The price of 1 Bitcoin currently sits at $78K. That is 13% down in 1 month, 32% in six months. The market is nervous and lines are falling. There is talk of crashes in the air. But one thing that keeps going up: Polymarket and Kalshi’s numbers.
Data from Token Terminal shows that total monthly volume across the sector reached $17.21bn in January 2026, up from the $11.62bn recorded in December. That represents a 48% increase in one calendar month.
The market leader and US-regulated exchange, Kalshi, processed $9.55bn in trades in January, up from $6.31bn in December.
Source: Token Terminal
In January 2025, merely one year ago, Kalshi’s monthly volume stood at just $175m.
According to Mexc, the partnership with Robinhood has proven to be a masterstroke. It reportedly accounts for “more than half of Kalshi’s betting volume, providing access to millions of retail traders already familiar with event-driven speculation.”
At the same time, Kalshi has secured deals with CNN and CNBC, and achieved full integration into Google Search and Finance. Yet, remarkably, Polymarket keeps pace in this race.
Polymarket is engaging with local regulators from Lisbon to Las Vegas, but continues to grow. And so does its place in the culture. It has become a site that moves the news forward. Polymarket is everywhere, and at this point, it just feels normal.
Source: Token Terminal
Naturally, with demand surging, new players are emerging. I’ve been tracking new names like Opinion, which launched in October 2025 and is quickly carving out a niche for itself.
Meanwhile, existing Web3 applications are integrating these markets.
MetaMask wallet users might have noticed the new prediction market feature integrated directly into the interface. The crypto casinos Duelbits and BC.Game have both entered the arena; BC.Game recently launched a “Bet Anything” feature to capture this demand.
Even AI is getting in on the action. There are reports of Moltbook AI agents starting to trade autonomously on Polymarket, blurring the line between human and machine speculation.
With the Super Bowl just around the corner, and all those NFL betting opportunities, expect these markets to be on fire.
The post Polymarket and Kalshi Reach New All-Time-Highs in January 2026 appeared first on BitcoinChaser.

Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives and Senate met with cryptocurrency industry leaders in three separate roundtable events this week. Members of the US Congress met with key figures in the cryptocurrency industry to discuss issues and potential laws related to the establishment of a strategic Bitcoin reserve and a market structure.On Tuesday, a group of lawmakers that included Alaska Representative Nick Begich and Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno met with Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor and others in a roundtable event regarding the BITCOIN Act, a bill to establish a strategic Bitcoin (BTC) reserve. The discussion was hosted by the advocacy organization Digital Chamber and its affiliates, the Digital Power Network and Bitcoin Treasury Council.“Legislators and the executives at yesterday’s roundtable agree, there is a need [for] a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve law to ensure its longevity for America’s financial future,” Hailey Miller, director of government affairs and public policy at Digital Power Network, told Cointelegraph. “Most attendees are looking for next steps, which may mean including the SBR within the broader policy frameworks already advancing.“Read more

