The market carnage will likely extend into 2026, with price bottoming out in Q4, but it isn't all bad news, according to early BTC adopters.
The sanctions on Korbit highlight the critical need for robust compliance in crypto exchanges, potentially influencing future regulatory frameworks.
The post South Korea’s financial watchdog sanctions Korbit for anti-money laundering violations appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Led by Zcash, the privacy space had a breakout year in 2025. What’s coming next?
Bubblemaps CEO says outflows seen on Lighter on Dec. 31 are not uncommon as users rebalance hedging positions and move on to the next farming opportunity.
Several analysts remain bullish on Bitcoin, expecting it to surge to a new all-time high as early as in the first quarter of 2026.
A massive crypto position opened by a high-net-worth holder has traders debating whether a short, sharp bounce is coming — or if the market is setting up for more pain. According to on-chain trackers, an $11 billion Bitcoin whale recently sold assets and placed nearly three quarters of a billion dollars on bets for higher prices in Bitcoin, Ether and Solana. Whale Opens Massive Longs Based on reports by Lookonchain, the wallet sold about $330 million worth of Ether before opening three leveraged long positions totaling $748 million. The single biggest position is a $598 million long on Ether opened at $3,147 with a liquidation trigger under $2,143. Related Reading: Crypto Policy In The Hot Seat As US Lawmaker Calls SEC Hearing The same reports list entry prices near BTC $87,883 and SOL $124.43 for the other parts of the bet. At the time of the trades, Ether was trading around $2,975. The whale is carrying close to $50 million in unrealized losses on those leveraged bets, according to the on-chain data. BREAKING! The #BitcoinOG(1011short) with a massive $749M long position in $BTC, $ETH, and $SOL, just deposited 112,894 $ETH($332M) into #Binance again.https://t.co/rM9dXV3Ln4https://t.co/Fsi6okD47f pic.twitter.com/qVlZ4c6Htx — Lookonchain (@lookonchain) December 30, 2025 Smart Money Still Cautious Reports have disclosed that other whale addresses also piled into spot Ether around the same window. One thread of transactions shows about $5B of Bitcoin moved into Ether holdings since August, with an earlier swap that saw $2.59B of BTC exchanged for $2.2 billion in spot ETH and a $577M perpetual long. In one burst of activity, nine large addresses added a combined $456 million in ETH within a day. Nansen data shows 19 wallets collecting a total of 7.43 million spot ETH in recent weeks. Nansen’s data tells a very different story. Based on figures from the analytics firm, high-performing traders reduced their bullish Ether positions by $6.5 million in a single day and are now holding net short positions of $121 million on ETH. The same group is also betting lower on Bitcoin, with $192 million in short exposure, and on Solana, totaling $74 million. While large holders buying on the spot market can push prices higher in the short run, experienced traders appear to be bracing for further weakness rather than a sustained move up. Year-End Rally Failed As Liquidity Thinned Bitcoin and Ether ended December without the expected year-end rally, highlighting the fragility of crypto markets when liquidity is low and risk appetite declines. Repeated attempts by Bitcoin to reclaim key levels were unsuccessful, and the quarter closed with negative performance while precious metals such as gold posted gains. Related Reading: Crypto Heat Fizzling Out? US Search Interest Plunges As Retail Shy Away The market is now watching whether the alpha crypto can hold support into the new year; the failed rally may mean a deeper reset is needed before a sustained recovery. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
The Truth Social parent said it will issue a new digital token on Crypto.com’s Cronos blockchain, with shares and crypto prices rising following the announcement.
The move represents Trump Media's latest partnership with Crypto.com, including a series of crypto-related ETFs and a predictions market.
This year’s defining security event was not a sophisticated DeFi exploit or a novel protocol failure, but the $1.46 billion theft from Bybit, a top-tier centralized exchange. That single event, attributed to sophisticated state-sponsored actors, rewrote the narrative of the year. It proved that while the frequency of attacks has dropped, the severity of the […]
The post Crypto hacks dropped by half in 2025, but the data reveals a much deadlier financial threat appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Cronos (CRO) joined Solana (SOL) as a top performer, also rising 1.4%.
This initiative could enhance shareholder engagement and loyalty while potentially setting a precedent for digital token use in corporate rewards.
The post Trump Media to airdrop non-transferable digital tokens to DJT shareholders appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
From Grok’s “MechaHitler” meltdown to North Korea’s “vibe-hacking” ransomware, 2025 was the year AI stopped pretending to be smart and started acting unhinged.
U.S. spot crypto ETF flows, stablecoin supply, prediction markets, perp DEX activity, and the DAT craze were among the data trends of 2025.
The Bitcoin price slump at the end of the year hasn’t discouraged Michael Saylor’s Strategy from buying over 22,000 BTC in December alone.
From Bitcoin to Dogecoin, major AI models predict price ranges and the catalysts that could shape crypto markets in the year ahead.
The bank raised its its price target on the shares to $24 from $9.50.
Ethereum and Solana may be setting up for their next big breakout, but one thing could decide everything: regulation. According to Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan, both blockchains could hit new all-time highs if the U.S. passes the long-discussed Clarity Act, a bill designed to clearly define how crypto assets are regulated. Ethereum has …
Ether trades sideways as spot ETF outflows, weak bullish leverage demand, and low Ethereum network fees cap recovery prospects going into 2026.
The token underperformed broader digital assets as trading activity remained subdued despite recent ecosystem developments.
Bitcoin is stuck in a tight consolidation after its sharp rejection from the $100,000 region, with price compressing into a narrow range that reflects growing market tension. As momentum builds beneath the surface, attention is focused on a decisive breakout or breakdown that could define Bitcoin’s next major move. Bitcoin Trapped In Post-Breakdown Compression According to analyst CyrilXBT, Bitcoin remains mired in a period of intense price compression following its significant breakdown from the $100,000 threshold. This cooling-off phase reflects the market’s attempt to stabilize after being rejected at a historic milestone, resulting in a loss of immediate upward momentum. Related Reading: Bitcoin Hovering In A Descending Range, But Alts Are Quietly Gaining Momentum The current technical structure is defined by a series of lower highs, which are effectively squeezing the price into an increasingly narrow corridor. This tightening action is concentrated around the $88,000 to $90,000 range. It creates a high-pressure environment where the asset is searching for its next definitive directional catalyst. CyrilXBT characterizes this current behavior as “classic post-distribution chop,” a phase typically followed by a period where large holders exit positions, leading to erratic sideways movement. It also serves as a necessary reset before a new trend can be established. Looking forward, the market is approaching a period of increased volatility that could resolve in two ways. Bitcoin will either stage a bullish breakout through the descending trendline or undergo a final “flush” to the downside, wiping out over-leveraged long positions. Ultimately, this consolidation serves as a strategic battleground to determine which market participants will be shaken out before the next major move. Price Compression Signals A Bigger Move Ahead In a market assessment, Daan Crypto Trades observed that despite the ongoing sideways movement, Bitcoin’s underlying market health remains stable. Specifically, both the BTC funding rates and the spot premium have held their ground, suggesting that the current chop hasn’t yet led to the massive de-leveraging or sentiment shifts often seen during volatile corrections. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Remains Stuck Inside This Range, But A Breakout Could Follow As Bitcoin remains compressed within this range, a major volatility expansion is highly likely. Based on current trends, a decisive move is expected to materialize within the next one to two weeks as the market reaches a breaking point in its consolidation. The primary recommendation during this uncertain phase is to exercise patience and wait for a confirmed breakout rather than attempting to trade every minor fluctuation. By avoiding the temptation to over-leverage in the middle of this range, traders can protect their capital and wait for clear confirmation of the next trend. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
Arkham data shows wallets associated with the Official Trump meme team pulling about $94 million in USDC from TRUMP liquidity pools in December and routing the funds to Coinbase.
Ethereum's leading net inflows highlight its growing dominance and potential to shape the future landscape of blockchain ecosystems.
The post Ethereum tops blockchains in net inflows as 2025 wraps up: Artemis appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
North Korea’s record-breaking Bybit hack changed how exchanges handle security and even influenced FATF’s global crypto recommendations.
The public dispute between Neo's co-founders highlights significant governance challenges, potentially undermining community trust and platform stability.
The post Neo co-founders escalate public feud over treasury control and transparency appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
The South Korean regulator slapped Korbit with a compliance penalty as the crypto exchange conducts talks to be bought by Mirae Asset.
It started the way these things often do: a screenshot, a red circle, a big number, and a timeline that makes your stomach do a tiny flip. On Dec. 29, the Federal Reserve’s overnight repo line item jumped to $16 billion after printing close to zero on most days. It then slid back to $2.0 […]
The post Banks just demanded $26 billion in emergency cash but Bitcoin traders are missing a critical warning signal appeared first on CryptoSlate.
South Korea’s crypto regulator has taken firm action against Korbit, one of the country’s longest-operating exchanges, closing the year with a clear warning to the industry. On December 31, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) announced a 2.73 billion won ($1.88 million) fine against Korbit after uncovering widespread failures in its anti-money laundering (AML) and customer …
Most people enter crypto when prices are already flying. By then, the biggest gains are often gone. The real opportunities usually appear much earlier, when projects are still small, ignored, and quietly building in the background. Recently, a crypto analyst shared a list of underrated micro-cap altcoins worth watching for 2026. Bitcoin Still Controls the …
XRP has recorded a notable surge in one of its most closely watched derivative indicators, which brings attention to how traders are positioning around the asset. Data shows that open interest tied to XRP derivatives jumped by about 80% within a very short four-hour window in the recent trading day, pointing to a sudden influx of leveraged activity. Moves of this magnitude rarely happen in isolation and often point to growing tension beneath the surface of price action, especially when they occur without a clean breakout on the chart. A Four-Hour Reversal After Days Of Weak Participation The spike in open interest shows a rapid increase in the number of outstanding XRP futures and perpetual contracts. When open interest rises this quickly, it usually means traders are aggressively opening new positions, often using leverage. Related Reading: XRP Stochastic RSI Just Touched 0.0 For The Second Time In History The speed of the move is what separates this spike from routine fluctuations. Prior to the surge, XRP open interest had been trending lower, showing reduced trader engagement and a cooling derivatives environment. However, this change was quickly reversed when open interest increased by over 80% in just a four-hour timeframe, culminating in the total number of outstanding contracts standing around 1.74 billion XRP at the time of writing. In terms of price, this translates to about $3.26 billion in exposure being held open across XRP futures markets, according to data from CoinGlass. Why This Setup Matters For XRP Price Appreciation XRP’s price action has been slow in recent days, with the cryptocurrency currently trading at $1.87. Price action has started to respond positively in the short term, though only modestly so far. XRP is up about 0.3% over the past 24 hours, a move that looks small on the surface. Related Reading: Can XRP Price Reach $10,000? Expert Says It’s Different Math, Different League However, when open interest expands this quickly and price begins to edge higher at the same time, it means that traders are leaning bullish and testing the upside, even if spot buyers have not yet committed in size. The lack of a strong breakout at this stage shows that the market is still probing for direction, but the balance has begun to tilt away from complete stagnation. The broader price action adds more context after zooming out slightly. XRP has gained roughly 0.8% over the past seven days, indicating a slow grind higher rather than a sudden impulse move. If price continues to inch higher and manages to clear nearby resistance levels, the elevated open interest could amplify upside moves as short sellers are forced to exit. On the other hand, if XRP’s price action stalls or falls back despite the recent 0.3% daily and 0.8% weekly gains, then the growing leverage on one side increases the risk of a bigger pullback. In that sense, even these small percentage gains matter. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com
The October flash crash exposed how fragile bitcoin’s rally had become. It also illustrated a fundamental change in how BTC is perceived.