In the post-Soviet space, interest in Bitcoin (BTC) is growing in the first half of January.
In addition to Russian investors, Internet users from Uzbekistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Georgia are also actively interested in the largest digital currency.
According to the service Google Trends, the largest number of search queries related to the largest digital currency was recorded in Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
In Uzbekistan, growing interest in the market is caused by the entry into force of legislation on the regulation of mining and virtual currencies.
- In addition to the growing interest in cryptocurrencies, the MEXC Research team will analyze the medium-term potential of bitcoin and ether in this article.
- We will pay special attention to the network indicators of BTC and ETH, which have a strong impact on the value of assets.
- Separately, we plan to consider the mood in social networks, which usually act as indicators that signal the achievement of the bottom or local peak.
Source: MEXC
On the MEXC exchange on the night of Wednesday, January 14, the BTC rate strengthened to $93,872.
relative strength index (RSI) is still in the neutral zone, that is, bitcoin has not yet reached a critical level at which the asset becomes overbought, and then the correction phase comes.
- In early January, BTC was dipping below $90,000, but quickly rebounded above this psychological mark. The return of support signaled that large and medium-sized investors – whales and sharks – were not interested in further retreat of the asset.
1. Bitcoin is becoming a popular asset
Despite the fact that bitcoin has shown a negative return over the past three months, interest in this asset on the Internet continues to grow.
According to the platform Santiment, since October, the value of the largest digital currency has decreased by about 26%.
During the same time, the US stock index S & P 500 and gold, by contrast, rose by 3% and 11%, respectively.
Source: Santiment
In October last year, for the first time in history, the BTC rate exceeded $126,000, now the coin is trading below $95,000.
- Market participants never saw the Christmas and New Year rally. But bitcoin was able to cope with the pressure and stayed at $90,000.
The growing popularity of the digital asset is indicated by the increase in the number of search queries on the Internet related to BTC.
Source: Google Trends
According to Google Trends, users from Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan became the most active in January.
- Explosive interest in bitcoin is observed this week in Uzbekistan, where legislation on regulating cryptocurrency transactions and licensing exchanges has come into force since the beginning of 2026.
- In general, interest in BTC is gradually growing in many countries in the post-Soviet space.
- Digital currencies are considered by investors as promising tools that allow you to move capital anywhere in the world in real time, the MEXC Research team notes.
2. Swims of whales and sharks hint at reaching the local bottom
Addresses with a balance of 10 to 10,000 bitcoins buy coins from December 17. In about three weeks, whales and sharks purchased 56,227 BTC, reports Santiment.
Whale swims level the risks of further drawdown of the asset. In this case, medium and large investors began to buy in the second half of December, since there was no takeoff, and BTC was trading in a narrow range at that time.
Source: Santiment
- Whale and shark swims signal reaching the local bottom. The $90,000 level can be seen as fundamental to the largest digital currency.
- If purchases continue in January, then by the end of this month bitcoin will be able to reach the psychological mark of $100,000.
Shrimp, whose wallets contain less than 0.01 BTC, by contrast, are still selling.
Retail traders expected a New Year’s rally, but were disappointed that BTC could not approach $100,000.
Source: MEXC
After bitcoin rose above $92,200, short-term traders returned to the profitable zone. This group of investors can have a strong impact on the BTC rate in the coming days.
According to CryptoQuant, if short-term holders of the asset decide to refrain from selling, its value will increase. Last year, this situation contributed to the entry of the market into a bullish phase.
Source: CryptoQuant
However, another scenario cannot be ruled out, in which short-term wallets will begin to record profits. In this case, the pressure will increase, and Bitcoin may retreat.
- Another factor that can trigger the return of the bearish trend is the activation of dormant wallets.
- Funds began to move investors who were idle from 18 months to 2 years (according to CryptoQuant).
- Panic selling is unlikely, but entering the arena of addresses that have been dormant for a long time could be another trigger for volatility and prevent bitcoin from quickly approaching $100,000, the MEXC Research team notes.
3. The excitement in social networks can stop the growth of BTC and ETH
Bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) in the middle of this week on the MEXC exchange rose above $94,000 and $3,000. The remaining digital currencies also add in value.
The growth of the crypto market has caused a surge of positivity on social media. According to Santiment, in X, Telegram, 4Chat and Reddit, many observers and traders expect BTC to return to $100,000.
Source: Santiment
Most social media posts focus on the bullish scenario, which can be a factor impeding the rally.
The strengthening of optimistic sentiment usually accelerates the achievement of a local peak, after which a correction begins.
Last night, bitcoin briefly rose above $95,000, but quickly retreated, as traders began to take profits, who suffered losses at the end of last year.
If the positive continues in social networks in the coming days, then we can expect a slowdown in the growth of BTC and altcoins and their return to the correction phase.
- The chances of further growth will remain in the event that the sentiment among observers and investors after the drawdown from bullish to moderate, the MEXC Research team notes.
Source: MEXC
The strengthening of ether in the first half of January is accompanied by the expansion of blockchain.
Over the past week, the Ethereum network daily, on average, registered 327,100 new wallets.
The absolute record was recorded on Sunday, January 11. On this day, 393,600 new addresses appeared in the blockchain, Santiment reports.
Source: Santiment
The total number of Ethereum wallets with a non-zero balance has updated the historical maximum and reached 172.97 million.
Analysts identify several factors that stimulate the expansion of the Ethereum ecosystem.
- The Fusaka update in December 2025 improved data processing on the network and reduced transaction costs. The fork also increased the efficiency of application interaction in the blockchain.
- The growth of the stablecoin market also stimulated the expansion of the ETH ecosystem. By the end of last year, the turnover of Ethereum-based tokens approached $8 trillion. Users were creating new wallets for storing and moving coins with fiat security.
- Despite the stagnation of the ETH rate, in December-January, new wallets were registered on the network amid growing activity in DeFi and NFT applications. In parallel, popular gaming blockchain applications on Ethereum are growing, which also contributes to the expansion of the blockchain and fuels the demand for its underlying digital asset.
4. Conclusion
- The growth of the cryptocurrency market in mid-January encouraged investors from Russia and other countries in the post-Soviet space.
- The highest interest in bitcoin was recorded not only in Russia, but also in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Digital currencies began to be considered by regional investors not only as an effective channel for cross-border settlements, but also as a tool for preserving capital in the face of global uncertainty.
- Bitcoin is recovering, thanks to increased whale support. Large and medium-sized investors – whales and sharks holding more than 10 BTC, began buying the digital currency in mid-December.
- The return of support not only neutralized the risks of a bitcoin drawdown, but also created conditions for a jump above $95,000 in the first half of January, the MEXC Research team notes.
- Ether strengthened above $3,300 this week and could close to $4,000 by the end of January.
- The growth in the value of the largest altcoin is accompanied by increased targeted activity in the Ethereum blockchain and the expansion of the network due to the influx of new users of DeFi and NFT applications.
Sources