Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Zcash (ZEC) has regained market attention after a dramatic six-month rally that delivered over 1,000% gains, but recent price action shows mixed signals. Short-term trading range is roughly $390–$480 with resistance near $510–$520 and immediate support in the mid-$300s (around $313). ZEC briefly reached highs in November before correcting into early December and has since rebounded; trading volumes remain elevated. Technicals are ambiguous: the 10-day moving average sits above the 100-day, suggesting a nascent uptrend, yet ZEC has declined about 13% month-over-month while posting near 15% weekly gains. A decisive break above $510 could target roughly $600 (≈20% above recent highs) and open bullish scenarios cited by analysts, while failure to clear resistance would keep bears in control and risk deeper pullbacks toward the mid-$300s. Broader factors — stability in BTC, ETH, SOL and other majors, sector-wide weakness among privacy coins, and renewed institutional focus on privacy infrastructure — will influence ZEC’s path. Traders should watch price action around $510 resistance, mid-$300s support (notable prior low ~$313), volume, and short- and long-term moving averages to time entries and manage risk. This summary is informational and not investment advice.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is set to finish December 2025 in negative territory after losing roughly 14–14.5% so far this month. SHIB opened December near $0.000008385 and trades around $0.00000720–$0.00000717, requiring about a 16–17% rally to close the month positive near $0.0000084. December has historically been weak for SHIB (notable moves: −29.5% in Dec 2021, −13.5% in Dec 2022, +24.6% in Dec 2023, −21% in Dec 2024). Trading volumes remain muted for dollar value — under $100m — with one report showing a 13% 24‑hour uptick while another noted a 10% drop, reflecting light and inconsistent holiday liquidity. Market drivers cited include shortened trading hours, reduced retail participation, and defensive positioning around year‑end, which can amplify downside on thin volumes. Analysts flag potential upside from a Santa Claus Rally (last five trading days of the year plus first two of the new year) that could push SHIB toward near resistances at about $0.00000765, $0.00000843 and $0.00001125; failure to attract end‑of‑year flows would likely leave support near the $0.000007 range. Traders should watch end‑of‑year flows, volume contraction, and short‑term momentum for signals on whether SHIB avoids closing December in the red. This information is for market awareness and not financial advice.

Recent five-year data analysis shows Bitcoin (BTC) has limited trading activity and weak structural support in the $70,000–$80,000 range. Investing.com’s session-counting of CME futures open prices (weekstarts, weekends excluded) reports BTC logged just 28 trading days between $70k–$79,999 and 49 days between $80k–$89,999 — far fewer than the nearly 200 days seen in lower bands such as $30k–$49,999. CME futures data indicate stronger price memory and consolidation around $30k–$50k and $50k–$70k, while the $70k–$80k band remains one of the least engaged. Glassnode’s UTXO Realized Price Distribution (URPD) corroborates sparse supply clustering in the $70k–$80k zone, suggesting few holders realize cost-basis there. Together, these on-chain and futures measures imply the $70k–$80k level lacks built-in demand and could be vulnerable to sharper moves if BTC retests it. For traders: low session-counts and weak URPD clustering signal higher short-term volatility and limited liquidity in that band; a sustainable re-test would likely require renewed on-chain accumulation or concentrated trading activity to build support. Keywords: Bitcoin, BTC, price support, CME futures, Glassnode URPD, UTXO, consolidation, volatility.

Quantum computing advances in 2026 — including milestones like Microsoft’s Majorana 1 — have accelerated research and investment but do not pose an imminent threat to Bitcoin or major blockchains. Cryptography experts say practical quantum attacks that can run Shor’s algorithm at scale against ECDSA remain years to a decade or more away because they require millions of low-error qubits, long coherence times and material and fabrication breakthroughs. The primary near-term risk is archival: adversaries are already collecting on-chain public keys and encrypted data today to decrypt later once quantum capability matures (“store now, decrypt later”). Analysts estimate roughly 25–30% of BTC (about 4 million BTC) is held in addresses exposing public keys, increasing potential vulnerability. ECDSA digital signatures are the weakest link; SHA-256 hashing is comparatively more resilient to quantum attacks. Recommended actions for traders and holders: avoid address reuse, keep public keys hidden until spending, and prepare to migrate to post-quantum wallets and signature schemes when viable. Industry responses include proposals for quantum-resistant signatures, vendor products offering quantum-grade randomness and post-quantum encryption for hot wallets (e.g., Qastle), and regulatory attention from bodies like the US SEC. Market impact is limited in the short term — the narrative is shifting from ‘if’ to ‘when,’ making wallet hygiene and strategic planning for post-quantum migration important for long-term risk management.

Onchain analytics provider OnchainLenz reported that a wallet labelled to QCP Capital moved 400 BTC (≈ $35.7M) and 200 ETH (≈ $597K) — roughly $36.3 million — into Binance. Large deposits to a major centralized exchange often increase sell-side liquidity and can presage short-term selling pressure, though such flows can also reflect custodial transfers, collateral posting, OTC settlement or portfolio rebalancing. Traders should treat this as a data point: monitor follow-up on-chain activity (withdrawals back to cold storage or onward transfers), Binance order-book and funding-rate changes, and broader macro and technical signals before taking positions. The transfer underscores institutional activity and tests market depth for BTC and ETH; if Binance absorbs the inflow without major slippage, it indicates demand resilience, whereas aggressive execution into the order book could produce short-term downside.

The pieces argue that narratives (political events, regulation, institutional interest) spark volatility, but measurable capital flows and liquidity determine whether Bitcoin trends persist. After the 2024 U.S. election BTC rallied ~56% alongside a spike in futures open interest, yet weak spot demand prevented a durable uptrend. Spot BTC ETFs were a primary, quantifiable catalyst — roughly $35bn net inflows in 2024 and $22bn in 2025 — with price moves closely tracking ETF flow pace; momentum faded when inflows slowed or turned negative. Stablecoin inflows to exchanges, used as a proxy for deployable buying power, fell about 50% from recent highs, reducing market capacity to sustain narrative-driven rallies. On-chain metrics (realized profit-taking by long-term holders >$1bn/day on 7-day avg in July) show significant selling pressure, while higher real yields and shifts toward defensive assets (BTC/gold ratio decline) increase Bitcoin’s opportunity cost. Conclusion for traders: watch spot ETF flows, exchange stablecoin balances, futures open interest and realized selling — narratives can trigger moves, but sustainable rallies require persistent spot-led demand and ample liquidity. No investment advice.

Prediction markets are moving toward the crypto mainstream as major exchanges and institutions increase investment and operational involvement. Coinbase is acquiring on‑chain prediction startup The Clearing Company (deal expected to close in January), reinforcing its push into regulated prediction markets, tokenized assets and equities. Crypto.com is hiring quantitative traders to staff an internal market‑making desk that will buy and sell prediction contracts alongside external traders; the move aims to boost liquidity but raises questions about market structure, fairness and potential conflicts despite the firm’s claim that internal traders follow the same rules as outside participants. Bloomberg reports that JPMorgan is exploring crypto trading services for institutional clients, signalling deeper traditional‑finance integration and potential new liquidity sources. Separately, DWF Labs completed a 25 kg physical gold settlement as part of diversifying into real‑world commodities and hedging exposure. For traders: expect greater liquidity and product diversity in prediction markets and potential shifts in pricing as centralized market‑making ramps up. Monitor company disclosures on internal market‑making rules, Coinbase’s integration plans and any JPMorgan product announcements — plus regulatory and tax developments — which could affect market fairness, flows and volatility.

BTC perpetual futures long/short ratios across major exchanges show a market near equilibrium with a modest short-side bias. Aggregate 24‑hour figures read roughly 49–50% long vs. 50–51% short (latest combined reading ~49.34% long / 50.66% short). Exchange-level breakdowns are close to balanced: Binance ~48.9% long / 51.0% short, OKX ~49.95% long / 50.05% short, Bybit ~48.7% long / 51.3% short. The indicator, which reflects the percentage of long vs. short perpetual positions, points to fragmented sentiment and likely range-bound or consolidating price action rather than a decisive directional trend. Traders should monitor shifts in the long/short ratio alongside funding rates, open interest and price/volume action to spot momentum opportunities or crowded-trade risks. Extreme readings can serve as contrarian signals—heavy long positioning can precede long squeezes and corrections, while heavy shorting can fuel short squeezes and bounces. The metric mainly captures leveraged, short-term participants and can be skewed by large players, so it should be used as a real-time sentiment tool combined with technical and on-chain analysis rather than a standalone predictor.

Trust Wallet’s browser extension (v2.68) was compromised after a malicious update was published to the Chrome Web Store, allowing attackers to drain users’ crypto. Security firm PeckShield revised estimated losses from $2.8M to roughly $6–7M. The exploit affected BTC, Ethereum-compatible chains and Solana; about $2.8M remains in attacker-controlled addresses while most stolen funds were moved toward centralized exchanges (notably ChangeNOW, KuCoin and FixedFloat). Trust Wallet issued a patched extension (v2.69) and warned desktop users not to open the extension to avoid triggering the exploit. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) said funds are "SAFU" and Binance will use its treasury to reimburse victims. Investigations are focusing on how a malicious extension update passed publishing controls — a likely release-pipeline or insider compromise. Trader actions: update or remove the Trust Wallet browser extension immediately; avoid interacting with suspected attacker addresses; monitor inflows to centralized exchanges for potential cash-outs. Binance’s reimbursement plan may reduce immediate sell pressure, but ongoing forensic/legal actions and funds routing to exchanges create short-term volatility risk. Keywords: Trust Wallet, browser extension hack, Binance, wallet security, reimbursement.

Layer‑1 token prices posted sharp declines across 2025 even as on‑chain fundamentals showed resilience. Major year‑over‑year losses included TON (-73.8%), AVAX (-67.9%), SUI (-67.3%), SOL (-35.9%) and ETH (~-15.3%); BNB (+18.2%) and TRX (+9.8%) were among the few gainers. Token Terminal data highlighted divergent economic metrics: Tron led annual network revenue (~$3.5B), well ahead of Ethereum (~$305.3M) and Solana (~$206.8M). Fee generation was highest on Solana (~$699.9M), followed by Ethereum (~$549.3M) and BNB Chain (~$260.3M). Monthly active addresses remained elevated—BNB Chain (~59.8M), Solana (~39.8M), NEAR (~38.7M), Sei (~10.6M), Bitcoin (~10.3M) and Ethereum (~9.3M)—indicating sustained user activity despite price corrections. The reporting frames 2025 losses as market repricing and fading speculative premiums after October highs rather than structural failure: capital and activity are concentrating on economically productive chains. For traders, the key takeaway is that on‑chain metrics (revenue, fees, active addresses) can diverge from token prices and serve as indicators of relative value and resilience during risk‑off periods. Monitor Token Terminal and similar on‑chain dashboards to spot networks with real usage that may act as relative refuges or outperformers as markets transition into 2026.

Analyst Ben Cowen says Ethereum (ETH) is unlikely to make a new all-time high in 2026 unless Bitcoin (BTC) exits any bear market — ETH remains tightly correlated with BTC cycles. Cowen warns a rapid move toward ETH’s prior peak of $4,878 could be a bull trap that reverses sharply toward the $2,000 support area, exposing late buyers to losses. He also noted Ethereum is the only altcoin he considers capable of reclaiming its ATH eventually, while many smaller altcoins have “exhausted their momentum.” Other market voices cited broader downside risk for BTC and ETH: trader Peter Brandt projected BTC could fall to $60,000 by Q3 2026, and Fundstrat flagged a potential 2026 drawdown that could push ETH to $1,800–$2,000. Actionable takeaways for traders: monitor Bitcoin’s market phase closely; treat any swift ETH approach to $4,878 as a potential sell, hedge, or high-risk short opportunity; consider accumulating near $2,000 if you trust ETH’s fundamentals and dollar-cost averaging; avoid chasing smaller altcoins that lack momentum. Keywords: Ethereum, ETH, Bitcoin, BTC, all-time high, bull trap, $4,878, $2,000, altcoins.

Gold and silver reached fresh all-time highs in 2025 as a softer dollar, rising expectations for 2026 Fed rate cuts, increased geopolitical risk, and heavy central bank and retail buying drove safe-haven flows. Silver’s rally was amplified by extraordinary industrial demand from photovoltaics and electronics and tight supply, producing a macro-plus-industrial bid. Platinum and palladium also advanced. By contrast, Bitcoin traded rangebound and underperformed: year-to-date down modestly and roughly 30% below its October peak as investors rotated into lower‑risk assets. Crypto behaved like a high‑beta risk asset, correlating with equities and relying on speculative demand and ETF flows rather than industrial or physical demand. Analysts say Bitcoin needs clearer regulation, renewed institutional allocation, or macro scenarios that highlight on‑chain censorship resistance and programmability to regain momentum. For traders, monitor crypto ETF flows and regulatory signals, Fed guidance and dollar strength, and industrial demand indicators for silver; these will drive relative performance between hard assets and Bitcoin in the short term. If rate cuts and liquidity improvement materialize and risk appetite returns, crypto could follow; until then capital may favor precious metals.

A rapid BTC short squeeze over 24 hours forced roughly $116 million in crypto futures liquidations, with Bitcoin at the epicenter. BTC accounted for about $75.7M of the total, of which 75.95% were short positions, confirming a dominant short-squeeze driver that forced short-covering and amplified intraday volatility. Ethereum saw roughly $29.7M liquidated, with 52.48% longs—indicating mixed or corrective moves rather than a pure short squeeze for ETH. Solana recorded about $10.8M liquidations, 82.5% from longs, suggesting disappointed bullish bets and forced long exits. Earlier reports cited a slightly different distribution ($116M vs $112M total and different BTC/ETH splits), but both accounts agree the cascade removed high-leverage positions and heightened short-term volatility. Traders should note the event highlights leverage risk, low liquidity vulnerability, and funding-rate dynamics; recommended risk management includes sensible leverage, disciplined stop-losses (accounting for slippage), position diversification, and monitoring aggregate liquidation and funding-rate metrics across exchanges. Key keywords: BTC short squeeze, futures liquidations, crypto volatility, leverage risk.

XRP has seen sustained, controlled outflows from Binance this month, pushing Binance’s XRP reserves down to about 2.66 billion — the lowest level this year. On-chain analytics (CryptoQuant) and market observers (Stellar Rippler) indicate these flows are deliberate withdrawals to off-exchange custody rather than retail panic selling, which would normally show as sudden exchange deposits. Concurrently, spot XRP ETFs continue to register net inflows, signaling steady institutional demand even as liquidity leaves other crypto assets. Price has traded weakly around $1.80–$1.95 and repeatedly failed to hold above $2.00. For traders, the key takeaways are: (1) shrinking exchange reserves reduce immediate sell-side liquidity and can amplify price moves if demand returns; (2) persistent ETF inflows point to structural institutional accumulation beneath the surface; and (3) short-term price may remain muted, so monitor Binance and other exchange reserve metrics alongside ETF flows to anticipate potential volatility. Primary keywords: XRP, exchange reserves, Binance, XRP ETF, ETF inflows, on-chain analytics.

Binance has listed KGST, a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the Kyrgyz som, after Kyrgyzstan advanced several state-led crypto initiatives. President Sadyr Japarov announced the listing and said KGST will facilitate cross-border payments, increase digital use of the som and attract international business. The token will launch on BNB Chain, with Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) — who began advising Kyrgyz authorities in April — calling KGST the first nation-backed stablecoin on BNB Chain and suggesting more sovereign stablecoins may follow. Kyrgyzstan has also moved to create a national crypto reserve, passed crypto legislation, and released USDKG, a dollar-pegged stablecoin reportedly backed by physical gold (initial supply 50 million on TRON, with plans to expand to Ethereum). The development is presented as part of a broader global trend of fiat-backed and nation‑linked stablecoins (examples cited include projects in Japan, the EU and the UAE). Market context: global stablecoin market capitalization is noted at roughly $308.9 billion (source: DefiLlama). For traders: watch KGST issuance, circulating supply and reserve backing transparency, potential on-chain liquidity on BNB Chain, and any parity pressures vs. the Kyrgyz som — these factors will determine short-term price stability and market acceptance.

Hyper Foundation said a community validator governance vote has confirmed that HYPE tokens held in the aid-fund address 0xfefef…fefe are permanently burned. The proposal passed with 85% support, 7% opposed and 8% abstaining, and the foundation clarified the Assistance Fund balance is inaccessible and irrecoverable. No token amount or USD value was disclosed. The governance-backed burn removes the specified HYPE from both circulating and total supply metrics, improving supply transparency. For traders, this could tighten the token float and affect short-term liquidity and market sentiment; the change is primarily a supply-side update that may support bullish sentiment if market demand holds. Keywords: HYPE token, token burn, governance vote, supply update, circulating supply.

Vitalik Buterin said xAI’s chatbot Grok is a “net improvement” for X’s information ecosystem despite frequent errors and hallucinations. He argued Grok’s tendency to push back on biased or extreme prompts can reduce echo‑chamber amplification of conspiracies and polarized content on the X platform. Buterin frames his view with a “net improvement” lens, valuing changes to platform truthfulness over absolute model accuracy. Critics and technologists warn Grok has produced fabricated content (for example, a false Bondi Beach shooting clip) and can show pro‑Musk or other fine‑tuning biases; they caution that concentrating powerful models at a single company risks institutionalizing bias and creating authoritative‑seeming but incorrect narratives. Buterin did not endorse centralization; he suggested Grok’s unpredictable, sometimes oppositional outputs can unintentionally counter single‑script political messaging. The debate underscores broader industry tensions between “imperfect honesty” and “safe, sanitized” AI as information warfare and platform moderation pressures intensify through 2026. For traders: monitor X’s information dynamics and sentiment flows — Grok’s behavior may change how political and crypto narratives spread on X, affecting short‑term sentiment and volatility more than long‑term crypto fundamentals.

China’s Guangzhou Futures Exchange (GFEX) will impose limits on new daily openings and raise minimum opening sizes for select platinum and palladium futures (PT2606, PT2608, PT2610, PT2612 and PD2606, PD2608, PD2610, PD2612), effective December 29, 2025. The measures — a cap on daily new openings for non‑futures firms (300 lots) and an increase of minimum opening size from one lot to two — respond to extreme price volatility and persistent onshore premiums versus London and COMEX. Platinum rallied to about $2,377.50 before retreating to ~$2,220 (roughly +145% YTD) and palladium reached three‑year highs near $1,684 (~+85% YTD). The move follows chaotic silver trading in China (Shanghai silver briefly near $80/oz; global spot ~ $72/oz) and stress in China’s UBS SDIC Silver Futures Fund, which hit its 10% daily loss limit after earlier huge gains amid delivery shortages. For traders: expect elevated volatility around Dec 29, potential liquidity squeezes in onshore metals markets, wider Shanghai–COMEX spreads, and knock‑on effects for commodity‑linked derivatives and crypto products that track metals or use them as collateral. Monitor GFEX notices for exact position caps and settlement/delivery rules, watch onshore vs international price dislocations, and adjust short‑term risk management, leverage and position sizing accordingly.

Bitcoin whale transfers and continued spot ETF outflows raised short-term caution on December 25. Onchain Lens reported BlackRock deposited 2,292 BTC (~$199.8M) to Coinbase while an eight‑year dormant wallet moved 400 BTC (~$34.9M) to OKX — roughly $234M of BTC headed to exchanges. SoSoValue recorded five straight days of net outflows from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, signaling weakening institutional demand amid price consolidation around $87,700. Exchange metrics show BTC price slipped ~0.35% and open interest fell ~0.99% to $57.42B, indicating modest deleveraging. CoinGlass flagged leverage clusters with approximately $646M of longs concentrated near $85,966 and $422M of shorts near $88,636, creating localized squeeze risk. Key technical levels: $86,000 support and $93,500 resistance; a daily close below $86,000 could trigger deeper corrections, while a decisive breakout above $93,500 would favor further upside. Traders should monitor exchange inflows (notably BlackRock and dormant-wallet deposits), ETF flow reports, open interest shifts and leverage concentrations for potential short-term volatility and directional cues.

Trust Wallet has confirmed a security vulnerability in its browser extension build v2.68 and advised users to immediately disable the extension and update to v2.69 from the official Chrome Web Store. The issue is reported to affect only the 2.68 browser extension; mobile apps and other extension versions are not impacted. Social-media on-chain observers flagged rapid automated fund drains, suspicious outflows, hidden code in a recent update, and patterns consistent with automated exploitation or a supply‑chain attack. Trust Wallet’s engineering team is investigating but has not yet released full technical details or an affected-wallet count. Recommended actions for traders and users: disable the vulnerable extension, revoke token approvals, move assets to new wallets, avoid connecting to dApps, and only install the fixed v2.69 from the official Chrome Web Store. Traders should monitor on‑chain activity for addresses tied to the exploit and watch official Trust Wallet updates for scope and remediation details.

Caroline Pham, former Acting Chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has joined fiat-to-crypto on-ramp MoonPay as Chief Legal Officer and COO-level regulatory lead. Pham is credited with cutting duplicative compliance burdens at the CFTC and has warned that 2026 will be decisive for U.S. market-structure rulemaking. MoonPay processes fiat-to-crypto conversions for assets including XRP and Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin. Pham’s appointment brings high-level regulatory experience into a major payments on-ramp, likely improving MoonPay’s ability to anticipate rulemaking, shape compliant institutional access, and strengthen government relations and compliance programs. The reporting frames this as a structural infrastructure development rather than a short-term price catalyst; improved regulatory alignment and stronger compliant rails may favor assets designed for regulated financial use — notably XRP. No price targets or transaction figures were disclosed. Disclaimer: not financial advice.

Short sellers increased positions as Bitcoin faced intensified selling into late 2025 after a 23% Q4 drop. On-chain and derivatives metrics show bearish dominance: the Taker Buy/Sell Ratio fell to multi-month lows, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded consecutive net outflows since Dec. 18, and CME Bitcoin futures open interest slipped below $10 billion — the weakest since Sept. 2024 — signaling waning institutional exposure. The previously profitable basis trade (buy spot ETF, short CME futures), which once yielded up to ~10%, has seen yields compress to about ~5%, reducing its appeal to hedge funds and contributing to reduced ETF demand. Options and derivatives positioning shows concentrated downside hedges near $85,000 and upside interest around $88,000–$90,000. CoinGlass data indicates roughly $3 billion of leveraged short liquidations could be triggered if BTC reclaims about $90,600, while leveraged long liquidation clusters sit near $83,900 and $86,100. Analysts warn that absent fresh catalysts — regulatory clarity, macro improvements, or renewed retail inflows — Bitcoin could remain range-bound with a downside bias and may test sub-$80,000 in early 2026. Traders should monitor ETF flows, CME open interest, the taker buy/sell ratio, and key liquidation levels for short-term volatility and potential squeeze scenarios.

Bitcoin slipped below its 50‑week simple moving average (SMA) and failed to reclaim resistance near $90,000, raising downside risk for traders. Analyst Ali Martinez noted that previous breaks of the 50‑week SMA have preceded average drawdowns around 54%, a historical analogue pointing to a potential target near $40,000 if weekly closes remain below the SMA. CryptoQuant on‑chain data and market metrics show weak spot demand: market sentiment sits in “Extreme Fear,” Coinbase Premium is negative, large inflows from whales to exchanges have slowed, and there are increased movements of 7–10‑year‑old coins — patterns historically associated with distribution or trend transitions. Despite record year‑to‑date spot‑BTC ETF inflows, US‑based spot demand appears muted and price reaction has been limited. Separately, Binance experienced a localized liquidity glitch on its BTC/USD1 pair that briefly printed a $24,111 dip before rapid recovery; exchanges and analysts attribute that event to low liquidity on the pair rather than a fundamental market change. Key watchpoints for traders: whether BTC reclaims the 50‑week SMA on weekly closes, shifts in sentiment out of “Extreme Fear,” spot ETF flows and Coinbase Premium trends, and exchange‑specific liquidity anomalies that can create temporary price dislocations. Overall, the combined technical and on‑chain signals warrant a cautious to bearish near‑term outlook until clear demand recovery is visible.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said ADA holders do not need to sell ADA to gain exposure to Midnight Network’s NIGHT token, calling the projects complementary. Speaking on the Discover Crypto podcast in December 2025, Hoskinson described Midnight as a privacy-first smart contract layer for Cardano that uses zero-knowledge proofs to enable confidential dApps — “the ChatGPT of privacy” — while ADA remains responsible for Cardano staking, governance and consensus. Midnight launched NIGHT as a Cardano native asset via a Glacier Drop (total supply 24 billion): 50% allocated to Cardano wallets, 20% to Bitcoin wallets and the remaining 30% split among Ethereum, Solana, XRP Ledger, BNB Chain, Avalanche, Brave Wallet and one other ecosystem. Midnight’s randomized thaw shows about 4.5 billion NIGHT (19% of supply) claimed by 170,000+ wallets; claimed tokens unlock over 360 days in quarterly releases to avoid simultaneous cross-chain unlocks. Hoskinson said Midnight provides optional privacy tooling and developer infrastructure that should complement ADA-led growth and help attract cross-chain liquidity (including Bitcoin DeFi) to ecosystems that offer yield, credit markets and real-world utility. For traders: the announcement clarifies that NIGHT is positioned as complementary rather than competitive to ADA, highlights a substantial airdrop distribution and staged unlock schedule that may affect NIGHT’s sell pressure, and signals potential cross-chain flows into Cardano-linked products without forcing ADA holders to divest.

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.

Bitcoin (BTC) is consolidating around $86,400–$88,000 (near $87.5K) amid thin holiday liquidity and cooling institutional participation. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded notable net outflows — about $189M on Dec. 23 and $175.29M on Dec. 24 — marking multiple consecutive withdrawal days and weighing on sentiment despite cumulative ETF inflows for the year. Technical indicators show fading bullish momentum: RSI has dipped below 50 and MACD lines are converging, increasing the risk of downside if buying interest does not return. Key intra-day levels for traders: support at $86,400–$86,700 (break could lead to $85,500 then $84,000–$82,000 or a deeper test of $80,000) and resistance at $89,000–$90,000 (a decisive close above could target $93,000–$94,000). Market factors pressuring BTC include ETF outflows, reduced market-maker activity and a temporary decoupling from gold’s rally. Trading action to watch: ETF flow updates, volume and market-maker liquidity, RSI/MACD shifts, and price reaction at $86.4K support and $89–90K resistance. Overall outlook: neutral-to-cautiously bullish while support holds, but sustained ETF outflows create meaningful near-term downside risk.

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.

Bitcoin (BTC) briefly surpassed the $88,000 level on OKX, trading around $88,018.60 and recording a daily gain of about 1.12% on December 25, according to PANews. An earlier note recorded a similar intraday high near $88,008.70 with a 0.64% intraday rise. Both reports are short market updates and explicitly do not constitute investment advice. Neither article cited on-chain indicators, trading volumes, broader market drivers or other tokens/events. For traders, the move represents a short-term bullish uptick in BTC price but lacks accompanying data to assess momentum or conviction.

Digitap is marketing an omni-banking app that prioritises stablecoins for everyday spending and is running an active $TAP token presale. The live iOS/Android app offers fiat and stablecoin wallets, a Visa-backed card, merchant tools (auto-conversion), tiered KYC (including a No-KYC wallet), and planned faster settlement over SEPA and SWIFT. The presale has sold roughly 155–156 million TAP and raised about $2.8–$3.0 million; current presale price is $0.0383, next step $0.0399, with a confirmed listing price targeted at $0.14. Tokenomics cite a fixed supply, staking rewards (advertised up to 124% APY), and 50% of platform profits earmarked for buybacks and burns. A time-limited “12 Days of Christmas” campaign offers staged bonuses and account upgrades to sustain momentum during the sale. The project frames itself as a utility-first play amid tighter liquidity and falling risk appetite, comparing early-stage conditions to historical opportunities (the article references Solana when SOL traded near $10). Note: this is paid promotional content and not investment advice.