Category: Reviews

UAE Debuts First Central Bank-Approved Stablecoin USDU

Key Notes The UAE central bank has approved USDU. USDU is the country’s first fully regulated, dollar-backed stablecoin. USDU is issued by Universal Digital and backed 1:1 by US dollars held at Emirates NBD and Mashreq. The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates has approved USDU, the country’s first USD-backed stablecoin. The approval came on Thursday under the Payment Token Services Regulation. Notably, the stablecoin is backed one-to-one by the US dollar and operates under direct central bank oversight. This is the first time a dollar-denominated stablecoin has received…

Hang Seng Launches Ethereum Based Tokenized Gold ETF

Key Notes On January 29, Hang Seng Gold ETF, with trading ticker 03170 was launched. The new fund will track the LBMA Gold Price AM. This comes at a time when Hong Kong is promoting itself as a crypto asset hub. Hang Seng Investment, one of Hong Kong’s asset managers, recently debuted its physical gold-pegged exchange traded fund (ETF). The ”Hang Seng Gold ETF” was launched on January 29 on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the ticker “03170.” The new fund has a conventional approach as well as a…

Sentient (SENT) Gains 40% After Upbit Listing Announcement

Key Notes SENT climbed about 40% within hours of the Upbit listing confirmation. The token is trading near $0.030, up 13% over the past 24 hours. Bithumb also announced plans to list SENT, now ranked as the 149th largest crypto by market cap. Sentient (SENT) rose about 40% within a few hours on Jan. 29 after South Korea’s largest crypto exchange, Upbit, confirmed the token’s listing. At the time of writing, SENT is trading near $0.030, up 13% over the past 24 hours. The move added roughly $50 million to…

XRP Near $1.88, Eyes $2.50 Breakout

Key Notes XRP trades 25% below its 200-day MA near $2.54 amid weak long-term momentum. Buyers are preventing a breakdown, but upside strength remains limited. Holding the $1.80-$1.85 support zone is important for XRP to avoid turning bearish. XRP XRP $1.87 24h volatility: 1.8% Market cap: $114.14 B Vol. 24h: $2.76 B is trading near $1.88, 25% down from its 200-day moving average of around $2.54. The gap shows that recent upside attempts have not been strong enough to shift the broader trend. Analysts see this as a corrective structure…

US SEC Rules on Tokenized Securities

Key Notes The SEC said that tokenized securities are “financial instruments” that fall under the federal securities laws. It also outlined issuer-sponsored tokenized securities and third-party sponsored models. Tokenization platforms like Securitize said the SEC’s guidance is critical for responsibly scaling the asset class. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is weighing in on a newly emerging asset class known as tokenized securities. The move follows joint guidance from the SEC’s Division of Investment Management, Division of Corporation Finance, and Division of Trading and Markets. US SEC Says Tokenized…

Sony Innovation Fund Invests $13M in Startale Group’s Soneium Network

Key Notes Sony Innovation Fund committed an additional $13 million to Startale. This is the first close of Startale’s Series A round. Soneium now hosts over 250 live dApps, with USDSC live as a native settlement stablecoin on mainnet. Startale Group confirmed a $13 million follow-on investment from Sony Innovation Fund on January 29, 2026. The funding deepens Sony Group Corp.’s exposure to Startale and its Ethereum Layer 2 network, Soneium. The investment comes roughly a year after Soneium’s mainnet went live in January 2025. Startale said the round represents…

Worldcoin Up 40% on OpenAI Social Media News

Key Notes Sources familiar with the matter said OpenAI’s social media platform will compete with major players such as X and Facebook, positioning itself as a “humans-only” platform. Worldcoin’s price rose from $0.45 to $0.65 before pulling back to around $0.52, while trading volume increased by more than 800%. OpenAI is reportedly considering a biometric “proof of personhood” system using Worldcoin’s iris-scanning technology. Sam Altman’s Worldcoin WLD $0.50 24h volatility: 9.5% Market cap: $1.40 B Vol. 24h: $828.78 M project is back in the spotlight as his AI company, OpenAI,…

Ethereum Price Slips Below $3,000, Setting Up A Support Battle

Ethereum price started a recovery wave above the $2,880 zone but it failed near $3,050. ETH is declining and might struggle to stay above $2,920. Ethereum failed to stay above $3,000 and started a fresh decline. The price is trading below $2,990 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There was a break below a bullish trend line with support at $3,000 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD (data feed via Kraken). The pair could start a fresh increase if it stays above the $2,880 zone. Ethereum Price Dips Again Ethereum…

Coinbase Prediction Markets Go Live Nationwide Following $34.5B Kalshi Success

Key Notes The platform integrates event contracts tradable with USD or USDC, removing the need for separate accounts. Coinbase acquired The Clearing Company in December to build compliant infrastructure for event-based trading. The exchange competes with Gemini’s Titan and Robinhood as prediction markets shift from niche to mainstream products. Coinbase expanded its prediction markets nationwide on January 27, partnering with Kalshi to enable trading on real-world events, joining the most important trend in the crypto industry today. Users from the United States can now wager on political outcomes, sports results,…

Cryptocurrency Crime Reaches Record $158 Billion in 2025: TRM Labs Report

Key Notes Russia-linked sanctions evasion grew over 400% year-over-year, with A7 wallets and A7A5 stablecoin processing $110 billion combined. Stablecoins became the primary channel for illicit transactions, routed through non-custodial services and OTC brokers to avoid seizure. Chinese underground banking operations expanded dramatically to $103 billion, supporting scam ecosystems and cybercriminal networks across Asia-Pacific. The cryptocurrency transactions related to criminal activities reached a record $158 billion in 2025, reversing a multi-year decline and marking the highest level in at least five years, according to the 2026 Crypto Crime Report from…