Bitcoin at $62542.37 as Dan Held states banks bent the knee to BTC on BeInCrypto podcast amid bearish 4h chart signals.

According to Eleanor Terrett, during the Milken Institute Future of Finance event, financial executives speculated that former President Trump would refrain from taking a position in the ongoing stablecoin yield debate between the crypto industry and traditional banks. This hesitation was believed to persist until he completed fundraising efforts from both sides. However, recent developments suggest a shift in this expectation.

According to Altcoin Daily, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stated that banks are fully capable of serving crypto customers, highlighting the evolving relationship between traditional financial institutions and the cryptocurrency sector. Powell's remarks could signal increased integration of crypto services within the banking industry, potentially impacting adoption and trading volumes.

According to the source, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said banks are trying to "kill" competition under the current crypto Clarity Act. Source: Brian Armstrong’s remarks in a video clip circulating on X on Jan 15, 2026. The comments are a public, on-record statement by the CEO of Coinbase, which is publicly listed under ticker COIN on Nasdaq. Source: Armstrong’s X video remarks on Jan 15, 2026; Nasdaq listing for Coinbase (COIN).

According to the source, Elliptic reports a global crypto pivot led by banks, stablecoins, and Asia-based hubs, indicating where institutional adoption and liquidity rails are concentrating as described by Elliptic. Traders should track bank-led on and off ramp integrations, stablecoin liquidity, and Asian trading hours for BTC and ETH order flow highlighted by Elliptic. Focusing on stablecoin pairs and Asia-exchange volumes aligns positioning with the segments Elliptic identifies as driving this shift, according to Elliptic.

According to the source, the OCC chief warned that banks that block crypto custody risk irrelevance to clients seeking digital-asset services, aligning with existing OCC guidance that permits national banks to offer crypto custody (source: the source post; source: OCC Interpretive Letter 1170, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, July 2020). OCC letters 1172 and 1174 further permit banks to hold stablecoin issuer reserves and to use independent node verification networks and stablecoins for payments, outlining clear pathways for bank participation in digital assets (source: OCC Interpretive Letter 1172, OCC, Sept 2020; source: OCC Interpretive Letter 1174, OCC, Jan 2021). Banks must still obtain supervisory nonobjection before engaging in these activities and address accounting treatment under SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin 121, both of which have constrained some large banks’ crypto custody offerings (source: OCC Chief Counsel Interpretive Letter 1179, OCC, Nov 2021; source: SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121, U.S. SEC, Mar 31, 2022). For traders, confirmation of bank-led custody or stablecoin reserve services would expand qualified custodial options for institutions and enable mandate-compliant participation in BTC and ETH markets because banks are qualified custodians under the SEC Custody Rule (source: 17 CFR 275.206(4)-2, SEC Custody Rule; source: OCC Interpretive Letter 1170, OCC, July 2020). Monitor regulatory filings and bank disclosures for new crypto custody launches and for updates from U.S. banking regulators that could accelerate or slow institutional adoption (source: Federal Reserve, FDIC, and OCC Joint Statement on Crypto-Asset Risks to Banking Organizations, Jan 3, 2023).