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17 Jan 2026, 19:00

Popular Strategist Removes Bitcoin From Portfolio Due To Quantum Threat — What’s Happening?

The global head of equity strategy at Jefferies has removed Bitcoin from his model portfolio, citing the potential threat of quantum computing as his reasoning. Why Market Strategist Cut 10% BTC Exposure Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies, has dropped a 10% allocation to Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, from his model portfolio. In his latest “Greed & Fear” newsletter release, the market strategist highlighted the rise of quantum computing as the reason behind this move. Wood highlighted his fears that the advances in quantum computing could threaten Bitcoin’s place and reputation as a dependable store of value, especially in the long term. As the expert said in his newsletter, the market is currently riddled with the fear that quantum computing could be just a few years away. This growing concern borders on quantum computers being hypothesized to have the capacity to breach the Bitcoin network’s cryptographic technology. It is believed that these computers can enable attackers to reverse-engineer private keys from public ones, thereby tampering with the integrity of blockchain transactions. Wood, who was an early institutional supporter of BTC , initially added the premier cryptocurrency to his model portfolio in December 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2021, the Jefferies global head of equity strategy expanded this Bitcoin allocation to 10%. However, the market expert appears to now be viewing the flagship cryptocurrency with a little bit of skepticism, as he believes that the Quantum threat is potentially existential, undermining its status as a store of value and “digital alternative to gold.” Hence, Wood refocused his model portfolio on older assets, splitting the 10% BTC allocation equally between physical gold and gold mining stocks. While there is no clear timeline for when quantum computers will reach the market, Wood is not the only one who has recently expressed concerns about the Quantum threat. In the past week, Capriole Investments founder Charles Edwards has also discussed how Bitcoin has decoupled from global liquidity due to the quantum threat. Edwards wrote on X: The timeframe to a non-zero probability of a quantum machine breaking Bitcoin’s cryptography is now less than the estimated time it will take to upgrade Bitcoin. Money is repositioning to account for this risk accordingly. Bitcoin Price At A Glance As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $95,370, reflecting a 0.3% dip in the past 24 hours.

17 Jan 2026, 18:36

'Obscure' laws stall Bitcoin reserve: White House Crypto Council director

The bill is still a "priority," White House Crypto Council Director Patrick Witt said, but interagency legalities remain a challenge.

17 Jan 2026, 17:00

Why tokenized stocks, funds and gold will have a breakout year in 2026

After stablecoins proved product-market fit, crypto founders and executives say 2026 is when banks and asset managers will push tokenized assets into mainstream markets.

17 Jan 2026, 16:49

Bank of America says buy Amazon before earnings hit

Bank of America just told investors to buy Amazon stock now, before the company drops earnings later this month. The bank put Amazon on a short list of stocks it believes are best positioned heading into earnings, saying the tech giant has “more room to run.” Analyst Justin Post wrote, “We believe Amazon’s valuation reflects uncertainty on AWS positioning, which has the potential to improve in 2026 if AWS revenue growth accelerates, and the company strengthens its relative AI capabilities.” Basically, the current price is being held back by hesitation around its cloud unit. But Bank of America thinks that will change fast, and investors should start accumulating shares now. Bank expects growth from retail and cloud while earnings loom The note also said Amazon is positioned for multiple expansion as it keeps rolling out more AI tools. On the retail side, Post said the company “continues to execute on efficiencies,” and predicted that Amazon’s profit growth will beat other mega-cap tech peers. This is all happening as the company gears up to report Q4 earnings for fiscal 2025, with analysts expecting $1.97 per share, up from $1.86 a year ago. Amazon has already beat Wall Street’s profit forecast for four quarters straight. In Q3, it posted $1.95 EPS, blowing past estimates by 23.4%. Full-year profit for 2025 is expected to hit $7.17 per share, a jump of nearly 30% from last year’s $5.53. Analysts also see 2026 EPS reaching $7.85, another 9.5% increase. So far this year, Amazon shares are up 3%, and over the past 52 weeks, they’ve climbed 11.4%. But that still trails the S&P 500’s 17.7% and the Consumer Discretionary ETF’s 11.6%, which is part of why Bank of America sees more upside left. Nigeria grants Amazon a satellite license as global footprint expands There’s more. Nigeria just gave Amazon a seven-year operating permit for satellite broadband, putting the company’s low-Earth-orbit network, formerly known as Project Kuiper, into play across the region starting in 2026. Amazon’s satellite unit will now compete directly with Starlink, Elon Musk’s SpaceX-backed broadband provider. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also granted similar permits to Israel’s NSLComm and Germany’s Satelio IoT Services, allowing all three to roll out non-geostationary satellite systems across the country. This move signals a push into Africa’s expanding digital market, and puts Amazon’s infrastructure strategy back into focus; not just in cloud and AI, but in connectivity itself. The satellite license widens its reach, and could tie directly into AWS if the company begins connecting remote enterprise clients with its cloud backbone. Amazon, now worth $2.6 trillion, still leads global e-commerce. The company, based in Seattle, runs a platform that sells just about everything, both directly and through third-party sellers. Bank of America’s bullish call on Amazon was part of a wider list that included Brookdale Senior Living, Carvana, Corning, and Vertiv; each flagged for different reasons. Brookdale got an upgrade from Joanna Gajuk, who raised her target from $6.75 to $13, citing operating leverage and low exposure to government payors. Carvana got a target bump to $515 from $455, with analyst Michael McGovern calling out its expansion into physical dealerships and “best-in-class eCommerce growth.” The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them .

17 Jan 2026, 16:09

Venezuelan Man Faces 20 Years for Alleged $1B Crypto Money Laundering Scheme

Federal prosecutors have charged a Venezuelan national with laundering approximately one billion dollars through crypto wallets and shell companies in what officials describe as one of the largest money-laundering operations prosecuted by the Justice Department. Jorge Figueira, 59, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to launder money, with authorities alleging his network processed illicit funds across multiple continents while deliberately concealing transactions from law enforcement. The complaint filed in Virginia’s Eastern District accuses Figueira of directing a sophisticated laundering apparatus that converted cash into cryptocurrency, routed digital assets through multiple wallets, then exchanged them back into dollars before transferring proceeds to intended recipients in high-risk jurisdictions, including Colombia, China, Panama, and Mexico. Prosecutors say more than one billion dollars moved through identified crypto wallets and financial accounts between 2018 and the present, with the majority of inbound funds originating from crypto trading platforms. The U.S. DOJ charged Venezuelan national Jorge Figueira with conspiring to launder around $1 billion in illicit funds through bank accounts, crypto exchanges, and private wallets. The probe, supported by the FBI, alleges extensive crypto-based transfers to conceal fund origins.… — Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) January 16, 2026 Billion-Dollar Network Operated Through Multiple Jurisdictions Court documents reveal that Figueira allegedly enlisted subordinates to execute hundreds of transfers designed to obscure the origins and destinations of funds. The operation relied on various bank accounts, crypto exchange accounts, private digital wallets, and shell companies to move voluminous amounts of illicit money into and out of the United States, according to federal investigators. FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis said the bureau identified approximately $1 billion in crypto passing through wallets used by Figueira’s laundering operation. The network allegedly served individuals and businesses worldwide while conducting scores of transfers intended to conceal the nature of funds and potentially facilitate criminal activity across numerous countries. U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan emphasized the scale of alleged criminal conduct, stating that “ money laundering at this level enables transnational criminal organizations to operate, expand, and inflict real-world harm. ” “ Those who move illicit funds in the billions should expect to be identified, disrupted, and held fully accountable under federal law, ” she warned. Federal Crackdown Extends Across Multiple Crypto Crime Networks The charges against Figueira arrive amid intensified federal enforcement targeting crypto-related money laundering nationwide. In fact, earlier this week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg urged New York lawmakers to criminalize unlicensed crypto operations he characterized as a “ $51 billion criminal economy. “ Federal data shows the scope of crypto-enabled crime, with the FBI reporting nearly 11,000 crypto ATM-related complaints in 2024 totaling more than $246 million. Separately, blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis found that illicit crypto addresses received a record $154 billion in 2025, a sharp increase from previous years. Source: Chainalysis Recent prosecutions have targeted operations across the criminal spectrum. On Thursday, Utah resident Brian Garry Sewell was sentenced to three years in prison for running a $2.9 million fraud scheme while simultaneously operating an unlicensed cash-to-crypto business that converted more than $5.4 million in bulk cash. Last month, prosecutors charged another 23-year-old Brooklyn resident, Ronald Spektor, with stealing roughly $16 million from approximately 100 Coinbase users through alleged phishing schemes that relied on panic tactics rather than technical hacks. With all these massive seizures that keep growing, the government has moved to establish the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, formalizing the retention of seized crypto rather than auctioning it. This was one of the first things Donald Trump did when he took office, even signing an executive order to support it. Recently, things took a different turn when it was discovered that the U.S. Department of Justice appears to have sold 57 Bitcoin forfeited by Samourai Wallet developers. A White House crypto advisor said the US government has not sold any Bitcoin forfeited in the Samourai Wallet case. #DOJ #Bitcoin https://t.co/pfX7fkilo8 — Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) January 17, 2026 However, White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt confirmed yesterday, Friday, that the Bitcoin forfeited in the case has not been liquidated and will remain part of the reserve per executive order, with current federal holdings estimated at 328,372 BTC valued at over $31 billion. For now, a criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and Figueira is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Rosenberg is prosecuting the case, with sentencing guidelines and statutory factors to be considered if a conviction occurs. The post Venezuelan Man Faces 20 Years for Alleged $1B Crypto Money Laundering Scheme appeared first on Cryptonews .

17 Jan 2026, 15:15

ETF assets jump as gold and silver pull in capital

The minerals trade spoke before prices did. By the end of 2025, money tied to metal and mining exchange-traded funds climbed past $750 billion, according to data from Critical Minerals Institute. That $750 billion sits inside metal and mining ETFs worldwide. Christopher Berlet, President and Chief Investment Officer of MineralFunds.com, said the number tracks real allocations. ETF assets jump as gold and silver pull in capital Christopher said 2025 marked the third year MineralFunds published its annual ETF report. By year end, the firm tracked 249 metal and mining ETFs. He said assets crossed $750 billion twice in December. The first break came early in the month. The second came around December 20. Assets dipped briefly at year end, then bounced back fast. “That’s three-quarters of a trillion dollars in metal and mining ETF assets,” Christopher said. Total assets across the sector rose about 117% during 2025. Precious metals drove most of that rise. Christopher said the firm tracks 79 gold ETFs worldwide. Together, those funds now hold more than $500 billion. Silver grew even faster. Assets tied to silver ETFs rose from about $25 billion to $75 billion by year end. That marked a 200% increase in one year. Christopher said the key signal came from rising shares outstanding. “That shows capital allocations increasing to the sector,” he said. That trend showed growing demand for exposure to minerals through ETFs. Exchanges and ETF structure are changing the supply and demand of critical minerals Christopher said the location of ETF assets surprised many people. Canada has a strong mining image, but it does not dominate ETF capital. He said the New York Stock Exchange, mainly NYSE Arca, and the London Stock Exchange together host about 75% of all assets across the 249 ETFs.NYSE Arca alone holds about 55% of global assets. Meanwhile, metal ETFs make up for about 85% of total assets, and mining-company ETFs hold about 12%, equal to roughly $70 billion, while hedged and leveraged products make up the remaining 3%. Inside metal ETFs, concentration remains heavy, with gold and silver together representing about 95% of metal ETF assets. Platinum group metals, critical minerals, and industrial metals each sit around 2% or less. Christopher said issuance data matters more than price charts. During 2025, nine new ETFs launched. Five came from Canada, after a wave of launches in India and China the year before. He said the stronger signal came from share creation inside existing funds. “The biggest indicator for us is the growth in the number of shares outstanding, which tells you more about capital flows than price changes.” He said asset managers are pushing deeper into the space. Fees are rising. New products are appearing across Asia. He also said ETF demand affects physical supply. When someone buys a metal ETF, what they’re really getting is the actual metal, locked up in storage. That same metal could’ve gone to a battery maker or a steel plant, but now it’s sitting in a vault because it’s tied to an ETF. That’s how these funds are soaking up physical supply. Over time, this has pulled money away from digging up new supply. Less money is going into exploration, fewer discoveries are being made, and supply is getting tighter. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .