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From OpenAi to Standard Chartered, from Axie Infinity to Tether, here are the crypto and blockchain news you may have missed this week:
OpenAI reportedly targets Q4 2026 IPO to outpace rival Anthropic
The ChatGPT maker is conducting informal discussions with bankers to launch an initial public offering by the end of this year, aiming to beat competitor Anthropic to the public markets.
- OpenAI is currently valued at approximately $500 billion and is accelerating fundraising efforts to secure up to $100 billion from investors including Amazon and SoftBank, despite not projecting profitability until 2030.
- Rival AI firm Anthropic is also preparing for a potential 2026 listing with a valuation around $350 billion and a more optimistic break-even target of 2028.
Axie Infinity replaces AXS rewards with bonded token bAXS
Sky Mavis co-founder Jeff Zirlin announced that Axie Infinity: Origins will transition from distributing standard governance tokens to a new “Bonded AXS” (bAXS) variant. The developers utilize Limit Break’s ERC20-C protocol to issue this “AppToken,” aiming to circulate value within the digital economy rather than facilitating immediate exits.
- The new asset maintains a 1:1 peg with AXS but enforces variable exit fees determined by player reputation scores, with collected charges routed to the project treasury.
- Spot exchange inflows surged to $1.03 million as the token price broke a long-standing downtrend to reach $2.58 upon the release of the strategic pivot.
Forgotten Runiverse goes offline to reassess financial path
The developers of the Ronin-network MMORPG halted all live server operations indefinitely after determining that the current operational model is financially unsustainable. Management framed the decision as a strategic pause to evaluate viability rather than a permanent shutdown, though they provided no specific timeline for a potential return.
- The studio will preserve all player progress and account data to ensure continuity if the title eventually relaunches.
- The game attracted over 250,000 players and reached a peak of 7,000 concurrent users during its beta and initial launch phases.
WLD token surges 27% as Altman eyes biometric social network
The value of the World Network (WLD) token increased by over 27% following a Forbes report that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is developing a social media platform dedicated to verifying human identity. The proposed network aims to eliminate bot activity by requiring biometric “proof of personhood” through integration with tools like Apple’s Face ID or World’s iris-scanning Orb devices.
- Sources indicate the project is in early development with a small team and seeks to address the “dead internet” theory by ensuring all accounts are operated by real humans.
Kevin O’Leary dismisses altcoins as “poo-poo coins” in strategic pivot
The venture capitalist liquidated 27 digital asset positions in October, characterizing the vast majority of cryptocurrencies outside of Bitcoin and Ethereum as “poo-poo coins” that offer no value to institutional investors. O’Leary argued that sovereign wealth funds are exclusively focused on the two market leaders, which he claims generate over 97% of the sector’s total returns.
- He warned that tokens currently down 60% to 90% from their peaks are “never coming back” and should be considered effectively worthless.
- Despite recent market enthusiasm, he specifically criticized Solana as facing a “Sisyphean task” to compete with Ethereum’s entrenched adoption and marketing power.
Standard Chartered: Stablecoins to drain $500B from US banks
Standard Chartered projects that the accelerating adoption of digital assets could siphon $500 billion from the American banking system by 2028. Analysts warn this capital migration represents a structural risk to traditional lenders as stablecoins increasingly replace conventional demand deposits for payments and value storage.
- Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank’s head of digital assets research, identified U.S. regional banks as the most vulnerable sector due to their heavy reliance on deposit-driven net interest margin income.
- The report highlights that legislative delays surrounding the “Clarity Act” have intensified friction between banks and crypto firms, particularly regarding the ability of stablecoin issuers to offer yield.
- This potential capital flight equals roughly one-third of the total stablecoin market capitalization projected for the end of the decade.
Zora coins drive Base token surge amid 18-month low activity
Data indicates a significant divergence between token creation and actual network usage on the Base blockchain. Zora’s low-friction content coin mechanism caused daily token launches to exceed 100,000 recently, yet active wallet addresses and transaction volumes simultaneously fell to their lowest levels in a year and a half.
- Content creator Nick Shirley’s token briefly reached a $15 million market cap after a viral investigation but subsequently collapsed to a valuation below $75,000.
- Shirley reportedly netted up to $65,000 in royalties from the initial speculative frenzy before he ceased further community engagement.
Tether launches federally regulated US stablecoin USAâ‚®
Anchorage Digital Bank N.A. formally issued the first USAâ‚® tokens today as Tether expands its operations into the United States domestic market. This new financial product operates specifically under the federal guidelines established by the GENIUS Act to provide American institutions with a compliant dollar-backed digital asset.
- Former White House Crypto Council Executive Director Bo Hines leads the division, while Cantor Fitzgerald serves as the primary reserve custodian.
- Trading platforms, including Kraken, OKX, and Crypto.com listed the token immediately to facilitate institutional adoption.
Vietnam pivots to institution-led crypto market model
A recent market analysis indicates the Ministry of Finance’s new 10 trillion dong licensing threshold aims to replicate Singapore’s institution-friendly regulatory environment. The policy effectively eliminates small and medium-sized enterprises from the exchange sector to prioritize stability and standardize operations under local financial giants.
- Observers predict a new global division of labor where Vietnam serves as a technical development hub while firms locate compliance headquarters in Dubai.
- The framework contrasts with Hong Kong’s retail-focused strategy by maintaining high entry barriers that likely stifle low-capital startups.
Analysts warn that excessive compliance costs under this regime could inadvertently drive retail users toward unregulated underground markets.
Crypto money laundering hits $82 billion in 2025
Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis reported that illicit cryptocurrency activity reached $82 billion last year, a sharp increase from the $10 billion recorded in 2020. The research identified rapid growth among Chinese-speaking criminal groups as a primary driver, with these networks emerging during the pandemic to process large volumes of digital assets daily.
- Chinese-language networks utilized nearly 1,800 active wallets to move $16.1 billion throughout the year, averaging almost $40 million per day.
- These groups frequently employ “guarantee” platforms that offer escrow services to facilitate transactions and allow launderers to advertise their services while evading detection.
Regulators continue to struggle against these resilient ecosystems as operators quickly migrate to alternative channels when facing enforcement actions.
This feature article is published on BitPinas: OpenAI | Base | Tether | Crypto Catch-Up | Jan. 25 – 31, 2026
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