Tether reportedly froze $72 million in USDT on Tron after a wallet received 120.2 million USDT and began routing funds, with a portion of the outflow reportedly used to buy Monero (XMR), pushing its price up. The freeze highlights the limited time stablecoin issuers have before funds are moved into less traceable assets or venues.
A massive attempt to launder $120.2 million using Monero (XMR) caused its price to surge 33% to $438 due to low liquidity. On-chain detective ZachXBT exposed the scheme, leading Tether to freeze $72 million in USDT, thwarting the conversion to Monero.
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BTC: 95k (+3%) | BTC.D: 59.2% (-0.1%). ETH: 3313 (+6%) | BNB: 936 (+3%) | SOL: 145 (+2%). Top Gainers: IP, ICP, PUMP, PEPE, ENA. BTC ETFs: +$754m | ETH ETFs: +$130m. Crypto rallies on largest ETF inflow in 3 months. Senate committee to vote on crypto bill on Jan 27. Stablecoin issues with bill still being fought over. Ethena Labs makes USDe free from gas fees. Bitdeer overtakes MARA on ‘managed hashrate’. Polygon Labs to buy Coinme, Sequence for $250m. BitPanda eyes Frankfurt IPO in 1H26. CZ invests in perp trading platform Genius Terminal. Coingecko eyes sales at $500m valuation. Russia to open crypto markets more for payments. Crypto wrench attacks continue in France. Pakistan to integrate WLFI’s USD1.
Crypto majors are green; BTC +1.5% at $92,000; ETH +1% at $3,130, SOL +2% at $142; XRP +1% to $2.06. DASH (+60%), IP (+30%) and XMR (+13%) led top movers; XMR hit another new ATH at $680 (now $640). Gold and Silver hit new ATHs again in the wake of the Powell investigation. The US Senate released the draft Crypto Market Clarity Act, including limits on stablecoin rewards. Senator Warren pressed the SEC over inclusion of crypto in 401ks arguing they expose retirees to too much risk. Vitalik Buterin warned crypto needs better decentralized stablecoins, citing governance capture and inflation risks. World Liberty Financial launched a crypto lending platform built around its USD1 stablecoin, attracting ~$20M. BitGo filed for a U.S. IPO targeting a ~$2B valuation as custody assets surpassed $100B. Tennessee regulators ordered Polymarket, Kalshi, and Crypto.com to halt sports prediction markets and refund users, escalating a multi-state legal fight.
