GM. Trump’s World Liberty Financial launched a lending protocol for its $3.5 billion stablecoin, seeking a national trust charter to compete with DeFi titans.

Meanwhile, X is developing "Smart Cashtags" for market data, Vitalik Buterin outlined a 100-year plan for Ethereum, and Coinbase may oppose a key crypto bill over stablecoin rewards.

Here are the details on Trump’s DeFi expansion, social finance, and legislative stalemates. 👇

Trump's World Liberty Financial Launches Lending Protocol

The Trump family’s World Liberty Financial launched a sophisticated credit protocol named World Liberty Markets to facilitate decentralized borrowing. This ambitious expansion leverages their USD1 stablecoin to challenge established digital liquidity titans within the global crypto economy.

The project debuted its inaugural lending application on 12 January 2026 across major decentralized finance networks. This strategic rollout coincides with a broader resurgence in onchain credit markets, which recently eclipsed a staggering $74 billion in value.

Executives deployed this infrastructure to deepen utility for the USD1 token, which currently commands a market capitalization of $3.5 billion. By integrating with Dolomite, the protocol allows users to collateralize diverse assets including Ether and tokenized Bitcoin.

Management filed a formal application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to secure a national trust charter. This regulatory maneuver aims to legitimize World Liberty's operations under federal supervision while critics highlight potential conflicts regarding the president's income.

X App Developing Smart Cashtags For Financial Tracking

Elon Musk's X platform is currently developing a new feature called Smart Cashtags to provide real-time financial data. This tool allows users to click on ticker symbols like $BTC to view live prices, charts, and relevant market news. Head of product Nikita Bier announced on Sunday that the feature targets a broad public release in February 2026.

The system aims to eliminate ticker confusion by linking symbols directly to specific assets or underlying smart contract addresses. While the current prototype includes buy and sell buttons, the company has not confirmed any immediate plans for in-app trading. This update represents a major step toward transforming the social media site into a comprehensive financial services and everything app.

Vitalik Buterin Outlines Technical Path For Ethereum Ossification

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin introduced a new framework this Monday to ensure the network's long-term survival and independence. He proposed seven technical milestones that would allow the base layer to remain secure even if core developers walked away. A primary requirement involves achieving full quantum resistance to protect the blockchain against potential future computing threats for 100 years.

The roadmap also emphasizes reaching high scalability through technologies like ZK-EVM validation and PeerDAS data availability sampling. Buterin argued that the protocol should eventually reach a finished state where future changes are purely optional parameter adjustments. This vision prioritizes a trust-minimized infrastructure that functions like a durable tool without the need for constant human intervention.

Coinbase May Oppose Market Structure Bill Over Rewards

Coinbase is threatening to withdraw its support for the new US crypto market structure bill scheduled for markup this Thursday. The dispute involves proposed restrictions on stablecoin rewards, which the exchange considers a vital component of its core revenue model. Bloomberg reported that the firm is intensifying its lobbying efforts as banking groups push for tighter limits on these incentives.

The company currently provides users with roughly 3.5% rewards on USDC balances despite the direct interest ban in the GENIUS Act. Executives argue that banning these third-party rewards would give global rivals like China a competitive advantage in the digital currency race. This standoff between the banking sector and the crypto industry is now straining bipartisan support for the broader legislative framework.

Data of the day

Viewership for cryptocurrency-related content on YouTube dropped to its lowest point since January 2021 during the last 3 months. Analyst Benjamin Cowen shared data on Sunday showing a collapse in engagement across major social platforms and niche trading channels. This downward trend reflects a period of retail fatigue following high market volatility and a surge in automated spam activity.

Benjamin Cowen noted that many individual investors have shifted their attention toward precious metals and traditional macro assets like gold. The current lack of enthusiasm suggests that institutional players rather than retail traders are driving the majority of recent price action. While social sentiment for Bitcoin remains mildly positive, engagement levels continue to sit at bear market lows across the broader ecosystem.

More breaking news

• Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson criticized the US crypto strategy, calling for adviser David Sacks to resign if the CLARITY Act fails this quarter.

• Ethereum treasury firm Bitmine Immersion Technologies acquired $76 million in ETH, increasing its total holdings to roughly 3.5% of the circulating supply.

• Solana treasury company Sharps Technology partnered with Coinbase to launch an in-house validator, transitioning from a passive participant to an active network contributor.

• OKX CEO Star Xu defended freezing accounts worth $40,000 after a user admitted to bypass restrictions by purchasing verified third-party identities.

• Strategy invested $1.2 billion to acquire 13,600 Bitcoin, marking its largest weekly purchase since July and bringing its total stash to $63 billion.

• Tether froze $182 million in USDT across five Tron addresses following law enforcement requests, reinforcing centralized oversight in the stablecoin market.

• Swiss-based Bitcoin treasury Future Holdings agreed to a $750,000 acquisition by Sweden-listed H100 Group to expand institutional crypto operations across Europe.

• Venture capital giant a16z raised $15 billion across new funds, prioritizing AI infrastructure and crypto applications to drive future American technological dominance.

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