Kategorie: Altcoin News

• The Optimism Foundation’s proposal for a token buyback goes to a vote on January 22, 2026.
• OP price has fallen sharply over the past year, and sentiment is largely bearish.
• The buyback could catalyze gains, with OP eyeing $0.52-$0.75.

Optimism’s OP token changed hands around $0.30 on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, slightly up in the past 24 hours as the community edges towards a key governance vote.

But having traded to intraday highs of $0.37 last week, the token’s dip to current levels risks allowing for a pullback to all-time lows of $0.25 reached in December.

Can Optimism Foundation’s plans for a buyback program that commits Superchain revenue to monthly OP purchases bolster bulls?

​Optimism buyback details and implications

Optimism is set for a governance vote on January 22, 2026, following a proposal floated earlier this month.

The Optimism Foundation wants community approval to allocate half of the sequencer fees for open-market buybacks of OP.

A proposal for the next chapter of Optimism 🔴

The Optimism Foundation is putting forward a proposal to align the OP token with growing Superchain demand by directing 50% of incoming Superchain revenue to regular OP buybacks https://t.co/VSDazlbRdX pic.twitter.com/jBQoJyxDCF

— Optimism (@Optimism) January 8, 2026

If the vote passes, the program will start in February, with 50% of Superchain revenue flowing to Optimism. Repurchases are set to occur over the next year.

As with other  models, such as dYdX’s 75% fee buybacks, Optimism aims to buy from the market. However, the tokens go back to the OP treasury rather than direct burns.

If the latter happens, supply reduction will signal confidence in OP and Superchain’s dominance.

“With this buyback mechanism, OP transitions from a pure governance token to a token that is tightly aligned with the growth of the Superchain,” Optimism wrote at the time.

The mechanism targets every enterprise that creates a new chain on the Superchain, with these expected to add to the underlying demand for OP.

​OP token price forecast

The Optimism (OP) price is down nearly 94% from its peak of $4.85 reached in March 2024. The downtrend has crushed holder sentiment, and despite the buyback proposal, the outlook is largely bearish.

Bears may hold this advantage unless Optimism for instance, burns the repurchased tokens. BNB’s quarterly burns have helped the token’s price storm to new highs.

In the short term, a post-vote rally could push prices to $0.52.

As the daily chart above indicates, the 50-day and 200-day exponential moving averages act as supply zones at $0.32 and $0.51 (currently).

Targets in the $0.60-$0.75 range are a possibility should the crypto market experience a rebound from current downward pressure.

Gains for Ethereum and top ecosystem tokens will catalyse this likely OP bounce.

However, bearish pressure means the psychological $1 mark remains well off the threshold for now.

Major token unlocks will continue to cap gains, too, and a dip to $0.25 on fresh downward catalysts will encourage sellers.

The post Optimism (OP) slips toward $0.25 ahead of Jan. 22 buyback vote appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Story traded at lows of around $2.12 on Monday but has since staged a sharp recovery.
• IP rose to above $2.65, with trading volume spiking over 400% to $198 million.
• Buyers may ride bullish sentiment to target $3 or higher.

IP, the native token of the Story Protocol, has outperformed top altcoins in the past 24 hours.

At the time of writing, the token’s price had pumped by more than 22% to its highest level since early December 2025.

Other coins seeing notable gains include Monero, Canton and Aerodrome Finance. Ethereum targets $3,500 as price holds key level.

Story is a layer-1 blockchain project focused on tokenizing and making intellectual property programmable for creators in the AI era, leading this pack.

Its gains come amid broader upside moves for privacy-focused altcoins, and the IP price was up amid a more than 400% increase in daily trading volume.

IP price breaks above $2.50 on mega volume

As noted, the Story token has experienced a breakout moment.

But as its price decisively broke above the $2.50 level, buyers did so on a significantly higher 24-hour trading volume.

With bulls breaching $2.10,  the asset soared to above $2.65. Data showed trading volume exploded by more than 450% to $198 million.

The surge reflects strong bullish momentum, and IP could extend its upward trajectory toward the $3 mark. Bulls see the level as a psychological barrier and a breakout might allow for new gains.

From a technical perspective, the token trades above the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $2.31, providing solid support for further advances.

If broader top cryptocurrencies flip decisively positive, IP could see additional rally potential.

However, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the daily chart stands at 73 and in the overbought zone.

This suggests a potential retreat as profit-taking emerges. Meanwhile, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator shows indecisiveness, with the histogram showing increased weakness.

Story gains as Monero leads top altcoins higher

As the chart below shows, IP has posted impressive gains today.

The fresh bullish wave to highs of $2.65, with the token pumping more than 22% in 24 hours, aligned with notable upticks for several other cryptocurrencies.

Monero (XMR) led privacy coins higher as XMR price hovered near $600 in a strong rally.

$XMR took the throne from $ZEC and is now leading the privacy bull wave, looking really strong, after reaching new All Time Highs! pic.twitter.com/wCzF8781hm

— Rand (@cryptorand) January 12, 2026

As the coin gathered pace, coins that had dumped in recent sessions, including Zcash (ZEC), also rose. The token is looking to ignore developer turmoil to recover and was up 5% to above $410.

Monero and Zcash remain top privacy coins, but with regulatory scrutiny, such as Dubai’s ban, putting the tokens into the spotlight.

The post Story Protocol’s IP token surges 22%, outpacing top altcoins: check forecast appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Sky token price dropped over 5% as altcoins struggled.
• The token could fall further amid broader market weakness.
• Anchorage Digital has reportedly transferred over 69 million SKY tokens.

Sky (SKY), the governance asset of the decentralized Sky Protocol (formerly MakerDAO), has dropped by over 5% in the past 24 hours as major cryptocurrencies face downward pressure.

After renewed uptrends in early 2026, Bitcoin has retreated to support at $90,000, Ethereum to $3,000 and XRP to around $2.15.

Increased trading volume as the token faces significant downward pressure suggests there could be further downside movement.

SKY price falls amid large token transfer

SKY’s price declining nearly 6% to trade near $0.056 is a drop that aligns with a broader altcoin market weakness observed on Friday.

The token’s struggles come as profit-taking adds to risk-off sentiment.

For Sky, sellers have been on top since prices fell from highs of $0.096 in July 2025.

Bears even tested the support levels around $0.041 in November.

Recent gains saw buyers top $0.068, but things have looked tough on the upside across the cryptocurrency market, and SKY is following a similar trajectory.

On Jan. 9, the price decline happened as onchain data showed that Anchorage Digital, a prominent institutional crypto custodian and federally chartered bank, had moved over 69 million SKY tokens.

This significant on-chain transfer is likely a repositioning for custody services, institutional allocation, or other strategic purposes.

However, such large transfers often trigger heightened selling activity.

What next for SKY price?

Technical indicators on the daily chart point to continued downside risk for SKY in the near term.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is hovering in the mid-40s, suggesting weakening momentum and leaving room for a further slide toward oversold conditions.

At the same time, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) remains bearish, with the MACD line below the signal line and a negative histogram.

Despite the recent decline of roughly 9% over the past week, some investors remain constructive on the token’s longer-term outlook.

Supportive factors cited include ongoing token buybacks funded by protocol revenue and signs of growing real-world usage.

Data also shows that annualised SKY repurchases have risen sharply alongside a jump in revenue, placing the project among the top-ranked protocols by buyback activity.

While Hyperliquid leads the group, Sky ranks second, ahead of names such as Pump.fun, TRON and Solana.

Here are the Top 10 leading in annualized revenue and their market cap / revenue ratio.

1. Hyperliquid $HYPE – $514M (12.1x)
2. Sky Ecosystem $SKY – $371M (3.6x)
3. https://t.co/FCQRXgJqew $PUMP – $368M (3.5x)
4. Tron $TRON – $339M (82.1x)
5. Solana $SOL – $282M (280.7x)
6.… pic.twitter.com/pLXz4LAloy

— Coinage x DAIC (@coinage_x_daic) January 9, 2026

The positive fundamentals may provide a boost that could see bulls counter macro-driven headwinds.

If bulls take control, bullish price targets include $0.080 and $0.10. Conversely, bears might eye $0.050 and $0.037 lows.

The post Sky token slides over 5% as altcoin weakness deepens appeared first on CoinJournal.

• January 15 AI agent marketplace launch is driving renewed Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) demand.
• Rising users, revenue, and partnerships support Virtuals Protocol’s growth.
• Bullish technicals and long positioning are accelerating VIRTUAL price momentum.

The Virtuals Protocol price is surging as focus shifts to AI crypto ecosystems.

Today, VIRTUAL crypto has surged by 22.3%, emerging as one of the strongest daily gainers, outperforming much of the broader crypto market.

At the time of writing, Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) was trading around the $1.00–$1.05 range.

This price action is not random, and several aligned catalysts are driving momentum higher.

January 15 catalyst puts Virtuals Protocol back in focus

The most immediate reason the Virtuals Protocol price is pumping is anticipation around January 15.

Virtuals Protocol is preparing to launch its first decentralised AI agent marketplace.

This launch introduces the concept of autonomous, revenue-generating AI agents that can be deployed, traded, and monetised on-chain.

For many traders, this represents a tangible use case rather than a purely speculative AI crypto narrative.

As excitement builds around this milestone, capital has flowed back into VIRTUAL crypto ahead of the event.

AI crypto momentum lifts VIRTUAL price

Recently, the broader AI crypto sector has also regained momentum.

Renewed interest in AI infrastructure has followed high-profile developments across the industry.

This sector-wide rotation has benefited projects with clear execution and real-world applications.

Virtuals Protocol sits directly at the intersection of AI, agents, and on-chain automation.

As a result, the VIRTUAL price has captured spillover demand from traders seeking exposure to AI-driven protocols.

OpenMind AGI partnership strengthens the narrative

Another major factor supporting the Virtuals Protocol price is its partnership with OpenMind AGI.

This collaboration connects Virtuals AI agents with physical robotics.

Recent demos showed robots running on OM1 OS autonomously executing voice-commanded DeFi tasks.

These tasks included cross-chain USDC transfers targeting yield opportunities.

This “embodied AI” angle adds depth and credibility to the VIRTUAL crypto investment thesis.

On-chain usage is rising, not just hype

Beyond headlines, Virtuals Protocol is showing improvement in on-chain activity.

Active decentralised exchange users have rebounded to roughly 3,700.

These levels were last seen during the previous mid-December rally.

More importantly, daily protocol revenue has climbed back to around $26,000.

This suggests usage is translating into real economic activity rather than short-lived speculation.

Ecosystem updates reinforce execution strength

Recent ecosystem updates from Virtuals Protocol have further boosted confidence.

The project updated its website to clearly outline its 2026 roadmap and four core pillars.

A full recap of 2025, shared on X by Virtuals Protocol, highlighted consistent shipping across the ecosystem.

Multiple agent platforms, infrastructure tools, and analytics dashboards reached new milestones.

These updates reinforce the view that Virtuals Protocol is actively building, not stalling.

Elliott Wave perspective highlights key timing

Some analysts note that the recent rally appears to be a three-wave move.

Price reacted cleanly from the Fibonacci support associated with a potential wave 2 low.

The next one to two weeks are considered critical.

Holding a higher low on the next pullback would favour a five-wave advance.

$VIRTUAL
Good reaction to our fibonacci support zone for wave ii but clearly only a 3-wave move to the upside. The next 1-2 weeks will be very important. If the price can hold a higher low in wave (4) in the next pullback, this would give us the next 5-wave move to the upside… pic.twitter.com/7iUGWTfwft

— More Crypto Online (@Morecryptoonl) January 4, 2026

Such a move would help confirm a larger trend reversal for Virtuals Protocol.

Short-term outlook for Virtuals Protocol price

The short-term outlook for the Virtuals Protocol price remains constructive as long as the price holds above $1.00.

Sustained upside will depend on follow-through after the January 15 launch and continued growth in real usage across the Virtuals ecosystem.

However, while the current bullish momentum is being driven by a mix of catalysts, usage growth, and bullish positioning, the market appears to be stretched after a rapid move higher.

This could result in a pullback as the market cools from the multi-day rally, with the next target being at $0.9408 if $1 gives way.

The post Here’s why Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) price is pumping appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Pi Network halts wallet requests after large-scale scams target users.
• Scammers exploit public balances and impersonate trusted contacts.
• PI trades near $0.20 amid low liquidity and token unlocks.

Pi Network has temporarily disabled its wallet payment request feature in response to a surge of sophisticated scam activity that has led to the loss of millions of PI tokens from user wallets.

The move, announced by the Pi Core Team on social platform X, comes as attackers increasingly exploit the platform’s payment request function to trick users into approving fraudulent transfers.

According to on‑chain data shared by community observers and reporting outlets, scammers have siphoned off more than 4.4 million PI by sending deceptive payment requests to holders with large balances.

One single scammer address reportedly received hundreds of thousands of tokens each month throughout 2025.

Tokens approved through these requests are moved instantly to the attacker’s wallet and cannot be reversed, meaning victims have no recourse once a transfer is authorised.

The Pi Core Team stressed that this issue stems from social engineering rather than a flaw in the network’s protocol.

Because wallet balances and addresses are publicly visible on Pi’s blockchain, bad actors can identify high‑value wallets and impersonate trusted contacts, friends, moderators, or even official accounts, to convince users to authorise transfers.

To curb further losses, the network has disabled the payment request feature across its ecosystem while assessing potential safeguards.

The suspension is intended to be temporary, but the team has not yet announced a specific timeline for restoring the function.

In the meantime, community moderators and safety advocates are urging users to refuse all unsolicited payment requests.

Scam tactics and broader security concerns

Experts and user reports indicate that the scams are part of a broader uptick in deceptive schemes targeting Pi users.

Fraudsters cast a wide net, from phishing links claiming fake airdrops or price promotions to counterfeit portals that ask for wallet credentials or private keys, which can lead to full account takeovers.

Pi Network’s core team has repeatedly warned against sharing sensitive information or engaging with unverified links circulating on social media and messaging platforms.

While Pi Network itself is not widely regarded as an outright scam project by independent analysts, its rapid growth, mobile‑centric model, and referral‑based incentives have drawn scrutiny and made its large user base a target for scammers.

Users are advised to stick strictly to official communication channels and exercise heightened caution when interacting with unverifiable contacts.

Impact on PI token price

The payment request suspension arrives amid mixed sentiment around the PI token’s market performance.

While Pi token’s price forecast remains optimistic, it currently trades near the $0.20 level, up only 1% in two weeks.

Notably, the PI coin price has been weighed down by low liquidity and ongoing token unlocks, with significant amounts entering circulation in recent months.

The token has struggled to absorb the added supply, and daily trading volumes remain moderate.

The post Pi Network suspends wallet payment requests after scammers drain millions appeared first on CoinJournal.