From January 31, 2026, the US SEC will operate with a sharply reduced staff as a partial government shutdown triggered by a funding lapse takes effect. Routine work in key divisions is paused, and only emergency matters tied to market integrity and investor protection will be handled. The disruption is expected to delay crypto rulemaking, product approvals and stablecoin-related guidance until full funding is restored.

On January 31, 2026, Hyperliquid's daily revenue rose to $4.3 million, its highest level since November, supported by incentives, liquidity programs, and strong trading activity. The protocol is maintaining about $4.58 billion in TVL, while HIP-3 perpetual futures open interest climbed to a record $793.27 million alongside heavy whale activity in HYPE. One major HYPE holder realized a $4.92 million profit after unstaking and selling, and another whale moved $14.87 million in tokens from Galaxy Digital.

On Saturday, Ethereum, XRP and the wider crypto market saw a sharp pullback, wiping roughly $100 billion from total market value while Bitcoin declined more moderately. The move coincided with reports of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and unfolded in thin weekend liquidity, with Ethereum leading liquidations and altcoins generally underperforming BTC. By 3:41 pm UTC on Jan. 31, 2026, Ethereum traded at $2,539.70, down 6.22% over 24 hours, as total crypto market capitalization hovered around $2.73 trillion.

On 31 January 2026, a Delaware judge declined to dismiss a shareholder suit against Coinbase, allowing the case to continue for now. Filed in 2023, the suit challenges insider stock sales around the 2021 direct listing, citing more than $2.9 billion sold, including nearly $292 million by Brian Armstrong and roughly $119 million by Marc Andreessen.

From January 26 to 30, US-listed Bitcoin ETFs posted about $1.5 billion in net outflows, while Ethereum funds saw roughly $327 million. According to Farside Investors, withdrawals intensified on January 29–30; Solana flows were largely flat, and a single XRP ETF session erased nearly $93 million of prior inflows.

On October 10, billions of dollars in crypto were liquidated as Binance's USDe yield drive exposed traders to excessive collateral leverage. The exchange's API glitches and the token's rapid depeg compounded losses across retail and institutional desks. Industry voices now call for stronger safeguards after prices briefly plunged near zero on multiple venues.

On January 30, precious metals sold off sharply, with silver falling up to 36% intraday and gold down more than 12%, according to Bloomberg. The move followed President Donald Trump's nomination of Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair and coincided with Bitcoin sliding to about $82,000 amid intensified spot ETF outflows cited by Bitfinex analysts.

On Friday, Illinois' Department of Financial and Professional Regulation closed Metropolitan Capital Bank & Trust for unsafe and unsound conditions and an impaired capital position, appointing the FDIC as receiver. First Independence Bank will assume substantially all deposits and purchase about $251 million in assets. The FDIC estimates a $19.7 million impact on the Deposit Insurance Fund.