• Tether Gold (XAUt) outperforms crypto as investors rotate into gold-backed safety.
• Whale accumulation and new liquidity channels reinforce bullish momentum.
• Key levels to watch are the support at $4,800 and the resistance at $5,000.

Tether Gold (XAUt) is drawing intense market attention as its price surges alongside a historic rally in physical gold.

The token, which is backed 1:1 by allocated gold stored in Swiss vaults, has benefited directly from growing global demand for safe-haven assets.

As geopolitical tensions, especially in the Middle East, rise and uncertainty weighs on risk assets, investors are increasingly turning to gold and gold-linked digital instruments.

This shift has pushed XAUt firmly into the spotlight as one of the strongest-performing real-world asset tokens in the crypto market.

Tether Gold (XAUt) outperforms a weakening crypto market

XAUt is up 2.3% over the past 24 hours, clearly outperforming a broader crypto market that has remained flat to slightly negative.

This daily move extends an already strong trend, with gains of roughly 7.3% over the last seven days and nearly 10% over the past month.

At the time of writing, Tether Gold (XAUt) is trading near $4,950, just shy of its recent all-time high around $4,960.

The token’s market capitalisation stands at approximately $2.57 billion, supported by a circulating supply of just over 520,000 tokens.

Trading activity has also surged, with more than $220 million in 24-hour volume highlighting growing liquidity and participation.

These figures confirm that XAUt’s rally is not thin or speculative, but backed by meaningful capital flows.

Gold’s safe-haven rally fuels XAUt demand

The primary driver behind XAUt’s surge is the powerful rally in physical gold prices.

Over the past year, gold has climbed nearly 70%, with prices now pushing toward the psychologically critical $5,000 per ounce level.

This move has been fueled by escalating geopolitical tensions, renewed tariff concerns, and growing fears of macroeconomic instability.

Because Tether Gold (XAUt) is directly pegged to the price of physical gold, any sustained upside in gold creates immediate upward pressure on the token.

The redemption and arbitrage mechanisms behind XAUt help keep its price closely aligned with spot gold markets.

As analysts and industry leaders increasingly project gold prices approaching or testing $5,000, sentiment around gold-backed digital assets has strengthened.

This macro-driven demand gives XAUt a structural advantage over many crypto assets that rely primarily on speculative momentum.

Whale accumulation signals defensive positioning

On-chain data suggests that large investors are actively accumulating XAUt as part of a defensive strategy.

Recent reports indicate that several linked wallets purchased more than 3,100 XAUt, worth roughly $13.7 million, at an average price near $4,422.

Another whale reportedly spent over $2 million to acquire more than 430 XAUt just days ago.

These purchases point to a broader rotation from volatile crypto assets into tokenised real-world assets.

Such accumulation adds concentrated buy-side pressure and often precedes sustained price strength.

It also reinforces the narrative that XAUt is increasingly being used as an on-chain hedge rather than a short-term trade.

Liquidity and technical momentum strengthen the trend

XAUt’s recent integration on the Mantle network via Bybit has further improved accessibility and reduced transaction costs.

📣 Bybit will soon support @tethergold on @Mantle_Official.

Bybit will open $XAUT deposit and withdrawal support via Mantle on Jan 20, 2026, at 10AM UTC. Enjoy 0 withdrawal fees on Mantle for a limited time!

Learn more: https://t.co/WPYEgxDPJv pic.twitter.com/TDRAtBh5nN

— Bybit Plus (@BybitPlus) January 19, 2026

Lower friction and deeper liquidity make it easier for both retail and institutional participants to gain exposure.

From a technical perspective, momentum remains decisively bullish.

The token is trading well above its key moving averages, with the 7-day and 30-day SMAs acting as strong dynamic support.

However, the 7-day RSI near 95 indicates overbought conditions, suggesting that short-term pullbacks are possible.

Even so, overbought readings during strong uptrends often reflect persistent demand rather than imminent reversals.

Tether Gold price forecast

Looking ahead, traders should closely monitor several key price levels.

Immediate resistance sits near the all-time high zone between $4,950 and $5,000, which aligns with the psychological milestone in spot gold.

A clean breakout and sustained hold above $5,000 could open the door to further upside, especially if gold continues its macro-driven rally.

On the downside, initial support lies near $4,800, a level closely tied to recent consolidation and gold’s breakout zone.

Below that, stronger support may emerge around the $4,700 to $4,720 area, near the short-term moving averages.

As long as gold holds above critical psychological levels and whale accumulation persists, XAUt’s broader trend remains firmly bullish.

The post Tether Gold (XAUt) surges as gold approaches $5,000 mark appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Companies would be limited to investing up to 5% of their equity capital.
• Only top market cap tokens on major regulated exchanges would be eligible.
• Stablecoin inclusion remains under regulatory discussion.

South Korea is preparing to reopen its digital asset market to corporate money, marking a major shift after nearly a decade of tight restrictions.

Financial regulators are updating long-standing guidelines that have barred companies from holding crypto assets since 2017, a period defined by concerns over money laundering and market instability.

The proposed changes would allow listed companies and professional investors to allocate a limited portion of their balance sheets to cryptocurrencies.

The move signals a recalibration of policy as Seoul seeks to strengthen its digital finance ecosystem while keeping risks contained through strict guardrails.

Corporate access returns

According to a report by the Financial Services Commission, legal entities will be permitted to invest up to 5% of their equity capital in crypto assets.

The information was reported by the Seoul Economic Daily.

Regulators are expected to release the final version of the guidelines in January or February.

Once in place, companies will be able to engage in virtual currency transactions for investment and financial purposes, ending a nine-year prohibition.

The FSC first outlined a phased easing of corporate crypto rules in February 2025 and shared the latest draft with its crypto working group on Jan. 6.

The approach reflects a gradual opening rather than a wholesale liberalisation.

Tight limits on assets

The planned framework places clear limits on where and how companies can invest.

Corporate purchases will be restricted to the top 20 crypto assets by market capitalisation, narrowing exposure to the most liquid and widely traded tokens.

Transactions will also be confined to South Korea’s five largest regulated exchanges, reinforcing oversight and compliance standards.

The inclusion of dollar-pegged stablecoins remains unresolved.

The report said regulators are still debating whether assets such as Tether’s USDT should be permitted under the new rules.

These conditions are designed to address the same financial crime risks that prompted the original ban, while recognising that the domestic market has matured since 2017.

Market impact expectations

The reopening of corporate access could unlock significant capital flows into crypto markets.

Seoul Economic Daily noted that the scale of potential investment runs into tens of trillions of won.

By way of illustration, the report pointed to internet giant Naver, which holds around 27 trillion won in equity capital.

Under the proposed cap, the company could theoretically deploy funds equivalent to roughly 10,000 Bitcoin.

Beyond direct market inflows, the change could alter corporate strategy.

Large South Korean firms have previously invested in digital assets overseas to avoid domestic restrictions.

Easing local rules may redirect that activity back home, supporting blockchain startups, digital asset treasuries, and related infrastructure.

Broader digital currency strategy

The corporate crypto shift sits alongside a wider push into digital currencies.

The government has outlined plans to execute 25% of national treasury transactions through a central bank digital currency by 2030 as part of its 2026 Economic Growth Strategy.

The government also plans to introduce a licensing regime for stablecoin issuers.

Under the proposal, issuers would need to maintain 100% reserve backing and provide legally guaranteed redemption rights for users.

Together, these measures suggest South Korea is seeking to integrate crypto assets, stablecoins, and a CBDC into a single regulatory framework rather than treating them as isolated experiments.

The post South Korea moves to reopen corporate crypto investing after long freeze appeared first on CoinJournal.

• The action was detected by Whale Alert and ranks among the largest single-day USDT freezes.
• Tether has frozen over $3 billion in assets from more than 7,000 addresses since 2023.
• Stablecoins now account for the majority of illicit crypto activity tracked by Chainalysis.

Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin, froze more than $180 million worth of USDT within 24 hours, underscoring the growing role of centralized control and law-enforcement coordination in the stablecoin market.

The event stands out not only for its size but also for what it reveals about issuer-level control in the crypto economy.

As regulators scrutinise digital dollars more closely, the mechanics behind this freeze offer insight into how compliance now shapes on-chain liquidity.

Large-scale freeze on Tron

On Jan. 11, Tether froze roughly $182 million worth of USDT held across five Tron-based wallets in a single day.

The action was flagged by on-chain tracker Whale Alert, which showed individual wallet balances ranging from about $12 million to nearly $50 million.

The timing and concentration of the freezes marked it as one of the largest single-day USDT enforcement events recorded on the Tron network.

The wallets were not drained or moved.

Instead, the tokens were locked at the contract level, making them unusable while remaining visible on-chain.

This approach is consistent with how fiat-backed stablecoins are restricted when issuers respond to external requests.

Enforcement-linked coordination

While Tether did not publish a detailed explanation, the freezes appear linked to cooperation with US authorities, including the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Historically, similar actions have followed investigations tied to scams, hacking incidents, sanctions breaches, or other forms of illegal crypto usage.

Tether maintains administrative control through special keys embedded in the USDT smart contracts it issues.

These keys allow the company to halt or freeze tokens at the issuer level.

Such functionality is central to how stablecoin operators comply with anti-money-laundering rules and legal enforcement demands, particularly when funds are suspected of being linked to criminal activity.

Scale of past USDT freezes

Data from analytics firm AMLBot places the Jan. 11 action in a broader context.

Between 2023 and 2025, Tether froze more than $3 billion in assets spread across over 7,000 addresses.

That cumulative figure far exceeds comparable actions by other stablecoin issuers, underlining USDT’s dominant role in enforcement-led interventions.

Tron has become one of the largest settlement layers for USDT, with more than $80 billion in circulation on the network.

Its low fees and fast settlement times have driven adoption, particularly in emerging markets and high-frequency trading environments.

At the same time, this scale makes Tron-based USDT a focal point for monitoring illicit flows.

Centralisation and market implications

The episode has renewed debate around centralised control in stablecoins.

Unlike decentralised assets such as Bitcoin, USDT can be paused or frozen by its issuer when legal pressure is applied.

This structural difference has practical consequences for users who rely on stablecoins as cash equivalents.

According to Chainalysis, stablecoins accounted for around 84 % of illicit crypto activity by the end of 2025.

The data reflects how dollar-pegged tokens have become a primary medium in fraud cases and sanctions-related transfers.

As enforcement actions grow in size and frequency, issuer-controlled stablecoins continue to sit at the intersection of regulatory compliance and decentralised finance.

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• Products listed as XAUUSDT and XAGUSDT are designed to track gold and silver prices onchain.
• The contracts operate under FSRA regulation in Abu Dhabi through the ADGM framework.
• Other major exchanges already offer precious metals-linked perpetual contracts, reflecting rising demand.

Binance has widened its derivatives suite by adding perpetual futures linked to gold and silver, marking a push beyond purely digital assets.

The move reflects growing demand among crypto-native traders for exposure to traditional safe-haven markets through familiar onchain infrastructure.

By listing precious metals products that trade around the clock and have no expiry date, the exchange is positioning itself at the intersection of commodities and crypto trading.

The launch comes as gold and silver prices have reached fresh records, drawing renewed attention from investors seeking hedges against volatility across global markets.

Precious metals enter crypto derivatives

The exchange said on Thursday that it had launched perpetual futures contracts tied to gold and silver.

The products allow traders to speculate on price movements without holding the underlying metals and without worrying about contract expiration.

Trading is available continuously, mirroring the structure of crypto perpetuals that already dominate derivatives volumes on major exchanges.

The contracts are listed under the symbols XAUUSDT and XAGUSDT. Both are designed to track the market price of gold and silver, respectively.

Instead of physical settlement, positions are settled in Tether’s USDT stablecoin, giving traders onchain exposure to precious metals pricing while remaining within a crypto-based settlement system.

Settlement and market access

By settling the contracts in USDT, Binance is extending the use of stablecoins beyond crypto-native assets into traditional commodity-linked products.

This structure allows traders to gain price exposure without converting funds into fiat currencies or commodity-backed instruments.

It also removes the need for storage, delivery, or custody arrangements associated with physical gold and silver.

The approach highlights how derivatives are being used to mirror traditional financial markets inside crypto trading platforms.

Binance has indicated that additional contracts linked to traditional assets are planned, suggesting that commodities and other non-crypto markets may feature more prominently in future product rollouts.

Regulatory framework in Abu Dhabi

The gold and silver perpetuals are offered through Next Exchange Limited, a Binance entity operating under the Abu Dhabi Global Market framework.

The contracts fall under the supervision of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority, with Binance holding the relevant licences within ADGM.

This regulatory setup is central to Binance’s effort to expand its derivatives catalogue while maintaining compliance in key jurisdictions.

Abu Dhabi has also become relevant for stablecoin usage, with USDT approved for use by regulated companies in the emirate, even as Tether has chosen not to seek authorisation under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework.

Competition and safe haven demand

Binance is not alone in offering precious metals-linked perpetual contracts.

Other exchanges active in this segment include Coinbase, MEXC, BTCC, BingX, and Bybit, although Bybit currently limits its offering to gold-linked perpetuals.

The growing number of platforms listing such products points to rising interest in blending commodity exposure with crypto derivatives trading.

The timing of Binance’s launch aligns with a period of heightened demand for safe-haven assets.

Both gold and silver have recently climbed to new all-time highs, driven by investor appetite for assets perceived as stores of value.

By enabling trading in these markets via USDT-settled perpetuals, Binance is tapping into that demand while keeping activity within its existing derivatives ecosystem.

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• Ubyx focuses on clearing and reconciling stablecoins issued by different providers.
• Barclays is prioritising regulated tokenised money rather than issuing its own stablecoin.
• The stablecoin market continues to be dominated by Tether, with most usage confined to crypto trading.

Barclays has taken its first direct step into the stablecoin sector by investing in US-based settlement firm Ubyx, marking a shift in how the British lender is approaching digital money.

The move, as reported by Reuters, comes as global banks cautiously test how blockchain-based payment systems could be integrated into regulated finance.

Rather than issuing a token of its own, Barclays is backing market infrastructure that sits behind stablecoins.

The investment also reflects renewed institutional interest in crypto-linked systems after a sharp rebound in digital asset markets and a more supportive stance from US President Donald Trump toward the sector.

What Ubyx does

Ubyx, launched in 2025, operates as a clearing and settlement layer for stablecoins.

Its core function is to reconcile tokens issued by different stablecoin providers, allowing them to move more smoothly across platforms.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to track mainstream currencies on a one-to-one basis, most commonly the dollar.

While they are widely used within crypto trading, their fragmented issuance model has limited broader interoperability.

Ubyx aims to address that fragmentation by acting as a neutral clearing system rather than a token issuer.

Barclays has not disclosed the size or valuation of its stake, but confirmed it is the bank’s first investment in a stablecoin-related company.

Other backers of Ubyx include the venture capital arms of Coinbase and Galaxy Digital, according to PitchBook data.

Why banks are paying attention

Over the past year, banks and financial institutions have revived discussions around stablecoins and tokenised assets.

This renewed momentum has been driven by rising crypto prices and political signals in the US that are perceived as more favourable to the sector.

Stablecoins are increasingly viewed as a potential bridge between traditional finance and blockchain systems, particularly for settlement and cross-border transfers.

Despite this interest, most bank-led blockchain initiatives remain at an early stage. Institutions are still assessing regulatory boundaries, operational risks, and real-world demand.

Barclays has framed its involvement with Ubyx as part of a broader effort to explore tokenised money that remains within existing regulatory frameworks, rather than operating in parallel systems outside them.

Regulatory perimeter focus

A key element of the Barclays-Ubyx relationship is its emphasis on regulation.

The bank has said the collaboration is intended to support the development of tokenised money within the regulatory perimeter.

This approach aligns with how major lenders are positioning themselves in the digital asset space, prioritising compliance and supervisory clarity over speed.

In October, Barclays was among 10 banks, including Goldman Sachs and UBS, that announced a joint initiative to explore issuing a stablecoin linked to G7 currencies.

That project highlighted growing coordination among large banks, even as concrete launches remain some way off.

Stablecoin market context

The stablecoin market has expanded rapidly in recent years.

The sector is dominated by Tether, which has about $187 billion worth of tokens in circulation.

Despite their size, stablecoins are still primarily used for transferring funds within crypto markets rather than for everyday payments or corporate settlement.

By investing in Ubyx, Barclays is targeting the infrastructure that could support wider adoption if stablecoins move beyond their current niche.

The strategy suggests that major banks are preparing for multiple future scenarios, even as the practical use of stablecoins in mainstream finance remains limited for now.

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