CFTC issues no-action relief, clearing Bitnomial to offer event contracts

Ethereum is down $31.98 today or 1.02% to $3115.85

• Largest percentage decrease since Jan. 7, 2026, when it dropped 3.88%
• Down two consecutive days, down 4.86% over this period
• Worst two day stretch since the two days ending Dec. 15, 2025, when it fell 5.39%
• Up 4.65% month-to-date
• Up 4.65% year-to-date
• Down 37.12% from its all-time intraday high of $4955.23 on Aug. 24, 2025
• Down 2.88% from 52 weeks ago (Jan. 9, 2025), when it traded at $3208.26
• Up 119.86% from its 52-week intraday low of $1387.85 on April 9, 2025
• Traded as low as $3051.38
• Down 3.06% at today's intraday low

Note: The Ethereum price is a 5 p.m. ET snapshot from Kraken

Data compiled by Dow Jones Market Data

Nexo has launched a zero-interest crypto lending product that allows Bitcoin and Ether holders to borrow against their assets through fixed-term loans.

According to a company announcement, the product, called Zero-interest Credit, offers fixed-term loans for users who hold Bitcoin (BTC) and ETH (ETH), with repayment conditions set in advance. Loans are settled at maturity and can be repaid using either stablecoins or collateral, depending on market conditions.

The offering expands a structured lending model that had previously been available only through Nexo’s private and OTC channels, where it facilitated more than $140 million in borrowing during 2025, according to the company.

Borrowers choose the loan size and duration up front, with terms that prevent liquidation before maturity and define the repayment range. At the end of the term, loans can be settled using either stablecoins or collateral, with the option to renew under new terms.

Nexo is a crypto financial services company founded in 2018 that offers crypto-backed loans, trading and savings services to users across 150 jurisdictions.

In April 2025, the company said that it would reenter the US market after withdrawing in late 2022 and settling a case with the Securities and Exchange Commission for $45 million in early 2023.

Defi lending grows in 2025

Crypto lending has evolved significantly since 2022, when companies such as Celsius and BlockFi were widely blamed for amplifying market contagion and deepening the fallout from the FTX collapse.

In 2025, centralized lenders including Nexo, Ledn, Xapo Bank and Coinbase expanded their crypto lending offerings under more conservative, fully collateralized structures, while decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols also recorded strong growth.

According to DefiLlama data, DeFi lending products grew from about $48.15 billion in total value locked (TVL) on Jan. 1, 2025, to a peak of $91.98 billion on Oct. 7, 2025.

Vultisig is introducing a new DeFi tab that lets users stake and manage liquidity positions for THORChain and Maya Protocol directly inside its self-custody app on all platforms, per the official announcement. The mechanism is a UX upgrade: users can deploy and manage RUNE and CACAO in validators or LPs without leaving the wallet. Easier access typically supports higher participation, which can increase TVL, swap volume, and fee revenue for both networks. More RUNE and CACAO locked in staking and LPs can reduce liquid supply, improving reflexivity if demand for protocol usage rises.

According to the Optimism team’s governance announcement, OP holders will vote on 22 January 2026 on whether to approve a token buyback program, with implementation targeted for February if the proposal passes. Mechanically, a buyback would direct protocol resources to purchasing OP, creating steady external demand and potentially reducing the liquid float over time, depending on scale and duration. Markets typically reprice tokens ahead of such structural flows and around binary governance outcomes, so traders should expect positioning into the vote and elevated volatility around the result and any follow-up implementation details.

The Optimism founders will host an X Space on 12 January 2026 at 12:00 EST to discuss the token buyback governance proposal and the broader roadmap, as detailed in their Space announcement. While the Space is not a code or parameter change, it is an information event that can reset market expectations around the size, funding source, and duration of the planned buyback ahead of the 22 January vote. Any signals about long-term commitment to buybacks or broader value capture could shift OP’s perceived tokenomics and trigger short-term repricing and trading opportunities.