‍South Korea’s Supreme Court Rules Bitcoin on Exchanges Seizable South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that Bitcoin held on cryptocurrency exchanges is legally seizable under the Criminal Procedure Act. This landmark decision affirms that virtual currencies qualify as seizable evidence or property, closing a loophole previously exploited by defendants. The ruling clarifies that Bitcoin, as an electronic token with economic value, can be seized by courts or investigative agencies. This is significant given South Korea’s large crypto user base. The decision aligns with global trends recognizing digital assets within legal frameworks, providing a more robust tool for law enforcement and financial integrity.
‍Crypto Recovers Successfully Restores $2.5 Million in Locked Digital Assets in 2025 Crypto Recovers, a Netherlands-based firm, announced it successfully restored access to non-custodial wallets valued at over $2.5 million in 2025. This highlights the growing need for specialized technical intervention to reclaim lost digital assets due to forgotten private keys and passwords. The company recovers major assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether from various wallet types, including hardware solutions and deprecated software. Recoveries often involve forgotten passwords, incomplete seed phrases, or corrupted wallet files. A notable case involved reclaiming a $1.5 million Bitcoin wallet by brute-forcing a forgotten password over two months. Bitcoin constitutes 70% of recovered assets. Crypto Recovers charges a 20% commission on successful recoveries, with clients primarily from the EU and US.
‍Institutional Crypto Adoption Surges: Banks and States Accelerate Entry Major traditional finance entities and government bodies are significantly increasing their involvement in the digital asset ecosystem. This week, several key announcements signal a transition from theoretical interest to active market participation, indicating that the institutional phase of cryptocurrency adoption has entered a period of rapid execution. TradFi institutions are no longer waiting for specific market structure bills or a retail-driven bull market to establish their presence. Instead, they are prioritizing digital asset infrastructure, evidenced by the simultaneous rollout of services across various sectors, from institutional custody to state-level policy adjustments. These developments suggest a strategic alignment among TradFi stakeholders regarding the long-term viability of the crypto ecosystem. Key highlights include expanded digital asset management and settlement services from three major banks, and measures by a U.S. state to integrate blockchain technology into its infrastructure. These initiatives are proceeding independently of immediate market volatility, reflecting a fundamental belief in digital assets as a legitimate asset class and the growing convergence of traditional finance and DeFi.
‍Zcash Faces Turbulence as Core Team Resigns Over Governance Dispute The Zcash (ZEC) ecosystem is experiencing significant volatility following the resignation of the entire Electric Coin Company (ECC) team. This departure, attributed to disagreements with the Bootstrap nonprofit board over the privatization of the Zashi mobile wallet, has led to a sharp decline in the ZEC token price, falling over 18% in 24 hours. Former ECC CEO Josh Swihart cited "constructive discharge" due to a misalignment on the mission of private, unstoppable money. The core conflict revolves around a proposal to transition the Zashi wallet to a for-profit structure, a move the Bootstrap board fears could lead to politically motivated attacks and legal challenges, referencing OpenAI's recent struggles. While the Zcash blockchain remains functional, the future development and potential for a chain split or new token remain uncertain. Despite near-term price drops and regulatory concerns surrounding privacy coins, some analysts believe Zcash's underlying zero-knowledge proof technology retains long-term value.
‍Coinlocally Launches "Season of Rewards" Campaign The global digital asset exchange Coinlocally has announced its "Season of Rewards" campaign, running from January 1 to January 31, 2026. Unlike typical leaderboard-based events, this initiative rewards individual user engagement through trading and deposits. Participants earn tickets redeemable for prizes or trading capital. 20 tickets can be exchanged for a Lucky Wheel spin or a 20 USDT futures bonus. The prize pool includes a Toyota Corolla, iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 10, 1 ETH, 100,000 SHIB, and futures bonuses. Withdrawals reset tickets; deposits and holds are capped. This campaign aims to foster user retention through predictable incentives.
‍Orbs Launches Perpetual Hub Ultra on Atlantis, Enhancing Monad DeFi The Monad blockchain's DeFi ecosystem has seen a significant upgrade with Orbs' Perpetual Hub Ultra integration into the Atlantis platform. This collaboration transforms Atlantis into a comprehensive DeFi hub, enabling professional-grade onchain perpetual futures trading. Leveraging Orbs' Layer-3 infrastructure, the integration offers a fully managed stack for hedging, liquidation, and decentralized oracles, providing deep liquidity and competitive pricing through an intent-based execution model. This advancement allows for the rapid deployment of advanced derivatives without sacrificing decentralization, marking a key step in bringing CeFi-level execution to DeFi.
‍Hotako ($HOTA) Launches on Solana via Pump.fun, Blending Meme Culture with Web3 Utility The Solana blockchain hosts the debut of Hotako ($HOTA), launching on Pump.fun on January 7, 2026. The project aims to evolve beyond a meme token into a comprehensive ecosystem featuring NFTs, gaming, and AI collaborations, utilizing a narrative framework called "Planet Nyaru" to foster holder engagement. The roadmap includes an exclusive NFT collection, an airdrop for top holders, and cross-sector collaborations. Hotako leverages Solana's scalability and Pump.fun's decentralized launchpad for community-led growth.
‍ADI Foundation and M-Pesa Partner to Integrate 60 Million Users onto Blockchain The ADI Foundation and M-Pesa Africa have announced a strategic partnership to onboard M-Pesa's 60 million monthly active users onto the ADI Chain across eight African markets. This collaboration aims to connect traditional mobile finance with decentralized networks, providing digital rails for individuals and SMEs in emerging economies. The initiative focuses on Kenya, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Tanzania. ADI Chain, the MENA region's first institutional Layer 2 network utilizing ZKsync's Airbender technology, will facilitate payment settlements with a UAE Dirham-backed stablecoin, supporting regulatory compliance and cross-border efficiency. This partnership is a key step towards ADI's goal of onboarding one billion people to the blockchain by 2030.
‍Google and Character.AI Settle Landmark Lawsuit Over Teen Suicide The high-profile legal battle involving Google LLC and Character.AI has reached a resolution. The parties filed a notice in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, confirming a mediated settlement in principle to resolve claims surrounding the death of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III. The case alleged that an emotionally manipulative chatbot contributed to the minor's suicide. Character.AI has implemented significant changes, including teen usage restrictions, a new AI architecture ("PipSqueak"), and age verification tools. This settlement occurs as the industry faces broader accountability challenges, with OpenAI also reporting high volumes of users discussing suicide on its platform. The case may set a precedent for AI liability and the management of risks associated with licensed or acquired AI models.
‍World Liberty Financial Seeks OCC National Trust Bank Charter World Liberty Financial, a DeFi project with ties to the Trump family, has applied for a national trust bank charter with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The goal is to bring its USD1 stablecoin under federal supervision, a rare feat achieved by only one other crypto firm, Anchorage Digital. This move aims to transition USD1 from a speculative asset to a regulated settlement tool for institutional use. The proposed World Liberty Trust Company (WLTC) would manage stablecoin issuance, custody for fiat and stablecoins, and reserve management, reducing regulatory friction. Experts suggest this could shape future stablecoin legislation and bridge TradFi and DeFi.