SnapShot 241

Hello SnapShotters,

Bitcoin reached a two-month high just above $97,000 this week, breaking past the critical resistance level of $94,500 — it was spurned three times in the past two months.

The breakout triggered more than $500 million in futures liquidations, with short positions accounting for the bulk of forced closures.

Traders pointed to exhausted oversold conditions following October 2025's massive liquidation event; from January 13 to 15, the Fear & Greed index jumped sharply from 26 (Fear) to 61 (Greed).

December's U.S. CPI data, released on Tuesday, showed inflation holding steady at 2.7% year-over-year, exactly in line with expectations. U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media to renew pressure on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whom analysts and prediction markets overwhelmingly expect will hold rates steady at the FOMC meeting later this month.

Faster-paced action played out among altcoins. This week, tokens like DASH and OP joined the meme mainstays like PEPE and PENGU in boosting capital rotation into higher-beta assets.

As Q1 corporate earnings season approaches, major tech earnings — particularly NVIDIA's February report — will likely impact the next leg of market direction. BTC’s ability to hold and push toward $100,000 will determine whether this breakout marks a genuine turn or another false start in a market still recovering from 2025's deleveraging event.

Here are the week's top stories in crypto.

News Snaps

🕵️ Monero Hits a New Record as Privacy Tokens Find a Bid

Monero pushed above $700, setting its highest price in eight years as it extends a rally that has seen privacy-focused assets outperform much of the wider market since late 2025. 

🏦 BitMine Passes 1 Million ETH Staked Mark

Ethereum treasury firm BitMine crossed 1 million staked ETH after adding roughly 86,400 ETH over the weekend, even as its shares remain sharply below their 2025 peak.

🏠 Crypto Starts Showing Up in European Property Deals

High-net-worth investors are increasingly using crypto to settle real estate purchases across Europe, with transactions often reaching seven figures. Stablecoins such as USDC are being used as payment rails to speed up cross-border settlement and reduce currency conversion friction.

🧾 BitGo Targets Nearly $2 Billion in 2026 IPO

BitGo plans to raise up to $201 million in a U.S. IPO at a valuation up to $1.96 billion on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), one of the first major crypto listings of 2026. The deal, led by Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, highlights investor preference for regulated crypto infrastructure.

💼 Standard Chartered Building Crypto Prime Broker

Standard Chartered is creating a crypto prime brokerage in its SC Ventures arm to offer custody, trading and financing to institutions. The structure will help manage capital rules while positioning the bank as an early full‑stack digital asset provider.

What’s Ahead

🔭 January 27 to 28: FOMC Meeting
The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee is set to meet on January 27 to 28, with markets widely pricing in a hold on interest rates after several cuts in late 2025. With the federal funds target currently at 3.5% to 3.75%, the committee’s statement and press conference will be closely monitored for hints of rate decisions for 2026.

Number of the Week

Source: CoinTelegraph

Chart of the Week

BTC Accumulator Addresses Step Up

Bitcoin accumulator addresses sharply increased their holdings in early January, offering a clearer look at who was buying as price began to find support around the $90,000 level.

Over the first ten days of January, BTC held by accumulator addresses rose from roughly 230,000 BTC to 370,000 BTC, a notable jump after a muted fourth quarter in which holdings largely oscillated between 120,000 BTC and 230,000 BTC.

Accumulator addresses — wallets that consistently add BTC without meaningful outflows, hold a minimum balance, and exclude exchanges and miners — are often used as a proxy for long-term holder behavior.

As of January 11, 2026

Source: CryptoQuant, Crypto.com Research

Research & Insights

December 2025 Market Update

December closed with a familiar divergence: macro assets held their ground, while crypto struggled to regain footing.

Bitcoin drifted lower into year-end as liquidity dried up, while equities largely went nowhere and gold rose to new highs. ETF flows reflected the same hesitation: BTC and ETH products saw continued outflows, even as capital selectively rotated into XRP-linked funds.

Regulators closed the year with concrete moves, from U.S. spot crypto trading clarity on CFTC-registered venues to Europe’s DAC8 tax framework taking effect.

On-chain, Ethereum shipped its Fusaka upgrade, Uniswap passed a fee-and-burn proposal, and stablecoins kept inching closer to real-world use cases beyond trading.

🔍 Read the full December Market Update for charts, flow data, and what they could mean heading into the new year.

Crypto Trivia

Which country was the first to explicitly allow salaries to be paid in cryptocurrency under a 2019 tax ruling?

A) Japan

B) Portugal

C) New Zealand

Find the correct answer at the end of this newsletter.

NFT Spotlight

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A collaboration between electronic music producer Haz Haus and multimedia artist Sean Woong, this drop features 7,777 hand-rendered avatars, each with their own unique character sigil.

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Be part of the revolution. Shop the drop today.

Byte Sized

Going back to basics never goes out of style. What’s your go-to indicator?

CryptoIRL

Friendly reminder to touch some grass, just like @misterdoc137 and the Icy Card.

Hashtag #CryptoIRL with your Crypto.‌com Card on your social profiles to get featured! Your 15 minutes of fame in the #CROFam awaits you!

Security Tips

Canadian Investor Loses US$1.2 Million to Elon Musk Deepfake Crypto Scam

In a CA$1.7 million crypto scam (about US$1.2 million) in Ontario, Canada, scammers used Elon Musk deepfake videos to appear credible and lure a victim into a fake investment scheme. Polished visuals, confident messaging, and repeated reassurances built trust and lowered suspicion.

The victim was pressured into transferring increasingly large sums as scammers stayed in constant contact, offered convincing explanations, and steadily ramped up urgency. By the time the fraud was exposed, the funds had already been moved through crypto wallets, making recovery nearly impossible.

Cases like this highlight how modern crypto scams rely less on obvious red flags and more on long-term manipulation, social engineering, and professional-looking setups — increasingly powered by AI-generated deepfakes.

Keep Funds Safe:

1. Be cautious of anyone encouraging repeated or increasing transfers into “exclusive” crypto investments.
2. Never rely solely on advice from online contacts, videos, or unsolicited opportunities, even if they feature well-known figures.
3. Verify platforms and investment claims independently before moving significant funds.

Crypto Trivia Answer

C) New Zealand ✅

In August 2019, New Zealand’s Inland Revenue Department (IRD) issued a formal ruling allowing salaries and wages to be paid in crypto under defined conditions.

That's it for this week's SnapShot. Want more? Find out what’s trending in the crypto world.