Efforts to Bulletproof Ethereum Are Paying Off in User Metrics
Ethereum’s active address count rose to over 791,000, overtaking its leading L2 competitors such as Base, Arbitrum and Optimism. Daily transaction fees hit a historic low of $0.15, a dramatic drop from $11 a year earlier, while daily transactions topped 2.1 million. Recent upgrades—Pectra and Fusaka—expanded blob capacity and introduced data sampling, contributing to lower costs and higher throughput. Developers are also launching record numbers of smart contracts, with 8.7 million created in Q4 2025, positioning Ethereum for further scaling through the upcoming Glamsterdam fork.
Pakistan Taps Trump-Linked Crypto Company for Stablecoin Payments Deal: Report
Pakistan has signed an agreement with SC Financial Technologies, a firm linked to Trump‑associated World Liberty Financial, to test the integration of its USD1 stablecoin into the country’s regulated payment system. The deal, expected to be announced during World Liberty...
Crypto Market Structure Rulemaking Could Take Years: Paradigm Exec
Paradigm’s regulatory affairs vice president Justin Slaughter warned that the U.S. crypto market structure bill could take years to become operational due to an extensive rulemaking process. The legislation has cleared the Senate committee stage and faces a markup in...
Rattled Retail Retreats to Bitcoin, Ether After October Crash
Retail traders, who had been favoring altcoins since 2022, abruptly rotated back into Bitcoin and Ether following the October 10, 2025 liquidation shock. Wintermute’s 2025 OTC market report shows the crash acted as a clear inflection point, aligning retail positioning with...
Perfect Storm of Activity Sees Record Surge in New Ethereum Wallets
Ethereum wallet creation hit an all‑time high, averaging 327,000 new wallets per day over the past week and peaking at over 393,000 on Sunday. The surge follows the December Fusaka upgrade, which reduced transaction fees and streamlined data flow between...
Crypto-Friendly Old Glory Bank Plans Nasdaq Listing Through SPAC
Old Glory Bank, a digital‑first lender founded in 2022, announced a merger with the SPAC Digital Asset Acquisition Corporation to list on Nasdaq under the ticker OGB. The combined entity, OGB Financial Company, is slated to close the transaction by...
Strive Shares Fall 12% After Semler Deal to Expand Bitcoin Treasury
Strive Asset Management announced an all‑stock acquisition of Semler Scientific, adding 5,048.1 BTC to its treasury. The deal would lift Strive’s total Bitcoin holdings to roughly 12,797.9 BTC, making it the 11th largest publicly traded Bitcoin holder. Shares fell about...
SOL Chart Shows ‘Masterpiece’ Setup to $190 After Key Trend Turns Bullish
Solana (SOL) has formed a high‑time‑frame cup‑and‑handle pattern that points to a breakout target of $180‑$190, a roughly 25% upside from current levels. The cryptocurrency reclaimed its 50‑day moving average, staying above it for the first time since September 2025,...
Stablecoins Vs. Bitcoin Salaries: Why Regulation Pushes One Ahead of the Other
Crypto payroll lets employers pay wages in digital assets, but payroll’s heavy regulation demands clear rules. Recent U.S. legislation like the GENIUS and CLARITY Acts, along with Europe’s MiCA framework, provide specific guidance for stablecoins, reducing legal uncertainty. Stablecoins’ fiat...
Bitcoin-Gold Correlation Signals at Least 50% BTC Price Gains by March
Bitcoin’s 52‑week correlation with gold fell to zero, the first such occurrence since mid‑2022, and analysts expect it could turn negative by January’s end. Historical data shows a negative BTC‑gold correlation typically precedes a 56% Bitcoin rally within two months....
CZ’s YZi Labs Invests in Trading Terminal as DeFi Execution Takes Priority
YZi Labs, the family office of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, has made an eight‑figure investment in on‑chain trading terminal Genius Trading and appointed Zhao as an advisor. The move underscores a growing focus on cross‑chain execution infrastructure rather than just...
Franklin Templeton Adapts Money Market Funds for US Stablecoin Rules
Franklin Templeton has amended two Western Asset institutional money‑market funds, LUIXX and DIGXX, to operate within the emerging U.S. stablecoin framework established by the GENIUS Act. The changes keep the funds under SEC‑registered 2a‑7 status while adding a blockchain‑enabled digital...
Ingenico Taps WalletConnect to Support Stablecoin Payments at Checkout
Ingenico has teamed with WalletConnect Pay to embed stablecoin checkout functionality into its point‑of‑sale terminals, allowing shoppers to pay with USDC, EURC or USDT from wallets such as MetaMask and Trust Wallet. The integration works on Ingenico’s existing network of roughly 40 million...
ZKsync Sets 2026 Roadmap Focused on Privacy and Institutional Adoption
ZKsync unveiled its 2026 roadmap, centering on privacy‑first execution, deterministic control, and native cross‑chain interoperability to attract institutional digital‑asset users. The plan builds on 2025 releases such as Atlas, Prividium, and Airbender, which aim to meet banks’ confidentiality and performance...
BNB Chain Targets ‘Around One Second’ Finality with Fermi Hard Fork
BNB Chain’s Fermi hard fork, activating Wednesday, slashes block intervals from 0.75 seconds to 0.45 seconds and targets transaction finality of roughly one second. The upgrade refines consensus rules, tightening propagation and voting parameters to keep validators synchronized under the...
Nigeria Ties Crypto Oversight to Tax IDs Under Sweeping Reform
Nigeria has enacted a sweeping tax reform that makes cryptocurrency activity visible by linking every transaction to Tax Identification Numbers and, where applicable, National Identification Numbers. Effective Jan. 1 under the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, virtual asset service providers must...
Italy’s CONSOB Puts ‘Finfluencers’ on Notice Amid ESMA’s Crypto Risk Warnings
Italy’s securities regulator CONSOB has amplified ESMA’s new fin‑influencer factsheet, warning that EU investment‑promotion rules fully apply to crypto and “get rich quick” content. The regulator stresses that influencers remain legally liable for unlicensed advice, must clearly label paid partnerships,...
Kraken-Linked SPAC Files for $250M IPO Targeting Crypto Infrastructure
Kraken, together with venture firm Tribe Capital and investment platform Natural Capital, has filed a SEC registration for a new special purpose acquisition company, KrakAcquisition, to raise up to $250 million. The SPAC will issue 25 million units at $10 each and...
Thailand Targets ‘Gray Money’ with Unified Oversight of Gold and Crypto
Thailand has launched a coordinated anti‑money‑laundering campaign that brings physical gold markets and crypto‑asset services under a single oversight framework. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered lower reporting thresholds for gold and stricter enforcement of the global Travel Rule on digital‑asset providers....
Bitwise Calls 401(k) Bitcoin Allergy 'Ridiculous' As Warren Presses SEC
Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan argued Bitcoin’s price swings were less volatile than some high‑flying stocks, calling bans on its inclusion in 401(k) plans “ridiculous.” He cited a comparison where Bitcoin’s 65% swing from April to October 2025 was...
SEC Boss Bullish Trump Will Sign Market Structure Bill This Year
SEC Chair Paul Atkins announced he is confident the bipartisan crypto market structure bill will reach President Donald Trump’s desk for signature this year. He highlighted the 2025 GENIUS Act as a foundational step that provided early regulatory clarity for...
Ex-NYC Mayor Unveils ‘NYC Token’ Memecoin Weeks After Leaving Office
Former New York City mayor Eric Adams announced the NYC Token, a Solana‑based memecoin intended to fund anti‑antisemitism and anti‑Americanism initiatives and support blockchain education for underserved students. Within 30 minutes of launch the token’s price plunged from $0.47 to...
Senators Pitch Bill to Lock in Protections for Crypto Developers
U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ron Wyden introduced the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA) to exempt blockchain developers and service providers who do not handle user funds from money‑transmitter regulations. The bill seeks to clarify that writing code or maintaining...
SEC Chair: ‘Remains to Be Seen‘ Whether US Will Seize Venezuela‘s Reported Bitcoin
SEC Chair Paul Atkins said it “remains to be seen” whether the United States will seize Venezuela’s reported Bitcoin holdings after the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Analysts estimate the stash could be as high as 600,000 BTC, roughly $60 billion,...
Fitch Ratings Flags Bitcoin-Backed Securities for ‘High Market Value Risk’
Fitch Ratings has classified Bitcoin‑backed securities as speculative‑grade, citing heightened market‑value risk. The agency warns that Bitcoin’s price volatility and counter‑party exposures could erode collateral coverage, leading to potential losses. This rating influences banks, asset managers and other institutions that...
Bitcoin Loses to Gold as Debasement Trade with BTC at 2-Year Lows: Analysis
Precious metals have surged to new all‑time highs while Bitcoin stalls, slipping below 20 ounces of gold and reaching its lowest BTC/XAU ratio in two years. Analyst Karel Mercx argues that the long‑standing “debasement trade” narrative is broken, positioning gold...
Ethereum Set for 95% Copycat Rally Against Bitcoin
Ethereum’s Ether could post a near‑doubling rally versus Bitcoin if the ETH/BTC pair breaks decisively above the 0.042 BTC neckline. The move would complete an inverse head‑and‑shoulders pattern that previously delivered a 95% upside between 2019 and 2021. Analysts, including Michael...
Crypto Custody Company BitGo Seeks up to $201 Million in US IPO
BitGo Holdings filed an S‑1 to launch an IPO of 11.8 million Class A shares, targeting a price between $15 and $17 per share. The offering could raise up to $201 million and would value the crypto‑custody firm at roughly $1.96 billion. BitGo currently...
Strategy Makes Biggest Bitcoin Purchase Since July 2025, Adds $1.25B in BTC
Corporate Bitcoin investor Strategy announced a $1.25 billion purchase of 13,627 BTC, the largest acquisition since July 2025. The buy brings its total holdings to 687,410 BTC, valued at roughly $51.8 billion, with an average cost basis of $75,353 per coin. Funding...
Charles Hoskinson Doubts CLARITY Act Timeline, Says Trump Crypto Czar Should Quit
Charles Hoskinson warned that the US Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act is unlikely to clear Congress this quarter, citing the risk of a post‑midterm shift in House control. He called for Trump‑appointed crypto adviser David Sacks to step down if...
Bank of Italy Models Ethereum Risks if ETH Value Collapsed
The Bank of Italy released a research paper that simulates Ethereum’s security and settlement capacity if Ether’s price fell to zero, treating the blockchain as critical financial infrastructure rather than a speculative asset. The model shows that a sharp price...
Standard Chartered Said to Plan Crypto Brokerage, Trims ETH Forecast
Standard Chartered is in early‑stage talks to launch a crypto prime‑brokerage platform through its venture arm, SC Ventures, although no launch date is set. The bank recently trimmed its medium‑term Ether price forecast to $7,500 for end‑2026, down from $12,000,...
Crypto Funds Bleed $454M in Outflows as Fed Rate-Cut Hopes Fade
Crypto exchange‑traded products (ETPs) recorded $454 million in outflows last week, with Bitcoin alone accounting for $405 million. The pullback follows waning expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut in March, prompting investors to retreat from crypto exposure. Despite the weekly net...
OKX Founder Defends Asset Freezes After User Admits Buying KYC Accounts
OKX founder and CEO Star Xu defended the exchange’s decision to freeze roughly $40,000 worth of USDG stablecoins after a user admitted purchasing four KYC‑verified accounts to sidestep mainland China restrictions. The accounts, originally registered to other individuals, triggered OKX’s risk...
SEC Delays PENGU and T. Rowe Crypto ETFs as Grayscale Seeks Options Green Light
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has extended its decision deadline on two crypto‑related exchange‑traded funds, the Canary PENGU NFT‑focused ETF and the T. Rowe Price Active Crypto ETF, using the 19b‑4 rule‑change process. The extension gives the agency up to an additional...
Tether’s Role in Venezuela, Iran Highlights the Duality of Stablecoins
Tether’s USDT has become both a financial lifeline and a sanctions‑evasion tool in Venezuela and Iran. In Caracas, citizens use the stablecoin for everyday payments, while PDVSA reportedly settles 80% of its oil revenue in USDT. Tehran’s protesters hedge against...
Most US Debanking Cases Stem From Government Pressure, Report Says
A new Cato Institute report finds that most U.S. debanking incidents stem from government pressure rather than banks’ own policies. The study categorizes debanking into religious, political, operational, and governmental types, highlighting direct actions like FDIC letters and indirect regulatory...
South Korea to Lift Ban on Corporate Crypto Investment: Report
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission is set to overturn a nine‑year ban on corporate crypto investment, allowing listed firms and professional investors to allocate up to 5 % of their equity capital to digital assets. The new guidelines restrict purchases to...
Top UK Labour Lawmakers Push to Ban Political Donations Made in Crypto
Seven senior Labour MPs have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging a ban on cryptocurrency‑based political donations, arguing the assets obscure donor identities and invite foreign interference. The letter, signed by committee chairs including Liam Byrne, calls for transparent,...
Monero's XMR Hits $500 for the First Time Since 2021 as Rival Zcash Fumbles
Monero (XMR) surged past $500 on Sunday, its first breach of that level since May 2021, gaining over 6% in a day and 20% weekly. The rally coincided with a governance crisis at rival privacy coin Zcash, where the Electric Coin...
Russians Ask Government Hotlines Whether Pensions Are Paid in Crypto
Russians are increasingly calling the Social Fund to ask if pensions can be paid in cryptocurrency, prompting officials to reiterate that all benefits are disbursed in rubles. The surge in crypto‑related queries coincides with Russia becoming Europe’s largest crypto market,...
CryptoQuant Founder Slams X for Penalizing Crypto Content Instead of Bots
CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju accused X of suppressing legitimate crypto content while a flood of automated posts swamped the platform, noting a spike to 7.7 million crypto‑related posts in a single day—a 1,200% increase. He blamed X’s algorithmic crackdown and a paid...
Samson Mow Tips Elon Musk Will ‘Go Hard’ Into Bitcoin in 2026
Samson Mow, co‑founder of Bitcoin mining firm, warned that Elon Musk will "go hard" into Bitcoin in 2026, signaling a potential shift in the billionaire’s stance after Tesla’s 2021 pull‑back. Mow also projected Bitcoin’s price could soar to $1.33 million, a...
Ethereum Sentiment Mirrors Levels Seen Before ‘Major Run’: Santiment
Santiment analyst Brian Quinlivan notes Ethereum's social media sentiment has fallen to levels seen before its 2025 rally, which later propelled Ether to its 2021 all‑time high. Ether is currently trading around $3,089, down 36% from its peak, after a...
Bitcoiners Celebrate 17th Anniversary of Hal Finney's Bitcoin Post
On January 10, 2009, Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney posted “Running Bitcoin,” confirming he was operating the first node and had just received the inaugural 10 BTC transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto. The crypto community marked the 17th anniversary of this milestone, celebrating Finney’s role in...
Betterment Urges Users to Ignore ‘Unauthorized’ Crypto Promotion Message
Betterment warned users on X to disregard a crypto promotion that promised to triple Bitcoin or Ether deposits, labeling the message as unauthorized. The fraudulent notification was distributed through a third‑party marketing system rather than Betterment’s own channels. Betterment clarified...
Anti-DeFi Group Runs Ads Urging Public to Pressure Senators on Crypto Bill: Report
An anti‑DeFi coalition, Investors For Transparency, has placed ads on Fox News urging the public to pressure senators to pass crypto market‑structure legislation that omits decentralized‑finance provisions. The campaign references the CLARITY Act, which could allow stable‑coin issuers to offer...
Nasdaq, CME Group Join Forces to Launch Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index
Nasdaq and CME Group have merged their crypto indexes, rebranding the Nasdaq Crypto Index as the Nasdaq‑CME Crypto Index. The new benchmark tracks seven leading digital assets—Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Chainlink, Cardano, and Avalanche—offering a broader market representation. Executives highlighted...
Colombia Advances Crypto Tax Rules as Global Reporting Standards Take Shape
Colombia’s tax authority DIAN issued Resolution 000240, creating a mandatory crypto‑reporting regime that mirrors the OECD’s Crypto‑Asset Reporting Framework. Exchanges, custodians and other service providers must collect and transmit user identification and transaction data to foreign tax authorities, with due‑diligence,...
US Lawmakers Demand Ethics Safeguards for Market Structure Bill: Report
Democratic Senate leaders, including Adam Schiff and Ruben Gallego, are pressing the Responsible Financial Innovation Act (RFIA) to include strict conflict‑of‑interest safeguards that would bar public officials, even the president, from profiting from crypto holdings. The RFIA, which expands CFTC...