GM. The NYSE unveiled a blockchain platform for 24/7 tokenized stock trading, partnering with BNY and Citi to offer instant settlement and fractional ownership of US equities.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin tumbled below $92,500 on US-EU trade war fears, South Korea busted a $102 million laundering ring, and Vitalik Buterin called for a total overhaul of "inefficient" DAOs.

Here are the details on institutional pivots, market volatility, and governance shifts. 👇

NYSE Unveils Blockchain Platform For Tokenized Stock Trading

The New York Stock Exchange announced a sophisticated blockchain-based platform designed to facilitate the easy trading of tokenized securities. This historic institution aims to modernize financial markets by integrating traditional equity protections with state-of-the-art on-chain technology.

This digital initiative debuted on 19 January 2026 across global financial hubs to capture burgeoning demand for tokenized US equities. The rollout marks a pivotal shift as the exchange transitions from legacy electronic order books to blockchain.

Intercontinental Exchange deployed this infrastructure to enable 24/7 global operations and instant trade settlement for all institutional participants. Leadership seeks to satisfy retail appetite for stablecoin markets while maintaining rigorous regulatory standards and unmatched investor protections.

The architecture integrates the NYSE Pillar matching engine with novel post-trade systems developed alongside banking titans BNY and Citi. These partnerships support tokenized deposits and multi-chain settlement, allowing for fractional share ownership and continuous capital formation.

Bitcoin Tumbles As US-EU Trade War Fears Intensify

Bitcoin prices plummeted below $92,500 on Monday as geopolitical tensions between the US and EU escalated. President Donald Trump recently threatened to impose 10% tariffs on eight NATO allies unless Denmark agrees to sell Greenland. This sudden policy shift triggered over $750 million in long liquidations as investors sought safety in traditional assets like gold.

Analysts noted that the market was already fragile due to delays in the US crypto structure bill. European leaders characterized the tariff demands as blackmail and are currently preparing retaliatory measures against American service providers. Trading data shows that Bitcoin has now broken below its 50 week moving average, sparking automated selling across major global exchanges.

South Korea Dismantles Massive Crypto Laundering Operation

Customs officials in South Korea recently dismantled a major $102 million cryptocurrency laundering scheme involving 3 Chinese nationals. The Korea Customs Service referred the suspects to prosecutors on Monday for allegedly moving 148.9 billion won through illegal bank accounts. Authorities claim the group exploited domestic and overseas trading platforms to hide the origin of these cross border funds.

The investigation marks a significant push by Seoul to enforce foreign exchange rules using the 2024 Virtual Asset User Protection Act. Researchers explained that customs agents are now leading enforcement efforts because over 80% of regional currency crimes involve digital assets. This case follows a similar $38.7 million seizure involving USDT stablecoins and illegal transfers to Russia last May.

Vitalik Buterin Calls For Next Generation Ethereum DAOs

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin argued on Monday that modern decentralized autonomous organizations are currently inefficient and vulnerable to capture. He noted that most projects have drifted toward simple token voting treasuries that fail to mitigate human political weaknesses. The developer suggested that new designs must incorporate zero-knowledge proofs to protect voter privacy and improve decision-making.

Buterin highlighted two critical barriers for the sector, including persistent decision fatigue and a total lack of anonymity. He proposed using artificial intelligence to assist users with complex governance tasks without putting algorithms in full control of protocols. These remarks coincide with a broader push in 2026 to restore the industry's original goals of building robust and self-governing systems.

Data of the day

Ethereum daily transactions reached a record high of 2.8 million last Friday while network costs dropped to historic lows. The Fusaka hard fork and recent Blob Parameters Only upgrade successfully reduced data fees for Layer 2 rollups by significant margins. Standard Chartered researchers found that stablecoin transfers now account for nearly 40% of this unprecedented onchain activity.

Users currently pay an average of only $0.15 per transaction as the network scales without the usual congestion. Daily active addresses reached a 3 year high of 1.03 million following a surge in new wallet creation earlier this month. This combination of high utility and affordability suggests that the protocol is successfully evolving into a global platform for digital finance.

More breaking news

• Binance Australia restored real-time PayID and bank-transfer services for local users after more than two years of restricted access to banking channels.

• A crypto sniper turned a $285 investment into over $600,000 by trading a viral meme coin, sparking renewed insider trading concerns.

• Bitcoin ETFs recorded $1.4 billion in weekly inflows, the highest since October, signaling sustained institutional demand for the asset.

• Investigators traced $63 million of stolen funds from a massive $282 million hack to the privacy-focused mixing service Tornado Cash.

• The Bitcoin network hashrate dropped 15% from its October peak as declining profitability forces inefficient miners to switch off their machines.

• Open interest of Bitcoin (BTC) recovered 13% to $61 billion in January, while options activity officially flipped futures for the first time ever.

• The Reserve Bank of India proposed a plan to link BRICS central bank digital currencies to streamline trade and bypass dollar-based systems.

• Michael Saylor hinted at further Bitcoin purchases for Strategy’s reserve after the company added $1.25 billion of the asset last week.

For the latest updates on digital asset markets, follow us on X @Datawalletcom.

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