News•Dec 17, 2025
SEC Lawsuit Puts Shima Capital’s Future in Question as Wind-Down Message Surfaces
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Shima Capital and its founder Yida Gao, accusing them of misleading investors while raising nearly $170 million. The complaint alleges Gao exaggerated fund performance, inflating a 2.8× return to a claimed 90×, and concealed a $1.9 million profit from a BitClout token vehicle. Screenshots of an internal email suggest Gao will step down and oversee an orderly wind‑down with independent advisers. Shima Capital, which launched a $200 million debut fund in 2022, now faces uncertainty over its future and portfolio support.
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 17, 2025
Bitcoin Trades Near Key Price Safety Net that Strategy Already Breached
Bitcoin is trading just above its 100‑week simple moving average, a long‑term safety net that has held for three weeks and halted the slide from the $126,000 peak. The cryptocurrency sits near $86,800, a level that could trigger a bullish...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 17, 2025
Bhutan Pledges 10K Bitcoin to Develop Its ‘Mindfulness City’
Bhutan announced it will allocate 10,000 Bitcoin, worth roughly $875 million, to finance the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), a new special administrative region. The city, covering about 10% of the country, is designed to curb youth out‑migration by creating high‑value jobs...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 17, 2025
Saylor’s Bitcoin Stash Will Be Very Hard for Anyone to Match: Pomp
Anthony Pompliano warned that no public company is likely to match Michael Saylor’s Strategy’s Bitcoin accumulation. Strategy now holds 671,268 BTC—about 3.2% of the total supply—valued at roughly $58.6 billion. The firm recently bought 10,645 BTC for $980.3 million, paying $92,098 per...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 17, 2025
SAFE Crypto Act Will Have Scammers Shaking in Their Boots: Crypto Lawyer
U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin and Jerry Moran introduced the Strengthening Agency Frameworks for Enforcement of Cryptocurrency (SAFE) Act, a bipartisan bill designed to unite the Treasury, FinCEN, the Secret Service and other law‑enforcement bodies with private‑sector forensic firms to combat...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 17, 2025
DOGE Exits Range as Selling Pressure Builds at Key Levels
Dogecoin fell 5% after the Federal Reserve cut rates by 25 basis points, breaking the $0.1310 technical support zone. Heavy trading volume of 769.4 million tokens confirmed a bearish distribution rather than a fleeting dip. The breach turns the recent range...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 17, 2025
Aave Founder Outlines 2026 ‘Master Plan’ After End to SEC Probe
Aave founder Stani Kulechov unveiled a 2026 master plan centered on the V4 upgrade, the Horizon real‑world asset market, and a new mobile app after the SEC ended its four‑year probe. V4 will employ a hub‑and‑spoke architecture to unify cross‑chain...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 17, 2025
Crypto ETPs to Enter ‘Cheesecake Factory’ Era in 2026: Bitwise
Bitwise researcher Ryan Rasmussen predicts more than 100 crypto exchange‑traded products will debut in 2026, following the SEC’s October release of generic listing standards that eliminate the lengthy 19(b) approval process. The new framework allows issuers to list spot, index,...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 17, 2025
Bank of Canada Lays Out Criteria for ‘Good Money’ Stablecoins
The Bank of Canada announced that only fiat‑backed, high‑quality stablecoins will receive regulatory approval, targeting a 2026 rollout. Governor Tiff Macklem emphasized a 1:1 peg to central‑bank currencies and backing by liquid assets such as Treasury bills. The framework builds...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 17, 2025
Crypto Coin Minute for December 17th, 2025 at 08:34 AM Pacific Time.
Bitcoin fell 1.84% to $86,222, while major altcoins also slipped. PayPal filed a request with regulators to obtain a banking charter, aiming to expand its financial services amid tighter lending rules. The FTC ordered the operator of the 2022 Nomad...
By Crypto Coin Minute
News•Dec 16, 2025
How Tokenized US Treasuries Are Replacing DeFi’s Foundation
Tokenized US Treasury products have surged to roughly $9 billion across 60 offerings, a five‑fold increase in 18 months. Major asset managers such as BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Circle, and JPMorgan now issue on‑chain Treasury‑backed funds that can be redeemed in stablecoins....
By CryptoSlate
News•Dec 16, 2025
Exodus Joins Stablecoin Race with MoonPay-Backed Digital Dollar
Exodus (EXOD) is launching a fully reserved, USD‑backed stablecoin in partnership with fintech firm MoonPay, with the token slated to go live in January 2026. The stablecoin will be built on M0 infrastructure and will power the upcoming Exodus Pay product, enabling...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Zero-Knowledge Tech Is the Key to Quantum-Proofing Bitcoin
Quantum computing breakthroughs are accelerating, putting the $4 trillion Web3 asset base at risk as Shor's algorithm can break ECDSA signatures used by Bitcoin and Ethereum. Researchers argue that zero‑knowledge (ZK) cryptography, especially zk‑STARKs and lattice‑based proofs, can be built on...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Bitcoin's Massive Underperformance to Stocks in Q4 Bodes Well for January, Says K33's Lunde
Bitcoin hovered around $87,500 on Dec. 16, posting a modest 2% gain over 24 hours while underperforming the S&P 500 by roughly 26% in the fourth quarter. The lag mirrors earlier cycles where a weak quarter precedes a rebound as fund...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
US Senator Sounds Alarm on DeFi, Cites PancakeSwap Amid Market Structure Delay
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the Treasury and Justice Departments demanding disclosure of any investigations into decentralized finance platforms, specifically naming PancakeSwap and Uniswap as potential national‑security threats. She highlighted alleged money‑laundering links to North Korea and...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
3 Reasons Why Trader Demand for XRP Evaporated: Is $1 Next?
Trader demand for XRP has evaporated, with Binance futures taker‑buy volume collapsing by roughly 96% since its July peak. The estimated leverage ratio on the pair has slumped to 0.18, indicating widespread deleveraging across retail, mid‑size and institutional participants. Wallet...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
Marshall Islands Launches World’s First Blockchain-Based UBI on Stellar Blockchain
The Republic of the Marshall Islands has launched the world’s first blockchain‑based universal basic income using the USDM1 sovereign bond on the Stellar network. Developed with the Stellar Development Foundation and Crossmint, the program swaps quarterly cash deliveries for instant...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Gnosis Hard Fork to Recover Balancer Funds Sparks Debate on Immutability
Gnosis Chain will execute a hard fork on Dec 22 to return roughly $9.4 million frozen after the Balancer V2 hack, which siphoned $128 million across multiple chains. The fork requires validator software updates and will penalize nodes that do not follow the...
By The Defiant
News•Dec 16, 2025
How Scammers Target Crypto Users During the Holidays and How to Stay Protected
The holiday season is seeing a surge in crypto‑related scams, as cybercriminals exploit increased online activity, heightened emotions, and festive promotions. Scammers employ phishing emails, fake wallet apps, bogus token presales, romance “pig‑butchering,” and impersonation attacks that have risen sixfold...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
Polkadot Advances as Coinbase Unlocks Integration with USDC Stablecoin
Polkadot (DOT) rose 1.9% to $1.91 after Coinbase announced USDC integration, sparking a technical breakout. Trading volume jumped 17% above the monthly average, with institutional participation three times the norm. The price held above a $1.87‑$1.88 support zone, forming higher...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Solana Enters Brazil’s Main Exchange as Valour Expands Regulated Crypto Access
Valour, a subsidiary of DeFi Technologies, received approval to list a Solana exchange‑traded product (VSOL) on Brazil’s primary stock exchange, B3. The ETP, denominated in Brazilian reais, will track Solana’s price and joins existing Valour offerings for Bitcoin, Ether, XRP...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
U.S. FDIC Proposes First U.S. Stablecoin Rule to Emerge From GENIUS Act
The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has issued its first rule proposal under the GENIUS Act, opening a 60‑day public comment period for a new application process that lets depository institutions launch stablecoin subsidiaries. The rule outlines a 120‑day review...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
CoreWeave Collapse Sparks Fears of Cracks in AI Infrastructure Boom
CoreWeave’s stock has tumbled more than 60% since its June high as investors confront mounting doubts about the AI infrastructure surge. The company’s growth strategy hinges on high‑interest debt to buy NVIDIA GPUs and on a handful of marquee clients...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Brazil to Test Blockchain in State Real Estate Auction to Reduce Fraud, Disputes
Brazil’s Court of Auditors in São Paulo will conduct its first public auction entirely recorded on a blockchain, selling ten warehouses. Every document, from titles to bids, will be timestamped and cryptographically sealed on an undisclosed ledger. The pilot, run by...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Most Influential: Oleg Ogienko
A7A5, a ruble‑pegged stablecoin launched in 2025, emerged from Russia’s sanctions‑tightened financial system and aggressive capital controls. The ruble’s 40% rally against the dollar, driven by policy rather than fundamentals, created demand for a blockchain‑based payment rail that bypasses traditional...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Most Influential: Guy Young
Ethena Labs CEO Guy Young created a new class of digital assets called yieldcoins, merging DeFi infrastructure with traditional finance basis trades. Within two years, Ethena grew to a $15 billion protocol, deploying synthetic dollar USDe and yield‑bearing sUSDe across exchanges...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Bulls Beware — BofA Fund Manager Survey Flashing Contrarian Sell Signal
The Bank of America Global Fund Manager Survey shows professional investors at peak optimism, with cash reserves falling to a record‑low 3.3% and 42% of managers overweighting equities—the highest level since December 2024. Commodities also enjoy strong backing, posting an...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Crypto Asset Manager Bitwise Says Bitcoin Will Break Its Four-Year Cycle in 2026
Bitwise’s chief investment officer Matt Hougan predicts bitcoin will break its historic four‑year halving cycle and reach new all‑time highs in 2026. He argues that the halving’s supply shock, falling interest rates and tighter leverage will be outweighed by institutional...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Number of Crypto Users in the UK Drops Even as Amount Held Increases
The UK Financial Conduct Authority reports that crypto ownership fell from roughly 7 million adults in 2024 to about 4.5 million in 2025, dropping the adult participation rate from 12 % to 8 %. Despite the contraction, the average portfolio value rose to just...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Crypto’s ‘Super App’ Race Is on as Industry Enters Aggregation Era: Report
Crypto platforms are entering an aggregation era where the primary value lies in owning the user relationship rather than the underlying protocol. Exchanges such as Binance, Kraken, Coinbase and OKX are racing to become the default gateway for trading, payments,...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
Solana Under ‘Industrial Scale’ DDoS Attack: Co-Founder Says It’s ‘Bullish’
Solana co‑founder Anatoly Yakovenko announced the network is under a six‑terabit‑per‑second DDoS attack, one of the largest ever recorded for a blockchain. Despite the massive traffic, the network showed little visible latency or slot‑misses, leading Yakovenko to label the assault...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
Filecoin Falls on Above-Average Volume, Drops Below $1.30 Support Amid Wider Slide
Filecoin (FIL) dropped 4.2% to $1.28, briefly sinking to $1.23 before stabilizing. The decline occurred alongside a 185% volume surge, far exceeding its seven‑day average and confirming strong institutional activity. Technical analysis places immediate support between $1.278 and $1.285, with...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Crypto Bank Custodia Files Petition for a Rehearing by All Appellate Judges
Wyoming‑based crypto bank Custodia has filed a petition for an en banc rehearing before the full Tenth Circuit, challenging the October decision that upheld the Federal Reserve’s refusal to grant it a master account. The bank argues the panel gave the...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Spain’s Regulator Sets Out MiCA Transition Rules for Crypto Platforms
Spain’s securities regulator CNMV has published a detailed Q&A that explains how the EU’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets Regulation (MiCA) will be applied locally. The guidance clarifies authorization procedures, notification duties and day‑to‑day conduct for crypto‑asset service providers. Crucially, Spain shortens...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
Visa Brings Circle's USDC Settlement to U.S. Banks Following $3.5 Billion Stablecoin Pilot
Visa is rolling out USDC settlement for U.S. banks, letting issuers and acquirers settle VisaNet obligations with Circle’s dollar‑pegged stablecoin on the Solana blockchain. The pilot program has reached a $3.5 billion annualized run rate, with Cross River Bank and Lead...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
U.S. Bitcoin, Ether ETFs See Largest Outflows Since Nov. 20 as BTC Declines
U.S. spot bitcoin and ether ETFs recorded a combined $582 million net outflow on Monday, the largest since November 20, as Bitcoin fell to $85,100. The outflows were led by Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund ($230.1 million) and the iShares Ethereum Trust ($139.1 million)....
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Alexander Ray, Our Partner Within the CTDG Initiative and a Web3 Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Albus Protocol and JPool, Has Passed...
Alexander Ray, a veteran enterprise engineer turned Web3 entrepreneur, co‑founded Albus Protocol, JPool, and the PointGroup venture studio. He helped build Solana’s liquid‑staking infrastructure, managing over 1.3 million SOL across 170 validators, and created a privacy‑preserving compliance layer for regulated DeFi....
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
KindlyMD Faces Nasdaq Delisting Risk After Failing to Meet Minimum Share Price Levels
KindlyMD, a health‑care and bitcoin‑treasury firm, has been notified by Nasdaq that its share price has stayed below $1 for 30 consecutive trading days, triggering a delisting warning. The company must close above the $1 threshold for ten straight days...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Bitcoin Sharks Stack at the Fastest Pace in 13 Years, with BTC Down 30%
Mid‑size Bitcoin holders, known as sharks, added roughly 54,000 BTC over the past week, pushing their total to about 3.575 million coins. This represents the fastest accumulation rate for this group since 2012, even as Bitcoin trades around $85,000, down 30%...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
Bitcoin's Bearish Turn Deepens as 75 Out of Top 100 Coins Trade Below Key Averages; Nasdaq Resilient
Crypto market breadth has narrowed sharply, with 75 of the top‑100 digital assets trading below both their 50‑day and 200‑day simple moving averages. Bitcoin’s price slipped to $87,000 from a recent $126,000 peak, pulling major coins like Ether, Solana and...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
StraitX to Debut Singapore and U.S. Dollar Stablecoins on Solana for Quick Currency Exchange
StraitX will debut its Singapore‑dollar (XSGD) and U.S.‑dollar (XUSD) stablecoins on the Solana blockchain in early 2026, allowing users to swap SGD and USD instantly on‑chain. The tokens already hold market caps of $13 million and $50 million and have processed over...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Most Crypto Sectors Lagged Bitcoin over Past 3 Months: Glassnode
Glassnode’s on‑chain data shows Bitcoin fell 26 % over the past three months but still outperformed most crypto sectors, which saw steeper declines. Ether dropped 36 %, AI tokens 48 % and memecoins 56 % in the same period. The analysis highlights a capital...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
New React Bug that Can Drain All Your Tokens Is Impacting 'Thousands Of' Websites
A critical remote‑code‑execution flaw in React Server Components, catalogued as CVE‑2025‑55182 and dubbed React2Shell, is being actively exploited. The vulnerability impacts React versions 19.0 through 19.2.0 and any framework that bundles these packages, such as Next.js, putting thousands of websites...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
ARK Steps in as Crypto Stocks Extend Multi-Day Selloff
Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest added roughly $59 million to crypto‑related equities on Monday, buying Coinbase, Bullish, Circle, Bitmine Immersion Technologies and CoreWeave as the sector endured a multi‑day selloff. Prices across the group fell between 6% and 11% during the session,...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
MetaMask Adds Bitcoin Support After Teasing It 10 Months Ago
MetaMask announced native Bitcoin support, allowing users to buy, swap, send, and receive BTC directly within the wallet. The feature arrives ten months after a February tease and joins existing integrations with Ethereum, Solana, Monad and Sei. Bitcoin transactions will...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
Trump to ‘Look Into’ Recently Convicted Samurai Wallet Co-Founder
U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will review the case of Samourai Wallet co‑founder Keonne Rodriguez, signaling a possible pardon. Rodriguez and fellow founder William Lonergan Hill were sentenced in November to five and four years for operating an illegal...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
Japan’s SBI and Startale Plan Regulated Yen Stablecoin in 2026 Under New Framework
Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings and Web3 infrastructure firm Startale have signed an MoU to create a fully regulated yen‑denominated stablecoin, to be issued by Shinsei Trust & Banking and circulated via SBI VC Trade. The token, designed for tokenized...
By Cointelegraph
News•Dec 16, 2025
SBI, Startale to Launch Regulated Yen Stablecoin for Global Settlement
SBI Holdings and Startale Group have signed an MOU to create a fully regulated, yen‑denominated stablecoin for global settlement, with issuance handled by Shinsei Trust & Banking. The token will complement Startale’s USDSC dollar stablecoin and aligns with Japan’s new...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
PayPal, Issuer of PYUSD, Applies for Utah Industrial Bank License
PayPal has filed for a Utah industrial bank license to launch PayPal Bank, a new lending arm that will provide business loans and interest‑bearing savings accounts. The company also applied for FDIC deposit insurance, signaling a move beyond its payments and...
By CoinDesk
News•Dec 16, 2025
Crypto Coin Minute for December 16th, 2025 at 05:15 AM Pacific Time.
Ripple launched a multichain pilot for its RLUSD stablecoin, deploying it on Ethereum layer‑2s and bridging via Wormhole to test cross‑chain liquidity. Spanish and Danish police arrested a crypto‑linked kidnapping gang tied to a Málaga murder, highlighting law‑enforcement focus on...
By Crypto Coin Minute