Trump rules out SBF pardon, Bitcoin in ‘boring sideways’: Hodler’s Digest, Jan. 4 – 10
Nasdaq, CME Group join forces to launch Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index
The Nasdaq Stock Exchange and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group joined forces to unify their crypto indexes, rebranding the Nasdaq Crypto Index (NCI) as the Nasdaq CME Crypto Index.
The NCI benchmark index includes Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Chainlink, Cardano, and Avalanche, spokespersons for Nasdaq confirmed to Cointelegraph.
Sean Wasserman, head of index product management at Nasdaq, said in Friday’s announcement:
“We see the index-based approach as the direction investors are heading, beyond just Bitcoin. That’s similar to what we’ve seen in other asset classes, where you have indexes that are representative of the broader market.”
Stablecoin flows could near $56T by 2030: Bloomberg
Stablecoin payment flows could tap $56.6 trillion by 2030, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, a rise that would make stablecoins one of the most important payment tools in global finance.
Flows totaled $2.9 trillion in 2025, Bloomberg data shows, implying growth of around 80% annually over the five years to 2030 if the projection is realized — a rise driven by increasing institutional adoption and growing use of stablecoins in economies facing inflation and financial instability.
Bloomberg noted that Tether continues to be the most-used stablecoin for everyday payments, business transactions, and as a savings vehicle, while Circle’s USDC stablecoin is the most preferred on decentralized finance platforms.
Stablecoin flows rose 81% year-on-year in 2025; however, the share of volume on decentralized crypto platforms fell, Bloomberg reported, citing data from crypto analytics platform Artemis.
Artemis co-founder Anthony Yim attributed this shift to the growth in US dollar stablecoin usage in emerging economies as they continue to navigate an “increasingly unstable geopolitical landscape.”
Trump rules out Sam Bankman-Fried pardon in NYT interview
US President Donald Trump reportedly will not grant a pardon to Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried, who is serving a 25-year sentence for his role in the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
According to a Thursday interview with Trump by The New York Times, the president said he had no intention of pardoning Bankman-Fried and others, including music producer Sean Combs and former New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez. Bankman-Fried has been behind bars since August 2023 when a federal judge revoked his bail before his criminal trial.
Ethereum is the Linux of blockchain, says co-founder Vitalik Buterin
The Ethereum network, a decentralized layer-1 (L1) blockchain that executes smart contracts, is analogous to the open-source operating system Linux, according to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.
Linux and Ethereum are both open source and feature custom-tailored implementations. Linux achieves this through developers building custom modifications of software, while Ethereum does it through its layer-2 scaling networks, Buterin said.
It has provided value to “billions” of individuals, enterprises and state governments “without compromising” on its open source ethos or decentralization, Buterin said, adding:
“We must make sure that Ethereum L1 works as the financial, and ultimately identity, social, and governance home for individuals and organizations who want a higher level of autonomy, and give them access to the full power of the network without dependence on intermediaries.”
BitMine buys $105M Ether to kick off 2026, still holds $915M in cash
BitMine Immersion Technologies, the largest-known corporate holder of Ether, resumed purchases of the cryptocurrency in the new year, signaling continued confidence in Ethereum even as some analysts expect near-term price weakness.
The company bought $105 million worth of Ether in its first reported acquisitions of the new year, according to a Wednesday X post from blockchain data platform Arkham.
The treasury company now holds 4.07 million Ether worth $12.6 billion, representing 3.36% of the ETH supply, according to data from the Strategic ETH Reserve.
BitMine still holds $915 million in total cash reserves, according to its latest update on Monday, which may be used to acquire more ETH as the company pushes towards its strategic goal of amassing 5% of the supply.
Winners and Losers
At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $90,595, Ether (ETH) at $3,088 and XRP at $2.09. The total market cap is at $3.09 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.
Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Render (RENDER) at 54.73%, JasmyCoin (JASMY) at 44.57% and Polygon (MATIC) at 37.88%.
The top three altcoin losers of the week are Midnight (NIGHT) at 24.15%, Canton (CC) at 14.68% and ZCash (ZEC) at 14.27%. For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraph’s market analysis.
Most Memorable Quotations
“I got a lot of votes because I backed crypto, and I got to like it.”
Donald Trump, president of the United States of America
“I don’t think we’ll see a -50%+ crash from ATH like past bear markets. Just boring sideways for the next few months.”
Ki Young Ju, CEO of CryptoQuant
“One of the reasons I think we’ve rallied to start this year is that investors have put October 10 in the rearview.”
Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise
“So all of this is massively positive for Bitcoin, which looks like it’s put in a higher base than it did in the spring of ’25.”
Bill Miller, American investor and founder of Miller Value Partners
“That means quantum computers actually pose two separate threats. They could potentially break the cryptographic security of private keys, allowing attackers to steal funds from vulnerable addresses, and they could potentially mine blocks more efficiently, disrupting Bitcoin’s economic and security model.”
David Duong, global head of investment research at Coinbase
“We must make sure that Ethereum L1 works as the financial, and ultimately identity, social, and governance home for individuals and organizations who want a higher level of autonomy, and give them access to the full power of the network without dependence on intermediaries.”
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum
Top Prediction of The Week
Bitcoin faces ‘boring sideways’ grind in coming months: CryptoQuant CEO
Bitcoin’s price may stay flat in the first quarter of 2026, even though historical trends suggest otherwise, says CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju.
“Capital inflows into Bitcoin have dried up,” Ju said on Wednesday, adding that investor interest has returned to “stocks and shiny rocks” as the price of gold and silver have skyrocketed.
Read also
Ju added that Bitcoin is unlikely to crash from its peak as it has done in the past, and expected “just boring sideways for the next few months.”
Bitcoin is trading at around $90,890 at the time of publication, down over 2% in the past day and has fallen from a high this week of $94,400, according to CoinMarketCap.
Top FUD of The Week
Bitcoin and Ether ETFs shed over $1B as early 2026 inflows reverse
United States spot Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have shed over $1 billion in combined outflows since Tuesday, marking an early-year pullback after a brief rebound to start 2026.
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SoSoValue data shows spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $1.13 billion in outflows between Tuesday and Thursday, offsetting $1.17 billion in inflows on Jan. 2 and Monday. Spot Ether ETFs had a similar pattern, with about $258 million exiting since Wednesday, after posting modest inflows earlier in January.
The reversal erases gains accumulated in the opening days of the year and signals renewed caution among investors. It also suggests that early inflows were fragile, with investors trimming exposure as sentiment softened.
Polymarket user who won $400K on Maduro ouster bet quietly disappears
A Polymarket account that earned about $400,000 from a controversial and well-timed bet on the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is no longer accessible on the platform.
The Polymarket page for account “0x31a56e,” which placed about $32,000 on Maduro’s removal as president just before news emerged of his capture by US military and law enforcement, now returns a dead link, Cointelegraph has confirmed.
As of Thursday about 1:00 p.m. UTC, the page showed an error saying, “Oops… we didn’t forecast this,” while other users’ pages remain accessible.
The development comes amid growing concern in the crypto community over high‑profile bets and unusual trading activity on prediction markets.
Ray Dalio says 2026 US midterm elections may reverse Trump policies
The balance of power in the United States Congress may shift in favor of Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections, fueled by inflation concerns, threatening to undo regulatory policies under the Republican Party and US President Donald Trump, according to billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio.
“The affordability issue will probably be the number one political issue next year, contributing to the Republicans losing the House and a very messy 2027 on the way to a very interesting 2028 election,” Dalio said, adding:
“Because of how our democracy works, President Trump has a two-year unimpeded mandate that can be weakened greatly in the 2026 mid-term elections and reversed in the 2028 elections. Nowadays, it is rare for one party to be able to stay in power for long.”
Top Magazine Stories of The Week
One metric shows crypto is now in a bear market: Carl ‘The Moon’
Carl “The Moon” Runefelt says there is “no hype” in the crypto market right now and he is “50-50” on how 2026 will play out.
Davinci Jeremie bought Bitcoin at $1… but $100K BTC doesn’t excite him
Bitcoin OG Davinci Jeremie could easily afford a fleet of Lamborghinis but says they’re “small, cramped and difficult to drive.”
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