Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

The U.S. House Financial Services Committee has formally asked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revise rules so cryptocurrencies can be evaluated and offered as optional alternative investments within 401(k) retirement plans. Lawmakers cited a prior executive order directing regulators to expand access to alternative assets, and urged the SEC to treat certain digital assets similarly to other alternatives, update the accredited investor definition, and coordinate with the Department of Labor on fiduciary safeguards, disclosure and custody standards. Supporters argue crypto inclusion would broaden investor choice, attract younger savers and improve portfolio diversification. Critics warn of extreme volatility, custody/security challenges, regulatory uncertainty and heightened fiduciary risk for plan sponsors. SEC Chair Paul Atkins’ “Project Crypto” indicates a softer stance—seeking clearer token classifications and suggesting many traded tokens may not be securities—but formal rule changes or guidance could still take months or years. If adopted, crypto options would be voluntary for plan providers and require participant opt-in; traders should view this as a structural development that could expand long-term demand but also raise short-term volatility and regulatory news risk.

Bitcoin tumbled below the key $92,000 support, trading around $91,960 on Binance USDT after a sudden sell-off that likely combined profit-taking, technical breakdowns and automated orders. On-chain indicators showed rising exchange inflows and large derivative sell orders that can trigger liquidations. Traders should monitor whether BTC reclaims $92,000 (now resistance), and watch support bands near $90,000 and $88,000. Pay close attention to trading volume accompanying price moves, exchange flows, and leverage levels — sustained high-volume selling would signal a momentum shift for short-term traders, while long-term holders may view the dip as an accumulation opportunity depending on risk tolerance. Recommended risk management: reassess position sizing, use stop-losses, consider dollar-cost averaging for new entries, and avoid panic selling. Note that BTC volatility often drags altcoins and can amplify market moves.

Coinbase has integrated decentralized exchange (DEX) routing for the Solana network, enabling users to trade native Solana (SOL) tokens through on‑chain DEX liquidity without undergoing Coinbase’s traditional listing review. Announced by Coinbase protocol specialist Andrew Allen, the integration will surface native Solana assets in the Coinbase app and allow projects with sufficient liquidity to reach Coinbase users without a formal listing. This follows Coinbase’s earlier DEX integration for Base and is part of a broader plan to extend DEX rails to more chains. The move mirrors a wider CeFi–DeFi convergence: centralized exchanges such as Binance and OKX have rolled similar features, acting as front ends to on‑chain liquidity to improve UX while leveraging growing DEX volumes. The development coincides with rapid growth in Solana’s DeFi ecosystem — including Ellipsis Labs’ Solana perpetuals DEX (private beta) and Redstone’s 2025 Solana lending report citing large single‑day DEX volumes — suggesting deeper liquidity is becoming available on‑chain. For traders, the integration lowers barriers to access new Solana tokens but raises practical considerations: verify liquidity depth, expected slippage, routing fees and smart‑contract or counterparty risk when executing DEX trades via a centralized interface. Overall, this increases on‑chain accessibility for SOL and Solana tokens and may raise trading volumes on Solana while shifting some execution risk profiles to users.

Anchorage Digital Bank, the U.S. federally chartered crypto bank, has partnered with Asia’s regulated digital-asset platform OSL Group to issue USDGO, an OSL-branded US dollar–backed stablecoin. USDGO will be issued under Anchorage’s federal bank charter, making it the first stablecoin launched via a U.S. federally regulated crypto bank. The token will be backed 1:1 by high-quality liquid assets, including U.S. Treasuries, and operate with Anchorage’s custody, AML and KYC controls. Designed as a multi-chain asset for instant cross-border and programmable settlements, USDGO targets institutional cross-border business payments with faster transactions and lower costs. Anchorage staff — including Head of Stablecoins Sergio Mello — emphasize this as part of institutional on‑shoring of stablecoin infrastructure and increased regulatory clarity for institutional adoption. The announcement comes alongside broader market moves in the dollar-stablecoin space (notably Binance expanding USD1 trading pairs), highlighting rising competition and regulatory focus. Traders should note the regulatory pedigree, reserve structure and institutional targeting — factors that may affect demand, liquidity and counterparty risk perceptions for USDGO and competing dollar stablecoins.

El Salvador and Elon Musk’s AI company xAI have agreed to deploy Grok — xAI’s AI model — as a nationwide, curriculum-aligned education system. The rollout will cover more than 5,000 public schools over two years and target over 1,000,000 students across urban and rural areas. Grok is billed as an AI-powered digital tutor that adapts lessons to each student’s pace, preferences and mastery level, while offering tools to empower thousands of teachers. The project will produce local education datasets, methodologies and safety frameworks intended to guide responsible classroom AI use. President Nayib Bukele framed the initiative as part of a strategy to ‘leapfrog’ into advanced technologies; Elon Musk positioned it as putting powerful AI in the hands of a generation. For crypto traders, the announcement reinforces Bukele’s ongoing tech-forward and Bitcoin-friendly governance (he expanded El Salvador’s BTC holdings to 7,500 BTC in prior policy moves). Primary SEO keywords: El Salvador, Grok, xAI, AI-powered education, bitcoin. Secondary keywords: national AI curriculum, digital tutor, education datasets, responsible AI. The main keyword “Grok” appears multiple times to aid search visibility.

Aptos (APT) moved from a brief breakout toward $1.90 into a sharp reversal as institutional participants redistributed positions ahead of a scheduled token unlock. Volume surged — reported between ~30–38% above the 30‑day average — with an exceptional peak trade of roughly 6.8M APT at resistance, indicating distribution near $1.90. The unlock will release about 11.3 million APT (~1.5% of supply) to core contributors and early investors on Dec. 12, intensifying selling pressure. Technicals shifted from bullish support near $1.74–$1.81 (earlier view) to a near‑term bearish structure after the rejection at $1.90: lower highs/lower lows, primary support around $1.69–$1.70, and resistance near $1.90–$1.91. Short‑term trader considerations: elevated volume and the concentrated peak trade suggest institutional distribution; a break below $1.69 could accelerate losses, while reclaiming above ~$1.71–$1.74 would be needed to resume upside. Suggested risk controls include tight stops below established support levels and monitoring the unlocked supply flows and on‑chain addresses receiving the tokens.

ChronoForge, a Web3 MMORPG developed with support from the Rift Foundation, will cease operations on December 30, 2025 after failing to secure ongoing funding and sufficient token utility. Rift Foundation raised over $3 million via a RIFT token sale to support the game’s token ecosystem, but persistent financial strain forced founders to finance development personally and cut staff by about 80%. Industry headwinds intensified the project’s troubles: Web3 gaming funding fell sharply (a 93% year‑on‑year decline to $73 million in Q2 2025), daily active wallets dropped 17%, and investor appetite moved toward AI and infrastructure — roughly 75% of recent crypto funding flowed to infrastructure rather than games. Observers say ChronoForge’s shutdown exemplifies broader GameFi challenges, including poor profitability, difficulty retaining developers, weak token utility, and an overall contraction in the Web3 dApp sector. For traders, the closure signals continued investor caution toward GameFi tokens and NFTs tied to active development and player growth, and suggests ongoing consolidation in blockchain gaming.

HAI Group has launched CORE.3, an upgraded risk-intelligence platform for Web3 that introduces a new Probability of Loss (PoL) metric. CORE.3 converts on-chain data, historical exploit records and economic-feasibility signals into a single quantitative PoL score that estimates the likelihood of financial loss from interacting with a protocol or smart contract. The framework ingests 100+ data points organized into Conditions (raw facts such as audit status and admin key controls), Metrics (grouped assessments like smart-contract risk and reserve transparency) and Categories (domain weighting that emphasises critical factors). A separate Proof-of-Opinion layer captures subjective inputs (ecosystem relevance, adoption) but is excluded from the PoL calculation. The initial rollout covers roughly 50 projects, with HAI planning to expand coverage to 1,000+ projects within three months. CORE.3 offers dashboards for quick manual review and API access for integration into trading workflows and risk systems, enabling automated pre-trade checks, exposure sizing and due diligence. HAI positions CORE.3 as an independent analytics tool within the Hacken ecosystem (Hacken, HackenProof, CER.live), not as investment advice or a ratings agency. For traders, the key takeaways are a new quantitative risk score (PoL) to use alongside existing indicators, API-based automation for risk checks, and faster on-chain protocol risk assessments that aim to reduce information asymmetry and help manage counterparty and protocol risk.

Norges Bank has paused development of a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital krone, after concluding Norway’s existing payment infrastructure is reliable, fast and low-cost. The bank — which ran retail and wholesale CBDC trials including blockchain experiments and Project Icebreaker for cross-border retail payments — found current CBDC infrastructure and standards immature and benefits uncertain. Governor Ida Wolden Bache said the option to issue a CBDC remains open but there is no immediate need. Norges Bank will continue research into potential CBDC roles for financial stability, privacy, settlement efficiency, tokenisation and resilience while monitoring international developments, notably the Eurosystem’s digital euro work and forthcoming EU rules on digital assets and cross-border settlement. For crypto traders: the decision reduces near-term regulatory-driven CBDC adoption risk in Norway, limits immediate structural demand shifts to payment rails or tokenised reserves, and suggests continued reliance on existing banking rails and stablecoins for payments. Traders should watch EU digital-euro progress and global stablecoin regulation, which could change the bank’s stance and create future structural demand for tokenised assets.

Poland’s governing coalition resubmitted an 84‑page crypto bill (Bill 2050) to the Sejm after President Karol Nawrocki vetoed an earlier draft (Bill 1424). The reintroduced bill largely mirrors the prior text and would designate the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) as the primary domestic regulator for crypto markets. Supporters say it aligns Poland with EU standards; critics argue it is overcomplex and effectively overregulates compared with simpler regimes in some regional peers. The move has reopened political tensions between coalition partner Polska2050 and Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s administration and left uncertainty over presidential approval. Reporting indicates the president received a confidential security briefing and may now accept the bill, while an alternative draft that scales back direct local regulator powers to better match the EU’s MiCA framework is reportedly under consideration. For traders: the legislative replay increases short‑term regulatory uncertainty in Poland, could affect licensing and compliance timelines for local exchanges and service providers, and serves as a test case for whether crypto oversight in the EU will remain national (KNF) or shift toward centralized supervision under ESMA/MiCA ahead of the 2026 compliance deadline.

MSCI opened a consultation in October proposing that firms whose balance sheets are majority-held in cryptocurrencies (digital asset treasuries, or DATs) be excluded from its market indexes. Strategy CEO Phong Le publicly criticised the proposal on the Schwab Network and in written feedback to MSCI, calling it unfair, premature and biased against crypto as an asset class. He argued that treating operating companies that hold Bitcoin or other digital assets as if they were investment funds mischaracterises their business — likening the suggested exclusion to removing energy firms for holding oil or telecoms for building cell towers. Affected companies such as Strive have urged MSCI to reconsider. MSCI will accept feedback until December 31, publish conclusions by January 15, and implement any changes in February. For traders, the debate raises indexation risk: exclusion of DAT-heavy public firms could reduce passive inflows linked to Bitcoin exposure, alter index compositions, and affect institutional access and sentiment toward BTC. Primary SEO keywords: MSCI crypto ban, digital asset treasury, Bitcoin holdings. Secondary keywords: index exclusion, Strategy CEO, crypto regulation.

Terra (LUNA) surged roughly 25% on Dec. 11 to around $0.24 after the v2.18.0 protocol upgrade and support actions from major exchanges including Binance and Bybit. Trading volume jumped roughly 116% to nearly $800 million, extending weekly gains to about 190% and a 21‑day rebound of roughly 286% from recent lows. The rally coincided with renewed focus on former Terraform Labs co‑founder Do Kwon ahead of his US sentencing; Kwon has pleaded guilty, agreed to forfeit over $19 million, and prosecutors have requested a 12‑year term while the defense seeks no more than five years. Market commentary is mixed: some traders attribute the move to upgrade-related optimism and improved liquidity from temporary exchange maintenance windows, while others caution the spike is community-driven speculation rather than a return to fundamentals, noting the original Terra ecosystem’s 2022 collapse. Key technicals to watch include resistance in the $0.30–$0.38 band and an unresolved long-term downtrend line — a break above those levels would be needed to confirm a sustained reversal. For traders: expect heightened volatility and heavier-than-normal volumes; monitor on‑chain flows, exchange suspension windows, trading volume on higher timeframes, and developments around the v2.18.0 upgrade and Do Kwon’s sentencing for short‑term trading cues.

Jupiter has acquired Solana-based fixed-term lending platform Rain.fi to accelerate on‑chain credit markets and integrate Rain.fi’s community into the Jupiter ecosystem. Rain.fi will continue operating under its brand for several months while core features are migrated into Jupiter; the Rain app will be sunset after phased integration. As part of the transition, stJUP deposits are paused and users are advised to unstake from Liquid (withdrawals remain available); staking rewards continue until the next ASR cycle and stCOLLAT operations are unaffected. Rain.fi confirmed a Droplets snapshot (Dec 10, 2025) and said eligible holders will receive JUP rewards in early 2026. Jupiter also appointed former KKR strategist Xiao‑Xiao J. Zhu as president to lead expansion into payments, stablecoins and an omnichain liquidity hub. The platform reports over $3B TVL and high annualized activity across trading, lending and staking. The acquisition comes amid downward pressure on Jupiter’s native token JUP — trading near $0.21, down >8% in 24 hours and nearly 39% month‑to‑date — despite product upgrades and exchange listings. Traders should monitor stJUP liquidity, JUP sell pressure from reward distributions, and whether Rain integration materially expands Jupiter’s lending volumes or product revenue, as these will drive short‑ and medium‑term price action.

Gemini Space Station (GEMI) shares jumped after the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) granted a designated contract market (DCM) license to Titan, Gemini’s derivatives arm, allowing it to operate regulated prediction markets and offer derivatives to U.S. customers. The approval permits event contracts across economic, financial, political and sports forecasts and opens the door to crypto derivatives such as futures, options and perpetuals. The news prompted an immediate stock rally (reported ~13–15% in after-hours/premarket). Gemini, founded by the Winklevoss twins and listed on Nasdaq since September, has seen its share price fall significantly since listing amid a wider pullback in crypto-focused equities. CFTC authorization lets Gemini diversify beyond custody and exchange services into regulated derivatives and prediction markets, potentially creating new fee revenue, boosting derivatives volumes and attracting institutional flows. For traders, the development increases Gemini’s product roadmap and competitive positioning in regulated U.S. crypto derivatives and may lead to heightened trading volumes and liquidity in related markets; monitor regulatory implementation details, product launch timelines, and any fee/market-structure disclosures for short-term volatility and longer-term revenue implications.

Galaxy Digital has established a new Abu Dhabi entity under the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) as part of a strategic push to expand digital-asset investment, infrastructure and institutional services in the Middle East. CEO Mike Novogratz and managing director Bouchra Darwazah said the move aims to deepen regional partnerships and meet rising institutional demand. The expansion follows Galaxy’s strong Q3 2025 performance and recent investment activity, including participation in a planned Solana treasury fund alongside Cantor Fitzgerald, Multicoin Capital and Jump Crypto. The timing aligns with accelerated regulatory approvals in the UAE: ADGM and Dubai regulators have recently authorised major exchanges (including Binance and Bybit), recognised Tether’s fiat-referenced token across many chains and cleared stablecoin deployments and operations for firms such as Circle. Binance disclosed full ADGM authorisation across exchange, clearing house and broker-dealer entities, enabling regulated trading, custody and settlement services. Galaxy says the Abu Dhabi office will support institutional client services, investment activity and portfolio companies while helping capture opportunities from sophisticated regional investors as the UAE positions itself as a regulated crypto hub.

BOLTS, a smart‑contract wallet and custody technology provider, has launched a quantum‑resilience pilot on the Canton Network to future‑proof roughly $6 trillion in tokenized real‑world assets (RWAs). The pilot integrates BOLTS’ post‑quantum digital signature scheme and wallet/custody stack with Canton — an interoperability and privacy protocol by Digital Asset — to test quantum‑resistant key management and signing in a production‑oriented environment. The initiative targets institutional issuers, custodians and marketplaces that handle tokenized securities, deposits, real estate and other RWAs, and emphasizes compatibility with existing infrastructure, minimal user friction and gradual migration paths so institutions can adopt post‑quantum keys without disrupting workflows, compliance or cross‑ledger operability. The move responds to industry concerns that future quantum computing advances could break widely used cryptographic algorithms (e.g., ECDSA/Ed25519) and put large RWA holdings at risk. While this is an infrastructure and security pilot rather than a market product launch, demonstrated post‑quantum readiness on Canton could increase institutional confidence in RWA platforms over time, potentially influencing demand for tokens representing real‑world assets and related infrastructure projects. Key SEO keywords: post‑quantum cryptography, quantum‑resilience, real‑world assets, Canton Network, custody and wallets.

Pi Network has integrated artificial intelligence into its Standard KYC process to accelerate identity verification and reduce Mainnet migration bottlenecks. The AI—adapted from the Fast Track KYC system—pre-screens straightforward applications for automatic approval, anonymises sensitive data, and forwards ambiguous or complex cases to human validators. Pi says the upgrade roughly halves queues for human review, eases regional validator shortages and preserves human resources for oversight, AI refinement and reinforcement training. Current rollout metrics show about 17.5 million Pioneers fully KYC-verified and 15.7 million migrated to Mainnet; roughly 3 million users remain tentatively verified pending liveness checks. The Pi Core Team also confirmed validator reward distribution will begin only after audits and adjustments for tasks dating back to 2021, targeting completion by the end of Q1 2026. Separately, market indicators show the PI token has fallen about 4.8% in 24 hours and ~10.7% over the week, trading below its 30-day simple moving average; the project also faces a U.S. lawsuit alleging unauthorized withdrawals. Traders should note that AI-driven KYC can materially speed Mainnet onboarding and increase short-term on-chain activity and token utility, but the delayed reward schedule and active legal risk are likely to continue weighing on PI sentiment near term. Key actions for users: complete the Mainnet checklist (wallet confirmation, 2FA, accept terms) to enable secure token transfers.

Circle and Aleo are partnering to issue a privacy-enhanced version of USDCx on the Aleo blockchain, integrating Circle’s regulated USDCx stablecoin with Aleo’s zkSNARK-based privacy smart contracts. The rollout extends USDCx — a tokenized, yield-bearing form of USDC already used on Hydra and other rails — into privacy-preserving, programmable payments such as confidential payroll, settlements and private DeFi primitives. Circle and Aleo say the token will remain fully interoperable with existing USDC rails via Circle’s infrastructure and xReserve, while preserving compliance features that enable traceability when required. No firm launch date, in-depth technical specs or regulatory approvals were disclosed. Market implications for traders include potential increased demand for privacy-enabled stablecoins, heightened attention on Aleo’s ecosystem and developer activity, and possible liquidity flows into USDCx and related on-chain privacy use cases.

GameStop reported Q3 2025 revenue of $821 million, missing analyst expectations of $987.29 million. The shortfall was driven by continued weakness in physical game and used-game sales and reduced gains from its Bitcoin treasury. The company holds 4,710 BTC, purchased after a $1.5 billion April raise; the position generated a $9 million unrealized loss in Q3 but remains about $19.4 million up year-to-date. Management is positioning Bitcoin as an inflation hedge and pursuing a broader crypto strategy, including exploring in-store crypto payments and a digital-asset “vault” model, while shifting emphasis toward collectibles and non-hardware revenue to offset declining core retail sales. The stock has been volatile since the March pivot to a BTC treasury, briefly rallying to near $35 before reversing and trending down following the earnings miss. For crypto traders: monitor BTC price action closely, track any updates on GameStop’s crypto-payment pilots or additional Bitcoin purchases/sales, and watch for earnings revisions — the report underlines how corporate treasury BTC exposure can add short-term volatility to both the stock and market sentiment around BTC.

Standard Chartered has revised its Bitcoin outlook, reducing the 2025 price target from $200,000 to $100,000 and delaying a previous $500,000 long-term target from 2028 to 2030. Analysts Geoffrey Kendrick and Matthew Sigel point to two main developments: corporate treasury buying that supported much of 2024’s rally has largely paused, and spot-Bitcoin ETF inflows have slowed sharply. Quarterly ETF-related inflows are now roughly 50,000 BTC — the weakest level since U.S. ETF launches and well below combined corporate + ETF purchases of about 450,000 BTC per quarter in late 2024. ETF AUM growth also decelerated (about 15% in H1 2025 vs ~50% in H1 2024). Standard Chartered says ETF net purchases have dropped over 70% in recent months and that renewed institutional ETF buying is now the primary near-term driver for Bitcoin appreciation. The bank no longer treats the historical halving-cycle model as a reliable price engine in an ETF-dominant market. Despite the downgrade, Standard Chartered still views a breakout above the $126,000 all-time high as possible — likely in H1 2026 if ETF demand resumes. Traders should track spot-ETF flows, corporate treasury activity, and macro cues (especially Fed guidance) as the main near-term catalysts for BTC price moves.

Bitwise has converted its 10 Crypto Index Fund into the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index ETF and begun trading on NYSE Arca after SEC approval, bringing roughly $1.25 billion in assets to an exchange‑listed, rules‑based product. The ETF tracks the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation with monthly rebalancing and a concentrated allocation — Bitcoin (BTC) at 74.34% and Ethereum (ETH) at 15.55%, together exceeding 89% of the fund. To prioritise liquidity and regulatory compliance, about 90% of exposure is achieved through established single‑coin ETPs for BTC, ETH, SOL and XRP; the remaining 10% holds direct positions in ADA, LINK, LTC, SUI, AVAX and DOT. Bitwise cites published rebalancing rules, custodial and trading service agreements, and on‑exchange creation/redemption mechanisms to improve transparency, tradability and operational risk management. The conversion aims to attract institutional and conservative investors seeking regulated, diversified crypto exposure without self‑custody. Market context: global crypto ETF assets have reportedly exceeded $50 billion in 2025, highlighting growing institutional demand. Key implications for traders: increased institutional access to listed exposure could drive inflows into the included tokens (especially BTC and ETH), improve liquidity and price discovery for those assets, and make ETF share flows a factor in short‑term volatility and order flow dynamics.

The Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a 3.50%–3.75% policy range — its third consecutive reduction this year (75 bps YTD). The Fed’s dot plot now signals potential additional 25 bp cuts in 2026 and 2027, but Chair Jerome Powell stressed that inflation remains modestly above target and future easing is data-dependent amid internal Fed divisions. Goldman Sachs flagged that the current easing cycle may be at a precautionary endpoint unless labour-market data weakens further. Crypto reaction was immediate but mixed: Bitcoin briefly climbed above $94,000 after the announcement before settling near ~$92,000 as traders reassessed the Fed’s forward guidance and inflation risk. Analysts remain divided — some trim multiyear BTC targets, citing softer macro support, while others point to structural inflows (spot BTC ETFs) and a potential institutional-driven “supercycle.” For traders: expect elevated volatility around Fed windows, possible short-term liquidity-driven BTC rallies following rate cuts, but remain cautious because FOMC reactions this year have been mixed and macro signals could limit sustained upside. Key SEO keywords: Bitcoin, Federal Reserve, rate cut, inflation, BTC price.

A December 9 SEC filing reveals the Nicholas Bitcoin and Treasuries AfterDark ETF, a U.S.-listed product that will trade Bitcoin-linked instruments only during U.S. overnight hours. The fund will not hold spot Bitcoin or use on-chain custody; at least 80% of assets will be allocated to Bitcoin futures, ETFs, ETPs and options on those listed products, with remaining assets permitted in U.S. Treasuries. Positions are opened after the U.S. market close and closed shortly after the next day’s open, resetting daily. The filing cites Bespoke research backtesting the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT): buying at close and selling at the next open from January 2024 would have returned 222%, while a daytime-only buy-at-open sell-at-close approach would have lost 40.5% — a performance gap the AfterDark strategy aims to capture. The proposal arrives amid a surge of U.S. exchange-listed crypto products (30+ Bitcoin ETFs launched since January 2024) and ongoing flows into spot ETH, SOL and other token funds. At publication BTC traded near $92,320, down roughly 1% on the day and about 12% over the prior month. For traders, the ETF signals product innovation that could shift flows into futures/ETF vehicles that capitalise on after-hours price moves, alter intraday liquidity patterns, and increase the complexity of order-flow dynamics without expanding spot custody options.

EGRAG Crypto argues XRP’s long-term weekly chart still shows an accumulation structure despite a >34% drawdown since August 2025 and several bearish monthly closes. XRP trades near $2.06, close to a critical weekly support around $2. EGRAG compares the 2025 $2–$3 consolidation to XRP’s 2023–24 $0.40–$0.60 accumulation, saying a repeating fractal could propel prices to targets at $7, $12 and $15 (with a fractal zone near $14.82–$15.70). These targets imply upside of roughly 239%–628% from current levels if the pattern repeats. He warns fractal analysis is “dangerous”: patterns don’t repeat perfectly, liquidity and macro conditions differ across cycles, and timing is uncertain. The bullish thesis depends strictly on weekly closes holding above the ~$2 support; a clear weekly breach would invalidate the fractal scenario. Traders should monitor weekly support at $2, position sizing, and risk controls if trading toward the projected targets. (Not financial advice.)

SEI, the native token of the Sei blockchain, jumped about 6% after Xiaomi agreed to pre-install a Sei-developed crypto wallet and discovery app on most new Xiaomi smartphones sold outside mainland China and the U.S. The factory-loaded wallet will allow account creation via Google or Xiaomi accounts, use multi-party computation for private key security, and provide direct access to dApps. Sei plans to enable stablecoin checkout (e.g., USDC on Sei) for in-store and online purchases, with initial payments targeted for Hong Kong and the EU by mid-2026. Sei Labs also committed $5 million to a Global Mobile Innovation Program to fund mobile blockchain development. Xiaomi shipped roughly 168 million phones in 2024 and holds strong market share in regions such as Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa—meaning pre-installation could place the wallet on millions of devices and materially boost user onboarding. Market context: the announcement coincided with a broader crypto recovery after a 25bp Fed cut. Technicals cited in reporting show an inverted head-and-shoulders breakout on the 4-hour chart, reclaiming key EMAs with near-term resistance around $0.155 and a possible target near $0.165. Risks: regulatory exclusions (China mainland and U.S.), potential retest of the breakout neckline (~$0.143–$0.145), macro or regulatory shocks, and timing/rollout delays for stablecoin payments. For traders: monitor volume confirmation, price retention above the neckline and EMA support, volatility near the $0.155 resistance, and official updates on regional launch schedules and stablecoin checkout rollouts.

Upbit (operator Dunamu) will raise its cold‑storage ratio to about 99%, cutting hot‑wallet exposure to under 1% after a late‑November Solana‑linked hack that drained multiple Solana‑based tokens. The exchange had already held roughly 98.3% offline and used an Automatic Tracking Service to freeze around $1.77 million of stolen funds; however, most of the roughly 44.5 billion KRW (~$31 million) loss appears permanently gone and Upbit will cover customer losses from its reserves. The move puts Upbit well above South Korea’s 80% cold‑storage legal minimum and ahead of many global peers. Regulators and lawmakers are simultaneously pressing for tougher rules: the Financial Services Commission is reviewing “bank‑level” liability standards that could force exchanges to compensate users for hack or system‑failure losses, and legislators are accelerating a won‑back stablecoin framework with regulatory drafts expected in December ahead of a January 2026 session. For traders, the higher cold‑storage ratio improves custodian security but reduces hot‑wallet liquidity, potentially slowing withdrawals and widening domestic price gaps (Kimchi premium) during volatility—especially for low‑cap and illiquid tokens supported on Upbit’s platform. Expected consequences include tighter security posture and higher compliance and operational costs for exchanges, with possible short‑term liquidity squeezes and increased price dislocations in Korea.

Aster DEX has partnered with Brevis, a zero‑knowledge (ZK) verifiable computation platform, to run heavy trade computations off‑chain while posting succinct ZK proofs on‑chain for correctness. The integration targets CEX‑level execution speeds for spot and perpetual markets without sacrificing decentralization, using Brevis to hide sensitive position and strategy details while preserving aggregated market transparency via verifiable proofs. Off‑chain execution reduces operational cost and improves throughput; verification reportedly completes in seconds. Aster positions the architecture as institutional‑grade, expecting deeper order books and greater appeal to large traders. At announcement time, Aster’s token (ASTER) traded near $0.95–$0.98 with a market cap around $2.1 billion. Analysts warn the model shifts liquidity distribution and risk controls — if execution and verification layers fall out of sync under stress, liquidations and contagion risk could rise. Teams said technical details and timelines will follow. Keywords: Aster DEX, Brevis, zero‑knowledge, ZK proofs, DEX speed, on‑chain privacy, verifiable compute, perpetuals, spot trading.

The European Commission has opened an antitrust investigation into Google’s AI-powered search features — notably AI Overviews and AI Mode — and its use of YouTube data. Regulators will examine whether Google’s AI outputs rely on publishers’ and creators’ content without fair compensation, whether terms tied to Google services disadvantage publishers and rival AI firms, and whether Google’s dominant search position (~90% in Europe) gives it preferential access to training data. Key concerns include opaque or limited opt-out mechanisms that could reduce publishers’ search visibility and barriers that prevent competitors from accessing YouTube content for AI training. Google has argued the complaint could stifle innovation and said it will continue to work with news and creative industries. The probe is part of broader EU scrutiny of big tech and could take months to years; if regulators find competition breaches, remedies could include mandated compensation models, equal access rules for YouTube data, and clearer opt-out and content-use terms. Crypto traders should note potential regulatory spillovers: stricter EU rules on AI training data and content access could affect web traffic patterns, platform monetization, and tokenized creator-economy projects that rely on content distribution or on-chain indexing of web and video data.

Cryptocurrency exchange Bitunix has upgraded its security and compliance stack by integrating Fireblocks’ MPC-based custody and secure transfer network, adopting Elliptic’s real-time on-chain transaction monitoring (KYT), and putting in place a tailored $42.5 million insurance policy covering theft, hacks and custody breaches. The Fireblocks integration replaces single-key custody with multi-party computation (MPC) wallets, adds policy-based approval workflows, a secure transfer infrastructure and operational tooling to reduce key compromise and operational risk. Elliptic’s analytics will flag high-risk flows — darknet funds, stolen assets, fraud-related transfers and sanctioned entities — to strengthen AML/CTF controls and speed incident response. These measures complement Bitunix’s existing security roadmap (custodians such as Cobo, audits by Hacken and Salus, a $5M policy with Nemean Services, Proof of Reserves and mandatory KYC) and target institutional and high-net-worth users by improving custody safety, compliance and operational resilience. For traders, the upgrades may increase counterparty confidence, attract institutional liquidity and reduce platform-specific operational risk, which can support more stable order books and execution on Bitunix.