Crypto

Only three CBDCs have been successfully launched around the world so far, in Nigeria, the Bahamas and Jamaica, although many jurisdictions are considering it. The Reserve Bank of India has urged countries to focus on central bank digital currencies over privately-issued stablecoins, citing concerns about financial stability. In its December financial stability report, released on Wednesday, the RBI argued that CBDCs preserve the “singleness of money and the integrity of the financial system,” and should remain as the “ultimate settlement asset” and the “anchor for trust in money.” “The RBI, therefore, strongly advocates that countries should prioritise central bank digital currencies over privately issued stablecoins to maintain trust in money, preserve financial stability and design next generation payments infrastructure that is faster, cheaper and secure.” Read more

US Representative Warren Davidson said the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act may backfire on Americans by stripping them of their financial freedom and privacy. US Representative Warren Davidson warns the US is drifting toward a permissioned and heavily surveilled financial system, arguing that recent crypto legislation undermines the industry’s original promise of permissionless, private money. In a post on X on Wednesday, Davidson criticized the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act, arguing it enables a wholesale version of a US dollar central bank digital currency (CBDC) that could be used for “surveillance, coercion, and control.” He also fears a digital ID system will be rolled out that forces Americans to get government permission to use their own money. Read more

Bitwise’s filings span DeFi, layer-1s, privacy coins, and AI-linked tokens, signaling a broad bet on altcoin demand.

Money printing is a catalyst for higher risk-on asset prices, but the looming 2026 US midterm elections could throw a wrench in markets. Bitcoin’s price could rise in 2026 as easing monetary policy injects “massive” liquidity into markets, according to Bill Barhydt, CEO of crypto exchange and wallet company Abra, though other analysts sound more cautious notes. Speaking to the Schwab Network, Barhydt said he expects a “ton” of liquidity injections from the US Federal Reserve next year as policymakers continue cutting interest rates, potentially reviving quantitative easing and boosting risk assets such as Bitcoin, adding: Regulatory clarity in the US and growing institutional investment, combined with lower interest rates, likely mean BTC and the broader crypto market are in for “a great few years,” he added.  Read more

Committee staff have circulated revisions for the CLARITY Act ahead of a Jan. 15 title-by-title markup, reviving a digital-asset framework that stalled in 2025. Draft text keeps CFTC lead for qualifying tokens, sets SEC lane for yield features, and tightens DeFi front-end registration. The post Senate Sets January Markup On The CLARITY Act – Traders Brace for DeFi Amendments appeared first on Cryptonews.

With Congress in recess until the new year, sources familiar with the progress of a digital asset market structure bill are expecting consideration in early 2026. Members of the US Senate Banking Committee are expected to move forward with consideration of a digital asset market structure bill in the second week of January after months of delays. According to reports and people familiar with the matter, the Banking Committee could hold a markup for the Responsible Financial Innovation Act during the second week of January. The event would mark progress on advancing legislation that has been slowed by Democratic lawmakers’ concerns over decentralized finance, and the longest US government shutdown in history. Cody Carbone, CEO of digital asset advocacy organization The Digital Chamber, told Cointelegraph that “the second week of January will have at least one markup on pending market structure legislation in the Senate.” The US Senate Agriculture Committee is also considering its version of the market structur...

Franklin Templeton has again backed XRP as a building block for cross-border payments saying XRPL offers real-time, low-cost settlement. A DBS Bank MOU with Franklin Templeton and Ripple has tied tokenized money market funds to XRPL. Spot XRP ETFs have taken in $1.07B with $3–$3.05 as the next test. The post XRP Price Prediction: Franklin Templeton Exec Says XRP Is Key to Cross-Border Payments – Is a $3 Breakout Next? appeared first on Cryptonews.

DJT shareholders have received confirmation regarding a Trump Media Token Airdrop executed through Crypto.com and positioned the asset as a reward mechanism for platforms like Truth Social rather than financial equity. The post Trump Media Token Airdrop Confirmed for Shareholders With New Truth Social Utility appeared first on Cryptonews.

Ethereum nears $4,800 resistance with $8,500 target in sight as traders monitor key patterns, whale accumulation, and declining short interest.

A major investment bank said it was upgrading shares of TeraWulf to “outperform,” based in part on its "build-out" strategy. Investment banking company Keefe, Bruyette & Woods has turned more bullish on Bitcoin miner TeraWulf, citing what it sees as a looming shift in the company’s business mix that investors have yet to fully price in. In a Wednesday report, KBW said it upgraded TeraWulf (WULF) to “outperform” from “market perform” and raised the company’s share price target to $24 from $9.50.  According to the bank, the reassessment was based on investors “underappreciat[ing] the magnitude of the BTC mining to HPC [high-performance computing] leasing mix shift in 2026-2027 and robust growth catalysts on 646MW net of visible HPC leasing pipeline through 2027."  Read more

Bitcoin Hyper has raised nearly $30 million in its public presale for a Layer-2 Bitcoin protocol that enables smart contract functionality and DeFi access, with over 1.35 billion tokens staked at 39% APY ahead of its planned early 2026 exchange debut. The post Best Altcoins To Buy On New Year’s Eve That Could 100x in 2026 – 31 December 2025 appeared first on Cryptonews.

Crypto firms faced a record $2.72 billion in theft this year as attackers expanded their reach across major exchanges and DeFi platforms.

There is a particular kind of Bitcoin holder who only shows up when the noise gets loud. They are the people who watched 2021 melt into 2022, who kept their keys anyway, who learned to live with the idea that the line on the chart can drop faster than their mood. When the price is […] The post Bitcoin long-term holders just stopped selling, but a broken chart signal hides the truth appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The company plans to distribute a crypto token per share to shareholders, but the tokens do not represent shares or rights in Trump Media. Trump Media and Technology Group, operator of US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform, said Wednesday it plans to roll out a blockchain token for shareholders that entitles them to perks and rewards. The DJT token will be launched in collaboration with crypto exchange Crypto.com, and the distribution to existing shareholders set at a 1:1 ratio, or one token per share owned, according to the announcement from the company. The token “may” include rewards and perks for DJT shareholders, including discounts on the Truth Social media platform, the Truth+ media streaming platform, and prediction market Truth Predict. Read more

BitMine's ETH stockpile swells over $12 billion as aggressive buying continues during holiday slowdown.

JPMorgan has launched a tokenized money market fund on Ethereum, highlighting how regulated cash products may integrate into onchain settlement and collateral workflows. JPMorgan tokenized a money market fund and launched it on the Ethereum mainnet. The fund holds US Treasurys and Treasury-backed repos, with daily dividend reinvestment. Public Ethereum places MONY alongside stablecoins, tokenized treasuries and existing onchain liquidity. Read more

Coinbase warns that restricting rewards on U.S. issued stablecoins could give China’s digital yuan a strategic edge as interest-bearing CBDC features roll out. The post Coinbase Warns US “Rewards” Ban Could Let China Win the Stablecoin Race appeared first on Cryptonews.

Crypto romance scam syndicate based in Poipet, Cambodia has been dismantled, after victims lost about $1.3M through a fake SpaceX app. South Korean prosecutors said 13 suspects have been charged, with 11 arrested, as seven others are being tracked. It comes as butchering scams have drained billions. The post Gang Posed as Elon Musk Associates Arrested in $1.3M Crypto Romance Scheme appeared first on Cryptonews.

A divorced investor’s tragic loss reveals how emotional manipulation, combined with AI technology, has weaponized crypto scams into a billion-dollar crime. A recently divorced Bitcoin investor lost his entire retirement fund, one full Bitcoin, to an AI-powered romance scam orchestrated by a sophisticated criminal using deepfakes. Pig butchering scams are relationship-based frauds that rely on emotional manipulation and AI-generated deepfakes to build trust before extracting maximum financial value from victims. The scammer used AI to create synthetic portraits and conduct real-time deepfake video calls, making the fabricated relationship virtually indistinguishable from reality. Read more

The 2024 US election saw more money and support from the crypto and blockchain industry than ever before, with some experts predicting a repeat in the midterms. Following the 2024 elections, in which an estimated 270 lawmakers with favorable views on digital assets won seats in the US Congress, many cryptocurrency-affiliated organizations and political action committees show no signs of slowing their progress in the next significant election, the 2026 midterms. Likely boosted by advocacy work from organizations — such as the Coinbase-affiliated Stand With Crypto group and whose campaigns were supported by media buys from political action committees (PACs) — a majority of lawmakers in the 119th session of the US Congress took office in January having already expressed views signaling that they would support pro-crypto legislation and policies.  In the last year, some of Congress’s work supported that theory. The US House of Representatives passed three significant bills in July as part of the Republicans’ “Cry...