Analog January is assembly Bitcoin on the custody layer as some traders search publicity with out display time.
The digital-minimalism push, framed as “tech-low and gradual dwelling,” is touchdown as crypto returns to a volatility regime that makes fixed checking costly.
Livingetc reported that “Analog January” (typically shortened to “Janalog”) is a reset from compulsive micro-checking slightly than a transfer off-grid, quoting productiveness specialist Emily Austen in a chunk printed Jan. 7, 2026.
In parallel, markets swung by way of a liquidation cascade, with 24-hour liquidations at $874 million and Bitcoin peaking close to $95,000 earlier than reversing as main tokens opened decrease.
The overlap between a “examine much less” cultural reset and a “transfer quick” buying and selling tape is popping custody into a way of life variable.
Traders have already got instruments that scale back consideration, akin to index funds or ETF wrappers, however most crypto interfaces nonetheless nudge customers towards costs, alerts, and leverage.
Bitcoin is uncommon amongst extensively traded belongings as a result of its low-touch mode isn’t a platform function; it’s a custody selection.
Holders can self-custody in chilly storage, preserve keys off related units, and confirm possession with out sustaining a perpetual account relationship with a dealer or change.
That makes it legible as an “anti-screen” store-of-value posture in a method that appears nearer to a vault than an app.
What this implies for adoption, tradition, and the subsequent part of crypto infrastructure
ETF flows present the opposite aspect of the identical conduct, decreasing touchpoints by delegating custody and execution.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs noticed $394.7 million of web outflows yesterday, whereas spot Ethereum ETFs recorded $4.64 million of web inflows.
The figures don’t map one-to-one to on-chain transfers, however they present that “set-and-forget” can imply comfort by way of regulated wrappers simply as simply as sovereignty by way of keys.
Additionally they present flows can pivot even throughout a tradition second constructed round stepping away from screens.
{Hardware} wallets sit on the heart of the offline custody pathway, and the market is scaling past early-adopter cycles.
Based on Mordor Intelligence, the {hardware} pockets market is valued at $0.56 billion in 2026, estimated at $0.72 billion by the tip of the yr, and forecast to succeed in $2.58 billion by 2031.
That suggests a 29.05% compound annual development price from 2026 by way of 2031.
The trajectory suggests provide chains, retail distribution, and help infrastructure that may take in demand bursts when volatility or safety headlines push customers towards chilly storage, slightly than constraining adoption to specialist circles.
| Metric | Determine | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Liquidations | $874.01M | 24 hours |
| Spot Bitcoin ETF web circulate | -$394.7M | Similar window |
| Spot Ether ETF web circulate | +$4.64M | Similar window |
| {Hardware} pockets market | $0.72B | 2026 estimate |
| {Hardware} pockets market | $2.58B | 2031 forecast |
| Crypto stolen | $2.2B | H1 2025 |
| Thefts concentrating on people | 23% | H1 2025 |
Safety is the opposite structural driver for going offline
The Monetary Occasions reported demand for safe crypto units as hacks hit report ranges, citing Chainalysis information that $2.2 billion was stolen within the first half of 2025, with 23% of thefts concentrating on particular person wallets.
The report additionally famous that Ledger’s income reached “triple-digit thousands and thousands” in 2025.
Past hacks and phishing, crypto holders are more and more dealing with real-world violence designed to bypass even the strongest pockets safety. These incidents, also known as “$5 wrench assaults,” contain criminals utilizing threats, kidnapping, house invasions, or torture to pressure victims at hand over seed phrases or authorize on-chain transfers, that are sometimes irreversible as soon as despatched.
CryptoSlate has reported on a rising sample of assaults throughout 2024 and 2025, together with instances the place victims had been particularly focused after their identities, addresses, or holdings had been uncovered by way of information leaks or doxxing, and even conditions the place attackers posed as supply staff to realize entry.
The rise in these crimes is pushing some high-net-worth traders to undertake extra aggressive private safety measures and rethink how publicly they talk about crypto wealth, as a result of within the self-custody period, the weakest hyperlink is commonly not the code, however the individual holding the keys.
Because of this, wallets that permit a number of accounts with separate PIN codes are most well-liked, as they permit holders to create “misery” or “honey-pot” wallets to keep away from shedding every little thing within the occasion of a bodily assault. Customers cut up holdings throughout distinct pin codes to be compliant with attackers with out giving the keys to each sat.
That backdrop turns self-custody from an identification selection into an operational selection as a result of the assault floor for people sits on the intersection of always-connected units, phishing vectors, and hurried transaction signing.
Whether or not the analog temper is changing into custody conduct could be tracked with public indicators that transfer quicker than quarterly surveys.
Google’s Tendencies’ Trending Now expertise makes use of a forecasting engine that refreshes each 10 minutes, permitting short-window comparisons between phrases tied to digital fatigue (“Analog January,” “digital detox”) and phrases tied to offline safety (“{hardware} pockets,” “chilly storage,” “seed phrase”).
Previous the eye layer, intent could be watched by way of exchange-balance proxies
CryptoQuant’s Trade Reserve is outlined as the full cash held on exchanges, a collection market individuals typically use as a proxy for potential sell-side stock and post-shock transfers into longer-term storage.
Volatility will also be anchored in a forward-looking measure slightly than spot swings.
Based on CF Benchmarks, the CME CF Bitcoin Volatility Index (BVX) is a 30-day constant-maturity implied volatility measure derived from CME Bitcoin and Micro Bitcoin choices.
When implied volatility reprices, hedging prices, and the day-to-day friction of monitoring positions reprice with it, which is the place a “examine much less” behavior and “maintain offline” instruments can converge into observable shifts in custody and circulate.
Bitcoin matches the ‘Analog January’ mindset extra cleanly than most large-cap tokens as a result of its store-of-value framing maps onto chilly storage workflows.
Ethereum can nonetheless see the identical custody reflex, particularly for holders who need safer transaction signing, even when its utilization narrative is tied to utility interplay.
XRP is nearer to rails, the place an “anti-screen” posture leans towards automation and settlement slightly than vault storage, even when broader risk-off situations hit a number of tokens without delay.