Bitcoin heads positive week after unemployment rate falls: CNBC Crypto World

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  January 09, 2026 at 20:24  |  11:36  |  CNBC
Speakers
Roger Bayston — Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Assets, Franklin Templeton
Mackenzie Sigalos — Crypto Reporter/Analyst, CNBC

Summary

CNBC Crypto World recaps a positive week for bitcoin, which closed above $91,000 after a mixed December jobs report. The show covers Bank of America's Coinbase upgrade, Ripple's UK regulatory approval, Bitnomial's CFTC approval for event contracts, and Trump's decision not to pardon Sam Bankman-Fried. In the main interview, Franklin Templeton's Roger Bayston discusses the Wyoming stable token, the firm's Benji tokenized money fund and Binance partnership, XRPZ ETF demand, and the case for diversified crypto ETFs.

  • Bitcoin ended the week above $91,000, up nearly 2%, its first back-to-back weekly gains since September.
  • Ether was roughly flat and XRP rose over 7% for the week despite a small daily decline.
  • Bank of America upgraded Coinbase to buy but kept a $340 price target.
  • Ripple secured UK FCA registration to expand licensed cross-border payment services.
  • Bitnomial received CFTC approval to proceed with event contracts, as more crypto firms enter prediction markets.
  • Trump said he has no plans to pardon FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.
  • Franklin Templeton's Roger Bayston discussed Wyoming's state-issued stable token, Benji tokenized money funds, XRPZ, and diversified crypto ETFs.
Ideas
Roger Bayston Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Assets, Franklin Templeton 4:19
Wyoming state stablecoin may proliferate.
Wyoming's Frontier stable token is the first state-issued stable token, and Bayston views it as an ingenious public-sector use of stablecoins: it can generate revenue for Wyoming citizens and strengthen the state's brand instead of relying on cannabis or casinos. Franklin Templeton is serving as reserve manager and custodian and expects the token to proliferate in the market.
Wyoming Frontier Stable Token MED
Roger Bayston Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Assets, Franklin Templeton 4:37
Benji tokenized funds complement stablecoins on Binance.
Franklin Templeton's Benji tokenized money funds have been proliferating globally, and the firm is integrating Benji into Binance's crypto exchange ecosystem for hundreds of millions of customers. Bayston says tokenized money funds can substitute for and complement non-yield-bearing stablecoins and expects the Binance partnership to be fruitful.
Benji tokenized money fund MED
Roger Bayston Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Assets, Franklin Templeton 6:57
Digital assets gain long-term portfolio adoption.
Bayston says digital assets with capital value are being woven into client portfolios over the long term, and Morgan Stanley's spot crypto ETF filings show more clients will access them. He welcomes the competition as healthy for the market and sees digital assets becoming part of long-term portfolio solutions.
BITO MED
Roger Bayston Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Assets, Franklin Templeton 7:16
Diversified crypto ETF preferred over single-sector.
Bayston says single-sector crypto ETFs are important, but over time the better solution is advice around a wide, diversified portfolio of digital assets inside an ETF, like Franklin Templeton's EZPZ offering, because individual altcoins carry more idiosyncratic risk and broad diversification is preferable.
EZPZ MED
Roger Bayston Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Assets, Franklin Templeton 8:28
XRP network adoption supports XRPZ demand.
Bayston says Franklin Templeton's XRPZ ETF using XRP has been a successful place for the firm. He says Franklin has built on blockchain networks including XRP and is confident these networks will continue expanding their customer base and use as recordkeeping systems for information-based economies, supporting continued altcoin ETF growth.
XRPZ XRP MED
Roger Bayston Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Assets, Franklin Templeton 9:31
Altcoin ETF growth depends on broader adoption.
Bayston expects the depth and breadth of altcoin ETF opportunities to be tied directly to market adoption outside Bitcoin. As crypto use broadens beyond Bitcoin, altcoin ETF opportunities should continue expanding, though he favors diversified portfolios because individual altcoins carry idiosyncratic risk.
ALTCOINS MED
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This CNBC video, published January 09, 2026, features Roger Bayston discussing Wyoming Frontier Stable Token, Benji tokenized money fund, BITO, EZPZ, XRPZ, XRP, ALTCOINS. 6 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Roger Bayston  · Tickers: Wyoming Frontier Stable Token, Benji tokenized money fund, BITO, EZPZ, XRPZ, XRP, ALTCOINS