hodler

29 Jan 2026, 10:30

Bithumb FLOW Suspension: Essential Guide to the Crucial Mainnet Upgrade on January 29

BitcoinWorld Bithumb FLOW Suspension: Essential Guide to the Crucial Mainnet Upgrade on January 29 In a significant operational update from Seoul, South Korea, on January 28, 2025, the prominent cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb announced a temporary suspension of all FLOW deposit and withdrawal services. This planned Bithumb FLOW suspension will commence precisely at 11:00 a.m. UTC on January 29 to facilitate a critical mainnet upgrade for the Flow blockchain. Consequently, this move highlights the ongoing evolution of blockchain infrastructure and its direct impact on user accessibility. Understanding the Bithumb FLOW Suspension Announcement Bithumb’s official notification provides clear details for its user base. The exchange will temporarily halt all deposit and withdrawal functions for the FLOW token. This action supports the underlying Flow blockchain’s scheduled network enhancement. Importantly, trading of FLOW tokens on Bithumb’s spot markets will remain fully operational during this period. Users can still buy, sell, and hold FLOW in their exchange wallets. The suspension specifically affects the movement of tokens onto and off of the Bithumb platform. This is a standard procedure for exchanges during major network upgrades to ensure transaction integrity and user fund security. The Driving Force: Flow Blockchain’s Mainnet Upgrade The core reason for this service pause is a scheduled mainnet upgrade for the Flow blockchain. Mainnet upgrades are essential software improvements deployed on a live blockchain network. They often introduce new features, enhance security protocols, improve scalability, and fix known bugs. For the Flow network, which is designed for next-generation applications, games, and digital assets, such upgrades are vital for maintaining performance and competitiveness. Exchanges like Bithumb must synchronize their systems with the upgraded blockchain. This synchronization process requires a temporary pause in external transaction processing to prevent errors or fund loss. Historical Context of Exchange Maintenance for Upgrades This is not an isolated incident in the cryptocurrency sector. Major exchanges globally routinely implement similar temporary suspensions. For instance, Coinbase and Binance have historically paused services for assets like Ethereum during its landmark “Merge” upgrade or for Bitcoin during Taproot activation. These precedents establish a clear industry standard. The primary goal is always user protection and network stability. By halting deposits and withdrawals, exchanges eliminate the risk of transactions being sent to an old, incompatible chain version, which could result in permanent loss of funds. Immediate Impact and Action Steps for Bithumb Users The announcement has direct implications for Bithumb customers holding or transacting FLOW. Users should note the following critical actions and timelines: Deposit Cut-off: All FLOW deposits must be fully confirmed on the blockchain before 11:00 a.m. UTC on January 29. Deposits initiated after this time may not be credited. Withdrawal Planning: Users needing to withdraw FLOW to external wallets must complete transactions well in advance of the deadline. Trading Continuity: All spot trading pairs for FLOW, such as FLOW/KRW and FLOW/BTC, will continue without interruption. Wallet Safety: Funds held in Bithumb wallets remain secure and unaffected; only the transfer functions are temporarily disabled. Bithumb has not specified an exact duration for the suspension. Typically, such maintenance windows last from a few hours to a full day, depending on the upgrade’s complexity. Users should monitor Bithumb’s official announcements page for the resumption notice. Broader Implications for the Flow Ecosystem and Market This upgrade signifies ongoing development within the Flow ecosystem. Created by Dapper Labs, Flow is a blockchain known for supporting popular NFT projects and consumer applications. Regular mainnet upgrades are a positive indicator of a living, evolving network. They demonstrate developer commitment and project longevity. From a market perspective, temporary exchange suspensions can sometimes cause minor liquidity shifts. However, because trading remains active, significant price volatility directly attributable to the maintenance is generally limited. The long-term effect is typically neutral or positive, reflecting improved network utility. Comparison of Recent Crypto Exchange Mainnet Upgrade Suspensions Exchange Asset Upgrade Reason Suspension Duration Bithumb FLOW Flow Mainnet Upgrade To be announced (TBA) Coinbase ETH Ethereum Dencun Upgrade ~2 hours Binance ADA Cardano Vasil Hard Fork ~8 hours Kraken SOL Solana Mainnet-Beta Upgrade ~4 hours Conclusion The temporary Bithumb FLOW suspension for the January 29 mainnet upgrade is a procedural and protective measure standard within the cryptocurrency industry. It underscores the necessary interplay between centralized exchanges and decentralized blockchain networks during periods of core protocol improvement. For users, it requires simple advance planning for transfers but does not affect trading or wallet security. This event ultimately points to the maturation and continuous development of the Flow blockchain, aiming to deliver a more robust and feature-rich platform for its community and applications. Observers and participants should view such operational pauses as a sign of healthy, forward-moving infrastructure maintenance. FAQs Q1: Can I still trade FLOW on Bithumb during the suspension? A1: Yes, absolutely. The suspension only affects deposits and withdrawals. All spot trading for FLOW will continue normally on the Bithumb exchange. Q2: How long will the FLOW deposit and withdrawal suspension last? A2: Bithumb has not announced a specific end time. The duration depends on the mainnet upgrade’s completion. Similar suspensions typically last a few hours to one day. Users should check Bithumb’s official announcements for the resumption notice. Q3: Is my FLOW safe on Bithumb during this time? A3: Yes, your funds are secure. The suspension is a preventive measure to protect transactions during the network upgrade. Assets held in your Bithumb wallet are not at risk. Q4: What happens if I send FLOW to my Bithumb deposit address during the suspension? A4: Transactions sent after the suspension begins will not be processed by Bithumb’s systems and could be lost. It is crucial to ensure all deposits are fully confirmed on the blockchain before the 11:00 a.m. UTC deadline on January 29. Q5: Why do exchanges need to suspend services for a blockchain upgrade? A5: Exchanges suspend services to synchronize their internal systems with the new blockchain protocol. This prevents transactions from being sent to an outdated chain version, which is a critical security measure to avoid permanent loss of user funds. This post Bithumb FLOW Suspension: Essential Guide to the Crucial Mainnet Upgrade on January 29 first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

29 Jan 2026, 10:10

Kazakhstan moves to stop capital flight through crypto

The government of Kazakhstan is stepping up efforts to curb illegal cryptocurrency transactions, including capital flight via digital assets. The Central Asian nation is a leader in the latter, its head of state says, insisting illicit transactions through crypto trading platforms have become a serious issue. Astana goes after shadow crypto circulation and outflows Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has sharply criticized illegal cryptocurrency transfers, including those serving tax evasion schemes and capital flight, local media reported. In a statement on the matter, the Kazakh leader directly described such transactions as a threat to the economic security of the country, which has been otherwise trying to become a regional crypto hub. Quoted by the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency on Wednesday, Tokayev admitted that attempts to siphon capital abroad using cryptocurrency continue despite government efforts. This, along with money laundering through crypto operations, is now a major challenge for the state, he indicated during a meeting at the former Soviet republic’s Financial Monitoring Agency (AFM): “Profit laundering and the illegal withdrawal of capital through underground crypto transactions have become a serious problem.” Authorities have already shut down over 130 illegal crypto exchange offices with a combined turnover of 62 billion tenge (over $123 million), Tokayev highlighted. “Property worth 2.6 billion tenge has been seized in connection with these cases,” he added, citing official figures. Kazakhstan said to be a global leader by capital flight Meanwhile, despite the measures taken by the government, active advertising of unauthorized coin trading platforms continues on social media. “It appears the issue has not been resolved,” the president acknowledged, further pointing out: “According to international organizations, our country is one of the leaders in terms of volume of withdrawn capital.” Despite that, there have been virtually no actual convictions for such cases, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted, instructing the AFM to come up with concrete proposals and insisting: “Illegal capital outflow is a direct threat to economic security.” Separately, the head of state drew attention to a trend of businesses increasingly accepting cash payments to conceal their actual turnover. “Retailers are openly quoting two prices for goods – one for cashless payments and another for cash payments, minus the tax amount,” he elaborated. “This, of course, cannot be tolerated, as such actions undermine the government’s efforts to improve tax administration,” Tokayev told financial regulators. Kazakhstan intensifies crackdown on illegal crypto operations The government in Astana has been taking steps to regulate and liberalize the country’s cryptocurrency market, most recently by adopting new banking legislation, with the goal of becoming a crypto hub in the wider Eurasian region. Plans include the legalization of crypto investments. Kazakhstan became a hotspot for crypto mining when China enforced a ban on the activity a few years ago. Problems caused by the initial influx of miners were solved by introducing higher electricity rates and certain restrictions, some of which were lifted last year. In 2025, the authorities also sought to expand crypto trading outside the narrow legal framework of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC). Mining firms were previously allowed to sell their coins only on AIFC-registered platforms, and crypto exchange beyond the financial hub was restricted. At the same time, government agencies have been cracking down on illegal activities in the space. This month, the AFM announced it has blocked more than 1,100 websites providing exchange services for digital currencies without a proper license, as reported by Cryptopolitan. Also in January, law enforcement officials said they were after a prominent Kazakh blogger, known as Qaisar Qamza on social media, who has been accused of illegally accepting cryptocurrency remuneration for advertising an online gambling site. Over 180,000 of his Tether coins have been seized . Claim your free seat in an exclusive crypto trading community - limited to 1,000 members.

29 Jan 2026, 09:35

Whale snaps up $7M in XAUT amid market moves

Bybit sent out several transactions of XAUT tokens, underscoring rising demand for tokenized gold. A whale accumulated a growing XAUT portfolio valued at over $7M. Bybit became part of the increasing demand for Tether’s tokenized gold, XAUT. The exchange’s hot wallet started sending out XAUT transactions in the past day, leading to a whale address accumulating tokenized gold. The recent shift in narratives led crypto investors to switch to metals. Since XAUT is the most easily available token, it has found renewed demand and trading volumes. The whale’s portfolio rose to $6.95M after the recent records of gold on traditional markets. The whale’s latest purchase was for 450 XAUT, each representing one ounce of gold, directly transferred from Bybit’s hot wallet . The recipient wallet was newly created and only funded with enough ETH to facilitate the transfers with gas fees. XAUT volumes increase to a one-month high In the past month, XAUT volumes gradually grew as gold set a series of price records. Volumes expanded to $854M, only surpassed by an anomalous spike in November. Interest in XAUT coincided with slower performance for BTC and even leading altcoins. Interest in XAUT rose on spot exchanges, as Tether recalled its dedication to storing physical gold, expanding the gold stocks, and moving into mining . XAUT traded at a slight premium to spot gold, at $5,542.07, reflecting the general demand for easy on-chain access. Spot gold reached $5,537.78, boosted by a mix of speculation and a hedge-against-inflation narrative. The accumulation of XAUT also signals that crypto traders still seek a market promising growth and a lower risk of drawdowns. The recent XAUT buying and speculative trading of other gold-backed tokens followed a prolonged BTC drawdown. The leading coin has gone for 115 days with no new all-time high, and is nearly 30% down from its cycle peak. XAUT open interest rises to all-time highs XAUT goes beyond spot demand, recently expanding its derivative open interest. Bybit remains the main venue for XAUT speculation, carrying $177.9M in open interest. In total, XAUT positions expanded to a record of $194M. Until recently, metal-backed tokens in crypto were relatively niche and a test case for tokenization. Silver still does not have a metal-backed token, although price speculation has emerged on derivative exchanges, including Hyperliquid. XAUT is predominantly longed by traders, who expect the gold rally to continue beyond speculation into full repricing. XAUT briefly traded at a premium to spot gold, as crypto traders expanded volumes to a one-month high. | Source: CoinGecko . Hyperliquid supports speculation for PAXG, another major gold-backed token by Paxos. Whales carry over 85% in long positions, expecting gold’s expansion. Currently, gold-backed tokens are a small fraction of the crypto market, and their upside depends on the general TradFi trading of gold futures and spot markets. However, searches are accelerating for the ticker, according to CoinGecko data. Mindshare for XAUT also rallied by 164% in the past day. The token still has a limited presence on social media, but a new trend may be emerging as traders seek the security of metals in tokenized form. Claim your free seat in an exclusive crypto trading community - limited to 1,000 members.

29 Jan 2026, 09:20

USD1 hits $5B market cap, becoming world’s fifth-largest stablecoin

Trump-linked World Liberty Financial USD1 stablecoin has reached a market capitalization of $5 billion, making it the fifth-largest stablecoin in the world. Loan linkages and regulatory tailwinds from the GENIUS Act drove this surge. USD1’s $5 billion market cap has surpassed PayPal’s PYUSD market cap of $3.75 billion. The stablecoin is currently among the top 25 cryptocurrencies in the world, with 583K holdings compared to PYUSD’s 101K. The token hit this milestone in under a year since its debut. Binance incentives accelerate USD1 exchange adoption On Wednesday, the Co-founder of World Liberty Financial, Donald Trump Jr., praised the USD1 stablecoin, saying it is “Built in America, designed for real-world scale, and adopted by serious institutions.” He also pointed out that USDI is a result of the team’s focus on building infrastructure over noise. USD1 just reached a $5B market cap. Built in America, designed for real-world scale, and adopted by serious institutions. This is what happens when you focus on infrastructure over noise. 🇺🇸🦅☝️ @worldlibertyfi pic.twitter.com/bdYfVxVi8J — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 28, 2026 The Trump family broadly cheered USD1’s success. Trump Jr. shared a CoinMarketCap screenshot on X showing the stablecoin’s milestone. Eric Trump, a co-founder and younger brother of Trump Jr., also celebrated the accomplishment of USD1. Despite the attention, on-chain data from CoinMarketCap revealed that USD1 has been essentially flat around $0.9993, down about 0.02% over the last 24 hours but up 0.05% in the previous 7 days. The data also showed the token rose 191% from last month. USD1 has approximately $1.7 billion in 24-hour volume. This growing visibility and market activity have translated into increased support on major crypto exchanges. In late December, Binance announced the introduction of the ‘USD1 Boost Program’ by adding TRX/USD1 and USD1/U margin pairs. The exchange noted that the program is designed to help USD1 holders maximize their reward. Binance revealed that the “Booster Program” encourages adoption by offering 20% APR on USD1 holdings. This increases the usefulness of USD1 in leveraged strategies, the platform added. However, if Binance’s incentives taper, volatility risks will increase. In the immediate term, liquidity could increase by 15% to 25%. World Liberty launches USD1 into regulated crypto lending space World Liberty Financial is growing its presence in the cryptocurrency credit sector. On January 12, WLF announced the launch of a new platform called ‘World Liberty Markets.’ The platform will allow users to lend and borrow digital assets using USD1, alongside other primary tokens such as USDC, USDT, and tokenized bitcoin. This debut marked a strategic shift away from stablecoin issuance toward a range of financial products. The launch of the World Liberty Markets platform aligns with a rebound in the cryptocurrency credit markets, providing an opportune moment for WLF to expand its offerings. A study from Galaxy Digital in November of last year revealed that active DeFi loans had increased to around $41 billion by the end of the third quarter of 2025. The increase in active DeFi loans helped push total cryptocurrency lending across controlled and decentralized platforms to a new all-time high of about $74 billion. Zachary Folkman and Chase Herro, two World Liberty executives, established Dough Finance, an Ethereum-based lending protocol based on Aave V3 infrastructure that was the target of a flash loan breach in 2024. In the cryptocurrency credit market, Dolomite and Aave are rivals. At the same time, World Liberty has been working to legitimize its stablecoin operations in the U.S. Earlier this month, an affiliated company, WLTC Holdings LLC, applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) seeking permission to establish a national trust bank focused on stablecoin issuance, custody, and conversion. Zach Witkoff, a co-founder of World Liberty, said, “This application represents a further evolution of the WLFI ecosystem.” In its first year of existence, USD1 increased more quickly than any other stablecoin in history, he added. Witkoff stressed that a national trust charter will allow WLFI to integrate issuance, custody, and conversion into a single, tightly regulated institution. Join a premium crypto trading community free for 30 days - normally $100/mo.

29 Jan 2026, 09:14

Binance Shakes Up Spot Market by Delisting Multiple Trading Pairs

Binance will remove 22 trading pairs from the spot market by January 30, 2026. Cryptocurrencies remain available; decision only affects specified trading pairs. Continue Reading: Binance Shakes Up Spot Market by Delisting Multiple Trading Pairs The post Binance Shakes Up Spot Market by Delisting Multiple Trading Pairs appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .

29 Jan 2026, 09:10

ETH exchange balances decline as prices swing

Ethereum coins held on crypto exchanges have fallen over the past six months, even as their price has dropped by more than 40% since their October highs. According to a X post, the market sentiment analysis platform Santiment found figures from Sanbase showing that July was the period’s high for exchange-held Ether, with 12.31 million ETH sitting on trading platforms. That balance steadily dropped for the latter half of the year and now sits at 8.15 million ETH, according to the firm. The decline comes as more holders move coins into staking, while price action is subdued, Santiment analysts said. Ether has been trading in a narrow band over the past week, ranging from $2,801 to $3,034. Ether exchange reserves slide through January price turbulence According to CryptoQuant’s chart tracking “Ethereum: Exchange Reserve” on all exchanges in the last 30 days, reserves have been consistently sliding downwards as Ether’s price swung between early-month highs and late-month lows. ETH reserves by exchanges. Source: CryptoQuant. Exchange reserves started the period near 16.72 million ETH around December 30, before climbing to 16.84–16.85 million by the turn of the new year. Traders reversed that early spike by January 5, leaving back reserves of about 16.62–16.63 million. They slipped further again during the next day to around 16.55 million. Ether holdings on exchanges then stabilized briefly before rising back towards 16.67–16.71 million between January 9 and 11. The downtrend resumed by mid-month from 16.60 million around January 13 to about 16.41 million just 10 days ago. The steepest break came at the start of last week, when exchange reserves hit 16.33 million, the lowest level of the month. A modest rebound saw reserves recovering to around 16.40–16.42 million between January 21 and 24, then resumed falling into the month-end. In the month’s last business week, exchange coins trended down almost continuously, slipping from 16.33 million to about 16.26 million as of Thursday. That late-month reading sits close to the chart’s lower bound of 16.25 million. Ethereum staking queue swells, validator exit line thins Santiment’s analysis noted that reserves previously held by exchanges could be moving to staking pools, which aligns with its theory of a crowded pipeline of staking entries . According to the Ethereum Validator Queue, the entry line was heavily backed up with about 3.6 million ETH waiting to be staked on Thursday. Validator Queue chart. Source: validatorqueue.com. The predicted waiting times to enter a staking pool at that pace are 63 days and 20 hours. On the other hand, the far smaller exit queue has about 44,448 ETH waiting to leave on an estimated 18-hour wait. Staked Ether now exceeds 36 million tokens, which is about 29% the total supply, according to beaconcha.in and Dune Analytics. “As staking continues to be of strong interest, especially while markets move sideways, exchange supply will continue to shrink as well,” Santiment’s analysts wrote on X. Some corporate and large-wallet activity has also moved ETH away from exchanges and into longer-term positions. Lookonchain reported that the ETH treasury firm BitMine Technologies has staked another 250,912 ETH from its holdings. The crypto market transactions-tracking platform estimates that BitMine has now staked more than 2.5 million ETH, 61% of its total stash. Separately, Lookonchain said four staking wallets withdrew more than 26,000 ETH from Binance on Tuesday. The analytics firm suggested that those wallets were accumulating Ether at the dip, in line with the cooling of trading activity on exchanges over the last three months. Ether’s trading volume on CoinMarketCap was about $23.54 billion on Thursday, down from more than $27 billion a day earlier. The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them .