Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

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.

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes says ‘altcoin season’ has not ended but evolved: gains are now concentrated in selective, narrative-driven small- and mid-cap tokens rather than broad market rotations. Citing Hyperliquid’s HYPE surge (from under $5 to about $58 in 2025) and Solana’s rebound toward $300, Hayes argues traders should stop relying on historical BTC→ETH→alt rotations and instead screen for projects with real on-chain activity and fresh narratives. He flagged privacy-focused chains as potential opportunities amid regulatory pressure. Hayes remains broadly bullish, pointing to Fed liquidity and reserve-management buys as tailwinds that could lift crypto — he even reiterated a multi-year Bitcoin upside scenario. Counterviews persist: some analysts expect legacy alts to benefit if ETF inflows arrive or foresee a BTC-to-ETH rotation before a wider altcoin run. On-chain data show mixed consolidation: several altcoins have posted strong selective rallies while many others remain fragmented. For traders: favor selective, narrative-led positions in active DeFi projects and monitor on-chain demand and liquidity conditions rather than relying on past-cycle assumptions.

Ethereum developers have consolidated two planned component upgrades — execution-layer Bogota and consensus-layer Heze — into a single 2026 network upgrade called Hegota. The priority technical goals are to reduce state bloat, improve node efficiency and enable much higher throughput. Front-runner proposals are implementing Verkle Trees to compress state and adding state/history expiry (or archiving) and gas repricing to make new state creation costlier. Developers warn the current Merkle Patricia structure will strain as throughput rises toward targets near 180 million gas by late 2026; Verkle Trees are presented as essential to preserve solo-staking viability and support a possible threefold throughput increase (from ~20M to ~60M gas). Hegota focuses on backend data-structure and gas-economy changes rather than user-facing features. Roadmap items extend into 2026 with key decisions and special execution-layer meetings planned in early January 2026 to finalize specifications and Glamsterdam-related choices. For traders: successful deployment of Verkle Trees or state expiry should lower long-term node costs, improve scalability, and be structurally bullish for ETH; delays, technical setbacks, or contentious gas-repricing could create short-term uncertainty around staking, node operator economics and network performance.

BC Card, a major South Korean payments processor, completed a multi-week pilot allowing local merchants to accept foreign-currency stablecoin payments. Conducted with blockchain and payments partners, the trial tested custody, on/off ramps, QR-code payment flows, and conversion of stablecoins held in overseas wallets into Korean won via BC Card’s existing card authorization and settlement infrastructure. The company framed the exercise as an operational and compliance-focused test — validating system stability, settlement rails and legal readiness — rather than the launch of a retail stablecoin product. BC Card highlighted potential benefits for cross-border commerce and faster digital payouts to merchants but noted that wider rollout depends on regulatory alignment: South Korea is finalising a 2026 framework for won-pegged stablecoins and authorities are still resolving roles for banks and supervisors. No specific stablecoins, partner names or transaction volumes were disclosed. Traders should watch regulatory guidance, potential on/off-ramp volume signals, and announcements of partner integrations as indicators of future adoption and liquidity flows in stablecoin-related markets.

Mutuum Finance (MUTM) has advanced through its presale to Phase 6 at $0.035 after a roughly 250% increase from the Phase 1 price of $0.01. The sale has raised over $19.4 million and attracted more than 18,600 wallets, with Phase 6 allocation reported at over 99% and more than 820 million tokens sold, tightening circulating supply. Development milestones include completed smart contracts, a planned Sepolia V1 testnet launch, a CertiK token scan score of 90/100, independent Halborn security reviews of lending/borrowing contracts, and a $50,000 bug-bounty program. The team is running community incentives (leaderboards and small MUTM rewards) and expects beta/testnet activity ahead of a V1 mainnet window (targeted toward Q1 2026 in earlier updates). Analysts in the later write-up offered two valuation scenarios: a relative-valuation case (3x–4x upside if MUTM captures a small share of established DeFi lending volume) and a usage-driven case (potential ~5x over time if V1 launches and lending activity grows). Combined coverage frames MUTM as a rotation trade — offering reduced uncertainty through audits and visible development yet retaining typical early-stage DeFi risk and price elasticity. Traders should weigh tightening token availability and improving security posture against standard presale and protocol execution risks; this news is likely to be price-supportive for MUTM but does not remove execution and adoption risk. (Note: original reporting contains press-release elements; conduct your own due diligence.)

Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded a fourth consecutive day of net outflows on Dec. 23, with $189 million withdrawn, according to SoSoValue. BlackRock’s IBIT led the outflows with $157 million pulled, while Fidelity’s FBTC saw $15.2979 million leave. Earlier data (Dec. 22) showed a $142 million net outflow, with Bitwise’s BITB recording the largest single-fund redemption that day. Total assets under management for all spot BTC ETFs stand at about $114.289 billion (6.53% of Bitcoin’s market cap), down slightly from prior-day figures. Since their launch, cumulative net inflows to spot BTC ETFs remain $57.076 billion. Traders should note that concentrated outflows from flagship funds can increase short-term selling pressure on BTC and reduce liquidity around ETF-related venues. Monitor ETF flows, AUM trends and large fund-specific redemptions as potential indicators of near-term price moves.

US spot Ethereum (ETH) ETFs recorded a $95.5 million net outflow on December 23, reversing a brief inflow and resuming a prior outflow trend. Data from Trader T shows withdrawals were concentrated in a few funds: Grayscale’s ETHE led with $50.89M outflow, BlackRock’s ETHA $25.05M, Bitwise’s ETHW $13.98M and Franklin Templeton’s EZET $5.61M; other funds reported no net activity. This follows earlier multi-day outflows that together removed large sums from ETH spot ETFs and, in previous reporting, saw BlackRock as a major driver of redemptions. Trading volume across ETH ETFs has shown variability alongside these flows. Analysts say a single-day outflow does not define a long-term trend and may reflect profit-taking or short-term consolidation, but continued withdrawals could reduce ETF-driven buying pressure and expose short-term ETH price support to downside risk. For traders: monitor daily ETF flows, macro indicators and Bitcoin price action; review position sizing and risk management; avoid knee-jerk reactions and use flow data as a sentiment indicator. Keywords: ETH ETF, Ethereum, ETF flows, institutional flows, market sentiment.

Bitmine Immersion Technologies, chaired by Tom Lee of Fundstrat, continued large-scale Ethereum accumulation, adding roughly 98,852–102,259 ETH in the most recent reporting windows and bringing its total holdings to about 4.07 million ETH (≈3.37% of the ~120.7M circulating supply). Combined assets — crypto, cash and “moonshot” investments — are valued at about $13.2 billion and include 193 BTC and a ~$32–38M stake in Eightco Holdings. CoinGecko ranks Bitmine as the largest public Ethereum treasury and the second-largest crypto treasury overall after MicroStrategy. Fundstrat noted strong stock liquidity for Bitmine, with five-day average daily dollar trading volume around $1.7B to Dec. 19. Bitmine’s continued buying occurred amid recent ETH price weakness: Ether slid below $3,000 (briefly under $2,900) after a deleveraging selloff and has faced resistance near $3,150–$3,200 with potential support around $2,700–$2,800. For traders, key implications are: sizable centralized accumulation can tighten available ETH supply and amplify volatility around key resistance/support levels; Bitmine’s sizeable $1B+ cash reserves (reported in earlier filings) and trading liquidity mean it can continue to buy into dips; near-term price action remains vulnerable to macro pressure and deleveraging, but sustained large-scale accumulation is a bullish structural factor for ETH over the medium to long term.

Kaspersky has identified a new infostealer named Stealka, discovered spreading via counterfeit game cheats, mods and pirated software hosted on trusted developer portals (GitHub, SourceForge, Softpedia, Google Sites). The malware requires users to manually download and run malicious installers bundled with fake mods and cracked apps. Once executed on Windows systems, Stealka harvests browser data, saved passwords and crypto wallet artifacts, targeting over 100 Chromium- and Gecko-based browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Opera) and more than 80 crypto wallets and extensions — including MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, Binance Wallet, Phantom and Trust Wallet. It exfiltrates private keys, seed phrases, wallet file paths and extension data (Kaspersky reports it targets 115+ wallet, password manager and 2FA extensions), plus credentials and data from messaging apps (Discord, Telegram), email clients (Outlook, Thunderbird), VPNs (ProtonVPN, Surfshark) and note apps. Some bundles also deploy cryptominers, adding performance and resource risks. Telemetry shows initial detections in Russia with cases in Turkey, Brazil, Germany and India. Kaspersky’s remediation advice for crypto users: avoid pirated or unofficial downloads and game cheat sites; source mods only from verified creators; verify file checksums or digital signatures; keep Windows and apps patched; run reputable antivirus/EDR; use dedicated password managers and enable two-factor authentication; and, for seed phrases/private keys, use hardware wallets or keep them entirely offline. For traders, compromised keys and saved wallet data can cause immediate asset theft and account takeovers, and can accelerate social‑engineering spread through infected contacts — making cautious download practices and hardware wallets critical to reduce short-term loss risk and long-term account security exposure.

Klarna has partnered with Coinbase to accept short-term institutional funding in USDC, using Coinbase’s digital-asset infrastructure as the settlement rails. The USDC channel complements — rather than replaces — Klarna’s existing funding mix (customer deposits, loans and commercial paper), offering faster blockchain-based settlement and access to institutional investors who prefer dollar-pegged crypto assets. Klarna CFO Niclas Neglén called the move an initial step into a new funding method and said stablecoin access could broaden Klarna’s investor base and diversify funding sources. Separately, Klarna has developed its own dollar-pegged stablecoin, KlarnaUSD, built with Bridge/Stripe-related tooling and Paradigm’s Tempo blockchain; a Tempo mainnet launch is planned for 2026. The company warned of regulatory, market and operational risks. Primary keywords: Klarna, USDC, Coinbase, stablecoin funding. Secondary keywords: institutional funding, BNPL, blockchain settlement, KlarnaUSD. Traders should note this increases institutional on‑ramps into payment rails, could modestly raise short-term USDC demand tied to corporate treasury programs, and signals continued integration of fiat rails with regulated stablecoins.

US Representatives Max Miller (R-OH) and Steven Horsford (D-NV) circulated a discussion draft proposing targeted crypto tax changes aimed at simplifying routine stablecoin use and aligning crypto tax rules with broader code practices. Key measures include: a stablecoin safe harbor that exempts capital gains reporting for regulated USD‑pegged stablecoin transactions up to $200 (with conditions on regulation and price stability); an optional deferral allowing taxpayers to delay recognition of staking and mining rewards for up to five taxable years, with deferred rewards taxed as ordinary income at fair market value when recognized and that value becoming the asset’s basis for later capital gains; extension of wash-sale rules to actively traded digital assets; an elective mark‑to‑market accounting option for certain traders/dealers; constructive‑sale rules for hedging and updated charity donation rules. The draft is a discussion document (not yet a bill), subject to change before any formal House Ways and Means consideration, and provisions would apply to taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2025 if enacted. For traders, the proposal promises simpler reporting for small stablecoin payments, new reporting and election mechanics for deferred staking/mining income, and potential tax‑accounting changes for active traders that could affect trading strategy and tax timing.

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan forecasts Bitcoin (BTC) may reach new all‑time highs in 2026, driven less by traditional four‑year cycle mechanics and more by sustained institutional adoption via spot Bitcoin ETFs and improving regulation. The firm argues the halving’s price impulse is weakening, macro conditions (notably interest rates) are likely to ease in 2026, and leverage was reduced after 2025 liquidations — all of which lower systemic tail risk. Crucially, Bitwise points to accelerating institutional allocation following 2024 spot‑BTC ETF approvals and over $20 billion in ETF assets-to-date. Major wealth managers and banks (Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Merrill) are expected to increase allocations in 2026, potentially bringing tens of billions of new capital. Bitwise expects ETF inflows and clearer legislation to broaden the investor base, reduce BTC’s correlation with equities, and lower annualized volatility to below 50%, which could extend and smooth future bull phases. The report also highlights potential spillovers to other large crypto assets (ETH, SOL) if U.S. regulatory clarity — including proposals like the CLARITY Act on tokenization and stablecoins — advances. Key trade takeaways: monitor spot‑BTC ETF flows and AUM trends, regulatory developments (CLARITY Act and SEC guidance), shifts in BTC volatility and equity correlation, and institutional custody/allocations; these factors will affect position sizing, risk management, and timing for medium‑ to long‑term BTC exposure.

An email bomb threat demanded 13 BTC (about $1.1M) from Hyundai, prompting evacuations of two Seoul sites — Hyundai Group’s Yeonji-dong headquarters (Jongno-gu) and Hyundai Motor Group’s Yangjae-dong tower (Seocho-gu) — on 20 December 2025. Bomb squads swept both buildings and found no explosives. Authorities report no traced Bitcoin transfers and say Hyundai did not pay the ransom. Investigators are collecting digital evidence, reviewing CCTV and access logs, and working with cybercrime units to trace the email origin. Officials treat the incident as part of a recent wave of crypto-linked extortion attempts targeting major South Korean firms including Samsung, KT, Kakao and Naver. Analysts note attackers favour cryptocurrencies for cross-border ransom payments, prompting law enforcement to combine physical security sweeps with blockchain tracing when possible. Immediate market impact: heightened security and investigative activity, with no confirmed financial loss. Primary keywords: Bitcoin extortion, Hyundai, 13 BTC. Secondary/semantic keywords: bomb threat, crypto ransom, Seoul evacuation, blockchain tracing.

Hyperliquid (HYPE) has declined sharply over the past month after rejecting near $50 and trading inside a descending channel, falling as low as $22 and changing hands around $23. Traders and derivatives data show concentrated long leverage and aggressive deleveraging: between Dec 18–19 roughly $70M of long positions were liquidated versus about $0.54M of shorts, open interest in futures dropped materially, and on-chain monitoring identified large USDC inflows from a few whale addresses placing limit buys. Specific whale exposures include a 10x long of 207,497 HYPE (~$4.72M) with a liquidation at $13.68 and another 5x long now carrying a floating loss of roughly $22.5M with liquidation at $20.66. Indicators and technical structure remain bearish — RSI near the high-20s and price below the MA9 (~$26) and MA21 (~$29) — leaving downside risk toward $20 and possibly ~19.6 if selling continues. Key trading takeaways: (1) concentrated long leverage magnifies liquidation risk and can accelerate declines; (2) recent large USDC inflows from whales suggest accumulation interest and potential buy-side support, which may cap losses temporarily; (3) significant futures deleveraging reduces forced long pressure over time; (4) a bullish reversal requires reclaiming MA9/MA21 and the broken descending-wedge trendline. Traders should watch $20–$22 support, liquidation levels around $20.66, and short-term moving averages for signs of trend confirmation or further forced selling.

The court-appointed bankruptcy trustee for Terraform Labs has filed a $4 billion lawsuit against market-maker Jump Trading, alleging undisclosed liquidity deals and coordinated trades that propped up the algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD (UST) and allowed Jump to profit from discounted LUNA allocations. The complaint, brought by trustee Todd Snyder, says agreements with Jump began as early as 2019, included purchases of LUNA at steep discounts, and featured a “gentlemen’s agreement” under which Jump bought UST during stress events (notably the May 2021 UST depeg) to restore the peg while Terraform publicly credited its algorithm. The trustee alleges later contract revisions removed vesting and lockups for Jump, enabling immediate sales of monthly LUNA allocations and increasing sell pressure as systemic risk rose. Jump denies wrongdoing and intends to defend itself; it previously resolved SEC charges via its crypto arm Tai Mo Shan for about $123 million without admitting fault. The suit seeks damages and disgorgement for claims such as fraud, aiding and abetting, and unjust enrichment, and aims to hold third parties accountable beyond founder Do Kwon. Traders should watch for heightened regulatory scrutiny of market makers and liquidity providers, possible large recoveries or settlements that could trigger asset movements, and renewed legal pressure on off‑book liquidity arrangements supporting algorithmic stablecoins. Key keywords: Terraform, Jump Trading, TerraUSD, UST, LUNA, $4 billion lawsuit.

Aptos Labs has submitted AIP-137 to add an optional post-quantum signature option at the account level, proposing SLH-DSA — a hash-based scheme standardized as FIPS 205 — as a new account signature type. Adoption would be voluntary and backward-compatible: existing addresses and accounts remain unchanged while institutions, custodians, validators and developers can opt in to quantum-resistant account keys. Aptos frames the proposal as a precaution against long-term threats from quantum computing and aligns with broader industry activity (for example Solana’s post-quantum tests and Bitcoin community debates like BIP-360). If accepted by governance, Aptos would become one of the first production Layer‑1 chains to natively support post-quantum accounts. For traders, the change is primarily technical and precautionary with minimal immediate price implications for APT, but it signals maturation in security planning across Layer‑1 ecosystems and could influence long‑horizon custody, cross-chain security assessments, and institutional risk management.

President Donald Trump is considering three to four finalists for Fed chair and has praised Federal Reserve Governor Chris Waller as experienced and “very good.” Waller has signaled a pro-innovation stance on digital currencies, saying crypto payments outside traditional banks are “nothing to be afraid of,” which has drawn attention from the crypto industry. Trump said he expects to announce his choice in the coming weeks, possibly before year-end. Prediction market Polymarket currently prices Waller at about 14%, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett at 53%, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh at 28%, and Fed governor Michelle Bowman at 2%. Markets and crypto traders watch the Fed chair selection closely because Fed rate policy affects risk-asset demand—rate cuts tend to boost flows into higher-risk assets like cryptocurrencies. Short-term market reaction may hinge on which finalist is chosen; a chair viewed as dovish or innovation-friendly could be supportive for crypto, while a hawkish pick could weigh on risk assets. SEO keywords: Fed chair, Chris Waller, crypto payments, Federal Reserve, Polymarket.

Intuit has formed a multi-year partnership with Circle to integrate the USDC stablecoin into core Intuit products (TurboTax, QuickBooks, MailChimp). Circle will provide on‑ and off‑ramps and custody, while Intuit builds product-level integrations to enable USDC payments, receipts and settlements for accounting, payroll, tax refunds and business payouts. The deal aims to lower costs, shorten settlement times and simplify cross‑border transfers by using USDC and programmable payments instead of legacy banking rails. Details on which blockchains or technical implementations will be used were not disclosed; Intuit said more technical information is expected in 2026. Market reaction was modestly positive for both firms. Traders should watch USDC liquidity (notably on Ethereum), regulatory developments, and the 2026 technical disclosures for potential impacts on USDC flows and on‑chain transaction volumes.

xStocks, the Kraken-backed tokenized securities platform, has launched on TON Wallet — the self-custodial wallet embedded in Telegram — allowing users to buy, hold and transfer onchain tokenized U.S. equities (examples: TSLAx, SPYx, NVDAx) alongside hundreds of crypto assets in a single non-custodial portfolio. The TON deployment follows earlier launches on Solana and Ethereum and is part of xStocks’ multichain expansion (previous TRON integration noted). TON Wallet’s near-100 million user reach could materially broaden retail access to tokenized equities. Since xStocks’ June 30, 2025 debut, onchain supply rose by roughly $60M between November and December to exceed $180M and nearly 50,000 unique wallets hold xStocks. Kraken is advancing wider infrastructure plans — including planned deployments on Mantle and TRON and a move to acquire Backed Finance to unify issuance, trading and settlement. The launch is positioned as a UX and distribution improvement that may accelerate real-world asset tokenization; however, platforms remain cautious as regulators continue security assessments. Key keywords: xStocks, TON Wallet, tokenized equities, Kraken, Telegram integration.

The Federal Reserve has rescinded its 2023 guidance that effectively restricted Fed‑supervised banks — including crypto‑native, uninsured state banks — from offering cryptocurrency services or obtaining Federal Reserve master accounts. Replacing it, the Fed issued a new supervisory framework that permits both insured and uninsured Board‑supervised state member banks to pursue innovative activities, including crypto services, provided they meet risk‑management, safety‑and‑soundness, and supervisory expectations. The change restores a path for crypto banks (for example, Custodia Bank, whose prior master‑account denial was tied to the old guidance) to apply for Fed membership and direct settlement access. Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman supported the update as reflecting technological evolution and enabling responsible innovation; Governor Michael Barr dissented, warning of potential regulatory arbitrage and competition or stability issues. Practical implications for traders: approved banks could reduce fiat on‑ramp/off‑ramp frictions, lower counterparty and settlement risk, and expand regulated banking infrastructure for digital‑asset flows — outcomes that may improve liquidity and institutional participation if applications are approved and supervisors enforce robust controls. The Fed emphasized supervisory requirements remain in place, so access will depend on individual banks meeting stringent safety and risk controls.

MSCI is consulting on a rule to exclude publicly listed companies whose digital-asset holdings exceed 50% of total assets from its Global Investable Market Indexes. The proposal (floated Oct 2025) is under consultation through Dec 31, with a final decision due Jan 15, 2026 and potential implementation in the February 2026 index review. About 39 crypto-linked firms with roughly $113 billion in float-adjusted market cap currently sit in MSCI indexes; affected firms collectively hold over $137 billion in digital assets. Industry groups and companies — including MicroStrategy (Strategy Inc.), Bitwise, Strive Asset Management and miners such as MARA, RIOT and HUT8 — have formally opposed the move, arguing the 50% mark-to-market balance-sheet threshold misclassifies operating businesses as passive investment vehicles. Analysts and petitions warn the rule could force $10–$15 billion of selling from passive funds tracking MSCI; JPMorgan estimates MicroStrategy alone might see roughly $2.8 billion of forced outflows. Estimated implementation and turnover costs across index families range from $50 million to $225 million, with potential tracking errors of 15–150 basis points. Critics call the threshold arbitrary and warn firms could be repeatedly included or excluded as crypto valuations swing, creating “whipsaw” risks. Market participants are already pricing possible forced flows; the proposal could depress crypto-related equities and spill over into crypto markets, amplifying Bitcoin volatility. Firms may respond by changing treasuries or raising cash to retain index eligibility, and the rule could deter some forms of institutional crypto adoption. Traders should watch MSCI’s January decision and any signs of passive fund rebalancing, as forced equity sales and subsequent treasury adjustments could cause short-term price pressure and elevated volatility in both crypto equities and BTC.

Senators Elissa Slotkin (D–MI) and Jerry Moran (R–KS) introduced the bipartisan SAFE Crypto Act to establish a federal Task Force for Recognizing and Averting Cryptocurrency Scams. The task force would coordinate Treasury, federal and local law enforcement, regulators and private‑sector experts to deliver near real‑time intelligence, blockchain analytics access and technical training to local police. It will study trends in financial grooming scams, Ponzi schemes, fraudulent ICOs and money‑laundering tied to digital assets; consult state, local and tribal agencies, victim groups and industry participants; and review international anti‑scam efforts. Senior officials named to lead responses would include the US attorney general, the FinCEN director and the US Secret Service director. The group must produce a comprehensive report to relevant congressional committees within one year and then provide annual updates. The bill would also fund public‑education campaigns to help consumers spot phishing, impersonation and fake investment pitches. For traders, stronger federal coordination narrows enforcement gaps and increases on‑chain monitoring and enforcement risks for scam‑linked projects and illicit flows — a development that could raise compliance scrutiny and downside pressure on tokens implicated in fraud.

Caroline Pham, the acting chair and lone remaining Republican commissioner at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), will join crypto payments firm MoonPay as Chief Legal and Administrative Officer after the Senate confirms a permanent CFTC nominee. Pham said she would step down once President Trump’s nominee is confirmed; an earlier pick, Brian Quintenz, was withdrawn and the White House later nominated SEC official Michael (Mike) Selig. During Pham’s nearly four-year CFTC tenure she led initiatives to clarify crypto market structure — including the Crypto Sprint pilot permitting BTC, ETH and USDC as derivatives collateral, the Digital Asset Markets Pilot Program, and moves to allow listed spot crypto trading on federally regulated futures exchanges — while recording 18 agency actions and no enforcement cases. MoonPay—a Miami-based crypto payments infrastructure company serving 30M+ users and 500+ enterprise clients—confirmed the hire on X; CEO Ivan Soto‑Wright praised Pham’s market-structure and compliance experience as key for MoonPay’s next growth phase. The appointment continues a broader “revolving door” trend of senior regulators moving into crypto, a shift that has drawn criticism from lawmakers who warn of conflicts of interest and insider influence on regulation.

The FDIC on Dec. 16 proposed a rule under the GENIUS Act allowing FDIC‑insured U.S. banks to issue dollar‑pegged payment stablecoins backed one‑to‑one by cash or short‑term U.S. Treasuries. Banks would be required to issue stablecoins through dedicated subsidiaries that isolate stablecoin operations from core banking activities, maintain audited full reserves, and provide ongoing reporting to the FDIC. The proposal sets a 30‑day initial review and a 120‑day final decision timeline for applications (with automatic approval if the FDIC misses deadlines) and includes a 12‑month safe‑harbor permitting early issuers to test operations under limited waivers. The FDIC treats these payment stablecoins as a regulated payment rail — not legal tender or traditional deposits — enabling supervisory oversight without changing deposit‑insurance law. Industry responses note the framework could accelerate institutional issuance and liquidity, and major payments firms are already expanding crypto settlement capabilities. Key takeaways for traders: this proposal targets bank‑issued, US dollar‑pegged payment stablecoins (USDC‑like products), likely increasing institutional issuance, tradable liquidity, and regulatory clarity; monitor regulatory timelines and bank adoption, as these factors can affect stablecoin supply, spreads, on‑chain settlement speeds, and counterparty risk.

Bitcoin is struggling to hold and reclaim the $88,000 level as a cluster of macroeconomic, geopolitical and regulatory events dampen risk appetite. Near-term catalysts include a possible U.S. statement on the Federal Reserve chair nomination, the U.S. inflation report, Japan’s interest-rate decision and an upcoming Supreme Court ruling linked to MSCI’s classification of certain crypto reserve firms. Market voices remain mixed: Roman Trading expected a small bounce but still flags a deeper downside toward $76,000; Mark Cullen highlights heavy short positions above $95,000 that could trigger short-liquidation squeezes — likely after an interim cleanup near $83,000 — potentially sending BTC above $98,000 if a large squeeze occurs. Analysts warn that continued pressure could drive Bitcoin back to November lows before any sustainable recovery, and that altcoins may face pronounced selling if BTC weakens further. Traders should watch macro prints and legal/institutional developments closely, as they are the primary drivers of near-term volatility. This is not investment advice.

CME Group has launched cash‑settled futures for XRP and Solana (SOL), broadening its regulated crypto derivatives lineup beyond bitcoin and ether. The new contracts settle to CME CF reference rates (CME CF XRP and CME CF SOL), are listed under CME/CBOT rules and cleared through CME Clearing, and follow CME’s margining and risk‑management framework. Contracts are quoted in spot terms and sized for finer position control, aiming to reduce roll frequency and lower transaction costs for traders. The launches follow strong demand for CME’s spot‑quoted BTC and ETH futures — which have seen robust volumes since launch — and reflect growing institutional interest in diversified crypto exposure. For traders, expected short‑term effects include heightened volume and volatility around the listings; medium‑to‑long‑term effects may be deeper liquidity, improved hedging tools, and clearer price discovery for XRP and SOL. Key takeaways for traders: cash settlement to CME reference rates, regulated clearing and margins, potential cost efficiency for longer‑dated strategies, and a likely boost to institutional participation and market depth. Primary keywords: CME, XRP futures, SOL futures, cash‑settled crypto futures.

RedotPay, a Hong Kong–founded stablecoin payments provider, raised $107 million in a Series B round led by Goodwater Capital, bringing its 2025 funding total to about $194 million. Other participants include Pantera Capital, Blockchain Capital, Circle Ventures and returning backers such as HSG. The company offers stablecoin-powered products — a digital-asset spending card, cross-border stablecoin payout rails, multicurrency accounts and a P2P marketplace — and reports more than 6 million registered users across 100+ markets, over $10 billion in annualized payment volume and roughly $150 million+ in annualized revenue. Proceeds will be used for acquisitions, licensing, expanded compliance, and hiring across engineering and product teams as RedotPay pushes into new markets. The raise follows prior 2023 and September 2025 rounds (the latter valued the firm above $1 billion) and comes amid growing investor interest in stablecoin infrastructure and a rising stablecoin market cap driven by regulatory clarity and sector-specific deals. For traders: the round signals continued institutional support for stablecoin payments infrastructure and may boost merchant and institutional adoption of stablecoin rails, which could support stablecoin utility and on‑chain volumes rather than directly moving major token prices.

StraitsX and the Solana Foundation will deploy Solana-native versions of two regulated stablecoins — Singapore-dollar XSGD and US-dollar XUSD — by early 2026. The move leverages Solana’s high throughput and low fees to enable real-time, low-cost cross-border settlement, AMM liquidity, lending markets and institution-grade payment flows on a single chain. Both stablecoins will be x402-compatible to support automated agent-to-agent and AI-driven micropayments. XSGD is already live on Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Zilliqa, Hedera and XRPL; XUSD runs on Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain. Combined on-chain volume for the two exceeds $18 billion to date. StraitsX says major centralized exchanges are preparing listings for Solana-native XSGD/XUSD and that DeFi projects and DEXs are building liquidity pools and lending markets; the Solana Foundation will collaborate on liquidity and compliance. StraitsX also affirms compliance with Singapore’s upcoming stablecoin framework. Expected use cases include on-chain FX between XSGD and XUSD, automated market-maker liquidity, lending/yield products and faster cross-border settlement — developments traders should watch for liquidity inflows, new on‑chain FX pairs and potential changes to stablecoin arbitrage opportunities.

US President Donald Trump said he will review and may pardon Keonne Rodriguez, co‑founder of privacy‑focused Bitcoin wallet Samourai Wallet, instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi to examine the case. Rodriguez and co‑founder William Lonergan Hill pleaded guilty in July to charges including operating an unlicensed money‑transmitting business and conspiracy related to laundering funds prosecutors estimate at about $237 million; they received sentences of roughly five and four years. Rodriguez has a near‑term reporting date, making potential executive intervention time‑sensitive. The case has drawn privacy advocates’ criticism for holding developers liable for third‑party uses of open‑source tools and is discussed alongside other high‑profile prosecutions (for example, Tornado Cash). The development follows a trend of presidential clemency in crypto cases (Ross Ulbricht, Changpeng Zhao) and comes amid broader changes in US crypto enforcement. For traders: the story heightens regulatory and political risk around Bitcoin privacy tools and developer liability, could increase short‑term volatility for Bitcoin (BTC) sentiment tied to privacy narratives, and may influence policy expectations for privacy‑enhancing services. Primary keywords: Samourai Wallet, pardon, privacy wallet, Bitcoin, developer liability. Secondary/semantic keywords: DOJ, money‑transmitting, executive clemency, Tornado Cash, regulatory risk.