Invest ideasNews
18 Jan 2026, 10:15
Samsung to pay record bonuses as AI boom lifts profits
Samsung Electronics is set to hand out record bonuses to its team as the artificial intelligence boom translates into profits. The company will pay out some of its biggest performance bonuses in years, as the global memory chip supercycle continues to bring in historic profits as a result of an increase in AI adoption. Device Solutions, the semiconductor division of Samsung, has announced that eligible staff will receive bonuses up to 47% of their base annual salary this month. The payout is expected to be applied across the division’s three businesses: memory, system, large-scale integration, and foundry. It also marks a sharp rebound from 2023, when the division’s bonus rate was 0% after the downturn experienced in the chip market. Samsung announces record bonuses for semiconductor division staff According to reports, this year’s bonus is slightly lower than Samsung’s internal maximum cap of 50%, reflecting the extraordinary recovery that the division has undergone since 2023. Samsung uses its performance-based incentive system called Overachieved Performance Incentive to reward its staff. The reward is carried out once every year and is calculated from 20% of the previous year’s economic value added. Samsung’s mobile MX division, which is in charge of the company ‘s Galaxy smartphone line, will see its OPI payout set at the full 50%. Meanwhile, divisions like consumer electronics and networks will see much lower rates, with reports noting that it could be around the 12% range, based on their 2025 performance. The bonuses come after Samsung announced a record-breaking fourth quarter operating profit of 20 trillion won ($13.6 billion), according to the company’s preliminary announcement. According to analysts’ estimates, the DS division contributed around 16 to 17 trillion won to the numbers, with the contribution driven by an increase in prices of both advanced and general-purpose memory chips. Aside from Samsung, another company preparing a payout for its staff is SK hynix. After scrapping its previous internal cap that had limited bonuses to the equivalent of 10 months’ base salary, the company is now expected to allocate 10% of its total operating profits to this year’s profit-sharing program. SK Hynix teases new profit-sharing program SK Hynix saw its full-year operating profit hit 45 trillion won, and with a workforce of 33,000, the average bonus that is expected to reach each employee is projected to reach more than 140 million, marking a new record high. The company is expected to pay 80% of the bonus up front and will defer the remaining 20% over two years. The company said it will also reintroduce the Employee Share Participation Program, which it debuted last year. Under the program, employees are allowed to choose to take half of their bonus in company shares and receive a 15% cash premium if they hold the stock for a year. The program is designed to encourage long-term alignment between staff and shareholders. Since 2024, Samsung and SK Hynix have redirected much of their chip capacity toward high-bandwidth memory. This is because producing them consumes about three times the wafer capacity of standard DRAM. In addition, the move has created a drop in supply for general-purpose memory such as DDR5, driving up its prices across the board. For SK Hynix, which holds a large share of the HBM market, these margins have been profitable. On the other hand, Samsung has been able to benefit from rising demand for HBM and higher prices in the general memory market due to its larger manufacturing scale. Samsung still retains its position as the global volume leader in the general memory market. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .
18 Jan 2026, 10:02
Expert: People Throwing Around “$5–$10 XRP” Miss the Bigger Picture
Crypto enthusiast Austin (@Austin_XRPL) recently argued that common short-term price targets for XRP, often cited in the range of $5–$10, fail to reflect the scale of what is being built around the digital asset. His post focused on the idea that these valuations overlook years of structural preparation by Ripple, suggesting that the company’s actions indicate ambitions far beyond modest price outcomes. Austin’s position was presented as a critique of narrow market expectations rather than a direct price forecast, emphasizing long-term alignment over near-term trading narratives. People throwing around “$5–$10 XRP" miss the bigger picture. @Ripple has spent the last few years: • acquiring infrastructure • partnering with institutions • positioning for global settlement • preparing for regulatory clarity • pursuing a full banking license You don’t… — Austin (@Austin_XRPL) January 16, 2026 Ripple’s Strategic Positioning as Presented by Austin In his commentary, Austin pointed to Ripple’s sustained efforts in acquiring infrastructure, forming institutional partnerships, and positioning itself for use in global settlement flows. He also highlighted preparations for regulatory clarity and the company’s pursuit of a full banking license as central components of its strategy. According to Austin, initiatives of this scale are not undertaken without expectations of substantial, system-level relevance. His post suggested that the scope and cost of these developments imply a vision that extends well beyond incremental market gains. Community Pushback on the Ripple–XRP Relationship The post prompted responses questioning the connection between Ripple’s corporate strategy and XRP itself. One commenter, What the Pho, stated that despite holding a significant long-term XRP position, it is important to distinguish between Ripple as a company and XRP as a digital asset. The commenter argued that Ripple’s priorities may center on corporate and XRPL interests rather than directly maximizing XRP’s value, echoing long-standing discussions within the community about structural separation. Another response, from Fishy CatFish, took a more critical stance. This user contended that Ripple’s announcements primarily serve its own corporate objectives and products such as RLUSD , rather than XRP. The commenter cited reports of Ripple attempting to repurchase its own shares instead of XRP as evidence that holding XRP does not equate to direct exposure to Ripple’s corporate value. This argument reinforced a view held by some market participants that Ripple’s incentives and XRP’s market performance are not inherently aligned. We are on X, follow us to connect with us :- @TimesTabloid1 — TimesTabloid (@TimesTabloid1) June 15, 2025 Austin’s Rebuttal and a Call for Perspective Austin directly rejected these criticisms, asserting that XRP remains central to everything Ripple does. His reply reinforced his original claim that the company’s long-term strategy cannot be separated from XRP’s role within its ecosystem. Another commenter, Cryptomantus, introduced a more neutral perspective, noting that short-term price predictions and profit-taking strategies do not necessarily negate long-term beliefs. The commenter emphasized that investors have different goals and timelines, and that exiting positions should not be framed as a misunderstanding of the broader vision. Taken together, the exchange illustrates an ongoing debate within the XRP community : whether Ripple’s expansive strategy should be interpreted as a direct signal of XRP’s long-term value, or whether corporate developments and asset performance should be assessed independently. Disclaimer : This content is meant to inform and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author’s personal opinions and do not represent Times Tabloid’s opinion. Readers are advised to conduct thorough research before making any investment decisions. Any action taken by the reader is strictly at their own risk. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses. Follow us on X , Facebook , Telegram , and Google News The post Expert: People Throwing Around “$5–$10 XRP” Miss the Bigger Picture appeared first on Times Tabloid .
18 Jan 2026, 10:02
803,780,000 XRP Now Locked in ETFs as Major Repricing Looms
XRP's institutional flows hint at a major repricing ahead, with 803.78 million XRP now locked across various ETFs.
18 Jan 2026, 10:00
Solana’s Future Hinges on Constant Innovation, Says Co-Founder
Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko has declared that the network’s survival depends on perpetual evolution, directly challenging Ethereum’s recent push toward protocol ossification. In a statement posted yesterday, Yakovenko argued that Solana must “ never stop iterating ” to remain materially useful to developers and users, warning that stagnation would prove fatal regardless of which teams drive future upgrades. The remarks came in response to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s January 12 manifesto, which called for the network to achieve a state where it “ can ossify if we want to ,” establishing quantum resistance, a scalable architecture, and account abstraction as prerequisites before freezing core protocol development. I actually think fairly differently on this. Solana needs to never stop iterating. It shouldn’t depend on any single group or individual to do so, but if it ever stops changing to fit the needs of its devs and users, it will die. It needs to be so materially useful to humans… https://t.co/itqr1b5az4 — toly (@toly) January 17, 2026 Protocol Evolution as Existential Requirement Yakovenko rejected the premise that blockchain protocols should aim for completion, instead framing continuous adaptation as the only path to long-term viability. “ It shouldn’t depend on any single group or individual to do so, but if it ever stops changing to fit the needs of its devs and users, it will die, ” he stated. The co-founder outlined a vision where protocol improvements are funded directly by developers whose livelihoods depend on network transactions. “ It needs to be so materially useful to humans and used by so many devs that are gainfully employed from the value of the transactions on solana, that the devs have spare LLM token credits to upstream improvements to this common open source protocol,” Yakovenko explained. He emphasized that maintaining utility requires disciplined governance alongside relentless innovation. “ To not die requires to always be useful. So the primary goal of protocol changes should be to solve a dev or user problem. That doesn’t mean solve every problem, in fact, saying no to most problems is necessary, ” he added. Decentralized Development Beyond Core Teams Yakovenko’s comments suggest that future Solana upgrades will increasingly originate outside established development organizations such as Anza, Solana Labs, and Firedancer. “ You should always count on there being a next version of solana, just not necessarily from anza or labs or fd ,” he wrote. The co-founder suggested emerging governance models could fundamentally reshape how protocol changes are proposed and funded. “ The way things are going we are likely to end up in a world where a simd vote pays for the GPUs that write the code, ” Yakovenko stated, referencing Solana’s improvement proposal process. This decentralized development philosophy comes as Solana demonstrates resilience under extreme stress. The network withstood a sustained distributed denial-of-service attack peaking near 6 terabits per second last month (the fourth-largest DDoS attack in internet history) without visible performance degradation or delayed block production. Solana has weathered one of the most powerful DDoS attacks ever recorded without any visible impact on network performance. #Solana #Sui https://t.co/JC9BdGbU5e — Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) December 16, 2025 Network Metrics Show Steady Growth Amid Market Volatility Solana’s technical positioning contrasts with recent liquidity challenges. Last month, on-chain data from Glassnode shows the network’s 30-day realized profit-to-loss ratio has remained below 1 since mid-November, typically indicating bearish conditions where traders realize losses more frequently than gains. Analysts at Altcoin Vector described the current environment as a “ full liquidity reset ,” a pattern that has historically marked the beginning of new liquidity cycles and preceded market bottoms. If the structure mirrors April’s setup, liquidity could begin to recover in roughly 4 weeks, potentially setting the stage for renewed momentum by now. Source: X/@altcoinvector Despite near-term headwinds, fundamental network activity continues expanding. Average daily active addresses reached 2.4 million, up 5.64% over 30 days, while total value locked in decentralized finance protocols stands at $11.80 billion according to Messari , representing a 6.98% monthly increase. Source: Messari Transaction fees generated $21.65 million over the past 30 days, up 19.61% from the previous period, while the network processed 2.3 billion total transactions. DeFi protocols on Solana recorded $9.086 billion in total value locked according to DefiLlama , with decentralized exchanges handling $2.956 billion in 24-hour trading volume. The Solana Policy Institute has also intensified efforts to reduce regulatory friction for developers, submitting a letter to the SEC on January 10 requesting explicit exemptions for non-custodial DeFi software. The nonprofit argued that applying broker-dealer or exchange rules to open-source smart contracts would force protocols to either shut down or reintroduce centralized control, undermining the investor protections regulators seek to preserve. The post Solana’s Future Hinges on Constant Innovation, Says Co-Founder appeared first on Cryptonews .
18 Jan 2026, 10:00
Bitcoin Cycle Far From Over — Here’s What’s Happening
Bitcoin prices continue to consolidate within the $95,000 zone following the pullback in the latter part of the past week. The premier cryptocurrency is experiencing a bullish January performance marked by a net gain of 11.42% since the new year commenced. However, the effects of the extended price correction from Q4 2025 linger. Using recent on-chain data, a market analyst with the username MorenoDV_ has identified certain holder cohorts who are still experiencing extreme psychological stress that could impact future price trajectory. Bitcoin Market Risk Redistribution Ongoing – Here’s Why In a QuickTake post on January 17, MorenoDV_ postulates that the Bitcoin bull cycle remains on despite the negative events of Q4 2025. Notably, the crypto market leader experienced a heavy 33% price correction after hitting its current all-time high ($126,198) in early October. Although Bitcoin has recorded some modest price recovery in the past month, significant expectations of a bear market remain, driven by a diminished market demand and failure to reclaim key technical levels such as the 365-day MA. Using the data from the Realized Price by UTXO Age Bands, MorenoDV explains that the Bitcoin market is actively redistributing risk. This positive development counters the bearish narrative of a market cycle ending. With the present spot price around $95,583, the CryptoQuant metric shows that psychological stress is unevenly distributed among Bitcoin holders. Notably, short-term holders, i.e., 1w-1m and 1m-3m cohorts, have realized prices, i.e., $89,255 and $93,504, respectively, below the spot price. This data suggests that these classes of investors are in profit and are experiencing low market pressure, which helps keep fear at bay. However, mid-term holders of 3m-6m and long-term holders of 6m-12m have realized prices of $114,808, and $100,748 both of which are significantly above the present spot price. However, both holder cohorts have chosen to bear the discomfort by absorbing losses rather than initiating an aggressive redistribution. Therefore, as the spot price rises towards the realized price levels of these stressed cohorts, losses are expected to significantly reduce, eventually easing these pressures on these classes of holders and balancing the market risk. This market development only occurs if the 3m-6m and 6m-12m continue to interpret the present market drawdown as a mere cyclical discomfort rather than a change in market structure. Therefore, there is a need for a sustained bullish narrative and constructive price behavior to keep these investors from seeking a market exit. Bitcoin Price Overview At press time, Bitcoin trades at $95,265, reflecting a modest 5.3% gain in the last week.
18 Jan 2026, 10:00
Why Some Experts Prefer This Penny Cryptocurrency Over Dogecoin (DOGE)
Many small tokens enter the market every year. Most fade quickly. A few build real utility. Today, a growing group of analysts and early adopters are shifting attention from famous meme coins toward emerging lending platforms. Their focus is no longer just hype or social trends. It is moving toward income, infrastructure, and measurable use. This is why Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is increasingly being mentioned in serious crypto predictions as a stronger candidate for the best crypto to invest than Dogecoin (DOGE). Dogecoin (DOGE): Popularity Without Real Yield Dogecoin (DOGE) began in 2013 as a playful experiment based on a Shiba Inu meme. Created by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, it was never designed as a financial system. Its strength has always been community humor, viral moments, and celebrity attention. Over time, Dogecoin (DOGE) became a cultural icon, especially after high-profile tweets and social media trends pushed its price upward. However, Dogecoin (DOGE) has serious structural limits. It has no lending system, no staking tied to real economic activity, and no revenue model that feeds value back to holders. The supply of Dogecoin (DOGE) increases every year without any mechanism that directly rewards long-term users. Price movements depend mostly on sentiment, influencers, and broader market cycles rather than utility. Liquidity for Dogecoin (DOGE) is high on major exchanges, but liquidity alone does not create sustainable value. When market volatility rises, Dogecoin (DOGE) often swings wildly because it lacks on-chain mechanisms that stabilize demand. There is no built-in liquidation system, no collateral structure, and no framework that protects users from bad debt or sudden crashes. For this reason, many analysts now see Dogecoin (DOGE) more as a trading instrument than a serious financial tool. Mutuum Finance (MUTM)’s Presale The project is currently in presale phase 7. The total token supply is fixed at 4 billion. Across all previous phases, around $19.80 million has already been generated. The current price sits at $0.04, which is still a discounted entry point compared to later stages. More than 18,850 holders are already participating across all phases combined, showing steady organic interest instead of artificial marketing spikes. In phase 7 alone, 7% of the 180 million token allocation has already been sold, proving that demand continues to build rather than slow down. This presale is positioned as 100% legitimate. The team has been active since early 2025 and has followed its roadmap consistently. Milestones have been delivered on time. A fully functional lending protocol is scheduled to launch, and the community has been growing naturally without paid hype campaigns. Unlike many speculative projects that disappear after raising funds, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) has maintained transparency and steady progress, clearly separating itself from the rug-pull culture that still damages trust in the crypto industry. Community engagement is already live. The 24-hour leaderboard resets every day at 00:00 UTC. The top-ranked user who completes at least one transaction will receive $500 worth of MUTM daily. This keeps participation high and turns regular activity into real incentives. Dual Lending Models Explained Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is built around real lending, real borrowing, and real revenue. Its Dual Lending Model combines Peer-to-Contract (P2C) and Peer-to-Peer (P2P), giving users practical reasons to hold and use the token rather than just speculate on price. In the P2C model, lenders will deposit assets such as USDT or SOL into audited smart contracts. These pooled assets will then be available to borrowers who must provide overcollateralized positions. Interest rates will adjust automatically based on demand. When more people borrow, rates rise, which attracts more lenders. When borrowing slows, rates normalize. This creates a self-balancing financial loop. Depositors will receive mtTokens that represent both their deposit and their growing interest. These mtTokens will also serve as collateral for future loans, making capital more flexible. A simple example shows the power of this system. If a user lends $15,000 in USDT, they will receive mtUSDT at a 1:1 ratio. With an average APY of around 17%, that user will earn $2,550 in passive income within a year, without selling their original capital. Borrowers also benefit. If someone holds $1,000 worth of ETH but does not want to sell it, they will be able to use that ETH as collateral and borrow up to 70% of its value, depending on the assigned LTV. This gives access to liquidity while still keeping exposure to future ETH price growth. The P2P model will handle riskier or more volatile tokens such as Dogecoin (DOGE) and PEPE. Here, lenders and borrowers will negotiate terms directly. There will be no shared pool, so lenders take more risk but can also demand higher returns. This design protects the core system while still allowing users to generate income from meme assets. Market stability also matters. Mutuum’s risk system accounts for volatility and liquidity. Lower-volatility assets such as stablecoins and ETH will support higher LTV levels around 7% with a matching 7% liquidation threshold. More volatile tokens will operate in a tighter 35–7% LTV range with stricter liquidation rules. Safer assets will carry a reserve factor near 10%, while riskier ones can reach up to 57%, protecting the protocol while still allowing broad participation. Every loan on Mutuum Finance (MUTM) will require overcollateralization. A Stability Factor will track how safe each position is. If collateral value falls too low, automated liquidators will step in to repurchase debt at a discount. This keeps the system solvent and prevents losses from spreading across users. As part of the beta rollout, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) will launch its V1 of the protocol on the Sepolia Testnet soon, starting with ETH and USDT for lending, borrowing, and collateral use. Security and MUTM Buybacks Mechanics Security has been treated as a priority, not an afterthought. In November 2025, Halborn completed a formal audit of Mutuum’s smart contracts. Six issues were identified, including one high-severity finding. The team resolved all of them before final approval. Halborn confirmed that 100% of reported findings were remediated, strengthening confidence as the project moves toward launch. One of the strongest growth drivers is the buy-and-distribute model. A portion of revenue from lending and borrowing fees will be used to buy MUTM from the open market. These tokens will then be distributed to mtToken stakers. This means active users will earn rewards directly tied to real platform activity, not inflationary token printing. As usage grows, buy pressure increases, supporting steady price momentum after listing. Early Investors Have Clear Advantage Now consider a real investment example. Imagine an investor sold part of their SOL holdings in phase 1 and invested $10,000 into Mutuum Finance (MUTM) at $0.01. That purchase delivered 1,000,000 tokens. At today’s phase 7 price of $0.04, that position is already worth $40,000, a clear 4x return and a $30,000 profit. When the token lists at $0.06, that same holding will be valued at $60,000, representing a 6x increase from the original investment. After listing, strong platform usage will push the price to at least three times the listing value, reaching around $0.18 and delivering another 200% gain from the exchange debut. Unlike Dogecoin (DOGE), whose price depends largely on tweets and trends, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is designed around lending activity, staking rewards, and continuous buybacks. The platform and token will launch together, giving users a working product on day one instead of an empty promise. This expected synchronized rollout will attract serious attention from Tier-1 and Tier-2 exchanges and institutional watchers. For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below: Website: https://www.mutuum.com Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance Disclaimer: This is a sponsored press release for informational purposes only. It does not reflect the views of Times Tabloid, nor is it intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses. The post Why Some Experts Prefer This Penny Cryptocurrency Over Dogecoin (DOGE) appeared first on Times Tabloid .
