Wealthy Investors Use Crypto for European Real Estate Amid Extreme Fear Market

VADODARA, January 10, 2026 — Latest crypto news reveals a contradictory market signal as hundreds of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) are reportedly purchasing European real estate using cryptocurrency, primarily euro-denominated stablecoins, while the broader market exhibits extreme fear sentiment with Bitcoin trading at $90,511. According to CoinDesk reporting, startup Brighty has facilitated over 100 apartment purchases for wealthy clients who prefer stablecoins like EURC to avoid traditional currency exchange fees. This development creates a significant Fair Value Gap between crypto's perceived utility and current market psychology.

Market Context & Background

This real estate movement occurs against a backdrop of extreme market fear, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index at 25/100, indicating maximum retail capitulation. Historical cycles suggest such sentiment extremes often precede major liquidity shifts. The use of stablecoins for real-world asset purchases represents a maturation of crypto utility beyond speculative trading, potentially creating new Order Blocks outside centralized exchanges. This mirrors patterns observed during the 2021-2022 cycle when institutional adoption accelerated during retail panic phases. Related developments include US banks accumulating Bitcoin while retail sells and significant futures liquidations during extreme fear periods.

What Happened?

According to primary source CoinDesk, Nikolai Denisenko, co-founder of Brighty and former Revolut engineer, confirmed his firm has facilitated over 100 European apartment purchases for HNWIs using cryptocurrency. These transactions reportedly utilize euro-denominated stablecoins like EURC specifically to bypass traditional banking fees associated with currency conversion. The scale of this activity—hundreds of investors—suggests a systematic capital allocation strategy rather than isolated transactions. Market structure indicates this represents a liquidity grab from traditional financial systems into crypto-enabled real estate markets, creating potential gamma squeeze conditions if adoption accelerates.

Technical Analysis & Price Action

Bitcoin currently trades at $90,511, showing minimal 24-hour movement at 0.31% despite the extreme fear sentiment. The weekly chart reveals critical Fibonacci support at $88,500 (61.8% retracement from the 2025 high), which represents the Bearish Invalidation level—a break below would invalidate the current accumulation thesis. Resistance sits at $94,200, corresponding to the 50-day exponential moving average. The RSI at 42 suggests neutral momentum despite extreme fear readings, creating a divergence that often precedes trend reversals. Volume profile analysis shows decreasing retail participation alongside increasing institutional accumulation, as detailed in recent futures market data showing shorts edging out longs.

By The Numbers

Why It Matters

This development matters because it represents a fundamental shift in crypto utility from speculative instrument to real-world asset conduit. For institutions, it creates new collateralization opportunities and portfolio diversification channels. For retail, it demonstrates practical use cases beyond trading, potentially increasing long-term adoption. The contradiction between extreme fear sentiment and substantial real-world asset purchases suggests market psychology may be disconnected from underlying utility growth. According to Ethereum's official documentation on token standards, stablecoin adoption for real-world transactions represents a critical step toward mainstream blockchain integration.

Community Sentiment

Market analysts express skepticism about the scale of these transactions, questioning whether 100+ apartments represent meaningful capital allocation or merely promotional activity. Bulls point to this as evidence of crypto's maturation into a legitimate financial system, while bears note the timing during extreme fear suggests opportunistic positioning rather than broad adoption. The narrative contrasts sharply with other industry leaders focusing on long-term growth during fear periods, creating conflicting signals about market direction.

Price Prediction / Future Outlook

Bullish Case: If Bitcoin holds the $88,500 Fibonacci support and real estate adoption accelerates, we could see a liquidity-driven rally toward $102,000 as fear converts to greed. The use of stablecoins for tangible assets could attract traditional real estate capital, creating new demand vectors.

Bearish Case: If Bitcoin breaks below $88,500 (Bearish Invalidation), the real estate narrative fails to support prices, and extreme fear deepens, we could see a retest of $82,000 support. This would indicate the current activity represents isolated capital movement rather than systemic adoption.