Bitcoin accumulator addresses experienced a noteworthy increase in holdings at the start of 2026, with levels rising from approximately 230,000 BTC to 370,000 BTC within the first ten days. This uptick signifies a shift from fluctuating holdings of 120,000 to 230,000 BTC observed during the fourth quarter of 2025. The addresses are defined as wallets with no outflows, holding at least 10 BTC, and excluding accounts tied to centralized exchanges or miners. This pattern appears to correlate with Bitcoin’s price stability around the $90,000 mark, indicating a trend of long-term holders accumulating BTC while absorbing supply.
In regulatory advancements, Crypto.com received conditional approval for a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from the Cayman Islands government, strengthening its operational framework. Additionally, the Crypto.com Exchange became the first to launch live trading on Lynq.US spot Bitcoin ETFs. Despite the optimism in regulatory adaptation, the market faced challenges in recent weeks, with spot BTC ETFs registering a net outflow of $681 million, contrasting sharply with a $459 million inflow from the previous period. Spot ETH ETFs reflected similar trends, seeing a net outflow of $69 million, down from a $161 million inflow before.
On the macroeconomic front, the U.S. nonfarm payrolls reported an increase of 50,000 jobs in December, falling short of the Dow Jones estimate of 73,000, thereby indicating weaker-than-expected job creation. Coupled with this, the U.S. ISM manufacturing PMI declined to 47.9, the lowest level since October 2024, amid ongoing challenges surrounding Trump’s tariff policies. The latest CME FedWatch Tool indicated only a 4% probability of a January rate cut, a significant drop from 17% the previous week.
In other notable developments within the crypto sphere, Ethereum increased its blob target to 14 and its blob limit to 21. Ripple attained registration with the UK Financial Conduct Authority under money laundering regulations. Meanwhile, Solana Mobile’s SKR token is scheduled to go live on January 21. Notably, ZEC’s value dropped sharply on January 8 following the sudden departure of the entire Electric Coin Company team, which had overseen the core development of Zcash.
Looking ahead, crucial economic indicators are set to be released, including the U.S. Consumer Price Index, Producer Price Index excluding food and energy, and Retail Sales. Additionally, China’s Q4 GDP data is anticipated.
Market data reveals a decrease in the price index by -0.59%, with volume and volatility indices experiencing increases of +13.72% and +46.62%, respectively, over the past week. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum saw a price decline of -0.6%. Among top tokens, ONDO performed poorly with a -9.53% drop, while DOGE fell by -7.79%. Bitcoin’s price managed to briefly surpass $94,000 before retreating to the $90,000 level, a fluctuation attributed to the disappointing U.S. job growth figures and reduced rate cut expectations.
The volatility in the market was pronounced, with XRP and Solana experiencing significant gains of +100.04% and +61.73%, respectively. As Ripple secured its FCA registration in the UK, it highlighted ongoing progress in regulatory compliance, which may bolster market confidence.
Last week saw mixed price changes among top-cap tokens, with BTC and ETH both declining by -0.6%. However, POL led the upward trend, coinciding with Polygon Labs’ announcement regarding the Open Money Stack, a stablecoin payment framework expected to launch later this year. The market capitalisation of all key categories increased over the past seven days, with the NFT and Layer-2 sectors leading the charge.
As the landscape continues to evolve, stakeholders are encouraged to stay abreast of market insights and trends, with opportunities for deeper engagement available through exclusive reports and membership programs.
