Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers recommend a maximum of six and a half years in prison for the FTX founder, the NFT market shows signs of recovery with $1.8B in sales in December 2023, the IRS hires former crypto executives to enhance digital asset expertise, VanEck launches a self-custodial NFT marketplace called SegMint, and Strike expands its Bitcoin payment services to seven African countries.

Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX sells its European arm for $32.7M to settle a lawsuit, a PwC survey reveals Bitcoin remains the most popular digital asset among retail investors, a U.S. judge grants a temporary restraining order in favor of crypto miners against an energy use survey, MicroStrategy's Twitter account hack leads to a significant crypto theft, OANDA announces the launch of crypto trading services in the U.K., and BitForex goes offline after a $56.5M withdrawal incident.

Kraken seeks to dismiss an SEC lawsuit over jurisdiction issues, Avalanche's AVAX price drops following a network outage, Reddit invests in cryptocurrencies ahead of its IPO, FTX plans to sell its stake in AI firm Anthropic to boost cash reserves, the EU selects Frankfurt for its Anti-Money Laundering Authority headquarters, and Swiss researchers find blockchain outperforms other tech sectors in startup investment returns.

Former CEOs of collapsed crypto firms Celsius Network and FTX appeared in court over potential legal team conflicts, while a Chainalysis report showed a 30% drop in crypto laundering in 2023, and Gemini's co-founders donated $4.9M to a pro-crypto PAC, as Hack VC raised $150M for a new venture fund, and Switzerland's PostFinance launched crypto trading and custody services in collaboration with Sygnum.

FTX's creditors have filed a lawsuit against law firm Sullivan & Cromwell over its role in the crypto exchange's bankruptcy, OpenAI's Worldcoin sees a 204% price surge following the launch of a new AI tool, Y Combinator adds stablecoin finance to its investment focus, Yuga Labs acquires NFT firm Proof, Honduras bans crypto trading for financial institutions, and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin explores AI's potential to identify bugs in the blockchain.

Citigroup successfully tested tokenizing a private equity fund on the Avalanche blockchain, the U.S. now leads in Bitcoin ETF assets with $34.78B, Tiger Global Management sold its entire stake in Coinbase, Bakkt received regulatory approval to issue $150M in securities, and Superchief Gallery announced the opening of the world's first Bitcoin Ordinals art gallery in San Francisco.

Ripple acquires digital asset custody firm Standard Custody & Trust Company, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index hits a 27-month high amid Bitcoin's surge past $50,000, Ledger partners with Coinbase for easier crypto transfers to hardware wallets, StoneX Group expands its digital asset team and plans new crypto services, Banxa's U.K. subsidiary becomes a regulated entity by the Financial Conduct Authority, and The Glenlivet launches a 50-year-old whisky collection paired with Ethereum-based NFTs.

Bitcoin's price surged past $50,000, reaching a 26-month high due to investor interest in spot Bitcoin ETFs and anticipation of the upcoming halving event, while venture capital funding in the crypto space showed a significant increase in January despite a general downturn in investment following high-profile collapses in the industry.

Genesis Global settles a lawsuit with the New York Attorney General over the Gemini Earn program, agreeing to repay funds to former customers and creditors, while Bitcoin's price surge is attributed to investor interest in U.S.-based spot Bitcoin ETFs and the upcoming halving event, and the SEC faces criticism from U.S. senators over its handling of crypto enforcement actions.

U.S. Judge orders FTX's former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried to court over potential legal team conflicts, Bakkt's stock plummets due to financial concerns, investors sue the NBA over Voyager Digital promotions, Montenegrin court cancels Do Kwon's extradition again, and TradeStation Crypto settles with SEC and NASAA for $3M over unregistered securities charges.