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 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
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 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
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
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
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