Today’s crypto news to know
Markup hearing rescheduled
Multiple news outlets reported on Monday that a spokesperson for Senator John Boozman (R-AR) said that the Senate Agriculture Committee will reschedule a markup for its version of a crypto market structure bill, called the Digital Commodity Intermediaries Act, from Tuesday (January 27) to Thursday (January 29).
The winter storm that canceled flights and caused transportation issues across a large part of the country over the weekend was cited as a likely reason for the change.
The bill will attempt to establish clear rules for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over digital assets.
Additionally, the CFTC and US Securities and Exchange Commission issued a joint statement on Monday to reschedule a joint event on crypto oversight harmonization to Thursday.
Strategy slows down Bitcoin buying spree
Despite the market slide, Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) has continued adding to its Bitcoin stash, spending about US$267 million last week to acquire roughly 2,900 BTC. The purchase marks a clear slowdown from the company’s prior buying spree, when it spent more than US$3 billion across two weeks. Strategy now holds more than 712,000 BTC, making it the largest corporate holder of the asset by a wide margin.
The latest buy was funded mainly through common stock issuance, alongside additional sales of its STRC preferred shares, which carry an 11 percent annualized cash dividend. Executive Chair Michael Saylor has pitched STRC as a yield-focused alternative to cash, with proceeds ultimately flowing back into Bitcoin.
GameStop’s Bitcoin transfer raises exit questions
Speculation swirled after GameStop (NYSE:GME) transferred its entire Bitcoin holding — about 4,710 BTC — to Coinbase Prime, a platform often used for institutional trading and custody.
The transfer, flagged by CryptoQuant, sparked talk that the retailer may be preparing to unwind its Bitcoin treasury experiment. Based on current prices, a full sale could lock in an estimated US$75 million to US$85 million loss, given that GameStop reportedly accumulated the coins near market highs earlier this year.
Currently, the company has not confirmed any sale nor addressed the speculations.
Valour announces UK retail launch
Valour announced it has received permission from UK regulators to sell its yield-bearing Bitcoin and Ether crypto products to everyday retail investors on the London Stock Exchange, effective immediately.
Both funds are yield-bearing, meaning they participate in “staking.” This allows the funds to earn extra rewards from the underlying crypto networks, which are then added to the value of the investment.
Previously, these products were only available to professional investors in the UK. Now, anyone with a standard UK brokerage account can buy them like a regular stock.
VanEck launches Avalanche ETF
VanEck said it has launched a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking the price of Avalanche (AVAX) in the US, trading on the Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) under the ticker symbol VAVX.
It is the first US ETF to offer exposure to both the price of the AVAX token and the rewards earned from staking on the Avalanche network. According to the announcement, VanEck is waiving the management fee for the first US$500 million invested or until February 28, 2026. After that, the fee will be 0.20 percent per year.
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