinding basis trades amid narrowing yields and mixed U.S. economic data, including strong ISM services PMI readings.
"By sustaining ETF outflows exceeding $1 billion after the Fed's pause, Wall Street is signaling caution on risk assets, with Bitcoin's liquidity drying up and testing key support levels around $82,000 as institutions reposition for potential further monetary tightening."
Vitalik Buterin commits roughly $45 million in ETH to open-source security and privacy projects
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated approximately 10,000 ETHāvalued at around $45 millionāto multiple open-source projects focused on cryptography, security audits, and privacy-preserving technologies. The contributions targeted initiatives like encrypted messaging apps (Signal and SimpleX Chat) and zero-knowledge proof research, emphasizing the need for metadata anonymity and permissionless onboarding in decentralized systems.
"By allocating substantial ETH to privacy and security tooling, Buterin is strategically fortifying Ethereum's ecosystem against surveillance risks, positioning open-source crypto infrastructure as a bulwark for digital autonomy in an increasingly regulated world."
Bitcoin's quantum risk long-dated benchmark pushes back panic
Wall Street firm Benchmark described Bitcoin's vulnerability to quantum computing attacks as "real but distant," estimating a 10-20 year timeline before scalable quantum computers could threaten the network's cryptography. The primary risk targets exposed public keys in older addresses rather than SHA-256 hashing, affecting only a small fraction of holdings, while Bitcoin's adaptable protocol design allows for proactive upgrades like post-quantum signatures.
"Quantum threats as long-dated and manageable, Benchmark is alleviating immediate panic, encouraging institutions to focus on incremental protocol hardening rather than viewing Bitcoin's security model as fundamentally flawed."
CFTC and SEC join forces on Project Crypto to modernize rules as Congress works on digital asset legislation
The CFTC and SEC have launched "Project Crypto," a collaborative initiative to streamline and modernize overlapping regulations for digital assets, including joint guidance on custody, disclosure, and market structure. This effort complements congressional progress on bills like the CLARITY Act and GENIUS Act implementation, aiming to delineate agency jurisdictions and reduce regulatory friction without awaiting full legislative clarity.
"By uniting on Project Crypto, the CFTC and SEC are preemptively harmonizing rules amid congressional gridlock, providing market participants with interim clarity on compliance while paving the way for a more unified federal framework for digital assets."
š REMARKS OF THE WEEK
Source: Investing.com
š CRYPTO UNLOCKS
Source: Tokenomist
šļø EVENT OF THE WEEK
Digital Assets Forum 2026
The Digital Assets Forum 2026, hosted by the European Blockchain Convention, is back with its biggest edition ever! For the first time, DAF3 will span two full days, bringing together 1,500+ attendees and 200 world-class speakers at a brand-new venue.
Date Feb 5-6 2026
š¬ EXPERT OPINION
Bitcoin is a remarkable
cryptographic achievement,
and the ability to create something
that is not duplicable
in the digital world has enormous valueā
š METRIC OF THE WEEK
Our researchers designed this metric with ā¤ļø
GLOSSARY CORNER Staking is the process of locking up cryptocurrency tokens in a proof-of-stake blockchain network to support transaction validation and earn rewards. | EDITORāS CHOICE |
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