Crypto weekly is authored by maaria and david blumenfeld

PRICE CHANGE: WTD/YTD
- Crypto Market Cap ($3.27T): +1% / -4%
- BTC ($95,960): +1% / +3%
- ETH ($2,621): -6% / -21%
- SOL ($198): +2% / +5%
- UNI ($9.02): -26% / -34%
- OP ($1.04): +4% / -32%
- Tether Mkt Cap ($141B): +2% / +2%
- USDC Mkt Cap ($56B): +5% / +28%
- BTC / ETH Dominance: 58% / 10%

THIS WEEK IN CRYPTO
- Bitcoin gained 3% year-to-date compared to gold's 9% rise as investors shift toward risk-off assets amid Trump's trade war threats and tariff policies. Link.

- Representatives William Timmons (R-SC) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY) released draft NFT legislation designating certain NFTs (artwork, gaming assets, memberships) as non-securities, aiming for inclusion in revised FIT21 digital asset framework. Link. Draft bill.

- Two bipartisan stablecoin proposals mirror EU's MiCA requirements, potentially delisting Tether's USDT from U.S. exchanges. Bills mandate audits by major U.S. accounting firms—which Tether indicated it won't obtain. Link.

- Alexey Pertsev was released under electronic monitoring pending appeal after being sentenced to 64 months on money laundering charges in the Netherlands for his work on Tornado Cash. Link.

- Ethereum raised gas limits for the first time in three years from 15 million to 32 million per block, expected to reduce transaction fees. Link.

- Polymarket reached record 450,000 monthly active traders in January, though volumes declined from November's $2.6B peak to $1.23B. Link.

- MicroStrategy rebranded as "Strategy" with a new Bitcoin-focused logo. Link.

- Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) joined Republicans criticizing bank debanking of crypto firms—a notable departure from her previous anti-crypto stance. Link.

- Jorge Tenreiro, the SEC's top crypto litigator, was reassigned to IT as the agency shifts away from "regulation by enforcement." Link.

- Republican lawmakers and White House crypto czar David Sacks formed a working group targeting stablecoin legislation within Trump's first 100 days. Link.

- MELANIA and TRUMP memecoins plummeted 90% and 75% respectively, losing over $12 billion collectively since post-inauguration launch. Link.

- Franklin Templeton filed amended S-1 registration for a crypto index ETF initially tracking Bitcoin and Ethereum, with potential for additional assets pending SEC approval. Link.

- Ondo Finance, the second-largest tokenized Treasuries issuer, announced plans for a dedicated layer-1 blockchain for real-world asset tokenization. Link.

- The Solana-based AI agent DAO ai16z rebranded to ElizaOS following venture firm a16z's request. Link.

- The Winklevoss twins' exchange Gemini is exploring an initial public offering this year. Link.