Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

USX, a Solana-native dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Solstice Finance, experienced an extreme secondary-market depeg on Dec 26, 2025 after severe liquidity evaporation on DEXs (Orca, Raydium). On isolated trades reported by PeckShield, USX briefly fell to $0.10 amid extremely thin order books; aggregated DEX data showed many trades clustered around $0.80 before Solstice and market makers injected liquidity. Primary-market reserves remained overcollateralized and 1:1 redemptions through permissioned institutional channels were operational throughout. After liquidity support, USX recovered to roughly $0.94 and later near $0.995; CoinGecko logged an intraday low of $0.8285 and a high of $1.01. Solstice plans third-party attestation of collateral and is working with partners to deepen secondary-market liquidity. Market context: USX’s market cap is in the hundreds of millions (≈$284M reported) within a stablecoin sector valued at hundreds of billions, underscoring systemic liquidity risks. Key takeaways for traders: (1) secondary-market liquidity shortfalls can produce extreme, short-lived price dislocations even when on‑chain collateral is intact; (2) issuer and market‑maker interventions can restore peg quickly but do not remove reputational and contagion risk; (3) expect elevated intraday volatility for USX and potential spillovers to Solana-linked assets and other algorithmic or thinly collateralized stablecoins while attestation and liquidity measures are pending. Monitor DEX depth, on‑chain reserve attestations, redemption status, and market‑maker activity for trading and risk decisions.

Uniswap’s UNIfication governance proposal passed decisively on 26 December 2025, with ~125 million UNI voting in favor and just 742 opposing. After a short timelock, the plan executes a one‑time 100 million UNI burn and enables protocol fees on Uniswap v2 and v3 pools on Ethereum, plus fee capture from Unichain activity. The change installs an ongoing fee-funded burn mechanism that shifts UNI’s tokenomics toward deflationary behavior and creates clearer revenue capture for the protocol. On-chain metrics confirm Uniswap remains the DEX leader with roughly $60.7 billion monthly volume and a >50% spot market share. Market reaction has been muted: despite stronger fundamentals, UNI’s price shows neutral-to-bearish technicals (weakened RSI, subdued MACD) and dense liquidity clusters near the reported $5.1 support that could amplify downside if macro sentiment weakens. For traders: monitor on-chain fee accrual, actual burn flow data, and liquidity cluster behavior around $5.1; expect an immediate supply shock from the 100M burn with potential long-term bullishness from recurring fee burns, but maintain caution for near-term technical risk and liquidation cascades.

Coinbase has confirmed the arrest in India of a former customer support employee tied to a customer data breach first disclosed in May, CEO Brian Armstrong said. The incident involved attackers reportedly bribing a contractor to access sensitive customer records and included a $20 million ransom demand; Coinbase previously called it one of its most notable security breaches and estimated remediation costs could reach $400 million. The company has not disclosed the arrested individual’s identity or whether further arrests are expected. Analysts say the case highlights ongoing cybersecurity and governance shortcomings at major exchanges and renews calls for stronger privacy controls, clearer incident reporting and tighter regulatory oversight. For traders, the episode may prompt short-term volatility in Bitcoin (BTC) and other exchange-listed assets as confidence in custodial security is tested. Longer-term implications include increased scrutiny of exchange risk, greater emphasis on compliance and potential acceleration of shifts toward self-custody solutions. Primary keywords: Coinbase, data breach, customer data, arrest. Secondary keywords included naturally: Brian Armstrong, ransom demand, security incident, remediation costs.

Caroline Ellison, former CEO of Alameda Research, is scheduled for release from federal custody on January 21, 2026, according to U.S. Bureau of Prisons records. Ellison, 31, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to fraud and conspiracy tied to the 2022 collapse of FTX and cooperated extensively with prosecutors, including testifying against FTX founder Sam Bankman‑Fried. She was sentenced in September 2024 to 24 months’ imprisonment and ordered to forfeit about $11 billion; she began serving her sentence in November 2024. Records show Ellison was transferred in October 2025 from a Connecticut federal prison to a Residential Reentry Management (RRM) office in New York and has been in community confinement since October 16, 2025. Her release date was recently moved forward from February 20, 2026 to January 21, 2026 — officials have not publicly explained the change, though it is likely due to good‑conduct credits and reentry programs. Post‑release conditions include three years of supervised release and a consented 10‑year bar on serving as an officer or director of public companies or crypto exchanges, per SEC notices. Sam Bankman‑Fried remains serving a 25‑year sentence and is pursuing clemency. For crypto traders: the development is primarily legal and personnel‑focused and is unlikely to directly move markets. However, Ellison’s early release and continued regulatory restrictions reinforce ongoing regulatory scrutiny and reputational risk tied to FTX‑related actors, which could sustain higher compliance costs and cautious sentiment across crypto firms.

Trust Wallet’s Chrome browser extension (version 2.68) was compromised via a malicious update that exfiltrated seed phrases and allowed attackers to drain wallets across multiple chains. Blockchain investigators traced more than $7 million stolen from wallets on BTC, ETH, SOL and BNB Chain, with funds rapidly routed through exchanges, swaps and mixers. The company confirmed the breach on-chain after researcher ZachXBT raised the alarm. Binance co-founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) said Binance/Trust Wallet will reimburse verified losses and described the funds as “SAFU.” Trust Wallet released patched extension links and advised affected users to disable version 2.68 immediately and upgrade to 2.69; mobile apps and other extension versions were not affected. The team also warned against importing seed phrases into browser extensions and recommended hardware wallets for large balances. An internal review is under way to determine how a malicious update passed submission checks; investigations and reimbursement processes are ongoing. For traders: expect continued scrutiny on browser-extension security, potential short-term selling pressure on tokens tied to compromised chains if large on-chain sell-offs persist, and heightened demand for hardware and custody solutions.

Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, is exploring ruble loans collateralised by cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and other digital assets. Deputy Chairman Anatoly Popov said the bank aims to let retail and corporate clients pledge crypto to obtain fiat liquidity without selling holdings, while working closely with regulators to design custody, operational infrastructure and legal safeguards. Sberbank has piloted custody via its Rutoken solution and organised more than 160 digital asset issuances this year, including tokenised real estate and oil-linked instruments, and is experimenting with DeFi tools. The bank is assessing technical, legal and regulatory requirements and says formal approvals will be required before rollout. Observers expect a gradual, regulated deployment; if authorised, the product could set a precedent and encourage other Russian banks to offer crypto-backed ruble lending. Key implications for traders include increased on-chain utility for Bitcoin and tokenised assets in Russia, potential growth in ruble-denominated crypto lending markets, and closer alignment between institutional banking and digital-asset ecosystems.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said talks with US representatives covered joint management of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the possibility of using its electricity for crypto mining. Putin told Kommersant that Washington had expressed interest in establishing crypto-mining operations at Europe’s largest nuclear site and that supplying power from the plant to Ukraine was also discussed. He said Ukrainian staff still operate the facility but have taken Russian citizenship; Russia has controlled the plant since March 2022 and runs it via Rosatom. Kyiv rejects any deal that sidelines Ukrainian sovereignty and insists on restoring Ukrainian control and demilitarizing the site. The plant, once supplying over 20% of Ukraine’s electricity, remains fragile with safety warnings from the IAEA and recurring power disruptions. For crypto traders: claims that the US considered using Zaporizhzhia’s baseload nuclear power for Bitcoin mining are unconfirmed and politically sensitive. Any material development — including changes to power routing or governance at the plant — would be highly geopolitical, could affect industry power availability and miner operating costs, and might influence Bitcoin sentiment and energy-dependent mining equities or ETFs. Monitor confirmations from Washington, Ukrainian and IAEA statements, and any on-the-ground changes to the plant’s power output or access before positioning trades.

WazirX founder Nischal Shetty has confirmed the long-running ownership dispute with Binance has moved into formal litigation. The dispute stems from Binance’s 2019 acquisition announcement; both sides now assert competing claims over control, governance and operational rights of WazirX. The escalation raises regulatory and strategic risk for WazirX, India’s largest crypto exchange, and could complicate cross-border cooperation and licensing discussions. The litigation may increase uncertainty around platform control, asset access and user trust, potentially affecting withdrawal behaviour and liquidity. Separately, WazirX and its founder have publicly clashed with custody provider Liminal following a July 2024 hack that drained roughly $230 million from an external fund-management site linked to WazirX. WazirX attributed part of the loss to failures in its multisignature custody framework; Liminal denies a breach and says about $175 million remained under its control after the incident. The custody dispute highlights scrutiny on multisig and third-party custodial arrangements and their role in exchange security and asset recovery. Key takeaways for traders: monitor court filings and official statements for changes in platform control or governance; watch on-chain movements, wallet migrations and any announced asset recoveries; expect heightened regulatory attention in India that could affect operational clarity and user flows; and consider possible short-term volatility in assets associated with WazirX user balances and withdrawal demand. Primary keywords: WazirX, Binance, custody dispute, multisig, exchange litigation.

Mutuum Finance (MUTM), a DeFi lending protocol, is in an advanced presale stage at $0.035 per token with Phase 6 over 99% allocated. The project has raised $19.45 million and sold 825 million of a fixed 4 billion supply; roughly 45.5% (~1.82 billion) is reserved for the presale. The official launch price is set at $0.06. Mutuum’s product design combines peer-to-contract liquidity pools and peer-to-peer loans, interest-bearing mtTokens, debt tokens, automated liquidators, and utilization-based interest rates. V1 is planned for Sepolia testnet in Q4 2025 with initial ETH and USDT support; the roadmap includes a multi-asset stablecoin and oracle feeds. Security work includes a CertiK token scan (90/100), an ongoing Halborn audit and a $50,000 bug bounty. Analysts quoted model bullish scenarios: short-term moves toward or above the $0.06 launch price (200–300% from current presale levels) and longer-term upside of 500–600% if adoption, successful mainnet launch, exchange listings and continued presale scarcity align. Key risks remain execution, audit outcomes, exchange liquidity and broader market conditions. For traders: the news suggests elevated event-driven volatility and potential asymmetric reward if you can enter presale allocations or early listings, but significant execution and market risks make this a high-risk, high-reward speculative trade. (Keywords: Mutuum Finance, MUTM presale, DeFi lending, mtTokens, crypto presale)

Hyperliquid closed 2025 with record growth across users, trading volume, liquidity and revenue, according to ASXN-sourced data cited by the platform. Key figures: ~609,700 new users, $2.95 trillion in cumulative trading volume across about 198.9 billion trades, roughly $844 million in revenue, net inflows near $3.87 billion and year-end TVL around $4.15 billion. The platform runs on its own Layer‑1 (HyperBFT), which it credits for processing an average of 6,502 orders per second, near-CEX execution speeds, zero gas fees and non‑custodial on‑chain settlement. Hyperliquid says the combination of high throughput, low latency and fee savings attracted both retail and advanced traders to perpetual futures and other derivatives. Market volatility and active derivatives usage in 2025 supported inflows and fee generation, helping the exchange reach top-tier DeFi profitability. Observers highlight Hyperliquid’s model — custom Layer‑1 performance plus DeFi transparency — as a competitive challenge to centralized exchanges and as evidence that decentralized derivatives can scale. For traders: higher volumes and deepened liquidity may improve execution and reduce slippage on derivatives pairs hosted on Hyperliquid; however, rising platform prominence could also increase regulatory scrutiny and competitive responses from CEXs. Primary keywords: Hyperliquid, decentralized derivatives, Layer‑1, trading volume, TVL, revenue.

Aptos (APT) has posted a short-term rebound — roughly +1.3% in 24 hours and about +15.8% over the week — yet remains inside a longer-term downtrend. Price is testing resistance around $1.70–$1.72 after an October sell-off that broke prior support near $4.32. Technicals are mixed: RSI has recovered from oversold levels, signaling temporary buying interest, while On‑Balance Volume (OBV) sits near multi-year lows, indicating persistent selling pressure. APT’s price remains closely correlated with Bitcoin (BTC); BTC’s recent ~1.5% rise toward $90k provided altcoin relief, and an upcoming BTC options expiry could increase short-term volatility and possibly lift APT toward $1.90–$2.00 if a broader rally occurs. On-chain and fundamental signals are weak — declining transaction and developer activity and capital flow favoring Solana (SOL) memecoin action — so any durable reversal would require both technical breakout above $1.70 and improving fundamentals. Short-term trading band: $1.56 support and $1.69–$1.72 resistance. Traders should treat the current move as a relief rally: consider range trades (buy near support, short near resistance), manage risk with tight stop-losses, monitor BTC direction, OBV and RSI for conviction, and wait for confirmed breakout (targets $1.90–$2.00) or breakdown below $1.56 for continuation of the bear trend.

Trust Wallet’s Chrome browser extension (v2.68) was compromised over the Christmas period, leading to roughly $7 million in user losses. Security firm SlowMist says a malicious backdoor was prepared from Dec. 8, injected Dec. 22 and began siphoning funds on Dec. 25; it also reportedly exfiltrated personal data. On-chain investigator ZachXBT and other researchers flagged hundreds of affected users. Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao — Trust Wallet’s owner — announced that Trust Wallet will fully reimburse victims and suggested possible insider involvement. Trust Wallet advised desktop users to disable the compromised extension and upgrade to the patched release (users were told to install the fixed extension from the official Chrome Web Store). The incident highlights growing supply-chain and browser-extension risks for desktop wallets and is being discussed alongside broader industry theft trends: Chainalysis data shows personal-wallet compromises are a rising share of stolen crypto. For traders: expect potential short-term selling pressure on affected ecosystem tokens and increased demand for hardware and custodial solutions; monitor wallet-extension updates, reimbursement timelines, and any follow-up forensic or regulatory findings.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index rose to 23 on December 27 from 20 a day earlier, according to COINOTAG’s alternative-data report. Measured on a 0–100 scale, the index weights volatility (25%), trading volume/momentum (25%), social media (15%), surveys (15%), Bitcoin dominance (10%) and Google Trends (10%). The reading has remained below 30 since November 3, mirroring the persistent market fear last seen in Q4 2022. Analysts note the index is often a lagging indicator: the recent uptick reflects modest stabilization in price action and slightly higher volumes, but does not signal a confirmed rally. For traders, a sub-30 reading implies elevated downside risk, lower market liquidity and risk-off behaviour — recommending cautious position sizing, strict risk management, reduced leverage and selective accumulation for longer-term holders. Use the Fear & Greed Index together with on-chain metrics, fundamentals and macro indicators before opening positions.

CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator told Fortune Brainstorm AI that the current AI boom is driven by real end‑user demand and physical supply constraints — not a circular flow of capital among the same firms. He highlighted persistent GPU shortages and broader bottlenecks in data‑centre infrastructure, energy and raw materials (eg. copper), and cited industry reports showing GPU shipments lagging orders by about 20–30%. Intrator also noted increased competition for GPUs from crypto miners. CoreWeave has reduced client concentration — Microsoft fell from ~85% of revenue to under 30% of backlog — and defended the company amid post‑IPO stock volatility (IPO $40, shares near $90). For traders, key takeaways are: continued hardware scarcity should support sustained GPU demand and keep upward pressure on prices; secondary‑market GPU flows could add volatility if major customers scale back; delays in builds and energy/infrastructure constraints may slow capacity growth and extend the supercycle; and customer diversification lowers single‑client counterparty risk but stock remains sensitive to delivery and backlog updates. Monitor vendor backlogs, shipment rates, data‑centre buildouts and GPU resale flows for signs of easing or worsening scarcity.

AI-focused crypto tokens have plunged amid concerns of an AI crypto bubble and weakening U.S. labor-market indicators. Latest data show AI tokens fell 24.9% in the past month and are down 74.6% year-to-date, while 24-hour trading volume for AI tokens and related altcoins has declined about 20% to $3.48 billion — a sign liquidity is drying up. Broader altcoins have lost roughly 34% of market value, bringing altcoin market capitalization to about $1.16 trillion from a prior peak near $1.77 trillion. Analysts highlighted a growing correlation between AI equities and AI tokens: the S&P 500 is up ~17.8% YTD, driven in part by AI stocks, even as U.S. labor participation slips (reported at 59.4%), a divergence that historically precedes market corrections. Firms cited include Alphractal (raising bubble parallels tied to labor-market divergence) and Artemis (reporting token declines and volume drop). Traders should monitor employment data, AI-equity strength, and liquidity metrics closely: further weakness in AI stocks or negative employment surprises could accelerate downside for AI tokens and exert broader pressure on altcoins, with some analysts warning of a potential move toward a $1 trillion altcoin market cap if sentiment worsens.

Japanese analyst Yuto Kanzaki says private Japan–South Korea talks on joint blockchain infrastructure, together with impending Japanese regulatory clarity for Ripple Prime and Ripple Custody, could accelerate institutional use of Ripple and XRP across East Asia. The discussions — not yet public — may produce shared frameworks for payments, remittances and enterprise blockchain services where the XRP Ledger (XRPL) is already active. Ripple has committed a large portion of its one‑billion‑XRP program to an XRPL Japan and Korea Fund aimed at partnerships, startup investment and developer support. Network-level momentum includes new XRPL validators in the region — South Korea’s Infinite Block and Japan’s SBI VC Trade — which strengthen decentralization, resilience and compliance credibility. Kanzaki advises XRP holders to monitor developments closely, arguing that combined government coordination, clearer regulation, regional investment and growing validator participation could improve institutional integration and adoption of XRP. This is informational and not financial advice.

Crypto educator Jesse, founder of Apex Crypto Academy, argues XRP could exceed $10 if banks and central banks adopt it as a settlement asset. Trading near $1.84 at publication, Jesse frames valuation around payment throughput and settlement velocity rather than static market-cap comparisons or Bitcoin-style store-of-value metrics. He notes traditional finance and central banks process far greater daily volumes than Bitcoin and says Ripple’s focus on cross-border payments and partnerships with banks could drive institutional demand for XRP liquidity. Jesse warns simple market-cap math ignores settlement velocity, liquidity cycles and institutional behavior; broad adoption as a settlement asset would materially raise required liquidity and could justify a roughly fivefold price increase (implying a market cap near $600 billion). Critics counter that XRP has traded below $3.84 for years and view double-digit forecasts as optimistic. The coverage emphasizes this is opinion, not financial advice.

Two wallets linked to Pantera Capital transferred a combined 5,264 ETH (about $15.39–$15.4M) into Coinbase Prime on December 27, according to Onchain Lens. The on-chain deposit moves a sizable amount of Ether into a regulated institutional custody and prime brokerage platform, signaling institutional allocation toward Coinbase’s custody layer. Such inflows can indicate preparation for trading, OTC execution, custody consolidation, compliance or liquidity management. The transfer provides real-time transparency into institutional fund flows and is consistent with growing institutional activity in prime custody venues. No comment was reported from Pantera or Coinbase. Traders tracking large inflows to regulated venues may view this as a monitorable signal of potential selling, rebalancing or increased trading activity in ETH.

Bitmain has initiated broad discounts, bundle offers and auction-style sales across Antminer lines including S19 and the newer immersion-cooled S21 as Bitcoin mining profitability deteriorates. Hashprice — estimated daily revenue per TH/s — has fallen to roughly $35/TH/s/day, below a commonly cited breakeven near $40/TH/s/day, following the April 2024 halving and a weaker BTC price (from ~$126k in Oct 2025 to ~$80k in Nov 2025). Bitmain reportedly cut prices by about $7/TH/s on some S21 immersion units and is allowing miners to bid or choose bundle pricing to clear inventory and accelerate upgrades from older, inefficient rigs. Rising network difficulty, higher average electricity costs, regulatory and supply-chain pressures are squeezing miner margins; some operators are exploring renewables or idling rigs to reduce losses. For traders, this signals heightened selling pressure from miners, potential capex reductions, faster consolidation toward lower-cost and more efficient operations, and increased sensitivity of BTC price to miner on-chain sales and capitulation. Secondary markets for used ASICs may face pressure, while regions with cheap power could benefit from discounted upgrades. Near-term implications include possible downward pressure on miner equities and spot BTC volatility; longer term, price cuts may herald a next-gen chip cycle and faster efficiency gains in mining hardware.

Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) dismantled a cross-border crypto and forex investment fraud ring in Karachi that allegedly stole about $60 million. Authorities seized 37 computers, 40 mobile phones, more than 10,000 international SIM cards and six illicit payment-gateway devices. The network used social engineering on social media and messaging apps, impersonating traders or insiders to recruit victims onto fake trading platforms that displayed forged profit data. Victims typically deposited around $5,000, then were pressured to pay additional "taxes", withdrawal or verification fees; after payments accounts were frozen and communication ceased. Funds were routed to overseas bank accounts and converted into cryptocurrencies for cross-border transfers. In Phase 1 of the operation, police arrested multiple suspects; 22 remain detained, including several foreign nationals. Cases have been registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and sections of the Pakistan Penal Code. The investigation remains active and involves coordination with foreign jurisdictions. For traders: the bust highlights persistent crypto scam risks, the use of illicit payment gateways and SIM-card networks to bypass controls, and the importance of due diligence when engaging with trading platforms or unsolicited investment offers.

Solana (SOL) is trading under a bearish structure after failing repeatedly to reclaim the $150 resistance, leaving $120 as the immediate critical support. In 2025 Circle has minted roughly $55 billion USDC on Solana, including a recent $500 million mint — a large on-chain liquidity injection that has increased trading and DeFi activity but has not produced clear bullish momentum for SOL. On-chain and chart data (Onchain Lens, TradingView) show prolonged sideways chop, raising speculative pressure and potential volatility. Whale positions are divided: reports show a major leveraged long (around 20x) now carrying roughly $5.88 million in unrealized losses after earlier profits, while short-side whales have realized about $27.7 million in gains. The concentration of leveraged longs alongside large short profits increases the risk of liquidation cascades. For traders: monitor $120 closely — a decisive break lower could trigger rapid leveraged liquidations and sharp downside; reclaiming and holding above $150 would be required to restore bullish structure. Primary keywords: Solana, SOL price, USDC mint, whales, liquidity. Secondary/semantic keywords: support level, resistance, leverage, liquidations, on-chain activity.

Sharplink co-CEO Joseph Chalom forecasts Ethereum total value locked (TVL) could rise tenfold by end-2026, driven by growth in stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets (RWA) and increased allocations from sovereign wealth funds. Chalom projects the stablecoin market expanding to about $500 billion (from roughly $308 billion currently) and expects ~54% of stablecoin activity to remain on Ethereum — a dynamic that could materially lift Ethereum TVL (currently ~ $68.2B per DeFiLlama). He also anticipates the tokenized RWA market reaching $300 billion in 2026 as institutions including JPMorgan, Franklin Templeton and BlackRock scale tokenization of funds, equities and bonds to entire fund portfolios. Sharplink Gaming reportedly holds 797,704 ETH (~$2.33B). Chalom expects sovereign wealth funds’ Ethereum exposure and tokenization activity to increase 5–10x. Additional growth drivers cited are mainstream adoption of on-chain AI agents and prediction markets, which would raise on-chain activity and liquidity. Market context: Ether trades near $2,900 and is down ~12% year‑over‑year; some analysts warn new highs may be constrained by Bitcoin conditions. These comments are presented as market outlook, not investment advice.

Industry monitors report at least $2.53 billion in crypto exploits in 2025, with social engineering now the dominant attack vector, responsible for about 55.3% (~$1.39 billion) of losses. Private key compromises account for roughly 15% (~$0.37 billion), while infinite-mint attacks and smart-contract bugs make up the remainder. Chainalysis and other trackers estimate total crypto theft in 2025 at $2.7–$3.4 billion and attribute about $2.02 billion to North Korea-linked groups, a roughly 51% increase from 2024; that figure includes a reported $1.4 billion extraction from Bybit. Analysts say improved automated auditing and formal verification have reduced large-scale smart-contract breaches, shifting attackers toward human-targeted methods: phishing, impersonation, poor key management and operational lapses. For traders, this means higher personal-wallet and custodial risk, potential sustained sell pressure on affected tokens, and elevated counterparty risk for exchanges and custodial services. Key takeaways: prioritize secure key custody, tighten counterparty due diligence, monitor tokens tied to breached platforms, and expect state-sponsored groups to remain a major theft vector.

Solana led blockchain app revenues in 2025 with about $1.3 billion, driven by meme-token cycles, AI agent activity and a late-year DeFi resurgence. Cryptorank data showed Solana surpassed Ethereum in users, transactions and app revenues for much of the year, with app-driven income dominating for over seven months. Hyperliquid’s native HyperCore chain ranked second with roughly $908 million in native-chain revenues after its first full year as a perpetual-futures DEX — $848 million came from perpetual futures trading. Hyperliquid reported $3.87 billion in deposits, about 609,000 new users, $46 million distributed to builders and nearly $1 million from ticker auctions. Ethereum generated $524 million in 2025, BNB Chain $257 million and Base $76.4 million. Several legacy networks (Avalanche, Filecoin, TON) dropped from the top 10 as apps migrated to newer L1/L2s and specialized chains (EdgeX, Axelar, Bittensor, Optimism) rose based on strong single-app performance. The broader market takeaway for traders: 2025 marked a shift from incentive-led volume to predictable, app-driven revenue streams — favoring chains and apps with real user traction rather than airdrop farming. Traders should monitor Solana metrics (users, transactions, app revenues), DEX volumes and perpetual futures flows as potential trade signals; Hyperliquid’s results also highlight the revenue and liquidity potential of perpetual DEXs and native-chain settlement models.

China’s regulators and UBS SDIC Fund Management suspended new subscriptions to the UBS SDIC Silver Futures Fund LOF Class C after the fund’s secondary-market price traded at a premium exceeding 60% to its underlying Shanghai silver futures. Retail-driven buying—amplified by step-by-step arbitrage guides on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu—pushed the fund to hit daily 10% limits for three consecutive sessions. The manager previously cut subscription caps (Class C from ¥500 to ¥100; reductions to Class A) but these measures failed to stem demand, and premiums briefly remained near 44% after the limits. Year-to-date the fund rose about 187%, outpacing Shanghai silver futures (~145%), reflecting intense retail flows into a limited set of domestic silver products. Regulators and the manager cited the large disconnect between market price and net asset value, thin underlying silver liquidity, and elevated downside risk from a potential rapid sentiment reversal as reasons for intervention. Traders should watch for spillovers into other metals LOFs, shifts in on‑shore liquidity, widening arbitrage opportunities, and heightened volatility in related commodities and safe‑haven assets. Primary SEO keywords: China silver fund, UBS SDIC, silver LOF, premium, retail frenzy. (Main keyword "China silver fund" appears multiple times.)

A whale moved 3,000,000 TRUMP tokens (~$14.88M) into Binance after roughly 50 days of accumulation, realizing an estimated $7.8M loss versus a prior withdrawal valued at about $22.68M, according to on-chain trackers (Lookonchain/Onchain Lens). The deposit signals capitulation and increased short-term sell-side supply, but the market absorbed much of the selling: spot price held above $4.80 and traded around a $5 pivot. TRUMP briefly broke a descending channel but failed to sustain gains above the $5.20–$5.25 resistance and has since reverted toward the $5 level. Technical indicators show neutral-to-weak momentum (RSI ≈ 46). On-chain and market metrics — including a positive 90-day CVD (CryptoQuant) and a CoinGlass 4-hour long/short ratio near 1.32 — suggest buyers have been absorbing supply without strong bullish follow-through. Liquidity clusters and liquidation heatmaps concentrate around $5.10–$5.20, making that band a likely test point and potential stop-run zone. Traders should monitor exchange inflows, spot CVD, liquidity bands, and price reaction at $5 support and $5.20 resistance for short-term volatility and possible additional selling pressure.

CryptoRank data shows Solana (SOL) and derivatives platform Hyperliquid (HYPE) led blockchain revenue in 2025, with Solana collecting about $1.3 billion in on-chain fees and Hyperliquid about $816 million; Ethereum (ETH) generated roughly $524 million. Solana’s revenue was driven by sustained transaction throughput across DEX activity, memecoin trading, DePIN and consumer apps while its TVL remained range-bound at roughly $7–$12 billion — indicating higher fee generation per unit of capital rather than TVL growth. Hyperliquid’s fees were concentrated in perpetuals and derivatives execution; its TVL rose from ~$2 billion early in the year to peaks above $6 billion before settling near $4.1 billion. Santiment and CryptoRank evidence cited in the reports point to a market shift: networks optimised for execution quality and high-frequency activity convert flow into fees more efficiently than chains that rely on deep but less active liquidity. For traders, the key takeaways are to monitor on-chain activity metrics (transaction volume, DEX swaps, derivatives volume) and fee-capture rates as leading indicators of network revenue potential. Watch SOL for throughput-driven trade opportunities and HYPE for derivatives flow — but adjust risk sizing for liquidity concentration and potential sentiment swings.

Trust Wallet confirmed a security incident in its Chrome browser extension v2.68 that led to roughly $7 million in funds being drained. Blockchain investigator ZachXBT first flagged suspicious drains after users imported seed phrases into the extension; researchers suspect a supply‑chain or malicious update introduced the vulnerability. Trust Wallet says the issue was isolated to v2.68 — mobile apps and other extension versions were not affected — and advised users to disable the extension immediately and update to v2.69. The company published an official update on Dec 26, is conducting internal audits, has not disclosed a full technical root cause, and warns users to ignore messages outside official channels to avoid follow‑on phishing scams. Trust Wallet has committed to fully refunding affected users and is finalising the refund process. Key trader actions: monitor TWT sentiment and on‑chain movements from drained wallets, avoid interacting with untrusted extensions, consider moving high‑value holdings to hardware wallets or multisig, and verify any refund instructions via official Trust Wallet channels. Primary keywords: Trust Wallet, browser extension security, $7M loss. Secondary/semantic keywords: supply‑chain attack, seed phrase compromise, refund, on‑chain draining, extension update.

Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz warned that community loyalty alone will not sustain tokens like XRP and ADA through the 2025 market cycle; projects must demonstrate measurable real-world utility and revenue models. Novogratz contrasted Bitcoin’s distinct valuation as money with other chains that will be valued like businesses, driven by revenues, profits and platform usage. He singled out XRP and Cardano (ADA) as examples facing pressure to move beyond narrative and prove business use cases such as cross-border payments, enterprise adoption and protocol fee generation. Key metrics traders should watch include transaction fee revenue, protocol revenue distribution, enterprise partnerships, developer activity and on-chain usage. Novogratz noted market maturation — greater institutional participation and regulatory scrutiny — is shifting capital toward assets with demonstrable economic substance and management quality. He cited token models with clear, equity-like value (e.g., tokens using buybacks/burns tied to profits) as increasingly favored. Galaxy Digital’s internal tracking shows divergence between genuinely adopted networks and those reliant on community momentum; historical cycles (like many 2017 ICO tokens fading) support the view that projects with real use cases hold up better. For traders, the takeaway is to prioritize fundamentals — measurable usage, partnership announcements, on-chain revenue metrics and developer engagement — when assessing XRP and ADA exposure ahead of the next cycle. This is not trading advice; investors should do independent research.