Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

10x Research analyst Markus Thielen says Bitcoin’s historical four-year cycle remains observable but its primary drivers have shifted from on-chain halvings to macro and political catalysts. Thielen notes market peaks in 2013, 2017 and 2021 clustered in Q4 and aligned more closely with U.S. election-related uncertainty and monetary-policy shifts than with precise halving dates. He says the 2024 halving did not trigger a classic risk-asset rally because institutional participation now dominates crypto and institutions remain cautious amid mixed central-bank signals and weaker capital inflows. On-chain data referenced in the later report show roughly a 20% drop in institutional/ETF flows and about a 15% year‑over‑year decline in exchange trading volumes, contributing to a consolidation phase rather than a parabolic breakout. Thielen recommends traders monitor U.S. election developments, fiscal debates and central-bank easing (which would expand liquidity) as likely catalysts for a sustained rally. Counterpoints cited include Arthur Hayes, who attributes cycles to global liquidity and FX dynamics (dollar/yuan) and argues the traditional cycle timing is less relevant; Glassnode and others are quoted as seeing the cycle persist when viewed through liquidity conditions. Key trader takeaways: focus on liquidity metrics, institutional ETF flows, Fed policy and political timelines (especially U.S. elections) when sizing positions and timing entries, since continued low inflows point toward range-bound trading absent renewed macro liquidity.

FOLKS futures trading on Binance spiked to $23.5 billion in 24-hour contract volume, ranking the token third by derivatives volume behind Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). Open interest is moderate at $29.83 million. On-chain analytics from COINOTAG (citing analyst Ai Auntie) tracked 294 identified smart‑money traders on Binance: 65% (191 traders) hold net long positions totaling $6.18 million with an average entry price of $21.88, while 35% (103 traders) are net short totaling $2.57 million with an average entry of $15.64 — shorts appear concentrated at lower price levels. The combination of outsized contract volume and a pronounced smart‑money long skew suggests selective leverage appetite among derivatives traders, with BTC and ETH continuing to serve as market risk benchmarks. Key takeaways for traders: sharply elevated FOLKS derivatives activity may signal short-term volatility and liquidation risk; modest open interest implies the huge volume was driven by turnover rather than large sustained positions; a smart‑money long bias could provide a short-term bullish tilt but does not preclude rapid reversals if price breaks lower support levels. This is market information only and not investment advice.

Charlie Noyes, Paradigm’s first employee and a General Partner earlier in 2025, stepped down from his GP role effective December 14, 2025, while remaining active in the firm’s ecosystem. Noyes will continue supporting Paradigm portfolio companies and founders and will remain a board observer at Kalshi alongside Paradigm co‑founder Matt Huang. Paradigm describes the change as an internal management adjustment that shifts formal duties without severing Noyes’s advisory influence or involvement in governance for Kalshi and other portfolio projects. For crypto traders, the move signals continuity in oversight at Paradigm-backed projects and limited operational disruption — the change is managerial rather than an exit from the crypto venture space.

Global M2 money supply is approaching a record near $130 trillion, led by China (~37%, ≈$47.7T). Late‑2025 coordinated easing — including three Fed rate cuts and U.S. Treasury measures (a $40 billion cash-injection plan via debt issuance) — has loosened funding conditions and increased liquidity available for risk assets. Regional divergence persists: M2 is contracting in several economies (Japan, India, South Korea, Argentina, Israel) while expanding elsewhere, which may drive volatile cross‑border flows. Despite the liquidity tailwind, the crypto market ended Q4 2025 cautiously: total market capitalization fell ~21% during the quarter and remains below late‑Q3 peaks. Historical correlations suggest rising global money supply tends to support risk‑asset rallies; some models referenced estimate a potential 20–30% upside for crypto if liquidity momentum continues. Traders should monitor Global M2, central‑bank policy moves, Treasury liquidity operations, and macro risk appetite as leading indicators for a sustainable crypto recovery. Short‑term price action may remain muted or volatile while markets reprice risk and valuation; a sustained liquidity trend would be a key bullish catalyst for 2026.

President Donald Trump has narrowed his shortlist for Federal Reserve chair to two finalists: former Fed governor Kevin Warsh and White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett. Trump signalled he wants a chair who will pursue lower interest rates and coordinate more with the White House, a stance that could weaken Fed independence. Markets and betting platforms reacted sharply: Warsh’s odds jumped from roughly 12% to over 38% after Trump publicly named “the two Kevins,” while Hassett remains the favourite. Traders interpret either appointment as increasing the probability of faster and deeper rate cuts in 2026; some market indicators now price multiple cuts next year. Wall Street figures, including Jamie Dimon, have expressed support for Warsh, adding momentum to his market-implied probability. Critics warn political pressure for rapid cuts could raise inflation risks and undermine central-bank credibility. Other names (Christopher Waller, Michelle Bowman, Rick Rieder) remain under consideration. Key market impacts for traders to watch: shifts in betting markets, US Treasury yields, dollar strength, volatility around Fed guidance and the nomination, and how these macro moves could flow into crypto risk assets ahead of a nomination expected before Jerome Powell’s term ends in May 2026.

Prysm published a post‑mortem after a December 4 Fusaka mainnet incident in which beacon nodes processed attestations from possibly out‑of‑sync peers that referenced previous‑epoch block roots. To validate those attestations Prysm rebuilt a beacon‑state view compatible with the desynced chain, which triggered repeated processing of past‑epoch blocks and expensive epoch‑transition recomputations. The bug was introduced in PR 15965 and had been deployed to testnet a month earlier without being triggered. During epochs 411439–411480 (42 epochs) many Prysm nodes hit resource exhaustion while handling these attestations. As a result, Prysm could not timely respond to validators: across 1,344 slots some 248 blocks were missed (~18.5% miss rate) and network participation briefly fell to ~75%. Validators collectively lost an estimated ~382 ETH in proposer/witness rewards. Prysm published temporary mitigations (for example the --disable-last-epoch-target flag in v7.0.0) and followed with fixes in v7.0.1 and v7.1.0 that validate attestations against the head state and improve concurrent handling. The report notes no protocol‑level safety breach; the incident is operational, not a consensus exploit. Trader implications: monitor short‑term selling pressure from ETH validator operators, watch network participation metrics and missed‑block statistics, and ensure staking/validator clients are updated — the event may cause short‑term volatility for ETH but does not indicate an immediate systemic protocol failure.

Pendle (PENDLE) has fallen about 18.5% over the past month and was trading near $2.17 after a recent daily drop of ~4.1%. Institutional selling accelerated the decline: Polychain Capital liquidated 4.114 million PENDLE (average buy ~$3.16) at roughly $2.19, realizing an estimated $3.99m loss. On-chain trackers and analytics — including EmberCN, CryptoQuant and Coinalyze — show sustained large-whale distribution: CryptoQuant flagged consecutive big whale orders for ~30 days and Coinalyze recorded nine straight days of negative Buy-Sell Delta. Trading volume is down ~15% week-over-week. Technicals point to near-term downside risk: RSI around 36 (near oversold) and DMI/ADX indicating bearish momentum. Key levels for traders: $2 is immediate support (a break risks $1.80), while reclaiming $2.25–$2.50 would be the first sign of recovery. For trading decisions, monitor on-chain whale flows, buy-sell delta, intraday volume and the $2 support for stop-loss sizing; a decisive move above $2.25 would offer the earliest bullish confirmation.

Venezuela’s reliance on stablecoins — primarily USDT — and peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms is increasing as banking collapse, hyperinflation and sanctions erode traditional financial services. Chainalysis ranks Venezuela 18th globally and 9th per capita in its 2025 Crypto Adoption Index. TRM Labs’ traffic analysis found over 38% of local crypto-site visits target a major global P2P platform, underscoring P2P and crypto-to-fiat conversions as essential in a low-banking environment. Local mobile wallets and platforms with bank integrations have expanded access despite intermittent service disruptions and regulatory ambiguity from SUNACRIP. TRM warns that unless there are major macroeconomic improvements or clearer regulation, stablecoins will continue to act as de facto retail banking — used for payroll, remittances, vendor payments and cross-border purchases. For traders, rising USDT demand in Venezuela may increase regional on-chain volumes and P2P flows, create episodic liquidity or routing risks during service interruptions, and reflect necessity-driven use rather than speculative demand.

Market commentator Armando Pantoja argued that XRP could one day reach $10,000 if an AI "singularity" — a future with vast numbers of autonomous AI agents — massively expands the addressable market for instant, programmatic payments. Pantoja acknowledges $10,000 is unrealistic under today’s liquidity and market-cap constraints (he cites implied market caps in the hundreds of trillions), but says those limits assume the current economic structure. He positions XRP as better suited than Bitcoin or Ethereum for high-throughput, low-latency value transfer required by machine-to-machine payments, citing XRP’s design for fast settlement. The thesis is framed with crypto adoption history (post-2008 trust erosion, Mt. Gox, Ethereum’s programmability) to explain why new settlement rails can emerge. The view is highly speculative and controversial; the piece is opinion-based and includes a standard disclaimer that it is not financial advice.

A Mong Kok crypto exchange storefront on Nathan Road was the target of a failed robbery on the evening of December 13. Police received a report around 8:00 PM that three suspects forced entry as the 46-year-old owner was closing the shop; during a struggle the owner sustained a finger injury and was taken conscious to Kwong Wah Hospital. The shop reported no loss of cash or crypto assets. CCTV footage from the 1st-floor unit and mall corridors is under police review as officers search for the suspects. Authorities say there is no evidence so far of digital-asset theft or market impact. Primary keywords: Hong Kong crypto exchange, robbery attempt, Mong Kok; secondary keywords: Nathan Road, shop assault, police investigation, owner injured. For traders: this incident highlights physical-security risks at retail crypto cash-exchange points but carries no direct on-chain or price implications at this time.

An analyst known as Egrag Crypto applied a long-term logarithmic linear regression channel to XRP’s monthly price history and identified three primary decision zones: a mean-reversion area at $3.40, an expansion/upper-midline around $10, and an upper-bound cycle-top near $27. The model tracks average monthly prices and notes structural channel breaches during major selloffs — notably XRP fell below the channel in the May 2022 Terra collapse, briefly re-entered in late 2024–early 2025, then dropped under the lower trendline again from February 2025. Recent weakness continued into mid-2025: XRP pulled back from a July 2025 peak near $3.66 and traded in the low-$2 range (about $2.02) with selling pressure around $2. The analyst argues that a decisive, sustained monthly close above $3.40 would signal a renewed macro bullish trend and open a path toward the $10 expansion band; reaching the $27 zone would represent a potential multi-year cycle top supported by cycle symmetry, volatility, and extension ratios. The model emphasizes these levels as technical guideposts rather than guaranteed outcomes and advises disciplined risk management. This is analysis-only and not financial advice.

Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has formed a specialised crypto-fraud unit in response to rising digital-asset crime and investor losses estimated at KES 5.6 billion (about $43.3 million) in 2024 — a 73% year‑on‑year increase. The unit will focus on scams, wallet and transaction tracing, exchange-related crimes and cross‑border investigations. The DCI launched a Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Investigation Training Module, co-funded by the EU, to train investigators from over ten African countries in blockchain forensics and tracing. Investigators say they have handled more than 500 digital-asset cases over three years and made multiple arrests in 2025, though many prosecutions remain pending. The enforcement drive coincides with regulatory changes: the Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Act, 2025 came into force on 4 November 2025, establishing a licensing and supervisory framework under the Central Bank of Kenya and the Capital Markets Authority. Cryptocurrency remains legal but is not legal tender; tax policy changed from a 3% digital-asset transaction tax to a 10% excise duty on exchange service fees effective 1 July 2025. Regulators have yet to issue VASP licences and are preparing implementing rules. For traders: expect increased compliance scrutiny, stronger cross‑border forensic capabilities, and sustained enforcement that may reduce fraud-driven volume in the near term but could improve market integrity and institutional confidence over time.

MERL, the native token of Merlin Chain (a Bitcoin layer-2), jumped about 16% following a large liquidity inflow that pushed perpetual open interest (OI) to an all-time high of $75.79 million — roughly $27 million added in one day. Spot metrics show continued accumulation: active holders rose to ~173,800 and exchanges recorded net outflows of roughly $700,000, reducing circulating exchange supply. Derivatives data indicate buyer-dominant momentum with a taker buy/sell ratio of 1.05 and significant OI growth, but the accumulation/distribution indicator remains negative, suggesting buying has not yet fully offset prior selling. A liquidation heatmap now places most liquidity clusters below the current price after the rally, increasing the probability of a short-term pullback unless bullish momentum persists. Key trader signals to monitor: all-time-high open interest ($75.79M), one-day OI increase (~$27M), taker buy/sell ratio (1.05), holder count (~173,800), and exchange outflows (~$700K). Watch OI changes, exchange flows and liquidation heatmaps for signs of continuation or imminent retracement; sustained spot accumulation would support longer-term gains.

Fartcoin has emerged as the top memecoin accumulation target for smart money over the past 24 hours, according to on-chain tracker StalkChain. The token trades near $0.36 and is compressing inside a bearish flag on the 4-hour chart. Key technical levels: support at $0.35 and resistance near $0.42. The 4-hour 200-period EMA has been recently cleared, offering limited downside protection, but RSI shows bearish divergence and momentum is weak. A confirmed break above $0.42–$0.43 could open targets at $0.65 and $0.70; a breakdown below $0.35 would likely invalidate the flag and expose the token to further losses. Traders should watch volume spikes for breakout confirmation and monitor the 4-hour EMA 200 and RSI for momentum shifts. Primary keywords: Fartcoin, memecoin accumulation, smart money. Secondary/semantic keywords: StalkChain, EMA 200, RSI divergence, support $0.35, resistance $0.42.

CoinMarketCap research director Alice Liu forecasts the next major crypto bull cycle will begin in Q1 2026, citing growing institutional participation, ETF adoption and clearer regulation as the primary long-term drivers. Near-term market behavior remains volatile: Bitcoin briefly reclaimed the $90,000 area but is still roughly 30% below its October peak, and around $20 billion of leveraged positions were liquidated during the recent downturn. Perpetual futures funding rates turned negative, driving some traders into stablecoins. Market breadth was modest — total crypto market cap rose about 1.1% over 72 hours while open interest increased only ~1.14%, indicating limited leverage appetite. Institutional flows recently favored Ethereum: BlackRock’s ETHA ETF saw $53 million of inflows, helping lift ETH which posted a weekly gain (~6.5%), while some Bitcoin ETFs experienced outflows. BNB Chain market cap also expanded amid ecosystem growth. Macro correlation signals were mixed and the CMC Altcoin Season Index sits at 22/100 (’Bitcoin season’), with BTC dominance at ~58.55%. Industry figures including Binance CEO Richard Teng, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Solana Foundation president Lily Liu expressed long-term optimism, noting that regulatory clarity and ETF adoption remain underpriced. Key trading takeaways: the market’s path to a coordinated multi-asset bull phase appears aimed at early 2026, but short-term risks persist — monitor ETF flows, funding rates, open interest, BTC dominance and altcoin season metrics for trade signals. Disclaimer: not investment advice.

AB rallied about 12% in the past 24 hours after AB Chain announced a strategic partnership with World Liberty Finance (WLFI) to integrate the USD1 stablecoin into its DeFi ecosystem. On-chain activity and trading metrics improved: volume jumped over 53%, total holders rose to ~30.57K, and locked supply fell below 8% (around 7.46 billion AB), easing near-term unlock risk and potential sell pressure. Momentum indicators showed a waning MACD sell signal accompanying the move, though short positions still exceeded longs by roughly $565,000. Historically, AB has seen notable rebounds from similar low locked-supply conditions. Key takeaways for traders: the WLFI/USD1 integration should strengthen liquidity and DeFi utility on AB Chain, rising volume and holder growth indicate renewed demand, and reduced locked supply lowers immediate downward supply risk — factors that could support a short- to mid-term recovery if broader market conditions remain stable. Monitor open interest, short exposure, and whether sustained on-chain activity follows the integration before sizing positions.

Traders are moving focus from speculative tokens to trading infrastructure on Solana as L.xyz launches a presale for its LXYZ token. L.xyz is a Solana-based decentralized exchange (Solana DEX) that combines automated market maker (AMM) liquidity pools with an on-chain order-book layer to support advanced on-chain trading. The platform targets active traders by offering spot and futures markets, risk-management tools (limit/stop orders), continuous liquidity via hybrid AMM/order-book architecture, and up to 100x leverage on select pairs. Audits by SpyWolf and QuillAudits — plus a SolidProof TrustNet listing — verify a fixed 500 million LXYZ token supply, revoked mint authority, disabled freeze authority, no hidden taxes or transfer fees, and no blacklists. LXYZ is positioned for governance, staking rewards and liquidity incentives with lock-up and vesting schedules to align long-term interests. Traders view participating in the presale as early access to trading infrastructure rather than pure speculation; the project’s focus on execution quality and reduced slippage could attract volume when broader market momentum returns. SEO keywords: L.xyz, Solana DEX, LXYZ token, presale, hybrid AMM order book.

Bitcoin’s rally is showing signs of strain as long-dormant coins reactivate and inter-exchange liquidity weakens. Recent on-chain reports show a roughly 15% increase in transfers of coins dormant for 5+ years and about a 25% decline in inter-exchange flows over the past month, with much of the reactivated supply routing to exchanges, ETFs and institutional channels. Key on-chain indicators—Reserve Risk and CryptoQuant’s Inter-exchange Flow Pulse (IFP)—have flagged elevated distribution and weaker exchange liquidity. Price is trading near cycle highs around $90,000 but below key moving averages; volume, on‑balance volume and RSI are flat to neutral, suggesting fading trend strength. For traders, this increases the probability of short-term consolidation and range-bound trading rather than a sustained breakout. Actionable items: monitor Reserve Risk, IFP and exchange inflows/outflows, ETF activity and moving-average behavior; watch for volume spikes or renewed institutional flows as catalysts for directional moves. Primary keywords: Bitcoin, exchange liquidity, on-chain analytics, Reserve Risk, IFP.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is showing signs of stabilization after months of downward pressure, trading around $0.0000082–$0.0000085. Technicals cited across updates include a falling wedge, an inverted head-and-shoulders pattern and bullish RSI/PPO divergence, suggesting a possible test of $0.000010 (~20% upside). Exchange supply has fallen by over 53 trillion SHIB recently, reducing available float to roughly 287 trillion; short-term support is identified at $0.00000753. Momentum and volume remain mixed, so recovery is tentative and depends on renewed participation. Separately, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is highlighted as a leading low-priced presale opportunity. MUTM is in Phase 6 at $0.035 and reported as ~98% sold; Phase 7 will price at $0.04. The presale reportedly raised $19.33 million with ~18,450 holders and a planned listing price at $0.06 (implying ~300% upside from Phase 6). MUTM’s model includes a buy-and-distribute mechanism where protocol fees buy MUTM and distribute tokens to mtToken stakers, plus daily rewards and a leaderboard incentive. The coverage is a press release and carries a disclaimer urging due diligence. Key takeaways for traders: SHIB’s technicals suggest a potential short-term bounce if volume returns, but low participation and prior downtrend argue for cautious position sizing and close risk management. MUTM’s near-term narrative is presale-driven: there is speculative upside if the token lists near the target price, but risks include liquidity, listing execution, tokenomics and reliance on presale marketing.

SpaceX is preparing for a potential initial public offering as soon as 2026, using recent secondary-share pricing that implies an approximately $800 billion valuation and signalling plans that could support a capital raise of $25 billion or more. Earlier reporting placed a possible full-company valuation as high as $1.5 trillion and higher fundraising targets (reports cited up to $30–40 billion) if market conditions and execution allow. The company has taken steps consistent with IPO preparation — offering secondary-share purchases at about $421 per share (up from roughly $212 in July 2025), enabling employee liquidity, and hiring finance and legal roles. Starlink remains the principal growth engine: subscriber counts rose from ~1 million in December 2022 to over 8 million by November 2025, with Starlink revenue estimates of roughly $11.8–$15 billion for 2025 (up from $7.7 billion in 2024) and projected $22–24 billion in 2026 under internal forecasts. Government and military sales, including Starshield, materially contribute to revenue. Management says IPO proceeds would fund Starship cadence increases, space-based AI/data centres, in-space chips, Moon and Mars initiatives, and expansion of direct-to-cell services after major spectrum purchases and a T‑Mobile partnership. Timing could slip into 2027 if markets deteriorate. Major private holders include Fidelity, Google, Valor Equity, Founders Fund and others. For crypto traders, the key points are Starlink’s rapid revenue growth, large-spectrum and direct-to-cell ambitions (which may intersect with future blockchain or connectivity projects), and the large capital raise that could shift investor flows into public markets — potentially affecting liquidity across tech, infrastructure and crypto-related stocks and tokens. Primary SEO keywords: SpaceX IPO, Starlink, satellite internet, valuation, fundraising. Secondary/semantic keywords included: Starship, Starshield, direct-to-cell, spectrum purchase, secondary shares.

BNB Chain now records about 2.4 million daily users, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao reported, with on‑chain metrics and BscScan data showing cumulative addresses nearing 700 million by December 2025. The network maintains low gas fees and fast confirmations despite high transaction volumes, supporting active development and use across DeFi protocols and NFT marketplaces. Daily inflows include roughly 700,000 new participants engaging in DeFi and NFT activities, indicating multi‑use utility beyond simple token transfers. Community discussion has focused on what share of the daily figure represents retail traders, builders or bots, and whether part of the activity reflects cooling speculative trading in meme and altcoins. Overall, steady address growth and sustained usage through weaker market phases point to robust core adoption for BNB Chain, which traders should monitor as a potential structural support for BNB’s market value.

John Ameriks, Vanguard’s global head of quantitative equity, told Bloomberg’s ETFs in Depth conference that Vanguard continues to view Bitcoin as a “purely speculative” collectible rather than a productive, income-generating asset. He said Bitcoin lacks cash flows, compounding and income characteristics Vanguard looks for in long-term investments and argued there is no clear evidence its underlying technology delivers durable economic value. Ameriks acknowledged limited potential utility in extreme scenarios such as severe fiat inflation or political instability if Bitcoin’s price behaviour proves reliable over a longer history. The remarks follow Vanguard’s December decision to allow its 50+ million clients to trade US spot Bitcoin ETFs on its platform — a commercial move Ameriks described as not changing Vanguard’s fundamental stance. Market context noted in the reporting: BTC trading roughly $90k and about 30% below its all-time high. Primary keywords: Bitcoin, Vanguard, Bitcoin ETF. Secondary keywords: speculative asset, fiat inflation, political instability, capital inflows, ETF adoption.

Citadel Securities urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to apply existing securities laws to tokenized stocks traded on DeFi platforms, arguing that tokens representing company ownership function as securities regardless of blockchain technology. The firm warned that exempting tokenized stocks would create investor-protection gaps — including weak market surveillance, no custody safeguards, and potential conflicts of interest — and could produce parallel, unregulated markets that threaten market integrity. Citadel highlighted that many DeFi systems have identifiable intermediaries (developer teams, governance token holders) who extract fees and influence trading, and said smart contracts that execute trades should face disclosure, surveillance and custody rules similar to traditional markets. Major crypto stakeholders — including the DeFi Education Fund, Uniswap Foundation, a16z and other industry groups — pushed back, saying Citadel mischaracterizes genuine DeFi and that decentralised protocols differ fundamentally from exchanges and broker-dealers. They argued that applying legacy securities rules could stifle innovation and undermine permissionless access, and urged the SEC to design a tailored regulatory framework that balances investor protection with decentralisation. The debate increases regulatory uncertainty for tokenized assets while the SEC solicits feedback; outcomes could either accelerate institutional adoption and liquidity if integrated into existing law, or restrict DeFi growth if rules are incompatible with decentralised models.

Pyth Network’s DAO has approved a reserve strategy to convert one-third of protocol revenue into systematic monthly open‑market purchases of the PYTH token. Announced December 12, 2025, initial buybacks are estimated at $100k–$200k per month and will scale with revenue to form a transparent PYTH Reserve that ties product adoption to token value. Revenue sources cited include Pyth Core price feeds across 100+ chains, Pyth Entropy random-number service, and a new institutional subscription, Pyth Pro, which is on pace in its first month to annualize roughly $1M ARR. The DAO aims to capture 1% of an estimated $50B institutional data market (~$500M/year) to expand reserve purchases. Tokenomics: 10B total supply, ~5.75B circulating, remaining tokens vest through 2027; PYTH holders govern fees and coverage. Traders should note that structured buybacks increase on‑chain demand and reduce net sell pressure from protocol revenue, potentially supporting PYTH price; however, buyback scale is modest relative to total market cap and past market reactions to DAO buybacks have varied. Key keywords: PYTH, Pyth Network, token buyback, oracle revenue, institutional subscriptions.

Figure Technology has filed an IPO with the U.S. SEC to issue Solana-native, regulated tokenized equity that can trade directly onchain via its own alternative trading system (ATS). The proposal permits parallel listings — conventional Nasdaq shares alongside Solana-native tokenized shares — with tokenized equity settling in real time and able to integrate with DeFi for lending, collateral and liquidity provision. Figure says the model removes some intermediaries (brokers and traditional exchanges) while maintaining compliance through KYC/AML and SEC oversight. Executives including CEO Mike Cagney have promoted the plan publicly; analytics firms and industry observers cite Solana’s high throughput, low fees and sub-second finality (2,000+ TPS claimed) as key technical enablers. Potential investor benefits include faster settlement, lower costs and new onchain yield and collateral opportunities; principal risks are SEC scrutiny, regulatory precedent-setting, and implementation complexities. Traders should watch for increased onchain liquidity, new DeFi collateral channels for SOL and tokenized securities, and any SEC feedback that could shape wider adoption. Primary keywords: Solana-native equity, tokenized equity, Figure IPO, onchain settlement, DeFi integration.

Carl Erik Rinsch, director of an unproduced Netflix sci‑fi project, was convicted on seven counts including wire fraud and money laundering after prosecutors say he diverted an $11 million Netflix production top‑up into personal accounts. According to court evidence, Rinsch lost roughly $5.5 million in equities, then bought about $4 million of cryptocurrencies — notably Dogecoin (DOGE) — and reportedly realized substantial gains during DOGE’s 2021 peak. Prosecutors allege he did not return the funds and instead spent large sums on luxury purchases (five Rolls‑Royces, a Ferrari), designer goods, legal fees and extended hotel stays. Netflix never received the completed series and recorded total project losses of $55 million. Rinsch maintains the transfers were contractual compensation. He was convicted on December 11 and faces sentencing on April 17, 2026. For crypto traders: the case highlights legal risk when client or employer funds are used for crypto speculation, shows how high‑profile crypto gains can be scrutinized in fraud probes, and may increase regulatory and custodial scrutiny around institutional and entertainment financing tied to crypto. Keywords: Dogecoin, DOGE, crypto trading, money laundering, wire fraud, entertainment financing.

Do Kwon’s 15‑year prison sentence, handed down after the 2022 Terra collapse that prosecutors said caused roughly $40 billion in investor losses, triggered a sharp sell‑off in Terra Luna Classic (LUNC). LUNC fell to $0.00004587 after a pre‑ruling rally that had taken the token from $0.00002488 (Dec. 1 monthly low) to $0.00008055 (Dec. 6). The verdict produced a “buy the rumor, sell the news” reaction and pushed price below the $0.000047 double‑top neckline; technicals point to the next meaningful support at $0.00002488 (about 45% below current levels), signalling material short‑term downside risk. Offsetting factors that may underpin longer‑term recovery include an active LUNC community that votes on recovery proposals, Binance’s monthly token burns, and broader market rotations (staking and Layer‑2 flows) that have supported similar legacy tokens. Traders should expect elevated volatility: near‑term bias is bearish for LUNC until it reclaims key resistance and stabilises above neckline support, while community actions and burns could create episodic relief rallies. This is market analysis and not investment advice.

ZCash (ZEC) led gains among the top 100 cryptocurrencies this week, rising roughly 28% over seven days and briefly touching $368 — its highest since Nov. 29. ZEC posted dramatic moves in Q4 2025, rallying about 20x from mid‑August to mid‑November and peaking near $705 on Nov. 17 after institutional developments: Cypherpunk Technologies announced a ZEC-denominated digital-asset treasury and Grayscale filed for a spot ZEC ETF in the U.S. Despite the weekly strength, ZEC pulled back intraday (down ~5.6% in 24 hours) as broader market losses (~2.7%) and rising volume accompanied the move. Other privacy coins — Monero (XMR), Dash (DASH), Decred (DCR), MimbleWimbleCoin (MWC) and Verge (XVG) — mostly lagged or declined; Monero recently reclaimed the largest privacy-coin market-cap spot (~$7.6B vs. ZEC’s ~$7.2B). Earlier coverage noted ZEC’s prior rallies (15–23% weekly and medium-term gains) and technical resistance near $487, with a sustained break potentially targeting above $600. Taken together, the latest reporting shows ZEC remains volatile and driven by institutional catalysts, but sector-wide momentum has not consistently broadened — suggesting any further upside depends on follow-through from institutional flows and clearing technical resistance levels. Traders should watch volatility, volume, resistance at $487–$600, and relative strength versus competing privacy coins for short-term setups and risk management.

Bitcoin World has changed its weekend publishing schedule: from Saturday 15:00 UTC until Sunday 22:00 UTC the newsroom will operate in a limited mode and publish only major, market‑moving events (for example: large price swings in top assets, regulatory announcements, exchange outages, major security incidents or significant protocol upgrades). Full real‑time coverage and routine reporting resume at Sunday 22:00 UTC. The outlet says the move is intended to reduce reporter fatigue and improve EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), favouring deeper, better‑vetted analysis when full service returns. Archives and site access remain available 24/7; non‑critical updates during the limited window may be delayed. Practical guidance for traders: review Friday summaries before the coverage window, set alerts for breaking news (these will still be issued), and expect more comprehensive analyses after full service resumes.