Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Circle has acquired Interop Labs’ engineering team and proprietary IP—the core developers behind Axelar Network—while explicitly excluding the AXL token and the Axelar network from the deal. Interop Labs’ engineers and technology will join Circle to bolster its multichain and payments initiatives (including Arc and CCTP). Longtime contributors Common Prefix will expand their role to maintain and develop the Axelar open‑source network and ecosystem. Markets reacted sharply: AXL fell as much as ~13% after the announcement as traders sold the token because the deal provides no direct value transfer, revenue sharing, buy pressure, or governance rights to AXL holders. The transaction underscores a growing crypto M&A pattern of acquiring teams and technology rather than tokens or networks—meaning team exits may not support token prices. Key implications for traders: AXL faces immediate selling pressure and heightened volatility; network continuity is maintained by Common Prefix and the Axelar community, limiting protocol risk but not restoring token value from the sale; traders should watch liquidity, order-book depth, and social/governance updates for any shifts in sentiment or on‑chain activity.

Cryptocurrency markets plunged as total market capitalization fell roughly $140 billion, dipping below $3 trillion. Bitcoin lost its $90,000 support, sliding from about $90,357 to a low near $85,200 and trading under $86,000 in Asian hours. Traders pointed to two principal drivers: renewed Chinese mining restrictions that forced some miners offline and record-high leverage in derivatives markets. Deribit data showed heavy option open interest concentrated at the $85,000 Bitcoin strike (around $2 billion OI), amplifying downside via short hedging and cascading liquidations. On-chain metrics signalled elevated stress — falling hash rates, roughly $100 billion in unrealized losses, and many ETF inflows (about 60%) underwater with some funds trading below NAV. Adding to market unease, the US Senate Banking Committee delayed a market-structure bill that could clarify CFTC oversight of spot markets until early 2026, reducing ETF investor risk appetite. The sell-off rippled through major altcoins, with Ethereum and Solana among tokens suffering double-digit drops. Short-term implications: higher volatility, concentrated liquidation risk around key strikes (notably $85k), and potential further downside if legislative clarity and miner pressure persist. Traders should expect elevated liquidation risk and defensive positioning from institutions and retail; monitor derivatives OI, ETF flows/NAV, and hash rate recovery for signs of stabilization. Disclaimer: not investment advice.

StraitX, a Singapore payments infrastructure firm, has launched two fully reserved stablecoins on the Solana blockchain: XSGD (1:1 Singapore dollar) and XUSD (1:1 US dollar). The tokens leverage Solana’s high throughput, low fees and the x402 payment standard to improve payment reliability, programmability and instant on‑chain swaps between SGD and USD. The move targets faster, cheaper cross‑border and real‑time settlements, especially for Southeast Asian payments and global machine‑to‑machine use cases. StraitX says XSGD and XUSD have processed significant on‑chain volume historically on other chains and will bring the first native SGD stablecoin to Solana. Key trader considerations: watch listings and exchange/wallet integrations, on‑chain liquidity and AMM depth, peg stability, and Solana network metrics (fees, confirmation times). Risks include competition in the USD stablecoin market, the need to bootstrap liquidity and listings, and evolving regulatory scrutiny in Singapore and the US. Primary keywords: stablecoin, Solana, XSGD, XUSD, cross-border payments.

The UK Treasury will extend existing financial services laws to cover cryptoasset firms, bringing exchanges, wallet providers, stablecoin issuers and other crypto service companies under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) supervision from October 2027. Draft legislation circulated to Parliament expands requirements beyond AML registration to include disclosure, custody rules, market‑abuse protections, token issuance transparency and stronger governance and reporting standards. Complementary FCA and Bank of England rules — including stablecoin and market‑conduct regimes — are expected by end‑2026, with consultations and regulatory sandboxes ongoing to help firms prepare. Officials frame the approach closer to US practice than the EU’s MiCA and plan a UK–US taskforce to coordinate policy. The move aims to strengthen consumer protection, improve detection of illicit transactions and aid sanctions enforcement after rising crypto fraud and investment‑scam losses in the UK. Industry reactions are mixed: some welcome regulatory clarity and potential to attract investment and jobs, while law firms and crypto businesses seek clearer detail on how conduct rules will apply to crypto‑native business models. Expected effective date gives firms time to adjust; officials are also considering tighter rules on crypto political donations.

Nvidia has acquired SchedMD, the developer of Slurm — the widely used open-source job scheduler in high-performance computing (HPC) and AI environments. Nvidia says Slurm will remain open source and hardware-agnostic while the company increases investment and integrates Slurm more closely with its Blackwell GPUs and InfiniBand networking. Slurm currently schedules workloads on more than half of the TOP500 supercomputers and coordinates thousands of CPUs and GPUs across clusters. Nvidia plans to expand SchedMD’s reach, continue open-source services and training, and improve scheduling and orchestration for large-scale model training, scientific simulations and GPU-heavy workloads. This move follows Nvidia’s recent release of Nemotron Nano and other Nemotron models — open-source model families aimed at cost- and performance-optimized AI agents — and is framed as part of a strategic push into infrastructure for generative AI and physical AI (robotics, autonomous systems, industrial automation). For crypto traders: the acquisition may influence compute costs and availability for blockchain projects and for validators/miners that rely on GPU-accelerated workloads. Improved scheduling and tighter Nvidia integration can raise efficiency for compute-heavy tasks such as L2 rollups, zero-knowledge proof generation, or AI-driven on-chain analytics. That could benefit projects that depend on accelerated compute and firms providing AI-blockchain services. Conversely, greater Nvidia control of a critical open-source scheduler raises aggregation risk and potential vendor consolidation that could affect pricing or supplier choice for infrastructure providers. Financial terms were not disclosed; SchedMD’s CEO framed the deal as validation for Slurm’s role in demanding HPC and AI environments.

Blockstream CEO Adam Back dismissed recent claims that quantum computers pose an imminent risk to Bitcoin, saying current quantum hardware is far from capable of breaking Bitcoin’s secp256k1 signatures. Back and Blockstream estimate a realistic threat — which would require thousands of error‑corrected logical qubits running reliably for days to execute Shor’s algorithm — is likely decades away (Back suggested 20–40 years, if ever). Blockstream researchers are nonetheless working on proposals to make Bitcoin quantum‑resistant. The debate has prompted some large holders to prefer address formats (e.g., SegWit) that avoid reusing public keys, reducing theoretical attack vectors. Critics (including Charles Edwards) urge faster action or an accelerated fork/consensus timeline, while others (including Michael Saylor and some researchers) argue the mid‑term risk is overstated because quantum machines able to break public‑key cryptography would have broad systemic implications beyond crypto. Publicly reported quantum devices still suffer high error rates and lack the stable logical qubits needed (current device counts such as IBM’s noisy qubits or Google’s earlier claims are not equivalent to error‑corrected logical qubits). For traders: immediate quantum‑driven risk to BTC is low — the story is primarily about long‑term protocol planning, developer priorities, and address hygiene (avoid address reuse), rather than near‑term price action.

Blockstream disclosed a critical firmware vulnerability affecting Jade hardware wallets in versions 1.0.24–1.0.36. Reported by security researchers DARKNAVY in early October, the flaw involves the CBOR register_descriptor RPC and can be triggered via the host interface (USB or Bluetooth). Malformed RPC requests can crash devices and, in some firmware versions, allow limited code execution and potential data access. QR-only mode and uninitialized devices are not affected. Blockstream released a fix on Nov 13 in firmware 1.0.37 and added anti-rollback protection in 1.0.38; versions 1.0.23 and earlier, and 1.0.37+ (including 1.0.38) are not vulnerable. There is no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation. Blockstream urges all Jade owners to upgrade immediately to 1.0.38 or later via official sources and to avoid using web wallets or untrusted hosts during the update. Recommended actions for users who suspect a compromised host include backing up the recovery phrase, performing a factory reset, and updating from a clean machine. Blockstream is increasing engineering resources, improving code review and testing (including libjade for native testing and fuzzing), auditing related software, and considering third-party audits. Traders should note this affects hardware wallet security — prompt upgrades reduce custodial risk and lower the chance of compromised private keys, which could otherwise add selling pressure if exploitation had occurred.

BEAT, the native token of Audiera on BNB Chain, surged ~84% in 24 hours and roughly 480% over 30 days as speculative futures trading and deflationary mechanics drove heavy demand. On-chain metrics show only about 16% of total supply (~160.5M BEAT) is circulating, amplifying scarcity. DEX futures activity reached roughly $20M while buy transactions (45,456) outnumbered sells (38,355); daily volume rose ~33%. Audiera’s AI integrations reportedly direct ecosystem revenue to recurring token burns, reducing supply and adding deflationary pressure. Technical indicators place resistance at the $3 all-time high after a two-week consolidation; Chaikin Money Flow and MACD pointed to cooling inflows over the most recent days, signaling short-term seller presence. Liquidity analysis (CoinGlass) shows a cluster of liquidity below the price with cumulative leverage >$1M under current levels and a roughly $500k cluster near $2.87 above, making key zones $2.40–$2.87 critical. Analysts warn that concentrated token distribution, speculative futures activity, and thin liquidity increase the risk of sharp retracements to support around $2.40 or $1.25 if momentum falters. Traders should monitor on-chain burn rates, DEX futures volume, trading volume, and liquidity clusters before taking positions; a sustained break above the $3 ATH on strong volume is needed to reduce retracement risk.

Visa has launched a stablecoin advisory service for banks, card networks and fintech firms to help them evaluate, design and operationalize fiat-backed stablecoins and tokenized cash. The offering covers token design, custody, reserve and regulatory compliance, fiat on-/off-ramps, liquidity and treasury use cases, and integration with existing payment rails. The move leverages Visa’s existing crypto infrastructure and partnerships and responds to growing institutional interest in stablecoins for cross-border payments, payroll, settlement efficiency and new product capabilities. Regulators’ focus on oversight, reserve transparency and consumer protection is shaping custody and program design; Visa’s advisory positions clients to navigate those constraints. For traders, this signals deeper institutional adoption and payment-rail integration of major fiat-pegged tokens — likely increasing liquidity and on-chain volume for large stablecoins and improving fiat–crypto interoperability. Primary implications: expanded stablecoin circulation, greater enterprise use cases (cross-border rails, treasury management), and potential shifts in issuer models and reserve practices driven by regulation.

More than $584 million of crypto positions were liquidated within 24 hours as a long-heavy market structure collapsed amid thin liquidity and fragile risk appetite. The event wiped out about 181,893 traders, with longs accounting for over 87% of losses — indicating a leverage-driven reset rather than a fundamentals-led sell-off. BTC and ETH led the liquidations (roughly $174.3M and $189M respectively); the largest single trade was an $11.58M BTCUSDT liquidation on Binance. Binance, Bybit and Hyperliquid contributed nearly 75% of total liquidations, and Hyperliquid’s liquidations were 98% long. Major altcoins were hit as well: SOL ~$34.5M, XRP ~$14.5M, DOGE ~$11.8M. Price action resembled a liquidity sweep: a brief push below intraday supports triggered cascading stops and forced deleveraging before prices stabilised, and spot markets avoided a decisive trend break. Earlier, smaller reports showed $128M wiped with asset-specific patterns (BTC long-heavy; ETH short-heavy; ZEC short-dominated), underlining that liquidations were uneven across tokens. For traders, immediate implications are elevated volatility and a downside skew while leverage remains high and liquidity thin. Risk management steps — lowering position size, tighter stops, monitoring funding rates and liquidation heatmaps (Coinglass, Bybit) — are essential. If leverage is sufficiently flushed and spot-led buying returns, the market may stabilise; repeated long-heavy flushes, however, weaken market structure and increase the probability of further downside in short windows.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed that social platform X adopt on-chain transparency measures — including blockchain timestamping of posts, likes and reposts and zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs) for algorithmic decisions — to make content ranking verifiably fair and censorship-resistant. Buterin suggested publishing algorithm optimization objectives and user-adjustable parameters, generating ZK-proofs showing that ranking choices follow declared rules without revealing private data, and releasing full algorithm code after a one-to-two-year delay. Ethereum Foundation AI lead Davide Crapis echoed the call for publishing goals and allowing inspection or adjustment. The proposal frames these technical steps as responses to opaque moderation, algorithmic bias and coordinated abuse under centralized control, and ties into broader SocialFi/Web3 decentralization trends and regulatory pressures such as the EU Digital Services Act. Traders should note this is primarily a governance and transparency proposal with no immediate token issuance tied to X; any market impact would likely be indirect — driven by increased demand for on-chain data, ZK tooling, developer activity around audits, and regulatory clarity — rather than a direct short-term price catalyst. Primary keywords: zero-knowledge proofs, algorithm transparency, blockchain timestamping, X, Vitalik Buterin. Secondary keywords: censorship resistance, SocialFi, Digital Services Act, on-chain transparency.

Bitcoin has underperformed tech stocks in H2 2025, falling ~15% while the Nasdaq rose ~17%, with BTC slipping below $90,000 after a dovish Fed move. On-chain analysts at Glassnode and derivatives desks highlight concentrated liquidation clusters and heavy resistance near $94k. Key support bands are identified at $85,500–$87,000 and $83,000 — the latter aligning with the average cost basis of U.S. spot BTC ETFs. Near-term macro catalysts — the U.S. Consumer Price Index (Dec 18) and Bank of Japan rate decision (Dec 19) — could drive elevated volatility. A hawkish BoJ or surprise CPI print may trigger risk-off flows that push BTC toward the $85k liquidation cluster; conversely, holding $83k–$87k could attract institutional buying. Analysts note prior BoJ tightening coincided with 20–30% BTC drops, so crowded BoJ-hike positioning raises downside risks. Traders should monitor liquidation clusters, spot-ETF cost bases, the $94k resistance wall, and upcoming CPI/BoJ releases; expect short-term downside risk to $85k–$87k for liquidity grabs, with a constructive accumulation narrative into 2026 if equities hold and macro risks ease.

South Korean exchange Bithumb will temporarily suspend deposits and withdrawals for Injective (INJ) starting December 18 at 09:00 UTC to accommodate a scheduled Injective network upgrade. The suspension is a precautionary, security-focused measure to prevent failed transactions or lost funds during protocol changes. Trading on Bithumb’s internal order book (e.g., INJ/KRW, INJ/BTC) is expected to continue normally and INJ balances held on the exchange remain secure. No end time was provided; services will resume after the upgrade is confirmed stable and Bithumb issues a reinstatement notice. Traders should complete time‑sensitive withdrawals — for example for liquidity provision, governance participation, or cross‑chain operations — before the cutoff and monitor Bithumb’s official channels for updates. This routine maintenance is intended to improve network performance, security and cross‑chain/DEX functionality.

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, once the frontrunner to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is facing growing opposition from Trump advisers, lawmakers and market participants over concerns his close ties to President Trump could undermine Fed independence. Prediction market Kalshi shows Hassett’s odds falling from above 80% in early December to about 51%, while rival Kevin Warsh’s odds have risen to roughly 44% from about 11%. Sources say some insiders are promoting Warsh rather than openly attacking Hassett; high-profile figures such as JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon are reportedly favorable to Warsh. Critics warn that a perceived politicization of the Fed could lead bond investors to demand higher long-term yields if they expect weaker anti-inflation action, increasing market volatility. Hassett has publicly defended Fed independence, saying Trump’s views would not determine rate votes without supporting data. For crypto traders: a contested Fed nomination that raises doubts about central bank independence can increase macro uncertainty, lift real yields and dollar strength, and heighten risk-off flows — factors that often pressure risk assets including major cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin’s 7-day moving average of active addresses has declined to about 660,000, the lowest level since December 2024, as reported by The Block. Year-end seasonal slowdown and broader weakness across multiple on-chain metrics coincide with this drop. Miner daily revenue has fallen from roughly $50 million in Q3 to about $40 million, with most income now coming from block subsidies rather than transaction fees. Transactions related to Ordinals and Runes account for a larger share of throughput but contribute only an estimated 5–10% of fee revenue, revealing a mismatch between transaction volume and the economic value of blockspace. The data point to limited current demand for Bitcoin blockspace, which pressures miner economics and raises questions about network utility beyond inscription-driven speculative activity. Traders should monitor whether the decline is temporary or persistent by tracking ETF inflows, exchange flows, hash rate, on-chain metrics (active addresses, fees, transaction counts), and the migration of activity to Layer-2s like the Lightning Network. Near-term implications include reduced fee-driven miner revenue and potential lower retail on-chain engagement; catalysts that could reverse the trend include renewed DeFi or inscription demand, protocol developments, macro shifts, or renewed speculative cycles. Actionable guidance for traders: avoid panic selling, watch trend duration and correlated indicators, follow miner economics and exchange flows for liquidity signals, and look for short-term catalysts that could restore on-chain usage and price momentum.

Dogecoin (DOGE) has stabilized above the $0.13 support after testing the 2.0 Fibonacci extension near $0.131. Over the past three weeks DOGE has traded sideways, with buyers repeatedly purchasing dips at $0.13 to prevent a drop toward the prior low near $0.10. Short-term technicals are mixed: the 21-day and 50-day simple moving averages are sloping downward and acting as resistance, while 4-hour moving averages are roughly flat. Doji candlesticks and consolidating MAs point to low near-term volatility and market indecision. Key intraday levels: support at $0.13 (next at $0.10) and resistance at $0.155; longer, less immediate resistance bands were noted at $0.45–$0.50 and supports at $0.30–$0.25 in the source commentary. Traders should watch for a sustained break above the 21-day SMA and a move past $0.155 to signal bullish momentum, or a decisive close below $0.13 to reopen the path toward lower targets. Current trading is around $0.135. This is analysis and not investment advice.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has postponed the markup and amendment hearing for the CLARITY Act, effectively pushing federal crypto market-structure legislation into 2026. Negotiations between Republican Chairman Tim Scott and Democrats show progress but have not resolved key disputes over asset classification (security vs. commodity), primary regulator designation (SEC vs. CFTC), financial-stability safeguards, market-integrity rules and ethics provisions. The delay reduces prospects for a 2025 legislative outcome and preserves the current fragmented patchwork of state rules and agency enforcement. Meanwhile, regulators are acting independently: the SEC continues enforcement and held staff roundtables on crypto classification and enforcement policy, and the CFTC has advanced limited steps to allow licensed institutions to trade spot crypto and issued narrow no-action relief for prediction markets. For traders, the postponement sustains regulatory uncertainty around jurisdiction and token classification — a factor likely to keep volatility elevated in spot and derivatives markets, slow institutional on-ramps and delay approvals for new products. Industry lobbying will continue ahead of the next Congress, but final bipartisan agreement is required to clarify SEC vs. CFTC authority and token status.

MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor purchased nearly $1 billion of Bitcoin, adding to the company’s substantial corporate BTC holdings. The disclosed buy coincided with an immediate ~4% drop in Bitcoin’s spot price shortly after reporting. MicroStrategy remains among the largest public corporate holders of BTC; Saylor’s purchases are closely watched by traders as a sign of institutional conviction and can tighten available spot supply. Key facts for traders: purchase size ~ $1 billion, immediate BTC reaction: -4%, principal actor: Michael Saylor/MicroStrategy, market context: continued high spot BTC volatility. Traders should expect heightened short-term volatility when large corporate buys are disclosed and consider the signalling effect such purchases have on institutional demand expectations and liquidity dynamics.

Trust Wallet has rolled out a Gas Sponsorship feature that pays Ethereum gas fees for token swaps, allowing users to swap tokens even with zero ETH in their wallet. The program supports Ethereum, BNB Chain and Solana (swap support live on Ethereum and BNB Chain), offers up to four gas-sponsored swaps per user per day, and enforces a $50 minimum swap on Ethereum (no minimum on BNB Chain). Token transfer sponsorship is planned for a future update. The move reduces onboarding friction by removing the need to hold ETH for gas, which may boost small-value on-chain activity and increase swap volume on Trust Wallet. Traders should note the retail-focused limits (daily cap and Ethereum minimum), potential spreads or service fees within the swap interface, and that users remain responsible for wallet security. Primary keywords: Trust Wallet, gas sponsorship, gas-free swaps, Ethereum, BNB Chain, DeFi.

Merriam‑Webster selected “slop” as its 2025 Word of the Year to describe low‑quality, mass‑produced AI content. The later report expands on this by naming examples (AI tools such as OpenAI’s Sora and Google Gemini’s Veo) and citing a May 2025 study estimating roughly 75% of new web content involves some form of AI. Analysts warn of a growing “slop economy” that prioritizes volume over quality, driving information inequality, content degradation and displacement of human creators. Crucially for crypto traders, AI‑generated slop has begun appearing in domains that affect markets — automated financial analyses, market reports and cybersecurity briefs — increasing the risk of inaccurate, misleading or fabricated signals. Responses include authentication systems, curated quality services, hybrid human‑AI workflows and potential regulation requiring disclosure of AI content. Traders should treat automated market analysis and on‑chain/ off‑chain reports with greater skepticism, verify sources, favour vetted human expertise, and consider risk controls (reduced position sizes, stricter entry rules) to manage information risk. Primary keywords: Merriam‑Webster, slop, AI‑generated content, slop economy. Secondary/semantic keywords: generative AI, low‑quality content, market analysis, misinformation, authentication, disclosure.

A flagged whale wallet (“66kETHBorrow”) resumed aggressive Ethereum accumulation, borrowing roughly $85M USDT from Aave and moving funds through Binance to withdraw 38,576 ETH (~$119.3M), according to Lookonchain and Arkham. The same entity previously amassed about 489,696 ETH (~$1.5B). The on‑chain pattern — stablecoin borrow → deposit to exchange → large ETH withdrawal — points to deliberate accumulation and reduced sell-side liquidity on exchanges, but full exposure (hedges, other wallets, derivatives) remains unclear. Market context: ETH trades near $3,150–$3,200, below the 50‑ and 100‑day moving averages and well under the 200‑day MA (~$3,500). Price has made lower highs since an October rejection near $4,000 but continues to defend the $2,800–$2,900 zone. On‑chain signals include rising exchange outflows and a bullish ETH/BTC monthly MACD crossover noted in earlier reporting, suggesting capital rotation from BTC into ETH and heightened altcoin risk appetite. Trade implications: heavy whale accumulation and spiking volumes increase upside potential for ETH and altcoins if bulls reclaim $3,300–$3,400; failure to hold $3,000 risks a deeper retracement toward ~$2,800. Traders should monitor exchange outflows, whale borrowing/flow patterns, key moving‑average reclaims, and leverage exposure; manage risk given limited on‑chain visibility and macro liquidity conditions.

MoonPay has launched MoonPay Commerce as an exclusive app for Solana Mobile’s second‑generation Seeker smartphone, integrating MoonPay’s fiat‑to‑crypto infrastructure with Solana Pay to enable in‑app crypto checkout. Seeker users can browse a curated directory of participating merchants and complete payments with Solana‑native tokens (SOL) and SPL tokens such as USDC, including at Shopify checkouts. Launch partners include Fortune, Pudgy Penguins and Doodles, with some merchants offering Seeker‑specific discounts. The move follows MoonPay’s acquisition of Helio to strengthen Solana payment capabilities. Advertised benefits are simpler checkout flows, faster and lower‑cost transactions via Solana’s low‑fee network, and improved security from the Seeker’s crypto‑focused hardware. Key constraints: the app is currently limited to the niche Seeker device, requires merchant adoption of Solana Pay and MoonPay Commerce, and faces user education and regulatory uncertainty across jurisdictions. For traders: this is a practical step toward broader real‑world crypto payments on Solana that could increase on‑chain retail activity and transaction volume for SOL and associated SPL tokens if adoption grows — but near‑term market impact is likely modest until merchant and user uptake scales.

MetaMask has added native Bitcoin (BTC) support to its browser extension and mobile wallet, letting users buy, swap and send BTC using the wallet’s existing Buy, Swap and Send features. The integration generates Bitcoin addresses via MetaMask’s multichain accounts and currently supports SegWit derivation (Taproot support is planned). Third-party infrastructure handles Bitcoin network interactions — MetaMask does not run Bitcoin nodes — and on‑wallet purchases will be available through multiple payment options (cards, Apple Pay, PayPal, bank transfer), subject to regional availability and partner fees. The built-in Swap enables moving funds from EVM-compatible chains and Solana to Bitcoin, simplifying cross-chain portfolio management. Benefits for traders include consolidated asset management, easier cross-chain flows and reduced operational complexity. Risks include reliance on external providers, variable partner fees, irreversible BTC transactions and standard custody/security considerations (protect your Secret Recovery Phrase). Traders should test with small amounts, verify addresses, and factor partner fees and network conditions into trade plans. The launch reinforces the trend toward multi-chain wallets and may precede support for additional chains in future roadmap updates.

Veteran trader Peter Brandt warns Bitcoin (BTC) has decisively broken a long-running parabolic advance — a technical signal that historically preceded deep corrections in prior bull cycles. Brandt noted BTC is roughly 20% below its all-time high and that comparable parabolic violations have led to severe drawdowns (up to ~80%), which would imply a revisit toward the ~$25,000 area if history repeats. The warning comes as macro liquidity risks rise: markets price a ~97% chance of a 0.25% BOJ rate hike on Dec. 19, an event that has previously tightened global funding and coincided with sharp BTC declines. Offsetting factors include structural changes since 2022: Glassnode data shows corporate Bitcoin treasuries grew from ~197,000 BTC in Jan 2023 to ~1.08M BTC today, higher long-term holder supply and the launch of spot BTC ETFs — all of which create steadier institutional demand and reserves that may absorb selling pressure. For traders: the technical signal increases short- to medium-term downside risk for BTC, but stronger institutional accumulation and ETF-led flows could limit drawdown depth or change its character (shallower pullback or prolonged consolidation). Recommended actions include reassessing risk, tightening position sizing and stops, using dollar-cost averaging for longer-term accumulation, and monitoring on-chain metrics (exchange reserves, long-term holder supply), price structure (200-day MA, trendlines) and macro catalysts (BOJ decision, interest-rate expectations). (Not investment advice.)

Bank of America says U.S. banks are beginning a multi‑year shift toward blockchain-based operations as federal regulators move to integrate stablecoins and tokenized deposits into the regulated banking system. The report highlights the OCC’s conditional national trust charters granted to five digital-asset firms as early federal acceptance of crypto custody and compliant stablecoin activity. It expects the FDIC and Federal Reserve to issue stablecoin capital, liquidity and approval rules under the GENIUS Act — proposed rules this week, final by July 2026 and effective January 2027 — that would allow supervised banks or their subsidiaries to issue payment stablecoins. On market structure, BoA notes growing industry pilots in tokenized deposits and tokenized bonds, stocks and money‑market funds (examples: JPMorgan, DBS) as alternatives to commercial stablecoins and as drivers of on‑chain settlement and cross‑border payments. Analysts led by Ebrahim Poonawala recommend banks build blockchain fluency, experiment with tokenized assets and on‑chain settlement, and prepare operationally and capital-wise for regulated on‑chain payments and expanded real‑world asset tokenization. Key keywords: stablecoins, tokenized deposits, FDIC rules, OCC approvals, on‑chain payments, GENIUS Act.

A rapid sell-off forced liquidations above $500 million, driving Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and XRP to weekly lows as leveraged long positions were closed across spot and derivatives markets. The downturn was amplified by stop-loss cascades and concentrated liquidations in high-leverage perpetuals and futures. Market indicators showed rising intraday volatility, wider bid-ask spreads and increased futures open interest ahead of the move, suggesting fragile positioning. Funding rates adjusted amid the volatility, and correlations across major tokens briefly widened during the crash. Retail and some institutional traders holding leveraged long positions bore the bulk of forced exits. Traders should monitor short-term technical supports, exchange-specific open interest, funding-rate shifts, order-book depth and on-chain flows for signs of capitulation or renewed accumulation. Recommended responses include reducing leverage, tightening risk limits, and considering mean-reversion or volatility-based strategies if volatility subsides. Key stats: total liquidations > $500M; BTC, ETH and XRP at weekly lows; liquidations concentrated in high-leverage derivatives.

Donald Trump has narrowed his apparent front‑runners for the next Federal Reserve chair to Kevin Warsh and Kevin Hassett, but internal pushback on Hassett has shifted nomination odds sharply toward Warsh. Reports say advisors worry Hassett’s close ties to Trump could read as a political ‘puppet’ and unsettle bond markets, pushing long‑term yields higher—opposite Trump’s preference for lower rates. Prediction markets reacted: Polymarket and Kalshi moved Warsh’s probability into the high‑40% range while Hassett’s fell from prior highs (Kalshi earlier showed Hassett as high as ~81%). Current Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s term ends May 2026 and a formal nomination is expected in early 2026. For traders, this development raises policy uncertainty: a Warsh nomination (favored by some for quicker rate cuts) or a perception of political capture with Hassett could meaningfully shift interest‑rate expectations, increase volatility in rates and risk assets, and spill over into macro‑sensitive markets including cryptocurrencies. Key keywords: Federal Reserve, Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, Kevin Hassett, prediction markets, bond market, interest rates, monetary policy.

BONK, the Solana-based memecoin, moved from earlier intraday highs into a lower trading band as volatility and volume spiked near short-term resistance. Initial reports showed BONK trading in a tight range (~$0.00000980–$0.00001020) with failed breakout attempts; later updates recorded a deeper pullback to about $0.0000086–$0.0000088 after failing to hold higher levels and encountering heavier selling at roughly $0.0000090. Volume expanded sharply during tests of resistance, signalling active interest and battle between buyers and sellers, but faded on the close, preventing a sustained breakout. Technicals indicate consolidation below prior support-turned-resistance; upside bias requires a decisive move above $0.0000090 (or prior $0.00001020 in earlier reports) with renewed volume. Downside risk remains toward the range floor (near $0.00000950 in the earlier window and ~ $0.0000085–$0.0000090 in the later update). Traders should watch volume at resistance for a breakout signal and manage risk around the range floor while the token remains range-bound.

Internet Computer (ICP) weakened after an intraday rebound failed to hold, combining reports of two pullbacks that pushed price toward recent lows. Early action saw ICP test highs near $3.76 before slipping to ~$3.49 and breaking short-term support bands; a later update shows price moving from roughly $3.28 down to about $3.13, stabilizing near $3.05–$3.10 with only limited bounces. Both accounts note expanded selling volume during the declines, indicating active distribution and repositioning around the $3.20–$3.55 resistance zone. Technical structure is bearish-to-neutral: price sits below short-term moving averages, short-term highs are declining, and a sustained break below the $3.45 area (earlier report) or failure to reclaim $3.25–$3.30 (later report) would keep downside momentum available. For traders: watch volume and ability to reclaim and hold above the $3.25–$3.55 range for signs of momentum repair; a decisive break below the $3.05–$3.45 support cluster would open retests of deeper lows. Keywords: ICP, Internet Computer, ICP price, support break, intraday volatility, trading volume.