The U.S. Senate Banking Committee Advances the "Financial Transparency and Regulatory Compliance Act"

On January 8, the U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced the appointment of four new board members—including two key figures with deep ties to cryptocurrency policy: former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Rostin Behnam and Robinhood Markets Chief Legal Officer Dan Gallagher. The moves aim to strengthen the board’s strategic guidance amid a complex financial landscape. Behnam led the CFTC from 2021 to early 2025, where he pushed for federal-level crypto regulatory legislation and took enforcement actions against platforms like FTX. Gallagher, a former SEC commissioner, has criticized the Biden administration’s approach to the crypto industry and is viewed as a potential candidate for SEC chairman. These appointments underscore FINRA’s focus on digital asset regulation and could shape future broker-related policy development.

January 7: Per LookOnChain monitoring, notorious "Bankruptcy Whale" James Wynn has been liquidated 12 times over the past 24 hours, realizing total losses of $541,000. He also holds $94,000 in unrealized losses on ETH long positions. His current positions are as follows: - ETH long: $3.3M (entry price: $3,252.31; liquidation price: $3,115.69) - PEPE long: $1.3M (entry price: $0.006217; liquidation price: $0.006327)

On January 7, crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett shared updates on the U.S. Crypto Market Structure Act (CLARITY Act): the Senate Banking Committee has formally scheduled a hearing for Thursday, January 15, 2026, to discuss the legislation, with members and their staff racing to reach bipartisan consensus on outstanding issues. This past Tuesday, a meeting in Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott’s office centered on key topics: crypto-related public official ethics, stablecoin yields, bipartisan representation in crypto regulatory bodies, and several DeFi-specific provisions. Thirteen pro-crypto senators attended the three-hour session. While it’s unclear how many issues were resolved, both Republican and Democratic senators expressed optimism the bill could secure bipartisan support. As senators negotiate internally, the crypto industry is ramping up lobbying efforts this week to weigh in on remaining unresolved matters. On Thursday, the Digital Chamber of Commerce will ho

On January 7, prediction market platform Polymarket announced an exclusive partnership with Dow Jones Media to supply prediction market data to outlets including Barron’s and The Wall Street Journal.

On January 7th, Falcon Finance launched a new off-chain Bitcoin yield treasury targeting Bitcoin holders looking to earn yield without changing their long-term holdings. The offering boasts an expected annualized return of 3% to 5%, paid out in Falcon’s USD-pegged stablecoin USDf.