Crypto

Ethereum continues to range around the $3,000 zone, with neither bulls nor bears taking full control. The market is in a consolidation phase after its failure to hold above $3,100, and traders are now closely watching key levels on both the daily and 4H charts. While the macro structure is still under pressure, short-term sentiment […]

If you'd invested in the right assets on Trump's Inauguration Day, you could have doubled your portfolio.

Binance has halted Visa and Mastercard withdrawals for Ukrainian users who relied on Bifinity services, citing changes linked to regulatory shifts. Binance has suspended card-based withdrawals for users in Ukraine, according to a notice sent to customers this week. The changes took effect on Monday and include the temporary halt of direct withdrawals to bank cards issued by Visa and Mastercard, several local Ukrainian news outlets reported. A Binance spokesperson confirmed the news to Cointelegraph, adding that the “announcement regarding changes to payment methods applies exclusively to users from Ukraine who previously used Bifinity services.” Read more

The intellectual property platform on Story Protocol lost about $3.9 million after a governance exploit, with stolen funds later routed through Tornado Cash.

Analysts aimed high. The market declined to follow.

During this current correction, long term holders have sold over 1 million BTC, the largest sell pressure event from this cohort since 2019.

Traders expect BTC to regain its mojo next year.

Lighter’s LIT token launch sparked debate over insider ownership, while prediction markets and whale trades revealed divided expectations regarding valuation. Lighter, one of the fastest-growing perpetual decentralized exchanges (DEXs), drew mixed reactions in the decentralized finance (DeFi) community after unveiling the tokenomics of its new Lighter Infrastructure Token (LIT). Under its structure, 50% of LIT’s supply is reserved for the ecosystem, while the remaining 50% is allocated to the team and investors, with a one-year cliff and a multi-year vesting schedule. As part of the rollout, Lighter said it had already distributed 25% of LIT’s total supply through an airdrop tied to its first two points seasons, which ran throughout 2025. Read more

Bitcoin's recovery relied on a shift toward the "digital gold" narrative, but global growth risks and strong equity markets have delayed that breakout. Key takeaways: Bitcoin failed to break $90,000 again as investors favored gold and bonds. S&P 500 record highs and lower interest rates have reduced Bitcoin’s appeal as a hedge compared to traditional equities. Read more

An $11 billion Bitcoin whale is betting hundreds of millions of dollars on price increases of Bitcoin, Ether and Solana, while "smart money" traders remain net short on leading tokens. The $11 billion Bitcoin whale who correctly predicted the $19 billion October market crash is betting on the price appreciation of the top cryptocurrencies, signaling a potential market recovery. After cashing out $330 million in Ether (ETH), the whale opened three leveraged long positions worth a cumulative $748 million, betting on price increases of Bitcoin (BTC), Ether and Solana (SOL). The largest is an ETH long position worth $598 million, opened at $3,147, which faces liquidation if Ether’s price falls below $2,143, according to blockchain data platform Lookonchain’s Tuesday X post. Read more

CC and ZEC have gained the most value today.

Bitcoin's tape over the past 24 hours looked engineered for crypto investors, as BTC surpassed the $90,000 threshold in the early hours of Dec. 29, only to give back those gains less than 12 hours later. Traders like TedPillows posted clown emojis alongside charts showing repeated peaks and troughs, while CryptoSeth called it “fraud commodity” […] The post Recent Bitcoin crashes cry “manipulation” as on-chain data catches market maker dumping appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Prediction markets show traders clustering around a $2 billion–$3 billion range, with odds for $4 billion and $6 billion outcomes falling steadily after October's crash.

US-listed XRP ETFs continued to draw steady inflows through December, even as Bitcoin and Ether funds posted sharp monthly outflows. Spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the United States continued to attract capital through December, extending their inflow streak to 29 consecutive days despite choppy market conditions. According to data from SoSoValue, spot XRP (XRP) ETFs recorded $8.44 million in net inflows on Monday, pushing cumulative inflows to $1.15 billion since they launched. Total net assets stood at about $1.24 billion, even as XRP prices and broader crypto markets faced selling pressure during the month. “XRP inflows are a function of regulatory clarity and steady accumulation into a less crowded trade, than BTC/ETH,” Vincent Liu, chief investment officer at Kronos Research, told Cointelegraph, adding that XRP’s cross-border settlement use case “offers differentiated exposure that continues to attract longer-horizon capital.” Read more

Ethereum whales added millions of ETH in 2025 as retail sold, while developer activity hit record highs and key price levels remain in focus.

Metaplanet added 4,279 BTC to take its treasury to 35,102 BTC, as its Bitcoin Income Generation business beat forecasts. Metaplanet added another 4,279 Bitcoin at an acquisition cost of about $451 million, bringing its total stack to 35,102 BTC (worth around $3 billion) as the Tokyo-listed firm leaned harder into a hybrid model of the Bitcoin treasury and income business.  In a Tuesday filing, the company also reported that revenue from its Bitcoin (BTC) Income Generation business had overshot previous forecasts, jumping to 8.58 billion Japanese yen (about $54 million) for 2025. Metaplanet’s revenue is driven by option-based strategies that turn its BTC into recurring cash flow rather than a dormant, volatile asset.​ These options-based strategies use a separate pool of Bitcoin to sell options, earn premiums and cycle those trades, while keeping Metaplanet’s core long-term BTC stash untouched. Read more

Metaplanet's bitcoin income generation business generated about $55 million in annual revenue for 2024.

Metaplanet’s Bitcoin treasury strategy appears back in motion after a notable Q4 lull.

Institutions are increasingly using bitcoin options strategies on altcoins to manage price volatility and enhance returns, STS Digital told CoinDesk.

Grayscale said macro pressure and clearer US regulations are setting the stage for crypto’s next bull market in 2026. Demand for alternative stores of value and clearer regulations are driving what could become crypto’s next bull market, according to Grayscale. Speaking on CNBC’s “Crypto World,” Grayscale’s head of research Zach Pandl said Monday that the strongest driver remains macroeconomic pressure. Increasing government debt, persistent fiscal deficits and concerns over fiat currency debasement are pushing investors to look beyond traditional assets. “There’s a lot of things happening in crypto ... but the biggest asset in the market, Bitcoin, is driven because of demand for alternative stores of value because of debt and deficits and the risk of fiat currency debasement,” he said. Read more