CryptoCryptocurrency

Bitcoin fell more than 6% to the low $83,000 range as rising US-Iran tensions, mounting fears of a US government shutdown and broader risk-off sentiment hit an already fragile crypto market.

Donald Trump said he will announce his nominee to replace Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on Friday morning, with prediction markets pointing strongly toward former Fed governor Kevin Warsh.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has clarified how tokenised securities are regulated, drawing a sharp distinction between compliant, regulated products such as Robinhood’s stock tokens and fraudulent schemes like Terra’s Mirror Protocol.

Bitcoin fell more than 5% to around $83,400 during overnight trading and failed to recover, while gold rebounded sharply after an initial plunge triggered by rising US-Iran tensions.

About 72% of licensed crypto exchanges in Indonesia were unprofitable in 2025 despite the country having more than 20 million crypto users, according to data from the Financial Services Authority.

Bybit plans to launch a retail banking product called My Bank in February, giving users personal IBAN accounts to move fiat funds seamlessly between banks and crypto markets.

SEC chair Paul Atkins said sweeping crypto innovation exemptions are unlikely to be finalised this month, walking back an earlier timeline that had pointed to a January release.

Coinbase has launched a regulated prediction markets platform across all 50 US states, allowing users to trade contracts tied to real-world outcomes ranging from bitcoin prices to Federal Reserve decisions.

Crypto sentiment remained fragile on Thursday as Bitcoin slipped below $84,000 and the Crypto Fear and Greed Index stayed mired in the low 20s, signalling persistent risk aversion across digital asset markets.

Crypto custodian Copper is weighing a potential initial public offering as institutional demand for digital asset infrastructure grows following rival BitGo’s recent stock market debut.

21Shares has launched Europe’s first exchange-traded product backed by Jito-staked Solana, giving investors listed exposure to SOL with staking rewards embedded.

Metaplanet has raised $137 million to expand its bitcoin holdings as it tries to recover from a steep share price fall.