THE LATEST CRYPTO NEWS

South Korean scientist YoungHoon Kim has sketched an extreme long-term view for XRP, saying the token could reach $1,000 within the next 10 years. Related Reading: JPMorgan Eyes Crypto Services As Institutional Demand Grows – A Boost For BTC Price? According to his posts on X, the forecast rests on a series of big macro shifts — a major flow of capital into crypto, a weaker US dollar, and prolonged high inflation. Kim added that this is not financial advice and framed the number as contingent on those assumptions. High Price Scenario And The Assumptions According to Kim, moving from around $1.87 today to $1,000 by 2035 requires more than sentiment. The math is stark. XRP’s circulating supply is about 60.57 billion tokens. At $1,000 a coin, that implies an overall market value near $60.57 trillion. Some critics pointed out that such a figure would place XRP above assets like gold in total market value. Update: In my view, #XRP could potentially approach $1,000 over the next 10 years. (NFA / DYOR) pic.twitter.com/fZaxmZaF1Q — YoungHoon Kim, IQ 276 (@yhbryankimiq) December 22, 2025 Others in the community pushed back, saying that headline targets miss other important measures such as adoption and liquidity. Support And Skepticism In The Community Some supporters are vocal. Matthew Brienen, COO of CryptoCharged, is among those who have suggested ranges from $100 to $1,000 over a decade are “highly possible,” saying he holds a large amount of XRP. Investor Armando Pantoja also told followers he is willing to wait up to 10 years for a very large payoff, arguing that regulatory strain from the SEC previously capped XRP’s price. On the other side, X users and creators like Utumax and YouTuber Zach Humphries asked for clearer methods behind the forecast, noting the implied $60 trillion valuation raises obvious questions. Short-Term Performance And Market Moves At the time these comments appeared, XRP traded near $1.84 and was down almost 30% over the previous three months. Market watchers say tokens can move quickly when sentiment flips. Coach JV, a finance coach and market analyst, said he expects “fast and aggressive” moves when bullish momentum returns, though he stopped short of offering price targets. That kind of volatility has been seen before in crypto markets, where large moves can come in either direction. XRP will move fast and aggressively when the time comes! pic.twitter.com/DHh4e1md7O — Coach, JV (@Coachjv_) December 22, 2025 How Realistic Is $1,000? Reaching $1,000 would mean XRP would capture value at a scale not supported by current on-chain use or settlement volume. Long-term value depends on real-world use, steady liquidity, and broad market acceptance. Regulatory clarity could help, but it alone would not automatically produce multitrillion-dollar market caps. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s $126K Sprint May Be Over — Fidelity Predicts 2026 Slide Some commentators dismiss round-number targets as attention-grabbing rather than rigorous forecasting. The conversation around Kim’s forecast highlights a split: a group ready to bet on huge upside, and many who want clearer proofs and step-by-step logic. Investors should weigh the big assumptions behind any sky-high target, and remember that bold forecasts depend on events well outside a single token’s current reach. Featured image from Yellow, chart from TradingView

After being rejected from the $3,000 level, Ethereum (ETH) is trying to hold a key support zone and build a base around this area. Some analysts have suggested that the altcoin must reclaim the crucial resistance soon or risk potential drop to new multi-month lows. Related Reading: XRP ETFs Record 25-Day Streak As Price Eyes Key Resistance Level Ethereum Forms Head And Shoulder Pattern Amid the broader market volatility, Ethereum has been attempting to hold the recently reclaimed $2,900 level as support to potentially challenge higher resistance levels in the coming days. The cryptocurrency has been trading within the $2,800-$3,400 price range over the past month, hitting a high of $3,447 nearly two weeks ago. Since reaching the local high, ETH has struggled to hold the range’s high, falling to the lows again during last week’s market correction. Amid this performance, the King of Altcoins is currently registering its worst Q4 performance since 2019, with a negative performance of 28.76%. Moreover, it is also recording a red December so far, trading 1.3% below its monthly opening of $2,991. Some analysts have warned that ETH’s pain may not be over, as it appears to be forming a pattern that could spell trouble for the cryptocurrency. In a Tuesday X post, Ali Martinez suggested that Ethereum started forming a head and shoulder pattern following the massive corrections that the send most cryptocurrencies to multi-month lows. Per the chart, the altcoin formed the left shoulder between late November and early December after bouncing from the $2,780 support. Meanwhile, the pattern’s head was formed during the mid-December rebound that led to the $3,400 local high. Now, as price is rejected from the $3,000 area again, the cryptocurrency appears to be forming the right shoulder. This suggests that ETH’s price could drop to the $2,800 area to complete the pattern’s formation. Martinez noted that if the pattern is completed, it could lead to a 15% potential move toward $2,400, a level not seen since the start of the Q3 breakout. ETH Price In Trouble? Other market observers suggested Ethereum could be in trouble after being rejected from the $3,000 barrier again. Ted Pillows noted that the altcoin tried to reclaim this level but failed, closing Monday around the $2,948 area. To the analyst, If ETH doesn’t reclaim this key barrier soon, it could likely drop towards the $2,700-$2,800 support zone. On the contrary, a daily close above this level would set the base for a rally toward the $3,300 level. Similarly, Sjuul from AltCryptoGems affirmed that Ethereum “is a bit in trouble after that nasty bearish deviation on top of the range.” He highlighted the altcoin’s rejection from the mid-December highs, which sent the price the lower zone of its one-month range. Related Reading: Dogecoin’s 53,000% Surge Shows Renewed Interest, But Why Is DOGE Price Lagging? Based on this, the analyst suggested that investors could expect “the same to happen on the lower band,” which would see the price retest the $2,600-$2,700 area, and drop as low as $2,400, before bouncing toward the range highs again. Nonetheless, Sjuul declared that “bulls need to establish a proper uptrend here because losing $2700 would be a negative sign.” As of this writing, Ethereum is trading at $2,933, a 2.53% decline in the daily timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

While most leading crypto-based Exchange-Traded funds (ETFs) recorded significant outflows last week, XRP investment products went against the current and attracted over $80 million in inflows, ending the week with a green performance. Related Reading: Analyst Shares ‘Cold, Hard Truth’ For Bitcoin Investors As Price Struggles XRP ETFs Steal The Spotlight XRP ETFs continue to show strong demand, recording a 25-day streak last Friday and closing the week with a positive net flow. Notably, crypto investment products registered a negative performance last week, seeing nearly a billion dollars in outflows. According to CoinShares’ weekly report, digital asset-based funds ended the week in the red for the first time in four weeks, with outflows totaling $952 million. This marks the products’ fourth-worst weekly performance of the year. CoinShares’ Head of Research, James Butterfill, suggested that the negative market reaction was fueled by the delays in the US crypto market structure bill, which was initially anticipated to be passed before the end of the year. This “has prolonged regulatory uncertainty for the asset class, alongside concerns over continued selling by whale investors,” the report noted. The negative market sentiment was mostly focused in the US, which recorded $990 million in outflows last week. Ethereum (ETH) funds suffered the largest outflows, registering $555 million in negative net flows. Meanwhile, Bitcoin (BTC) investment products came in second with $460m in outflows. On the contrary, XRP ETFs saw overall support with positive net flows throughout the whole week. According to SoSoValue data, the category closes the week with $82.04 million in inflows, marking a 6-week positive streak. XRP’s Correction Already Over? Amid this performance, XRP’s price also ended the week recovering from the latest market correction, which sent its price to a two-month low of $1.77. Market observer BitGuru affirmed that XRP has completed its downtrend and liquidity grab, and is currently stabilizing at a key historical demand zone. Per the analyst, “selling pressure is fading, structure is flattening, and this is where smart money usually starts positioning, not where panic happens.” Similarly, trader Niels suggested that XRP’s corrective phase may be over as it appears to be forming a double bottom pattern. “RSI has bottomed out already, and now the price is showing good signs too,” the trader affirmed, adding that “XRP had a fakeout below the support level before reclaiming the zone.” To Niels, if the market shows momentum, the cryptocurrency could surge 20%-25% toward the $2.30-$2.50 area in the next few weeks. Recently, the trader affirmed that once XRP breaks above the $2.20 resistance, where the pattern’s neckline is situated, it could rally to the $2.80-$3.00 area within a month. Related Reading: Fundstrat Predicts Ethereum Drop To $1,800 In H1 2026 Meanwhile, analyst ChartNerd highlighted a bullish divergence on XRP’s chart. “Price action is adhering to the lower low price action trendline whilst forming higher lows on the RSI,” he explained, suggesting that price could move to higher levels. He also noted that if the altcoin fails to break the 20 EMA, currently around the $1.98 level, the price would “simply resort back to the lower low trendline for support, where we likely see more relief.” As of this writing, XRP is trading at $1.93, a 1.1% increase in the weekly timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

In the wake of a significant shift in crypto regulation spurred by the new White House administration under President Donald Trump, lawmakers are working on a fresh tax framework aimed at providing clarity and a safe harbor for certain transactions involving stablecoins.  Proposed Crypto Tax Framework Representatives Max Miller from Ohio and Steven Horsford from Nevada have drafted a preliminary proposal that seeks to align the tax treatment of cryptocurrencies with that of traditional securities.  According to a recent report by Bloomberg, the draft consists of a blend of policy objectives and bill language not yet formally approved. Related Reading: Pundit Shares Why XRP Will Become Expensive And A $1,000 Price Tag Is Possible One of the key features of this draft legislation is its aim to exempt capital gains tax for transactions involving regulated stablecoins. Specifically, the proposal proposes to shield transactions that consistently maintain a value between $0.99 and $1.01 from taxation.  However, this exemption is limited to transactions under $200, and the final text may modify which tokens will qualify for this safe harbor, as advised by aides to both congressmen. The proposal also attempts to establish safe harbors for rewards earned through activities like staking, which involves verifying blockchain transactions.  Representative Miller emphasized that “America’s tax code has failed to keep pace with modern financial technology.” He described the bipartisan bill as a means to inject clarity, fairness, and common sense into the taxation of digital assets. The proposed draft also addresses the taxation of rewards earned through staking and mining cryptocurrencies, which involves verifying transactions within blockchain networks. Aligning Digital Assets With Securities Tax Regime Under guidance from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued during the Biden administration, rewards obtained from staking are taxed at the time of receipt.  Republican lawmakers have voiced concerns regarding this approach, arguing that it taxes assets before owners realize a gain. Conversely, Democrats maintain that these rewards should be classified as compensation and taxed upon receipt. To navigate this divide, Miller and Horsford aim to find a compromise, allowing taxpayers to defer tax on rewards for up to five years. After this period, the rewards would be taxed as income based on their fair market value.  Pro-crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis, who recently announced that she will not be running for re-election next year, had previously introduced crypto tax legislation that would leave such rewards untaxed until they are sold. This legislation would align more closely with industry preferences. Related Reading: Saylor Sparks Bitcoin Speculation With ‘Green Dots’ Signal Additionally, the draft aims to bring digital assets under the same tax regime that governs securities and, in some cases, commodities transactions.  It proposes to include cryptocurrencies in capital gains tax exemptions for foreign investors trading securities through US-based intermediaries like brokers or exchanges.  Furthermore, the plan would permit cryptocurrency traders to utilize mark-to-market accounting, allowing them to recognize unrealized gains and losses based on fair market value at the end of each year.  The proposed legislation also seeks to impose restrictions on deducting losses from wash trades for digital assets and “close existing loopholes” that facilitate transactions designed to lock in cryptocurrency gains while postponing the associated tax liability. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

As digital assets continue to gain prominence within global financial markets, retirees are increasingly seeking diversified and forward-looking wealth management solutions. London-based digital asset management firm Vincetrust has announced the launch of its Digital Asset Retirement Growth Portfolio, offering a structured and automated alternative to traditional retirement planning. The initiative integrates algorithmic asset management models with blockchain-based infrastructure, providing participants with a transparent and compliance-oriented framework designed to support long-term financial planning. Addressing Retirement Planning in Evolving Markets “Blockchain is transitioning from a speculative instrument into foundational infrastructure for long-term wealth management,” says digital finance researcher Laura Bennett. “For retirees, the emphasis is no longer on short-term performance, but on how technology can support sustainable planning through transparency, automation, and disciplined risk management.” Persistent inflation and declining yields from conventional pension products have led many retirees to reassess their asset allocation strategies. In response,Vincetrust’s retirement portfolio focuses on digital asset infrastructure and income-oriented strategies, enabling participants to access alternative return opportunities within a clearly defined and structured framework. About Vince Trust Founded in 2019 and headquartered in London, Vince Trust provides blockchain cloud computing and digital asset management services to users worldwide. As of 2025, the platform has served more than 6.3 million registered users across over 150 countries and regions, managing assets exceeding US$74 billion. The platform supports mainstream digital assets including BTC, ETH, and XRP, with a strong emphasis on institutional-grade risk management, security standards, and operational transparency. Key Features 1.No technical barriers No hardware installation or specialised technical knowledge required. 2.Automated management and settlement Asset allocation, performance calculations, and daily income settlements are handled automatically through intelligent systems. 3.Professional oversight Operations are supervised by a global team of experienced financial professionals and technical specialists. 4.Global accessibility Users can access the platform from anywhere via smartphone or compatible devices, with no geographic or nationality restrictions. Security and transparency Data confidentiality, transparent contract structures, and real-time earnings monitoring are prioritised. Contract plans are underwritten by the internationally recognised L&G Group, allowing participants to focus solely on long-term performance outcomes. Getting Started Register on the Vince Trust platform to receive a welcome bonus providing immediate access to the newcomer rewards package.Trade using supported digital assets such as BTC, ETH, XRP, USDT, and others.Select a curated retirement savings investment portfolio and purchase contracts directly. Profits are automatically settled every 24 hours and can be withdrawn at any time. Conclusion As the financial landscape grows increasingly complex, Vince Trust offers a structured, automated, and compliance-focused approach to digital asset retirement planning. By combining cloud-based algorithms with blockchain infrastructure, the platform establishes a modern long-term wealth management framework centred on transparency, efficiency, and disciplined risk management. For those exploring compound interest strategies and long-term digital asset allocation, visitors are encouraged to spend a few minutes reviewing the https://vincetrust.com/official website to learn more about Vince Trust.

After reaching a new multi-month low, Solana (SOL) is attempting to hold a key high-timeframe level as support ahead of week’s end. Some analysts have suggested that the altcoin is poised to bounce, but others warned that a potential rally could be short-lived. Related Reading: Bitcoin Mirrors Q1 2025 Playbook, Is It Headed To $70,000 Before Year’s End? Solana To Tag Higher Levels Soon On Friday, Solana recovered from the latest drop and surged 7.7% toward the $125 area. The cryptocurrency fell nearly 9% on Thursday afternoon amid a broader market correction, sending its price to an eight-month low of $116. Amid the pullback, SOL’s price breached below a crucial high timeframe level, the around $120 mark, for the first time since April before recovering. Analyst Crypto Batman noted the altcoin “is not only at its major support level, the same one that has held price for the past 2 years.” In addition, the cryptocurrency is also forming a bullish divergence on the 3-day timeframe, “exactly like what we saw before the major bottom” at the start of Q2, the market observer added. To him, this suggests that Solana could bottom soon and see the start of a recovery rally to the macro range highs. However, another market observer affirmed that even if a retest of the higher levels is likely, “context matters here.” Analyst Crypto Scient highlighted that SOL’s price is currently at the range lows of its multi-year range, recording the first retest of this area after being rejected from the range highs. “One could argue SOL has been distributive for nearly two years now. That’s fair,” he explained, “[but] range lows rarely break on the first attempt.” Moreover, Scient pointed out that there’s significant liquidity left between the $175–$190 levels that “should get tagged at some point, even within a broader bearish environment.” As a result, the analyst considers that a “move higher to clean liquidity before any deeper downside would make far more sense.” December Close To Define SOL’s Fate? Analyst Rekt Capital affirmed that the $123 horizontal support remains the “defining level” that Solana must hold to prevent a major breakdown to multi-year lows. He detailed rebounds from this support have historically produced “outsized upside expansions,” with 140% and 100% moves. However, each rebound from this level has been progressively weaker over time, with the most recent bounce only managing to rally 15%. This signals a “sharp deceleration in upside responsiveness at this level,” which is important to consider as the compression in rebound magnitude could affect SOL’s monthly close. According to the analysis, a monthly close above the macro support would keep Solana positioned for a weaker rally, but a close below $123 would substantially change the structure. The second case would suggest that distribution has already started and confirm “how much this support has weakened since the last meaningful rebound that produced a near 2x move earlier this year.” Related Reading: Did Crypto Investors Stop Believing In The Four-Year Cycle? Analyst Weighs In Moreover, it would begin to mirror SOL’s performance in early 2022, when a similar price action preceded “macro relief moves during the opening phase of the Bear Market, including the decisive breakdown that occurred at the turn of that year.” Ultimately, the analyst warned that it remains to be seen whether the altcoin can close December above this crucial level and rebound, or if a breakdown “accelerates distribution sooner rather than later.” As of this writing, Solana is trading at $126, a 3.4% decline in the weekly timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

As the market volatility continues, Bitcoin (BTC) has failed to hold its short-lived momentum and reclaim a key resistance level for the second time this week. Some market watchers have affirmed that the flagship crypto may continue to have a disappointing end-of-year rally and potentially reach new lows before the pain is over. Related Reading: Did Crypto Investors Stop Believing In The Four-Year Cycle? Analyst Weighs In New Lows Before A 2026 Recovery? On Thursday, Bitcoin attempted to break past a crucial level after surging 2.9% from its daily opening. The cryptocurrency has been unable to reclaim $89,000-$90,000 area since the start-of-week correction, which sent the price to a two-week low of $85,145. Notably, the flagship crypto retested the crucial resistance area twice in the past 24 hours but has been rejected, falling back to the local lows. Market observer Ted Pillows highlighted that BTC has been holding above the $85,000 support zone despite the volatility, which could lead to another retest of the key $90,000-$92,000 zone if it holds. However, if price break below local support zone, Bitcoin would likely see a retest of the November lows, around the $80,000 mark. Ted also pointed out that the cryptocurrency may be mirroring its Q1 2025 price action, which suggests that a price drop below the recent lows could happen. Per the chart, BTC briefly bounced in March from its early 2025 correction before recording a lower low in the next few weeks. This was then followed by the Q2 and Q3 recovery rallies that propelled the price to its latest all-time high (ATH) of $126,000. Now, Bitcoin displays a similar performance, currently recovering from the initial corrective phase. If history repeats, the flagship crypto could see a 10%-15% drop to the $74,000-$76,000 area in the coming weeks before kicking off a rally toward new highs in 2026, the analyst suggested. Bitcoin To Continue With ‘No Direction’ Similarly, Ali Martinez affirmed that the cryptocurrency is at an inflection point and risks dropping up to 20% if the $87,000 support doesn’t hold. He explained that BTC is breaking out of a bear flag, which could target the $70,000 level if selling pressure spikes. Meanwhile, another analyst considers that “sentiment [is] flipping based on every last daily candle colour.” Daan Crypto Trades pointed out that Bitcoin has been trading within the $84,000-$93,500 for the past four weeks, “moving up and down in a choppy fashion, while trading in between these two larger levels.” To the trader, the next few weeks will continue to be “generally very choppy and lack direction” due to lower liquidity and trading volume during the holiday season. “I don’t think you’d be missing much if you log off and come back somewhere early January,” he added. Related Reading: XRP Price Must Defend This Level To Avoid 50% Breakdown, Analyst Warns On the contrary, analyst Crypto Jelle affirmed that despite the low-timeframe struggles, Bitcoin “still flat out refuses to drop lower, no matter how hard bears try.” He noted that price still sits “on a clear weekly support level” that has held since April, explaining that as long as this area holds, price can still reclaim the monthly opening, around the $90,300 area. As of this writing, BTC trades at $86,138 a 5.3% decline in the weekly timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

Crypto payment platform MoonPay is poised to receive a significant fundraising boost as recent reports suggest that Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the owner of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), is exploring an investment in the company.  According to a Bloomberg report, which cited sources familiar with the discussions, MoonPay is close to finalizing this fundraising round and is targeting a valuation around $5 billion. New Regulatory Approval And Investment Talks Based in New York, MoonPay specializes in simplifying the trading of cryptocurrencies through various payment methods, including PayPal, Apple Pay, and Venmo. The platform also offers tools for users to send, receive, and manage stablecoins.  Notably, MoonPay recently obtained a Limited Purpose Trust Charter from the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), a significant regulatory approval that complements its existing BitLicense.  Related Reading: Bitwise’s 2026 Crypto Forecast: Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Solana Poised For New Record Highs This charter enables MoonPay to expand its custody and other crypto services within New York, placing the company in league with established players like Coinbase (COIN) and PayPal, which also operate under the state’s strict digital asset regulations. The momentum for MoonPay continues to build, particularly with news that Caroline Pham, the acting chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), plans to join the firm as its chief legal and administrative officer.  CFTC Chair Caroline Pham to Join MoonPay Pham has been a notable figure in the regulatory landscape, having served on the CFTC’s board since April 2022 and becoming acting chair in January 2025.  She announced her intention to return to the private sector once a permanent chair was confirmed, which is expected to happen this week with Mike Selig’s anticipated confirmation. Under Pham’s leadership, the CFTC expedited several initiatives focused on cryptocurrencies, including the allowance for spot crypto trading on futures exchanges and the launch of a digital assets pilot program permitting the use of assets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) in derivatives markets.  Additionally, Pham implemented various operational changes within the CFTC, reportedly leading to nearly $50 million in annual savings by enhancing governance and accountability. Related Reading: Optimism Grows In Crypto Market Structure Bill After Wednesday’s Senate Banking Meeting Pham articulated that her agenda as acting chair concentrated on executing a range of presidential executive orders aimed at promoting regulatory clarity and efficiency across government agencies.  Reflecting on her decision to join MoonPay, she emphasized the importance of people in her career choices, stating that meaningful connections guide her decisions. Her connection to MoonPay began through a dinner hosted by Christie’s Art + Tech in 2023, where she met MoonPay’s president, Keith Grossman. A conversation that started at the dinner evolved into a friendship and later professional discussions as Pham considered her options post-government. Grossman expressed confidence in Pham’s capabilities, stating, “MoonPay has really matured, and Caroline is the exact type of leader with the exact type of big bank and regulatory experience that’s needed for us to be able to move to the next level.” Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

The U.S. Federal Reserve has taken a notable step in reshaping how banks under its supervision can engage with crypto, reversing guidance introduced in 2023 that had sharply limited such activities. Related Reading: XRP Risks Double-Top Crash Toward $0.40, Peter Brandt Warns The decision reflects a broader reassessment inside the central bank about how regulation should adapt to financial innovation, especially as digital assets continue to intersect with traditional banking infrastructure. Under the earlier framework, uninsured state-chartered banks were required to follow the same constraints as federally insured institutions in order to remain under Federal Reserve supervision. That approach effectively barred some crypto banks from accessing core payment systems or Federal Reserve membership. BTC's price trends to the downside on the daily chart. Source: BTCUSD on Tradingview What the Policy Shift Changes for Banks The new guidance establishes a formal pathway for both insured and uninsured banks supervised by the Federal Reserve to pursue certain innovative activities, including those related to cryptocurrencies. Institutions will still be required to meet supervisory and risk-management standards, but they will no longer be automatically excluded based on their business models. For uninsured banks, the implications are significant. Access to Federal Reserve membership would allow direct settlement through central bank payment systems rather than reliance on intermediary banks. This idea could lower operational frictions for crypto custody, settlement, and related services, potentially expanding the role of banks in digital asset markets without changing existing safety and soundness expectations. Custodia Case Highlights Regulatory Tensions The policy reversal has renewed attention on Custodia Bank, a crypto-focused institution whose application for a Federal Reserve master account was denied in part due to the now-rescinded guidance. Custodia CEO Caitlin Long has argued that the 2023 policy effectively blocked lawful access to the Fed’s infrastructure and welcomed its withdrawal as a correction of past regulatory overreach. Not all policymakers agree. Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr dissented from the decision, warning that loosening the framework could undermine a level competitive playing field and encourage regulatory arbitrage. Michael Barr’s position highlights the ongoing debate within regulatory circles over how to strike a balance between innovation and financial stability.r Broader Implications for Crypto Markets While the Fed’s move does not directly change how cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum trade, it may influence market structure over time. Easier access for banks could support deeper institutional participation, greater liquidity, and expanded custody and settlement options. Related Reading: Ethereum Risks Slide To $2,000 If December Closes Below This Level: Analyst For now, the shift signals a more flexible regulatory posture, one that acknowledges the rapid evolution of digital asset markets and the banks that seek to serve them. Cover image from ChatGPT, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview

In its latest report, asset manager and exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuer, Bitwise, has shared an optimistic 2026 outlook for the crypto market, anticipating significant growth, while predicting new all-time highs for Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL). Megatrends In Crypto?  Bitwise begins by asserting that Bitcoin is poised to break free from its traditional four-year price cycle, setting the stage for new records. Several factors contribute to this bullish forecast.  The dynamics of past cycles, including the Bitcoin Halving, interest rate fluctuations, and market booms and busts fueled by leverage, are expected to be less impactful in the coming years.  Related Reading: Bitcoin Bottom Forecast: Top Expert Predicts $40,000 Target Next Year, Here’s The Analysis Notably, the entry of large institutions like Citi, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and Merrill Lynch into the crypto space is anticipated to accelerate institutional allocations toward spot ETFs and enhance on-chain developments by 2026.  As a result, Bitcoin is projected to become less volatile, even indicating that it has demonstrated lower volatility than tech giant Nvidia throughout 2025.  The report also expresses strong optimism for Ethereum and Solana, particularly contingent upon the passing of the CLARITY Act. Bitwise believes that the growth of stablecoins and tokenization represents significant “megatrends,” with both Ethereum and Solana positioned to be the primary beneficiaries of this trend. ETFs To Acquire New Market Supply Institutional demand is forecasted to surge, with ETFs expected to acquire more than 100% of the new supply of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. By 2026, Bitwise expects that most institutional investors will have access to crypto ETFs.  As Bitwise projects the new supply hitting the market, estimates indicate roughly 166,000 Bitcoin valued at $15.3 billion, 960,000 Ethereum around $3.0 billion, and 23 million Solana coins amounting to $3.2 billion. However, the firm anticipates that ETFs will likely purchase even more than these figures suggest. The report further highlights that crypto equities are expected to outperform traditional tech stocks. While tech shares have surged by 140% over the past three years, crypto equities have significantly outpaced them.  The Bitwise Crypto Innovators 30 Index, which tracks companies providing crucial infrastructure and services for crypto assets, has rocketed by 585% during the same time frame. Bitwise believes this momentum will persist into 2026, driven by potential revenue growth, mergers and acquisitions, and a favorable regulatory landscape. Stablecoins As Scapegoats For Economic Woes As stablecoins gain traction, Bitwise cautions that they may become scapegoats for destabilizing emerging market currencies. Currently valued at nearly $300 billion, the market for stablecoins, which include tokenized versions of the US dollar like USDT and USDC, is predicted to reach $500 billion by the end of 2026.  With this rise, it’s anticipated that one or two countries may blame stablecoins for their financial troubles, despite the reality that people would not turn to stablecoins if their local currencies were stable. Related Reading: Cantor Fitzgerald Projects Major Growth For Hyperliquid (HYPE) In Explosive New Report Additionally, Bitwise forecasts the launch of over 100 crypto-linked ETFs in the United States, following the SEC’s issuance of new listing standards that enable these funds to enter the market under a unified regulatory framework. This regulatory clarity sets the stage for what Bitwise dubs “ETF-palooza” in 2026. Lastly, the firm predicts that half of Ivy League endowments will likely invest in cryptocurrencies, and that on-chain vault assets under management will double in the coming years. At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $86,165, having recorded major losses of 2% and almost 7% over the past 24 hours and seven days respectively. Currently, the leading crypto is trading 31.8% below its all-time high of $126,000.  Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

With only two weeks left of 2025, market participants wonder whether the Bitcoin (BTC) and the rest of the crypto market will continue to struggle or begin recovering. An analyst discussed the current market sentiment and the impact it may have on market performance. Related Reading: XRP Price Must Defend This Level To Avoid 50% Breakdown, Analyst Warns The Four-Year Crypto Cycle Is ‘Like Faith In God’ As we approach the end of the year, concerns about the crypto market’s performance continue to mount. Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has seen a 30% decline from its early October peak. As the volatility persist and the flagship crypto trades below its yearly opening price of $93,500, some investors questioned the four-year cycle theory, suggesting that the theory may no longer hold after the recent market’s performance. Responding to one of these comments, pseudonym market observer Plur affirmed that the four-year crypto cycle has evolved over the years and that “there is no magical rule of nature stating price must go up and down on this fixed cadence.” The analyst explained that the theory is a “memetic consensus, which is a form of implicit agreement and coordination that people will buy and sell together at set times, and by doing so, force outsiders to participate and bring their money.” “It’s an egregore-as-cartel. It’s a large group of loosely connected people all saying, every 4 years, we are going to hike up and down this mountain at the same time,” he detailed on the Wednesday post. Another community member added that the crypto cycle “is like faith in God: everyone believes in it, but no one has ever seen it.” Plur added that the initial catalyst and “original metronome” of this theory was the halving but that it has become “something more than that.” Market Struggles As Investors’ Faith Splits The evolution of the four-year crypto cycle has led some market participants to try to shift their behavior to “front run the moves of others” to benefit more.” As a result, many investors started to sell aggressively in 2025 anticipating of the end of the cycle. To the market watcher, this “represents a fraying in the memetic consensus, and eventually it collapses, as belief decays.” Similarly, Ark Invest’s CEO, Cathie Wood, recently affirmed that Bitcoin is currently “climbing another wall of worry” that has made investors cautious of the upcoming market performance. She explained that there is fear of the four-year cycle, which suggests that 2026 will be a corrective year. Plur noted that the crypto market is in an uncertain state, where some investors continue to believe in the theory and some don’t. Related Reading: Solana Leads As Most Popular Blockchain Ecosystem For Second Consecutive Year – Report “The biggest impact that might have is not giving people enough confidence to buy on the upswing. Remember how assured you felt buying in 2023? Now the troops are scattered because the coordination mechanism is gone,” he stated. Plur added that “in equities the memetic consensus is that the index will always grind up over time, buy the dip, trust the process. (…) I had been hopeful that something similar could come in for BTC to replace the 4 year cycle, but sell pressure was way too high,” leading to the indeterminate state of the market. He concluded that it’s time to wait and see if a new form of memetic consensus can form. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

On Wednesday, a bipartisan meeting of the Senate Banking Committee, led by Senator Tim Scott, offered a cautiously optimistic outlook for discussions surrounding the anticipated crypto market structure bill.  Despite the absence of any markup hearings scheduled for this week, industry representatives and senators engaged in what many considered a productive dialogue regarding the evolving legislative landscape. Senators Collaborate With Industry Leaders Key figures from major crypto firms were among the attendees, including executives from Coinbase (COIN), Kraken, Chainlink, a16z, and Ripple, who have been increasingly involved in discussions aimed at fostering the positive growth of digital assets in the country.  According to Eleanor Terret from Crypto In America, the atmosphere of the meeting was described as “constructive and collaborative.” Senators from both parties engaged actively with industry representatives, asking insightful questions and exploring the nuances of the proposed bill text. Related Reading: Cantor Fitzgerald Projects Major Growth For Hyperliquid (HYPE) In Explosive New Report Participating senators included Democrats Mark Warner and Catherine Cortez Masto, who were noted for their engagement and for posing significant questions to both the industry representatives and Senate Banking staff. Three key areas of ongoing negotiation emerged from the discussions: the classification of tokens—distinguishing between securities and commodities, the roles of stablecoin interest versus rewards, and discussions surrounding decentralized finance (DeFi). The meeting’s update follows earlier confirmation from a committee spokesperson that the Banking Committee will not conduct a markup hearing prior to the upcoming Christmas break. Instead, the committee intends to monitor the bill’s progress for potential action in early 2026. Intensified Talks On Crypto Regulation In a statement released earlier this week, Jeff Naft, spokesperson for Chair Scott, emphasized the committee’s commitment to pursuing a bipartisan approach to address the complexities of digital asset market legislation.  “Chairman Scott and the Senate Banking Committee have made strong progress,” Naft noted, underscoring continued efforts to establish a new regulatory framework that would enhance clarity for the crypto sector and position the United States as a leader in the digital assets arena. Negotiations have intensified over the past week, with Republican members of the Banking Committee working closely with their Democratic counterparts to seek a viable compromise.  Related Reading: SEC Wraps Up Investigation Into Aave Protocol, Confirms CEO Stani Kulechov However, Democrats have also consistently called for additional time in the piece of legislation to address various concerns, particularly regarding financial stability, market integrity, and ethical considerations. Specific ethics concerns have arisen related to President Donald Trump and his family’s involvement in crypto-related business ventures, which reportedly have added to their wealth.  As Congress prepares to reconvene after the holiday break, immediate attention will shift to federal government funding, with the current funding bill set to expire on January 30. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Russia has reiterated its firm stance on crypto, drawing a clear distinction between digital assets and traditional currency. While global debate continues over whether crypto can coexist with national currencies, Russian lawmakers are reinforcing a long-held view. Related Reading: Bitcoin ‘Death Cross’ Panic Returns: History Says It’s A Late Signal Inside the country, payments remain the sole domain of the ruble. The position comes as crypto usage grows worldwide and as Russia experiments with alternative settlement tools for cross-border trade under pressure from sanctions. At the center of the latest comments is Anatoly Aksakov, chair of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets and a key figure behind Russia’s crypto legislation. Speaking to state media, Aksakov said there is no ambiguity in the law. BTC's price records some gains on the daily chart. Source: BTCUSD on Tradingview Lawmakers Reinforce Ruble-only Payment Rule In Russia, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum can be held or traded as investments, but they are not permitted to function as a means of payment in domestic commerce, according to lawmaker Anatoly Aksakov. All payments for goods and services must continue to be settled in rubles. Aksakov’s remarks restate provisions introduced in Russia’s 2020 digital assets law, which removed cryptocurrencies from any form of legal tender. Lawmakers argue that money must be issued and controlled by the state, and private digital currencies do not meet that standard. Officials say there are no plans to soften this stance. The rule applies across retail, online services, and business contracts, closing the door on crypto payments regardless of adoption trends or market conditions. Central Bank Skepticism Shapes Policy The Bank of Russia continues to play a decisive role in this approach. Governor Elvira Nabiullina has long warned that cryptocurrencies pose risks to financial stability and consumer protection. The central bank has consistently opposed using crypto as a medium of exchange and has previously pushed for broad restrictions on exchanges and transactions. This position has led to years of friction with the Ministry of Finance, which favored regulation and taxation over outright limits. While several legislative proposals emerged from that debate, none altered the core prohibition on crypto payments. Today, policymakers appear to be aligned in preserving the ruble’s monopoly. Cross-Border Use Grows Despite Domestic Ban Although crypto is barred from internal payments, Russian authorities acknowledge its growing role in international trade. Businesses are permitted to use digital assets for cross-border settlements under an experimental legal regime, a workaround that has gained traction amid global financial restrictions. Officials estimate that billions of dollars’ worth of trade has already moved through such channels. Similarly, Russia has legalized cryptocurrency mining and is tightening oversight of the sector, underscoring a split strategy, limited use abroad, and strict control at home. Related Reading: The Bearish Structure That Puts Bitcoin Price At $92,550, And Then $82,000 That divide alone defines Russia’s crypto policy. Digital assets may serve as investment tools or external settlement instruments, but inside the country, the ruble remains the only means of payment. Cover image from ChatGPT, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview

As the crypto market recovers from the latest pullback, XRP is attempting to climb up from its recent lows. Some analysts have suggested that the cryptocurrency must defend its current levels or risk a 50% drop to levels not seen since 2024. Related Reading: Solana Leads As Most Popular Blockchain Ecosystem For Second Consecutive Year – Report XRP At Make-Or-Break Level Amid the start-of-week market correction, XRP recorded a 6% drop toward its lowest level in weeks. The price lost $2.00 support on Monday morning and continued to lose key levels despite uninterrupted institutional interest. The cryptocurrency has been trading within the $2.00-$2.25 price range over the past month, only losing its lower boundary during the late November pullback. Monday’s correction sent the altcoin below the range’s lower support again, hitting a multi-week low of $1.88 before bouncing around an area that has been crucial for the past year. Notably, XRP has bounced from the $1.85-$1.90 support zone after every major correction since the November 2024 breakout, climbing back above the $2.00 level each time. However, some market observers have suggested that the price risks a significant correction if it is unable to hold the current levels. Ali Martinez pointed out that the cryptocurrency has fallen below its one-year price range, between the $1.92-$3.27 levels, which could lead to a 50% drop below this area. To the analyst, XRP’s price must secure a daily close above $1.92 to prevent a drop to the $1.00 support, which has not been seen in over a year. Similarly, Cheds Trading affirmed that XRP is “flirting with a high time frame breakdown.” Per the chart, the altcoin appears to be forming a high-timeframe rounding top or double top pattern with a higher high. The analyst noted that in the case of the latter, the M formation would be confirmed if the $1.88 level, where the pattern’s neckline is situated, is lost. This could lead to a “measured move to roughly [the] MA 200 area/$1.00 range.” Price Ready For 2026 Markup Phase? Despite the warnings, other market watchers shared a positive outlook for XRP in the coming months. Trader Niels affirmed that the leading altcoin is “looking good” at the current levels. According to the post, the cryptocurrency is “sweeping the $1.8 support zone again” while showing a bullish divergence on the daily timeframe, which suggests that the price could soon move to higher levels. To the trader, once XRP breaks above $2.20 resistance, it could surge 27%-37% towards the $2.80-$3.00 area “within a month.” Meanwhile, analyst ChartNerd highlighted that XRP appears to be repeating its 2023-2024 price action, which led to its massive breakout in November 2024. The chart shows that the altcoin accumulated for a year and a half, bouncing between the range’s lower and upper boundaries before its markup phase in late Q4 2024. Related Reading: XRP Hasn’t Entered A Bear Market Yet; Analyst Shares Why Following this expansion period, the cryptocurrency is showing a similar accumulation range, leading the analyst to suggest that XRP may continue consolidating within its current range before another markup phase occurs. “Regardless of scenarios, or how ugly/beautiful it gets, a massive markup phase similar to November 2024 is likely between now and late 2026,” he stated. As of this writing, XRP is trading at $1.92, a 1.65% increase in the daily timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has officially concluded its investigation into the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Aave (AAVE), marking a significant development in the ongoing evolution of regulatory approaches within the cryptocurrency industry.  Stani Kulechov, the founder and CEO of the Aave protocol, confirmed the end of the four-year investigation in a post on social media, expressing relief and optimism about the future of DeFi. Aave Founder Celebrates End Of SEC Investigation In his announcement, Kulechov emphasized the considerable effort and resources invested by the Aave team throughout this process. He stated, “We are finally ready to share that the SEC has concluded its investigation into the Aave Protocol.”  Highlighting the impact of regulatory scrutiny on DeFi, he added, “This process demanded significant effort… to protect Aave, its ecosystem, and DeFi more broadly.”  Related Reading: Will Bitcoin Suffer A 20% Decline After Japan’s Rate Hike? Historical Patterns Suggest So Kulechov expressed hope for a new chapter in which developers can freely innovate and contribute to the future of finance, asserting, “DeFi will win.” This conclusion is notable against the backdrop of heightened regulatory pressure that DeFi projects have faced in recent years. Under the previous SEC chair, Gary Gensler, the agency made a concerted effort to enforce regulations in the crypto space.  In 2021, the SEC initiated 19 enforcement actions related to cryptocurrency in just the first nine months. However, recent patterns reveal a substantial shift in the commission’s stance on crypto enforcement. SEC Eases Crypto Enforcement Actions By Over 60%  Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, the SEC has reportedly eased enforcement actions in over 60% of ongoing cryptocurrency cases.  A New York Times investigation published recently analyzed thousands of government documents and court records, revealing that the SEC has either dismissed, paused, or reduced penalties for a significant majority of active crypto cases since January 20, 2021.  Related Reading: XRP Price Forecast: Key Factors That Could Propel It To $3 In Early 2026 While Trump’s first term saw an average of one high-profile cryptocurrency case per month—including the notable action against Ripple Labs—the current landscape indicates a less aggressive regulatory approach for major players like Binance, Ripple, and Gemini.  Following the administration shift, enforcement actions against these companies have either been withdrawn or significantly softened. Paul S. Atkins, the newly appointed SEC chair under the Trump administration, has labeled this regulatory shift a “new day” for the cryptocurrency industry.  At the time of writing, the protocol’s native token, AAVE, was trading at $187, having only surged by 1% following the announcement. However, on a year-to-date basis, the AAVE token has seen a significant 52% drop, with prices currently 72% down from the all-time high of $661 reached in May 2021.   Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

In a significant milestone for the evolution of on-chain finance, a new money market fund has selected Ethereum as its primary settlement layer toward blockchain-native infrastructure for traditional financial products. This decision reflects growing confidence in ETH security, scalability, ecosystem maturity, and qualities that institutional investors and asset managers increasingly demand when moving regulated financial instruments onto public blockchains. How The New On-Chain Settlement Improves Operational Efficiency The largest money whale in institutional finance just made its biggest move by launching a new money market fund on Ethereum, and it’s coming from J.P. Morgan Asset Management. According to an analyst known as Milk Road on X, the company oversees roughly $4 trillion in client assets, and seeds these funds with $100 million of its own capital before opening them up to the public. This fund is called My On-Chain Net Yield Fund (MONY), which is similar to a normal money market fund. Related Reading: Ethereum Emerges As A Dollar Settlement Powerhouse, Outpacing Traditional Payment Networks – Details It is set to hold assets designed to preserve capital and remain liquid. A key difference between the fund and others is that shares are issued and tracked on ETH using JPMorgan’s Kinexys platform. The feature allows the fund to settle faster, issue and redeem shares continuously, and transfer ownership without waiting on the traditional clearing system. Furthermore, this product is limited to large investors, individuals with at least $5 million investments, and institutions with $25 million, including a $1 million minimum to get started. The risk profile and purpose are familiar, and it’s a safe yield for investors.  Meanwhile, for JPMorgan, this is a major operational upgrade offering faster cash transactions, tighter integration with treasury systems, and smoother collateral movement. Larger asset managers are starting by moving the safest, most conservative products on-chain first, because that’s where efficiency gains would show up immediately. “Adoption is accelerating,” Milk Road noted. Why Ethereum Is More Than Just Technology According to AdrianoFeria, the world’s greatest misunderstanding of Ethereum is viewing it solely as a technology. AdrianoFeria has pointed out that ETH is a network of economic actors coordinating around shared rules. It is also a social contract and a system that is designed to enable collaboration in the most adverse situations.  Related Reading: Here’s Why Ethereum Emerges As The Global Capital Rails For On-Chain Finance At the core, ETH functions as a global and neutral arbitrator. Over time, it has proven itself to be the most long-standing, reliable, and trustworthy neutral arbitrator in the world. This arbitrator is the most valuable aspect of ETH, and any valuable model must account for it to have a chance of estimating realistic ETH price targets. “If you are stuck with a cash flow-centric valuation for ETH, then it is time to sit down and study the system more deeply, and if you believe cash flow explains most of ETH’s value, you haven’t dug deep enough,” the expert mentioned. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

Monday, 15 December 2025 – Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) has reached $29.5 million in presale capital, driven by a strategy that addresses one of Bitcoin’s most persistent constraints without making any changes to Bitcoin itself. With BTC dipping below $90,000, it’s becoming clearer that Bitcoin’s valuation has long been powered more by conviction than by real transactional use. That limitation is increasingly difficult to ignore. Bitcoin Hyper aims to remove that barrier by creating an environment where BTC can actually move, be used, and scale in real economic activity. Rather than attempting to modify Bitcoin Hyper is built alongside it. Bitcoin remains unchanged as the ultimate settlement layer, while the functions it was never meant to handle are moved off-chain. Transaction execution takes place in a fast, flexible ecosystem, finally giving applications the space they need to operate efficiently. This architecture is what’s driving investor interest in HYPER, the token positioned at the core of Bitcoin’s shift from a passive store of value into an active economic system. That opportunity is still open for a limited time. HYPER is currently priced at $0.013425, but that price is only available for the next five hours before the following presale phase begins. Six Figures Reveal Bitcoin’s Next Challenge As 2025 approaches its end, the year is set to be remembered for the moment Bitcoin firmly crossed into six-figure price levels. However, the recent pullback has reignited a more uncomfortable debate: can Bitcoin’s role as a store of value alone continue to support further price growth? That uncertainty is no longer limited to crypto circles and is beginning to appear in traditional financial markets. Strategy is facing mounting scrutiny as index providers review whether its substantial Bitcoin exposure still warrants inclusion in major benchmarks, including the MSCI indices. Analysts at JPMorgan have cautioned that any potential removal could result in billions of dollars exiting through passive investment funds. Meanwhile, Strategy’s stock has declined significantly more than Bitcoin itself and is now trading much closer to the underlying value of its BTC holdings, rather than maintaining the premium that investors previously attributed to its treasury-focused approach. MSCI $MSTR DE-LISTING FEAR MONGERING: THE $2.8 BILLION LIE First: Strategy is at ZERO risk of being delisted from other indices. Second: J.P. Morgan says an MSCI delisting would trigger a $2.8 Billion forced sell off. They are banking on you not knowing the math. I assessed… pic.twitter.com/NszHcnYt69 — Adrian (@_Adrian) November 25, 2025 Scarcity alone may no longer be sufficient to keep pushing Bitcoin’s price upward. For the market to reclaim and hold six-figure levels and eventually move beyond previous highs the network needs a new driver of demand. Bitcoin’s base layer was deliberately engineered to be lean, cautious, and resistant to change. It functions as a neutral settlement layer, placing security and verifiability above every other consideration. That conservative design is exactly what has allowed Bitcoin to operate reliably for more than a decade. However, this same philosophy also imposes a limitation. If Bitcoin must stay simple by design, then advanced execution and functionality must exist outside of it. There is effectively no alternative approach. This is precisely the space Bitcoin Hyper is designed to occupy. Execution is handled in a separate ecosystem, while Bitcoin continues to serve as the ultimate source of settlement and truth. Bitcoin’s Design Prioritized Simplicity by Choice Bitcoin was built as a form of money that cannot be altered, diluted, or controlled by any government, corporation, or small group of actors. Achieving that goal required a system engineered to be resilient above all else, even if it meant giving up speed and adaptability. This is why Bitcoin depends on the stark simplicity of SHA-256. It is a one-way cryptographic function that avoids complexity and specialization, yet performs its role with unmatched reliability. Verification is fast and straightforward, while reversal is effectively impossible and this imbalance is what underpins Bitcoin’s security model. FUN FACT: Bitcoin runs on SHA256—a one-way cryptographic function. It’s what secures your sats with trillions of hashes per second. Want to see how unbreakable that really is?Watch this ???? pic.twitter.com/SQ6iPGu918 — Simply Bitcoin (@SimplyBitcoin) April 24, 2025 Think of Bitcoin as the foundation. You don’t drill into bedrock every time you want to expand a structure you build on top of it, because the strength underneath is what supports everything above. From the beginning, Bitcoin’s base layer was deliberately kept simple and conservative. By minimizing moving parts, it reduced attack vectors, limited governance risk, and ensured the system could be verified by anyone without relying on complicated logic. That discipline is a key reason Bitcoin remains the most secure and decentralized network in the crypto space. Still, bedrock isn’t meant to be lived in it’s meant to support what’s built above it. Advanced features were never intended to operate on Bitcoin’s base layer, and forcing them there would erode the very attributes that give Bitcoin its value. This is exactly why Bitcoin Hyper exists. It adds a layer above Bitcoin where advanced functionality can operate without modifying the underlying chain. That execution layer is powered by the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM), pulling execution away from Bitcoin’s slower base layer and placing it into an environment optimized for speed and scalability. Transactions become fast and inexpensive, and complexity is no longer a limiting factor. The result is more than simple “hybrid applications” it represents a deeper structural change. Bitcoin is no longer static. BTC moves through DeFi, gaming, and real economic use cases at Solana-level speeds, while final settlement still resolves back on Bitcoin. Fast at the top, immutable at the core. The Infrastructure Play Powering Bitcoin’s Next Phase: HYPER The Bitcoin Hyper framework is built around a single objective that Bitcoin itself has never achieved at scale: enabling BTC to function in everyday economic use. Within the Bitcoin Hyper environment, applications are designed to use Bitcoin directly as the means of exchange. Participation requires BTC, not a substitute or wrapper. That is where the dynamic begins to change. When applications depend on BTC to operate, demand shifts away from pure speculation or macro-driven narratives and becomes embedded in actual usage. Bitcoin starts to resemble an active currency circulating through an ecosystem, rather than idle collateral sitting on the sidelines. However, Bitcoin Hyper is doing more than expanding BTC’s utility. It also introduces an economic layer reminiscent of the early opportunities that first-generation Bitcoin supporters experienced. This execution layer requires energy to operate, and that role is fulfilled by HYPER. The seat is optional. Hyper carries the whole ecosystem anyway. ⚡️????https://t.co/VNG0P4GuDo pic.twitter.com/lNbiunomew — Bitcoin Hyper (@BTC_Hyper2) December 10, 2025 HYPER functions as the network’s gas token, enabling transactions across the system, while also serving as the staking asset that contributes to network security and the governance token that guides its long-term direction. It is the mechanism through which growth at the execution layer is captured. This is why the presale has already attracted more than $29.5 million, with investors positioning themselves early around the infrastructure they believe Bitcoin will need to sustain its next phase of growth. At the current presale price of $0.013425, many see HYPER as reflecting early-stage development risk rather than the valuation of a fully operational ecosystem. How to Purchase HYPER To acquire HYPER, visit the official Bitcoin Hyper website and complete your purchase using SOL, ETH, USDT, USDC, BNB, or a credit card. Bitcoin Hyper also recommends using Best Wallet, a widely used crypto and Bitcoin wallet. HYPER is already listed in Best Wallet’s Upcoming Tokens section, allowing users to buy, monitor, and later claim their tokens once the launch goes live. You can also join the wider Bitcoin Hyper community by following the project on Telegram and X.

Solana (SOL) has emerged as the most popular blockchain ecosystem of 2025, securing its crown for the second consecutive year despite a significant decrease in chain-specific global interest compared to the previous year. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bearish Signals Are ‘Hard To Ignore’: Analyst Warns Of Drop To April Lows Solana Takes The Popularity Crown On Monday, Solana was named the leading blockchain ecosystem by popularity in 2025 by crypto data aggregator CoinGecko. The study examined interest in blockchain ecosystems based on CoinGecko’s non-botted global web traffic from January 1 to December 14, 2025, only including ecosystems with actively listed coins and a non-zero percentage share of traffic. As a result, a total of 62 blockchain ecosystems were included in the study. Out of the 62 blockchain ecosystems studied, the 20 most popular represented a majority of 95.60% of global interest in chain-specific narratives. According to the report, the Solana ecosystem captured 26.79% of the global interest in chain-specific narratives this year, retaining its title as the most popular blockchain ecosystem for a second consecutive year. The Base ecosystem followed in second place, accounting for 13.94% of global investor interest in chain-specific narratives this year, led by constructive developments and partnerships. However, its mindshare experienced a 2.9% decrease from the 16.81% recorded in 2024. Similar to Solana and Base, the Ethereum ecosystem also retained its position from the 2024 list, ranking as the third most popular ecosystem with 13.43% of global interest. Meanwhile, Sui and BNB Chain moved up in the list, ranking 4th and 5th after more than doubling their mindshare in 2025. Per the study, the Sui ecosystem recorded the largest mindshare growth, with a 6.9% year-over-year (YoY) increase to reach 11.77% of the total global interest in chain-specific narratives. The BNB Chain ecosystem saw a 4.9% surge YoY to capture 9.05% in mindshare, fueled by the launch of Binance Alpha in May, which increased BNB Chain’s on-chain trading volumes, the report noted. Notably, XRP Ledger, Bittensor & Hyperliquid lead new entrants into the top rankings, securing a spot in the top 10 this year. SOL Memecoins Out Of Leading Narratives Despite leading the popularity rankings, CoinGecko highlighted that the Solana ecosystem’s mindshare had significantly decreased from the 38.79% it had dominated in 2024. According to the study, the ecosystem dropped by 12% this year, reflecting the blockchain’s “struggles to expand beyond its close association with meme coin speculation, as well as Solana’s range-bound price despite wider institutional adoption marked by the US ETFs launch.” This resulted in the Solana ecosystem dropping out of the top leading narratives list this year. In a Friday analysis, CoinGecko reported that memecoin emerged as the most popular crypto narrative in 2025 with a combined 25.02% of global investor interest across the main meme coin category and 35 meme coin trends. This represented a 5.65% decline from the 30.67% market share that the memecoin narrative held in 2024, suggesting that “the mania for purely speculative crypto may be subsiding.” Related Reading: Dogecoin Could Stage A 600% Rally In 2026 If This Multi-Year Support Holds The Solana ecosystem lost its spot in the top five most popular crypto narratives, where it had ranked for the previous two years, after being overtaken by AI agents and the Made in USA narratives. Meanwhile, the Solana memecoin sector also dropped out of the top five narratives after a 3.08% decline in global investor interest from 2024. Nonetheless, “it remains to be seen whether the Solana narrative will be able to ride on new catalysts next year, as momentum from its comeback story runs out,” CoinGecko added. As of this writing, SOL is trading at $126, a 2.61% decline in the daily timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

Hashdex is out with its 2026 crypto investment outlook, and the vibe is pretty clear: stop treating crypto like a weird side-bet and start treating it like… an allocation. The firm’s CIO Samir Kerbage says “most investors” should be thinking in the 5–10% range, framing it as a pragmatic response to a messier macro regime (sticky inflation risk, debt burdens, the 60/40 portfolio looking less like a law of nature and more like a historical artifact). Look, you can debate the exact number, but Hashdex’s point is that the underweight has become the active decision. Crypto is now “well above $3 trillion” in market cap and about 1% of the global investable market by its math—meaning a sub-1% allocation is basically a deliberate fade. They also cite a Charles Schwab survey where 45% of financial advisors said they planned to allocate to crypto ETFs over the next year. And they’re not just waving their hands. Hashdex runs a simple portfolio thought experiment: adding crypto exposure (represented by the Nasdaq Crypto Index US) to a 60/40 improves risk-adjusted returns in their backtest window, with higher allocations juicing total return while, yes, drawdowns get uglier. That trade-off isn’t hidden — it’s the whole point of sizing the position instead of YOLO’ing it. Related Reading: Crypto Tanks After Fed Cut: Santiment Breaks Down The Trap But the meat of the report isn’t “buy crypto because number go up.” It’s three themes, three predictions — basically a roadmap for what they think does the heavy lifting in 2026. Top 3 Crypto Predictions For 2026 First up: the “cryptodollar”. Hashdex argues stablecoins are starting to do something geopolitically weird and financially consequential: while some sovereigns try to de-dollarize, stablecoins re-dollarize at the user and corporate level, with issuers recycling that demand into short-duration Treasuries. Their baseline is stablecoins going from roughly $295 billion to well over $500 billion in 2026. If that accelerates, they suggest it changes the shape of Treasury demand — in one scenario, stablecoin growth could shorten the average duration of US debt by around four months (because the backing skews short). That’s the kind of detail bond people obsess over. Crypto people probably should, too. Related Reading: Will The Crypto Market Benefit From The Trump Fed Takeover? Second: tokenization finally acting like a flywheel instead of a conference slide. Hashdex points to tokenized RWAs at roughly $36 billion as of late 2025 and says the market could grow 10x to about $400 billion by end-2026. They also flag that tokenized Treasury bills have already climbed to over $8 billion, from a little above $700 million two years earlier. They namecheck real-world rollout examples — BlackRock’s liquidity fund, Franklin Templeton’s on-chain government money fund, UBS’s tokenized VCC fund in Singapore, Siemens’ on-chain bond — as proof this isn’t just crypto teams talking to themselves anymore. “We’re not spending enough time talking about how quickly we’re going to tokenize every financial asset.” Third: AI, but not the “add AI to the pitch deck” version. Hashdex says decentralized AI networks pulled nearly $1 billion in venture funding in 2025, largely aimed at problems like verification, coordination, and compute cost. Their call is the “AI Crypto” segment growing from about $3 billion to $10 billion in 2026. The throughline is simple even if the plumbing isn’t: stablecoins deepen on-chain liquidity, tokenization pulls more assets onto rails, and AI pushes demand for crypto-native infrastructure that can verify and coordinate without a single gatekeeper. Hashdex’s punchline is that 2026 is when “exploratory” turns into “strategic.” Not a tidy ending, sure — but markets rarely give you one. At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $3.03 trillion. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Crypto pundit NoLimit has explained why the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices have been dumping recently. He specifically raised claims of manipulation, with these crypto prices recording gains and then fully retracing those gains.  In an X post, No Limit stated that the Bitcoin price is dumping because Binance is buying and that Coinbase is dumping a large amount of BTC. The Bitcoin decline has also sparked declines for the Ethereum and Dogecoin prices, which are known to mirror the flagship crypto. Meanwhile, the crypto pundit raised claims of BTC being manipulated.  Pundit Explains What Is Happening With The Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Dogecoin Prices NoLimit pointed out something weird that happened on the order books, noting a massive spike in Binance’s CVD, which didn’t come from retail suddenly buying millions of dollars in BTC. On the other hand, he stated that Coinbase’s CVD fell at the exact same time, indicating that the crypto exchange dumped some BTC, which sparked declines in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices.  Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Can Hit These ‘Realistic’ Bullish Targets Before The Bear Market Begins The crypto pundit highlighted the sharp decline in Bitcoin’s price as liquidity was yanked, creating a thin order book. He further remarked that one venue is getting aggressively bid up while the other is getting drained. NoLimit explained that this is not a normal spot flow and that it is likely coordinated positioning, hedging, arbitrage, or pure manipulation.  NoLimited pointed out that the Bitcoin price reacted instantly to this alleged manipulation, dropping, then pushing to $94,000, and then dropping again. This also dragged down the Ethereum and Dogecoin prices. The crypto pundit asserted that a group of people is playing with the market and that most people won’t notice until it is too late.  He stated that when crypto exchanges completely disagree on net flow like this, it is usually a warning. NoLimit added that the next big move is being set up before the public catches on. The crypto pundit urged market participants to pay attention because things are about to get interesting.  Another Pundit Raises Manipulation Claims Crypto pundit Vivek also indicated that the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin prices may be manipulated at the moment. He noted that BTC round-tripped from $94,000 to $88,000 three times in the last few days, liquidating both longs and shorts worth over $200 million. The pundit added that this is an example of clear market manipulation to wipe out both leveraged longs and shorts.  Related Reading: When Will Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Dogecoin Go Into A Bear Market? Crypto pundit Bull Theory also recently accused Wall Street trading firm Jane Street of manipulating the Bitcoin price. This came as the pundit noted that BTC, alongside Ethereum and Dogecoin, usually declines at the market open before recovering later. Bull Theory suggested that the firm may be manipulating the market in order to buy at lower prices. Featured image from Pngtree, chart from Tradingview.com

Anthony Scaramucci showed up to Solana Breakpoint in Abu Dhabi wearing a tie — a small act of rebellion in a sea of hoodies — and then proceeded to make a much bigger one on stage: Solana is going to “flip” Ethereum. Scaramucci’s Solana Prediction Not in the Twitter-war, zero-sum, “ETH is dead” kind of way. More like: same league, different growth curve, and Solana ends up with the bigger market cap. “I think it will flip Ethereum, but that doesn’t mean Ethereum’s going down or anything like that. I think there’s going to be market share for Ethereum. I think they could both grow, but I think from a market capitalization perspective, I think Solana will end up growing faster,” Scaramucci told CoinDesk Live on Dec. 11. That’s been his line for a while. This time it came with a prop: his new book, Solana Rising, which dropped Dec. 9 and — according to Scaramucci — quickly hit the top of Amazon’s “new releases” list for investment management/investment strategy. He framed the book as something for the skeptics, or at least for the friends of the believers. Related Reading: Solana Enters Bear Territory: Realized Loss Now Outweighs Profit The pitch is familiar if you’ve been anywhere near crypto conferences this year, but Scaramucci’s version is unusually blunt: Solana is the fastest-growing chain, it’s stacked with activity, it’s cheap to use, and it’s easy to build on. Then you add staking, and you’ve got what he keeps calling “great tokenomics.” And yes, he’s heavily aligned. “Full disclosure,” he said, “I have a large personal holding in Solana. I have it on the firm’s balance sheet.” How large? On SkyBridge’s balance sheet, he put it at “probably 60%,” with the firm sitting on “north of a nine figure balance sheet.” His personal portfolio allocation, he estimated, is around “6% 7%.” Big, but not “I sold the house for SOL” big. Notably, Scaramucci emphasized that he’s not “chain monogamous.” He likes Avalanche. He likes Ethereum. He’s not doing maximalism. He’s doing a portfolio. “In fact, who is chain monogamous?” he joked. Related Reading: Solana Hits Critical Demand Zone — Is A Surprise Bottom Loading? The Skybridge Capital founder added: “It’s not an amorous thing. It just has to do with the realities of investing. It’s like owning a lot of stocks in your portfolio. But to me, I just think that it is the fastest growing chain. That’s the most activity of like the top 50 chains combined. It’s got lots of use cases, lots of versatility. It’s easy to develop on and it’s very low fees to transact on and it’s got great tokenomics if you want to stake your Solana like I do.” He also pointed to the debut of the first spot Solana ETF in the United States — “first staking ETF,” in his words — as another signal that we’re still early. Then came the price talk, because of course it did. Could SOL hit $300–$400 by the end of next year? “Sure,” he said, tying it to a more constructive US regulatory backdrop — specifically his hope that the CLARITY Act gets passed and unlocks “the full utilization of tokenization.” Longer term, he went bigger: “Is Solana go to $1,000 over the next five years? I really do believe that.” He also revisited Bitcoin. Same vibe: right call, wrong calendar. “I’ve been right about Bitcoin, but I’ve been wrong about timing,” Scaramucci said, sticking with a $150,000–$200,000 target, and arguing a friendlier rate environment next year could help. At press time, SOL traded at $139.14. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

As the start-of-week momentum slows, Dogecoin (DOGE) dropped 5.5% on the daily timeframe, falling to the recent lows once again. Some analysts have suggested that the cryptocurrency is setting the stage for a massive short-term and mid-term rally if the retests of current levels hold. Related Reading: Cathie Wood Says Bitcoin Is ‘Climbing Another Wall Of Worry’– Here’s Why Dogecoin Prepares For $1 Milestone On Thursday, Dogecoin followed the rest of the crypto market and retraced to the $0.136-$0.138 levels. The cryptocurrency has retraced around 50% following the Q4 market downturn, trading within the $0.130-$0.155 price range over the past few weeks. Amid this week’s recovery, DOGE’s price briefly tested the local range highs, trying to break out of this area for the second time this month. However, Wednesday’s volatility, driven by the expectations of the Federal Reserve’s rate cut announcement, led to a 4.6% intraday drop before continuing its descent to the current levels. Market observer Trader Tardigrade highlighted the cryptocurrency’s performance, noting that Dogecoin is holding strong at a key support area despite the pullback, which could “potentially set the stage for a massive surge to $1” next year. According to the chart, DOGE is retesting an ascending support zone that has preceded major moves over the past two years. Since late 2023, this support has been retested three times, marking the bottom of each major corrective phase and serving as a “launchpad” to new highs. Notably, the subsequent rally’s size and duration have seen an increasing trend, with the bounces lasting longer and reaching higher levels after each retest of the two-year trendline. During the first rebound, Dogecoin rallied 87% in eight weeks. Meanwhile, DOGE surged by over 210% in ten weeks after retesting this crucial level. Lastly, it registered a 14-week 442% run between Q3 and Q4, 2024, to its multi-year high of $0.48. With the price currently retesting this level once again, the analyst suggested that a rally to the $1 mark could be brewing if the current levels hold. A bounce from this area could kick off a 610% jump at the start of 2026. DOGE’s Rally To September Highs Imminent? The trader also pointed out that DOGE’s MACD Bullish Crossover “is now happening.” He explained that the cryptocurrency’s trend began shifting from a downtrend to an uptrend on Wednesday, suggesting a significant price move is to follow. He previously affirmed that this setup has preceded previous breakouts this year, with the price surging to new local highs in Q2 and Q3 after each MACD bullish cross. As this setup begins to unfold, the analyst’s chart suggests that the price could bounce to the October levels. Similarly, other market observers hinted that Dogecoin could be preparing for a 60%-120% surge in the short term. Analyst Bitcoinsensus highlighted a classic bullish reversal pattern, a falling wedge pattern, that has been forming since October in DOGE’s chart. Related Reading: All Eyes On Ethereum: Price Attempts Key Breakout As BlackRock Files For Staked ETH ETF After the recent price action, the “price has been slowly bleeding inside this structure and now potentially forming a nice rounded bottom. If we get a decent breakout above the upper yellow line, we could be targeting the 0.20$ area (+60%),” the analyst stated. Meanwhile, AltCryptoTalk recently noted that Dogecoin is retesting “the same weekly demand zone that sparked every major rally in the past,” which could spark a 115% rally to the $0.30 September high if the area holds. As of this writing, Dogecoin is trading at $0.137, an 8% decline in the weekly timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

Crypto markets lurched lower after the Federal Reserve delivered exactly what everyone said they wanted: the third straight 25bps cut to close out 2025. Santiment’s latest deep dive makes a simple, slightly uncomfortable point: retail treated it as a green light, whales treated it as exit liquidity. Bitcoin shortly rallied to $94,044, Ether surged to $3,433, XRP hit $2.10 and Solana managed to reach $142, but the momentum was short-lived. The BTC price fell by more than 5% at one point, ETH even fell by more than 8.5%. What Caused The Crypto Market Plunge? On 11 December, the FOMC confirmed another quarter-point reduction, completing what Santiment calls the “trifecta of cuts at the end of 2025.” Lower rates mean cheaper borrowing, more risk-taking, and—on paper—a friendlier backdrop for crypto. The Fed still describes an economy growing at a “moderate” pace with inflation above target, and in both the October and December meetings it cut because “the balance of risks (like slowing job growth) supported easing policy.” Related Reading: Will The Crypto Market Benefit From The Trump Fed Takeover? The key shift is liquidity. On 29 October, the Fed decided to slow the reduction of its securities holdings from 1 December, easing the pace of balance-sheet runoff. By 10 December, it went further, saying bank reserves had fallen “too much” and announcing renewed purchases of short-term Treasury bills to keep reserves “ample.” That is a move from shrinking the balance sheet to quietly adding money back into the system. As Santiment notes, the Fed is still data-dependent but clearly more willing to lean dovish to protect financial conditions. Markets, however, front-ran the story. Prediction platform Polymarket showed an “overwhelming amount of optimism” in the hours before Jerome Powell spoke. At the same time, on-chain data flagged abnormal activity: @DeFiTracer spotted a whale selling roughly 100 million dollars’ worth of Bitcoin within an hour, triggering “a healthy mix of sensationalized panic.” The expected outcome—another cut—arrived, but positioning around it was anything but balanced. Bitcoin’s price reaction looked bullish at first. BTC spiked to about $94,044 after the announcement. Yet Santiment’s social data shows that the positive-versus-negative commentary ratio for Bitcoin had already peaked well before Powell’s remarks. The crowd’s emotional high came in anticipation; when the actual rally hit, traders were “quite modestly reactive” despite the move to 94K. Sentiment was spent. Ethereum was worse. Over the same 24-hour window, ETH surged to around $3,433, and the positive comment ratio “was a LOT more interesting.” Santiment describes “a lot of FOMO after a mini surge immediately after Powell spoke,” with many traders who bought the breakout “eventually [getting] burned when ETH fell back down to 3,170.” It is the textbook “buy the rumor, sell the news” pattern: bullish macro headline, short-term bearish price action, retail buying the spike while larger holders “gladly” offload into the mini-rally. Related Reading: Crypto Market Structure Talks: Senator Lummis Addresses Latest Legislation Plans Structurally, though, the report is not outright bearish. Year-to-date, Santiment notes, Bitcoin is down about 3.6%, versus a 17.6% gain for the S&P 500 and a striking 61.1% for gold. “It’s quite the dramatic difference,” the team writes, arguing that “a regression to the mean for BTC would be justified.” With three cuts now locked in and reserves being topped up via T-bill purchases, the “catch-up” case for crypto versus equities and metals “becomes even stronger.” Historically, crypto “has reacted later than equities or commodities when macro trends shift.” On-chain, so-called smart money appears to be acting as if that delayed reaction is coming. Wallets holding 10–10,000 BTC have added 42,565 Bitcoin since 30 November. What is “still [remaining],” Santiment says, is “a notable dump from retail, which would be indicative of the perfect recipe for a major bull run.” For now, they expect smaller traders to “run on fumes from this positive news of rates getting cut, for at least a couple of days.” The bottom line of the report is deliberately sober. The final FOMC decision of 2025 “reinforces a narrative of gradual easing, improving liquidity, and a cautiously supportive environment for risk assets.” After a rough year, “ending the year with three consecutive rate cuts from the Fed is a strong sign.” If inflation drifts toward target and economic data stays stable, Santiment argues, 2026 could finally give digital assets “the breathing room they’ve been waiting for.” Just do not confuse that with an invitation to chase the first post-Fed spike—because, as this week just reminded everyone, that is still where crypto tourists go to get burned. At press time, the total crypto market cap was at $3.04 trillion. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, has expressed strong opposition to a proposal by the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) to exclude digital asset treasury companies (DATs) from its indexes.  Calls For Fair Treatment Of Digital Asset Companies In a recent letter signed by Michael Saylor and the firm’s CEO Phong Le, Strategy highlighted its support for MSCI’s efforts to establish consistent eligibility criteria across its indices.  However, the company criticized the proposed threshold for excluding firms with more than 50% digital assets on their balance sheets, calling it “misguided.” The company argued that this measure could have negative implications not only for Strategy’s operations but also for the broader cryptocurrency market. Related Reading: Expert Declares Bitcoin Has Reached Midpoint Of Bear Cycle: What Lies Ahead? Strategy emphasized that, unlike traditional investment funds, it maintains the operational agility to adapt its value-creation strategies in tune with the evolving technology underlying Bitcoin.  The firm asserts that this flexibility is a critical asset for investors and distinguishes Strategy and other DATs from traditional digital asset investment vehicles.  The firm likened its investment approach in a singular asset class to that of real estate investment trusts (REITs) or oil companies, stating that MSCI categorizes those entities correctly without labeling them as investment funds. Therefore, it argued, DATs should be afforded similar treatment. ‘Discriminatory And Arbitrary’ The letter criticized the proposed 50% digital asset threshold as “discriminatory and arbitrary,” suggesting that it imposes uniquely unfavorable conditions on digital asset companies while allowing other industries—like oil, timber, and real estate—to maintain concentrated asset holdings without similar scrutiny.  Strategy raised concerns that enforcing this rule would necessitate MSCI to create new methods for measuring balance sheet concentration, complicating the indexing process unnecessarily due to varying accounting principles across asset classes and jurisdictions. Additionally, Strategy elaborated on how the exclusion of DATs could substantially inhibit innovation within the digital asset industry, which the current administration strongly promotes as part of its economic strategy.  The company said that digital assets like Bitcoin have the potential to become foundational elements of global financial systems, but the proposed measures could limit access to these transformative technologies for pension plans and 401(k)s, ultimately redirecting billions away from the sector. Strategy cautioned that a hasty exclusion of DATs could be based on misconceptions about their business models, asserting that it reflects a misunderstanding of the nature of these entities.  The firm advocated for a more measured approach similar to MSCI’s past handling of the “Communication Services” sector, which underwent extensive consultation and a thorough review before reorganizing traditional telecom, media, and internet companies. Strategy Urges MSCI To Reconsider If implemented, Strategy warns that MSCI’s proposal could lead to the delisting of numerous companies heavily involved in digital assets. JPMorgan analysts estimate that Strategy alone might face liquidations of up to $2.8 billion as a direct consequence of this exclusion. Such a move is also expected to potentially distort market dynamics by incentivizing Bitcoin miners to sell their assets immediately instead of holding them as part of their business strategy. Related Reading: Ethereum Price Climbs Toward $3,300 For The First Time Since November: What’s Driving The Surge? In light of these concerns, Strategy urged MSCI to withdraw the proposal for excluding companies with over 50% digital asset holdings from its Global Investable Market Indexes.  The firm asserted that the proposal is rooted in a flawed understanding of DATs and would impose conditions unaligned with national interests, particularly those advocating for the responsible growth of the digital asset space. As of this writing, the company’s stock, trading under the ticker symbol MSTR, is trading at $185. There has been almost no difference since Tuesday’s trading session amid consolidating crypto prices.  Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

The prospect of a “Trump Fed takeover” is rapidly becoming a central macro theme for 2026, with some traders arguing that markets still underestimate how radical the shift could be for global liquidity – and by extension for crypto. Macro commentator plur daddy (@plur_daddy) describes it bluntly via X: “The Trump Fed takeover being underpriced is my primary theme going into 2026 (hence my gold bet). This is a momentous shift: the bigger and more convex the catalyst, the more difficult it is for markets to price it in properly.” Former Fed trader Joseph Wang known as “Fed Guy” echoes the concern from inside the plumbing, warning: “The market underestimates the likelihood of a Trump Fed. The Administration is showing resourcefulness and determination for lower rates. That could set off the blow off top in equities, where implied vol shows speculation still has room to run.” The Trump Fed Takeover Isn’t Price In That determination is colliding with a bond market that appears to be pushing back via term premium. Plur highlights the spread between the 12-month T-bill and the 10-year Treasury as a clean gauge of that tension. He notes that the spread “peaked right before inauguration on the generic ‘Trump will run it hot’ viewpoint,” then “got crushed lower as DOGE and Tariffs got priced in.” It bottomed near the tariff lows and “is now back to the highs,” a pattern he reads as term-premium expansion as “a form of protest to [Kevin] Hassett,” Trump’s presumed Fed pick. Related Reading: Italy’s Market Watchdog Gives Crypto Firms A Clear Order: Act Or Exit Against that backdrop, the administration still has powerful tools to compress term premium without formally announcing quantitative easing. Plur identifies three levers. First, de-regulating banks so they are allowed – in practice, pressured – to hold more Treasuries, boosting structural demand for government paper. Second, reducing the Treasury’s weighted-average maturity by shifting issuance “to bills over longer dated notes,” which cuts the duration the market has to absorb. Third, specifically for mortgages, “lever up the GSEs to buy MBS,” narrowing mortgage spreads and transmitting easier policy to the housing market even if the policy rate moves more slowly. He argues that “all of these are quite bullish for risk overall but will take time to play out.” For now, the environment remains awkward for directional risk bets, including crypto. “In the meantime, it has been a choppy and difficult market, across the board. Equity indices have grinded higher but the underlying rotations have been tricky to navigate. QT ended but liquidity is still relatively thin, and the fact that we are going into year end does not help. Better times will come.” The bullish pivot in his framework arrives with the calendar. “In the new year, fiscal accommodation will re-expand on the implementation of OBBBA (+$10–15bn/mo). Meanwhile we have sell-side macro teams calling for $20–45bn/mo in T-bill repurchasing by the Fed, as soon as Jan 1.” Related Reading: 75% Chance Crypto Is ‘Crossing The Chasm’ Now, Says Moonrock Capital Boss This mix would directly ease pressures visible in funding markets: “This would go a long way towards easing the current liquidity issues (see the SOFR–IORB spread chart below). This is not classic QE in that there is very little duration being absorbed from the private sector, and mainly has the effect of expanding bank reserves. This is still bullish because bank reserves are tight at the time, which is tied to the repo liquidity issues.” Will The Crypto Market Rise Again? On that basis, Plur expects the macro backdrop in 2026 to look “better than H2 ’25 has been, perhaps more on par with parts of 2024.” His expression of the trade is clear: “This should be enough for strong performance on gold given the Fed takeover angle, and continued melt-up in equities and select commodities.” For Bitcoin and the broader crypto market, however, his stance is notably more cautious. “For BTC it is more difficult to say. My base case continues to be a frustrating period of chop and re-accumulation.” Improved liquidity “should be favorable for BTC,” but he questions whether there will be “a material shift in the supply/demand imbalances we have been seeing,” concluding: “I will keep watching it for now.” In other words, the Trump Fed trade is already driving high-convexity bets in gold, equities and commodities. Crypto stands to benefit indirectly from easier reserves and lower term premium, but in this framework, the key constraint is no longer just macro liquidity – it is whether fresh demand is strong enough to meet an increasingly inelastic supply in the crypto market. At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $3.05 trillion. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Circle’s slow but steady expansion into the Middle East has taken a decisive step forward, as the USDC issuer secured a Financial Services Permission (FSP) license from Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). Related Reading: Shiba Inu Whales Spike To 6-Month High: What’s Brewing? The move positions the company at the center of the UAE’s growing digital-asset ecosystem, strengthening its ability to scale stablecoin adoption across the region. For a market actively developing clearer regulatory frameworks and attracting global crypto players, Circle’s entry underscores the central role stablecoins have come to play in payment infrastructure and cross-border finance. ETH's price trends to the downside on the daily chart. Source: ETHUSD on Tradingview Circle Secures ADGM Approval and Expands Regional Strategy The license, granted by ADGM’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority, permits Circle to operate as a regulated Money Services Provider within the financial free zone. This follows preliminary approval earlier this year and gives the firm formal permission to offer USDC-powered payment, settlement and on-chain financial tools to businesses and institutions across the UAE. Alongside the approval, Circle appointed Dr. Saeeda Jaffar as managing director for the Middle East and Africa. A long-time payments executive with leadership experience at Visa and major consulting firms, she will guide Circle’s expansion efforts, deepen local partnerships, and help integrate USDC into regional prospects. Her appointment reflects Circle’s intent to localize operations and strengthen ties with banks, enterprises, and government entities. UAE Supports Push Toward Regulated Digital Finance Circle’s regulatory milestone comes as the UAE increases its efforts to build an institutional-grade digital asset ecosystem. ADGM and Dubai’s DIFC have both issued stablecoin and token frameworks designed to offer clarity for companies operating in the sector. USDC and EURC were recognized earlier this year under Dubai’s crypto token regime, providing Circle with visibility across both major financial zones in the country. The approval also coincides with a wave of regulatory progress for other major players. Binance received full authorization to operate its global platform under ADGM oversight this week, while Tether secured recognition for USDT across multiple blockchain networks. These developments show how Abu Dhabi is positioning itself as a global hub for regulated stablecoin activity, driven by remittance demand, trade flows, and a growing emphasis on compliance. Stablecoin Adoption Enters New Phase The UAE’s structured approach comes at a time when stablecoins are gaining broader acceptance in global finance. With regulatory guardrails expanding internationally and stablecoins increasingly used for cross-border payments, Circle’s license opens the door for wider USDC adoption in corporate finance, developer applications, and digital-asset settlement. Related Reading: Bitcoin Speculation Muted: Glassnode Analyst Calls Perps A ‘Ghost Town’ For Circle, the ADGM license marks a pivotal foothold in one of the world’s fastest-moving regulatory environments. For the UAE, it reinforces an ambition to lead in compliant digital-asset innovation while shaping standards for a rapidly evolving sector. Cover image from ChatGPT, ETHUSD chart from Tradingview

After weeks of speculation, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has officially filed for a staked Ethereum (ETH) Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Amid the bullish news, the King of Altcoins’ price is attempting to break out of a two-month resistance, which could set the stage for a retest of higher levels. Related Reading: XRP ETFs Record 13-Day Streak As SOL Funds See Largest Outflows Since Launch BlackRock Files For Staked Ethereum ETF BlackRock has submitted an S-1 form with the US SEC to get approval for its iShares Ethereum Staking Trust (ETHB), which “seeks to reflect generally the performance of the price of ether and rewards from staking a portion of the Trust’s ether, to the extent the Sponsor in its sole discretion determines that the Trust may do so without incurring undue legal or regulatory risk.” Filed on December 5, BlackRock’s registration statement explains that, if approved, the proposed fund aims to stake 70% to 90% of its Ethereum holdings, distributing staking rewards to stakeholders at least quarterly. Coinbase Custody Trust will serve as the custodian for the Trust’s ETH holdings, the filing noted, while Anchorage Digital Bank will be an available alternative custodian for the Trust’s ether holdings. Meanwhile, the Bank of New York Mellon will serve as the custodian for the Trust’s cash holdings and the administrator of the Trust. Notably, BlackRock’s ETHB will operate separately from its spot ETH fund, the iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA), which is the largest in its category with $11 billion in assets under management (AUM). It’s worth noting that the crypto community began speculating about BlackRock’s upcoming staked ETH fund after the leading asset manager registered the name in Delaware last month. In a November report, 10x Research argued that the potential introduction of a staked Ethereum ETF by BlackRock would bring “increased scrutiny” to “the economics of DATs” as retail investors would reallocate to a low-cost source of yield. The report added that many investors are unaware that Digital Asset Treasury (DATs)’s embedded costs “far exceed” the management fee charged by asset managers like BlackRock on its Bitcoin (BTC) and ETH ETFs. ETH Nears Key Downtrend Line Ethereum’s price started the week attempting to reclaim a crucial area after managing to hold the $3,000 level as support despite the volatility during the weekend. The cryptocurrency surged nearly 3% in the daily timeframe, hitting $3,180 before retracing on Monday. Amid this performance, analyst Ali Martinez suggested that “it’s time to pay attention to ETH,” noting that it nears a key level that could push the price to higher zones. Per the chart, Ethereum briefly broke out of its two-month downtrend line, which has served as resistance since early October. Over this period, the King of Altcoins has attempted to break out of this level twice, but has ultimately been rejected during each attempt. On Monday morning, ETH briefly broke above the trendline before being rejected a third time. However, if Ethereum reclaims the $3,120-$3,130 levels and turns the downtrend into support, it could build the base for a retest of the $3,200-$3,300 horizontal levels, which marks the lower boundary of its Q3 and early Q4 price range. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Slides Below $90,000 – Is A Retest Of The November Lows Near? Meanwhile, Rekt Capital asserted that Ethereum Dominance (ETHDOM) continues to move within its macro consolidation range, holding support at the 11.67% level. He previously affirmed that if “ETHDOM can maintain itself above 10.05% then it should be positioned for higher market dominance levels over time.” The analyst added that although history suggests a potential 2.5% drop to the consolidation range lows, this dip would occur “in the context of a macro move to 18%-20%” in the future. As of this writing, Ethereum is trading at $3,114, a 13.7% increase on the weekly timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

Crypto markets head into this week’s Federal Reserve meeting focused less on rate cut and more on whether Jerome Powell quietly declares the start of quantitative easing (QE). The key question on Wednesday for macro-sensitive traders is whether the Fed shifts into a bill-heavy “reserve management” regime that starts rebuilding dollar liquidity, even if it refuses to call it QE. Futures markets suggest the rate decision itself is largely a foregone conclusion. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, traders are assigning roughly 87.2% odds to a 0.25 percentage point cut, underscoring that the real uncertainty is not about the size of the move, but about what the Fed signals on reserves, T-bill purchases and the future path of its balance sheet. Former New York Fed repo specialist and current Bank of America strategist Mark Cabana has become the focal point of that debate. His latest client note argues that Powell is poised to announce a program of roughly 45 billion dollars in monthly Treasury bill purchases. For Cabana, the rate move is secondary; the balance-sheet pivot is the real event. Related Reading: Italy’s Market Watchdog Gives Crypto Firms A Clear Order: Act Or Exit Cabana’s argument is rooted in the Fed’s own “ample reserves” framework. After years of QT, he contends that bank reserves are skirting the bottom of the comfortable range. Bill purchases would be presented as technical “reserve management” to keep funding markets orderly and repo rates anchored, but in practice they would mark a turn from draining to refilling the system. That is why many in crypto describe the prospective move as “stealth QE,” even though the Fed would frame it as plumbing. What This Means For The Crypto Market James E. Thorne, Chief Market Strategist at Wellington Altus, sharpened the point in X post. “Will Powell surprise on Wednesday?” he asked, before posing the question that has been echoing across macro desks: “Is Powell about to admit on Wednesday that the Fed has drained the system too far and now has to start refilling the bathtub?” Thorne argues that this FOMC “is not just about another token rate cut; it is about whether Powell is forced to roll out a standing schedule of bill-heavy ‘reserve management’ operations precisely because the Fed has yanked too much liquidity out of the plumbing.” Thorne ties that directly to New York Fed commentary on funding markets and reserve adequacy. In his reading, “By Powell’s own framework, QT is done, reserves are skirting the bottom of the ‘ample’ range bordering on being too tight, and any new bill buying will be dressed up as a technical tweak rather than a confession of error, even though it will plainly rebuild reserves and patch the funding stress that the Fed’s own over-tightening has triggered.” That framing goes to the heart of what crypto traders care about: the direction of net liquidity rather than the official label. Macro analysts followed closely by digital-asset investors are already mapping the next phase. Milk Road Macro on X has argued that QE returns in 2026, potentially as early as the first quarter, but in a much weaker form than the crisis-era programs. Related Reading: 75% Chance Crypto Is ‘Crossing The Chasm’ Now, Says Moonrock Capital Boss They point to expectations of roughly 20 billion dollars a month in balance-sheet growth, “tiny compared to the 800bn per month in 2020,” and stress that the Fed “will be buying treasury bills, not treasury coupons.” Their distinction is blunt: “Buying treasury coupons = real QE. Buying treasury bills = slow QE.” The takeaway, in their words, is that “the overall direct effect on risk asset markets from this QE will be minimal.” That distinction explains the tension now gripping crypto markets. A bill-only, slow-paced program aimed at stabilizing short-term funding is very different from the broad-based coupon buying that previously compressed long-term yields and turbo-charged the hunt for yield across risk assets. Yet even a modest, technically framed program would mark a clear return to balance-sheet expansion. For Bitcoin and the broader crypto market, the immediate impact will depend less on Wednesday’s basis-point move and more on Powell’s language around reserves, Treasury bill purchases and future “reserve management” operations. If the Fed signals that QE is effectively starting and the bathtub is starting to be refilled, the liquidity backdrop that crypto trades against in 2026 may already be taking shape this week. At press time, the total crypto market cap was at $3.1 trillion. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

The Bitcoin price has had a mixed performance over the past week, with both sides of the market divide struggling to establish dominance. In the latest battle between the bulls and bears, the premier cryptocurrency appears to be succumbing to pressure from the latter group. As this weekend approached, the Bitcoin price retreated from its latest local high of around $94,000 to beneath the psychological $90,000 level. This latest correction has prompted questions in the crowd, with investors wondering whether it is just a brief obstacle or the end of the recovery. Why $80,500 Could Be The Next Local Low For BTC In a December 5 post on the social media platform X, Alphractal CEO and founder shared insight into the latest Bitcoin price decline below $90,000. The on-chain expert revealed that losing the $89,800 level is the more relevant occurrence in the latest price downturn. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Faces Potential 60% Decline As Expert Warns Of ‘Major Bull Trap’ In a previous post on X, Wedson evaluated the likely trajectory of the Bitcoin price should it lose the $89,800 level. The crypto pundit revealed that losing this price mark could lead to an accumulation pattern for the bulls or a redistribution phase for the bears. While the accumulation period for the bulls would initially coincide with lower prices, it eventually leads to a Bitcoin price return to above the latest local high. Meanwhile, a redistribution phase could see the bears push the flagship cryptocurrency to around the $70,000 mark. According to the Alphractal CEO, the price of BTC also failed to hold the key on-chain levels, strengthening the probability of a broader price sideways phase. “Sideways action is the cause — the big pumps or dumps are just the effect,” Wedson had earlier stated in his previous X post. Furthermore, Wedson noted that the next level to watch is $86,500, which, if lost, opens the very high possibility for the formation of a new local low around $80,500. This local low could provide a perfect spot for investors to buy the dip and enter the market. Bitcoin Price Overview  As mentioned earlier, the past week has been one of highs and lows for the premier cryptocurrency, plummeting to as low as $84,600 on Monday, December 1. After a shaky start to the month, the Bitcoin price recovered strongly to around $94,000 on Thursday, December 4. As of this writing, the market leader is valued at around $89,415, reflecting an over 3% price decline in the past 24 hours. According to data from CoinGecko, the price of Bitcoin has been down by nearly 10% in the past year. Related Reading: XRP Price On The Verge Of Another Crash, But There’s Still Hope Featured image from iStock, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin (BTC) is retesting a crucial support area after its price slid 5% from the recent highs and fell below the $90,000 barrier. Some analysts have suggested that the cryptocurrency’s structure remains intact, but warned that it must bounce quickly or risk retesting the November lows. Related Reading: XRP ETFs Record 13-Day Streak As SOL Funds See Largest Outflows Since Launch Bitcoin Retests $88,000 After Rejection On Friday, Bitcoin lost the recently reclaimed $90,000 level, falling to a key support area before stabilizing. The flagship crypto has been attempting to recover from the November market correction, which sent its price to a seven-month low of $80,600. Since reaching its local lows two weeks ago, the cryptocurrency has traded within a macro re-accumulation range, between $82,000 and $93,500, attempting to break out of this zone on Wednesday, when it reached a multi-week high of $94,150. However, as the first week of December approaches its end, BTC has lost the upper area of its local range again, falling below its monthly open and tapping the $88,000 support. Amid the drop, Analyst Ted Pillows noted that BTC has been struggling to reclaim the $94,000 resistance, adding that price “wants to go lower here before another breakout attempt.”  Therefore, he suggested that a bounce back from the $88,000-$89,000 support zone is likely. Altcoin Sherpa affirmed that the ongoing retest would confirm whether the recent bounce was “just lower highs and price is going lower or if we actually have any juice to bounce to like 100k or something.” The analyst outlined two potential outcomes. In the first scenario, the flagship crypto would retrace to the $87,000-$89,000 area and bounce above the $93,000-$94,000 resistance levels. In the second scenario, Bitcoin would continue to move sideways below the local resistance before eventually sliding to the November lows and potentially lower levels. Per the analysis, the leading cryptocurrency must bottom quickly, or it will risk the second outcome. BTC Shows Shallowing Pullback Tendency Analyst Rekt Capital also pointed out that Bitcoin continues to face rejection from the range high resistance. However, he considers that investors should not worry as long as the pullback isn’t as big as the previous ones. If “the rejection is shallower than the previous two, then this resistance will continue to weaken until eventually breached,” he explained, adding that “as long as this weakening continues, BTC should be able to finally breach this resistance over time & try to challenge the multi-week Downtrend above.” Earlier this week, the analyst affirmed that BTC’s consolidation structure will remain intact as long as Bitcoin closes the week above the range lows. He also noted that its Macro Downtrend, which “has been dictating resistance throughout this phase of the cycle,” remains the dominant structural barrier and the level to break. Related Reading: Solana Eyes Major Resistance After $140 Reclaim, But Analyst Questions SOL’s Strength As the price stabilized between the $88,500-$89,350 area, the analyst added that today’s retracement “continues to be a shallower pullback than the previous two,” which keeps the range “‘retrace shallowing’ tendency” intact. He noted that Bitcoin could technically drop into the ascending two-week support trendline, or tap the $86,000 level and still perform a shallower correction than the recent 10% drop. As of this writing, Bitcoin is trading at $89,400, a 2.9% decline in the daily timeframe. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com