Crypto News – Weekly Recap – January 31, 2026

Weekly Recap:

1. Tether Reveals 140-Ton Gold Hoard Worth $23B

This piece covered Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino’s disclosure that the company holds roughly 140 tons of physical gold stored in a Swiss high-security bunker, valued at about $23 billion.

The article connects stablecoin reserve strategy with hard-asset backing and highlights Tether’s growing role in both bullion markets and tokenized gold products (XAUT). It fits into our stablecoin, reserves transparency, and crypto–traditional finance convergence coverage.

2. Chinese National Sentenced to 46 Months in $36.9M Crypto Scam

This report focused on the U.S. sentencing of Jingliang Su for his role in laundering proceeds from a large crypto investment scam affecting 174 victims.

We detailed the laundering pipeline (bank accounts → Deltec Bank → USDT → offshore wallets) and tied it to broader “pig butchering” scam trends and enforcement actions. This supports our crypto crime, regulation, and enforcement tracking pages.

3. European Banks Form Qivalis Consortium for Euro Stablecoin (2026 Target)

This article examined the launch of the Qivalis consortium by ten major European banks to issue a MiCAR-compliant euro-pegged stablecoin by H2 2026.

The focus was on regulated bank-issued digital money, EU policy alignment, and competitive positioning versus dollar-based stablecoins. It fits our stablecoin, CBDC/regulated digital currency, and institutional crypto adoption sections.

4. Coinbase–Coinone Acquisition Speculation

We covered market rumors that Coinbase might acquire or invest in South Korea’s Coinone exchange, the subsequent denial, and the market reaction.

The piece placed the speculation in the context of Coinbase’s recent acquisition spree and broader exchange consolidation trends. This supports our exchange M&A, global expansion, and market structure coverage.

5. Will TRUMP Coin Rally Ahead of Melania Trump Movie Release?

This analysis piece explored whether the Melania documentary release could act as a narrative catalyst for TRUMP and MELANIA meme coins.

We reviewed token history, volatility, ownership concentration, and broader meme coin dynamics, concluding that any rally would likely be narrative-driven and temporary. This aligns with our meme coin, narrative-driven markets, and political-crypto intersection pages.