The Ethereum price has struggled to regain momentum amid a persistent 
downtrend. After closing the last four months in the red, the world’s second- 
largest cryptocurrency is showing no signs of relief in January 2026. On-chain 
data shows that Ethereum’s current trajectory mirrors past cycle downturns, 
raising the possibility of further price declines and prolonged bearish 
sentiment. Ethereum Price Nears Fifth Consecutive Month Of Losses Ethereum has 
been in a prolonged slump, marking its fourth straight month of losses in 
2025. As the market navigates the final week of January, the cryptocurrency is 
poised to potentially close a fifth consecutive month in the red, a streak 
that would reinforce the ongoing bearish trend. Related Reading: Analyst Says 
You’re Not Bullish Enough On Ethereum – What Does He Mean? On-chain data from 
CryptoRank shows that throughout 2025, Ethereum saw more red months than green 
ones. The cryptocurrency began the year with four consecutive months of 
decline from January to April, followed by a brief recovery in May, only to 
fall again in June. After this, ETH posted two months of gains, finishing July 
and August in the green. However, this recovery was short-lived, and since 
then, the cryptocurrency has been in a downtrend. During its most recent four- 
month decline, CryptoRanks reported that Ethereum closed September down by 
5.59%. The downtrend accelerated at the end of November, with the 
cryptocurrency crashing by 22.2%, more than four times the decline of the 
previous monthly close. December 2025 saw another month in the red, though the 
drop was much smaller, at just 0.83%. Now, in January 2026, Ethereum is still 
in a downtrend. On-chain data indicates the cryptocurrency has already fallen 
1.78% this month, and shows no sure signs of a bullish reversal. Moreover, at 
the time of writing, ETH is trading above $2,900, reflecting a roughly 5.95% 
decline over the past week. What A Red January Could Mean For ETH The last 
time Ethereum closed five consecutive months in the red was in 2018. That 
year, Ethereum significantly underperformed, recording gains in only 3 of 12 
months. The cryptocurrency had posted continuous monthly losses, with November 
marking its steepest monthly decline at 42.5%. Related Reading: Ethereum 
Funding Rates Pushing Towards Negative: What’s Going On? After the four-month 
closing streak, Ethereum’s downtrend persisted for another two months before 
experiencing a sharp but brief recovery in December 2018. Despite this 
temporary rebound, the cryptocurrency closed January 2019 in the red, falling 
20%. If history were to repeat itself in the current cycle, Ethereum could end 
January in a decline, similar to its 2018 performance. Interestingly, 
historical data shows that February has often been a bullish month for ETH. 
However, 2025 has seen declines from January through to April; it’s uncertain 
if Ethereum will follow past bullish patterns. For now, what is certain is 
that ETH’s price is down and would need a significant boost in its bullish 
momentum. Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com

5 Months In Red: What Happens If Ethereum Price Closes January With A Loss?

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis has released a new report highlighting a 
sharp escalation in crypto-based money laundering, warning that Chinese- 
language money laundering networks are emerging as one of the most serious and 
rapidly growing threats in the digital asset ecosystem. The Rise of 
Chinese‑Language Networks In Crypto Crime According to the report, illicit 
on‑chain money laundering activity has expanded dramatically over the past 
five years. In 2020, crypto-related laundering was estimated to be around $10 
billion. By 2025, that figure had climbed to more than $82 billion. A key 
driver behind this growth has been the rapid rise of Chinese‑language money 
laundering networks, often referred to as CMLNs. In 2025, these networks 
accounted for roughly 20% of all identified illicit crypto laundering activity 
on‑chain. Related Reading: XRP Outlook For 2026: AI Model Signals New Record 
Ahead — Can Price Reach $6? Chainalysis noted that this regional concentration 
is further supported by off‑ramping behavior observed on the blockchain. As 
detailed in the report, CMLNs now routinely launder more than 10% of funds 
stolen through so‑called “pig butchering” scams. The pace at which these 
networks have grown stands out even within the broader crypto crime landscape. 
Since 2020, inflows to identified CMLNs have increased 7,325 times faster than 
those to centralized exchanges (CEXs). Growth has also outstripped other 
laundering channels, expanding 1,810 times faster than decentralized finance 
(DeFi) platforms and 2,190 times faster than illicit on‑chain flows that 
remain within criminal ecosystems. While CMLNs are not the only actors 
involved in crypto laundering, Chainalysis found that Chinese‑language, 
Telegram‑based services now represent a disproportionately large share of 
attributed global laundering activity. Cross‑Border Crime At Scale The report 
also shows that CMLNs function openly across multiple platforms and rely on 
complex, multi‑layered systems. Their operations are characterized by 
industrial‑level processing capacity and a high degree of technical 
sophistication. In 2025 alone, Chainalysis identified six distinct service 
types that together form the CMLN ecosystem. Combined, these services 
processed $16.1 billion in illicit inflows during the year. The number of 
active entities within these networks has also grown rapidly, expanding from a 
small number of wallets just a few years ago to more than 1,799 active 
on‑chain wallets in 2025. Related Reading: Tether Reveals Massive Gold 
Accumulation In Q4: Adds 27 Tons To Reserves Tom Keatinge, Director at the 
Centre for Finance &amp; Security at the Royal United Services Institute, said the 
speed and scale of these networks are the result of converging global forces. 
He noted that Chinese money laundering networks have rapidly evolved into 
“multi‑billion‑dollar cross‑border operations” offering efficient and 
competitively priced services to organized crime groups across Europe and 
North America. Chris Urben, Managing Director at Nardello &amp; Co, highlighted 
another major shift within these networks. He explained that Chinese money 
laundering groups have increasingly moved away from informal value transfer 
systems, such as traditional underground banking methods. Instead, Urben 
emphasized that these criminals have embraced cryptocurrencies as a “faster 
and more discreet way” to move funds across borders, eliminating the need for 
complex manual ledgers spread across multiple jurisdictions. Featured image 
from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

Crypto Funds Funneled To Money Launderers Hit $82 Billion, According To Chainalysis

AI data center expansion is facing growing local opposition over power, 
infrastructure and costs, echoing the resistance that once slowed Bitcoin 
mining.

AI data centers hit same local resistance that slowed Bitcoin mining

Mesh Connect, after just five years, has vaulted to a $1 billion valuation 
after raising $75 million in VC; Dragonfly Capital led the effort

Mesh hits unicorn status as crypto payments go mainstream

The increased pursuit of federal charters by crypto firms signals a shift 
towards integrating digital assets into mainstream financial systems.
The post Laser Digital seeks US bank charter amid regulatory thaw under Trump- 
era OCC appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Cryptocurrency price in ZAR