Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Exodus, the consumer crypto wallet developer, has announced a partnership with payments provider MoonPay and fintech platform M0 to pilot functionality for a US digital dollar. The collaboration aims to enable users to receive, hold and transmit a tokenized digital dollar through Exodus’ wallet interface, leveraging MoonPay’s on/off ramp infrastructure and M0’s stablecoin and tokenization tooling. The pilot focuses on user experience and compliance, integrating custodial and non-custodial flows and testing redemption and settlement mechanisms. Key objectives include testing fiat on/off ramps, wallet interoperability, and regulatory controls needed for a digital dollar rollout. The announcement highlights industry momentum around tokenized fiat and central bank digital currency (CBDC) experimentation, though it does not indicate a government-issued CBDC launch or specific timeline. For traders, the development signals growing infrastructure for tokenized US-dollar settlement rails, potential increases in on-chain dollar liquidity, and expanded use cases for stablecoins and tokenized fiat instruments.

Strategy CEO Phong Le said Bitcoin’s fundamentals for 2025 are exceptionally strong despite recent price declines and market fear. Speaking on a podcast, Phong Le urged investors to ignore short-term volatility and focus on long-term adoption, citing growing support from the U.S. government, major banks and meetings with traditional banks in the U.S. and UAE. He noted catalysts such as SEC innovation and Vanguard allowing Bitcoin ETF trading, which helped trigger roughly $400 million in short-covering during a recent rebound. CoinMarketCap data: BTC hit an all-time high of $125,100 on Oct 5, then fell nearly 30% to about $88,700 at the time of reporting. The crypto fear & greed index has shown ’extreme fear’ since Dec 12. Strategy holds $1.4 billion in cash reserves to deploy into market weakness and emphasizes risk-managed frameworks like mNAV, a Bitcoin reserve and USD reserve. Phong Le remains bullish into 2026, aligning with institutional narratives that increased ETF flows and government reserves could drive further adoption, though some forecasters warn of potential retracement to $60,000 amid liquidity tightening and regulation. Key names and figures: Phong Le, Strategy, Michael Saylor, Vanguard, SEC. Primary keywords: Bitcoin, BTC, fundamentals, ETF, institutional adoption.

Bithumb announced it will delist EVZ and stop all EVZ trading at 06:00 UTC on January 26 after the EVZ foundation failed to provide required explanatory materials following an “investment warning” designation and a past security incident. The exchange cited compliance, transparency and security concerns as reasons for removal. Users must either sell their EVZ before the trading halt or withdraw tokens to a compatible wallet within a subsequent withdrawal window (final deadline to be announced). The delisting underlines stricter exchange listing standards and signals increased regulatory and operational scrutiny. Traders should act quickly, confirm wallet compatibility and addresses, and monitor EVZ listings on other platforms; exchanges may review EVZ independently. Main keywords: Bithumb delist EVZ, EVZ delisting, withdrawal deadline, exchange compliance, token transparency.

Gate has launched the 17th edition of its VIP Super Friday event, running from 2025-12-26 15:00 to 2026-01-01 23:59 (UTC+8). The promotion guarantees a 100% chance to win for participants; VIP level 5+ users who sign up immediately receive an airdrop and can win up to 8,888 NIGHT. The event features a pool of 2,352 NIGHT gacha prizes, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Users can obtain additional gacha chances by completing deposit, wealth-management, and trading tasks. The announcement emphasizes limited quantity and encourages early participation. The notice is informational and does not constitute investment advice.

The pieces argue that narratives (political events, regulation, institutional interest) spark volatility, but measurable capital flows and liquidity determine whether Bitcoin trends persist. After the 2024 U.S. election BTC rallied ~56% alongside a spike in futures open interest, yet weak spot demand prevented a durable uptrend. Spot BTC ETFs were a primary, quantifiable catalyst — roughly $35bn net inflows in 2024 and $22bn in 2025 — with price moves closely tracking ETF flow pace; momentum faded when inflows slowed or turned negative. Stablecoin inflows to exchanges, used as a proxy for deployable buying power, fell about 50% from recent highs, reducing market capacity to sustain narrative-driven rallies. On-chain metrics (realized profit-taking by long-term holders >$1bn/day on 7-day avg in July) show significant selling pressure, while higher real yields and shifts toward defensive assets (BTC/gold ratio decline) increase Bitcoin’s opportunity cost. Conclusion for traders: watch spot ETF flows, exchange stablecoin balances, futures open interest and realized selling — narratives can trigger moves, but sustainable rallies require persistent spot-led demand and ample liquidity. No investment advice.

Ethereum plans two major hard forks in 2026 — Glamsterdam (mid‑2026) and Heze‑Bogota (late‑2026) — targeting large‑scale Layer‑1 scaling, increased Layer‑2 capacity, broader zero‑knowledge (ZK) verifier adoption and stronger on‑chain censorship resistance. Glamsterdam will introduce Block Access Lists (EIP‑7928) to enable parallel transaction execution across CPU cores and enshrined proposer‑builder separation (ePBS) to integrate MEV mitigation into consensus and unlock validator‑level ZK verification. These changes are expected to allow staged gas limit increases (current ~60M gas per block → ~100M in H1 2026 → ~200M or more later in 2026, with some estimates up to ~300M), increase per‑block blob capacity (potentially 72+ blobs) and extend the time window for generating and verifying ZK proofs. Researchers project roughly 10% of validators may verify ZK proofs instead of replaying full execution, freeing further gas headroom. Heze‑Bogota will focus on censorship resistance (e.g., Fork‑Choice Inclusion Lists/FOCIL) to let validator groups ensure inclusion of specific transactions when a subset of nodes remain honest. Secondary developments include improved L2 UX (examples: ZKsync’s Elastic Network / Atlas storing funds on‑chain while enabling fast L2 activity) and proposals for an Ethereum Interoperability Layer to ease L2 cross‑chain operations. For traders: these protocol upgrades could materially raise on‑chain capacity, reduce L2 congestion, change MEV dynamics and pressure fee volatility — factors that may shift liquidity, on‑chain flows and Layer‑2 token activity. Monitor gas limit changes, ePBS adoption, validator ZK verification uptake and on‑chain fee metrics for near‑term trading signals.

Elon Musk forecasted rapid U.S. economic growth on X, predicting double-digit expansion within 12–18 months and triple-digit growth in about five years, attributing gains to advances in applied intelligence. Traders and analysts linked his comments to improved macro conditions and potential upside for Bitcoin as Fed rate cuts and rising risk appetite support crypto demand. Bitcoin traded around $87,709, roughly 30% below October highs. Market voices differed: supporters such as Anthony Pompliano and Oryon Finance saw Musk’s outlook as bullish for risk assets, while skeptics like Artem Russakovskii and commentator Bariksis warned of continued downside or a 2026 bear market. On-chain and research signals were mixed: K33 suggested long-term holder sell pressure could be easing, while XS.com noted inflation (CPI 2.7%) still warrants Fed caution before aggressive easing. Key implications for traders include monitoring Fed policy, inflation data, liquidity conditions, long-term holder flows, and technical resistance levels (some analysts highlight potential retests of around $60k).

MGBX will list LIT (Lighter) for spot trading on December 26, 2025. Deposit channels open at 17:00 UTC+8 and spot trading begins at 18:00 UTC+8; withdrawal timing has not yet been announced. Lighter is described as a perpetual trading protocol offering a scalable, secure, transparent, non-custodial, verifiable order-book infrastructure built on Ethereum to improve on-chain liquidity and risk controls. Traders should monitor official MGBX channels for withdrawal schedules and initial liquidity details, as these will affect execution quality, spreads, and short-term price volatility. Primary keywords: LIT, Lighter, MGBX listing, spot trading. Secondary/semantic keywords: deposit open, trading start, ERC-20, on-chain liquidity, order-book, withdrawal schedule.

Analyst Murphy at COINOTAG identifies a concentrated chip (on-chain cost basis) distribution for Bitcoin around $87,000 and $84,500, with the $87,000 band representing the highest-volume bar and the strongest near-term support. Excluding a November 22 wallet consolidation event, roughly 1.12 million BTC are clustered in the $83,300–$84,500 band, and turnover within that range has effectively halved. High-volume chip stacks create a decision point where aggregated long and short positions can precipitate either a breakout or retracement. Murphy interprets the chip structure as leaning bullish: if the $87,000 high-volume support holds, Bitcoin’s immediate trajectory favors measured upside rather than speculative spikes. Traders are advised to monitor liquidity around $87,000 and $84,500 and to adopt risk-aware position sizing, using credible on-chain chip data to guide entries and stops.

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) will establish a dedicated crypto regulation division in summer 2024 to oversee virtual assets (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum) and payment-focused stablecoins. The reorganisation also adds an Asset Management and Insurance Supervision Bureau. The specialist unit aims to provide clearer guidelines, stronger consumer protections and faster, more nuanced policy responses to DeFi and stablecoin growth. Japan already restricts stablecoin issuance to licensed banks, trust firms and money transfer agents under a 2022 law; the new division will enforce those rules and could set an international precedent. Traders can expect greater regulatory clarity for licensed exchanges, potential attraction of institutional capital to Tokyo, and stricter oversight that may reduce fraud but could increase compliance costs. Key SEO keywords: Japan crypto regulation, stablecoin rules, FSA crypto division, virtual assets, regulatory clarity.

Lido DAO (LDO) has seen a 690% year‑over‑year increase in development activity, according to Chain Broker, coinciding with a short‑term price breakout on December 25, 2025. The project also ranked highly for weekly fees and revenue, recording roughly $14.3 million in weekly fees for staking products — a sign of sustained protocol usage despite broader Layer‑1 weakness. LDO rose about 7.65% that day after attempting to breach a descending trendline that intensified following the October 10 crash. Momentum indicators were mixed: RSI near neutral and MACD showing fading downside momentum rather than a decisive bullish signal. Liquidation heatmaps (CoinGlass) highlighted concentrated leverage around $0.51, indicating potential downside if momentum reverses. Overall, the combination of outsized development growth and strong fee generation appears to have bolstered investor interest and supported short‑term strength in LDO, though technical risks and liquidation clusters leave the breakout’s sustainability uncertain.

Market strategist Levi Rietveld highlighted comments from U.S. Treasury official Scott Bessent indicating a review of regulatory barriers affecting blockchain, stablecoins and payment systems. Bessent said regulators will examine outdated rules and consider reforms to strengthen U.S. capital markets and improve access. The article argues XRP’s design—fast, low-cost cross-border settlement and use in transaction fees—aligns with the payment infrastructure Bessent described. It notes Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin settles on the XRP Ledger in seconds with low fees, potentially increasing XRP demand as stablecoin and payment activity grows. The piece frames the regulatory reassessment as reducing friction that previously limited XRP adoption and as supportive of XRP’s role in institutional, compliant payment flows. (Disclaimer: not financial advice.)

Prediction markets are moving toward the crypto mainstream as major exchanges and institutions increase investment and operational involvement. Coinbase is acquiring on‑chain prediction startup The Clearing Company (deal expected to close in January), reinforcing its push into regulated prediction markets, tokenized assets and equities. Crypto.com is hiring quantitative traders to staff an internal market‑making desk that will buy and sell prediction contracts alongside external traders; the move aims to boost liquidity but raises questions about market structure, fairness and potential conflicts despite the firm’s claim that internal traders follow the same rules as outside participants. Bloomberg reports that JPMorgan is exploring crypto trading services for institutional clients, signalling deeper traditional‑finance integration and potential new liquidity sources. Separately, DWF Labs completed a 25 kg physical gold settlement as part of diversifying into real‑world commodities and hedging exposure. For traders: expect greater liquidity and product diversity in prediction markets and potential shifts in pricing as centralized market‑making ramps up. Monitor company disclosures on internal market‑making rules, Coinbase’s integration plans and any JPMorgan product announcements — plus regulatory and tax developments — which could affect market fairness, flows and volatility.

On December 25, 2025, Bitcoin on Binance experienced a rapid drop to $24,111 before quickly recovering. The move occurred during typically thin holiday liquidity and followed large, apparently coordinated Bitcoin transfers onto Binance that appear to have put downward pressure on prices. Some sub-$25,000 limit orders were filled during the dip, allowing buyers to acquire BTC at a temporary discount. The episode sparked speculation about possible market manipulation by large holders and highlighted how low-volume periods amplify price impact from sizeable sell orders. The event did not produce an extended downtrend; liquidity returned and prices stabilized shortly after. Key facts: intraday low $24,111 on Binance, timing: Christmas Day 2025, primary cause: large transfers + low liquidity, immediate effect: short-lived wick and quick recovery. Traders should be cautious around holidays when thin markets can magnify order flow effects and consider using limit orders, reduced position sizes, or increased stop spacing to manage volatility.

Ripple will unlock 1 billion XRP from escrow on January 1, 2026, as part of its monthly release schedule established in 2017. Historically Ripple re-escrows 60–80% of monthly unlocks, leaving roughly 200–400 million XRP to enter circulation. On-chain data and recent months (including December 2025) show most unlocked tokens are quickly re-locked, limiting net supply increases and containing long-term price impact. Traders should monitor on-chain transfers, re-escrow volumes and U.S. regulatory developments (e.g., the CLARITY Act) for deviations from the pattern. Key stats: 1B XRP unlocked; estimated 200–400M net supply addition; past net increases typically under ~200M–400M/month. Primary keywords: XRP unlock, Ripple escrow, circulating supply. Secondary/semantic keywords: supply risk, on-chain transfers, CLARITY Act, market volatility.

Bithumb, one of South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has listed zkPass (ZKP) with a direct KRW trading pair, going live at 09:00 UTC on the announcement date. The listing gives zkPass immediate access to significant liquidity and a large, tech-savvy retail base. zkPass is a protocol using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to enable private verification of identity and credentials without revealing underlying data. The KRW pair removes reliance on USDT/BTC on-ramps, simplifying access for Korean investors and likely boosting trading volume and price discovery. Benefits cited include enhanced privacy, reduced data-breach risk, and cross-platform interoperability. Key risks: regulatory uncertainty around privacy-focused tokens, high post-listing volatility, and the project’s long-term success depending on protocol adoption rather than token listing alone. Traders should watch initial order book depth, volume spikes, and any regulatory commentary from Korean authorities. Primary keywords: zkPass, ZKP, Bithumb, KRW trading. Secondary/semantic keywords: zero-knowledge proofs, privacy tokens, fiat on-ramp, exchange listing.

BTC perpetual futures long/short ratios across major exchanges show a market near equilibrium with a modest short-side bias. Aggregate 24‑hour figures read roughly 49–50% long vs. 50–51% short (latest combined reading ~49.34% long / 50.66% short). Exchange-level breakdowns are close to balanced: Binance ~48.9% long / 51.0% short, OKX ~49.95% long / 50.05% short, Bybit ~48.7% long / 51.3% short. The indicator, which reflects the percentage of long vs. short perpetual positions, points to fragmented sentiment and likely range-bound or consolidating price action rather than a decisive directional trend. Traders should monitor shifts in the long/short ratio alongside funding rates, open interest and price/volume action to spot momentum opportunities or crowded-trade risks. Extreme readings can serve as contrarian signals—heavy long positioning can precede long squeezes and corrections, while heavy shorting can fuel short squeezes and bounces. The metric mainly captures leveraged, short-term participants and can be skewed by large players, so it should be used as a real-time sentiment tool combined with technical and on-chain analysis rather than a standalone predictor.

Finance coach Coach JV, a long-term XRP holder, says XRP will move “fast and aggressively,” urging investors to ignore short-term volatility and remain patient. He features interview clips with Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan, Canary Capital CEO Steve McClurg, and Ripple CTO David Schwartz to support the outlook. Hougan called XRP a core crypto asset appealing to financial advisors, highlighting use cases such as cross-currency liquidity, stablecoins, and early ETF inflows. McClurg noted that while crypto follows a 4-year cycle, assets can diverge; XRP has shown resilience with continued inflows and could peak again in 2026, helped by XRP Ledger adoption, Ripple’s stablecoin, and ETF demand (about $300m AUM in the first week). Schwartz said institutions are using the XRP Ledger for actual settlement and financial products, with over 500,000 new wallets created and growing utility from stablecoins and tokenized assets. Coach JV emphasized institutional entry, risks from inflation and currency debasement, and that disciplined, patient investing separates long-term holders from short-term hype. Disclaimer: not financial advice.

Upbit has announced it will list zkPass (ticker: ZKP) and open trading pairs against the South Korean won (KRW), Bitcoin (BTC) and Tether (USDT). The listing expands ZKP’s liquidity and accessibility by providing fiat and major crypto pairings on one of South Korea’s largest exchanges. Upbit’s notice is positioned as market information and not investment advice. Key details: token ticker ZKP; pairs: ZKP/KRW, ZKP/BTC, ZKP/USDT; exchange: Upbit. Traders can expect increased on‑exchange availability and potentially higher volume and price discovery once trading begins.

Huobi HTX listed a ZBT/USDT perpetual futures contract on December 26, offering up to 20x leverage. To promote trading, HTX launched a ZBT contract trading campaign running from Dec 26 15:00 to Jan 2 15:00 (UTC+8) with a $10,000 prize pool. Participants must register and reach a cumulative valid trading volume of at least 10,000 USDT in ZBT/USDT contracts to share rewards based on ranking. New contract users trading ZBT/USDT are eligible for additional exclusive benefits. The announcement is presented as market information and not investment advice.

Dogecoin (DOGE) shows a bearish technical outlook after a confirmed rising wedge breakdown on the 4-hour chart. The breakdown signals measured downside momentum with a primary target near $0.12, a level aligned with prior consolidation and demand. A reclaim above $0.135 would invalidate the bearish structure and reopen short-term upside. Futures funding rates are near neutral, suggesting balanced long/short positioning and that recent selling appears spot-driven rather than the result of broad leveraged deleveraging. Intraday, $0.13 is a key pivot: a daily close below it could accelerate the move toward $0.12, while holding it would favor range-bound consolidation. Volume data show a ~20% pickup around $0.13 per exchange metrics, but overall distribution looks orderly rather than panic-driven. Traders should watch $0.13 for near-term directional cues, $0.12 as the downside target, and $0.135 as the invalidation threshold for short positions.

Trust Wallet’s browser extension (v2.68) was compromised after a malicious update was published to the Chrome Web Store, allowing attackers to drain users’ crypto. Security firm PeckShield revised estimated losses from $2.8M to roughly $6–7M. The exploit affected BTC, Ethereum-compatible chains and Solana; about $2.8M remains in attacker-controlled addresses while most stolen funds were moved toward centralized exchanges (notably ChangeNOW, KuCoin and FixedFloat). Trust Wallet issued a patched extension (v2.69) and warned desktop users not to open the extension to avoid triggering the exploit. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) said funds are "SAFU" and Binance will use its treasury to reimburse victims. Investigations are focusing on how a malicious extension update passed publishing controls — a likely release-pipeline or insider compromise. Trader actions: update or remove the Trust Wallet browser extension immediately; avoid interacting with suspected attacker addresses; monitor inflows to centralized exchanges for potential cash-outs. Binance’s reimbursement plan may reduce immediate sell pressure, but ongoing forensic/legal actions and funds routing to exchanges create short-term volatility risk. Keywords: Trust Wallet, browser extension hack, Binance, wallet security, reimbursement.

Decentraland (MANA) is assessed for price prospects from 2026 through 2030, with analysts examining whether the token can reach $1. Both articles reaffirm MANA’s utility as an Ethereum-based metaverse token used for LAND NFTs, governance and transactions, and update forecasts across conservative, moderate and optimistic scenarios. Short-term (2026) ranges sit roughly between $0.45–$0.85 assuming market recovery, platform growth and lower Ethereum fees. For 2027–2028, conservative projections are $0.55–$1.20 with optimistic scenarios that may breach $1 during strong bull cycles driven by VR/AR adoption, interoperability, and corporate partnerships. Long-term (2030) scenarios diverge: conservative $0.70–$1.20; moderate $1.50–$3.00; optimistic $3.50–$7.00+, contingent on sustained metaverse adoption, platform scalability (layer-2), improved tokenomics and major brand integrations. Key bullish drivers include rising daily active users, LAND sales, developer activity, technological upgrades (graphics, mobile access, layer-2 scaling) and interoperability. Primary risks are competition (e.g., The Sandbox), technological obsolescence, regulatory uncertainty, market saturation and macroeconomic headwinds. Traders are advised to treat MANA as speculative: monitor on-chain metrics (user activity, LAND transactions), platform KPIs, and partnership/news flow; consider dollar-cost averaging for long-term accumulation and active trading around catalysts. Conclusion: $1 is plausible within 2027–2030 under favorable execution and a broader crypto bull market, but significant execution and adoption risks mean the outcome remains uncertain.

Pudgy Penguins, the well-known NFT project, wrapped the exterior of the Las Vegas Sphere from Christmas Eve through the first week of the new year, displaying its arctic avatar characters on the venue’s 580,000-square-foot LED surface. The team announced the campaign on X, calling attention to the project’s shift from speculative NFT trading toward an omnichannel brand strategy that includes physical merchandise (toys sold at Walmart and Target) and family-friendly positioning. The Sphere placement aims to deliver unprecedented mainstream exposure, boost brand legitimacy and perceived utility for holders, and potentially draw fresh interest to the PENGU ecosystem. The article frames the takeover as a milestone for NFT adoption, noting it followed a period of restructuring under new leadership and an emphasis on real-world use cases. While the display is primarily a visibility and branding play rather than direct financial news, the piece highlights that such high-profile marketing events can influence market sentiment and token interest, though cryptocurrency prices remain volatile. Primary keywords: Pudgy Penguins, Las Vegas Sphere, NFTs, PENGU token, mainstream adoption.

US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen recent net outflows, contributing to downward pressure as BTC traded near $88,750 — roughly 27% below the Oct. 5 all-time high of $125,100. A record-sized Bitcoin options expiry on Dec. 26 concentrated bets and “pinned” price into a narrow range, limiting volatility until new catalysts emerge. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has registered “Extreme Fear” since Dec. 12. Analysts note ETF outflows removed a key support that had helped push price higher earlier in 2025. Strategy (a firm referenced) shows market value relative to its Bitcoin holdings (mNAV) below 1 at 0.93; the company holds roughly 671,268 BTC (~$58bn at reported prices), illustrating how spot declines change balance-sheet math for large holders. Executives including Strategy CEO Phong Le and chairman Michael Saylor remain optimistic about long-term fundamentals and are engaging with banks in the US and UAE as institutions adapt to client demand and new product types. Policy moves — including an earlier US executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve — provide structural support but have not produced immediate price gains. Traders should monitor ETF fund flows, options expiry calendars, mNAV metrics for large holders, and policy/regulatory announcements for the next directional catalyst.

Pi Network, a mobile-mined cryptocurrency with a large user base, has experienced a significant drop in perceived value as it transitions from testnet to mainnet. Causes cited include mainnet migration delays, technical challenges, regulatory uncertainty around mobile-mined tokens, limited exchange listings and liquidity, and community-driven selling pressure. Forecast scenarios through 2026–2030: optimistic adoption (2026 price range $5–$15, 25% probability), moderate growth ($2–$5, 50%), and limited progress ($0.5–$2, 25%). Key 2027–2028 indicators are merchant adoption, developer activity, and regulatory clarity; long-term success by 2030 requires sustainable decentralization, competitive layer-1 features, and robust real-world utility. Actionable guidance for traders: diversify holdings, track development milestones rather than daily price moves, engage with the Pi community for on-the-ground updates, and set clear entry/exit rules tied to project execution. The article frames Pi Network as a high-risk, high-reward experiment in mobile-first crypto distribution whose market trajectory hinges on execution and liquidity milestones.

Pump.fun is a Solana-based platform that simplifies meme‑coin creation and uses the native PUMP token for governance, fee discounts, revenue sharing and ecosystem access. Combining the two reports, the updated outlook assesses PUMP’s price potential from 2026–2030 and highlights drivers, risks and trade strategies for crypto traders. Core growth drivers: platform adoption (more token launches and active users), Solana DeFi TVL expansion, tokenomics improvements (burns, staking) and widening utility through integrations. Short-term upside (2026) depends on user growth, Solana network performance and regulatory clarity. Mid-term gains (2027–2028) require platform feature upgrades, stronger governance/staking and cross-project integrations to convert PUMP from a viral meme token into sustainable infrastructure. Long-term appreciation (2029–2030) assumes Solana cements top-tier DeFi status and Pump.fun retains leadership. Key risks include regulatory action, security vulnerabilities, intense competition within Solana DeFi and macro crypto downturns. Recommended trader approaches: accumulate on dips for long-term exposure, active trading around product updates and listings, stake PUMP for yield, and diversify across Solana ecosystem assets. SEO keywords included naturally: Pump.fun, PUMP price prediction, Solana DeFi, meme coins, tokenomics.

James Howells — the Bitcoiner known for losing an 8,000-BTC hard drive (worth roughly $700M) — shared practical advice for crypto newcomers, veterans and skeptics in 2026. He urges newcomers to learn how blockchains and DeFi work before buying tokens, and to experiment safely using test transactions and non-custodial wallets. Howells strongly warns against leverage trading, calling inexperienced traders ‘liquidity’ for sophisticated players. For veterans, he recommends regular testing of wallet backups and seed-phrase recovery to avoid software rot, obsolete formats, or single-point failures. He also encourages experienced users to drive real-world adoption by accepting crypto payments, building services, and reinvesting gains into the ecosystem rather than chasing Wall Street or regulatory validation. Skeptics are advised to try crypto hands-on — set up wallets, make transactions, and judge the technology by its capabilities rather than bad actors. Howells highlights the contradiction of institutions criticizing crypto publicly while building private blockchain infrastructure, and stresses that adoption and peer-to-peer usage matter more than institutional endorsement.

Indonesia will expand investment in digital public infrastructure, prioritising a national digital ID (Identitas Kependudukan Digital, IKD) and artificial intelligence to support economic recovery. The government extended stimulus measures after Q3 GDP rose 5% year‑on‑year and plans to continue prioritising digital transformation into 2026. To date the IKD has been issued to about 17 million people (roughly 6% of the population), below targets. Dukcapil Director‑General Teguh Setyabudi said the rollout will accelerate in 2026 with stronger security, simplified verification and broader integration across public services. Pilots — including digitising the Perlinsos social assistance programme — showed cost reductions and improved targeting when beneficiaries registered using IKD. Indonesia is learning from other countries (notably India’s Aadhaar) and intends to build offline backups and multiple authentication options to reduce outage risks. Officials say the digital ID has already increased access to education, health services, bank accounts and digital wallets for registered users. As Southeast Asia’s largest economy and population, Indonesia’s progress on digital ID and AI is likely to influence regional digital public infrastructure efforts.