10th January 2026 > > Trump, UK tax, & XRP.

tl;dr

Those of a nervous disposition should do something other than read this missive. The CCC has your back for UK tax. XRP and, potentially, the UK get a mutual boost.

Market Snap

Market Wrap

Stocks are delighted by the emerging new world order. The more freedom and liberty there is in the world, the ever so slightly less we need BTC.

Occasional Series – The Mullahs

When they all hightail it to top-end dachas (hopefully later today) on the outskirts of Moscow with expensive wines, and young women by the plenty, the world is going to be a better place. Except for those youngsters, of whom genocidal Putin has a particular fondness for.

Curious Crypto’s Commentary – Trump

Trump has explicitly stated he will not pardon convicted fraudster, and all-round twat, Sam Bankman-Fried. Coming fast on the heels of ousting Maduro, even his most ardent detractors must concede that is two good decisions this week.

Curious Crypto’s Commentary – UK tax

Following the CCC’s recent comments regarding crypto taxes https://www.curiouscryptos.com/post/2nd-january-2026-a-couple-of-thoughts-taxes), the tax team here at CC Towers has taken on two new clients to help fix their respective crypto tax foundations. This is never a trivial undertaking, though the team provides an excellent service at far lower cost than any other provider. I would point out that the deadline for UK taxpayers is looming on 31^st January and that the team’s workload is looking pretty chocka.

Don’t dilly-dally if you need help.

Curious Crypto’s Commentary – Ripple Labs, Inc.

I was an XRP-sceptic for a very long time, as one of my very good friends will attest. I was primarily concerned with the degree of centralisation which does not sit well with the crypto ethos. I was also turned off by the online army of XRP supporters, who could be as brutal to any negative comments about XRP as those you can find in any political echo chambers one might care to mention.

Neither of those issues have changed, but XRP is now established as a core holding for the CC Treasury portfolio as it looks increasingly likely it will play a leading role as a major player in the adoption of stablecoins in the move from using outdated USD settlement rails for TradFi. Stablecoins provide instantaneous settlement with virtually no fees, and this is how the world is going to work in the very near future.

Ripple’s UK subsidiary, Ripple Markets UK Ltd., has been registered with the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority). One of Ripple’s biggest advantage is that as a large, centralised organisation, it is well-placed to achieve regulated status in most countries.

The regulatory business is largely about creating moats that benefit large, established companies to protect them from new competitors who wish to disrupt the incumbents. Much as I decry such anti-competitive practices, it is what it is, and one should optimise one’s investments tailored to the real world, and not the one you might wish for.

The other aspect of this story is that perhaps this news indicates that the UK might possibly be shifting a tiny little bit away from its innate and inane antagonism to all things crypto. I am very confident that the FCA tried as hard as it could to refuse this registration but when faced with Ripple’s determination to abide by the rules set by the FCA itself, it had no choice but to acquiesce.

Don’t get too excited, the UK will only concede to the crypto revolution once our political masters see all those juicy tax dollars on offer going to the US and the EU. But, as always, the CCC is looking for early signs of trends and changes in the crypto world. This news is, I suspect, a portent of good changes coming down the line for the UK.