YZi Labs, the investment firm led by Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, has made an eight-figure investment in Genius Trading, signaling growing interest in execution-focused tools as decentralized trading activity expands across multiple blockchains. The funding round, announced Tuesday, values cross-chain trading terminals as increasingly critical market infrastructure rather than simple user interfaces. Alongside the investment, Changpeng Zhao will join Genius Trading as an advisor, reinforcing strategic support for the platform’s long-term development. While financial details were not disclosed, the size of the investment underscores confidence in execution-layer solutions. Genius Trading is not a decentralized exchange, but an onchain trading terminal…
Author: Bitxjournal Team
BNB Chain is moving to significantly improve network speed and reliability with the Fermi hard fork, which goes live this Wednesday. The upgrade is designed to reduce confirmation delays and strengthen transaction finality, positioning BNB Smart Chain among the fastest major EVM-compatible networks. With the Fermi upgrade, BNB Smart Chain block times drop from 0.75 seconds to 0.45 seconds, nearly halving how quickly new blocks are produced. This change is expected to push transaction finality to around one second, even during periods of heavy network usage. The upgrade completes the final phase of the chain’s short block interval roadmap, focusing…
Grayscale has expanded its digital asset consideration list adding a wider mix of AI, DeFi, consumer, and infrastructure tokens as part of its regular product review cycle. The latest update, released on January 12, highlights 27 assets that may be included in future investment products, underscoring the firm’s evolving focus as crypto markets mature. The updated list includes artificial intelligence-focused tokens, decentralized finance protocols, and consumer-oriented blockchain projects. Newly added names for 2026 span several categories, including smart contract platforms, AI utilities, and consumer culture projects. These additions were not previously classified under Grayscale’s sector framework at the end of…
Internet Computer (ICP) recorded an 8% price gain, signaling a short-term bullish shift after weeks of consolidation. The move came as ICP broke above a key 4-hour resistance zone, confirming a change of character and attracting fresh momentum buyers. The primary driver of the rally is a clean breakout above the $3.11 demand zone, which previously acted as strong support. Price action shows higher highs and higher lows, indicating improving market structure. Additionally, ICP pushed into a weak high liquidity area, triggering stop-losses from short positions and accelerating upside movement. Technically, ICP is now trading near a major supply zone…
Franklin Templeton is adjusting existing institutional money market funds to fit into the evolving US stablecoin regulatory framework, signaling a shift toward integrating traditional finance products with blockchain-based payment infrastructure rather than launching entirely new crypto-native funds. The firm has amended two long-established Western Asset institutional money market funds so they can support GENIUS-aligned stablecoin reserve structures while remaining SEC-registered 2a-7 funds. The changes allow these funds to function as regulated, government-backed collateral for payment stablecoins and tokenized cash applications without altering their core legal status. The Western Asset Institutional Treasury Obligations Fund is invested exclusively in short-term US government…
Bitcoin moved closer to a key technical level as US inflation data came in below expectations, triggering renewed optimism across global markets. The cryptocurrency climbed toward the $93,600–$94,000 zone, a level widely viewed as a major resistance area. Following the CPI release, Bitcoin advanced toward weekly highs, attempting to break above a dense resistance wall near $94,000, as highlighted on recent charts. The move reflects growing confidence that easing inflation could support looser financial conditions. However, traders caution that the market remains within a short-term range, with some signaling exhaustion on lower timeframes. At the same time, US equities surged,…
A U.S. federal court has temporarily halted Tennessee’s attempt to force prediction market operator Kalshi to suspend its sports event contracts in the state. The ruling freezes a cease-and-desist order while the court examines whether federal oversight shields the platform from state gambling laws. The temporary block prevents the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council and the state attorney general from enforcing an order that required Kalshi, along with platforms like Polymarket and Crypto.com, to stop offering sports-related contracts, void open positions, and refund customer deposits by January 31. Noncompliance could have triggered fines of up to $25,000 per offense and potential…
South Korea’s major crypto exchanges have voiced strong opposition to the government’s plan to cap major shareholder stakes in digital asset platforms at 15–20%. The Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA) representing Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit, Coinone, and Gopax, argued that such restrictions could stifle growth and weaken investor protections. The Financial Services Commission proposed the cap to mitigate risks from concentrated ownership. However, DAXA contended that major shareholders carry ultimate responsibility for user assets, and artificially dispersing ownership would dilute accountability. The alliance also highlighted that digital assets circulate across borders, meaning overly restrictive domestic rules could reduce global competitiveness and…
Ethereum Layer 2 network ZKsync has outlined a 2026 roadmap centered on real-world infrastructure and institutional adoption, signaling a strategic shift from foundational development to large-scale deployment. The plan builds on progress made in 2025 and aims to position ZKsync as a core platform for regulated financial and enterprise use cases. According to the roadmap ZKsync will anchor its products around four non-negotiable standards: privacy by default, deterministic control, verifiable risk management, and native connectivity to global markets. These principles are designed to meet real operational, governance, and compliance requirements rather than relying on experimental shortcuts. A major focus is…
The latest U.S. inflation report delivered a mixed but market-relevant signal, with core price pressures easing while headline inflation remained unchanged. According to the released data, Core CPI month-over-month came in at 0.2%, below the 0.3% forecast and matching the previous reading, indicating that underlying inflation momentum is not accelerating. At the same time headline CPI m/m printed at 0.3%, exactly in line with both expectations and the prior month, suggesting that overall consumer prices are still rising at a steady pace. On an annual basis, CPI year-over-year held at 2.7%, unchanged from forecasts and the previous reading, reinforcing the…