Crypto markets rallied Wednesday after spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $754 million and Ethereum ETFs added $130 million — the biggest combined inflow in three months. Bitcoin climbed 3% to $95,000, Ethereum jumped 6% to $3,313, BNB rose 3% to $936, and Solana gained 2% to $145. The wave of institutional buying pushed total crypto market cap above $3.2 trillion for the first time since early February.
Senate committee to vote on crypto bill January 27
The Senate Banking Committee has scheduled a markup vote on the latest crypto regulatory framework bill for January 27. Stablecoin oversight remains a sticking point: lawmakers haven't agreed on whether state or federal regulators should handle reserve requirements. A source close to the negotiations said the draft still needs “a few more edits” before it can secure the committee's majority. If it passes, the full Senate vote could come as early as February.
Polygon Labs scoops up Coinme and Sequence for $250M
Polygon Labs is acquiring crypto on-ramp Coinme and blockchain infrastructure firm Sequence for a combined $250 million, the company confirmed. The deal gives Polygon a direct fiat-to-crypto gateway and a suite of wallet-building tools — moves that position its AggLayer protocol as a one-stop shop for developers. Coinme's existing network of 20,000-plus ATM locations will be folded into Polygon's ecosystem over the next six months.
BitPanda plans Frankfurt IPO in first half of 2026
Austrian exchange BitPanda is preparing to go public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange within the first six months of 2026, according to a person familiar with the plans. The company has hired Deutsche Bank and Citigroup as joint bookrunners. BitPanda last raised at a $4.5 billion valuation in 2022; the IPO is expected to target a similar or higher range, though market conditions will dictate the final price.
Also on the move
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao invested in perpetual trading platform Genius Terminal, though the exact sum wasn't disclosed. CoinGecko is in talks to sell a stake that values the data aggregator at $500 million. Russia's government approved a measure to allow crypto payments for certain cross-border trade, expanding their use beyond experimental sandboxes. Ethena Labs made its USDe stablecoin gas-free on Ethereum, meaning users won't pay transaction fees when sending it. Bitdeer overtook MARA (formerly Marathon Digital) in managed hashrate, now running 28 EH/s versus MARA's 26.5 EH/s. In France, police reported a fresh wave of crypto-related 'wrench attacks' — physical assaults where victims are forced to transfer digital assets — with at least three incidents in Paris this month. And Pakistan's central bank signed a memorandum of understanding to integrate WLFI's USD1 payment system, a stablecoin-based network, into the country's digital payments infrastructure.
The Senate markup on January 27 is the next concrete event that could move markets — if the bill advances, it would be the first major crypto legislation to clear a congressional committee since 2024.
