This Week's Key News Preview | The Federal Reserve will announce the new interest rate decision; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the U.S. December PPI data

ChainCatcher Selection

2026-01-26 10:00:00

Collection

Highlights of the week from January 26 to February 1.

整理：Jerry，ChainCatcher

Key News:

January 26 (Monday)

VanEck Avalanche Spot ETF to be listed on Nasdaq on January 26

The VanEck Avalanche Spot ETF (ticker: VAVX) will officially begin trading on Nasdaq next Monday (January 26). Flow Traders has been designated as the primary market maker for this ETF.

Fabric plans to launch ROBO token, public sale to start on January 26 at Kaito

OpenMind's universal robot open network Fabric announced the launch of its native token ROBO, which will start its public sale on January 26 at 20:00 on Kaito Capital Launchpad. The public sale is valued at $400 million, with a fundraising target of $2 million, selling 0.5% of the total token supply, with 100% released at TGE.

40% of the tokens in the public sale will be prioritized for the Fabric Foundation, Kaito, Virtuals, and Surf AI communities.

January 27 (Tuesday)

U.S. SEC and CFTC to hold a joint event on "Regulatory Coordination" in crypto on January 27 at 23:00

The U.S. SEC announced on X that it will collaborate with the CFTC next week to hold a joint event on "Coordination in the Crypto Era and U.S. Financial Leadership." The event will take place at the CFTC headquarters, open to the public, and will be live-streamed on the official website.

Senate Agriculture Committee postpones hearing on crypto market structure bill to January 27

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee announced that its previously scheduled hearing on the crypto market structure bill has been postponed, with the bill text to be released on January 21 for a markup hearing. The committee stated that this adjustment aims to ensure transparency in the legislative process and provide members with ample review time.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman stated that the bill will provide clarity and certainty for the crypto market while supporting U.S. innovation and protecting consumers. Meanwhile, the Senate Banking Committee will hold a separate markup hearing on its version of the crypto market structure bill this week. The current version from the Agriculture Committee has not yet been published, with contentious points including ethical provisions and the composition of regulatory agency members.

OKX to delist multiple spot trading pairs including ULTI, GEAR, VRA on January 27

OKX will delist the spot trading pairs ULTI/USDⓈ, GEAR/USDⓈ, VRA/USDⓈ, DAO/USDⓈ, CXT/USDⓈ, RDNT/USDⓈ, and ELON/USDⓈ from 16:00 to 18:00 on January 27, 2026, and will also delist ULTI/USDT, GEAR/USDT, VRA/USDT, DAO/USDT, CXT/USDT, RDNT/USDT, and ELON/USDT from 16:00 to 18:00 on January 30.

Related trading services will be suspended starting from 16:00 on January 24, 2026, and users are advised to handle their assets in advance.

Morningstar Ventures: Not the lead investor in Space, project commits to refund at least 50% of public funds by January 27

Morningstar Ventures stated on X regarding its investment in the prediction market project Space that the Space team must prioritize the interests of the community and public sale participants. In a recent X Space, the team publicly committed to opening refunds through a claim page on January 27, stating that at least 50% of the raised funds will be refunded, and all public sale participants can choose to apply for partial refunds. Morningstar Ventures demands that the process be executed transparently and without delay, requiring the team to disclose information on fund usage, current balances, and future roadmaps.

Morningstar Ventures reiterated that it is not the lead investor in Space and did not participate in the public sale's structure, decisions, or modifications, only communicating at a high level as a minor investor based on publicly available information. Currently, Morningstar Ventures is in discussions with the Space team and other investors, urging the team to refund as much as possible based on available funds and public commitments. Additionally, the Space team has committed to releasing the first public version of the product for community and investor review next week.

January 28 (Wednesday)

Moonbirds: BIRB token to launch on Solana blockchain on January 28

The 24-hour Birbathon co-hosted by Moonbirds and Solana concluded perfectly, announcing during the live event that the BIRB token will have its TGE on January 28.

Optimism token buyback proposal voting to end on January 28, DAO representatives divided on opinion

According to DL News, a proposal requiring the Optimism Foundation to use 50% of its Superchain network revenue for monthly OP governance token buybacks has opened for voting on Thursday. There are divisions within the DAO community on this matter. Opponents argue that using hard assets for buybacks is an inefficient use of capital while the foundation still needs to net sell OP through grants and other means. Another major point of contention is that the buyback will be executed through over-the-counter transactions, which will not directly affect public market prices, and some representatives are concerned it may become a channel for insiders to unlock tokens.

Supporters argue that the buyback mechanism can clearly convey the value of network growth to the market and is the "right direction." As of now, voting shows overwhelming support, with over 3.8 million votes in favor and about 19,000 against. Voting will end on January 28.

Google Play Korea to remove unregistered overseas crypto exchange apps on January 28

Google Play Korea will prohibit the listing or updating of overseas cryptocurrency exchange and wallet apps that are not registered locally. According to Google's official policy, crypto trading platforms and wallet service providers must register as virtual asset service providers with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in Korea to continue operating in the app store.

As a result of this policy, starting January 28, Korean Android users will not be able to download or update unregistered overseas exchange apps through Google Play, including Binance, Bybit, and OKX. Currently, only 27 local platforms, including Upbit and Bithumb, have completed registration.

Reports indicate that while web access will still be possible, this move may impact Korean retail investors who rely on overseas platforms for high-leverage trading, arbitrage, and access to more token options. The local community has begun circulating methods to bypass this, such as using VPNs or APK installations, but these practices are considered to carry high security risks.

January 29 (Thursday)

Federal Reserve FOMC to announce new interest rate decision on January 29

At 3:00 AM Beijing time on January 29 (Thursday), the Federal Reserve FOMC will announce its interest rate decision; followed by a monetary policy press conference by Powell at 3:30.

Bitpanda to launch stock and ETF services on January 29, advancing its "universal exchange" model

According to CryptoNews, crypto trading platform Bitpanda announced that it will launch a unified investment platform that integrates stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and precious metals into a regulated application.

The expanded platform will go live on January 29, allowing users to access over 10,000 stocks and ETFs, along with Bitpanda's existing cryptocurrency and metal products.

ChainCatcher previously reported that Bitpanda is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) in Frankfurt as early as this year, with a valuation sought in the range of €4 billion to €5 billion.

Crypto payment company Truther to launch non-custodial USDT Visa card in El Salvador on January 29

According to CoinDesk, crypto payment company Truther will launch a payment card in El Salvador on January 29, 2026, allowing users to spend USDT directly from their self-custodied wallets through a partnership with Visa.

The card does not require preloading or custodial services, with a currency exchange fee of 2%, and Brazilian users are exempt from paying the IOF tax. After its launch in El Salvador, the card will be available to all Truther users. Truther plans to expand its services to other countries, including Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and Russia, and will integrate more local stablecoins into its self-custodied wallet by early 2025.

Pendle introduces sPENDLE mechanism to replace vePENDLE, snapshot of existing vePENDLE to be taken on January 29

Pendle announced on Monday that it will replace vePENDLE with a new liquid staking token, sPENDLE, as the primary governance token to address significant barriers to broader adoption.

Issues with vePENDLE include: long lock-up periods that cannot be redeemed early, inability to use across platforms (non-transferable), and overly complex governance (requiring weekly voting participation). Despite generating over $37 million in revenue in 2025, the complex voting mechanism has led to rewards being concentrated among a few professional users.

sPENDLE will improve upon this with a 14-day withdrawal period (or an instant withdrawal for a 5% fee), usability across multiple DeFi platforms for re-staking, and simplified governance (rewards for voting on key proposals only).

The official announcement states that vePENDLE locking will be paused on January 29 to complete the transition.

January 30 (Friday)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to release December PPI data on January 30

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that it will release the December PPI data on January 30.

Kalshi's ban in Connecticut temporarily suspended by judge, must submit further materials supporting its motion by January 30

According to The Block, prediction market platform Kalshi has received permission from Connecticut regulators to temporarily suspend enforcement actions. Previously, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection issued a cease-and-desist order to Kalshi, Robinhood, and Crypto.com on December 2, accusing these companies of providing unlicensed sports-related betting services.

Subsequently, Kalshi filed a lawsuit against Connecticut authorities a day later, claiming that its market (which allows users to trade on the outcomes of future events) is regulated as derivatives by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The company also sought a temporary restraining order to prevent Connecticut from taking any actions that could interfere with its operations.

Judge Oliver's order provides Kalshi with temporary protection as the case continues. According to the schedule set on Monday, Connecticut regulators must respond to Kalshi's complaint by January 9, 2026, and the company must submit supplementary supporting arguments by January 30. Oral arguments are expected to take place in mid-February.

Infinex: Public subscription amount exceeds $7.2 million, TGE scheduled for January 30

Infinex announced on the X platform that the public sale has ended, with 868 participants raising a total of $7.214 million USDC, allocating approximately $5 million (5% of INX supply), and refunding about $2.21 million. After identifying and removing around $1.2 million from witch addresses, the maximum allocation per participant is $245,000, with 99.5% of participants receiving full allocation. Refunds have been issued to users' Infinex accounts.

Additionally, the TGE will take place on January 30.

Flow: All counterfeit FLOW tokens have been recovered, destruction scheduled for January 30

Flow provided an update on the attack incident on the X platform: its community governance committee has completed the final recovery of unliquidated counterfeit FLOW tokens from centralized exchanges, including Binance and HTX. To date, all counterfeit tokens tracked by forensic firms have been successfully recovered and isolated on-chain for destruction, marking the completion of the fourth phase of the isolation recovery plan.

The foundation plans to revoke the temporary enhanced permissions used by the community governance committee during the recovery operations in January 2026. This emergency measure was activated for the first time in Flow's five-year history, with all operations being transparent and auditable on-chain. The permanent destruction of counterfeit tokens is scheduled for January 30, 2026. During this period, external legal advisors and forensic partners are coordinating with exchanges to assess the impact on users. The foundation commits to fully cooperating with exchange partners to restore all trading platform functionalities as quickly as possible. Coinbase, Kraken, and Gate have resumed deposit and withdrawal services.

January 31 (Saturday)

Coinbase to suspend local services in Argentina starting January 31, plans to return to the market in the future

According to CriptoNoticias, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has decided to suspend its local services in Argentina. The company notified users on December 31, 2025, that starting January 31, 2026, it will stop supporting the purchase and sale of USDC using the Argentine peso.

Coinbase stated that this move is a "strategic pause" rather than a permanent exit, aimed at reassessing and strengthening its market strategy. During the pause, other cryptocurrency operations (including sending and receiving) will continue to function normally.

February 1 (Sunday)

Magic Eden: Starting February 1, 15% of revenue will be used for ME token buybacks and ecosystem development

According to official news, Magic Eden announced that starting February 1, it will directly invest 15% of its revenue into the ME token ecosystem. This portion of revenue will be evenly distributed, with 50% used for buying back ME tokens on the open market and 50% distributed to ME stakers in USDC based on staking weight.

The previous "market transaction fee only" ME buyback mechanism will be upgraded to cover a comprehensive revenue distribution system, with staking weight depending on the amount and duration of staking. USDC rewards can be claimed monthly, with the first claim (corresponding to February activities) opening in March, and claims must be completed within 90 days.