Kategorie: Crypto Markets

• ENA price has surged 6% as bulls eye a breakout above $0.24.
• Upbit and Bithumb have listed Ethena USD (USDe).
• Arthur Hayes has shared a fresh prediction for the ENA price, noting a potential surge to $1.

Ethena (ENA) surged on Wednesday as cryptocurrencies bounced, and amid major South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges’ listing of the synthetic stablecoin Ethena USD (USDe).

The fresh dose of optimism around Ethena’s governance token ENA saw prominent investor Arthur Hayes express a strong bullish conviction as he predicted a potential spike to $1.

Ethena price gains as Upbit and Bithumb list USDe

South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, Upbit and Bithumb, have both added support for Ethena’s USDe.

The platforms announced the listings on Wednesday, which means USDe is now supported on two of Asia’s most active trading markets.

Upbit now supports USDe pairs against KRW, BTC, and USDT, while Bithumb confirmed the listing of the USDe/KRW market.

These listings mean enhanced liquidity, accessibility, and adoption of USDe in a market where fiat-to-crypto trading volumes are often substantial.

Upbit’s listing of tokens has historically coincided with a price surge for the respective cryptocurrencies.

ENA, the governance token of the Ethena protocol, could ride this bullish outlook to new highs.

As of writing, ENA traded around $0.24, up 7% in the past 24 hours. Trading volume jumped 160% to over $389 million while USDe saw a 48% increase in volume as  the listings went live.

ENA’s price reached intraday highs of $0.25 amid this volume surge.

Arthur Hayes sees ENA price rallying to $1

Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX and an influential crypto investor, is optimistic that the ENA price will go parabolic in the short term.

The entrepreneur, who has previously backed Ethena to explode, shared his latest prediction in a post on X, noting “it’s time for $ENA = $1.”

This aligns with Hayes’ other bold market calls, having accumulated ENA during dips.

His latest commentary suggests that increased exchange support, particularly in high-volume markets like South Korea, could catalyze greater adoption. Upward price pressure on ENA may allow bulls to target the psychological $1 level.

ENA last traded around this level in January 2025, with the overall market downturn seeing prices touch lows of $0.22 in June.

A rebound allowed bulls to retest highs of $0.80, but the area marked a double top pattern and prices slumped to under $0.20 in early Jan. 2026.

Ethena’s ongoing efforts to integrate USDe across major platforms, potentially driving further protocol growth and revenue, could cascade upside momentum to ENA.

If the current levels mark a double bottom, a retest of $0.80 and then $1 is likely.

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• MANTRA has announced major team reductions after a challenging 2025.
• The restructuring aims to enhance capital efficiency and focus more on core business operations.
• OM token was priced around $0.076 at the time of writing.

MANTRA, a layer-1 blockchain focused on real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, has announced plans for a restructuring, with major layoffs impacting the team.

The decision comes as MANTRA looks to turn the corner following a challenging past year, said Mantra chief executive officer and founder John Patrick Mullin.

He described the move as one of the most difficult decisions in the company’s history, with this coming as the native token OM hovered around $0.076.

The cryptocurrency crashed from its highs of $8.5 in February 2025.

MANTRA eyes 2026 rebound with key restructuring

According to Mullin, the restructuring will primarily impact support functions such as business development, marketing, human resources, and other non-core roles. 

The layoffs are part of the organizational overhaul that also targets broader operations, resource utilization, and other moves. 

“As part of this strategic shift for MANTRA in 2026, we aim to be leaner overall, streamlining operations, focusing our resources, and committing to disciplined execution,” he added.

The company cites several factors for this difficult decision, including the “incredibly unfortunate and frankly unfair events” of April 2025. 

At the time, the OM token experienced a dramatic 90%+ price collapse in a flash crash that wiped out billions in market value, triggered by a combination of forced liquidations on centralized exchanges.

Manipulation issues rose and rapid sell-offs amid low liquidity hit the project. 

“The prolonged market downturn, increased competition, and shifting market dynamics have made our cost structure unsustainable relative to our near-term realities,” Mullin noted.

MANTRA’s potential

Despite the many setbacks and challenges, Mullin says the team is upbeat and is ready to build on prior achievements.

In the X post, he outlined a belief that the MANTRA Chain has the potential to drive innovation and adoption within the real-world assets market.

Streamlining operations, cutting non-essential spending, and redirecting resources toward core priorities will allow MANTRA to deliver disciplined execution.

The goal remains that the project should be able to relentlessly ship products as it curves a path towards profitability and sustainability. 

However, the announcement has elicited mixed reactions, with some community members praising the transparency while others have expressed outright concern.

Mullin says he does not plan to quit the project and that the team will share more details on its streamlined priorities and operating rhythm in the coming weeks. 

The native token, which hit an all-time high of $9.04 in February 2025, had hit intraday highs of $0.082 as of writing on Jan. 14, 2026.

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• Bitwise’s spot Chainlink ETF offers direct LINK exposure via NYSE Arca.
• The ETF trades as CLNK with a 0.34% fee and an early fee waiver.
• The ETF approval signals rising acceptance of altcoin ETFs in the US.

Bitwise Asset Management has received approval to list its Chainlink ETF on the NYSE Arca.

This launch opens a new avenue for US investors to gain exposure to Chainlink (LINK) without directly holding the cryptocurrency.

Trading for the ETF, which will carry the ticker CLNK, is expected to begin as soon as tomorrow.

The Bitwise Chainlink ETF

The Bitwise Chainlink ETF is a spot ETF, meaning it directly holds LINK tokens.

Therefore, investors can now participate in LINK’s potential upside through traditional brokerage accounts.

This approach eliminates the complexities of self-custody, private keys, and wallets that come with holding crypto directly.

Initially, the ETF will not offer staking services, but Bitwise plans to explore staking as a future feature.

In addition, the fund comes with a management fee of 0.34% annually, which is in line with many similar investment products.

To attract early investors, Bitwise will waive sponsor fees for the first three months on up to $500 million of assets under management.

This incentive is designed to encourage adoption and build liquidity in the ETF at launch.

A new chapter for crypto ETFs

The approval of the Chainlink ETF reflects growing regulatory acceptance of cryptocurrency-based financial products.

It follows a broader trend of institutional investors seeking regulated exposure to alternative cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum.

By listing on the NYSE Arca, Bitwise ensures the ETF meets strict regulatory standards and offers a familiar investment framework.

The market response has been positive, with LINK prices experiencing a boost as investor sentiment rises.

This development may also set the stage for other altcoin ETFs to enter the US market in the near future.

Investors now have a streamlined way to add Chainlink to their portfolios through a regulated vehicle.

Moreover, the ETF’s fee incentives and potential staking features make it an attractive option for both retail and institutional participants.

The approval of CLNK is particularly significant because it highlights the growing acceptance of altcoins in mainstream finance.

It demonstrates that regulators are willing to permit direct investment in specific cryptocurrencies via structured products.

This move also bridges the gap between the crypto market and traditional finance, providing a more secure and accessible entry point.

As investors monitor the ETF’s performance, the broader crypto ecosystem may experience a ripple effect.

For Chainlink, this listing could increase adoption and market interest, potentially impacting token liquidity and price discovery.

At press time, Chainlink’s native token LINK was already up 5.15%, trading at $13.91, showing the ETF approval has had a positive impact on the altcoin.

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• Aptos price rose to $1.99 on Tuesday, gaining by 8% as bulls looked to strengthen.
• Grayscale has announced Aptos as one of the assets under consideration.
• Potential ETF demand could help APT’s price.

Aptos (APT) price is up more than 8% in the past 24 hours as the broader cryptocurrency market catches a bid, with Bitcoin rising to near $93,500.

The Aptos token, native to the blockchain platform powered by the move programming language, is experiencing renewed interest as most other altcoins record a slight rebound.

Many of these tokens, including BNB, TRON, Ethena and Hyperliquid, are part of the assets under consideration for Grayscale Investments.

The firm plans to add several of these, potentially Aptos too, to its suite of crypto investment products.

Aptos price bounces to near $2

Aptos’ native token traded near $1.95 at the time of writing, up more than 8% in the past 24 hours.

The altcoin was looking to ride the new upside momentum that hit cryptocurrencies on Tuesday following the release of the US consumer price index report.

As BTC gained to $93,659 across major exchanges, the APT token surged to highs of $1.99.

Bulls came close to the psychological mark of $2, where bulls last decisively hovered in late November 2025.

Gains for Aptos in recent trading sessions see buyers target a return to winning ways, and institutional interest could bolster this outlook.

Grayscale adds Aptos to list of assets under consideration

Grayscale released its updated list of assets under consideration on Monday, and Aptos sits among the top altcoins the asset manager could add investment products for in the first quarter of 2026.

In Grayscale’s future investment products list are also prominent altcoins across smart contracts, DeFi and artificial intelligence.

Aptos’ inclusion highlights the platform’s growing appeal as a scalablelLayer 1 blockchain, and potential listing of new exchange-traded products (ETPs) could attract substantial capital inflows.

What’s next for Aptos price?

Crypto markets have witnessed a topsy-turvy start to the year, with top coins failing to strengthen as bears tease pressure near key levels.

The Aptos token has, however, largely sported a negative outlook since dropping from highs of $5.46 in October.

However, network milestones like the quantum-resistant upgrade and sharding, aimed for greater scalability, has bulls keen on taking advantage of any would be price gains.

Cross-chain bridges to ecosystems like Ethereum and Solana are also in development, which means further interoperability and DeFi expansion.

If price gains amid all the bullish catalysts, the next target above $2 will be $4 and higher. On the downside, bear will target $1.5 and $1.3.

Macroeconomic challenges aside, regulatory clarity, ETFs and real-world assets put Aptos in a good position for a spike to new highs.

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• Upexi currently has a market capitalisation of $140.32 million.
• The transaction will help the company boost its SOL holdings by 12% to over 2.4 million tokens.
• Solana has seen notable ETF inflows as SOL price hovers near $140.

Upexi, Inc. said on Tuesday that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with Hivemind Capital Partners for a convertible note valued at about $36 million, to be issued in exchange for locked Solana (SOL) tokens.

The transaction comes as the Nasdaq-listed company continues to expand its digital asset treasury.

Upexi currently has a market capitalisation of $140.32 million.

Upexi eyes more Solana

Under the terms outlined in the press release, the convertible note carries an interest rate of 1.0%, payable quarterly, with a fixed conversion price of $2.39 per share and a maturity of 24 months.

The SOL tokens provided as consideration will be used to collateralise the note.

The securities were issued through a private placement directly to Hivemind Capital Partners, with no placement agent or underwriter involved.

Upon finalising this deal, Upexi will use the capital to buy more SOL tokens.

If completed, DAT’s holdings of the token would rise to more than 2.4 million SOL.

Upexi CEO Marshall said the company recorded a 34% rise in adjusted SOL per share in 2025, adding that the deal represents “a great start to building SOL per share in 2026.”

“This transaction improves Upexi’s market position in the Solana treasury space, is accretive to our adjusted Solana per share should the Note convert to equity, and has limited credit risk given the in-kind nature of the transaction,” stated Upexi CEO Allan Marshall.

Solana sees ETF inflows, price gains

The announcement comes against a backdrop of renewed strength in the Solana ecosystem, with SOL price gaining to above $140 as spot Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continue to attract consistent institutional capital inflows.

On Jan. 12, SOL ETFs saw a total of $10.67 million in inflows, with SoSoValue showing total net inflows at over $827 million and net assets at over $1.14 billion.

Solana has seen consecutive net inflows since investors pulled over $32 million from various spot ETFs on December 3, 2025.

SOL and XRP have posted consistent positive flows, which contrasts with the mixed flows witnessed for Bitcoin and Ethereum.

This institutional interest has supported SOL’s price, which has shown resilience and bounced to above $140.

On January 13, 2026, the price of Solana hovered around $143, up on the day as Bitcoin broke to $93,500.

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