Most Influential: The Social Media Traders
In 2025 crypto‑focused traders on X (formerly Twitter) turned their personal profit‑and‑loss dashboards into real‑time spectacles, moving billions of dollars through meme tokens and perpetual‑swap DEXs. Pseudonymous figures such as James Wynn amplified a $7,000 PEPE bet into a $25 million windfall before a catastrophic loss erased most of the gains, while Solana’s “Bonk Guy” turned a modest $16,000 stake into eight‑figure paper profits before a $30 million liquidation. Their public trade calls attracted massive retail follow‑on activity, effectively turning Crypto Twitter into a live‑casino platform. The phenomenon earned them spots on CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2025 list.
Most Influential: Sirgoo Lee
Sirgoo Lee announced his resignation as CEO of Upbit in 2025, ending a tenure that saw the exchange capture more than 80% of South Korea’s on‑shore crypto volume. Under his leadership, Upbit instituted robust risk controls, recovering over 94% of...
Most Influential: Cathie Wood
Cathie Wood, CEO of Ark Invest, remains fiercely bullish on crypto, forecasting Bitcoin at $1.2 million by 2030 after trimming a previous $1.5 million target. She cited rapid stablecoin expansion as a factor that could siphon transactional demand from Bitcoin. Ark’s spot...
Most Influential: Arthur Hayes
Arthur Hayes, co‑founder of BitMEX and now CIO of Maelstrom, has shifted from exchange building to macro‑driven investing. He leverages a high‑visibility social media presence to share market theses, blending geopolitical analysis with short‑term calls. Hayes was an early advocate...
Coinbase Taps Chainlink CCIP as Sole Bridge for $7B in Wrapped Tokens Across Chains
Coinbase has appointed Chainlink’s Cross‑Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) as the exclusive bridge for all its Coinbase Wrapped Assets, covering tokens like cbBTC, cbETH, cbDOGE, cbLTC, cbADA and cbXRP. The wrapped assets represent roughly $7 billion in market value, enabling users to...
Most Influential: Shayne Coplan
After a year of federal investigations, Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan cleared all regulatory hurdles and revived his prediction‑market platform. The company is now valued at $9 billion, bolstered by a $2 billion investment from Intercontinental Exchange and partnerships with the UFC, NHL...
Crypto Trading Volumes Deteriorated Across Board Last Month as Market Slumped: JPMorgan
JPMorgan reported that crypto trading volumes slumped across the board in November 2025, with spot activity down roughly 20% and stablecoin turnover falling 26% month‑on‑month. Derivatives and NFT markets also weakened, while U.S. crypto ETFs experienced heavy outflows – $3.4 billion...
Bitcoin Treasuries Stall in Q4, but Largest Holders Keep Stacking Sats
Bitcoin treasury adoption slowed sharply in Q4 2025, with only nine new corporate adopters versus 53 in Q3, bringing the year‑to‑date total to 117 companies. Despite the slowdown, the largest corporate treasuries kept buying, highlighted by Strategy’s $962 million purchase, keeping...
BlackRock’s Move Into Ethereum Staking Signals a Brutal New Fee Regime that Mid-Tier Operators Won’t Survive
BlackRock filed a staking‑enabled Ethereum trust that bundles three distinct risk layers: protocol slashing, a multi‑entity custody lien, and a variable yield structure controlled by the sponsor. The filing proposes staking 70‑90% of the trust’s ETH through vetted providers while...
DYdX Launches Solana Spot Trading, Opens Access to U.S. Users
dYdX announced the launch of its first spot trading product on the Solana blockchain, extending access to U.S. traders for the first time. The move diversifies the exchange beyond its derivatives‑centric legacy and leverages Solana’s low‑cost, high‑speed infrastructure. dYdX highlighted...
Klarna Partners With Privy to Explore Crypto Wallet Use Within Its Ecosystem
Swedish fintech leader Klarna announced a partnership with Privy, a Stripe‑backed wallet infrastructure provider, to develop crypto wallet features for its user base. The collaboration builds on Klarna’s recent launch of KlarnaUSD, a dollar‑pegged stablecoin, and aims to embed crypto...
Mexico’s Central Bank Keeps a ‘Healthy Distance’ From Crypto
Mexico's central bank, Banxico, reaffirmed its cautious stance on digital assets in its year‑end report, pledging to keep a “healthy distance” between virtual assets and the traditional financial system. The bank highlighted legal‑tender status, extreme price volatility, cybersecurity, money‑laundering and...
UK FCA Makes Pound Stablecoin Payments 2026 Priority
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has placed pound‑pegged stablecoin payments at the top of its 2026 growth agenda, fast‑tracking a dedicated regulatory sandbox for prospective issuers. Companies must apply by 18 January 2026 to test their stablecoin solutions under FCA guidance before...
Fifth XRP Spot ETF on the Way After CBOE Approval of 21Shares Application
Cboe BZX has formally certified 21Shares’ XRP spot ETF, ticker TOXR, moving the product one step closer to market launch. The fund becomes the fifth spot‑based XRP ETF to receive exchange approval and will track the CME CF XRP‑Dollar Reference...
Coinbase Opens Solana DEX Access as CeFi and DeFi Converge
Coinbase announced a direct integration with Solana’s decentralized exchange infrastructure, enabling users to trade any Solana‑based token without a traditional listing. The move follows a similar Base‑chain DEX rollout and signals the exchange’s push to broaden on‑ramp access to fast‑growing...
Sky's Keel Starts $500M Investment Campaign to Boost RWAs on Solana
Sky's Keel has launched a $500 million "Tokenization Regatta" to attract real‑world asset (RWA) projects to the Solana blockchain. The program offers direct capital and technical support to issuers of tokenized debt, credit, and funds, and has already drawn interest from...
Marketnode, Lion Global Bring Singapore-Vaulted Gold Fund Onchain on Solana
Marketnode and Lion Global Investors have launched the Singapore Physical Gold Fund on the Solana blockchain, tokenizing gold bars that are fully vaulted and insured in Singapore. The on‑chain offering lets investors subscribe, trade, and redeem units through Marketnode’s platform...
Bubblemaps Challenges PEPE’s Fair Launch, Alleges 30% of Genesis Supply Bundled
Bubblemaps revealed that roughly 30% of PEPE’s genesis supply was held by a single wallet cluster, which sold about $2 million of tokens the day after the memecoin’s April 2023 launch. The early sell‑off added pressure that prevented PEPE from breaching a...
Revolut and Trust Wallet Launch Instant Crypto Buys in EU With Self-Custody Focus
Fintech leader Revolut and Binance‑owned Trust Wallet have launched an EU‑wide integration that lets users buy crypto instantly with Revolut Pay, cards or bank transfers and have the assets deposited directly into their self‑custodial Trust Wallet. The service supports Bitcoin, Ether,...
Poland Resubmits Vetoed Crypto Bill: ‘Not Even a Comma’ Changed
Poland's ruling coalition re‑submitted Bill 2050, an 84‑page crypto‑asset proposal identical to the vetoed Bill 1424, despite President Karol Nawrocki’s earlier rejection. Government spokesman Adam Szłapka insists the text is unchanged, while critics argue it over‑regulates the market. The bill would name the...
UAE Telco Giant E& Taps Dirham Stablecoin for Bill Payments Pilot
UAE telecom giant e& has signed an MoU with Al Maryah Community Bank to pilot AE Coin, a dirham‑pegged stablecoin licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE. The trial will embed the token into e&’s payment infrastructure, allowing customers to settle...
BTC, Nasdaq Futures Drop as Oracle Earnings Revive AI Bubble Fears
Oracle reported a fiscal Q2 FY26 revenue miss, with cloud‑infrastructure sales at $4.1 billion below expectations and legacy software declining. The company’s long‑term debt jumped 25% to $99.6 billion, and analysts project net debt could reach $290 billion by 2028. The earnings disappointment...
Norway’s Central Bank Says CBDC ‘Not Warranted,’ Cites Strong Payment System
Norway’s central bank, Norges Bank, announced that a central bank digital currency (CBDC) is not warranted at this time, citing the country’s already secure, efficient and low‑cost payment infrastructure. The decision follows years of experimentation, including the retail‑focused Project Icebreaker...
Crypto Drop Wipes Out $370M in Bullish Bets as BTC, ETH Give Back Gains
Crypto markets experienced a massive leverage unwind on Dec 11, 2025, with over $514 million in positions liquidated in a single day. Long bets bore the brunt, accounting for $376 million versus $138 million in short liquidations, highlighting a heavily bullish bias before the...
Satoshi Nakamoto Statue Lands on NYSE in Sign of Changing Times
The New York Stock Exchange unveiled Valentina Picozzi’s sixth "disappearing" Satoshi Nakamoto statue, marking a visible shift toward crypto acceptance on Wall Street. The artwork was installed by Bitcoin‑focused firm Twenty One Capital as it launched trading this week. The NYSE framed the piece...
Australian Regulator Eases Rules for Stablecoins and Wrapped Tokens
Australia’s securities regulator ASIC has granted class relief that removes the need for separate Australian Financial Services licences for stablecoin and wrapped‑token intermediaries. The exemption also authorises the use of omnibus accounts, cutting compliance costs and simplifying record‑keeping. ASIC says...
GOP Hardliners Vexed as Defense Bill Advances without CBDC Ban
The U.S. House approved the $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) without the promised anti‑central bank digital currency (CBDC) provision. Republicans led by Rep. Keith Self had secured a deal to embed a CBDC ban, but the amendment was stripped...
U.S. Senate's Crypto Market Structure Bill Gets Messy as Calendar Weighs Down
Senate Democrats have issued a counter‑offer on the crypto market‑structure bill, accepting much of the Republican framework but insisting on stronger disclosure, secondary‑market safeguards, and ethics rules aimed at officials with crypto ties. The proposal also seeks tighter limits on...
Asia Morning Briefing: Fed Cut Brings Little Volatility as Bitcoin Waits for Japan
Bitcoin held steady above $91,000 after the Federal Reserve’s 25‑basis‑point rate cut, trading in a narrow $91k‑$92k range as Asian markets opened. CryptoQuant data shows a sharp drop in exchange inflows and whales pulling back deposits, reducing immediate sell pressure....
Bhutan Debuts TER Gold-Backed Token on Solana
Bhutan launched TER, a gold‑backed token on the Solana blockchain, issued through the special‑purpose Gelephu Mindfulness City. The token is fully collateralized by physical gold and managed by DK Bank, the country’s first licensed digital bank, which handles issuance, distribution,...
Silk Road Bitcoin Wallets Just Woke up, but One Critical On-Chain Detail Defies the Usual Crash Narrative
Analysts identified two Silk Road‑linked Bitcoin wallets that moved 3,421 BTC (about $322 million) in May 2025, routing the funds to a new P2WPKH SegWit address rather than an exchange. A follow‑on consolidation on Dec. 10 added roughly $3 million from over 300 similarly...
The Casino Never Stops - It Just Evolves
The article observes a stark downturn in crypto markets, with altcoin prices collapsing, meta‑projects dying quickly, and numerous funded ventures shutting down, even as Bitcoin trades above $90,000. It argues that such pessimism is cyclical, noting that history repeatedly shows...
Crypto Coin Minute for December 11th, 2025 at 09:17 AM Pacific Time.
On December 11, 2025, a new Solana‑based protocol launched a mechanism that bypasses traditional SEC registration, raising questions about legal ownership of tokenized shares. Meanwhile, a Trump‑affiliated crypto platform announced a $1 million reward pool in a Solana meme coin to...
Survey Finds 6 in 10 of Asia’s Rich Plan to Ramp up Crypto Buying
Sygnum’s APAC HNWI Report 2025 reveals that 87 % of Asia’s high‑net‑worth individuals already hold crypto, with an average portfolio allocation of roughly 17 %. More than half of these investors own over 10 % of their assets in digital currencies, and six...
A New Loophole Just Proved You Don’t Actually Own Your Shares – but the Fix Is Already Live on Solana
Superstate has launched Direct Issuance programs that let issuers create SEC‑registered shares on Ethereum and Solana, settling primary sales in stablecoins and recording ownership on the transfer agent’s ledger. The first live deployment tokenized 32,374 Galaxy Digital shares on Solana,...
Crypto CEOs Join U.S. CFTC's Innovation Council to Steer Market Developments
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced the formation of a CEO Innovation Council to guide derivatives market‑structure reforms, focusing on tokenization, crypto assets and 24/7 trading. The inaugural roster includes crypto‑industry leaders Tyler Winklevoss (Gemini), Arjun Sethi (Kraken) and...
Fed Slashes Interest Rates, but Issues Mixed Forward Guidance
The Federal Reserve lowered its policy rate by 25 basis points to a 3.5%‑3.75% range, but Chair Jerome Powell delivered mixed forward guidance, suggesting only a single cut may occur by 2026. Analysts say the ambiguous outlook is curbing the...
Fed Rate Cut Sparks Mixed Moves in Crypto Markets
The Federal Reserve trimmed its benchmark rate by 25 basis points, marking the third cut of 2025, and the decision sparked mixed reactions across digital assets. Bitcoin edged up 0.5% to $93,488 while Ethereum surged 3.4% to $3,405, yet XRP...
U.S. Banking Regulator Warns Wall Street on 'Debanking,' Claims Practices 'Unlawful'
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a report warning that banks could face penalties for unlawful "debanking" of controversial sectors, including digital‑asset firms, after President Trump’s executive order demanded fair banking access. The review of nine...
Binance CEO Had WeChat Hacked by Cellphone Exploit that Likely Leaves Your Own Crypto Exposed
Binance co‑CEO Yi He’s WeChat account was hijacked on Dec. 10 after a recycled phone number enabled a social‑recovery attack. The attackers used the compromised profile to promote a low‑liquidity token, earning roughly $55,000 before the posts were removed. Binance worked...
Tether Launches Privacy-Focused Health Platform with On-Device AI
Tether has launched QVAC Health, a privacy‑focused platform that consolidates data from wearables and wellness apps into an encrypted, offline dashboard. The system uses on‑device AI and peer‑to‑peer model updates to analyze activity, nutrition, and health metrics without transmitting data...
Phantom’s Stablecoin CASH Supply Tops $100M Two Months Post-Launch
Phantom’s wallet-native stablecoin CASH surpassed $100 million in supply just two months after its September 30 launch, driven by a fee‑free Cash Account and a liquidity partnership with Solana’s Kamino. The Cash Account enables instant bank funding, peer‑to‑peer transfers, and debit‑card...
ChronoForge to Shut Down Amid Funding Collapse and Web3 Gaming Turmoil
ChronoForge, a Web3 studio building a multiplayer action RPG with on‑chain asset ownership, announced it will shut down by Dec. 30 after an 80% staff cut and founders self‑financing development since July. The studio’s $3 million token sale failed to sustain operations,...
A16z Crypto to Open Seoul Office, Hire Sungmo Park to Lead Asia Efforts
Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto venture arm a16z crypto announced the opening of its first Asian office in Seoul, appointing Sungmo Park to head regional operations. The move targets South Korea’s position as the world’s second‑largest crypto market, with high ownership rates...
Paxful Pleads Guilty to Aiding Crime, Ignoring AML Laws
Paxful, a Bitcoin peer‑to‑peer marketplace, pleaded guilty to three criminal counts, including Travel Act violations for facilitating illegal prostitution and operating an unlicensed money‑transmitting business. The Department of Justice highlighted that from 2015 to 2019 the platform processed nearly $3 billion...
Galaxy Expands to UAE as Part of Middle East Push
Galaxy announced the creation of a new entity in Abu Dhabi under the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and will open an office to deepen its Middle East presence. Founder and CEO Mike Novogratz framed the move as part of...
Vanguard’s 50M+ Clients Will Soon Gain Access to Crypto ETFs: Why This Is Significant
Vanguard will soon allow its more than 50 million investors to trade spot crypto exchange‑traded funds, marking a reversal from its previously anti‑crypto stance. The firm will list third‑party ETFs linked to Bitcoin, Ether, XRP and Solana, while explicitly excluding memecoins...
Price Predictions 12/10: BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, SOL, DOGE, ADA, BCH, LINK, HYPE
Bitcoin hovered near $94,600, with bulls needing a breakout above $94,589 to reignite a push toward the $100,000 psychological barrier. Ether showed modest strength, approaching a $3,350 resistance that could open a path to $3,918. Michael Saylor’s Strategy expanded its...
The Protocol: Stripe’s Tempo Testnet Goes Live
Stripe‑backed Tempo testnet went live, letting developers and corporate partners experiment with on‑chain stablecoin payments. The network adds heavyweights such as Klarna, Mastercard, UBS, Visa and Shopify to an existing roster that already includes Deutsche Bank and OpenAI. Tempo is...
Stellar Edges Higher to $0.251 Despite Altcoin Market Apathy
Stellar (XLM) nudged higher to $0.251, gaining 0.85% over 24 hours despite a generally quiet alt‑coin market. Trading volume surged 19% above the weekly average, indicating renewed accumulation around the critical $0.25 support zone. The token underperformed the broader digital‑asset...