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29 Jan 2026, 11:33

Universal Digital launches USDU stablecoin as it clinches UAE central bank registration

Universal Digital has become a Foreign Payment Token Issuer after launching the UAE central bank-registered USDU stablecoin. The milestone marks significant progress in the UAE’s efforts to regulate its digital asset infrastructure and positions the USDU as the country’s first compliant digital asset for settlements. According to Universal, its USDU stablecoin is the first and only token registered under the UAE’s Payment Token Services Regulation (PTSR) framework. The company is also regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market ( ADGM ), providing a transparent and compliant settlement option for the UAE digital asset market. Meanwhile, Universal can now enable payments for digital assets and digital-asset derivatives in the UAE, which may only be carried out in fiat or a Registered Foreign Payment Token. The company also has strategic banking relationships with Mbank, Emirates NBD, and Mashreq, revealing the institutional-grade backing behind its USDU stablecoin. Universal SEO says USDU sets new standard for regulated digital value Juha Viitala, Universal’s senior executive officer (SEO), claims that the USDU sets a new standard for regulated digital value. He notes that being the first Foreign Payment Token registered by the UAE central bank and supported by other UAE banks provides institutional clients with clarity and confidence in USDU. Viitala further notes that his company is setting the foundation for a more efficient and transparent market for digital assets in the UAE and beyond. Emirates NBD’s Anith Daniel also stated that his bank supports Universal’s introduction of the USDU in the UAE financial services sector. He emphasized that his bank’s vision for real-life solutions aligns with Universal’s goal of leading the country and the region in establishing a well-regulated ecosystem. “We see growing institutional interest in regulated digital-value instruments, and Universal’s introduction of USDU is a timely step that supports this market’s maturation.” – Joel Van Dusen , Group head of corporate and investment banking at Mashreq Meanwhile, Mohammed Khayata, the CEO of Mbank, believes that Universal’s efforts to build a regulated digital asset infrastructure align with his bank’s commitment to establishing the UAE’s future-ready digital payments ecosystem. On the other hand, Ramez Rafeek, the general manager of AE Coin , adds that his company’s partnership with Universal contributes to the compliant usage of domestic digital assets regulated within the UAE’s financial framework. The CEO of Aquanow, Phil Sham, further observed that the introduction of the USDU supports the expansion of regulated digital asset settlements. He also explained that the Aquanow platform is designed to provide institutions with secure, compliant market access. Universal holds reserves backing USDU in onshore accounts Universal disclosed that reserves backing the USDU stablecoin are held 1:1 in protected onshore accounts at Mbank, Emirates NBD, and Mashreq. It also revealed that a global accounting firm audits the banks independently each month. According to Universal, this level of transparency aligns with global standards in regulated regimes, such as those in Japan and the EU, as well as a few U.S. frameworks. It has also partnered with AE Coin to power future USDU-AE Coin conversions for domestic settlements. The AE Coin was the first stablecoin to be licensed in the UAE. Additionally, Universal has revealed that its partnership with Aquanow is part of its go-to-market strategy. Aquanow is registered with the Dubai Virtual Regulatory Authority (VARA) in the UAE and serves institutions across multiple markets. The collaboration positions the USDU stablecoin for compliant adoption in the UAE and for rapid integration into the country’s digital asset ecosystem through Aquanow’s network of regulated service providers. Universal further claims that the USDU is designed to connect with international digital asset markets beyond the UAE. The company says this enables institutions to move digital assets across globally regulated platforms. The USDU acts as a trusted link between the emerging digital assets economy and established financial systems. Get seen where it counts. Advertise in Cryptopolitan Research and reach crypto’s sharpest investors and builders.

29 Jan 2026, 11:29

Bitcoin ETFs extend outflows as Fed caution, geopolitical risks weigh on crypto

The US Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) market remained under pressure through January 28, recording a second consecutive day of net outflows and underscoring persistent caution among institutional investors despite a sharp slowdown in the pace of redemptions. According to the data from Farside Investors, Bitcoin ETFs logged net outflows of around $19.6 million on January 28. While the figure was modest compared with the heavy selling seen earlier in the month, it extended a weak stretch in which the funds have posted only one positive inflow day over the past eight trading sessions, and that lone gain amounted to just about $7 million. The recent softness marks a clear reversal from the strong enthusiasm seen in mid-January. Inflows on January 14, when Bitcoin ETFs attracted a combined $840.6 million in fresh capital. Sentiment then deteriorated rapidly, culminating in the largest single-day outflow of the period on January 21, when $708.7 million exited the products. Ethereum ETFs show signs of stabilisation In contrast to Bitcoin, the US Ethereum ETF market showed tentative signs of stabilisation. On January 28, Ethereum ETFs recorded net inflows of $28.1 million. The rebound followed an earlier show of strength on January 26, when Ethereum ETFs attracted approximately $117 million in inflows. The renewed interest provided some relief after a volatile period marked by sharp reversals in the second half of the month. Ethereum funds had also enjoyed strong inflows in mid-January, peaking on January 14 with $175.1 million of net additions. That momentum reversed abruptly alongside broader crypto market weakness, with the largest daily outflow recorded on January 21, when $287 million left Ethereum ETFs. The bulk of that selling was driven by a $250.3 million outflow from BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA). The January 28 data suggested a shift in tone. ETHA returned to net inflows with $27.3 million added, while persistent outflows from Grayscale’s ETHE and Ethereum Mini Trust products came to a halt. While the recovery remains modest, it indicates that selling pressure in Ethereum-linked funds may be easing relative to Bitcoin. Bitcoin Price Pressured by Fed and Geopolitics Bitcoin prices remained under pressure, with the cryptocurrency trading below $88,000 on Thursday. The decline followed a rejection at a key technical level earlier in the week and came in the wake of the Federal Reserve’s policy decision on Wednesday. The Fed left its benchmark interest rate unchanged in a target range of 3.50% to 3.75%, a move that had been widely anticipated by markets. However, the lack of a clearly dovish signal from the central bank capped upside for risk assets. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said inflation remains well above the 2% target, reinforcing expectations that policymakers will move cautiously. Two Fed governors, Stephen Miran and Christopher Waller, dissented in favour of a 25 basis-point rate cut, but the broader message from the meeting was one of patience. Traders now largely expect the Fed to maintain its current stance through the end of the quarter and potentially until Powell’s term as chair concludes in May, even as markets continue to price in two rate cuts in 2026. Beyond monetary policy, concerns over the Federal Reserve’s independence have added another layer of uncertainty. A Department of Justice criminal investigation involving Powell and an evolving effort to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook have drawn attention to potential political interference in monetary policymaking, dampening risk appetite further. Geopolitical developments have also weighed on sentiment. Reuters reported that US President Donald Trump is considering options against Iran, including targeted strikes on security forces and leadership figures, as protests continue in the country. “The arrival of a US aircraft carrier and supporting warships in the Middle East this week has expanded Trump’s capabilities to potentially take military action, after he repeatedly threatened intervention over Iran’s crackdown,” the report said. The escalation in geopolitical risk has driven investors toward traditional safe-haven assets. Gold and silver prices pushed to new all-time highs, while risk-sensitive assets such as cryptocurrencies struggled to attract sustained buying interest. The post Bitcoin ETFs extend outflows as Fed caution, geopolitical risks weigh on crypto appeared first on Invezz

29 Jan 2026, 11:23

2014 vs. 2026: Is Bitcoin Repeating Its Darkest Bear Market History?

Bitcoin’s current bear market is ahead of previous cycles in performance, but analysts caution that a deeper decline may still occur later in 2026. Bitcoin Tracking Above Previous Bear Cycles Bitcoin has fallen 32% from its all-time high of over $126,000, which was reached in early October, 2025. In earlier cycles, losses at this stage were larger, ranging from 43% to 66%. This shows that the current cycle has been less severe so far compared to 2014, 2018, and 2022. However, this stronger position may not hold. Past cycles also saw periods of stability before a steep fall near the end. CryptoCon, a market analyst, compared past cycles and noted that they tend to follow different paths early on, but later align just before reaching their final lows. Here’s this year’s Bitcoin bear market lined up with others (2014, 2018, and 2022). The common thought is that the bear market drawdown is decreasing each cycle, and that’s been the trend so far. -86%, -84%, -77%. Bitcoin is even ahead now of where it has been at the same point… pic.twitter.com/TxCeUri5wH — CryptoCon (@CryptoCon_) January 28, 2026 Based on this pattern, the chart shows a potential convergence point in September 2026, where Bitcoin’s price is expected to reach $35,000. This is the level where past cycles began their final drop. CryptoCon stated that “ only the final drop really seems to matter ,” pointing to this moment as a critical stage in the bear market. If this cycle continues to follow previous ones, Bitcoin could reach a low between $28,000 and $17,000 between October and November 2026. The timing also aligns with the Halving Cycles Theory, which forecasts a bottom between November 2026 and January 2027. Recent Price Action and Market Volatility At press time, BTC trades around $88,000 with a daily trading volume of over $49 billion. Over the past 24 hours, the price fell by 1.5%, and over the past week, it declined by almost 2.5% (per CoinGecko’s data). Yesterday saw heightened volatility. BTC crossed $90,000 twice but pulled back quickly. After the Federal Reserve’s rate decision, Bitcoin held above $89,000. However, the move triggered widespread liquidations. More than 120,000 traders were forced out of positions, with combined losses of around $350 million. Analysts Point to Conflicting Signals Some market watchers expect a correction soon. “If the 4-year cycle is still in play, $BTC will dump to $30,000 in February,” wrote Chiefy. Others are focused on long-term data. Kapoor Kshitiz noted that Binance Reserve Cost has moved to $62,000, a level that has acted as a bottom during past bear phases. Bitcoin has not yet revisited this level since ETF approval. On-chain data shows the share of BTC held at a loss is starting to rise again. This trend appeared early in bear markets in 2014, 2018, and 2022. While this does not confirm a final bottom, it may show the early stages of a longer downturn. At the same time, long-term holders have shifted back to accumulation. CryptosRus said , “ This looks less like a top… and more like consolidation before continuation.” Realized Cap has also reached new highs, suggesting a steady inflow of capital. The post 2014 vs. 2026: Is Bitcoin Repeating Its Darkest Bear Market History? appeared first on CryptoPotato .

29 Jan 2026, 11:20

Crypto markets pull back as BTC stalls below $90K, XRP and SOL lead altcoin losses

The crypto market is trading well in the red on Thursday, with all but Tron, the top 10 coins by market cap, shedding profits they had made during the week. Leading coins BTC, ETH, XRP, and SOL have all lost more than 1.5% in the last 24 hours amid a market bloodbath that wiped 1.7% off the total market cap, according to Coingecko data. Bitcoin had initially given the market glimpses of a positive marketwide correction after it crossed the $90,000 mark for the first time this week on Wednesday. However, traders seemingly chose to cash out their winnings, leaving the top coin by market cap in free fall. Crypto market winding down the week in profit shedding After the world’s largest cryptocurrency slipped below $88,500 in Thursday’s earlier trading session, most of the tokens followed, extending a choppy week of intraday swings. According to Coinglass liquidation data, the last 24 hours have seen the market lose more $300 million in forced selling. Second in line, Ether hovered near $2,950, while popular altcoins Solana, XRP, and Dogecoin witnessed steeper intraday declines, falling between 2% and 4% during the session. Some market watchers believe that if selling intensifies, prices of several tokens may start testing their support levels and take the sector back to December’s bearish spell. Moreover, a brief run during the start of the year had previously helped prevent Bitcoin from slipping below the $86,558 threshold. A sustained break beneath that band could deepen losses, but if bulls manage to hold the price level above $87,000 before the week ends, market sentiment would stabilize. The fifth-largest coin by market cap, XRP, is also moving toward $1.88, but a resistance wall has been set at the $1.92 to $1.94 range. A short-lived surge in trading volume had briefly pushed prices higher, but momentum quickly faded, and the token slipped back into consolidation, now trading at $1.86 at the time of this publication. Open interest in SOL futures dropped 1.40% over the past 24 hours to $7.42 billion, per Coinglass. Funding rates also turned negative, printing -0.0042%, a sign that newer participants favored short positions while closing longs and reducing their leverage. Despite the day-to-day volatility, selling pressure has seemingly eased compared with last weekend’s downturn. That pause allowed digital assets to attempt a short-lived rebound, though a chance for a defined conviction is weak. Many traders have been hesitant to commit to new positions without a clear macro direction. Market pullback reacts to the US Fed stance and policy persistence The Federal Open Market Committee kept its benchmark interest rate at 3.50% to 3.75% on January 28, its first policy decision of 2026. According to the central bank, the choice was “loosely neutral” as last year’s rate cuts continue to filter through the economy. “Overall, the Fed just wants to stand pat. They feel they’ve got time to wait and see,” former Fed Vice Chair Roger Ferguson said in a CNBC interview Monday. “This feels like a wait-and-see meeting, and we should all be listening to see if there’s any hint or a bias towards a future action.” After his press briefing on rates, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell addressed queries about the US government’s political influence over monetary policy. He defended the independence of central banks, saying: “Every advanced economy, democracy in the world has come around to this common practice. It’s just an institutional arrangement that has served the people well, and that is to have a separation between, to not have directly elected official control over the setting of monetary policy.” President Donald Trump insists that elected leaders should have more say in interest rate decisions, and he threatened to end Chair Powell’s term before this May, Cryptopolitan reported . “The reason is that monetary policy can be used, you know, through an election cycle to affect the economy in a way that will be politically worthwhile. If you lose that, it’s going to be hard to retain it, and we haven’t lost it. I don’t believe we will … it’s enabled central banks generally not to be perfect, but to serve the public well,” Powell told reporters on Wednesday. Sharpen your strategy with mentorship + daily ideas - 30 days free access to our trading program

29 Jan 2026, 11:12

Metaplanet is raising $137 million to pay down debt and buy even more bitcoin

The Tokyo-based bitcoin treasury company secures fresh capital through a share and warrant issuance.

29 Jan 2026, 11:11

Bitcoin Retreats as Hawkish Fed and Outflows Pressure Market: Analyst

Bitcoin has slipped back below the $89,000 level after failing to hold onto a brief recovery, as tighter financial conditions and geopolitical stress continue to weigh on risk assets. Key Takeaways: Bitcoin has slipped below $89,000 as a hawkish-leaning Federal Reserve and Middle East tensions sap risk appetite. Trader conviction is fading, with futures open interest down 42% and rallies quickly met by sharp sell-offs. Institutional investors are turning cautious, as ETF outflows rise and expectations for near-term rate cuts fade. The pullback comes amid growing caution from the US Federal Reserve and fading investor appetite across crypto markets, according to Samer Hasn, Senior Market Analyst at XS.com. In a note shared with Cryptonews.com, Hasn said market sentiment has been pressured by a central bank stance that remains neutral to hawkish, alongside rising tensions in the Middle East that have dampened demand for speculative assets. Crypto Loses Momentum as Capital Dries Up and Traders Pull Back While gold and silver have attracted renewed interest, digital assets are struggling to draw fresh inflows. “The crypto space is seeing its speculative fire extinguished by a lack of fresh capital,” Hasn said. Derivatives data points to a clear loss of conviction. According to CoinGlass, crypto futures open interest is down 42% from record highs, signaling reduced risk-taking. Attempts at bullish breakouts have been met with sharp sell-offs, with traders “quick to exit at the first sign of trouble,” suggesting a fragile market structure. Institutional behavior has also turned defensive. Data from SoSoValue shows Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds recorded $160 million in outflows over the past three trading sessions. US Spot Bitcoin ETFs are facing their first real test after the top October 2025 inflows of $72.6B. Since then, we have seen just over $6B in outflows. pic.twitter.com/kyrNU0Feu3 — Rand (@cryptorand) January 29, 2026 Rather than stepping in on weakness, larger investors appear to be waiting on the sidelines as volatility persists. The policy backdrop remains a key drag. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently signaled little urgency to cut rates, with benchmark rates held in the 3.5% to 3.75% range. Former Fed economist William English said officials are likely to remain on hold unless there is a significant shift in labor market conditions. “The internal friction at the Fed, highlighted by two dissenting votes from Trump appointees, adds a layer of political uncertainty that markets rarely enjoy,” Hasn said. Geopolitical Tensions Drive Investors Away From Bitcoin Political and geopolitical factors are adding further uncertainty. Internal divisions at the Fed, combined with leadership questions and rising tensions following a US naval deployment toward Iran, have pushed investors toward traditional havens. “This flight to safety is bypassing Bitcoin entirely in favor of tangible commodities. Until the geopolitical dust settles or the Fed turns the liquidity taps back on, Bitcoin remains a high-risk play in a world looking for a bunker. As reported, Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan has said that gold’s surge past $5,000 an ounce and mounting uncertainty around US crypto legislation are shaping a critical moment for digital asset markets. Hougan said the combination of rising demand for assets outside government control and fading confidence in near-term regulatory clarity could influence both crypto adoption and price action in the months ahead. He also flagged growing uncertainty around the Clarity Act , legislation aimed at cementing a pro-crypto regulatory framework in the US. The post Bitcoin Retreats as Hawkish Fed and Outflows Pressure Market: Analyst appeared first on Cryptonews .