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20 Jan 2026, 14:58

TenX adds Tezos to its crypto treasury, targets staking revenue after buying 5.5M XTZ

The public blockchain infrastructure firm said it expects Tezos staking yields in the high single digits and plans to disclose rewards in its financial reporting.

20 Jan 2026, 14:56

Ripple vs. Cardano: 4 AIs Predict Whether XRP or ADA Will Rally More by Valentine’s Day

The native tokens of Ripple and Cardano have both posted substantial declines over the last several days, which aligns with the broader market correction during that period. With the love and romance holiday approaching, we decided to check whether either asset could stage a resurgence and which one is better position for stronger gains by then. To do so, we consulted four of the most widely used AI-powered chatbots. XRP Seems One Step Forward ChatGPT began its assessment by noting that both assets have been the center of major events over the past months, with the end of the Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit as the leading one. It assumed that XRP could rally harder by February 14 if there are catalysts like positive regulatory news or ecosystem developments. “Without a solid factor, ADA’s gains might be more measured and steady, reflecting adoption rather than headline shocks,” it added. Grok, the AI chatbot integrated within the social media platform X, was much more detailed. It also leaned towards Ripple’s cross-border token, based on the solid interest in spot XRP ETFs lately and tokenization growth on the XRP Ledger. Those products have generated a cumulative total net flow of almost $1.3 billion since their launch in mid-November, whereas ADA investors continue to await the introduction of such financial vehicles. Grok concluded with a warning, reminding that the crypto market remains quite volatile and a pullback in the following weeks might also be in the cards: “Both could dump if Bitcoin pulls back hard or macro fear spikes. But on relative strength, catalysts, and current market narrative, XRP looks positioned to outpace ADA in percentage gains by mid-February.” Google’s Gemini also supported the aforementioned thesis, arguing that Ripple’s token has more “live” catalysts, such as active ETFs and high trading volume, that can drive prices up regardless of the broader ecosystem outlook. In terms of ADA, it was labeled as a solid long-term research project that often moves more slowly. Finally Someone in Favor of ADA Perplexity is the only one (from those we consulted) that predicted that Cardano’s native token would likely rally more than XRP by Valentine’s Day. It estimated that the maximum price ADA can reach by that date is $0.52 (a nearly 50% increase from current levels), whereas its rival may surge to $2.33, representing a gain of 20% from the ongoing mark. The post Ripple vs. Cardano: 4 AIs Predict Whether XRP or ADA Will Rally More by Valentine’s Day appeared first on CryptoPotato .

20 Jan 2026, 14:55

USDT Minted: Tether Treasury’s Monumental 1,000 Million Injection Sparks Liquidity Debate

BitcoinWorld USDT Minted: Tether Treasury’s Monumental 1,000 Million Injection Sparks Liquidity Debate On-chain analytics platform Whale Alert reported a seismic event in the digital asset space on March 15, 2025: the Tether Treasury executed a minting of 1,000 million USDT. This substantial creation of the world’s dominant stablecoin immediately triggers critical analysis regarding market liquidity, underlying demand, and the evolving role of centralized stablecoins within the global financial ecosystem. Consequently, market participants and regulators are scrutinizing the move’s potential ramifications. USDT Minted: Decoding the 1,000 Million Transaction Whale Alert, a trusted service tracking large blockchain transactions, publicly logged the minting event. The transaction originated from the official Tether Treasury address, fundamentally creating new USDT tokens on the Tron blockchain. Notably, this process differs from a simple transfer; it represents an authorized increase in the total supply of the stablecoin. Tether Limited, the company behind USDT, consistently states that all new tokens are fully backed by reserves and are minted in response to market demand, primarily from institutional clients and exchanges. Therefore, such a sizable mint often precedes significant capital movements into the cryptocurrency market. To understand the scale, we can compare this single event to historical supply adjustments. The table below contextualizes this mint against Tether’s recent quarterly attestations: Metric Figure Context This Single Mint 1,000,000,000 USDT Equivalent to $1 Billion USD Q4 2024 Reported Assets ~$104 Billion USD Per Tether’s attestation Estimated % of Supply Increase ~0.96% Relative to late-2024 supply Market analysts immediately parsed the transaction’s metadata. They looked for correlating inflows to major exchange wallets, a typical signal that the new liquidity is destined to facilitate trading or provide capital for institutional over-the-counter (OTC) desks. Historically, large USDT mints have shown a non-trivial correlation with subsequent upward pressure on Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrency prices, as the new stablecoin supply provides the ‘dry powder’ for purchases. The Ripple Effect on Cryptocurrency Market Dynamics This liquidity injection arrives during a period of notable maturation for digital asset markets. The primary function of a stablecoin like USDT is to act as a digital dollar proxy, enabling traders to move in and out of volatile assets without converting to flat currency. A mint of this magnitude suggests anticipatory action by Tether to meet one or several concurrent demands: Exchange Liquidity Provision: Excers may request large USDT batches to replenish trading pair liquidity, especially ahead of anticipated volatility or major token listings. Institutional OTC Demand: Large investment firms executing sizable Bitcoin or Ethereum purchases often use OTC desks that settle in USDT, requiring pre-funded pools. Cross-Border Settlement: Entities in regions with capital controls or unstable banking systems increasingly use stablecoins for international trade settlement. Furthermore, the mint’s impact extends beyond simple trading. It influences broader market metrics like total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi). New USDT often flows into lending protocols as collateral or into yield-bearing strategies, subtly increasing the capital efficiency across the blockchain economy. However, skeptics consistently monitor these events for any disconnect between minting activity and verifiable on-chain demand, a key point of scrutiny for financial regulators worldwide. Expert Analysis: Reserve Backing and Regulatory Scrutiny Financial technology experts emphasize that the critical question is not the mint itself, but the integrity of the reserve backing. Following past settlements and ongoing regulatory oversight, Tether now publishes quarterly reserve attestations from a major accounting firm. These reports break down the composition of assets backing USDT, which includes: U.S. Treasury bills Money market funds Secured loans (to vetted institutions) Other cash-equivalent assets “A mint of this size will be closely examined in the next attestation,” notes a blockchain economist at a leading university. “The market now expects full transparency. The mint is a technical operation, but its legitimacy is entirely derived from the proof of reserves. Regulatory bodies, particularly in the U.S. and EU, are finalizing stablecoin-specific frameworks (like MiCA in Europe) that will mandate real-time reporting and strict asset segregation for such large issuers.” This environment makes each significant mint a de facto test of the issuer’s compliance posture and operational readiness for the coming regulatory era. Conclusion The minting of 1,000 million USDT by the Tether Treasury is a significant operational event with layered implications. It primarily signals anticipated demand for dollar liquidity within the cryptocurrency ecosystem, potentially lubricating trading, lending, and settlement activities. While historical patterns suggest such events can precede market rallies, the modern focus has rightly shifted to transparency and regulatory compliance. The true impact of this USDT being minted will be measured not just by short-term price action, but by how seamlessly the new supply integrates into a market increasingly governed by formal oversight and demands for verifiable, asset-backed stability. FAQs Q1: What does it mean when USDT is “minted”? Minting refers to the authorized creation of new USDT tokens by Tether Limited. It increases the total circulating supply and is typically done in response to verified requests from exchanges or institutional clients, based on the company’s claim that all tokens are fully backed by reserves. Q2: Does minting new USDT cause Bitcoin’s price to go up? Not directly. However, it increases the available supply of stablecoins used to purchase Bitcoin. Historically, large mints have often correlated with periods of increased buying pressure, as the new liquidity provides readily available capital for traders and institutions. Q3: Where can I verify this USDT minting transaction? The transaction is recorded on the public Tron blockchain. Services like Whale Alert or public blockchain explorers (e.g., Tronscan) allow anyone to search for the transaction hash or view the Tether Treasury wallet address to confirm the activity. Q4: How is Tether allowed to just create $1 billion? As a private company, Tether operates under its own terms of service. It states that it only mints tokens 1:1 against incoming flat currency or equivalent assets, which are held in reserves. Its authority to do so is currently governed by a mix of money transmission laws and emerging specific cryptocurrency regulations, which are still evolving globally. Q5: What are the risks associated with such a large stablecoin mint? The primary perceived risks are that the newly created tokens are not fully backed (a solvency risk) or that they could be used for market manipulation. Regulatory risk is also significant, as authorities may scrutinize the purpose and destination of the funds to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) laws. Q6: How does this affect other stablecoins like USDC? Large USDT mints can reinforce its market dominance, potentially drawing liquidity away from competitors. However, they also highlight the importance of reserve transparency. This may benefit highly regulated, transparent alternatives like USDC in the long term, as institutional users weigh regulatory safety alongside liquidity depth. This post USDT Minted: Tether Treasury’s Monumental 1,000 Million Injection Sparks Liquidity Debate first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

20 Jan 2026, 14:52

Crypto funds record inflows of $2.17B last week: report

More on Bitcoin USD, Solana, etc. Whale's Tracking - Reassessment Chart Of The Day: Is Bitcoin... Back? Long Bitcoin; Short Silver Banks vs. Crypto battle escalates over token yields Asian indexes turn red following tech retreat on Wall Street

20 Jan 2026, 14:52

Battle For Ethereum is Unfolding Right Now: Details

Ethereum is a battlefield for whales right now as both short and long volumes are spiking.

20 Jan 2026, 14:50

South Korea's Democratic Party convene for comprehensive Digital Asset Basic Act draft

South Korea’s Democratic Party to present a party-line bill for the Digital Asset Basic Act early next month after failing to come to an agreement with the Bank of Korea and the Financial Services Commission. The Digital Asset Basic Act would create a broad regulatory framework for digital assets, such as the issuance of won-pegged stablecoins. The SK Democratic Party has been advocating for the passage of the Digital Asset Basic Act to institutionalize the won-pegged stablecoin . During this process, the government’s proposals contained conflicting points. One proposal suggested that a unanimous agreement body is necessary for issuance permission, and the other suggested that the issuing institution should be a “consortium with a majority stake (50%+1 share) in banks.” South Korea Democrats advance Digital Asset Bill amid challenges On Tuesday, the South Korea Democratic Party’s Digital Asset Task Force (TF) held a closed-door meeting in the afternoon in the National Assembly Members’ Office Building to debate the integrated bill for the Digital Asset Basic Act. However, lawmakers expect challenges before the integrated bill is passed. According to Maeil Business Newspaper, the ruling and opposition parties must reach a consensus, as the chairman of the political affairs committee currently controls the people, and the government’s proposal may differ in specifics from the ruling party’s. According to The Chosun Daily, Task Force Secretary Ahn Do-geol stated at the meeting that the committee could proceed with a single measure if a solution is reached through discussions with the government and the ruling party. However, Rep. Lee Jeong-mun, chair of the Digital Asset TF, noted that the schedule remains unclear due to a dispute between the government and opposition parties, adding that consultations will be held as soon as feasible to close the legislative gap. Jeong-mun said that the party is creating its own bill to establish its stance through the Policy Council of Lawmakers. He continued by saying that after the party has decided on its position, high-level party-government consultations will be used to try to settle disagreements with the government. In a back briefing following the meeting, lawmaker Jeong-mun added that the government had been asked to present a plan since October of last year, but by the end of January, no answer had been received. He also pointed out that even if a bill subcommittee is formed in February as a result of discussions amongst floor leaders, it is still unclear how many sessions will be required to finish the legislative process. Ahn further revealed that TF members will convene next week to organize the main concerns, and by the end of January, “we will report to the Policy Committee chairperson and the floor leader to establish the party’s official stance.” South Korea’s task force to create an integrated legislation for stablecoins The “stablecoin” disciplinary system was the main topic of discussion throughout the meeting. Maeil Business Newspaper reported that the TF discussed creating an “integrated legislation” that combines a non-secured virtual asset regulation scheme with stablecoin (value-stable virtual asset) regulation in a single measure. During the meeting, Ahn Do-geol commented, “It is desirable to create a possible integration law and cover the entire ecosystem.” He further urged the committee that, if there are many issues and resolving them in a short period of time is difficult, they should consider processing stablecoins separately first. According to Ahn, this would help address legislative gaps amid the rapidly expanding use of stablecoins globally. Regarding the stablecoin issuer, the TF members emphasized “supporting the industry,” which would create opportunities for both corporations and banks. Ahn revealed that the TF members agreed to focus on the creative development of stablecoins while also promoting financial system stability. Notably, SK’s efforts to establish integrated legislation governing stablecoins follow a global trend of countries attempting to control stablecoins. As previously reported by Cryptopolitan, Japan has already established a registration mechanism for stablecoin issuers. The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation also offers a thorough regional framework. Claim your free seat in an exclusive crypto trading community - limited to 1,000 members.