hodler

21 Jan 2026, 19:48

Private credit may be the breakout use case for tokenization: Maple's Sidney Powell

Maple Finance CEO Sidney Powell said blockchain’s biggest opportunity isn’t tokenized Treasury bills or funds — instead, it’s bringing opaque, illiquid private credit markets onchain.

21 Jan 2026, 19:43

Europe freezes approval of the US trade deal over Trump’s push to buy Greenland and new tariff threats

The European Parliament has halted approval of the transatlantic trade agreement reached with the United States last July, citing President Donald Trump’s demand to buy Greenland and his threats to slap fresh tariffs on European goods. The decision came Wednesday, hours after Trump used his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos to push for “immediate negotiations” over acquiring the Arctic region. Bernd Lange, who chairs the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA), said Trump’s actions violate the agreement signed at Turnberry last year. “There was a breaking of the Scotland deal by President Trump,” Lange said, pointing to both the new tariff threats of 10% to 25% and Trump’s Greenland ambitions. “We will hold on the procedure until there is clarity regarding Greenland and the threats,” he added. EU trade chair slams Trump’s Greenland plan and tariff threat Lange accused Trump of “using tariffs as an instrument of political pressure” to get what he wants.“He wants to have Greenland as part of the United States as quick as possible,” Lange said. Though Trump promised during his Davos speech not to use military force, Lange called that only “a small positive element.” The tariff threat, according to him, is still very real. “There will be no possibility of compromise” unless the threat is removed. The proposed duties are seen as a direct violation of the EU-US trade pact terms. Lange warned that Europe will not proceed until Washington scraps the tariff plan. He called Trump’s actions “an attack against the economic and territorial sovereignty of the European Union.” On Monday, INTA will debate using the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), a sweeping trade weapon created to counter exactly these kinds of pressure tactics. The ACI, often referred to as a “trade bazooka,” would let Europe severely limit American firms’ access to the EU market. This includes kicking U.S. companies out of tenders, slowing capital flows, restricting foreign investment, and cutting market access across the bloc. “This was created exactly for such a case when a foreign country [uses] tariffs and investment for political and coercive pressure,” Lange said. White House pushes back as ECB warns of monetary spillover U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer hit back, blaming the EU for delays. “The EU has failed to implement its commitments under the deal despite rapid US moves to reduce its tariffs on the EU last year,” Greer told CNBC. He said Europe is using unrelated political issues as excuses for noncompliance. “The United States and EU have—and will always have—a number of foreign policy and economic matters that fall outside the four corners of the deal.” Joachim Nagel, the Bundesbank President and a European Central Bank official, also spoke to CNBC on Wednesday. He called the standoff “a very problematic situation,” and said the tariff fight might spill over into monetary policy. “It could maybe be a game changer for monetary policy in the euro zone,” he said. Still, Nagel expressed some optimism, saying, “I still have the hope that we can find a solution, a joint understanding.” Shortly after the suspension was announced, Trump caved in and posted a statement on Truth Social, saying he had reached “the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” after a “very productive meeting” with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He claimed the deal would benefit both the United States and NATO nations, and said he would not impose the tariffs scheduled for February 1st. “Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland,” Trump wrote. He named Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and others as the negotiation team, reporting directly to him. “Further information will be made available as discussions progress,” Trump said. The post got pinned on his profile too. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .

21 Jan 2026, 19:41

Bitcoin moves back to $90,000 as Trump pulls tariff threat after 'productive meeting' with NATO chief

"The solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the U.S. and all NATO nations," said President Trump in a Truth Social post.

21 Jan 2026, 19:40

Ripple CEO Garlinghouse believes 2026 will be the all-time best performing year for crypto markets

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse predicts that crypto markets will have their best-performing year of all time in 2026. Garlinghouse cited that regulatory changes and institutional investment in the asset class are driving factors for this statement and have not been priced into the market yet. The CEO of Ripple stated in an interview with CNBC that he believes crypto markets will see new all-time highs in 2026. This statement comes after a barrage of negative price action battered major cryptocurrencies at the top of this week. Market data shows that BTC had over $1.8 billion in liquidations over the last 48 hours following news of turmoil in Japanese bond markets and anticipation of Donald Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF). Other major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Solana, and Ripple’s own XRP also reported big losses during the same period, wiping out significant gains made in the previous week. Regardless, Brad Garlinghouse said he remains bullish about the future of the asset class in 2026 as he is also headed to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The CEO believes that U.S. regulatory progress through bills like the GENIUS Act, along with a wave of recent institutional investment in cryptocurrencies, has not been adequately priced into markets yet. XRP currently sits at roughly $1.88 at the time of writing, down substantially from its January 5th high of nearly $2.40. What analysts are saying about XRP Ripple’s XRP saw monumental price growth at the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025, rising from $0.50 to over $3.80 over the course of roughly a month and a half. This catapulted the prominent digital asset to where it now stands as the 5th-largest cryptocurrency in the world by market cap. This price action came towards the end of a long-standing battle between XRP’s parent company, Ripple, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after the company was accused of violating securities laws in December of 2020. Ripple secured several significant legal victories in the years that followed, and the case was eventually dropped in early August of 2025, as announced by the SEC. Garlinghouse has risen to become one of the most prominent voices in cryptocurrency over the years, but his fame has not come without scrutiny. The crypto community had some tough words for the Ripple CEO after he announced his support on X for the controversial first draft of the CLARITY Act . This bill ultimately serves the purpose of defining which agency (SEC or CFTC) regulates certain cryptocurrencies, along with legislation for consumer protection, capital raising, and other regulatory measures for cryptocurrency operation in the U.S. Prominent industry figures like Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Cardano CEO Charles Hoskinson opposed much of the first draft of this bill, with Hoskinson slamming Garlinghouse directly for his support of it. The current state of the cryptocurrency market Investors had high hopes for the digital asset market going into 2025 after a new wave of large-scale institutional investment and the election of now U.S. President Donald Trump in 2024. Trump campaigned as being the first pro-crypto president, promising to deliver a new era of crypto-friendly legislation after years of the asset class being scrutinized by U.S. Government financial entities like the SEC. The Trump Administration made significant efforts to deliver on these promises in 2025, working closely with industry leaders and passing significant legislation like the GENIUS Act for stablecoin regulation and innovation. However, crypto suffered a rather lackluster year in 2025 in comparison to the blow-off top, parabolic market euphoria that investors have grown accustomed to in the last few bull markets. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana all reached new all-time highs last year, but not nearly to the degree that many expected. Positive market sentiment around regulatory progress and institutional adoption was largely stifled in 2025 under economic uncertainty caused by the Trump Administration’s tariff policies and widespread inflation concerns. Going forward into 2026, the Fear & Greed Index has shifted from the mid-50s last week (neutral) to the low 30s (fear) at the time of writing. This showcases a lack of confidence by investors in the current state of the market and an uncertain future in 2026 for the asset class. Industry leaders like Garlinghouse remain optimistic, but economic instability has largely held crypto markets back as we move forward into the new year. Sharpen your strategy with mentorship + daily ideas - 30 days free access to our trading program

21 Jan 2026, 19:25

U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee plans to unveil its latest bill on crypto market structure today

The chairperson of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, John Boozman, is expected to release legislative text today as part of the committee’s effort to draft crypto market structure legislation. The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry is expected to publish its latest legislative text on non-stablecoin regulations before the end of the day. The text release is part of the committee’s objective to streamline legislation on the crypto market structure outside stablecoins. The committee had announced on January 13 that it would release the legislative text today, ahead of the committee markup scheduled for January 27. The hearing on the crypto market structure bill was initially scheduled for January 15, but was postponed to January 21. Boozman said that the new schedule pushes for transparency and thorough scrutiny as the committee advances legislation to bring more clarity to crypto assets. Senate Agriculture Committee to release legislative drafts for the crypto market structure bill The legislative draft text will provide relevant crypto participants with a high-level overview of the key issues to focus on ahead of the committee markup towards the end of the month. The draft text will also indicate whether the additional two weeks of negotiations between Chairman Boozman (R-AR) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) resulted in a bipartisan bill. The emerging issues in the crypto industry have sparked back-and-forth between Democratic and Republican committee members. These issues include whether memecoins should be added to the list of “digital goods,” funding for the CFTC to oversee crypto, and the overall listing standards of different tokens. Members of the Banking Committee hope that the Agricultural Committee has reached a unanimous deal on crypto market structure legislation so that it can offer a center stage for their own markup. The banking committee postponed its markup last week after releasing its draft text and has not set a formal date. Coinbase CEO says initial draft texts by the banking committee had “issues” Coinbase has assumed the responsibility and has stepped up to push for further regulatory developments. CEO Brian Armstrong is in Davos with other banking CEOs, including Brian Moynihan of Bank of America and Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan. Brian Armstrong recently said in an interview that Coinbase had reviewed the draft texts from the banking committee and found “serious issues” in them. The CEO went ahead and said the committee showed no signs of resolving the issues, prompting the exchange to defend its customers. The banking committee decided to postpone its markup, giving Coinbase a chance to have a chat with bank CEOs in pursuit of a “win-win” outcome. Cryptopolitan highlighted that the Executive Director of the White House Crypto Council, Patrick Witt, said that delaying the market structure bill could invite harsher regulation under a less crypto‑friendly Democratic administration. Witt seemed to be addressing Brian Armstrong after the exchange withdrew its support for the bill, citing “serious issues” with the draft texts. U.S. President Donald Trump has also commented on the legislation. While speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today, he mentioned that members of Congress were “working very hard on crypto market structure legislation,” which he hopes to sign very soon to unlock new pathways for U.S. citizens to achieve financial freedom. He also said he is still working to ensure “America remains the crypto capital of the world.” He emphasized that he already signed the landmark GENIUS Act into law to bring regulatory clarity to stablecoin issuance and usage. Trump said regulating crypto is part of his agenda to ensure the U.S. stays ahead of China. Want your project in front of crypto’s top minds? Feature it in our next industry report, where data meets impact.

21 Jan 2026, 19:10

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warns a credit card rate cap would cut off credit access for 80% of Americans

The head of America’s largest bank issued a stark warning about potential economic fallout from limiting what credit card companies can charge customers, even as the president pushed forward with the controversial plan. Jamie Dimon, who runs JPMorgan Chase, told an audience in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday that forcing a cap on credit card rates would cut off borrowing options for most Americans. He sai d ro ughly 80% of people in the country rely on credit cards as their safety net when money gets tight. Trump doubles down on 10% interest rate proposal President Donald Trump brought up the rate cap idea again during his own speech at the World Economic Forum gathering the same day. He told the crow d he wants lawmakers to approve a 10% limit on credit card interest rates that would last for one year. Trump pointed to what he called excessive profits in the credit card business, sayin g co mpanies now make more than 50% profit margins. He argued that high credit card bills make it harder for people to save money for buying homes, calling it a major obstacle for families trying to get ahead financially. The president originally floated this proposal earlier in January without spelling out the details. He later posted on Truth Social that he wanted companies to follow the new rule by January 20, catching the banking industry off guard. Stock prices for banks dropped when the news first broke as investors worried about losing revenue from a highly profitable part of their business. Banking groups quickly pushed back against the idea, saying it would actually hurt regular people by making credit harder to get. Industry representatives argued that everyday consumers would lose access to the loans they depend on. Political analysts pointed out that getting this kind of cap through Congress faces long odds. Republicans and Democrats remain split on whether to support it, making passage difficult. One market strategist noted that since Trump asked Congress to handle it through legislation rather than taking direct action himself, the chances of seeing a 10% cap anytime soon are quite low. Dimon suggests testing rate cap in two states first Dimon suggested a different approach during his remarks. He said the government should try out the rate cap in just two states first – Vermont and Massachusetts – to see what actually happens before rolling it out nationwide. His suggestion got laughs from people in the room, likely because senators from those two states, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, have previously called for exactly this kind of limit on credit card rates. The JPMorgan chief painted a grim picture of what he thinks would follow a rate cap. He said the loudest complaints wouldn’t come from the credit card companies themselves. Instead, he predicte d re staurants, stores, travel businesses, schools, and local governments would suffer most because people would start missing payments on other bills, including basic services like water. Banks charge higher rates on credit cards than on other loans because card debt carries more risk. Unlike mortgages or car loans, credit cards aren’t backed by property that lenders can seize if borrowers don’t pay. This unsecured nature mean s ba nks face bigger losses when people default. Dimon mentione d hi s company plans to provide more detailed information to the administration about what effects a rate cap would have. During an earnings call last week, JPMorgan’s finance chief suggeste d th e bank might consider legal challenges if the government issues poorly justified orders to drastically alter their business operations. Some analysts thin k cr edit card companies might try to find a middle ground by creating new products. These could include cards with lower rates for certain customers, basic cards without rewards programs that charge 10%, or cards with smaller borrowing limits. Other major bank leaders share similar concerns. Jane Fraser, who heads Citigroup, told CNBC from Davos earlier in the week that she doesn’t think Congress will actually approve the credit card rate caps. By Wednesday, bank stocks had recovered somewhat. An index tracking large banking companies was up 1.2% for the day. Major banks are reportedly working behind the scenes to present alternative ideas to the administration as it tries to address voter worries about living costs before the upcoming congressional elections. The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them .