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Bitcoin's Computing Power Drops as Ice Storm Closes Texas Mining Operations

The Bitcoin network hashrate, or computing power, has significantly dropped in recent days due to severe ice storms in the United States. The weather conditions have forced Bitcoin mining operations, particularly in Texas, to temporarily shut down. This has led to a decrease in the hashrate from 1.133 ZH/s to 690 EH/s, causing disruptions to the power grid and increasing electricity costs. The extreme weather is also expected to lead to an approximate 4.5% reduction in mining difficulty. The drop in hashrate, which mirrors price action, is preventing any recovery for Bitcoin, which remains down 4.5% from the previous week. The ongoing situation may also lead to selling pressure on miners if they are forced to sell Bitcoin to cover costs.

Latest Updates to the Pi Network and How They Benefit Pioneers

The Pi Network team recently issued their second update of the year, integrating a simple Pi payment feature into the Pi App Studio. This allows creators to add in-app payments to their applications without any coding or technical skills. However, this feature is only available for Test-Pi and within the Pi App Studio, not in the Pi Desktop App. Despite these updates aimed at improving the Pi Network ecosystem, the project's native token value has seen a significant drop, hitting an all-time low recently. Despite trading between $0.20 and $0.22 for over a month, the token value dropped sharply, falling to a new low of $0.1687 and losing over 94% of its value since its highest point 11 months ago.

Vitalik Buterin Revises His 2017 Perspective on Comprehensive Blockchain Validation

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has revised his 2017 stance on full blockchain validation being unrealistic for average users. Advances in cryptographic technology and a focus on user sovereignty have led to this change. In 2017, Buterin argued that requiring users to validate every transaction was impractical, making users dependent on third-party providers. However, advancements in zero-knowledge proofs, particularly ZK-SNARKs, have altered this. Users can now verify a chain's correctness without replaying the complete transaction history, maintaining independent verification while reducing computational load. Buterin sees this as a safety net when systems or intermediaries fail, adding pressure on third parties to provide fairer, more reliable services. This change aligns with Buterin's recent emphasis on simplicity, self-sovereignty, and decentralized privacy tools, suggesting a shift from trading independence for convenience to making personal verification feasible once more.

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Is Ripple's XRP Poised for a Significant Surge after Testing Its 13-Month Support?

Ripple's XRP token has faced a slight decline over the past week, currently trading around $1.89. It had previously reached $2.40 earlier this month, before experiencing a significant retraction. The key focus is the $1.80 level, which has consistently held over the past 13 months. ChartNerd, a market analyst, suggests that if the price defends the $1.80 level and clears the descending resistance, a shift back to $2.70 could occur. Additionally, Egrag Crypto identified a triple bottom formation, indicating potential targets if resistance breaks, such as $2.7, $9, $15, and $32. However, XRP ETFs witnessed $40.6 million in outflows over the past week, the first since their inception. Binance's XRP reserves reportedly increased to 2.74 billion tokens, hinting at a return of liquidity.

RIVER Rises 40% Amid BTC's Recovery From its Lowest in Five Weeks: Market Analysis

BTC's value has been affected by new tariff threats and the possibility of a US government shutdown, resulting in a drop to a five-week low of $86,000. Despite these developments, BTC recovered slightly to around $88,000. Meanwhile, most altcoins experienced a decline, with Ethereum losing the $3,000 support, and BNB, XRP, SOL, ADA, and XMR also seeing significant decreases. However, RIVER has continued to defy these trends, with an impressive 40% daily increase, a 230% weekly increase, and a staggering 2,100% monthly increase. Despite RIVER's strong performance, the total cryptocurrency market cap has dropped to $3.050 trillion after losing another $30 billion.

Bitcoin Declines to Sub-$88K Level: Two Ignored Triggers Traders Overlooked

Bitcoin's value dropped below $88,000 on January 25, 2026, following a spike in Solana network fees and increased whale activity on Binance. This decline was preceded by two key indicators: a movement of roughly 2,000 BTC to Binance by large holders, which historically signifies distribution or positioning before a sell-off, and a spike in Solana's transaction fees to about $37.5 million. These Solana fee surges have often indicated forthcoming BTC corrections. Bitcoin's drop sparked a decline in several altcoins, with the market reacting to concentrated activity and leverage unwinds. Analysts suggest the market downturn could also be due to rising U.S. political uncertainty and a looming government shutdown.

Exploring Cryptocurrency Laundering Systems in Betting Rings

Online gambling sites connected to sanctioned guarantee networks have processed over $414 million in Tether (USDT) in less than two months, with substantial amounts going straight to major crypto exchanges, reveals blockchain intelligence firm Bitrace. Despite crackdowns on their payment providers, these platforms continue to operate, using crypto wallets like Huione Telegram Wallet, Wangbo Wallet, and HWZF as primary settlement tools. These wallets are linked to Huione and Tudou Guarantee platforms, which started as transaction facilitators and evolved into centers for illegal activities, including scams and money laundering. Even with the shutdown of Huione and Tudou Guarantee, gambling platforms relying on their services continue to process large crypto volumes. Bitrace's findings highlight unresolved issues between marketplace shutdowns, wallet providers, and exchange-level controls, suggesting the need for enhanced regulation in the space.

Four Factors Poised to Influence Cryptocurrency Markets in the Unpredictable Week to Come

This week, cryptocurrency markets face potential turbulence due to various factors, including tariff threats from US President Trump towards Canada, a possible US government shutdown, the Federal Reserve's meeting and rate decision, and upcoming inflation data. These issues have been highlighted by the Kobeissi Letter as potential triggers for significant volatility. Furthermore, financial data releases such as January's Consumer Confidence report, the Fed's interest rate decision, and December's Producer Price Index (PPI) Inflation data are also anticipated. Crypto markets have already seen losses, with Bitcoin falling to its lowest level in five weeks. The forthcoming week also sees the release of quarterly earnings from four of the "Magnificent 7", including Microsoft, Meta, Tesla, and Apple, which may further impact cryptocurrency markets.

Latest Updates on Pi Network (PI), Ripple (XRP) Price Forecasts, and More: Crypto Recap for January 23rd

Over the last week, cryptocurrencies such as Pi Network (PI), Ripple (XRP), and Ethereum (ETH) experienced significant price drops due to global geopolitical issues. Recent updates in the Pi Network included Pi payment integration within the Pi App Studio, a boon for non-technical users. Despite this, the PI price experienced a short-lived rise before falling again, leading to a loss of confidence among community members. Meanwhile, Ripple's token price also declined, with XRP now trading around $1.91, and the volume of XRP tokens on Binance is dwindling. As for Ethereum, the cryptocurrency began the year strongly but has since dropped to around $2,900, with predictions of a further plunge to $2,600.

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Bitcoin Outperforms S&P 500 Post ETF Debut, Analyst Counters Peter Schiff's Argument

Nate Geraci, president of NovaDius Wealth Management, has challenged Peter Schiff's recent criticism of Bitcoin, stating that the cryptocurrency has been outperforming the S&P 500. This comes after Schiff, a well-known Bitcoin skeptic, declared the cryptocurrency as one of the "worst performing assets" on Wall Street. Geraci disputes this, pointing out that Bitcoin has seen about a 90% increase since ETFs were introduced, compared to less than a 50% gain in the broader stock market. Meanwhile, a report from Santiment shows a shift in market dynamics with investors leaning towards precious metals due to increasing global uncertainty. Despite Bitcoin's recent 16% drop, institutional investors have consistently been accumulating crypto since late November of last year.

Fears of 70% Value Plunge as Bitcoin (BTC) Encounters Death Cross Again

Bitcoin's recent trading patterns have raised concerns as it indicates a possible decrease in value. This is attributed to the recurrence of a "death cross", a technical chart pattern viewed as a bearish sign by many traders. This pattern occurs when the 50-period moving average crosses below the 200-period moving average. Historical data shows that in 2014, 2018, and 2022, similar occurrences led to a drop in Bitcoin's value by 50% to 70%. Meanwhile, market watchers have predicted potential price targets for Bitcoin between $40K and $60K, depending on the trend. Despite these short-term risks, some traders are still hopeful for higher prices in the long term. Large Bitcoin holders have reportedly been accumulating more during the recent dip, leading some to believe that the market might be preparing for a bigger move.

Ripple (XRP) Continues to Withstand Collapse – Despite Persistent Sales Pressure

Ripple (XRP) experienced a minor decline of 2% on Friday, dragging its value down to $1.91. Despite the lack of robust market confidence, new data indicates that XRP is not detaching from volume flows, with selling pressure yet to fully transition into a net buying dominance phase. CryptoQuant's analysis of Binance's XRP market shows a moderate to strong positive correlation between price changes and net volume flows. However, the most recent Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) reading reveals persistent selling pressure. Despite signs of fear among retail traders, XRP has seen modest institutional demand with spot XRP ETFs attracting fresh capital. The key level to watch is $1.78, and if XRP maintains above this, the next significant resistance areas are around $1.97 and $2.00.

RALPH, an AI-themed Meme Cryptocurrency, Plummets 80% Following a $300K Developer Sell-Off

RALPH, an AI-themed meme cryptocurrency, has seen an 80% drop in value following a sell-off by developer Geoffrey Huntley, who reportedly sold around $300,000 worth of tokens. The sell-off triggered a sharp decrease in value and sparked controversy over issues of trust, token ownership, and developer incentives. While Huntley defended his actions as "de-risking," critics argue that the abrupt sale has broken trust and disrupted the market. This incident adds to the growing concerns around the volatile nature of meme cryptocurrencies. At the time of the report, RALPH was trading at around $0.0054, a 66% drop on the day, and its market cap had decreased from near $47 million to about $4.9 million.

Bitcoin Maintains Crucial Support Level: Can Japan's Central Bank Prompt a Comeback?

Bitcoin (BTC) is trading near $90,000, holding above a pivotal support range between $86,000 and $89,000. This point served as a foundation in December and is currently being retested after a recent downturn. The $90,000 mark, once a support, is now turning into resistance. Michaël van de Poppe, founder of MNF Fund, suggests that Bitcoin's next move could depend on macro factors such as the Bank of Japan's potential intervention in the bond markets. Meanwhile, BTC has dropped 7% in the last week, with mixed market sentiments among analysts. While some foresee a bear flag pattern that could target $60,000, others believe the long-term structure is still intact. High leverage ratios on Binance indicate a shift towards risk, but whale activity remains quiet, suggesting most current activities are automated.

Revamp of Axie Infinity's bAXS Ignites a 200% Surge in AXS

Axie Infinity, the gaming project, witnessed a 209% surge in its AXS token this month, surpassing $2.70 for the first time since July 2025. The rally was sparked by co-founder Jeffrey “Jihoz” Zirlin's announcement of transitioning AXS rewards into a bonded version, bAXS. This move, which includes a reputation-based selling fee, is seen as a fundamental shift aimed at keeping value within the ecosystem. Despite the wider crypto market's struggles, AXS has shown a sharp divergence, with its trading volume also seeing a significant increase. However, the token remains 98% below its November 2021 peak, demonstrating how project-specific changes can momentarily uncouple from Bitcoin in weak market conditions. The future strength of AXS is likely to depend on the swift roll-out of bAXS and how reputation-linked incentives alter user behavior within the Axie economy.

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Canton (CC) Experiences Double-Digit Growth as BTC Stabilizes Following Market Fluctuations

After a period of volatility due to changing geopolitical tensions between the US and the EU, Bitcoin's price has stabilized around $90,000. The friction was primarily due to the US's interest in acquiring Greenland, which led to a drop in Bitcoin's price from a peak of $95,000 to a 2026 low of under $88,000 before recovering. Meanwhile, Canton (CC) is on an upward trajectory, experiencing a 10% increase and becoming one of the best performers in the market. Canton's discussions on social media have driven this engagement, with the coin up 70% in the past 30 days and 13% in the last week. Other gainers include RAIN, MYX, XMR, and HYPE. The overall crypto market cap has seen a recovery of around $100 billion.

Reported Delays on the Crypto Market Structure Legislation

The US Senate Banking Committee is reportedly delaying the CLARITY Act, a crypto market structure bill, for several weeks to months as it prioritizes housing legislation. The crypto bill, which aims to clarify the regulatory boundaries between the SEC and CFTC over digital assets, has seen opposition from Democrats and banking lobby groups, leading to further delays. In response, Republican Senator John Boozman released an updated version building on the postponed bipartisan legislation. Despite the delay, the crypto market saw minor reactions, with Bitcoin recovering from a slump to $87,300 to reach $90,000 in early Asian trading. Meanwhile, Ether prices reclaimed $3,000, and there were slight gains for XRP, Monero, and Canton.