crypto

Sage D. Young1/8/26

Trump-connected WLFI token jumps to 3-month high on news of banking application

World Liberty Financial’s token, WLFI, is the top cryptocurrency gainer in the last 24 hours, peaking at a three-month high of 18.5 cents after the Donald Trump-backed crypto firm announced that a proposed entity has applied for a US banking charter.

According to a press release, World Liberty Trust Company filed a de novo application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a branch of the US Treasury Department tasked with supervising and regulating national banks.

With a national trust bank charter, World Liberty Trust can issue USD1, the dollar-backed stablecoin rolled out by World Liberty Financial last year. The trust company also plans to offer digital asset custody and stablecoin conversion services.

Even though World Liberty Financial and World Liberty Trust Company share similar branding and names, the ownership and operating structures are different, a statement provided to CoinDesk explained. President Trump is labeled as World Liberty Financial’s cofounder emeritus, while his three sons, Eric, Donald Jr., and Barron, are cited as cofounders.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency under the Trump administration has already approved bank charter applications from several firms, including Circle Internet Group, Ripple, and BitGo, which maintains all reserve assets backing USD1.

Exclusive | World Liberty, Flagship in Trumps’ Crypto Fleet, Seeks a U.S. Banking License

Exclusive | World Liberty, Flagship in Trumps’ Crypto Fleet, Seeks a U.S. Banking License

With a national trust bank charter, World Liberty Trust can issue USD1, the dollar-backed stablecoin rolled out by World Liberty Financial last year. The trust company also plans to offer digital asset custody and stablecoin conversion services.

Even though World Liberty Financial and World Liberty Trust Company share similar branding and names, the ownership and operating structures are different, a statement provided to CoinDesk explained. President Trump is labeled as World Liberty Financial’s cofounder emeritus, while his three sons, Eric, Donald Jr., and Barron, are cited as cofounders.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency under the Trump administration has already approved bank charter applications from several firms, including Circle Internet Group, Ripple, and BitGo, which maintains all reserve assets backing USD1.

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Ethereum nears key levels as macro repricing weighs on crypto industry

Around $315.6 million worth of leveraged long positions would be liquidated on Hyperliquid if the price of ethereum dropped to $1,350.

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Yaël Bizouati-Kennedy

Half-price sale

Bitcoin falls 50% from all-time high and on track for its worst month since June 2022

“The market is priced for catastrophe,” the head of research at Amberdata said.

Bitcoin?

crypto

Sage D. Young2/23/26

Buterin’s sales, ETF outflow streak weigh on ethereum

The price of ethereum remains under pressure as ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin selling a tranche of his holdings and sustained spot ETF outflows act as headwinds for the second-largest cryptocurrency.

Buterin sold $5.9 million worth of ethereum over the past several days after withdrawing 3,500 tokens from lending protocol Aave, on-chain data from blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence shows. Since the beginning of the month, Buterin has reportedly sold 8,000 tokens.

Vitalik Buterin sells ethereum

“Historically, his sales have funded ecosystem development or philanthropy rather than signaling reduced conviction,” per Kelly Ye, deputy chief investment officer of Avenir Group. “It may create short-term sentiment pressure, but it’s not necessarily a structural negative — especially given his continued active role in building ethereum,” Ye told Sherwood News.

Meanwhile, spot ethereum ETFs recorded $123.4 million in outflows last week, marking the fifth consecutive week of outflows. In total, nearly $1.4 billion has exited from the funds during the stretch, data from SoSoValue shows. “ETF outflows reflect positioning and liquidity conditions more than protocol fundamentals. ETH is still being treated tactically by many allocators rather than as a core allocation,” Ye added.

The longest outflow streak for the investment vehicles is eight weeks, occurring between February and April 2025, when the cryptocurrency dropped from $2,200 to under $1,600.

Still, pockets of demand persist. BitMine Immersion Technologies, the leading ethereum treasury firm, acquired roughly $100 million worth of tokens last week, according to a press release.

“In the midst of this ‘mini crypto winter,’ our focus continues to be on methodically executing our treasury strategy and steadily acquiring ETH and in turn, optimizing the yield on our ETH holdings,” BitMine Chairman Tom Lee said in a statement.

Yaël Bizouati-Kennedy

Bitcoin market pain intensifies as ETF outflows continue and miner exits for AI

Meanwhile, Strategy is unfazed by bitcoin’s woes and announced its 100th bitcoin purchase.

Bitcoin store

Aave dips amid BGD Labs announcing it will cease contributions

“Their departure is the most significant talent loss in Aave’s history.”

Confrontation

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