Tech Headlines

1. JPMorgan to Launch Layer 1 Network JPMD on Canton Network

https://foresightnews.pro/news/detail/94506

Foresight News reports, citing The Block, that JPMorgan's blockchain and digital payments unit Kinexys is launching JPM Coin (JPMD) on the Canton Network, a permissionless Layer 1 network designed specifically for institutional finance. This move expands JPM Coin to other networks, after JPM Coin was launched in November 2025 on an Ethereum Layer 2 network backed by Coinbase.

2. Brevis Launches ProverNet Mainnet, Airdrop Now Open to Claim

https://foresightnews.pro/news/detail/94402

Foresight News reports that Brevis announced in a post that the ProverNet mainnet is now live, with BREV payment functionality activated. Staking functionality has also been activated. Provers can lock BREV to qualify for taking on tasks, while token holders can stake tokens to professional provers to receive a share of fees from provers. Staking operations are conducted on Base, with Celer cBridge providing cross-chain bridging support. Every proof task, verification, and settlement on ProverNet is now settled in BREV rather than USDC. The airdrop is now open to claim. According to market data, BREV's market cap is $27.14 million.

3. Ethereum Founder Vitalik: Ethereum Should Prioritize Bandwidth Over Ultra-Low Latency, L2s to Play a Key Long-Term Role

https://foresightnews.pro/news/detail/94576

Foresight News reports that Vitalik Buterin tweeted, "Compared with reducing latency, increasing bandwidth is safer and more reliable. With PeerDAS and ZKP, Ethereum's scalability can increase by thousands of times, and this does not conflict with decentralization. Latency, however, is constrained by the laws of physics and real-world conditions if we want to support global home nodes, censorship resistance, and anonymity. I think reducing latency to the 2–4 second range is a reasonable target, while applications requiring higher real-time performance (e.g., AI-driven) will rely on L2s and localized scaling such as 'city chains.'"

4. Staking Protocol Jito Launches Solana Block Explorer IBRL Explorer, Offering Visibility Into Internal Structure

https://www.theblockbeats.info/flash/326914

BlockBeats reports that on January 6, Solana ecosystem staking protocol Jito announced the launch of the block explorer IBRL Explorer, providing visibility into Solana blocks' internal structure and revealing widespread issues such as "late packing" (concentrating transactions at the end of a slot) and "slot time games" (extending slot duration beyond the default). IBRL Explorer introduces an "IBRL Score" to measure validator performance based on slot time, vote packing, and non-vote packing metrics.

Industry Dynamics

1. People's Bank of China: In 2026, It Will Strengthen Regulation of Virtual Currency Trading and Steadily Develop the Digital Yuan

https://www.panewslab.com/zh/articles/47ea6d3d-110d-47b5-abe2-b5baca7c69da

PANews reported on January 6 that the 2026 People's Bank of China work conference was held from January 5–6. The meeting reviewed work in 2025, noting that in 2025 China actively promoted reforms and improvements in global financial governance, further enhanced the level of financial management and services, and advanced targeted governance of the "funding chains" related to fraud and gambling. It also strengthened regulation of virtual currency trading, enhanced safeguards for cash supply, and optimized the digital yuan management system. Key tasks for 2026 include improving infrastructure for cross-border use of the renminbi, strengthening virtual currency regulation, and continuing to crack down on related illegal and criminal activities. It will deepen technology management and innovative applications and steadily develop the digital yuan.

2. Stablecoin Giant Tether and Video-Sharing Platform Rumble Announce Joint Launch of Non-Custodial Crypto Wallet Rumble Wallet

https://www.panewslab.com/zh/articles/7e61555e-595d-4403-9708-2c5039a94f43

PANews reported on January 7, citing Globenewswire, that video-sharing platform Rumble and stablecoin issuer Tether announced the joint launch of the non-custodial crypto wallet Rumble Wallet, which can be directly integrated into the Rumble platform. The wallet will support USDT, XAUt, and Bitcoin, enabling users to tip creators directly in cryptocurrency. The wallet also supports embedding crypto payments into the video-sharing platform, thereby eliminating the need for intermediaries such as ad networks, banks, or payment processors and allowing creators to receive payments directly from viewers. MoonPay will provide Rumble Wallet users with end-to-end crypto on- and off-ramps.

3. Wyoming's Official Stablecoin FRNT Goes on Public Sale via Kraken, Deployed on Solana

https://www.panewslab.com/zh/articles/13d3dedb-efba-46e7-8019-5721401a6d3a

PANews reported on January 8, citing an announcement from the Wyoming Stable Token Commission, that the U.S. state of Wyoming has officially publicly issued its government-backed, fiat-reserve stablecoin "FRNT" via the Kraken exchange, making it the first fully reserve-backed stablecoin in the United States issued by a public institution. FRNT is deployed on the Solana blockchain and can be bridged via Stargate to multi-chain networks such as Ethereum and Arbitrum. The coin is available to individuals and institutions, supports near-instant settlement and transaction fees as low as $0.01, and interest from its reserves will be used to support education within the state.

4. South Korea Lifts Corporate Crypto Ban, Allows Listed Companies to Invest in Cryptocurrencies

https://foresightnews.pro/news/detail/94798

Foresight News reports, citing Beincrypto, that South Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC) has finalized guidelines allowing listed companies and professional investment institutions to trade cryptocurrencies. The new rules end a nine-year ban, permitting eligible corporate entities to invest up to 5% of their net assets annually in cryptocurrencies that rank among the top 20 by market cap on South Korea's five major exchanges. The policy adjustment is expected to grant market access to about 3,500 entities. Regulators will also require exchanges to implement staggered execution and order size limits. Whether U.S. dollar stablecoins such as USDT qualify as eligible investments is still under discussion.

In-Depth Analysis

1. Venture Capital Firm a16z Crypto: Privacy Will Become a Major Competitive Advantage in the Crypto Space in 2026

https://www.panewslab.com/zh/articles/ee00edc4-60ef-4dfe-b18f-5b80ebf1dee2

PANews reported on January 7, according to The Block, that a16z Crypto General Partner Ali Yahya said in a blog post published Tuesday that by 2026, privacy will become an important competitive differentiator for blockchain networks. Privacy is the key missing feature preventing global finance from fully moving on-chain, and it is also a feature most blockchains still lack. Even as network throughput and fees have converged across chains, privacy alone is now enough to be a powerful factor that differentiates chains and locks in users. The emphasis on privacy is not limited to blockchains themselves. In an a16z Crypto blog post, XMTP Labs co-founder and CEO Shane Mac wrote that as concerns about quantum computing intensify, the next stage of secure communications will require a combination of decentralization and cryptography. Mac called for open protocols with no single controlling entity, where users fully own their messages and identities.

a16z Crypto also stressed the need for "confidentiality as a service," positioning privacy as core infrastructure. Mysten Labs' Adeniyi Abiodun noted that institutions need cryptographic assurances over access to sensitive data, and that the lack of native data access control will force enterprises to adopt centralized systems that limit interoperability, whereas programmable access rules can unlock on-chain systems. Security is likewise a core topic: a16z Crypto cryptography engineer Daejun Park said that attacks in the DeFi sector in 2025 exposed the limitations of the current audit-centric security model, and that the industry needs to shift from "code is law" to "specification is law."