Fidelity Joins as Custodian for Morgan Stanley's Planned Bitcoin ETF on NYSE Arca

Ethereum's network is processing record transactions, but market sentiment remains lukewarm, with prediction traders favoring gold over the cryptocurrency. The surge in transactions is attributed to real-world asset tokenization and market recovery, boosting Ethereum's role as core financial infrastructure.

US Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs have attracted over $1.5 billion in investments since January, with prices of the top cryptocurrencies surging. Despite a lackluster end to 2025, investors are showing renewed risk appetite, injecting millions into these funds in the first days of 2026.

Morgan Stanley has filed an S-1 with the U.S. SEC for a spot Bitcoin ETF named the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust. The ETF will track Bitcoin's price, hold Bitcoin directly, and be passive in trading. Shares will be created and redeemed by authorized participants in large blocks.

Liquidity in crypto markets is expected to consolidate among fewer venues in 2026 due to new regulations and increased institutional involvement. Market participants emphasize the need for improved liquidity, tighter spreads, and better execution quality to sustain the growth of decentralized finance.

Bitcoin has surged to nearly $95,000, its highest level in six weeks, with flat perpetuals contract positioning. Despite a positive outlook, the options market indicates a shift towards more promising conditions, with a reduction in put skew and increased upside exposure through options trades.

Goldman Sachs analysts upgraded Coinbase to a "Buy" rating, citing new products enhancing competitiveness against rivals. The team raised the price target to $303, noting Coinbase's revenue growth potential and shift towards infrastructure businesses.

Ilya Lichtenstein, convicted for stealing over $11 billion in Bitcoin from Bitfinex, was released early from prison, crediting President Trump for the release. His wife, Heather Morgan, also thanked Trump for her early release. The White House did not confirm its involvement in securing Lichtenstein's release.

A dark web listing offers access to Kraken's internal customer dashboard, potentially exposing sensitive data of crypto exchange users. The authenticity of the listing is uncertain, as sellers may fabricate listings to deceive buyers or law enforcement.

Bitcoin's price surged above $93,958, breaking free from the 200-day exponential moving average for the first time since October. The market is at an inflection point, with potential for a "golden cross" if daily closes remain above $95,000.

Starknet experienced a block production issue leading to over four hours of downtime. The network paused block production to investigate a proving error, identified a bug, and resumed operations after reverting to a previous block.