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Found 11893 news

  • $675M Lighter airdrop becomes 10th largest in crypto history: Bubblemaps
    Cointelegraph.com - 10:22 Dec 31, 2025
    Bubblemaps said Lighter airdropped $675 million in LIT, one of crypto’s biggest ever, as data shared on X suggested about 75% of recipients were still holding. Lighter, a decentralized exchange (DEX) that offers perpetual futures trading, carried out one of the biggest token giveaways in crypto history, even as critics continued to question how the project split its token supply. Lighter airdropped a total of $675 million worth of Lighter Infrastructure Tokens (LIT) to early participants on Tuesday, according to blockchain data visualization platform Bubblemaps. “$675M airdropped to early participants. $30M withdrawn from Lighter (only),” wrote Bubblemaps in a Tuesday X post. The $675 million total makes the Lighter airdrop the 10th largest airdrop by US dollar value in cryptocurrency history, according to crypto data aggregator CoinGecko. Read more
  • Spot Bitcoin ETFs snap 7-day outflow streak with $355M as liquidity improves
    Cointelegraph.com - 09:53 Dec 31, 2025
    US spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $355 million, snapping a 7-day outflow streak that saw $1.12 billion withdrawn from the products. US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) ended a seven-day run of net outflows, pulling in $355 million as traders pointed to early signs of improving global liquidity. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) led the rebound with $143.75 million in inflows on Tuesday, followed by the Ark 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) at $109.56 million and Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) with $78.59 million, according to data from SoSoValue. Bitwise’s Bitcoin ETF (BITB) added $13.87 million, while smaller inflows were recorded by Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust ETF (GBTC) with $4.28 million, and VanEck’s Bitcoin ETF (HODL) with $4.98 million. The turnaround came as spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs recorded $1.12 billion in cumulative net outflows during the prior seven trading days. The heaviest selling occurred on Friday, when funds shed about $275.9 million. Read more
  • More NFTs, less money: Supply rose to 1.3B as sales fell 37% in 2025
    Cointelegraph.com - 09:29 Dec 31, 2025
    NFT minting accelerated even as buyers spent less, pushing the market toward a high-volume, low-price dynamic. The non-fungible token (NFT) market expanded in total supply, but saw significantly lower sales in 2025 compared with previous years.  CryptoSlam data shows that the total number of NFTs in circulation climbed to more than 1.34 billion this year, marking a 25% increase from the one billion supply in 2024. The increased supply came in parallel with falling sales.  According to CryptoSlam data, NFT sales reached about $5.63 billion in 2025, down by about 37% from the $8.9 billion recorded last year. Average sale prices also declined year-on-year, slipping to $96 from $124.  Read more
  • Bitwise files with US SEC for 11 single‑token ‘strategy’ crypto ETFs
    Cointelegraph.com - 08:48 Dec 31, 2025
    Bitwise is seeking SEC approval for 11 single‑token “strategy” ETFs tied to major altcoins, expanding its product shelf deeper into the altcoin market. Crypto fund manager Bitwise has filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch 11 single‑token “strategy” crypto exchange‑traded funds (ETFs), extending the company’s crypto ETF footprint deeper into the altcoin market. The proposed funds would offer targeted exposure to assets including Aave (AAVE), Uniswap (UNI), Zcash (ZEC), Bittensor (TAO), Sui (SUI) and Near (NEAR), among others, giving investors a regulated route into tokens that so far have mostly traded on crypto exchanges. According to the filing, each product is designed as a “Strategy ETF” rather than a plain spot vehicle, following a rules‑based playbook for how it gets exposure to the underlying asset. Read more
  • Coinbase exec warns Senate stablecoin misstep could hand China global edge
    Cointelegraph.com - 07:41 Dec 31, 2025
    A Coinbase executive said changes to the GENIUS Act could weaken US dollar stablecoins as China moves to boost the digital yuan by allowing interest-bearing wallets. A senior executive at Coinbase warned that changes to the US stablecoin framework could weaken Washington’s position in the global race for digital payments, just as China moves to make its central bank digital currency (CBDC) more competitive. In a post on X, Faryar Shirzad, Coinbase’s chief policy officer, said the debate over whether US-issued stablecoins can offer “rewards” under the GENIUS Act could hurt US dollar stablecoins’ global competitiveness. He pointed to a recent announcement from China’s central bank as evidence that rival financial systems are moving quickly to enhance the appeal of state-backed digital money. The People’s Bank of China, China’s central bank, this week outlined a framework that will allow commercial banks to pay interest on balances held in digital yuan wallets starting Jan. 1, 2026. Lu Lei, a deputy governor at ...
  • Ethereum L1 transactions hit 2.2M a day; each costs about 17 cents
    Cointelegraph.com - 06:38 Dec 31, 2025
    Ethereum transactions were the most costly in May 2022 when fees were over $200 per transaction on average. They have been declining since. The Ethereum mainnet clocked 2.2 million transactions in a single day in a new record this week, while fees have fallen to just 17 cents on average. The layer-1 blockchain recorded its new transaction milestone on Tuesday, according to block explorer Etherscan. Transaction fees have also dropped considerably over time.  The highest transaction fees on Ethereum were recorded in May 2022, when users had to spend over $200 per transaction. Read more
    Tags: Ethereum
  • Uganda opposition leader promotes Bitchat amid fears of internet blackout
    Cointelegraph.com - 05:26 Dec 31, 2025
    Google Trends search for “Bitchat” in Uganda shows a spike from 0 to 100 on Wednesday, the day after opposition leader Bobi Wine urged people to download it. Ugandan politician and opposition leader Bobi Wine is encouraging his constituents to download Jack Dorsey’s decentralized peer-to-peer messaging service, Bitchat, in the lead-up to the country’s election, alleging the ruling party will try to cut off communication services.   During the 2016 election, long-time Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni blocked internet and social media access for the entire population, citing security and safety concerns, and again in 2021, according to a report from the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network. Wine alleged in a X post on Tuesday that a similar action is on the agenda in the lead-up to the Uganda 2026 presidential election, which is scheduled for Jan. 15. Read more
  • BitMine bags $98M in ETH as year-end selling caps gains: Tom Lee
    Cointelegraph.com - 04:06 Dec 31, 2025
    BitMine snared another 32,938 ETH on Tuesday as end-of-year tax-loss sellers and bots kept prices down, Fundstrat’s Tom Lee said. Ethereum treasury company BitMine Immersion Technologies scooped up $97.6 million worth of Ether on Tuesday as the crypto market remains muted in the final days of 2025. Nansen data shows BitMine purchased 32,938 Ether (ETH). Other data shows its total holdings are now 4.07 million ETH, worth $12 billion. BitMine also staked another 118,944 ETH, continuing its strategy to earn passive returns for shareholders. BitMine’s latest buying spree comes amid a broader crypto market compression, which Tom Lee,  the orchestrator of BitMine’s Ethereum strategy, said was partly due to an uptick in tax-loss selling in the US: Read more
    Tags: BitMine
  • What the Fed’s divided 2026 outlook means for Bitcoin and crypto
    Cointelegraph.com - 01:44 Dec 31, 2025
    The Federal Reserve’s December dot plot revealed sharp divisions on 2026 rate cuts, with analysts predicting one to two cuts could shape crypto momentum. The US Federal Reserve has been highly influential on crypto market momentum this year, and its impact is likely to continue into 2026 as divisions among policymakers remain. The Fed made three interest rate cuts in 2025, the most recent on December 10, which brought rates down to between 3.5% to 3.75%.  However, projections suggest there will only be one additional cut in 2026 despite rates remaining at their highest levels since 2008. Read more
  • Pakistan could be a crypto leader in 5 years at current pace: CZ
    Cointelegraph.com - 00:44 Dec 31, 2025
    Former Binance boss Changpeng Zhao has praised Pakistan for its speedy crypto adoption in 2025, saying the country is on track to become a crypto leader by 2030. Pakistan's ability to “move fast” with crypto regulation and adoption could make it a world leader in crypto by 2030, according to former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao.  In a recent interview with Pakistan Crypto Council CEO Bilal bin Saqib, CZ credited Pakistan’s leadership for recognizing the demand for digital assets among its relatively young and tech-savvy population. “If we keep moving at this speed in five years, Pakistan will be the crypto leader, one of the crypto leaders in the world,” said CZ, who serves as strategic adviser to the crypto council. Read more
    Tags: Pakistan
  • 2026 Fed cuts will be ‘key catalyst’ for retail’s return to crypto
    Cointelegraph.com - 00:21 Dec 31, 2025
    Investors will be more excited about crypto if the Fed continues cutting rates in 2026, says a crypto analyst. The aggressiveness of Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2026 will determine whether retail investors return to the crypto market next year, according to a crypto analyst. But there are doubts about how likely the Fed is to continue cutting, after already making three reductions in 2025. Clear Street managing director Owen Lau told CNBC on Tuesday that Fed rate decisions are “one of the key catalysts for the crypto space in 2026.” Read more
  • US prosecutors oppose Defi Education Fund brief ahead of potential MEV case retrial
    Cointelegraph.com - 21:54 Dec 30, 2025
    The possible retrial of two brothers alleged to have exploited the Ethereum blockchain could come soon, but the US government argued one amicus brief isn't relevant to consider. The US government has filed a letter opposing the introduction of an amicus brief from the digital asset advocacy group DeFi Education Fund as the court considers a possible retrial for two brothers allegedly behind a $25 million exploit of the Ethereum blockchain. In a Tuesday filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, interim US Attorney Jay Clayton submitted a letter to Judge Jessica Clarke requesting that a brief from the DeFi Education Fund (DEF) not be accepted while the court considers a motion to dismiss the case against Anton and James Peraire-Bueno.  “Detached from the trial record, the brief merely recites legal arguments already rejected by this Court,” said Clayton, referring to the DeFi Education Fund’s amicus brief, adding: Read more
  • Prenetics scraps Bitcoin strategy to focus on Beckham-backed nutrition brand
    Cointelegraph.com - 21:45 Dec 30, 2025
    The company will keep its Bitcoin holdings but stopped accumulating BTC as it shifts capital toward scaling its consumer health brand. Prenetics Global Limited halted its Bitcoin treasury buying program, ending daily purchases announced in June to refocus on its consumer health brand co-founded with former football player David Beckham. According to an announcement on Tuesday, the company paused its Bitcoin purchases on Dec. 4 and will not pursue additional BTC acquisitions, focusing instead on scaling its nutritional brand IM8, which Prenetics said surpassed $100 million in annualized recurring revenue within 11 months of launch. The company will keep 510 Bitcoin (BTC) on its balance sheets, along with more than $70 million in cash and cash equivalents. IM8, a subsidiary of Prenetics, sells an all-in-one daily nutrition supplement marketed as a replacement for multiple standalone products. Read more
  • South Korea delays crypto bill over stablecoin concerns: Report
    Cointelegraph.com - 19:52 Dec 30, 2025
    The introduction of a stablecoin bill pioneered by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will reportedly be delayed into 2026 after concerns about issuers. South Korean lawmakers have reportedly delayed submission of a cryptocurrency bill that could allow the issuance of domestic stablecoins as key issues remain unresolved. According to a Tuesday Yonhap News report, officials in South Korea’s government were continuing to work on the Digital Asset Basic Act, but expected to submit the bill sometime in 2026. The reported delay was due to “major issues that raise disagreements with relevant organizations, including stablecoin issuers.” The bill, proposed by the country’s ruling Democratic Party in June, would permit the issuance of stablecoins pegged to the won and is expected to boost South Korea’s crypto market. Under the proposed bill, stablecoin issuers would reportedly be required to entrust all their reserve assets to authorized custodies, like banks. Read more
  • How privacy prevailed in an otherwise dismal Q4 for crypto
    Cointelegraph.com - 18:30 Dec 30, 2025
    Relative outperformance by privacy-focused cryptocurrencies such as Zcash suggests defensive positioning as markets absorbed losses and broader structural stress. The digital asset sector is closing out a turbulent quarter marked by losses, strained market infrastructure and investor disappointment. Yet one corner of the market stood out: privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. According to Grayscale’s latest quarterly market summary, privacy emerged as an unexpected investment theme in the fourth quarter, with assets such as Zcash (ZEC) significantly outperforming the broader crypto market.  Zcash’s price surged in the fourth quarter, rising from about $50 in mid-September to a peak near $700 by mid-November, CoinMarketCap data shows. Read more
  • Cypherpunk lifts crypto treasury with $29M Zcash purchase
    Cointelegraph.com - 17:53 Dec 30, 2025
    The digital asset treasury company backed by Winklevoss Capital seeks to capture 5% of the total supply of the privacy-focused cryptocurrency. Nasdaq-listed Cypherpunk Technologies has expanded its crypto corporate treasury with a new purchase of Zcash tokens for about $29 million. According to Tuesday’s announcement, the company bought 56,418 Zcash (ZEC) paying an average price of $514 per token. The purchase brings Cypherpunk’s total holdings to 290,062.67 ZEC, or about 1.76% of the token’s circulating supply. Zcash, launched in 2016 as a Bitcoin fork, is a privacy-focused blockchain that uses zero-knowledge proofs to verify transactions without revealing the sender, recipient or transaction amount. Like Bitcoin, its native token has a 21 million cap. Read more
  • Grayscale moves toward exchange listing for TAO trust in US
    Cointelegraph.com - 17:15 Dec 30, 2025
    The proposed TAO investment vehicle, one of the first exchange-traded products that could be available to US markets, is expected to be listed on NYSE Arca following approval. Digital asset management company Grayscale Investments has filed to list and trade shares of an exchange-traded product (ETP) tied to Bittensor’s native token, TAO. In a Tuesday filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Grayscale filed an S-1 registration statement for shares of its Bittensor Trust (TAO). The filing came more than a year after the asset manager introduced the TAO trust and signals Grayscale’s move to transition its over-the-counter TAO product to NYSE Arca. The filing is subject to SEC review before listing under the ticker GTAO. The SEC has green-lit several exchange-traded fund offerings from Grayscale tied to cryptocurrencies, including those for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). Read more
  • Ethereum quietly sets a record: 8.7M contracts deployed in one quarter
    Cointelegraph.com - 16:43 Dec 30, 2025
    Onchain development activity on Ethereum has rebounded sharply, driven by tokenized assets, stablecoins and infrastructure, according to Token Terminal. Despite sluggish Ether price action, developers are increasingly choosing Ethereum as a settlement layer, with the fourth quarter shaping up to be a record period for the network. Data from Token Terminal shows that the number of new smart contracts created and published on the Ethereum blockchain reached an all-time high of 8.7 million in the fourth quarter. The milestone marked a sharp rebound from the previous two quarters, when contract deployment activity was significantly lower. Read more
    Tags: Ethereum
  • XRP supply on exchanges hits 8-year lows: Will it spark a 2026 price rally?
    Cointelegraph.com - 15:12 Dec 30, 2025
    XRP exchange supply hitting eight-year lows has tightened the available supply for sale and set the stage for a potential 2026 supply-shock rally. XRP (XRP) held above a key demand zone that has provided support for its price throughout 2025. Will holding this level and a reducing balance on exchanges trigger the start of a sustained recovery in 2026? Key takeaways: XRP supply on exchanges has dropped to an eight-year low, signalling reduced selling pressure. Read more
    Tags: Will
  • How Strategy keeps buying Bitcoin during market downturns
    Cointelegraph.com - 14:30 Dec 30, 2025
    Strategy keeps buying Bitcoin during downturns by tapping equity markets and reserves, turning dilution and financing costs into a repeatable accumulation engine. Strategy funds its dip buying primarily through ATM equity sales rather than operating cash flow. Preferred shares and other financing tools add buying power but create ongoing dividend and interest obligations. A $1.44-billion reserve is intended to reduce “forced seller” concerns during prolonged market slumps. Read more
    Tags: Bitcoin

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