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Morgan Stanley, the $1.8 trillion banking giant, has applied to launch two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking the prices of Bitcoin and Solana with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).The filings mark a watershed moment for the Wall Street giant, pushing one of the world’s most recognizable banking brands deeper into the crypto ecosystem.Matt Hougan, the Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, observed that while the bank currently oversees a roster of 20 ETFs, the vast majority operate under its subsidiary brands, such as Calvert, Parametric, or Eaton Vance.Consequently, the proposed Bitcoin and Solana funds would mark only the third and…

Bitcoin hovered just below the $91,000 level today, paring recent gains after an explosive start to the new year that briefly pushed prices toward fresh seven-day highs. The bitcoin price was trading around $90,815, down roughly 1% over the past 24 hours, according to market data. Daily trading volume stood near $52 billion, while bitcoin’s total market capitalization slipped to about $1.82 trillion, also down around 1% on the day. The pullback leaves the bitcoin price roughly 3% below its recent seven-day high near $94,700, after prices surged more than 8% in the first days of 2026. That rally carried…

In brief Chen Zhi, the alleged mastermind of a “pig butchering” crypto fraud ring, was arrested in Cambodia. Zhi was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in October and charged with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. His crypto fraud network allegedly stole billions from users globally, with nearly $12 billion in Bitcoin from the operations now held by the U.S. government. The alleged mastermind of a scam ring that stole billions of dollars’ worth of assets from individuals in the U.S. and across the globe was arrested Tuesday in Cambodia and extradited to China, according to a Wall…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure An analyst recently suggested that the current market period could be the final opportunity for investors to accumulate what he considers a sufficient XRP position. In a post shared on X by The JWK Show and later expanded in a YouTube video, the analyst stated that anyone holding fewer than 50,000 XRP may not have enough exposure if the asset enters another strong upside phase.  His comments were presented as a personal opinion based on price predictions and the level of capital he believes is needed to…

In brief JPMorgan’s Kinexys is expanding JPM Coin to Canton Network, following its launch on Ethereum layer-2 network Base. The move enables near-instant token issuance, transfer, and redemption for institutional clients. Canton Network is attracting major financial institutions, including Franklin Templeton and DTCC, while its native CC token has surged 82% in the past month. JPMorgan’s Kinexys blockchain unit announced plans Wednesday to launch its JPM Coin on Canton Network, the rising privacy-enabled network designed for financial markets. The firm is working with Digital Asset, the company behind Canton, to expand the token’s reach.Initially launched on Base, the Coinbase-incubated Ethereum…

In brief Stablecoin rewards are emerging as a focal point for a crypto market structure bill. A lobbyist described the yield-like payments as a major unresolved factor. They said that they’ve received assurances of “parity” from lawmakers. The debate surrounding stablecoin rewards is growing louder as the Senate Banking Committee approaches a key markup vote on a crypto market structure bill next Thursday.After hundreds of community bank leaders urged U.S. Senate members to protect local lending from perceived stablecoin risks, several high-profile members of the crypto industry pushed back, including Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad.“Congress already settled this in…

Solana’s ecosystem recorded its strongest financial year to date in 2025, posting all-time highs in revenue, active users, and trading volume even as the network’s native token finished the year nearly 50% below its early peak.According to CryptoSlate data, SOL rallied to more than $250 in the first quarter of 2025 before broader market headwinds dragged the asset to a low of $105, and it closed the year around $123.Despite the volatile price action, the network’s underlying economy expanded at an unprecedented rate.Applications and trading venues built on the blockchain reported a year defined by high-frequency activity, massive asset issuance,…

Shares of Strategy ($MSTR) surged as much as 7% earlier today after global index provider MSCI concluded its long-running review of digital asset treasury companies and opted not to exclude them from its flagship equity indexes — at least for now. $MSTR was trading above $170 per share in early market trading, before paring gains as bitcoin pulled back into the low $91,000 range. By midday, $MSTR shares had dipped to around $165, up only 4%, tracking weakness in the broader crypto market but still holding a solid advance on the day. The rally followed confirmation from MSCI that it…

In brief The website for Iran’s Ministry of Defence Export Center (Mindex) has been updated to say that it would accept payment for military equipment in crypto. Iran has been a big adopter of crypto for the evasion of sanctions, but some experts suggest that the Mindex website may not facilitate that much trade using cryptocurrencies. While crypto may help provide alternative means of payment, experts also argue that it can make identification and designation of illicit flows more straightforward. Iran has begun accepting crypto as payment in its sales of advanced weapons, as part of ongoing efforts to evade…

Bitcoin ETFs grabbed $1.2 billion in the first two trading sessions of 2026, coinciding with BTC’s climb to $94,000, a 7% gain in just days. The narrative wrote itself: institutional money flooded in, prices followed.Yet, that correlation masks a more complex structural shift unfolding across options markets, on-chain flows, and derivatives positioning, suggesting the rally’s foundation runs deeper than spot demand alone.Paying up for convexityJeffrey Park, CIO at ProCap BTC, flagged that Bitcoin options call skew flipped positive on Jan. 1 for the first time since October. He surfaced a signal institutional traders watch more closely than AUM tallies: the…

Dow Jones said Wednesday it has entered an exclusive partnership with Polymarket to distribute real-time prediction market data across its consumer news platforms, marking a big and mainstream expansion of alternative market signals into some of the most widely read financial publications in the world. Under the agreement, Polymarket’s prediction data will appear across Dow Jones digital properties, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch and Investor’s Business Daily. The data will be featured through dedicated modules on homepages and market-related pages, as well as select print placements, Dow Jones said. The partnership positions Dow Jones as one of the…

In brief AI dominated CES trend predictions, with widespread adoption reported across workplaces, homes, vehicles and healthcare. Futurist Brian Comiskey outlined a future built on continuous monitoring, personalised systems and software-defined products. Yet questions remain over acceptance of AI in the workplace and return on investment, despite heavy enterprise spending on generative AI. Blockchain received only a brief mention at a Consumer Electronics Show (CES) talk focused on technology trend predictions, as artificial intelligence dominated discussion about the future of consumer and enterprise technology.The CES 2026 Trends to Watch talk, held Monday, featured Brian Comiskey, senior director of innovation and…

In brief Morgan Stanley filed for an Ethereum Trust on Tuesday, on the heels of this week’s filings for Bitcoin and Solana trusts. The Ethereum Trust will implement a staking program to earn network rewards while managing liquidity for redemptions. The bank’s filing comes after Morgan Stanley opened crypto access to all clients in October 2025. Morgan Stanley has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to launch an Ethereum Trust, on the heels of its registrations for spot Bitcoin and Solana exchange-traded products, expanding its crypto footprint in early 2026.The Wall Street giant filed a registration statement with…

In brief Rumble launched Rumble Wallet, a non-custodial crypto wallet built with help from Tether and MoonPay. The wallet will support Tether’s dollar-backed and gold-backed tokens, USDT and XAUT, as well as Bitcoin. Shares of RUM have dipped slightly on the day and are down more than 50% in the last year. Publicly traded video streaming firm Rumble rolled out its crypto wallet—called Rumble Wallet—on Wednesday to support crypto payments and tipping for its creator economy. Built with stablecoin issuer Tether’s wallet development kit and using payments infrastructure from MoonPay, the non-custodial wallet is directly embedded within the Rumble platform and…

Crypto companies serving EU residents began collecting tax data on Jan. 1, 2026, under the European Union’s DAC8 rules. That start date has fed viral claims on X that the bloc has “ended crypto privacy.”The European Commission’s guidance for DAC8 set Jan. 1, 2026, as the operational start date for data collection. However, many commentators are overreaching in their conclusions, and the implied timeline is compressed.What DAC8’s Jan. 1 start date actually means in practiceProviders collect data through 2026, while the first full-year reports are due in 2027. The Commission describes a nine-month window, from the end of the first…

Rumble on Wednesday announced the launch of a new digital wallet built in partnership with stablecoin giant Tether, allowing users and creators to send, receive and store cryptocurrency directly on the video-sharing platform without relying on banks or third-party payment processors. The product, dubbed Rumble Wallet, will enable direct peer-to-peer payments using Bitcoin, Tether’s USDT stablecoin and Tether Gold (XAUt).  The company said the wallet is designed to let creators get paid directly by their audiences, reducing fees and limiting the risk of payment restrictions, account freezes or deplatforming by traditional financial intermediaries. Founder, chairman and CEO Chris Pavlovski said…

Nearly half of Americans say basic necessities such as groceries, housing, utilities, health care and transportation have become difficult to afford. A new POLITICO Poll conducted by Public First finds that affordability pressures are affecting both daily expenses and long-term financial decisions. More than a quarter of respondents, 27%, said they skipped a medical checkup within the past two years because of cost concerns, while 23% said they skipped a prescription dose for the same reason. Rising costs are also limiting discretionary spending. Thirty-seven percent said they could not afford to attend a professional sporting event with family or friends, and…