This week in the cryptocurrency space, many events are shaping the investment portfolios of investors. From the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump to the Solana ETF deadline and the Jupiter Airdrop release, the market is bracing for a volatile week.
Here are the key events that cryptocurrency investors should be aware of.
Donald Trump's Inauguration and Gary Gensler's Resignation
The week starts with the important event of Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, January 20 in the United States. As Trump prepares for his second term, the cryptocurrency market is eager, anticipating many pro-crypto policies from the President-elect.
Trump is expected to sign crypto-related executive orders in the early days of his term. There is speculation that he may commit to building a U.S. Bitcoin Strategic Reserve in his inauguration speech.
Such a move would legitimize Bitcoin as a state-backed reserve asset and mark a significant shift in the U.S. government's attitude towards cryptocurrencies. From once being skeptical, with Trump's ascension, Bitcoin now stands at the threshold of widespread recognition as a digital gold.
"The incoming administration will usher in a new world for the crypto ecosystem. A Crypto Reserve could spark a race among nations to accumulate Bitcoin and other assets. U.S. crypto-friendly policies are likely to catalyze pro-crypto legislation globally. The key focus now is the composition and scale of the Crypto Reserve, with great anticipation around which currencies will be included," said Tom Trowbridge, co-founder and CEO of Fluence, to TinTucBitcoin.
Trowbridge also predicts that there will be no capital gains tax on U.S.-based cryptocurrencies. If this happens, it could spur trading of these currencies, triggering a race for upcoming projects to list in the U.S. and attract other projects.
Notably, Trump's inauguration day coincides with the expected resignation of crypto adversary Gary Gensler, the outgoing chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Paul Atkins, who has been appointed by Trump, will succeed him as chair and is expected to be pro-crypto.
Solana ETF Approval Deadline
Along with the optimism around Trump's inauguration, the cryptocurrency market is also hoping that the new administration will approve a Solana ETF as the deadline approaches. As TinTucBitcoin reported, Polymarket gives an 82% chance of a Solana ETF being approved when the new administration takes over. This is a remarkable turnaround from the 3% chance just four months ago.
Grayscale's Solana ETF filing has the latest deadline on January 23 with the SEC. This approval deadline could mark a turning point for this financial instrument, opening the door for more altcoin ETFs in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Gary Gensler's departure has opened the door for more crypto ETF applications, signaling optimism for regulatory changes. ETF analyst Eric Balchunas recently predicted that a Litecoin ETF has a better chance and could be the next financial instrument approved by the SEC.
"We've heard rumblings that the Litecoin S-1 filing has received feedback from the SEC. This seems to confirm that, which is supportive of our prediction that Litecoin has a high likelihood of being the next coin approved," Balchunas said.
Jupiter's 700 Million JUP Airdrop
Alongside politics, regulation, and administrative changes, the 700 million JUP Token airdrop by Jupiter is also a top cryptocurrency news item this week. Jupiter's initial airdrop remains one of the most successful on Solana to date. This has made the upcoming airdrop a notable event, especially after Jupiter released a distribution verification tool earlier this month.
Following the success of the initial distribution, Jupiter's "Japuary" airdrop is on track to become one of the largest in crypto history. Rewards range from 25 Tokens for $500 trading volume to a massive 20K Tokens for $10 million volume.
However, the high expectations have caused network congestion. In response, Jupiter has announced plans to address the issue and restore normal operations.
"All of our systems are under extreme load right now, working to restore proper service as soon as possible. Apologies for any inconvenience caused, please submit tickets on Discord for critical issues and we'll do our best to address them. On the bright side, welcome to widespread adoption," Jupiter shared.
The impact of the airdrop on the JUP Token price remains a subject of debate, with analysts offering conflicting views on its potential outcome.
"Will it affect the Token price? NO. There is a big difference between an airdrop without purpose and one linked to a strong DAO with 30% Token burn. The team does not create selling incentives, you can stake and earn over 20% in 4 months through voting. Therefore, the Token price should not be strongly impacted. When Kamino released Season 2, the Token price even increased," said DeFi and Airdrop researcher Jussy.Sol recently.
According to data from TinTucBitcoin, JUP has dropped nearly 17% since the second trading session opened. At the time of writing, it is trading at $0.9963.
Mantle's 2025 Roadmap
Mantle's roadmap for 2025, expected to be announced on January 22, is also generating buzz this week. This network plans to introduce a new product along with the roadmap, making the community eager to see what will happen next.
"Join us for the 'Year 2025: The Year of Mantle' Livestream on X. Important updates on Mantle's 2025 roadmap, vision and products. The first inside look at Mantle's New Product, and an exciting panel with leaders from Ignition (FBTC), mETH Protocol and Mantle on January 22, 1 PM UTC," the project said.
It comes after a successful 2024 for the Mantle Network. According to a recent report, the network has made significant progress in strengthening its tools like the Mantle Network, the mETH protocol and its yield-bearing asset suite.
The platform has achieved a Total Value Locked (TVL) of $2.36 billion, with the self-custodial mETH protocol being the 4th largest staking liquidity protocol for ETH. With the 2025 roadmap, the growth and innovation that Mantle has planned will build on the strong foundation of 2024. AI agents may have a place in Mantle Network's 2025 roadmap.
"2025 will be a pivotal year of development... With the rise of AI agents, we will continue to build the Mantle Gateway in a way that will provide LPs with more sophisticated tools to manage their portfolios," a recent Mantle blog read.
Launch of Zero1 Labs' AI Agent Platform
The Zero1 Labs network will also be in the spotlight in this week's top crypto news with the launch of its AI agent platform. This product will allow the creation, training and deployment of AI agents with automated social media. With this news, three talented teams are ready to unleash their creative agents on RivensAI.
"Rivens' will launch initially next week as the first agent platform on ETH. Testing is underway in a live production environment with some final updates/fixes," Zero1 Labs saidd.
In a post on January 10, Zero1 Labs shared the upcoming launch of its MVP. Its framework is specially designed for EVM agent technology and functions as a decentralized platform focused on X integrations, Token agent deployments and data training.
Notably, Zero1 Labs' native Token, DEAI, will serve as the liquidity Token for all agents, with all fees collected being redirected to their agent launch team.
Release of aiXBT AI Agent Terminal Access Tiers
The release of access tiers for the aiXBT AI agent terminal will complete this week's top crypto news. This move is expected to significantly increase the terminal's revenue.
"Strong volatility in market capitalization and aiXBT awareness. Currently, only around 250 people have access to the terminal (384K USD), accounting for 0.16% of AIXBT Holders. Next week, access tiers will be rolled out. If the terminal is expanded and impresses, it is expected to attract more attention," crypto researcher Nick Garcia said recently.
In this context, the network said that the terminal's access tiers are a positive feedback loop.
"Token follows awareness. Awareness follows terminal access. Terminal access follows Token," the post read.
aiXBT does a good job of tracking changing trends and popular narratives, relying heavily on social data rather than technical analysis. It analyzes data from over 400 key opinion leaders (KOLs) on X.
Since its launch in November 2024, it has gained close to 400K followers by accurately identifying emerging stories in real-time. The AIXBT Token powers the ecosystem, providing Holders access to the aiXBT Terminal and its analytics tools.
High staking requirements create exclusivity but also limit accessibility. Its value is shaped by adoption, trading volume and its role in aiXBT's market intelligence.
