The Bonk price has risen to $0.000009452 today, marking an 8.5% gain in a week as the market prepares for a possible FOMC rate cut on Wednesday.

BONK is now also up by 5.5% in the past fortnight, yet it remains down by 28% in a month and by a worrying 79% in a year.

However, there are strong signs that it may be about to turn a corner, with Bonk partnering with Bitcoin Capital to launch Europe’s first-ever BONK exchange-traded product last week.

This could invite substantial institutional investment in the token, allowing for a very positive Bonk price prediction as we move into 2026.

Bonk Price Prediction: BONK ETP Launches in Europe – Could This Spark the First Institutional Meme Coin Run?

Bonk and Switzerland-based ETP issuer Bitcoin Capital launched the Bonk Exchange Traded Product on SIX Swiss Exchange, which is the third-largest stock exchange in Europe.

As Bitcoin Capital explains in its accompanying blog, the new ETP enables institutional and retail investors to buy and sell Bonk just like a traditional stock, something which could help to expand demand for the popular meme coin, which first launched in December 2022.

The ETP’s arrival may have come at just the right time, since the Solana-based BONK has declined by 83.7% since reaching an ATH of $0.00005825 in November 2024, not long after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election.

Since then, it has gone through two cycles of boom and bust, with the coin rising to a seven-month high of $0.00003877 in July, only to its current level.

If we look at its chart today, we see that it has been in a heavily oversold position since August.

However, its relative strength index (yellow) has begun to rise towards 50 after plunging below 30 in late November, a sign of an impending recovery.

We can say something similar about its MACD (orange, blue), which has also been negative since August.

Normally, this would mean that a more positive phase of growth is long overdue, and the launch of the Bonk ETP may be the catalyst that sets off a recovery.

The aforementioned FOMC meeting could be another catalyst, with analysts expecting the Fed to cut rates by another 0.25% Wednesday.

Combined with the ETP launch, and with the arrival of other altcoin ETFs in the States, this could help push the Bonk price higher.

It has the potential to reach $0.0000150 by the end of January, and to pass its current ATH of $0.00005825 by H2 2026.

PEPENODE Raises $2.3 Million As Presale Hots Up: Is This 2026’s Big Winner?

While BONK certainly has the potential to recover strongly in the coming months, unconvinced traders may want to seek alternatives.

One possibility is to look at presale coins, since these can rally strongly when they list for the first time, especially if they’ve had popular sales.

An example that fits this bill is PEPENODE ($PEPENODE), a new Ethereum-based token that’s planning to shake up cryptocurrency mining.

It has now raised just over $2.3 million in its presale, which will end in 30 days.

PEPENODE will enable users to participate in mining without having to invest in expensive mining hardware and facilities, as you’d have to with proof-of-work tokens such as Bitcoin.

Instead, PEPENODE invites users to build and operate their own virtual mining rigs, which they can expand by spending PEPENODE tokens on more virtual nodes.

More nodes result in greater words, while users can also upgrade their nodes and combine them in novel ways, increasing their rewards even further.

PEPENODE will pay out mining rewards in the form of external tokens, such as the original Pepe and Fartcoin (more coins will be added in the future).

This should create a strong incentive to buy more PEPENODE tokens, pushing its price up over time.

Investors can buy it now, before it potentially surges, by going to the official PEPENODE website and connecting a compatible wallet (e.g. Best Wallet).

The token currently costs $0.0011873, which is its final presale price before the sale ends.

Interested investors should therefore act quickly, since the available signs suggest that PEPENODE could be one of 2026’s biggest new coins.

Visit the Official Pepenode Website Here

The post Bonk Price Prediction: BONK ETP Launches in Europe – Could This Spark the First Institutional Meme Coin Run? appeared first on Cryptonews.

BlackRock is advancing further into digital asset investment products with a filing for the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF, its first U.S. product that offers direct staking exposure for institutional investors.

The move expands upon the firm’s existing Ethereum fund, which now exceeds $11 billion in assets, and reflects the growing market appetite for yield-generating crypto strategies.

The preliminary prospectus, dated December 5, describes a vehicle that will reflect ETH price performance while also capturing rewards from staking a portion of its holdings.

The trust will issue shares representing fractional beneficial interests in its ether assets, which will be held in custody on behalf of investors. Staking rewards, once received, are intended to enhance net asset value, though the filing cites regulatory and operational risks that could impact distribution and performance.

Multi-Custodian Structure Anchored by Coinbase and BNY Mellon

The filing outlines a layered custody and administration model. Coinbase Custody Trust Company is slated to serve as the ETH custodian, while The Bank of New York Mellon will act as cash custodian and administrator.

Anchorage Digital Bank is listed as an additional custodian, strengthening the trust’s regulated oversight and redundancy. BlackRock Fund Advisors will serve as trustee, and iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC is listed as the sponsor of the trust. The structure indicates a clear intention to position the product as a compliant infrastructure designed for institutional comfort and risk management.

Provider-Facilitated Staking, Not Validator Operation

Instead of running validator infrastructure directly, the trust will rely on approved third-party staking service providers. The sponsor will determine how staking is allocated based on provider performance, reliability, and reputation.

Staking operations may be executed through affiliates of the custodians or other regulated partners, with the prospectus noting both reward potential and slashing risk as material considerations for investors.

The trust intends to issue shares continuously and list on NASDAQ under the ticker “ETHB”, with creation and redemption occurring in standardized baskets of 40,000 shares.

Institutional Demand Shifts Toward Yield-Bearing Crypto Products

BlackRock’s filing indicates a strategic shift as institutional investors increasingly seek exposure beyond price-only products and toward yield-bearing, tokenized financial instruments. If approved, the ETF may help define how staking rewards are classified, a topic still evolving in U.S. regulatory circles.

The staked ETH ETF positions BlackRock at the center of this transition, reflecting its ambition to shape the next phase of digital asset adoption, one in which exposure is not merely speculative but grounded in the operational economics of blockchain networks.

BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Bleeds $2.7B

Meanwhile, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust has logged its longest stretch of weekly withdrawals since the fund launched in January 2024, marking a sharp turn in institutional sentiment toward Bitcoin even as prices steady. Investors pulled more than $2.7 billion from the fund over the five weeks ending Nov. 28, according to data from SoSoValue.

Redemptions continued on Thursday with an additional $113 million, putting the ETF on track for a sixth consecutive week of outflows.

The post BlackRock Expands Beyond $11B ETH Fund With Staked Ethereum ETF Filing appeared first on Cryptonews.

Tokyo-listed Metaplanet is preparing to roll out a new preferred-share structure modeled on Strategy’s widely watched Bitcoin funding vehicle, as the company doubles down on its push to expand its corporate Bitcoin treasury.

The plan was confirmed this week by Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich during remarks at the Bitcoin for Corporations Symposium, where he appeared alongside Strategy Chairman Michael Saylor.

Gerovich told attendees that shareholders will vote later this month on launching a new capital instrument called MARS, short for MetaPlanet Acquisition and Reserve Strategy.

He described it as the company’s version of Strategy’s STRC preferred stock, specifically designed to raise capital dedicated to buying more Bitcoin.

Metaplanet Details Structure of ‘Mars’ Bitcoin-Backed Preferred Equity

Metaplanet formally outlined the structure earlier in November when its board approved two new classes of preferred equity known internally as Mars and Mercury.

The Mars shares are structured as senior, non-dilutive Class A preferred stock. They sit above both Mercury shares and common equity in Metaplanet’s capital stack, carry no conversion rights, and provide holders with a senior claim on dividends and assets.

Proceeds from these shares are intended to be directed toward Bitcoin accumulation as part of Metaplanet’s long-term treasury strategy.

Mars shares are also designed to pay adjustable monthly dividends.

The dividend rate is structured to rise when the stock trades below par and fall when it trades above that level.

This mechanism is intended to reduce price volatility while offering steady income to investors seeking Bitcoin-linked exposure without direct equity risk.

STRC Delivers 10% Returns as Metaplanet look to mirror it

The structure mirrors Strategy’s STRC stock, a variable-rate perpetual preferred share launched in July 2025.

STRC currently trades near $98 and pays an annualized dividend of about 10.75%, with an effective yield close to 11%.

The dividend is adjusted monthly to keep STRC trading near its $100 target price.

Strategy uses proceeds from STRC and other preferred programs to fund Bitcoin purchases.

Since launch, STRC has returned just over 10%, while remaining far less volatile than Strategy’s common stock or Bitcoin itself.

Strategy’s approach has driven an aggressive expansion of its Bitcoin treasury. By late 2025, the company held 650,000 BTC after adding tens of thousands of coins throughout the year.

About 21,000 BTC were purchased using STRC IPO proceeds alone.

Additional purchases in October and November lifted total holdings beyond 641,000 BTC at the time, funded through various preferred offerings and at-the-market share sales.

Metaplanet Turns to Buybacks as Japan’s Bitcoin Treasury Trade Cools

Metaplanet appears to be adapting that same funding blueprint to Japan’s market conditions.

The company has already issued Mercury Class B preferred shares, which combine quarterly fixed dividends with the option to convert into common stock.

On Nov. 20, Metaplanet approved the issuance of 23.61 million Mercury shares through a third-party allocation, raising about ¥21.25 billion, or roughly $135 million.

The conversion price was set well above the company’s market price, limiting immediate dilution.

At the same time, Metaplanet has relied heavily on debt secured by its Bitcoin holdings.

In late November, the company disclosed a new $130 million loan backed entirely by BTC under a previously announced $500 million credit facility.

As of its latest treasury update, Metaplanet holds 30,823 BTC valued near $2.7 billion, with an average acquisition cost of $108,070 per coin.

With Bitcoin trading below that level, unrealized losses stood at roughly $636 million.

The timing of the Mars announcement comes during a slowdown across corporate Bitcoin treasuries. DefiLlama data shows that digital asset treasury inflows dropped to $1.32 billion in November, the lowest monthly total of 2025.

Notably, In November alone, Strategy shares fell more than 35%, while Metaplanet’s stock dropped over 20% as Bitcoin slid nearly 25% from October highs.

The post MetaPlanet CEO Reveals Strategy-Style ‘MARS’ Plan to Supercharge Bitcoin Buying appeared first on Cryptonews.

CoinShares has released its 2026 outlook titled “The Year Utility Wins,” positioning next year as the moment when digital assets transition from speculation to practical adoption.

The report introduces Hybrid Finance as the central framework where traditional financial institutions and blockchain infrastructure converge into a unified system serving real economic purposes.

Bitcoin reached all-time highs in 2025 while becoming more deeply embedded in institutional frameworks.

Stablecoins evolved into genuine settlement infrastructure, tokenization scaled beyond experimental pilots, and blockchain applications began generating consistent revenues.

The report emphasizes that “crypto is entering a value-accrual era” as platforms distribute earnings to token holders through systematic buybacks.

CoinShares Analyst Predicts Bitcoin to $170K

CoinShares projects three distinct scenarios for Bitcoin in 2026. The optimistic case, driven by productivity gains and steady disinflation, could push Bitcoin beyond $150,000.

The base case anticipates a trading range of $110,000 to $140,000, driven by ETF flows and expectations for the Federal Reserve.

The bear case splits between recession, where aggressive monetary easing could support prices above $170,000, and stagflation, which might compress valuations toward $70,000 to $100,000.

The report notes that “the Fed feels fundamentally uncomfortable: wanting to ease, but constantly second-guessing how fragile the disinflation trend really is,” creating an environment demanding fundamental justification for asset appreciation.

This backdrop reflects the erosion of dollar dominance, with the dollar’s global reserve share at mid-fifties, down from roughly 70% at the start of the millennium.

Corporate Bitcoin Holdings Present Concentration Risks

Corporate Bitcoin holdings have grown substantially, with publicly-listed companies increasing from 44 in January 2024 to 190 by November 2025.

Total holdings nearly quadrupled from 265,709 BTC to 1,048,520 BTC, with total value increasing roughly ninefold from $11.7 billion to $90.7 billion.

Strategy (MSTR) dominates this landscape, accounting for 61% of publicly-listed firms’ Bitcoin holdings after growing its stack from 189,150 BTC to 650,000 BTC.

The company holds approximately $70 billion in assets against $8.2 billion in debt, having secured $13.9 billion through convertible bonds. The top 10 corporate holders control 84% of the supply, while the top 20 hold 91%.

Notably, CoinShares identifies two scenarios that could force Strategy to sell Bitcoin, as both Saylor and the CEO have confirmed they will sell.

The company carries $6.6 billion in perpetual preferred stocks and $3.2 billion in interest-bearing debt, with annual cash flows totaling nearly $680 million.

As the modified net asset value approaches parity, new shares lose appeal, while refinancing risk looms with the nearest debt maturity in September 2028.

The report warns that eroding financing power could trigger a vicious cycle in which plunging prices force Bitcoin sales to cover obligations.

While CoinShares does not expect this to unfold in 2026, hundreds of thousands of coins could eventually flood the market.

Institutional Adoption Advances Through Multiple Channels

Two years after the US spot Bitcoin ETF approval in 2024, these products have attracted more than $90 billion in assets.

CoinShares anticipates the four major US wirehouses will formally enable discretionary Bitcoin ETF allocations in 2026, with at least one major 401(k) provider incorporating cryptocurrency options.

The report projects 13F filers will collectively hold over one-third of spot Bitcoin ETF assets by year-end 2026.

Options market development continues to reduce volatility as open interest expands.

Measurements over 30 days showed instances in 2025 when Bitcoin volatility fell below that of traditional assets, marking a significant shift from historical patterns.

Stablecoin and Tokenization Growth Accelerates

The stablecoin sector has reached $300 billion, with USDT commanding $185 billion and USDC holding $75 billion. Decentralized exchange volumes exceed $600 billion monthly.

However, CoinShares notes that if rates decline to 3% by year-end 2026, stablecoin supply would need to grow by $88.7 billion to maintain current interest revenue for issuers, though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent projects market expansion to $3 trillion by 2030.

The tokenized asset market doubled during 2025, expanding from $15 billion to over $35 billion. Private credit grew from $9.85 billion to $18.58 billion, while tokenized Treasuries increased from $3.91 billion to $8.68 billion.

CoinShares highlights institutional deployment through BlackRock’s expansion of its BUIDL fund and JPMorgan’s tokenized deposit launch on Base.

Currently, industry forecasts project the market reaching several trillion dollars by 2030, with estimates approaching 30 trillion through 2034.

CoinShares concludes that “2026 looks like a year where the industry’s centre of gravity moves from narrative to utility, cash flow, and integration.“

The post CoinShares Outlook: Tokenization and Real Revenue Define Crypto’s Next Phase appeared first on Cryptonews.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has formally closed its multi-year investigation into Ondo Finance without filing any charges, marking another high-profile reversal of a crypto enforcement action that began under the Biden administration.

Ondo disclosed the decision in a blog announcement, confirming that the probe examined whether its tokenized real-world asset products complied with federal securities laws and whether its ONDO token itself qualified as a security.

Ondo Joins Coinbase, Kraken, and Co. as SEC Closes Key Crypto Investigations

The investigation began in 2024 during a period of heightened scrutiny of digital-asset firms and remained confidential until its resolution. The company said it fully cooperated throughout the process.

At the time the inquiry was opened, Ondo was emerging as one of the earliest and largest platforms for tokenized U.S. Treasuries and one of the few firms working toward large-scale tokenized access to publicly listed equities.

The company was also seeing rapid adoption from international investors, placing it squarely within the SEC’s enforcement focus during a period shaped by exchange bankruptcies, retail speculation, and regulatory uncertainty.

The closure of the Ondo investigation comes as Washington indicates a broader recalibration of its crypto policy posture following the appointment of Paul Atkins as SEC chair.

Since his takeover, the agency has moved to unwind several of the most aggressive crypto cases launched during the Biden years.

The SEC’s landmark lawsuit against Coinbase, filed in 2023 over allegations that the exchange operated as an unregistered securities platform, was dismissed with prejudice in February 2025.

A similar enforcement case against Kraken, also alleging unregistered exchange and broker activities, was closed a month later with no fines, no admissions of wrongdoing, and no required business changes.

Also, in February, the SEC shut down its investigation into Robinhood’s crypto unit without taking enforcement action, and scrutiny of Uniswap Labs was quietly dropped as well.

Not all Biden-era crypto cases have disappeared. Criminal proceedings brought by the U.S. Department of Justice remain active in the Tornado Cash case.

Co-founder Roman Storm was convicted in August for conspiring to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business and now faces a potential prison sentence, while fellow co-founder Roman Semenov remains at large.

Although Treasury sanctions against the Tornado Cash protocol itself were lifted earlier this year following an appellate ruling, the individual prosecutions continue.

Ondo Brings Tokenized U.S. Stocks to Over 500 Million Investors Worldwide

Ondo’s regulatory clearance also comes as tokenization moves deeper into regulated financial markets.

In September, the company launched Ondo Global Markets, a platform offering tokenized access to more than 100 U.S. stocks and ETFs for eligible non-U.S. investors across Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America.

The service runs on Ethereum and is expanding to BNB Chain, Solana, and its own Ondo Chain, with tokenized securities backed one-to-one by underlying assets held at U.S.-registered broker-dealers.

That international expansion accelerated in November when Liechtenstein’s Financial Market Authority granted Ondo approval to offer tokenized stocks and ETFs across the European Economic Area under the MiCA regulatory framework.

The approval positions the company to serve more than 500 million retail investors across 30 European countries through passported authorization.

At the infrastructure level, Ondo has also expanded its tokenized treasury-backed yield product, USDY, to the Stellar blockchain.

The integration, announced in September at the Stellar Meridian conference in Rio de Janeiro, allows Stellar users to access on-chain yield tied to U.S. government debt through a global payments-focused network.

Meanwhile, the SEC itself has begun publicly examining how tokenization could modernize traditional securities markets.

The agency’s Investor Advisory Committee is now studying how digital issuance, trading, and settlement could reshape equity infrastructure, a marked shift from the enforcement-first approach that dominated earlier policy.

The post SEC Closes Ondo Finance Probe Without Charges – End of Biden-Era Crypto Crackdown? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Pye Finance has revealed a $5 million seed round led by some of the major players in the space. The goal is to turn billions in locked SOL stakes into an active yield market.

Variant and Coinbase Ventures led this round, with participation from Solana Labs, Nascent, Gemini, and others, according to the press release.

Pye says that it’s building bond markets for validators and stakers on Solana (SOL). The platform enables validators to draw and keep stake. They can offer rewards across more than a thousand validators.

According to the team, they accomplish this by creating transferable, time-locked staking positions with transparent reward sharing.

Moreover, they argue that the approach opens up novel DeFi use cases. These include lending and restaking, as well as fixed-yield products for the $60 billion locked in staking.

Per Brian Long. CEO of Block Logic & Triton, “Stake Trading unlocks new possibilities for both stakers and validators which is much needed.”

According to Alana Levin, investor at Variant, Pye’s staking marketplace could “fundamentally change how staking operates on Solana. By allowing validators and stakers to better align their preferences – for example, enabling validators to offer higher yields in exchange for longer lockups – Pye creates a more efficient, transparent, and incentive-aligned staking ecosystem.”

Meanwhile, Pye is the product of Alberto Cevallos, co-founder of Bitcoin yield aggregator on Ethereum BadgerDAO, and Erik Ashdown, an exec with a background in structured products in traditional markets.

“Validators have become the underbanked layer of Web3,” Ashdown says. Pye is building a financial infrastructure that lets validators operate like asset managers, offering structured products and predictable returns.

Notably, this raise follows a closed alpha. The team plans to launch a private beta in the first quarter of 2026. Early access is currently available to validators and staking providers.

Passive Billions ‘Turning’ Into Active Yield Market

Staking is shifting from a passive yield mechanism into a programmable financial layer, the team says. Institutional stakers look for transparent reward structures, customizable terms, and the option to trade or borrow against locked positions.

Therefore, Pye says it’s turning validators from node operators into yield providers who can “compete on product offerings rather than just commission rates.” It’s creating the first onchain marketplace for time-locked staking positions on Solana, it adds.

With this, they claim, they’ll turn Solana’s billions in locked stake into an active, programmable yield market.

The total staked currently sits at 422.6 million SOL, or nearly $59 billion.

Notably, the team argues that these accounts have seen no updates in years and have no liquidity. Additionally, they lack customization and control over staking rewards.

At the same time, institutions and digital asset treasuries (DATs) are asking for a bigger piece of the reward pie, the Solana Foundation’s Delegation Program (SFDP) is seeing a cut, and smaller validators have to scramble to find ways to generate revenue or attract stakers.

Pye says its solution is an upgrade to Solana’s native Staked accounts. Validators gain control over their staking rewards and time locks. Validator agreements move onchain as ‘transferable locked stake’ – they are locked but can be traded on secondary markets. These are split into a Principal Token and a Rewards Token (RT).

“The aim is to enable validators to offer more flexible and dynamic products, tapping into additional revenue opportunities while delivering greater utility to stakers,” the press release says. “Without the ability to structure term-based deals, reward loyalty, or provide additional utility–such as better accounting, rewards forwarding, or other features–many validators are left vulnerable to sudden outflows that can destabilize operations.”

Dan Albert, Solana Foundation’s Executive Director, commented that Pye’s “tradeable, fixed-term positions at the validator level represent a major unlock for both rewards discovery and capital efficiency in proof-of-stake networks, and open up new opportunities.”

The post Variant, Coinbase Ventures, Gemini and More Invest $5M in Solana Staking ‘Transformer’ Pye Finance appeared first on Cryptonews.

The crypto market continues to operate under a cautious tone, yet today shows a small improvement. The Fear and Greed Index sits near 24, a level that keeps sentiment inside the fear range but still marks progress from last week’s deeper lows.

Bitcoin is now trading around $90,000 with a gain of about 1% over 24 hours, and that move has eased some of the pressure that defined recent sessions.

Bitcoin Price (Source: CoinMarketCap)

Most large caps remain quiet, although several mid-caps are advancing. Canton, Ethena, and Ondo stand out with steady climbs that align with a backdrop where traders engage selectively while still avoiding widespread risk-taking. These moves do not indicate a broad altcoin season, but they reveal where participation resumes when the market shifts from extreme stress to controlled caution.

Canton Shows Renewed Interest In Its Network Activity

Canton (CC) is trading around $0.074, up by roughly 19% in 24 hours. Liquidity has improved across major venues, and order flow is more balanced than earlier this week.

On-chain activity around its coordination and settlement functions continues to draw attention from users who track enterprise-oriented experiments, and this interest appears to support today’s rise. The price structure suggests a transition from quiet trading toward a more stable upward pattern.

Ethena Lifts As Its Synthetic Dollar System Steadies

Ethena (ENA) is trading near $0.28, up by about 11% in 24 hours. Recent data show a more consistent balance between funding costs and open interest, which indicates that its synthetic dollar framework is operating without the uneven spikes seen in previous weeks.

Spot flows lean toward accumulation and remain spread across several active venues. The token continues to act as a reference point for yield-related designs during periods when the market prefers moderate exposure.

Ondo Climbs On Ongoing Interest In Tokenized Yield

ONDO is trading near $0.48 with an increase of about 8% over 24 hours. Trading activity suggests continued interest in tokenized treasury products, supported by steady demand for yield that connects crypto infrastructure with traditional markets.

ONDO Price (Source: CoinMarketCap)

Liquidity on major pairs remains firm, and turnover now exceeds levels recorded in recent sessions. This behaviour keeps Ondo inside rotation lists whenever market tension eases.

Altcoin Season Still Limited, but No Longer Suffocated

Altcoin season remains distant, yet the rise from extreme fear levels has lowered stress across the market. Bitcoin’s ability to remain above $90,000 reduces forced selling and gives the market enough space for selective rotation.

The strength in Canton, Ethena, and Ondo shows that capital is returning slowly to tokens with steady activity and clear user bases, even though most participants still prefer caution.

For now, the environment remains defensive, but the combination of a higher Fear and Greed reading and several advancing names indicates a market that has moved from severe pressure to a quieter, more balanced phase.

The post Altcoin Season Breathes Lightly As Canton, Ethena And Ondo Rise In A Cautious Market appeared first on Cryptonews.

Binance has disclosed the interim results of an ongoing investigation following a report submitted on December 7, alleging that employees used insider information to publish content via the company’s official social media channels for personal gain.

The report, delivered to Binance’s internal audit department, led to the immediate launch of a comprehensive internal review. Preliminary findings indicate a connection between a token issuance posted on-chain at 13:29 (UTC+8) and a tweet published at 13:30 from the official @BinanceFutures account, with similarities in language and imagery.

Binance confirmed that the actions are suspected to involve employees leveraging their positions in violation of company policies and professional ethics.

Suspension and Legal Cooperation Underway

In response to the findings, Binance said it has suspended the employees believed to be involved while further internal procedures continue. The company also confirmed it has proactively contacted authorities in the relevant jurisdiction and will cooperate with legal processes to ensure accountability.

Binance stressed that it is committed to taking firm action against conduct that compromises user trust, platform integrity, or regulatory compliance.

Bounty Rewards Distributed to Verified Reporters

Binance stated that it has completed the verification and deduplication process for reports submitted through its official audit channel (audit@binance.com). In line with its bounty commitment, the company will evenly distribute a $100,000 reward among the earliest valid reporters identified by partially anonymized email addresses.

While acknowledging additional information posted publicly on the X platform, Binance clarified that bounty eligibility applies exclusively to reports sent through its designated official channel, in order to protect reporters and uphold procedural transparency.

Zero Tolerance, Strengthened Controls, and Community Oversight

Reaffirming its user-first approach and values of openness and fairness, Binance reiterated its zero-tolerance stance toward actions that undermine the platform or exploit authority for personal gain.

The company plans to strengthen internal systems, tighten management processes, and close potential gaps that could allow future misconduct.

Binance also encouraged ongoing community participation and oversight, inviting users to submit relevant leads through the official reporting channel to support the creation of a secure, transparent blockchain ecosystem and a trusted trading environment for all participants.

The statement concluded by thanking users for their continued support and reiterating the platform’s commitment to responsibility, accountability, and ongoing improvement as the investigation progresses.

The post Binance Confirms Employee Suspended Amid Ongoing Insider Information Investigation appeared first on Cryptonews.

American economist and prominent gold advocate Peter Schiff didn’t hold back his criticisms of Bitcoin (BTC) during an exclusive interview at Binance Blockchain Week 2025 in Dubai, where the annual event drew hundreds of thousands of attendees from around the world.

Schiff headlined the conference’s most anticipated session, a gold vs. Bitcoin debate with Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ). While Schiff remains one of crypto’s most vocal skeptics, he is preparing to launch a tokenized gold payment system designed to modernize how physical gold can circulate as money.

Before stepping onstage, Schiff sat down with Cryptonews to break down why he still believes Bitcoin is destined to fail and why tokenized gold, not digital scarcity, represents the future of sound money.

Cryptonews: Why Are You Bearish on Bitcoin?

Peter Schiff: I don’t believe Bitcoin is going to work. Yes, there have been times when I thought the price was going to go up, but that is separate from my ultimate understanding of what Bitcoin is and where the price is generally going.

Bitcoin’s price is a function of the people who wish to gamble on it. You can have a period of time where people want to buy Bitcoin, and the people who own the asset don’t want to sell it, and then the price goes up. We’ve obviously had tremendous BTC price appreciation over the years.

But it’s really interesting that Bitcoin peaked at the same time as gold. If Bitcoin is being portrayed as some digital equivalent of gold, the best way to price Bitcoin would be in terms of gold. But in terms of gold, Bitcoin is still considerably below where gold was four years ago.

If I was really into Bitcoin, this would cause me to question the whole narrative. Why is Bitcoin lower than gold was four years ago, despite all the hype around Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, Bitcoin treasury companies, and electing a pro-Bitcoin U.S. president?

So, why is Bitcoin still lower than gold was four years ago? And if Bitcoin can’t catch up now, why will it go up in the future?

CN: Is there another reason why you think Bitcoin isn’t going to work?

PS: Bitcoin can’t work as money because it doesn’t have any intrinsic value. And it won’t work as a store of value because you can’t store what you don’t have, right? An asset must possess value to be a store of value. Bitcoin has a price, but you can’t store the price.

Also, the price of BTC is subject to market forces only. This means you never know what the price of Bitcoin is going to be worth in the future. It’s all dependent on the people who wish to buy Bitcoin versus the people not willing to sell it.

If you bought Bitcoin years ago you could sell it at a much higher price, but that still doesn’t make it a store of value.

CN: How would you define “store of value?”

PS: Gold is a store of value. For instance, there’s gold in my watch. At $4,000 for an ounce of gold, there’s about $20,000 worth of actual gold in this watch. Somebody could melt this watch down and then use the gold—that is why gold is a store of value.

Also, the value that gold has in one year could remain over hundreds and thousands of years. People would still be able to use the gold to do all the things that you could do with it today. Do you really think the value that gold has as a metal is going to disappear?

There’s a shelf life on gold. Gold is worth just as much when it’s 10 years old as when it is brand new. It doesn’t matter when I take the gold out of the mine. The gold that I mined today has the same value as gold that was mined a hundred years ago – the value is stored.

Bitcoin doesn’t have any value today because there is no real use for it. There’s no demand for it. There’s no industrial use for Bitcoin. People don’t need Bitcoin to make products.

In fact, many people use gold as a hedge against inflation. They own gold, and they hedge it in case it drops. No one’s doing that with Bitcoin. There’s no actual end user of Bitcoin.

CN: How would you then describe Bitcoin?

PS: I describe Bitcoin as being the cigarettes of money. Cigarettes can be considered as money because people smoke and that’s why they are able to circulate. The GIs used cigarettes as money after World War II, and cigarettes function as money in prisons.

If someone accepts cigarettes as a medium of exchange—even if they don’t smoke because they know that they can give them to someone else—that is what gives those cigarettes value. But, if there are no smokers, then the cigarettes become worthless—and so that is what I think about Bitcoin.

The post Exclusive Interview: Peter Schiff Compares Bitcoin to Cigarettes, Says BTC Has “No Real Value” appeared first on Cryptonews.

A massive 43,033 BTC transfer flagged by Whale Alert Sunday is not a sell-off—it is the settlement capital for Twenty One (XXI), the Bitcoin-native firm led by Jack Mallers set to list on the NYSE December 9.

The $3.9 billion transaction, confirmed on-chain, represents the release of funds from escrow to the company’s direct custody ahead of its public market open.

Tether and the ‘Twenty One’ NYSE Listing

Twenty One is going public via a merger with Cantor Equity Partners, a SPAC backed by Cantor Fitzgerald. The entity launches with a war chest of roughly 43,500 BTC, positioning it immediately as a top-tier corporate holder alongside MicroStrategy and MARA Holdings.

Tether and Bitfinex act as majority owners, having pre-purchased the Bitcoin to sell to Twenty One at cost upon closing. SoftBank remains a minority investor.

CEO, Jack Mallers, moved to preempt liquidity fears immediately.

“Over 43,500 Bitcoin out of escrow and into our custody,” Mallers wrote on X. “Proof of reserves update to follow.”

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino added simply: “XXI, so it begins.”

Bitcoin traded flat at $92,100 following the transfer, shrugging off the on-chain volume spike. The market correctly identified the move as administrative rather than a liquidation event.

The Institutional Take

This transfer operationalizes a new competitor to Strategy’s treasury model, but with a distinct lineage. Unlike Saylor’s debt-financed accumulation, Twenty One enters the NYSE with its stack fully funded by the Tether/Bitfinex liquidity engine.

The involvement of Cantor Fitzgerald—whose CEO Howard Lutnick is a known crypto proponent—signals deep institutional plumbing. Some analysts expect XXI to trade as a high-beta spot Bitcoin proxy, potentially compressing the premium on MSTR if the market views Mallers’ proof-of-reserve model as a superior transparency standard.

The post Tether Moves $3.9B BTC for Jack Mallers’ ‘Twenty One’ NYSE Debut appeared first on Cryptonews.

Michael Saylor’s Strategy has added another major stack of Bitcoin to its balance sheet as markets attempt to reclaim bullish momentum.

In a Monday post on X, Saylor revealed that Strategy purchased 10,624 BTC for roughly $962.7 million, paying an average price of $90,615 per coin.

The company now holds 660,624 BTC acquired for a total of $49.35 billion at an average price of $74,696 per Bitcoin, according to Strategy’s Form 8-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Strategy Funds Latest Bitcoin Buy With $963M in ATM Share Sales

According to the SEC document, Strategy financed the latest buy through its ongoing at-the-market (ATM) equity offering program, selling 442,536 shares of STRD preferred stock and 5.13 million shares of MSTR common stock between December 1–7, generating $963 million in net proceeds.

The filing shows that all BTC purchased during this period was funded directly from ATM proceeds, continuing a pattern that has now become central to Strategy’s corporate playbook.

Last week, Strategy CEO Phong Le said the company’s newly built $1.44 billion cash reserve is designed to quiet investor anxiety over its ability to withstand a sharp downturn in Bitcoin.

Le said the move followed weeks of speculation about whether the firm could continue meeting its dividend and debt commitments if market conditions worsened.

“We’re very much a part of the crypto ecosystem and Bitcoin ecosystem,” Le said. “Which is why we decided a couple of weeks ago to start raising capital and putting US dollars on our balance sheet to get rid of this FUD.”

The reserve, funded via a stock sale, is intended to secure at least 12 months of dividend payments, with plans to stretch that buffer to 24 months.

Concerns over Strategy’s dividend stability had grown louder in recent weeks as Bitcoin retreated from its highs.

Last week, Le said Strategy would only consider selling Bitcoin if the stock dropped below net asset value and the company lost the ability to raise additional funds.

Strategy has also introduced a new “BTC Credit” dashboard, which it says shows the company holds enough assets to service dividends for more than 70 years.

Bitcoin Eyes Breakout as Analysts Predict Fed “Dovish Surprise” Could Ignite Rally

As reported, Bitcoin’s bounce above $92,000 has revived optimism among traders who believe this week’s Federal Reserve meeting could unlock the next leg of the rally.

Analysts at the London Crypto Club argue that a fresh wave of liquidity from the Fed may act as a powerful catalyst, especially after the market spent two months retracing nearly all of its yearly gains.

In a new note, analysts David Brickell and Chris Mills said they expect a “dovish surprise,” predicting the Fed will inject liquidity through a creative bond-buying mechanism while continuing its rate-cutting cycle.

They argue that expanding the balance sheet to “monetise the deficit” could create a strong macro tailwind for Bitcoin heading into the new year, particularly as traders look for a signal that restores confidence.

The post Billionaire Michael Saylor Adds 10,624 BTC in Latest Purchase – Is the Bull Market Back? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin’s climb above $92,000 has stirred fresh optimism among market watchers who now believe this week’s Federal Reserve meeting could set off a far bigger rally.

Analysts at the London Crypto Club say a liquidity boost from the Fed on Wednesday may act as a powerful catalyst, potentially driving the world’s largest cryptocurrency “sharply higher.”

Fed Poised for “Dovish Surprise” as Analysts Warn Liquidity Wave Is Coming

In their latest note, David Brickell and Chris Mills argue that the central bank is poised to deliver a “dovish surprise,” forecasting that policymakers will inject liquidity through a creative bond-buying mechanism rather than explicit quantitative easing.

“We’re moving into a continued rate-cutting cycle accompanied by balance sheet expansion as the Fed effectively turns on the money printers to monetise the deficit,” they wrote.

“That’s a powerful, structural tide to be swimming against in the new year.”

The outlook comes at a tense moment for crypto traders. Bitcoin’s recent break above $92,000 follows two months of turbulence that erased almost all of the year’s gains, leaving investors eager for a clear macro signal that could reset market direction.

The Federal Open Market Committee’s decision dominates this week’s macro calendar.

“Policymakers are expected almost universally to cut rates 25bps for a third time this year,” said Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research, echoing broad market expectations.

The CME FedWatch tool shows an 86% probability of a quarter-point cut, while prediction market Polymarket places the odds even higher at 94%.

Historically, lower interest rates have benefited risk assets like Bitcoin by reducing the appeal of bonds and increasing the flow of capital into higher-yielding or speculative markets.

Bitcoin Tests Key Fibonacci Support

As reported, Bitcoin is trading at a pivotal level that analysts say could determine whether the market holds its broader uptrend or slips back toward spring lows.

Crypto trader Daan Crypto Trades said the 0.382 Fibonacci retracement zone is the line bulls must defend, warning that a breakdown could send BTC back to April levels near $76,000.

“It’s also pretty much the last major support before testing the April lows again, which would break this high time frame market structure,” he said.

Meanwhile, a key on-chain indicator known as “liveliness” is climbing again, even as Bitcoin’s price action remains subdued.

Analysts say the divergence suggests renewed underlying demand, with dormant coins moving at levels not seen in years, a sign that long-term holders may be re-entering the market.

Last week, Bitfinex said the market is showing “seller exhaustion” following a period of heavy deleveraging and panic-driven exits by short-term holders.

The post Fed Liquidity Move Could Send Bitcoin “Sharply Higher,” Analysts Say appeared first on Cryptonews.

Canada’s tax authority has widened its crypto enforcement net, targeting 2,500 users of Vancouver-based NFT firm Dapper Labs in a probe tied to an estimated C$72 million ($54 million) in suspected unpaid taxes.

The probe sits within a larger Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) campaign that has already generated more than C$100 million in recovered taxes through crypto audits over the past three years, according to a report by The Canadian Press

Yet despite the growing sums involved, authorities confirm that no criminal charges have been laid in any crypto tax case since 2020, showing the gap between civil enforcement and criminal prosecution in Canada’s digital asset sector.

CRA Secures Rare ‘Unnamed Persons’ Order in Dapper Labs Tax Probe

The report stated that the CRA sought and received approval in September to compel Dapper Labs to disclose information tied to thousands of users under what is known as an “unnamed persons requirement.”

The legal tool allows tax authorities to obtain records on an identifiable group of taxpayers without accusing the company itself of wrongdoing.

Dapper, which operates one of the most prominent non-fungible token platforms and runs its own blockchain and digital wallets, did not oppose the application.

The report shows the CRA initially sought information on roughly 18,000 Dapper users, but following negotiations, the scope was narrowed to 2,500 accounts.

It marks only the second time Canadian courts have granted such an order against a domestic crypto firm, the first being issued against Coinsquare in 2020.

In an affidavit supporting the application, CRA project lead Predrag Mizdrak said crypto markets are deeply embedded in the underground economy and present “significant non-compliance” risks.

Internal agency figures show that about 15% of Canadian crypto users fail to file taxes on time or at all, while 30% of those who do file are classified as high risk for non-compliance.

The agency estimates that up to 40% of taxpayers using crypto platforms fall into non-filing or high-risk categories.

The CRA currently employs 35 dedicated cryptoasset auditors working across more than 230 files.

Since 2020, five criminal investigations involving digital assets have been launched, with four still ongoing as of March.

The agency says the cases are complex and often hinge on cross-border evidence and cooperation, contributing to long timelines and the absence of charges to date.

Canada Prepares New Crypto Reporting Rules as Federal Crackdown Widens

The crackdown on Dapper users comes as Canada tightens its wider crypto oversight. Under long-standing CRA policy, cryptocurrencies are treated as commodities rather than currencies.

Casual investors generally face capital gains tax, with only 50% of profits taxable at marginal rates, while frequent traders, miners, and crypto businesses are taxed on full business income.

Most crypto transactions, including sales, swaps, and crypto-based purchases, are treated as taxable dispositions under existing rules.

New reporting rules are also on the way as Canada is preparing to implement the OECD-backed Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework starting in 2026. The framework will require exchanges, brokers, and crypto ATM operators to report transaction data and customer information directly to the CRA.

The 2024 federal budget set aside more than C$50 million over five years to support that effort.

At the same time, Ottawa plans to establish a national financial crimes agency by 2026 to focus on sophisticated money laundering and online financial fraud.

Finance officials describe it as the country’s first unit focused exclusively on sophisticated financial crime.

Beyond taxes, enforcement has intensified on the anti-money-laundering front. FINTRAC recently issued a record C$19.6 million fine against KuCoin for failing to register and report large transactions.

Meanwhile, another firm, Xeltox Enterprises, was hit with penalties totaling nearly C$177 million.

In September, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police shut down TradeOgre and seized more than C$56 million in assets, marking Canada’s first full crypto exchange takedown.

The post Canada’s $72M Crypto Tax Crackdown Targets 2,500 Dapper Labs Users — But No Charges Yet appeared first on Cryptonews.

Digital asset investment products recorded a second consecutive week of inflows, totalling $716M, showing improving sentiment across institutional and retail investors after a volatile period in crypto markets, according to the latest report from CoinShares.

CoinShares reports total assets under management rose 7.9% from their November lows to $180B, though this figure remains below the all-time high of $264B. Daily flow data indicated minor outflows toward the end of the week, which analysts believe reflected macroeconomic uncertainty and market reactions to U.S. inflation-related data.

Despite those short-term jitters, the week’s net performance highlights renewed confidence in digital asset exposure through exchange-traded products.

A notable trend was the geographic spread of inflows, suggesting renewed interest globally rather than activity concentrated in a single region. The United States led with $483M in inflows, followed by Germany at $96.9M and Canada at $80.7M, demonstrating that institutional re-engagement with crypto markets is widening across regulated investment platforms.

Bitcoin Leads Inflows While Short Products Reverse

Bitcoin remained the primary focus for investors, recording $352M in inflows last week, contributing to year-to-date (YTD) inflows of $27.1B. This remains below the record $41.6B seen in 2024; however, continued inflows suggest persistent appetite for exposure despite reduced volatility and slower price momentum compared to previous cycles.

In contrast, short-Bitcoin investment products saw outflows of $18.7M — the largest since March 2025. Analysts note that the previous occurrence coincided with price lows and later recovery, hinting that current negative sentiment may have exhausted itself, with investors positioning for a more favourable outlook.

The reversal in short-Bitcoin demand could be interpreted as a tactical shift, where investors are less confident in prolonged downside risk and increasingly reassessing the potential for stabilization or upside in digital asset markets.

XRP Sees Strong Momentum as Institutional Interest Accelerates

XRP continued to draw attention, with $245M flowing into ETPs last week, bringing YTD inflows to $3.1B — a dramatic increase compared to $608M in 2024. The surge reflects heightened institutional engagement following greater clarity around its legal and regulatory landscape, which has broadened access and improved sentiment.

The continued rise in XRP ETP demand marks one of the strongest comparative growth stories in the digital asset space this year, suggesting that investors may now be reassessing exposure beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum as the market diversifies.

Chainlink Records Largest Inflows on Record

Chainlink registered $52.8M in weekly inflows, representing over 54% of its total assets under management — the largest on record for the token. The surge highlights growing institutional and developer interest in the tokenized asset and oracle infrastructure ecosystem that Chainlink underpins.

As tokenization of real-world assets expands and demand for reliable data connectivity increases across blockchains, Chainlink’s growth may indicate a long-term thematic trend rather than short-term speculation.

The post Digital Asset ETPs Record $716M Weekly Inflows as AuM Reaches $180B: CoinShares appeared first on Cryptonews.

The week begins green, as the crypto market is up today, with the cryptocurrency market capitalisation rising by 2.2%. It stands at $3.2 trillion. 90 of the top 100 coins have gone up over the past 24 hours. At the same time, the total crypto trading volume is at $111 billion.

Crypto Winners & Losers

At the time of writing, all top 10 coins per market capitalization have seen their prices rise over the past 24 hours.

Bitcoin (BTC) is up by 2.4% since this time yesterday, currently trading at $91,532.

Bitcoin (BTC)

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Ethereum (ETH) is up by 3.3%, now changing hands at $3,133. This is the highest increase among the ten.

The second-highest rise is Solana (SOL)’s 2.8% to $135.

The smallest increase in the category is 0.4% by Tron (TRX), currently trading at $0.2869.

When it comes to the top 100 coins, 90 have appreciated over the past day.

At the top we find Zcash (ZEC), with a 9.2% increase to the price of $370.

It’s followed by Canton (CC)’s 8%, now changing hands at $0.06749.

On the other hand, Monero (XMR) and MemeCore (M) fell the most among the ten that have gone red over the past day. The former is down 2.8% to $375, while the latter fell 2% to $1.23.

These are also the only two coins with decreases above 1%.

Meanwhile, several notable developments occurred globally. Philippines’ GoTyme Bank has launched crypto trading for its 6.5 million customers through a partnership with US fintech firm Alpaca.

Robinhood Markets announced two key acquisitions, marking its official entry into the Indonesian market, Binance secured three new licences in Abu Dhabi, and Coinbase reopened registration in India after a two-year operational hiatus.

Correction May Take Months To Complete

John Glover, Chief Investment Officer of Ledn, commented how a number of headlines are indicating that BTC’s bounce off of the $81,500 level over this past week “signals that we are on our way to new highs by year end.”

“I disagree,” he says.

He argues that the Rule of Alternation suggests that if Wave II is fairly simple in its A-B-C formation, then Wave IV is likely to be complex.

“To me what we’ve seen since the Wave III high thus far is only the A wave of the Wave IV A-B-C correction, and will take months to complete.”

“I continue to look for the market to trade in a $71,000 to $105,000 range for the next 4-6 months, and intend to accumulate BTC in the $72,000 to $84,000 range as the opportunity presents itself,” Glover says.

“If we have a 2 day close above $108,000 I’ll make the call that the correction is over and ensure that I have my full long position in place at that time,” he concludes.

Levels & Events to Watch Next

At the time of writing on Monday morning, BTC stood at $91,532. After a brief dip to the intraday low of $87,887, the price jumped to the day’s high (so far) of $91,786.

Moreover, BTC is up 6.3% over the past 7 days, trading in the $84,553–$93,855 range. It’s down 10.3% in a month and 27.3% from its all-time high of $126,080.

Clearing and holding the $94,600 level could confirm bullish continuation. In this case, BTC could move towards $100,000. Conversely, the price could drop to the $76,000 level.

Ethereum is currently changing hands at $3,133. Like BTC, ETH saw a brief dip earlier in the day, dropping to the intraday low of $2,941 before jumping to the intraday high of $3,145.

It also appreciated just below 11% in a week, trading between the low of $2,736 and the high of $3,222.

Meanwhile, ETH is down 9% in a month and 36.7% from its ATH of $4,946.

If the bulls continue running, we could see ETH move above $3,230, followed by the $3,300 and $3,380 levels. But a fall below $2,800 may lead to the $2,550 level.

Meanwhile, the crypto market sentiment dropped further over the weekend within the fear territory but then increased slightly on Monday. The crypto fear and greed index moved between 20 and 21 in the previous two days, before increasing to 24 today.

This index has largely moved between 10 and 25 over the past month, indicating market participants’ caution and reflecting the market’s own moves within a tight range.

ETFs See Mixed Performance

On Friday, 5 December, after two days of outflows, the US BTC spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw a $54.79 million in positive flows. The total net inflow is now at $54.79 billion.

Of the twelve BTC ETFs, five recorded inflows, and one saw outflows. BlackRock accounts for the entirety of the negative flows, letting go of $32.49 million.

On the other hand, Ark&21Shares added $42.79 million, followed by Fidelity’s $27.29 million.

The US ETH ETFs posted negative flows on Friday for a second day in a raw, with $75.21 million in outflows. The total net inflow pulled back to $12.88 billion.

BlackRock is responsible for this entire amount. Of the nine funds, none recorded inflows.

Notably, more than 100 publicly traded companies transformed into crypto-holding vehicles in the first half of 2025, borrowing billions to buy digital tokens, copying Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin strategy.

However, they have seen median stock prices fall 43% year-to-date despite broader market gains, resulting from the way they fund crypto purchases.

Meanwhile, Vitalik Buterin has suggested a trustless, onchain futures market that would let users lock in future Ethereum transaction fees.

Quick FAQ

1. Why did crypto move with stocks today?

The crypto market recorded an increase over the past 24 hours, as did the US stock market during the last session last week. By the closing time on Friday, 5 December, the S&P 500 was up by 0.19%, the Nasdaq-100 increased by 0.43%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.22%. This followed a US inflation report that boosted expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week.

2. Is this rally sustainable?

We are likely to see prices rise at least moderately higher in the coming days and, potentially, weeks. Nonetheless, expect the typical short-tem decreases.

The post Why Is Crypto Up Today? – December 8, 2025 appeared first on Cryptonews.

Harvard University expanded its Bitcoin ETF holdings by 257% in the third quarter, making the iShares Bitcoin Trust its largest disclosed position with $442.8 million as of September 30.

According to Matt Hougan, Bitwise CIO, Harvard simultaneously increased its gold ETF holdings by 99% to $235 million, allocating to Bitcoin at a 2-to-1 ratio relative to gold.

The $443 million position represents approximately 0.75% of Harvard’s $57 billion endowment, ranking the institution among the top 20 largest holders of the BlackRock-managed fund.

Timing Proves Problematic as Bitcoin Tumbles

Harvard’s aggressive Bitcoin accumulation came right before a sharp market correction that has erased substantial value from its cryptocurrency holdings.

Bitcoin has dropped more than 20% since the third quarter ended, falling from $114,000 to around $92,000.

The timing suggests Harvard could face a 14% loss on its third-quarter purchases in the best-case scenario, assuming shares were bought at July’s low point, which represents an $89 million paper loss on the recent position alone.

While the losses remain a fraction of Harvard’s massive endowment, the university’s annualized returns have lagged behind some Ivy League peers over the past decade, according to WSJ.

Harvard posted an 8.2% return ranking ninth out of 10 elite schools in a Markov Processes International comparison. For the year ending June 30, Harvard reported an 11.9% gain but trailed MIT’s 14.8% and Stanford’s 14.3%.

Stanford finance professor Joshua Rauh explained in an interview with The Harvard Crimson that “investors often seem to view both bitcoin and gold as hedges against a collapse of the international monetary system in general, and against a loss of the US dollar in particular.”

However, he cautioned that “the extent to which either actually protects investors from these forces is uncertain and scenario-dependent.“

Academic Skepticism Meets Institutional Validation

Harvard’s substantial Bitcoin allocation stands in stark contrast to earlier predictions from its own economics faculty.

Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard professor and former IMF chief economist, stated in 2018 that Bitcoin would more likely trade at $100 than $100,000 within a decade.

“I think bitcoin will be worth a tiny fraction of what it is now if we’re headed out 10 years from now,” Rogoff told CNBC, arguing that removing money laundering and tax evasion would leave Bitcoin with “very small” transaction uses.

Rogoff recently acknowledged his misjudgment in his new book “Our Dollar, Your Problem,” writing, “I was far too optimistic about the US coming to its senses about sensible cryptocurrency regulation.”

He added that he “did not anticipate a situation where regulators, and especially the regulator in chief, would be able to brazenly hold hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars in cryptocurrencies seemingly without consequence given the blatant conflict of interest.“

Despite growing institutional adoption, criticism of Harvard’s Bitcoin investment has intensified.

MarketWatch columnist Brett Arends called the investment an “environmental catastrophe,” noting that Bitcoin’s global computing network uses more energy than Thailand or Poland annually.

Meanwhile, Stanford professor Darrell Duffie also expressed surprise at the investment, stating, “Bitcoin does not pay dividends and has limited uses as a payment instrument.“

Bitcoin’s Path Forward Remains Uncertain

Bitcoin is struggling to find direction amid ETF outflows and weakening market sentiment, creating uncertainty about whether it can reclaim the $100,000 threshold.

More than $2.7 billion has left Bitcoin ETF products over the past five weeks.

Speaking with Cryptonews, Arthur Azizov, Founder and Investor at B2 Ventures, described the current situation as “a market that has lost its anchor at the exact moment it needed stability.“

He noted a disconnect with traditional markets, pointing out that “the S&P 500 is up more than 16% this year, while Bitcoin is down about 3%.“

Azizov identified key resistance levels ahead, explaining that “a large share of Bitcoin is currently held at a loss, so each move toward $96,000–$100,000 meets selling from holders who want to exit at break-even.”

He added that approximately $3.35 billion in Bitcoin options expire around a $91,000 area of interest, making traders cautious.

“Only a strong move above $100,000 could flip the script, restore confidence, and open the way toward $120,000+ level,” Azizov stated.

“If that fails, a deeper pullback to the broad $82,000–$88,000 zone may be needed to attempt to break the $100k ceiling once again.“

The post Harvard Bets Big on Bitcoin With $443M Stake, Outpacing Gold 2-to-1 appeared first on Cryptonews.

British Columbia has secured a landmark victory under its unexplained wealth order (UWO) regime, after the province successfully seized more than $1 million in cash, gold and luxury items tied to QuadrigaCX co-founder Michael Patryn.

The Supreme Court of British Columbia granted the forfeiture after Patryn chose not to contest the action, clearing the way for authorities to liquidate 45 gold bars, multiple high-end watches and roughly $250,000 in cash originally seized during an RCMP investigation.

The order marks one of the most significant applications of the province’s new anti–money laundering tools.

Gold Bars, Rolexes and a .45 Pistol Found in Patryn’s Safety Deposit Box

Court filings show the seized items were discovered in a CIBC safety deposit box in Vancouver in 2021, including three one-kilogram gold bars and 42 smaller bars.

Officers also recovered Rolex and Chanel watches, rings, jewelry, identification documents, and even a Ruger 1911 .45-caliber pistol with loaded magazines.

At current prices, the gold alone is valued at more than $800,000.

The civil forfeiture office alleged the assets were purchased using QuadrigaCX customer funds, money that investigators say was misappropriated during the years leading up to the exchange’s infamous collapse.

The unexplained wealth order required Patryn to demonstrate legitimate sources for the assets, but while he initially challenged the investigation on constitutional grounds, he ultimately withdrew his response and did not appear when the province sought judgment.

QuadrigaCX, once Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, imploded in 2019 after CEO Gerald Cotten died in India and it emerged that more than $169 million in customer assets were missing.

Regulators later concluded that the platform had effectively become a Ponzi scheme by 2016, with new deposits used to fulfill withdrawal requests while Cotten allegedly siphoned funds to finance personal expenses.

Patryn’s Criminal Past Resurfaces in QuadrigaCX Forfeiture Case

Investigators have long alleged that Patryn, also known by several aliases including Omar Dhanani, played a central role in the exchange’s operations and benefited from client funds.

His criminal history was cited in the forfeiture filings. In 2005, under the name Omar Dhanani, he was convicted in the US for operating an online identity-theft and money-laundering service and later deported to Canada.

The province’s win now triggers a separate review to determine whether any of the recovered assets can be directed to compensate QuadrigaCX creditors.

Claimants received just 13 cents on the dollar when bankruptcy proceedings concluded in May 2023.

Patryn’s current whereabouts remain uncertain, though the civil forfeiture suit lists his last known location as Thailand.

In 2023, QuadrigaCX announced plans to start the “interim distribution” of funds to creditors, despite only a fraction of the missing funds being recovered.

The post British Columbia Seizes $1M in Cash and Gold Linked to QuadrigaCX Co-Founder appeared first on Cryptonews.

Argentina’s central bank is reportedly weighing a move that could redraw the country’s crypto landscape, drafting rules that would let traditional banks offer trading and custody services for digital assets after years of leaving that business to exchanges and fintech platforms.

Local outlet La Nacion reported Friday that the officials are working on a regulation that would open the door for lenders to handle cryptocurrencies directly, although they have not committed to a timetable or disclosed key details.

One exchange operating in the country believes the measure could win approval around April 2026, signalling a relatively near-term shift if the process stays on track.

The idea has circulated quietly for months among exchanges, people close to regulators and a handful of bankers. It fits with a broader push inside government circles to ease restrictions on crypto use and bring part of the activity that already happens at scale into the formal financial system.

Crypto Demand Surges As Argentines Seek Stability Amid Inflation

For Argentina, the stakes are higher than in most markets. Years of inflation and currency controls have pushed savers toward dollars and digital assets, and crypto has become a parallel store of value for many households.

By one estimate, Argentines are now six times more likely to use crypto on a daily basis than residents of the average Latin American country.

Allowing banks to trade and hold crypto on behalf of clients could give that demand a new channel. Analysts say regulated lenders can offer familiar on-ramps, clearer disclosures and more robust compliance checks, which together may make digital assets feel less like a grey market product and more like a standard investment option.

The real impact, they caution, will depend on how the central bank draws the lines on issues such as custody standards, capital treatment and which tokens qualify.

Libra Scandal Casts A Long Shadow Over Argentina’s Crypto Debate

The debate is unfolding in the long shadow of the Libra meme coin scandal, a blow that shook confidence in Argentina’s crypto scene and raised uncomfortable questions about political promotion of speculative tokens.

That episode erupted in Feb. 2025 when President Javier Milei, known for his libertarian economic agenda and enthusiasm for digital assets, posted on X endorsing the Solana-based Libra token as a tool for “market-driven innovation” and economic liberation from the peso.

The coin’s price raced from fractions of a cent to more than $4.50 within hours of his post, lifting its fully diluted valuation to around $4.6b before collapsing more than 96% in what investigators described as a classic rug pull by its creators at Kelsier Ventures.

Thousands of investors, many of them everyday Argentines who took the president’s message as a green light, were left holding the bag, with losses estimated between $100m and $251m.

Argentina’s central bank has swung between tolerance and crackdowns in the past, at one point barring unregulated crypto services in the banking system, and any turn toward openness would mark a significant change in stance.

For now, officials appear to be testing whether they can bring a fast growing market into the tent without importing too much of its volatility into the traditional financial system.

The post Argentina Weighs Allowing Traditional Banks To Trade Cryptocurrencies appeared first on Cryptonews.

ZKsync has announced plans to deprecate ZKsync Lite, Ethereum’s first zero-knowledge rollup, in 2026 as the protocol shifts its focus entirely toward the ZKsync network and ZK Stack-powered chains.

The original Layer 2 solution, which launched in December 2020 as a groundbreaking proof-of-concept, will undergo an orderly sunset after serving its purpose of validating critical ideas for production ZK systems.

No immediate action is required from users, as ZKsync Lite continues to operate normally, with funds remaining secure and withdrawals to Ethereum’s Layer 1 functioning throughout the deprecation process.

The ZKsync Association will share detailed migration guidance, specific dates, and a comprehensive deprecation plan in the coming year.

From Pioneer to Legacy System

ZKsync Lite emerged as the first zero-knowledge rollup on Ethereum, pioneering technology that would later evolve into ZKsync Era and the Elastic Network.

The protocol addressed Ethereum’s fundamental challenges of high transaction fees and slow transaction processing by executing transactions off-chain and submitting cryptographic proofs of validity back to Layer 1.

The project gained significant momentum in November 2025 when Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin publicly endorsed ZKsync following its Atlas upgrade, describing the work as “underrated and valuable.“

His backing catalyzed institutional adoption, triggering a 50% surge in ZK token prices while positioning ZKsync as central to Ethereum’s “Lean Ethereum” scaling strategy.

ZKsync evolved from its initial Lite version to ZKsync Era in March 2023, becoming the first publicly available zkEVM.

The June 2024 ZKsync 3.0 upgrade transformed the ecosystem from a single Layer 2 into the Elastic Network, an interconnected system of autonomous ZK chains sharing liquidity and security through cryptographic proofs rather than traditional bridges.

Institutional Traction Validates ZK Technology

While ZKsync Lite phases out, the broader ZKsync ecosystem has attracted major institutional interest.

Deutsche Bank is developing an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain using ZKsync technology as part of Project Dama 2, which involves 24 financial institutions testing the blockchain for asset tokenization under Singapore’s regulatory sandbox.

UBS also conducted a proof-of-concept for its Key4 Gold product using ZKsync Validium, testing the platform’s ability to support tokenized gold investments with privacy and scalability.

Tradable has also tokenized $2.1 billion in institutional-grade private credit on ZKsync, accounting for nearly 90% of the network’s market share for real-world asset protocols.

The Ethereum Foundation launched “Ethereum for Institutions” in October 2024, providing enterprises with structured pathways to blockchain adoption using zero-knowledge proofs, fully homomorphic encryption, and trusted execution environments.

Projects like Chainlink, RAILGUN, and Aztec Network pioneer privacy-preserving smart contracts that secure counterparty information while maintaining transparency.

Security Incidents Test Platform Resilience

The deprecation announcement follows two significant security breaches in 2025 involving ZKsync’s protocols.

In April, an attacker exploited admin access to the airdrop distribution contract, minting 111 million unclaimed ZK tokens worth approximately $5 million during the protocol’s token distribution to ecosystem participants.

The hacker agreed to return 90% of the stolen assets in exchange for a 10% bounty, transferring nearly $5.7 million back to the ZKsync Security Council within the designated 72-hour safe harbor window.

The recovered amount exceeded the original stolen value due to token price increases, with ZK gaining 16.6% and ETH rising 8.8% following the incident.

Just one month later, hackers compromised the official X accounts of ZKsync and Matter Labs, spreading false regulatory warnings claiming SEC investigations and Treasury Department sanctions.

The attackers also published phishing links promoting a fake ZK token airdrop designed to drain users’ wallets, causing the token price to drop approximately 5% despite a prior 38.5% weekly rally.

The breach occurred through compromised delegated accounts with limited posting privileges, which have since been disconnected.

These back-to-back incidents contributed to broader industry concerns, as crypto hacks resulted in $1.6 billion in losses during the first quarter of 2025 alone. The quarter was among the worst for crypto security breaches in history.

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Bitcoin is trading at a pivotal level that analysts say could determine whether the market holds its broader uptrend or slips back toward spring lows.

In a recent post on X, crypto trader Daan Crypto Trades said the 0.382 Fibonacci retracement zone is the line bulls must defend, warning that a breakdown could send BTC back to April levels near $76,000.

“It’s also pretty much the last major support before testing the April lows again, which would break this high time frame market structure,” he said.

Bitcoin Dips Below $88K in Weekend Leverage Flush, Analyst Says

Over the weekend, Bitcoin briefly dipped below $88,000 during another round of leverage washouts before rebounding above $91,500.

Analyst “Bull Theory” described the move as typical low-liquidity weekend manipulation aimed at flushing both longs and shorts.

The market now turns its attention to this week’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting, where a 0.25% rate cut is widely expected.

Still, crypto markets have cooled since the October cut, as Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized a data-dependent path rather than a predictable easing cycle.

Markus Thielen of 10x Research noted that traders expect a similar tone this week, cautious and potentially hawkish, keeping pressure on risk assets.

With ETF inflows softening and trading volumes thinning into December, Thielen said upside participation remains limited, while volatility compression leaves BTC more vulnerable to downside moves in the near term.

“Bulls will point to the Treasury General Account rebuild, the end of Quantitative Tightening, and looming rate cuts as a liquidity windfall for Bitcoin,” Thielen wrote.

He added that hypothetical macro tailwinds are “irrelevant if the underlying message lacks conviction and the market structure fails to support a sustained move.”

Nick Ruck of LVRG Research said upcoming U.S. jobs data and inflation figures may prove just as influential.

If they reinforce expectations for continued easing, he believes renewed liquidity inflows could fuel a broader recovery across digital assets.

Bitcoin’s Rising “Liveliness” Metric Signals Hidden Bull-Market Strength

As reported, a key on-chain indicator known as “liveliness” is climbing again, even as Bitcoin’s price action remains subdued.

Analysts say the divergence suggests renewed underlying demand, with dormant coins moving at levels not seen in years, a sign that long-term holders may be re-entering the market.

The indicator’s steady rise points to a major rotation of capital beneath the surface despite cautious sentiment.

Liveliness measures the balance between coins being transacted and those being held, weighted by age. It tends to rise during bull markets as older coins move at higher prices, reflecting fresh inflows and greater conviction.

Last week, Bitfinex said the market is showing “seller exhaustion” following a period of heavy deleveraging and panic-driven exits by short-term holders.

“The combination of extreme deleveraging, capitulation among short-term holders, and early signs of seller exhaustion has created the conditions for a stabilisation phase and a relief bounce,” the firm wrote.

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