Crypto

Russia’s justice ministry proposed fines and prison for illegal crypto mining, as officials say most miners still haven’t joined the tax register. Russia has proposed a new draft bill seeking to crack down on unregistered cryptocurrency miners in the country, following concerns from the finance minister about illegal mining activity. Russia’s Ministry of Justice has proposed imposing penalties of up to 1.5 million rubles (about $19,000) and up to two years of forced labor for illegal cryptocurrency mining, according to new draft amendments to the Criminal Code, published on Monday. For crypto mining activities involving outsized profits, the maximum sentence could reach up to five years in prison, 480 hours of forced labor, and a fine of up to 2.5 million rubles. Read more

Aptos (APT) was also a top performer, up 3.1% from Monday.

Stablecoins exploded in 2025 with new regulations, banking charters, and a $306 billion market cap—but not all issuers had smooth sailing.

As Strategy doubles down on its Bitcoin-first treasury approach, analysts warn that debt, dilution and market volatility could test the model’s resilience heading into 2026. In early 2025, Michael Saylor’s technology company MicroStrategy officially rebranded to Strategy and adopted a Bitcoin-themed visual marketing program to reflect its core focus as the world’s largest corporate BTC holder. As of Dec. 30, Strategy has accumulated 672,497 Bitcoin (BTC), valued at nearly $59 billion and acquired at an average price of $74,997 per coin. With Bitcoin trading near $88,000, the company is sitting on an unrealized gain of roughly 17%. However, despite the paper profits, pressure has been building. Strategy must continue servicing dividends and financing costs tied to the preferred shares and debt used to fund its Bitcoin purchases, creating fixed cash obligations regardless of Bitcoin’s price moves. Read more

CARF data collection starts Jan. 1, 2026, in 48 jurisdictions, including the UK and EU, pushing crypto platforms to gather tax residency details and report transactions. From Jan. 1, 2026, crypto users in 48 jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the European Union, will start to feel the first real effects of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) as early‑moving jurisdictions begin collecting standardized data from exchanges and platforms. CARF requires in-scope providers to gather more detailed customer information, verify tax residency and report users’ balances and transactions annually to their domestic tax authorities, which will then share that data across borders under existing information‑exchange agreements. Lucy Frew, partner and head of the global Regulatory & Risk Advisory Group at international law firm Walkers, told Cointelegraph that CARF is a “game-changer,” and “set to reshape compliance for digital asset busine...

U.S. market structure legislation is poised to be the dominant force for digital assets, while near-term concerns about quantum computing are overdone.

Bitcoin trades near $90K as traders watch for a breakout or breakdown, with patterns hinting at a move toward $107K or down to $65K.

HYPER has gained nearly 8% in the past 7 days and stands out as one of the top-performing tokens in the top 20 during this period after recapturing its lead over Aster in the perps market. Does this favor a bullish Hyperliquid price prediction?Data from CoinMarketCap shows that Hyperliquid has a 19.5% market share at […] The post Hyperliquid Price Prediction: Hype Price With Encouraging 8% Weekly Gains, Is $30 Possible In January 2026? appeared first on Cryptonews.

With the market getting ready for a big breakout, here's the best crypto to buy before 2026. The post Best Crypto To Buy Before 2026, 30 December 2025 – XRP, BTC, ETH appeared first on Cryptonews.

Cicely LaMothe, the SEC's deputy director of Corporation Finance, has retired after 24 years at the agency, concluding a tenure that included shepherding seven crypto guidance documents through the Commission and facing congressional scrutiny over Tron founder Justin Sun's reverse merger onto Nasdaq. The post Pro-Crypto SEC Official Cicely LaMothe Retires After 24-Year Career appeared first on Cryptonews.

Iran's currency plunged to a record 1.42 million rials per US dollar, prompting the Central Bank governor's resignation and the country's largest protests in three years, as Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley positioned Bitcoin as protection against economic mismanagement and monetary system failures. The post Bitcoin Offered as Solution After Iran’s Rial Plunges to All-Time Low appeared first on Cryptonews.

APT broke through key resistance levels on institutional buying activity.

The UK plans to bring crypto in line with traditional finance by 2027, with FCA proposals shaping trading platforms, DeFi and oversight of political donations. The UK plans to bring cryptocurrency within the financial services perimeter by October 2027, shifting toward a structured regulatory regime. The Financial Conduct Authority has launched consultations to define standards and requirements for crypto firms, with final rules expected in 2026. The new framework marks a move away from basic Anti-Money Laundering registration toward a detailed licensing system that mirrors traditional financial products. Read more

Cointelegraph asked 20 crypto executives for their stablecoin predictions in 2026. We identified five key themes… and one stark warning. Stablecoins have shifted from speculative assets to essential infrastructure in emerging markets, and adoption in developed regions has surged. Yet the market remains divided. Some expect stablecoins to dominate through decentralized protocols, while others foresee tokenized deposits as the main growth driver. ​This raises critical questions about the future of money. Will stablecoins revolutionize payments globally, or will traditional banking adapt in ways that blur the lines? And critically, will stablecoins destabilize markets? Read more

In 2025, Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) executed a capital markets feat that effectively cornered the supply of new Bitcoin, purchasing more coins than the global mining network produced for the entire year. Throughout the year, Strategy added approximately 225,027 BTC to its corporate treasury, bringing its total holdings to roughly 672,497 BTC. This purchasing campaign exceeded […] The post How Strategy used half its stock price to buy 225,000 Bitcoin in 2025 appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Traders spotted strong bullish signals for Bitcoin, including a potential bear trap reversal and a technical breakout projecting a rally to $107,000 next month. Bitcoin (BTC) entered its final week of the year down 30% from its $126,000 all-time high reached on Oct. 6. Has BTC finally peaked, or is there a relief in the cards going into 2026? Key takeaways: A typical "Christmas bear trap" may precede a potential relief rally into 2026. Read more

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.