Weekly Preview | US Senate Banking Committee to review crypto market structure bill; Trump to unlock over $270 million worth of tokens

Breaking News Preview:

• Binance Wallet will launch an exclusive Unitas (UP) Booster event on January 12th;
• Aster has announced the Stage 4 airdrop claim time and rules; the claim query function will be available on January 14th.
• The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will review the cryptocurrency market structure bill on January 15.
• BitMine plans to hold its annual general meeting on January 15 to elect eight directors and amend the company's articles of association.
• Arbitrum (ARB) will unlock approximately 92.65 million tokens at 9 PM Beijing time on January 16th, representing 1.86% of the circulating supply, with a value of approximately $19.2 million.
• Official Trump (TRUMP) will unlock approximately 50 million tokens at 8:00 AM Beijing time on January 18th, representing 11.95% of the circulating supply, worth approximately $271 million.

January 12

Exchange:

Coinbase will support the migration of MKR to SKY, and will suspend related services starting January 12.

According to a Coinbase Markets announcement, from January 12th to 14th, 2026, Maker tokens will be available for migration from MKR to SKY at a conversion rate of 1 MKR : 23,520 SKY. During this period, MKR trading and transfers will be suspended. Users who do not wish to automatically convert must withdraw their MKR to their self-custodied wallets before January 12th.

Binance Alpha will list CharacterX (CAI) on January 12th.

Binance Alpha will list CharacterX (CAI) on January 12th. Eligible users can claim the airdrop using Binance Alpha Points on the Alpha event page after trading opens on Alpha. Further details will be announced separately.

Binance Wallet will launch an exclusive Unitas (UP) Booster event on January 12th.

Binance has launched two exclusive events for Unias within the Binance Wallet: 1. Booster Event: Participants can share a 30,000,000 UP token airdrop by completing phased tasks and supporting the project's early development. 2. Token Offering Event (TGE): Eligible users can have priority to subscribe to the Unias token UP before it is listed for trading.

The Unitas Binance Wallet Booster event will begin on January 12, 2026 at 18:00 (UTC+8). During the Booster event, a total of 16,000,000 tokens (representing 1.6% of the total token supply) will be awarded before the Token Generation Event (TGE) and will be unlocked on the day of the TGE. The remaining tokens will be distributed proportionally in each phase. All Binance Wallet users (without private keys) holding sufficient Binance Alpha Points are eligible to participate. Participation in this event will consume 5 Binance Alpha Points.

Project Updates:

Berachain's liquidity staking protocol Infrared will cease its IR token airdrop on January 12th.

Berachain's liquidity staking protocol Infrared has released details of its IR token airdrop. This airdrop aims to reward early community members who have consistently used Infrared during the points program, participants in the Boyco pre-deposit program, and users who actively participate in community activities (such as Discord interactions, user surveys, community events, testnet participation, etc.). The IR token has three main functions: staking to earn sIR for governance voting rights; participating in revenue sharing through buybacks; and token issuance to optimize protocol efficiency and revenue. It is understood that all claims will permanently close on January 12, 2026 at 08:00 (UTC+8).

Logan Paul has agreed to auction off $5.3 million worth of Pokémon cards on January 12, potentially setting a new record.

According to a joint announcement by Goldin and Netflix, Logan Paul has agreed to auction his record-breaking Pikachu Illustrator card at Goldin Auctions on January 12, 2026. The card previously sold for $5.3 million, setting a Guinness World Record. $2.5 million has already been pre-paid for the transaction, and the auction will be featured on Netflix's "King of Collectors" show. Goldin anticipates the card will fetch between $7 million and $12 million. With Pokémon's 30th anniversary approaching, the collecting craze continues to heat up.

January 13

Macroeconomics:

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: December real income data will be released on January 13.

Exchange:

Binance supports the FXS mainnet switch and renaming to FRAX; related trading adjustments will be gradually implemented starting January 13th.

According to a Binance announcement, the platform will support the mainnet switch and rebranding of Frax Share (FXS) as Frax (FRAX). All FXS will be exchanged for FRAX at a 1:1 ratio. The FXS spot trading pair will be delisted at 03:00 (UTC) on January 13th, and FRAX/USDT trading will resume at 08:00 on January 15th. FXS deposits, withdrawals, contracts, leverage, lending, wealth management, and payment functions will be gradually terminated and migrated to FRAX. Binance will automatically handle the technical processing; users should adjust their positions in advance to avoid potential losses.

Project Updates:

L1 blockchain Fogo will unlock 38.98% of its tokens and launch a community airdrop when the network launches on January 13.

The L1 blockchain project Fogo has cancelled its planned $20 million token pre-sale (representing 2% of the total supply). Instead, the FOGO tokens intended for the pre-sale will be airdropped to the community, and the 2% originally allocated to core contributors will be burned. According to the token economics model, 38.98% of the tokens will be unlocked when the network launches on January 13th. This includes immediately tradable airdrop shares, tokens for foundation operations, and core contributor shares unlocked in installments. The token allocation is approximately 1/3 for the foundation, 34% for core contributors (locked for four years), 8.77% for institutional investors, 7% for advisors, and 11.25% for the community.

Semler Scientific, a US-listed company, will hold a special shareholders' meeting on January 13, where it may approve its proposed merger with Strive.

Eric Semler, founder of Semler Scientific, a US-listed company, has issued a statement urging all shareholders to vote in favor of the proposed merger with Strive, stating, "Voting is now open, and a special shareholders' meeting to approve the merger will be held on January 13." Semler noted, "In this merger, SMLR (Semler Scientific) shareholders will receive ASST (Strive) shares at a 21.05-fold exchange ratio. The merged company will hold nearly 13,000 bitcoins, placing it among the top five publicly traded companies that use BTC as a primary strategic reserve asset."

Token unlocking:

Cheelee (CHEEL) will unlock approximately 20.81 million tokens at 8:00 AM Beijing time on January 13th, representing 2.78% of the circulating supply, with a value of approximately $11.6 million.

January 14

Macroeconomics:

At 21:30 on January 14, the US will release its November retail sales month-on-month rate, November PPI year-on-year/month-on-month rate, and third-quarter current account.

Project Updates:

The BSC mainnet Fermi hard fork will be upgraded on January 14, 2026.

BNB Chain Developers tweeted that the BSC mainnet Fermi hard fork upgrade is expected to activate on January 14, 2026 at 10:30 AM (UTC+8), supporting versions v1.6.4 and v1.6.5. This upgrade will shorten the block interval from 750 milliseconds to 450 milliseconds to improve network throughput and transaction processing efficiency.

Tom Lee urged BitMine shareholders to approve a proposal to increase the authorized number of shares from 500 million to 50 billion by January 14.

Tom Lee, chairman of Ethereum asset management firm BitMine Immersion (BMNR), urged shareholders to approve a board proposal to significantly increase the number of authorized shares from 500 million to 50 billion. Lee assured shareholders that the increase was not intended to dilute shares, but rather to facilitate fundraising, trading, and future stock splits. Shareholders must vote on the proposal by January 14th, with the annual shareholder meeting scheduled for January 15th in Las Vegas.

Aster has announced the Stage 4 airdrop claim time and rules; the claim query function will be available on January 14th.

According to Aster's official announcement, the Stage 4 airdrop will end on December 21, 2025 at 23:59 (UTC), representing 1.5% of the total token supply. The claim query function will open on January 14, 2026, with the official claim period starting on January 28. Users can choose to claim 50% immediately, with the remaining 50% being burned; or wait until April to unlock and claim the full share. The airdrop features a flexible unlocking mechanism to encourage long-term user participation.

In addition, the third phase of the Aster airdrop will end on January 15, 2026.

January 15

Macroeconomics:

At 3:00 AM on January 15th, the Federal Reserve will release its Beige Book on economic conditions.

Policy and regulation:

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has set January 15 as the date for its review of the cryptocurrency market structure bill.

The legislative landscape for the U.S. cryptocurrency industry has reached a critical turning point, with the Senate Banking Committee officially setting the date for deliberation on the Digital Asset Market Transparency Act (CLARITY Act, also known as the Crypto Market Structure Act) for Thursday, January 15, 2026. Committee Chairman Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, announced the decision after a series of tense closed-door meetings in early January. Senator Scott emphasized that the committee would proceed with the formal vote regardless of the difficulties encountered. The Republican leadership views this deadline as strategically necessary, racing against time to complete legislation before the January 30 deadline for critical federal spending, which could trigger another government shutdown. The committee hopes that next Thursday's vote will allow the bill to reach the full Senate for consideration, given the current administration's continued strong support for cryptocurrencies.

Project Updates:

ChatGPT will cease operations on WhatsApp on January 15, 2026. Users can migrate to the ChatGPT app.

According to an OpenAI announcement, ChatGPT will no longer be available on WhatsApp starting January 15, 2026, due to changes in WhatsApp policies and terms. OpenAI states that users can continue conversations on iOS, Android, Web, and Mac versions of ChatGPT Atlas, gaining access to features such as voice messaging, in-depth research, and file uploads. Users can link their phone number to their ChatGPT account via the URL of a "1-800-ChatGPT" contact in WhatsApp; chat history will be synced to ChatGPT. After this period, WhatsApp conversations will no longer be automatically transferred, and WhatsApp will not support exporting chats. OpenAI recommends completing the linking process as soon as possible and provides guidance through the Help Center.

BitMine plans to hold its annual general meeting on January 15 to elect eight directors and amend its articles of association.

Bitmine Immersion Technologies, an Ethereum treasury company listed on NYSE American, a subsidiary of the New York Stock Exchange, announced that it will hold its annual shareholders meeting on January 15, 2026, in Las Vegas. The meeting will elect eight directors for a one-year term. In addition, the amendments to the articles of incorporation to increase the number of authorized common stock, the 2025 comprehensive incentive plan, and the special performance-based compensation arrangement for the executive chairman are expected to be approved at the annual shareholders meeting.

MANTRA will be deprecating all ERC20 versions of OM tokens on January 15th. Please migrate as soon as possible.

MANTRA, a Layer 1 blockchain focused on RWA assets, reminded users on its X platform that currently, less than 8% of the total OM token supply is in the ERC20 version. All ERC20 OM tokens will be officially deprecated on January 15th; please migrate as soon as possible.

Token unlocking:

Connex (CONX) will unlock approximately 1.32 million tokens at 8:00 AM Beijing time on January 15th, representing 1.59% of the circulating supply, with a value of approximately $20.4 million.

Starknet (STRK) will unlock approximately 127 million tokens at 8:00 AM Beijing time on January 15th, representing 4.83% of the circulating supply, worth approximately $10.4 million.

Sei (SEI) will unlock approximately 55.56 million tokens at 8 PM Beijing time on January 15th, representing 1.05% of the circulating supply, worth approximately $6.7 million.

January 16

Exchange:

Binance will stop supporting deposits and withdrawals of certain network tokens on January 16.

According to a Binance announcement, starting from 16:00 (UTC+8) on January 16, 2026, support for deposits and withdrawals of certain tokens on the following networks will cease: Dar Open Network (D) via the Ethereum network, and Streamr (DATA) via the BNB Smart Chain and Polygon networks. After this date, deposits made through these networks will not be credited and may result in asset loss. Users can still deposit and withdraw these tokens through other networks supported by Binance.

Upbit will delist Groestlcoin token GRS on January 16th.

Upbit announced that Groestlcoin (GRS) will be delisted from member exchanges of the Digital Asset Exchange Association (DAXA). DAXA member exchanges may take measures to protect users, including issuing warnings, designating GRS as a trading alert asset, and terminating trading support. Upbit stated that trading support for the token will end at 15:00 (Korean time) on January 16, 2026, but withdrawals will remain available for 34 days from the end of trading support (until February 19, 2026).

Token unlocking:

Arbitrum (ARB) will unlock approximately 92.65 million tokens at 9 PM Beijing time on January 16th, representing 1.86% of the circulating supply, with a value of approximately $19.2 million.

January 17

Token unlocking:

deBridge (DBR) will unlock approximately 618 million tokens at 8:00 AM Beijing time on January 17th, representing 14.81% of the circulating supply, worth approximately $11.6 million.

ZKsync (ZK) will unlock approximately 173 million tokens at 4 PM Beijing time on January 17th, representing 3.16% of the circulating supply, worth approximately $5.9 million.

January 18

Policy and regulation:

The UK financial authorities have launched a regulatory sandbox for local stablecoin issuers , with an application deadline of January 18th.

In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Nikhil Rathi, Chief Executive of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), outlined the regulator's digital innovation strategy for the coming year. The FCA's 2026 objectives include finalizing regulations for digital assets and advancing the development of a UK-issued sterling stablecoin. The FCA is currently working with the Bank of England to develop a comprehensive set of regulations covering stablecoins, trading platforms, lending, staking, and custody, which is expected to be implemented in 2026.

The UK has adopted a phased approach to cryptocurrency regulation, aiming to balance innovation with consumer protection. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recently opened a regulatory sandbox for local stablecoin issuers looking to test their stablecoin solutions. The application deadline for the sandbox is January 18th.

Token unlocking:

Official Trump (TRUMP) will unlock approximately 50 million tokens at 8:00 AM Beijing time on January 18th, representing 11.95% of the circulating supply, worth approximately $271 million.