Bitcoin rises to $90,000 level on second day of 2026: CNBC Crypto World

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  January 02, 2026 at 20:00  |  9:51  |  CNBC
Speakers
Sam Tabar — CEO, Bit Digital
Talia Kaplan — Anchor, CNBC Crypto World

Summary

CNBC Crypto World opens 2026 with major cryptocurrencies rising and Bitcoin around the $90,000 level. Host Talia Kaplan interviews Bit Digital CEO Sam Tabar, who explains the company's shift from Bitcoin mining to an Ethereum-focused treasury plus AI infrastructure through White Fiber. Tabar is bullish on ETH and institutional crypto adoption, expects staked ETH ETFs, criticizes pure-play digital asset treasuries, and argues Ethereum has a durability edge over Solana and other blockchains.

  • Major cryptocurrencies rose to start 2026, with Bitcoin near $90,000.
  • Bit Digital CEO Sam Tabar said the firm's conversion to an Ethereum treasury was correct.
  • Tabar targets ETH around $10,000 by end-2026 on regulatory clarity and tokenization.
  • He expects staked ETH ETFs in the US and says they will buy ETH and compete with pure-play DATs.
  • He sees hockey-stick institutional crypto adoption as rules become clearer.
  • He is negative on pure-play digital asset treasury companies without operating cash flow.
  • He highlights White Fiber's $860 million 10-year AI infrastructure contract as a differentiator.
  • He argues Ethereum's zero downtime and stablecoin dominance make it superior to Solana.
Ideas
Sam Tabar CEO, Bit Digital 1:11
Bit Digital is Ethereum-AI operating proxy.
Tabar says Bit Digital's conversion from a Bitcoin miner to an Ethereum capital-markets proxy was the right move. It holds ETH on its balance sheet and offers ETH exposure plus staking yield, but unlike pure-play DATs it also owns 71.5% of White Fiber, an AI infrastructure company with an $860 million 10-year contract that provides operating cash flow and a moat, distinguishing it from both DATs and yield-bearing ETH ETFs.
BTBT HIGH
Sam Tabar CEO, Bit Digital 1:24
Pure-play digital asset treasuries lack viability.
Tabar is bearish on pure-play digital asset treasury companies. He says they are not a viable investment vehicle because if ETH ETFs can capture staking yield, a pure-play DAT becomes essentially the same as an ETH ETF; without an operating company and cash flow beyond holding ETH, there is no bright future.
Pure-play digital asset treasury companies HIGH
Sam Tabar CEO, Bit Digital 1:37
White Fiber has $860M AI contract.
White Fiber is a recent IPO focused purely on AI infrastructure; Tabar says it has signed an $860 million 10-year contract, and Bit Digital's 71.5% ownership gives it operational cash flow and a moat that differentiates it from pure digital-asset treasuries.
WYFI HIGH
Sam Tabar CEO, Bit Digital 5:01
ETH to $10,000 on regulatory clarity.
Tabar is bullish on Ethereum and expects ETH around $10,000 by the end of 2026, calling that conservative. He cites regulatory clarity, higher on-chain activity, tokenization and institutional financial products built on Ethereum, growth of ETH ETFs that must buy ETH, Ethereum's zero-downtime record, and its dominance in stablecoins and programmable money, saying no other blockchain competes.
ETH HIGH
Sam Tabar CEO, Bit Digital 5:01
Staked ETH ETFs likely launch in 2026.
Tabar expects staked ETH ETFs to launch and trade in the US in 2026 given regulatory clarity. He says if they capture staking yield they will compete with pure-play DATs, and their growth will increase ETH buying and support Ethereum valuations; Bit Digital differentiates by being an operating company.
Staked ETH ETFs HIGH
Sam Tabar CEO, Bit Digital 8:35
Solana has downtime and security risks.
Tabar sees Solana and other non-Ethereum blockchains as disadvantaged because they have downtime and security issues, while Ethereum has zero downtime. He argues blue-chip financial institutions will not use chains with downtime risk and notes most stablecoins are built on Ethereum, not Solana, so Ethereum remains the blockchain of choice.
SOL MED
Up Next
4:03
Longer-term outlook for oil has brightened, says Rapidan's McNally
CNBC · Jan 02
32:36
Why Crypto Infrastructure Matters More Than Narratives in 2026 w/ Delphi Digital
Milk Road Daily · Jan 02
4:22
What to know about Nvidia's massive spending spree
CNBC · Jan 02
1:41
Mamdani Rides Train to Work a Day After His Inauguration
Bloomberg Markets · Jan 02
4:01
Why Ed Yardeni is still bullish on stocks overall in 2026
CNBC · Jan 02

This CNBC video, published January 02, 2026, features Sam Tabar discussing BTBT, Pure-play digital asset treasury companies, WYFI, ETH, Staked ETH ETFs, SOL. 6 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Sam Tabar  · Tickers: BTBT, Pure-play digital asset treasury companies, WYFI, ETH, Staked ETH ETFs, SOL