CARF Tax Rules Go Live on Jan. 1: What Crypto Users and Exchanges Need to Know
On January 1 2026 the OECD’s Crypto‑Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) will become operational in 48 jurisdictions, including the UK and EU. The rule obliges crypto exchanges to collect detailed tax‑residency data, verify customer information and annually report balances and transactions to domestic tax authorities, which will then exchange the data internationally. For exchanges this means overhauling KYC, AML and reporting systems, while retail investors face a sharp rise in audit risk as tax agencies receive machine‑readable exchange data. Early compliance can become a competitive differentiator, whereas delays may trigger regulatory and reputational fallout.
How the UK Plans to Regulate Crypto Like Traditional Finance
The United Kingdom will bring cryptocurrency activities under its core financial services regime by October 2027, replacing the current AML‑focused approach with a full licensing framework. The Financial Conduct Authority has opened three consultation papers that outline operational, transparency and prudential...
Binance Confirms Visa, Mastercard Withdrawal Pause for Ukrainian Users
Binance announced a temporary suspension of card‑based withdrawals for Ukrainian users, effective Dec 30 2025, after its fiat partner Bifinity ceased operations. While outbound Visa and Mastercard transactions are blocked, inbound deposits using the same cards remain available, alongside Apple Pay, Google Pay and...
Unleash Protocol Hit by $3.9 Million Exploit with Funds Routed Through Tornado Cash
Unleash Protocol, an on‑chain intellectual property finance platform, suffered a $3.9 million loss after an attacker exploited its multisignature governance system to upgrade contracts and withdraw assets. The stolen funds, including WIP, USDC, WETH, stIP and vIP, were bridged to Ethereum...
Long-Term Holders Turn Net Accumulators, Easing a Major Bitcoin Headwind
Long‑term Bitcoin holders (LTHs) have shifted back into net accumulation, adding roughly 33,000 BTC over the past 30 days—the first positive net change since July. Despite this, LTHs sold more than 1 million BTC during the 36 % correction that began in...
$11B Bitcoin Whale Sells $330M ETH, Opens Massive $748M Longs in Top Cryptos
An $11 billion Bitcoin whale liquidated $330 million of Ether and immediately opened leveraged long positions totaling $748 million across Bitcoin, Ether and Solana. The biggest bet is a $598 million ETH long entered at $3,147, which would liquidate if ETH falls below $2,143....
Traders Split over Whether Lighter’s LIT Clears $3 Billion FDV After Launch
Lighter’s governance token LIT has not yet opened for public trading, yet pre‑market activity places it near $3.20, implying a fully diluted valuation (FDV) above $3 billion. Traders are divided, with some arguing the token merits a $2 billion FDV while others...
Institutions Are Increasingly Using the Bitcoin Options Playbook for Altcoins: STS Digital
Institutions are now transplanting Bitcoin options strategies onto altcoins, according to STS Digital, a principal digital‑asset derivatives dealer. By writing covered calls, selling puts and buying calls, they aim to hedge volatility and capture additional premium income. STS Digital reports...
Bitcoin Long-Term Hodlers Finally Halt Selloff as ETH Whales Accumulate
Long‑term Bitcoin holders have halted sell‑offs for the first time since July, trimming their combined holdings from 14.8 million to 14.3 million coins. At the same time, Ether whales have accumulated roughly 120,000 ETH over the past week, pushing the concentration of large...
Iranian Protests over Currency Collapse Show Why Bitcoin's Needed: Bitwise CEO
Protests erupted in Tehran as the rial fell to a record low of about 1.4 million per US dollar, erasing over 40% of purchasing power since June’s war with Israel. Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley argued Bitcoin offers a hedge against such...
Fake Coinbase Support Scammer Allegedly Stole $2M From Users
A self‑styled Coinbase support agent allegedly stole more than $2 million in cryptocurrency by impersonating the exchange’s help desk. Blockchain analyst ZachXBT used Telegram screenshots, social‑media posts and on‑chain tracing to identify the Canadian fraudster and expose his tactics. The scam...
Tech Giant to Launch Crypto Wallet, Fintech L1s Will Bomb: Dragonfly Exec.
Dragonfly managing partner Haseeb Qureshi predicts a major tech firm will launch or acquire a crypto wallet in 2026, while more Fortune 100 companies will roll out private blockchains linked to public networks. He warns fintech‑built layer‑1 chains will struggle to...
Crypto Coin Minute for December 30th, 2025 at 05:15 AM Pacific Time.
Crypto Coin Minute reported Bitcoin trading at $87,830.68, up 0.63% in 24 hours, with Ethereum, Binance Coin, XRP and Solana showing modest gains. Bitwise CEO highlighted Bitcoin’s role as a safeguard amid Iranian protests over a collapsing currency. In Washington,...
Onchain Perpetual Futures Drive Surge in Crypto Derivatives Activity
Crypto derivatives activity surged in 2025, with on‑chain perpetual futures exceeding $1 trillion monthly volume. Decentralized exchanges like Aster, Hyperliquid, and Lighter drove the growth, capitalizing on high leverage amid a weak altcoin season. Hyperliquid recorded $319 billion in July, while Aster...
As Democrats Gain in Odds to Take U.S. House, Waters Bashes SEC Chair on Crypto
Maxine Waters, the leading Democrat likely to chair the House Financial Services Committee if Democrats secure a House majority, has publicly rebuked SEC Chair Paul Atkins for terminating high‑profile crypto enforcement actions. In a letter to the committee’s Republican chair,...
South Korean Lawmaker Faces Scrutiny over Family Ties to Crypto Exchange: Report
South Korean Democratic Party floor leader Kim Byung‑kee is under investigation after reports claim he pressured Upbit’s operator Dunamu while seeking a job for his son at rival Bithumb. The alleged actions raise conflict‑of‑interest concerns, given Kim’s role on the...
Strategy’s Latest 2025 Bitcoin Purchase Caps Active Year of Accumulation
Strategy announced a December 2025 purchase of 1,229 Bitcoin for $108.8 million, bringing its total treasury to 672,497 BTC at an average cost of $74,997 per coin. The acquisition was financed through at‑the‑market sales of over 660,000 Class A shares. Over the...
Why Luke Gromen Is Fading Bitcoin While Staying Bullish on Debasement
Luke Gromen, a global‑macro analyst, maintains his long‑term debasement thesis but now advises fading Bitcoin exposure in the short term. He warns that Bitcoin could slip toward $40,000 by 2026 as it underperforms gold and breaches key technical levels. Gromen...
BlackRock's BUIDL Hits $100M in Payouts, Showing Tokenized Finance at Scale
BlackRock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) has paid out $100 million in cumulative dividends since its March 2024 launch, marking the first large‑scale tokenized money‑market vehicle. Originally issued on Ethereum, the fund now operates on six additional blockchains and has managed...
Aptos' APT Delines on Below Average Volume
Aptos (APT) slipped 1.7% to $1.70, underperforming the broader crypto market as the CoinDesk 20 index fell 0.7%. Trading volume over the past 24 hours was 16% below the 30‑day average, indicating weak institutional conviction. The token now trades within...
Zcash Price Has 'First Stop' At $1K: Arthur Hayes
Former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes predicts Zcash could reach its first major resistance around $1,000, reigniting interest in privacy‑focused cryptocurrencies. Since Hayes’ December 19 endorsement, ZEC has rallied roughly 40%, climbing to about $550 and extending an 82% recovery from...
Crypto Winter Looms in 2026, but Cantor Sees Institutional Growth and Onchain Shifts
Cantor Fitzgerald warns that Bitcoin is entering a classic four‑year crypto winter, likely testing the $75,000 breakeven level identified by Strategy. The downturn is expected to be less chaotic, driven by institutional balance‑sheet adjustments rather than retail panic. Tokenized real‑world...
Bitmine's Ether Stash Tops 4.1 Million Tokens as Crypto and Cash Holdings Reach $13.2 Billion
Bitmine Immersion Technologies reported crypto, cash and moonshot assets totaling $13.2 billion, anchored by a 4.1 million ETH holding that represents about 3.41% of the network’s circulating supply. The firm now holds the world’s largest publicly owned ether treasury and ranks second...
Polkadot's DOT Dips, with Token Underperforming Wider Crypto Markets
Polkadot’s native token DOT slipped 2% to $1.84 in the past 24 hours, while trading volume rose 7.8% above its seven‑day average. The decline occurred without any clear fundamental catalyst, leaving technical resistance at $1.88 as the primary driver. DOT...
Crypto ETPs Shed $446M over Christmas as Year-End Sentiment Remains Fragile
Crypto exchange‑traded products (ETPs) recorded a net outflow of $446 million last week, extending a cautious trend that began after October’s market correction. Since October 10, total withdrawals have reached $3.2 billion, while year‑to‑date inflows remain around $46.3 billion, indicating a fragile investor sentiment....
Sberbank Issues Russia's First Crypto-Backed Loan to Bitcoin Miner Intelion Data
Sberbank, Russia’s second‑largest bank, issued the country’s first bitcoin‑backed loan to major miner Intelion Data, marking a pilot for crypto‑collateralized financing. The loan, secured with bitcoin mined by Intelion and held in Sberbank’s Rutoken custody platform, was made without disclosing...
Bitcoin Reverses Early Gains, Drops Below $88,000 as Nasdaq Futures Wilt
Bitcoin briefly topped $90,000 before slipping below $88,000, pulling major altcoins lower. The retreat coincided with Nasdaq 100 futures falling about 0.5%, underscoring the crypto‑equity correlation that intensifies during equity downtrends. Global Bitcoin futures open interest dropped to roughly 533,000 BTC, reflecting...
Higher Activity, Lower Fees: Here’s What December’s Onchain Data Shows
December on‑chain data from Nansen shows most major blockchains processed more transactions while fee revenue fell sharply. Ethereum saw a 16% transaction rise with fees down 57%, and Polygon’s volume jumped 82% as fees dropped 47%. The trend stems from...
Bitcoin Whales Have Been the Main Accumulators in the $80,000 Range
Bitcoin whales, defined as wallets holding at least 1,000 BTC, have been the primary buyers since the cryptocurrency slipped to around $80,000 in late November, according to Glassnode data. The 1,000‑10,000 BTC cohort shows an Accumulation Trend Score close to 1, indicating sustained...
Tokenized Silver Volumes Explode as Metal's Price Rises to Record
Tokenized silver trading has surged, with the iShares Silver Trust token on RWA.xyz seeing a 1,200% jump in monthly transfer volume, a 300% rise in holders, and a 40% increase in net asset value. The metal’s price has approached $80...
Digital Yuan Holdings to Earn Interest Under China's New Framework
China's People’s Bank will roll out a new digital‑yuan framework on Jan. 1, 2026, permitting commercial banks to pay interest on e‑CNY balances. The change reclassifies the digital yuan from a cash‑like token to a deposit‑type liability, aligning it with traditional...
XRP and Cardano Need to Prove They're Useful Beyond Just Fans, Mike Novogratz Says
Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz warned that Ripple’s XRP and Cardano’s ADA must prove real utility beyond loyal fan bases as the crypto market shifts toward fundamentals. He noted that despite multi‑billion‑dollar market caps, on‑chain activity for both tokens remains...
ETH Validator Entry Queue Is Suddenly Almost Double the Exit Queue
Ethereum’s validator entry queue has surged to roughly 745,619 ETH, creating a 13‑day wait, while the exit queue fell to about 360,518 ETH with an eight‑day wait. This marks the first flip of entry versus exit queues in six months, occurring after...
Silver’s Wild 6% Price Spike and 10% Plunge Mirrors Crypto Volatility
Silver surged to a new all‑time high of almost $84 on Sunday before plunging more than 10% within an hour, echoing crypto‑style volatility. The spike was driven by strong gold demand and expectations of forthcoming Federal Reserve rate cuts under...
Bitcoin Tops $90,000, Oil Rises as Russia-Ukraine Peace Hopes Falter
Bitcoin surged past $90,000 on Monday, climbing over 2% as optimism for a Russia‑Ukraine peace agreement faded. The rally lifted major altcoins—Ether, XRP and Solana—each gaining roughly 3% or more. In parallel, oil markets reacted to renewed conflict, with WTI...
Bitcoin Helps USD's Reserve Status ‘in a Strange Way’: Coinbase CEO
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says Bitcoin acts as a check on U.S. fiscal policy, pressuring the Federal Reserve to maintain discipline and thereby supporting the dollar’s reserve‑currency status. He warns that unchecked deficit spending and inflation could erode that status,...
Crypto Heavyweights Slam Proposed 5% Wealth Tax in California
A California ballot initiative, the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, proposes a 5% levy on net wealth above $1 billion to fund health‑care and social programs. Crypto executives, including Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley and Kraken co‑founder Jesse Powell, warn the tax will...
Flow Validators Urged to Halt Work After Divisive Blockchain Rollback
deBridge founder Alex Smirnov called on Flow validators to stop processing transactions until the Flow Foundation outlines a remediation plan for users affected by the recent chain rollback. The rollback, which froze the blockchain at block 137,385,824, has left doubled...
Most Crypto Treasuries ‘Will Disappear’ Amid Bleak 2026 Outlook: Execs
Crypto treasury firms, which surged in 2025 as Bitcoin hit record highs, now face a bleak outlook for 2026. Executives Altan Tutar and Ryan Chow warn that most digital‑asset treasury (DAT) companies, especially those focused on altcoins, will disappear as...
Bitcoin Needs a 6.24% Rally to Close 2025 in the Green: Analyst
Bitcoin must rally 6.24% from its current ~$93,374 level to close 2025 in the green, but the yearly candle sits in the red with only three days left. The cryptocurrency fell roughly 30% from its October all‑time high above $125,000...
What if Bitcoin Blocks Signaled the New Year? Creating Universal Bitcoin Time but Trapping Holders in a Tax Nightmare
The article proposes using Bitcoin block height as a universal calendar, dubbing it Universal Bitcoin Time (UBT). It highlights the current network state—hash rate over 1,150 EH/s, difficulty around 148 T, and circulating supply near 19.97 M BTC—as a backdrop for the idea....
BTC Mining Difficulty Records Last Adjustment in 2025, Forecast to Rise in Jan
Bitcoin’s mining difficulty rose to 148.2 trillion in the final 2025 adjustment, marking a new all‑time high. The network’s average block time slipped to 9.95 minutes, prompting a modest upward tweak. A further increase to roughly 149 trillion is projected for the...
Coinbase Claims Arrest in the $355 Million Insider Extortion Scheme that Targeted Nearly 70,000 Customers
Coinbase announced that Indian police arrested a former customer‑support employee suspected of facilitating a $355 million insider extortion scheme that stole data from nearly 70,000 users. The breach, first disclosed in a May 2025 SEC filing, involved bribed support staff accessing...
Ethereum’s 2026 Roadmap Includes This Validator Risk That’s Bigger than You Think
Ethereum’s 2026 roadmap splits into two parallel tracks: the Fusaka upgrade, already live, expands rollup data capacity by raising blob targets up to 48 per block via PeerDAS, while the “Glamsterdam” suite pushes base‑layer throughput through higher gas limits and...
Crypto Coin Minute for December 28th, 2025 at 05:15 AM Pacific Time.
The Crypto Coin Minute notes Bitcoin trading at $87,810 with a modest 0.46% rise, while Ethereum, Binance Coin, XRP, and Solana all posted small gains. Meanwhile, Congress passed landmark crypto legislation that could reshape U.S. digital‑asset regulation in 2025. China...
Asia Is Quietly Building a Counterweight to the Dollar Stablecoin Empire, and the West Isn’t Ready
Asia is rapidly constructing a network of locally‑pegged stablecoins, challenging the U.S. dollar‑centric dominance that has defined the market for a decade. Hong Kong’s May 2025 Stablecoins Ordinance mandates licensing, while South Korea, Japan and Singapore are advancing legal frameworks...
Fed's 'Skinny' Accounts End Operation Chokepoint 2.0 — Senator Lummis
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller unveiled a proposal for "skinny" master accounts that would grant crypto and fintech startups limited access to Fed settlement infrastructure. Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis hailed the plan as a decisive end to Operation Chokepoint 2.0, which...
Emerging Market Economies to Drive RWA Tokenization in 2026: Crypto Exec
Jesse Knutson, Bitfinex’s head of operations, predicts the tokenized real‑world asset (RWA) market will accelerate in 2026, driven primarily by emerging market economies. He argues that tokenization resolves capital‑formation friction by allowing on‑chain financing and bypassing legacy intermediaries. While developed...
How Browser Extensions Expose Crypto to a Fatal Design Flaw the Industry Ignored, Bleeding $713M in 2025
Trust Wallet’s Chrome extension released a malicious version 2.68 in December, siphoning roughly $7 million from hundreds of accounts before a patch was issued. The incident underscores a systemic flaw: browser‑extension wallets act as always‑on hot wallets in a hostile environment,...
JPMorgan Freezes Accounts of Two Stablecoin Startups over Sanctions Concerns: Report
JPMorgan Chase has frozen the bank accounts of two Y Combinator‑backed stablecoin startups, BlindPay and Kontigo, after detecting transactions linked to Venezuela and other U.S. sanctioned jurisdictions. The freezes were executed through Checkbook, JPMorgan’s digital‑payments partner, and were not driven by...