Crypto

The mainnet rollout follows the Fermi testnet activation in November, further reducing block times on the layer-1 blockchain network. The BNB Smart Chain’s Fermi hard fork has been scheduled for mainnet activation on Jan. 14, following about two months in the testnet phase. Fermi will lower the block interval to 250 milliseconds from 750 milliseconds to support “time-sensitive” applications that require sub-second block times, according to the BNB community’s GitHub page. The upgrade also introduces extended voting parameters to make up for the communication lag between nodes due to the shortened block times. Read more

In an exclusive Cointelegraph interview, the crypto analyst pointed to macro headwinds, muted sentiment and cycle dynamics shaping Bitcoin’s path into 2026. As Bitcoin (BTC) continues to underperform gold and major equity indices, investors are increasingly questioning whether this cycle is unfolding differently than expected. In a new interview with analyst Benjamin Cowen, we dig into why Bitcoin is lagging traditional markets, and why the current setup may feel strikingly similar to 2019. Cowen points out that while stocks and gold are responding positively to expectations around future monetary easing, Bitcoin appears far more sensitive to actual liquidity conditions rather than optimism alone. That distinction, he explains, helps clarify why BTC has struggled to gain momentum even as broader markets push higher. According to Cowen, Bitcoin often requires a clearer macroeconomic catalyst before it can outperform, and that catalyst may not yet be in place. Read more

Bitcoin and several major altcoins attempted to start a relief rally, but higher levels continue to attract strong selling by the bears. Key points: Bitcoin attempted to rise above $90,000, but sustained recovery may require institutional demand to pick up. While most major altcoins are struggling near their recent lows, Bitcoin Cash looks strong on the charts. Read more

Gold, silver, platinum and copper all surged to new records as metals — not bitcoin — attracted capital on the debasement trade and geopolitical tension.

Beneath the Mediterranean, physicists at the Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope Initiative built a cathedral of glass spheres that listens for cosmic whispers—and this year, it heard the most energetic neutrino humanity has ever recorded.

Diversification into AI and HPC infrastructure drove sharp outperformance for miners, while pure-play bitcoin miners lagged.

The digital asset market recorded an exceptional performance in 2025, broadly validating forecasts made the previous year, according to CoinShares. The post Crypto’s Next Phase Is Utility Not Price Action: CoinShares appeared first on Cryptonews.

The crypto exchange’s tokenization, AI tools, and stablecoin revenue help it stand out in ‘transition year’ for crypto equities, said Clear Street's Owen Lau.

Volatility calmed over the Holidays but BTC managed to regain some of the recently lost value.

Trust Wallet told users to disable its Chrome browser extension version 2.68 after the company acknowledged a security incident and pushed version 2.69 on Dec. 25, following reports of wallet drains tied to the Dec. 24 update. According to BleepingComputer, victims and researchers began flagging thefts soon after 2.68 rolled out. Early public tallies placed […] The post Hidden script caught harvesting private keys as Trust Wallet issues emergency warning for Chrome users appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin SEC filings hit 8,000 in 2025, driven by ETF growth and new U.S. crypto laws. Is a 2026 rally next? The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Record SEC Filings Signal Flood of Wall Street Money – Supercycle Starting in 2026? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Ripple had a busy 2025, highlighted by acquisitions, the end of a years-long court battle, and a burst to new heights for XRP.

As AI blurs the line between real and synthetic media, strategies for restoring user trust online are still taking shape as we enter 2026. How often have you come across an image online and wondered, “Real or AI”? Have you ever felt trapped in a reality where AI-created and human-made content blur together? Do we still need to distinguish between them? Artificial intelligence has unlocked a world of creative possibilities, but it has also brought new challenges, reshaping how we perceive content online. From AI-generated images, music and videos flooding social media to deepfakes and bots scamming users, AI now touches a vast part of the internet. According to a study by Graphite, the amount of AI-made content surpassed human-created content in late 2024, primarily due to the launch of ChatGPT in 2022. Another study suggests that more than 74.2% of pages in its sample contained AI-generated content as of April 2025. Read more

Bitcoin’s most liquid trading pairs never reflected the drop, underscoring how isolated the event really was.

Tokenized commodities are increasing amid growing investor demand for more accessible onchain financial products, following new all-time highs for gold and silver. Blockchain-based tokenized commodities are nearing the $4 billion milestone, following new all-time highs reached by the world's leading precious metals. Gold, silver and platinum hit record highs on Friday, with spot gold rising as high as $4,530 per ounce, TradingView data shows. Silver, currently not a major contributor to the tokenized commodities market, briefly touched an all-time high of $74.56 per ounce. Tokenized commodities rose 11% in the month leading to Friday, reaching $3.93 billion, according to data aggregator RWA.xyz. Tether Gold (XAUt) was listed as the largest tokenized commodity, worth $1.74 billion, followed by Paxos Gold (PAXG) at $1.61 billion. Read more

Japan’s ruling coalition has released its 2026 tax reform blueprint, outlining a potential shift in how cryptocurrencies are treated under the country’s tax system, according to a CoinPost report. The post Japan’s 2026 Tax Reform Blueprint Maps Out New Framework for Crypto Assets: Report  appeared first on Cryptonews.

The lowdown on how the switchover to ZK-proofs is expected to work this year as part of Ethereum’s plan to scale to 10,000 TPS. 2026 is a pivotal year for Ethereum. The first Ethereum validators will process tiny zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs instead of reexecuting transactions. This unlocks immediate scaling benefits for the layer 1 and sets it on the path toward 10,000 transactions per second (TPS). Researcher Justin Drake demonstrated that validating proofs on an old laptop is already possible at EthProofs Day at Devconnect in November. One in 10 validators are expected to make the switch to ZK before the end of the year. It’s a complete overhaul of the fundamental way the blockchain works: comparable in scale to the Merge in 2022, when Ethereum successfully switched from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. Read more

This Friday, we examine Ethereum, Ripple, Cardano, Binance Coin, and Hyperliquid in greater detail. Ethereum (ETH) In the second part of December, Ethereum has been mostly flat with a price similar to last week, hovering above the support at $2,870. The momentum is flat due to the lack of volume and interest from market participants […]

Every Boxing Day, I make the same cup of tea, check the same price chart, and ask the same question: What story is Bitcoin telling this year? Line up the December 26 close from the start of the exchange era to today, and a pattern appears. The holiday reveals the mood that carried us into […] The post Bitcoin just missed its $95k Boxing Day record, triggering signal that demands immediate attention appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Once a barometer of retail hype, memecoins are closing the year with shrinking liquidity, weaker participation and fading speculative momentum. Memecoins are trading near year-end lows, marking a sharp reversal from the speculative peak reached in Christmas 2024. Memecoins fell 65% over the year to a market capitalization of $35 billion on Dec. 19, their lowest level of 2025, according to CoinMarketCap data. They retraced some losses on Friday, rising to about $36 billion. Last year, memecoins thrived on Christmas Day, recording about $100 billion in valuation, according to CoinMarketCap data. Read more