The Senate’s long-awaited crypto market structure bill is hitting another critical juncture as midterm election pressures begin to overshadow bipartisan negotiations.

According to Politico, Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott now faces mounting challenges to pass the landmark legislation after pushing a committee vote into 2026, with lawmakers warning that Congress’s traditional election-year gridlock could derail the effort entirely.

The bill aims to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets and to determine which federal agencies oversee different crypto sectors.

Its passage hinges on Republicans reaching an agreement with Senate Democrats on several sticking points, including ethics concerns surrounding President Donald Trump’s family’s crypto ventures, which could become campaign flashpoints.

Republicans hope to deliver what would be a signature legislative achievement of Trump’s second term.

Campaign Cash Complicates Political Calculus

The crypto and banking industries are preparing massive campaign spending pushes that could scramble the political dynamics as elections approach.

Politico asserts that the crypto sector has already poured over $140 million into the Fairshake super PAC network, backing industry-friendly candidates across both parties.

In a significant development this week, major U.S. banks launched the American Growth Alliance, a nonprofit that will deploy “tens of millions of dollars” to advance their interests in the crypto debate, particularly around restricting yield programs on stablecoins.

These competing financial incentives create complicated pressures for Democrats, especially.

While passing legislation could keep them in crypto firms’ good graces, failing to reach a deal might actually incentivize continued industry support since bipartisan backing would be needed for future legislative efforts.

Senator Cynthia Lummis noted that the industry’s willingness to contribute to both parties creates “a powerful incentive for politicians to pussyfoot around.“

The crypto industry’s political advocacy group, Stand With Crypto, escalated the pressure this week, announcing it will score lawmakers based on how they vote during market structure markups and warning that “failure to pass Market Structure jeopardizes everything that this community has built and fought for.“

Window for Action Rapidly Closing

Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) warned that lawmakers have until roughly March to finalize the bill, after which “we’re in the political silly season.“

The compressed timeline comes as bipartisan negotiations stretch deeper into an election year marked by heightened political tensions.

Scott said this week that lawmakers are “making steady, bipartisan progress” while working through the text “in a thoughtful, deliberate way,” emphasizing his focus on “building a durable framework that provides regulatory clarity, protects investors, and keeps America at the forefront of financial innovation.“

Democrats say they’re focused on substance rather than political considerations.

Senator Ruben Gallego also emphasized the urgency of action following an October meeting with crypto executives, warning that failure to pass legislation could push crypto industries overseas or into illicit markets.

Negotiations Continue Amid Multiple Pressure Points

The Senate effort follows months of stalled progress after the record-breaking government shutdown and disagreements over decentralized finance regulation.

While the House passed its Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in July with bipartisan support, giving the CFTC primary oversight of digital commodities, the Senate has been developing its own framework, using different terminology, such as “ancillary assets,” to define non-security tokens.

Scott must also navigate concerns from some GOP members, with Senator John Kennedy defending the delayed markup as “inevitable” while praising the chairman for creating “a sense of urgency” amid productive negotiations.

Recent developments have intensified the legislative urgency beyond campaign finance considerations.

The pro-crypto advocacy group Stand With Crypto warned that inaction would jeopardize years of industry development.

Meanwhile, opposition emerged this week from the American Federation of Teachers, which warned the legislation could expose public-sector pensions to unsafe assets by allowing companies to tokenize stock and bypass traditional securities oversight.

AFT President Randi Weingarten said the bill “poses profound risks to the pensions of working families,” arguing it would replace existing safeguards with a framework that leaves retirement plans more vulnerable than they are today.

The post Election Year Politics Threaten Bipartisan Crypto Bill Push appeared first on Cryptonews.

The crypto market has tentatively returned to a total cap of $3.055 trillion, as the Bank of Japan pushed its interest rate to a 30-year high amid a weakening yen.

This has provided the backdrop for gains of varying strength today, with Ethereum up by 2% in the past 24 hours, while most other major coins (including Bitcoin and Solana) have struggled to make any real headway.

With the macroeconomic picture remaining mixed, investors continue to trade under uncertainty, yet the oversold status of the market means that a traditional end-of-year rally could be very close.

In view of this possibility, we’re highlighting our best altcoin to buy today, choosing upcoming layer-two network Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER), which has the potential to rally hard when it lists early next year.

Best AItcoin To Buy Today That Could 100x in 2026 – 19 December 2025

Bitcoin Hyper has now raised a hugely impressive $29.6 million in its ongoing presale, which makes it one of the biggest sales of 2025.

This would suggest that investors are increasingly gaining confidence in the new project, which is planning to launch a full layer-two network for Bitcoin.

In contrast to the Lightning Network, which is primarily a payment rail, Bitcoin Hyper is planning to grow an entire ecosystem of decentralized dapps and protocols.

It will have a particular focus on DeFi, enabling Bitcoin holders to tap into the enormous value of their holdings, and to make additional profits on top of any price appreciation.

On a technical level, Bitcoin Hyper will make use of Solana’s Virtual Machine, giving it a speed and scalability that will make it one of the most capable L2s in crypto when it launches.

On top of this, it will also employ zero-knowledge rollups, adding privacy and security to its mix of market-leading features.

Its native token, HYPER, will be necessary to pay for its low transaction fees, with users receiving a proportionate quantity of HYPER whenever they deposit Bitcoin with the L2’s smart contract.

Accordingly, HYPER will have a max supply of 21 billion tokens, at 1:10 ratio with Bitcoin itself.

Holders will also be able to stake the token for a regular income, with the coin’s protocol currently paying out a yield of 39% APY.

HYPER Could Be One of the Biggest New Coins of 2026: Here’s How to Buy Early

Such features make Bitcoin Hyper one of the most exciting new tokens of 2025 and 2026, as its presale indicates.

And while there isn’t that much time left until the sale ends, latecomers can still join by going to the official Bitcoin Hyper website.

By connecting a compatible wallet (e.g. Best Wallet, MetaMask), they can buy any specified amount of HYPER, using ETH, USDT or even fiat.

The token is currently available at a price of $0.013445, although this will rise again later today.

It will continue to rise every few days until the sale ends, so interested investors should act sooner rather than later, in order to make the biggest possible gains.

And while the wider crypto market still remains largely uncertain, Bitcoin Hyper’s launch early next year could coincide with an overdue resurgence.

This is why it’s our best altcoin to buy today, and why it may remain one of the best new alts to buy for quite some time to come.

The post Best AItcoin To Buy Today That Could 100x in 2026 – 19 December 2025 appeared first on Cryptonews.

Toobit, an award-winning global cryptocurrency exchange, today announces an upgrade to its futures trading suite: the introduction of 200x leverage for ETHUSDT Perpetual Contracts. This update gives traders greater flexibility and higher market exposure when trading Ethereum.

As Ethereum continues to solidify its position as the foundational layer of the decentralized economy, the demand for Ethereum-linked trading instruments has grown.

By offering up to 200x leverage, Toobit allows traders to access larger market positions with less capital. This makes it easier for traders to manage their portfolios and protect their investments against market swings.

“Adding 200x leverage for ETHUSDT is part of our work to offer a high-performance trading space,” said Mike Williams, Chief Communication Officer at Toobit. “Our goal is to equip our traders with the tools they need to react to even small price changes with maximum flexibility.”

As the derivatives market matures, Ethereum has emerged as a primary pillar, with BTC and ETH combined now driving nearly 70% of global derivatives volume. Institutional adoption is also rising; as of late 2025, corporate treasuries and ETPs control roughly 8% of the total ETH supply.

This momentum is expected to continue into 2026, with expanding stablecoin liquidity projected to push DeFi’s TVL past $300 billion.

About Toobit

Toobit is where the future of crypto trading unfolds – an award-winning cryptocurrency derivatives exchange built for those who thrive exploring new frontiers. With deep liquidity and cutting-edge technology, Toobit empowers traders worldwide to navigate the digital asset markets with confidence. We offer a fair, secure, seamless, and transparent trading experience, ensuring every trade is an opportunity to discover what’s next.

For more information about Toobit, visit: Website | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Instagram

Website: www.toobit.com

Email: market@toobit.com

Contact: Davin C.

The post Toobit Expands Futures Suite with 200x Leverage for ETHUSDT Perpetual Contracts appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin Cash stands out as one of the strongest-performing altcoins in the crypto market currently, and if it maintains this momentum, Bitcoin Cash price prediction indicates the token is targeting $650 before Christmas.

BCH Outperforms Despite Bear Market Scare

Even on October 10, when most altcoins crashed by approximately 80%, Bitcoin Cash barely moved and has rallied over 20% since then.

Currently trading around $595.50 with a market capitalization of $11.9 billion, BCH requires only a 12% surge to break the $650 resistance and surpass Cardano as the 10th largest cryptocurrency by market cap.

Data from Coinglass reveals that Binance’s top traders are rapidly expanding their BCH long positions.

And with Grayscale’s September filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to obtain approval for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that would follow the performance of Bitcoin Cash, the possibility of BCH surpassing $650 when approved is very high.

With the filing, the digital assets platform intends to convert its current closed-end trusts for Bitcoin cash into ETFs that will mainly be listed on NYSE Arca or Nasdaq.

Bitcoin Cash Price Prediction: Daily Chart Shows Bullish Structure Building

Bitcoin Cash’s daily chart displays a constructive bullish formation developing after successfully defending the $450 support during October’s selloff, which marked a clear higher-timeframe demand zone.

Since that low, price has established a series of higher lows and recently printed a strong bullish wick, signaling aggressive dip-buying and rejection of lower prices. BCH now trades above its short-term moving average, which is beginning to slope upward, reinforcing the momentum shift back to the upside.

The $615 area remains the key near-term resistance, having capped price multiple times in recent months, but the latest daily close near $592 suggests growing pressure on this level.

RSI has advanced back above the mid-50s, reflecting strengthening bullish momentum without entering overbought territory, leaving room for continuation.

If BCH secures a decisive daily close above $615, the structure supports continuation toward the $650–$652 region, which aligns with the next major resistance and prior distribution zone.

Failure at resistance would likely trigger a shallow pullback toward rising trend support around the mid-$560s, but provided price maintains above this area, the broader bias remains bullish with higher prices favored over the coming sessions.

Maxi Doge Raises $4.3M To Position for Christmas Rally

If Bitcoin Cash breaks the $650 resistance before Christmas, significant attention would spotlight undervalued presale projects like Maxi Doge (MAXI).

Maxi Doge is an early-stage memecoin following the Dogecoin playbook that helped it achieve over 2x pump during the November-December 2024 Santa rally.

The project has now established an alpha channel to help traders exchange insider tips, share early trade ideas, and discover hidden opportunities to capitalize on a similar memecoin Christmas rally.

The MAXI presale has already raised over $4.3 million and offers 72% annual staking rewards for those entering early at the current $0.000274 price before it increases.

To buy early, visit the official Maxi Doge website and connect a crypto wallet like Best Wallet.

You can pay with existing crypto like USDT and ETH, or use a bank card to complete your purchase immediately.

The post Bitcoin Cash Price Prediction: Is the BCH Price Headed to $650 Before Christmas? appeared first on Cryptonews.

MemeCore price has dropped 9% in the last 24 hours, extending total losses to nearly 50% from September highs.

However, analysts say the MemeCore price prediction indicators point toward a rebound before year-end.

“Meme 2.0” Blockchain Infrastructure

MemeCore operates as a Layer 1 blockchain centered on the “Meme 2.0” concept, aiming to evolve meme coins from short-term speculative vehicles into sustainable, community-powered assets.

Beyond functioning as another digital gambling token, MemeCore provides infrastructure enabling creators, communities, and brands to tokenize and monetize memes directly on-chain.

MemeCore establishes itself as a convergence point where humor, creativity, and decentralized finance meet.

The $M token facilitates transactions, ecosystem incentives, and governance, synchronizing user participation with network expansion.

The blockchain employs a “Proof of Meme” (PoM) consensus mechanism that rewards creators, validators, and users of meme coins.

MemeCore is now approaching a $3 billion market capitalization while maintaining above $1.50 despite recent declines.

This momentum shows no signs of slowing down as chart patterns point to a potential rebound heading into Christmas.

Memecore Price Prediction: $1.70 Support Critical for Recovery

This 4-hour chart shows MemeCore in a recovery phase after a sharp capitulation move, but momentum has clearly slowed as price runs into overhead supply.

The rebound from the $1.22 base was strong and impulsive, indicating aggressive dip-buying and short covering, yet that rally stalled just below the $1.95 area, which now stands out as a well-defined overhead resistance.

Since failing there, price has rolled over and is consolidating below the critical $1.70 support, a level that has flipped from demand to a key make-or-break zone.

RSI has cooled into the mid-30s to low-40s range, reflecting fading buying pressure without yet signaling extreme oversold conditions.

This implies consolidation or further downside is still possible before a sustainable bounce develops.

As long as $1.70 is reclaimed quickly, the broader recovery structure from $1.22 can stay intact, leaving room for another attempt toward $1.95–$2.00 resistance.

However, failure to hold this zone increases the probability of a deeper retracement, with $1.22 acting as the next major downside magnet where stronger demand previously stepped in.

Pepenode Offers Early Access to Memecoin Season 2.0

MemeCore recovery above the $1.90 resistance level could trigger a memecoin season 2.0 rally that would benefit early-stage meme coins like Pepenode (PEPENODE).

Pepenode is a new crypto project still in its presale round that’s already raised over $2.3 million despite the memecoin sector losing over 50% of its value year-to-date.

It’s a game where you can mine coins without needing expensive hardware setups.

You play the game in your web browser, set up virtual mining rigs, and upgrade your facilities to earn PEPENODE tokens.

Now that more people are investing in Pepenode’s mining rigs, the presale price is increasing every day.

To join the presale before the ongoing round sells out, go to the official Pepenode website and connect a crypto wallet like Best Wallet.

You can then buy PEPENODE tokens for $0.0012016 and pay with crypto using ETH or USDT, or use a bank card for fast payment.

The post MemeCore Price Prediction: Can the M Price Rebound Following a Sharp 9% Decline Overnight? appeared first on Cryptonews.

ENA has gone down by over 22% in the past week and has recently retested its all-time low. One trader favors a bearish Ethena price prediction as the token has dropped below a key weekly support.

Since August 2024, data from DeFi Llama shows that the protocol’s earnings have been steadily declining, moving from $4 million back then to just $50,000 in November as mint fees have declined sharply.

Ethena’s USDe circulating supply has suffered a strong setback, declining from a peak of $15 billion in mid-October to just $6.7 billion at the time of writing.

It seems that, during times of market turmoil, investors prefer to rely on well-established names in the stablecoin space like Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC. Hence, this protocol could be suffering the consequences of a flight-to-safety move.

Crypto analyst ChiefraT shared an interesting chart that shows a bearish breakout below Ethena’s long-standing weekly support.

This worsens the token’s situation, as the market could be ready to dump the token to discover how low the price needs to go for buyers to show up.

Ethena Price Prediction: ENA Faces 50% Correction After Losing Key Support

Trading volumes for ENA have increased by 33% in the past 24 hours and currently account for 20% of the token’s circulating market cap as the price struggles to stay above the $0.20 level.

The $0.18 area is the key support to watch for ENA as the token will hit the lower bound of its descending price channel if it touches that threshold.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) remains heavily depressed at 32, indicating that negative momentum has accelerated.

Meanwhile, if the selling spree continues and ENA is pushed down to break below this trend line support, nothing would prevent a much stronger correction to $0.10. This means a total downside risk of 50% for the token in the near term.

Although ENA’s outlook is quite bearish, top crypto presales like Maxi Doge ($MAXI) continue to capture investors’ attention as this type of project can deliver the highest upside potential once cryptos start to recover.

Maxi Doge ($MAXI) Brings Meme Energy to the Trading World

Maxi Doge ($MAXI) rallies traders together under a well-known flag – the viral Doge meme. This Ethereum meme coin embodies the spirit of bull markets and the energy that retail traders bring to the table with its “up only” motto.

The project fosters community engagement via fun competitions like Maxi Ripped and Maxi Gains, designed to reward top traders with the highest ROI.

In addition, $MAXI holders get exclusive access to a hub where they can share ideas, insights, and trading setups with other like-minded ‘degens’ to tap into the community’s “collective hive mind” to make the most out of this market.

To buy $MAXI and become one with the pump, simply head to the official Maxi Doge website and link up your favorite wallet (e.g. Best Wallet).

You can either swap USDT or ETH for this token or use a bank card instead to buy.

The post Ethena Price Prediction: ENA Price Experiences Huge 22% Drop in 7 Days, What’s Next? appeared first on Cryptonews.

ETH has climbed by nearly 4% in the past 24 hours as the crypto market bounced strongly following a positive inflation report in the United States. Does this favor a bullish Ethereum price prediction that sees the token breaking past $3,200 before Christmas?

Trading volumes increased by 42% during this period, currently accounting for 10% of the token’s circulating market cap, meaning that the buying pressure has increased significantly.

Crypto trader Ted Pillows, whose X account is followed by more than 250,000 users on X, sees the price of ETH rising past $3,200 as long as the $2,700 – $2,800 support holds.

The market’s mood continues to be sour as the Fear and Greed Index currently sits at 21. This indicates that investors are fearful as volatility has spiked in the past few weeks.

Nonetheless, long-term short-term readings seem to show that the sell-off has already gone too far, possibly favoring a bullish Ethereum price prediction for the next few weeks.

Ethereum Price Prediction: ETH Hits Key Trend Line Support – Can It Break It?

The 4-hour price chart for Ethereum shows that the token recently bounced strongly off the $2,800 level and rapidly climbed to retest the upper bound of a descending price channel that has been forming for weeks.

In this lower time frame, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) has hit oversold territory already. The last two times this happened, the price rallied strongly and surpassed the $3,000 level shortly afterward.

If this pattern repeats, we could see ETH breaking past the $3,000 level in the next couple of days. The first stop could be around $3,050 for a confirmed trend reversal, followed by a strong push to $3,400. This implies a 15% upside potential based on where ETH is trading today.

As cryptocurrencies seem ready to make a comeback, the most promising crypto presales like Pepenode ($PEPENODE) could outperform well-established tokens. This mine-to-earn (M2E) project makes crypto mining hassle-free, fun, and highly rewarding.

Pepenode ($PEPENODE) Raises Over $2 Million to Launch Its M2E Game

Mining cryptocurrencies has never been easier, now that Pepenode ($PEPENODE) is getting ready to launch its fun M2E.

Players can easily set up a virtual server and fire up as many mining rigs as they want by simply buying $PEPENODE tokens. They can also upgrade their existing setups to ramp up their output and compete for attractive rewards.

Top miners will receive handsome airdrops of the best meme coins in the market, like Bonk ($BONK) and Pepe ($PEPE), while up to 70% of the tokens invested in upgrading rigs will be burned forever.

As the game’s popularity increases, so will the demand for $PEPENODE. This positions early buyers to reap the highest returns once the token jumps to the spotlight.

To buy $PEPENODE before the next price increase, simply head to the official Pepenode website and link up a compatible wallet like Best Wallet.

You can either swap USDT or ETH for this token or use a bank card to buy.

The post Ethereum Price Prediction: Can the ETH Price Reclaim $3,200 Before Christmas? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin remains under pressure as global markets digest a further shift away from ultra-loose monetary policy in Japan. At its December meeting, the Bank of Japan raised its short-term policy rate to around 0.75% from 0.5%, citing growing confidence that inflation will remain near its 2% target, according to official statements.

The decision reflects stronger wage growth and persistent price pressures. Japan’s headline inflation stays around 2.9% in November, whereas, core inflation held above target for a 44th straight month, based on reported government data. Policymakers emphasised that real rates remain deeply negative, signaling any further tightening will be gradual and data-dependent.

Markets Absorb the Move With Little Shock

In response to the news, Japanese government bond yields surged higher, with long-dated yields hovering near recent highs. Whereas, the Japanese yen weakened modestly, suggesting the interest rate hike was largely priced in. Broader risk assets remained cautious rather than reactive.

Crypto markets, however, stayed under pressure. Bitcoin has slipped around 7% in the last seven days, while Ethereum has fallen by more than 10%, according to market data, reflecting weak risk appetite rather than Japan-specific flows.

Why Japan Still Matters for Bitcoin

For Bitcoin, the relevance lies less in the immediate response and more in the global liquidity backdrop. Japan has long functioned as a key funding market, and higher yields could gradually tighten global financial conditions. Investors are now watching whether continued BoJ normalization feeds into risk assets over time.

Against this backdrop, Bitcoin’s ability to reclaim higher levels will depend on technical confirmation, as traders balance tightening signals against longer-term adoption and structural demand trends.

Bitcoin Technical Analysis: Signs of a Developing Base

Recent candles show selling pressure fading. Long lower wicks followed by small bodies suggest dip buying rather than forced liquidation. Momentum supports that view, with RSI recovering toward 52 after leaving oversold territory, pointing to stabilization rather than continuation lower.

Price action now resembles base formation, not a reversal. On TradingView’s path projection, the preferred scenario is a slow push back toward the channel midline if Bitcoin reclaims the $88,200–$89,200 pivot zone.

Key Levels That Define the Next Move

A sustained move above the pivot would open upside toward $92,000, then $94,200, the prior range high. Failure to hold $84,500 shifts focus to $80,600, where the ascending channel base sits.

From a trading perspective, structure favors patience. Acceptance above $89,200 offers upside setups toward the low-$90,000s, while risk remains defined below recent lows. For now, the correction looks like consolidation, not breakdown.

PEPENODE: A Mine-to-Earn Meme Coin Nearing Presale Close

PEPENODE is gaining momentum as a next-generation meme coin that blends viral culture with interactive gameplay. With over $2.36 mn raised and the presale approaching its cap, interest is building fast as the countdown enters its final stretch.

What makes PEPENODE stand out is its mine-to-earn virtual ecosystem. Instead of passive holding, users can build digital server rooms using Miner Nodes and facilities, earning simulated rewards through a visual dashboard. The concept brings gamification and competition into the meme coin space, giving holders something to do before launch.

The project also offers presale staking, allowing early participants to earn boosted rewards ahead of the token generation event. Leaderboards and bonus incentives are planned post-launch to keep engagement high.

With 1 $PEPENODE priced at $0.0012016 and limited allocation remaining, the presale is entering its final opportunity window for early buyers.

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Can the BTC Price Push Above $90,000 With the Latest BoJ Rate Hikes? appeared first on Cryptonews.

The crypto market is up today, with the cryptocurrency market capitalisation increasing by 1.6% to $3.05 trillion. Also, 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 $164 billion.

Crypto Winners & Losers

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

Bitcoin (BTC) is up by 1.4% since this time yesterday, currently trading at $87,906.

Bitcoin (BTC)

24h7d30d1yAll time

Ethereum (ETH) is up by 4.1%, now changing hands at $2,953. This is the highest increase in this category.

It’s followed by Dogecoin (DOGE)’s 2.4% to the price of $0.128.

At the same time, Tron (TRX) saw the lowest rise, with a change of 0.8%, now standing at $0.2794.

When it comes to the top 100 coins, 90 coins saw increases. Of these, two are double-digit.

Provenance Blockchain (HASH) is up 10.1% to the price of $0.03094, while Bitcoin Cash (BCH) went up by 10%, currently changing hands at $587.

Among the red coins, MemeCore (M) posted the highest fall in the category. It’s down 8.2%, now trading at $1.54.

Mantle (MNT) is next, having decreased by 3.7% to the price of $1.17.

Meanwhile, in the US, a delayed report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was cooler than expected. More precisely, consumer prices increased less than expected in November. This encourages hope among investors that inflationary pressures may cool to the degree that would result in the higher-than-expected easing of US monetary policy.

Also, Binance is reportedly considering a return to the US market, with potential structural changes to its American operations. A possible recapitalization of Binance.US could reduce Changpeng Zhao’s controlling stake.

‘US CPI Was Noisy, Not Bullish’

Gabe Selby, Head of Research at Kraken company CF Benchmark, commented that Bitcoin’s erratic price action reflects the seller-dominated crypto market, as well as elevated uncertainty around the broader macro trajectory.

Yesterday’s US CPI release initially appeared supportive for risk assets. However, “the underlying reality is more complex.” Notably, “the data was compiled under highly atypical conditions,” most notably the government shutdown.

Therefore, the report captured November’s latter portion only, which was heavily distorted by Black Friday product discounting.

Per Selby, “this created temporary disinflationary noise that limits the report’s reliability as a true inflation gauge. Markets seem to recognize this, treating the print as an aberration rather than confirmation of any sustained cooling trend.”

“What’s particularly telling is that Bitcoin’s price action mirrored this skepticism in real time. The asset rallied immediately after the release but quickly lost steam as traders reassessed the data quality.”

Bitcoin pushed toward Wednesday’s highs but failed to break through, fully retracing its gains. That rejection is significant, says Selby. It shows that “sellers remain firmly in control and reinforces the view that Bitcoin is still trading within a broader downtrend, despite the brief optimism sparked by the headline CPI number.”

The key takeaway, Selby concludes is that, “until we get several months of clean, uninterrupted inflation data, the [US Federal Reserve’s] path remains murky. And in that environment of uncertainty, Bitcoin—despite its recent institutional adoption narrative—continues to behave like the risk asset it is, struggling to find sustained buying conviction.”

Levels & Events to Watch Next

At the time of writing on Friday morning, BTC stood at $87,906. After a sideways trading period early in the day, BTC jumped to the intraday high of $89,219, before plummeting to $84,581 and then recovering to the current level.

Moreover, BTC is down 5% in a week, 3.4% in a month, 13.2% in a year, and 30% from the October all-time high of $126,080.

Investors are now looking to see if the price will move above $90,000 and then hold that level. This would open doors for another leg up towards $100,000. Conversely, a fall may lead the coin to the $74,000 zone.

Ethereum is currently changing hands at $2,953. The highest point it reached over the past 24 hours (by the time of writing) is $2,989, before plunging to the low of $2,781. It has recovered to the current price since.

Over the past week, ETH fell 9.2%, as well as 2.9% in a month and 19.8% in a year. It has also decreased by 40% from its August ATH of $4,946.

Should the price reclaim the $3,000, it could proceed to $3,130 and $3,250. However, a decrease would pull the price back to the $2,900 zone and possibly into the $2,700 territory.

Moreover, the crypto market sentiment has decreased yet again within the fear territory.

The crypto fear and greed index stands at 21 today, compared to 22 yesterday. It is now back on the verge of the extreme fear zone.

Market participants remain highly cautious of the incoming development, as well as uncertain over the market trajectory. They’re waiting for further signals to decide on their next moves.

ETFs Go Red

After a single day of inflows, the US BTC spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) posted negative flows of $161.32 million on Thursday. The total net inflow rose slightly to $57.57 billion.

Of the twelve BTC ETFs, three saw outflows and one saw inflows. BlackRock posted $32.76 million in inflows.

On the other hand, Fidelity leads the red list with $170.28 million in negative flows. It’s followed by Ark&21Shares’ $12.27 million and Bitwise’s $11.54 million.

Moreover, the US ETH ETFs continues with outflows, posting a sixth day of negative flows, with $96.62 million in outflows on 18 December. The total net inflow pulled back to $12.52 billion.

Two of the nine funds recorded inflows, but one saw higher outflows. Grayscale took in $5.63 in total on this day.

However, BlackRock recorded $102.24 million in outflows.

Meanwhile, Tom Lee’s Ethereum-focused treasury company BitMine has bought at least $229.31 million worth of ETH this week alone, Arkham reported.

According to CoinGecko ETH treasury data, the company has purchased 407,331 ETH in the last 30 days. BitMine says it owns over 3.2% of the ETH token supply.

Quick FAQ

1. Why did crypto move with stocks today?

The crypto market saw an increase over the past 24 hours, while the US stock market closed higher on Thursday. By the closing time on 18 December, the S&P 500 was up by 0.79%, the Nasdaq-100 increased by 1.51%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.14%. The increases follow the release of delayed Consumer Price Index data, which ended up being better than expected.

2. Is this rally sustainable?

The rise may continue in the short term, but the analysts expect another decrease at any given moment currently. That said, many argue that we’re still in for a significant rally as the new year begins, possibly in Q1.

The post Why Is Crypto Up Today? – December 19, 2025 appeared first on Cryptonews.

The U.S. Senate has confirmed crypto-friendly lawyer Mike Selig as the next chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), ending a prolonged period of leadership uncertainty at one of the country’s most important financial regulators.

The confirmation passed Thursday as part of a mass approval of federal nominees, with senators voting 53–43 under the provisions of Senate Resolution 532.

Selig’s confirmation comes as President Donald Trump’s second administration moves to fill some of the most consequential regulatory vacancies affecting the digital asset sector.

Alongside Selig, the Senate also elevated Travis Hill to chair the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), placing permanent leadership at two agencies that play central roles in how crypto markets operate and how crypto companies interact with the banking system.

Power Without a Mandate: The CFTC’s Quiet Struggle Over Crypto Oversight

At the CFTC, the absence of a Senate-confirmed chair had become a growing operational problem. The agency, which is structured as a five-member independent commission, has been operating for months with just a single commissioner.

Acting Chair Caroline Pham remained the only seated member after a wave of resignations earlier in the year, a situation that concentrated authority while also limiting deliberation and long-term planning.

Although an acting chair can legally carry out agency functions, the lack of a permanent leader and full commission constrained the CFTC’s ability to build staff, coordinate with other regulators, and advance major new rulemakings.

That leadership gap mattered most for crypto policy. While Congress continues to debate legislation that would expand the agency’s mandate, the absence of a confirmed chair made it harder for the CFTC to set a clear regulatory direction or prepare for an expanded role.

Previous nominees, including Brian Quintenz, were withdrawn amid political friction, extending the period of uncertainty.

During this interim phase, Pham focused on internal reforms rather than sweeping regulatory changes.

Her tenure emphasized clearing compliance backlogs, streamlining enforcement processes, and launching limited pilot initiatives tied to digital assets.

Pham led a “back-to-basics” approach, resolving internal backlogs and launching early digital asset initiatives, but the lack of a permanent, Senate-confirmed chair made it harder to advance complex rulemakings or coordinate closely with other regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The agency also began what it called a “crypto sprint,” a set of targeted efforts that included updating regulatory language to reflect blockchain-based markets and formally approved spot crypto trading.

Selig’s Term Begins as CFTC Prepares for a Larger Role in Crypto Markets

Selig now takes on the role with a full and permanent mandate. He is a former CFTC official and most recently served as chief counsel to the SEC’s Crypto Task Force. He was nominated in October, replacing the administration’s earlier choice for the position.

His term as chair will run through April 2029. During his confirmation process, Selig said crypto would be a priority and also pointed to ongoing challenges at the agency, including limited staffing, tight resources, and governance concerns.

The CFTC currently employs about 543 full-time staff, far fewer than the SEC’s roughly 4,200 employees, even as lawmakers in both chambers consider bills that would give the CFTC primary oversight of crypto spot markets.

Once sworn in, Selig, the current acting chair, Pham, will depart to join crypto payments firm MoonPay as chief legal and administrative officer.

While operating with a single commissioner may allow faster internal decision-making, it also raises questions about legal durability and bipartisan balance.

Several senators have already stated that confirming additional commissioners will be a key issue in 2026.

The post Senate Confirms Pro-Crypto Mike Selig as CFTC Chair — What To Expect appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin’s latest market cycle has entered a new phase, with onchain and derivatives data pointing to demand exhaustion and a transition into bear market territory, according to CryptoQuant’s latest Crypto Weekly Report.

After multiple demand-driven rallies since 2023, the firm says the structural pillars that supported higher prices are now weakening.

Demand Growth Falls Below Trend

CryptoQuant’s analysis shows that Bitcoin demand growth has decisively slowed since early October 2025, falling below its long-term trend.

The current cycle featured three major spot demand waves: the launch of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, optimism surrounding the U.S. presidential election outcome, and a surge of interest from Bitcoin Treasury Companies.

With these catalysts largely priced in, incremental demand has diminished, removing a key source of price support that previously sustained upward momentum.

The firm notes that when demand growth rolls over in this manner, it has historically marked the end of bullish phases, regardless of broader narratives around supply shocks or halving events.

Institutional and Large-Holder Demand Reverses

Institutional behavior is now reinforcing the bearish signal. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have shifted from accumulation to distribution in the fourth quarter of 2025, with net holdings declining by approximately 24,000 BTC. This stands in stark contrast to Q4 2024, when ETFs were strong net buyers and a central driver of market strength.

At the same time, onchain data shows that addresses holding between 100 and 1,000 BTC—often associated with ETFs, funds, and corporate treasuries—are growing below historical trend.

CryptoQuant compares this pattern to late 2021, when similar demand deterioration preceded the 2022 bear market.

Derivatives Markets Signal Weakening Risk Appetite

Derivatives data adds further confirmation. Funding rates in perpetual futures, measured using a 365-day moving average, have declined to their lowest level since December 2023. Falling funding rates typically indicate reduced willingness among traders to maintain leveraged long positions.

Historically, such conditions have been more consistent with bear market regimes than bull phases, reflecting declining risk appetite and lower conviction among market participants.

Price Structure and Downside Scenarios

From a technical perspective, Bitcoin has broken below its 365-day moving average, a key long-term indicator that has historically separated bull and bear market conditions.

CryptoQuant stresses that Bitcoin’s four-year cycle is driven primarily by demand expansions and contractions rather than the halving itself.

Despite the bearish shift, downside projections suggest a relatively shallow cycle. Past bear market bottoms have aligned with Bitcoin’s realized price, currently near $56,000.

This would imply a drawdown of roughly 55% from the recent all-time high—potentially the smallest bear market decline on record. Interim support is expected around the $70,000 level, offering a key zone to watch as the cycle continues to reset.

The post Bitcoin Cycle Turns as Demand Exhaustion Signals Bear Market: CryptoQuant appeared first on Cryptonews.

The Bank of Japan raised interest rates to 0.75% on December 19, marking the highest borrowing costs in three decades and triggering immediate speculation about implications for global crypto markets.

Bitcoin climbed 2.5% to approach $88,000 following the decision, which came as policymakers balanced inflation concerns against mounting fiscal pressures from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s $117 billion stimulus package.

The central bank voted unanimously to lift short-term rates from 0.5%, stating that “real interest rates are expected to remain significantly negative,” and that “accommodative financial conditions will continue to firmly support economic activity.“

Governor Kazuo Ueda emphasized the bank would “continue to raise the policy interest rate and adjust the degree of monetary accommodation” if the economic outlook materializes as projected.

Historic Move Confronts Deepening Fiscal Challenges

The rate increase represents Japan’s most aggressive monetary tightening since 1995, though borrowing costs remain far below those in other major economies.

The decision arrives as Takaichi’s government pushes through expansive fiscal policies funded largely by issuing more bonds.

More than half of the stimulus spending will come from additional debt issuance, raising concerns about Japan’s already massive public debt, more than twice the size of its economy.

Speaking to The New York Times, George Goncalves, head strategist at MUFG, noted the “volatile mix of growing debt, higher interest rates, aggressive fiscal spending and tariffs make the path forward for Japan’s economy difficult to predict.”

Market reactions were mixed, with the yen initially strengthening before giving up those gains as investors digested the statement’s implications.

Christopher Wong, currency strategist at OCBC, speaking with Reuters, added that “the yen initially strengthened but quickly surrendered those gains, in part reflecting thin market liquidity that amplified short-term price action rather than a reassessment of fundamentals.“

Divergent Policy Paths Signal Volatility Ahead

The rate hike comes amid broader regulatory shifts in Japan’s crypto landscape.

The Financial Services Agency recently proposed requiring exchanges to hold dedicated reserves against customer losses, extending a framework long used in traditional securities markets.

The move follows major breaches, including Bybit’s February 2025 hack, which resulted in roughly $1.46 billion in losses.

Japan is also simultaneously preparing its most sweeping overhaul of crypto oversight in almost a decade, planning to move digital assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.

The transition would impose stricter disclosure requirements and explicit insider-trading rules covering token listings, major system breaches, and large-scale issuer sales.

Arthur Hayes, former BitMEX CEO, reacted bullishly to the decision on social media. “Don’t fight the BOJ: -ve real rates is the explicit policy,” Hayes wrote. “$JPY to 200, and $BTC to a milly.“

Speaking with Cryptonews, Ignacio Aguirre, CMO at Bitget, offered measured optimism despite near-term uncertainty.

“However, the BOJ’s tightening stands in contrast to widely expected Fed rate cuts in early 2026, setting up a period of heightened volatility that often creates attractive accumulation windows for long-term investors,” Aguirre said.

He projected Bitcoin could retest the $95,000–$100,000 range by early 2026.

Market Analysts Split on Bitcoin’s Near-Term Trajectory

Trader Michael van de Poppe downplayed the hike’s lasting impact on crypto markets.

“Markets knew this beforehand, so the actual impact of this rate hike is firstly, going to have less impact the more those will take places as the marginal impact for the Carry Trade is getting less and less,” van de Poppe said.

He argued markets had “overpriced this to the downside prior to the event expecting a big crash to occur,” adding that given the soft inflation outlook, “it’s time to get back to the fair price for Bitcoin.“

Bitcoin initially dipped below $86,000 following the announcement due to yen carry trade unwinds, but quickly rebounded above $87,000 as pre-event downside fears proved overblown.

CryptoMichNL noted the hike’s reduced marginal impact on carry trades from prior adjustments, with markets having priced in a severe crash that didn’t materialize.

Meanwhile, Fundstrat’s Tom Lee also reaffirmed his prediction that Bitcoin will reach $200,000 by late January 2026 in a recent CNBC interview, implying a near-doubling from current levels around $85,500 amid post-election consolidation.

Lee’s forecast draws on surging spot ETF inflows exceeding $30 billion year-to-date and anticipated regulatory easing under the Trump administration, aligning with his accurate 2024 call for Bitcoin surpassing $100,000 during the halving cycle.

The post Bank of Japan Hikes Rates to 30-Year High as Yen Weakens – The Catalyst for Bitcoin Rebound? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Aptos has unveiled AIP-137, introducing SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s as its first post-quantum signature scheme to protect against future quantum computing threats.

The proposal, drafted by Aptos Labs Head of Cryptography Alin Tomescu, aims to prepare the network for quantum computers that are cryptographically relevant before they become an urgent concern.

The initiative arrives as quantum computing transitions from theoretical speculation to tangible reality, with IBM discussing scaling paths and NIST publishing finalized post-quantum standards.

While experts debate whether quantum threats will materialize in five or fifty years, Aptos is choosing conservative preparation over reactive scrambling.

Conservative Security Over Performance

AIP-137 prioritizes security assumptions over efficiency by selecting SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s, a stateless hash-based signature scheme standardized by NIST as FIPS 205.

The scheme relies exclusively on SHA-256, a hash function already embedded throughout Aptos infrastructure, requiring no new cryptographic assumptions.

This conservative approach addresses past failures in post-quantum cryptography, where schemes like Rainbow, a NIST finalist based on multivariate cryptography, were broken entirely on commodity laptops in 2022.

By building on proven hash functions rather than exotic mathematical assumptions, Aptos minimizes the risk of classical attacks defeating supposedly quantum-secure schemes.

The trade-off is between size and speed. Signatures will measure 7,856 bytes, 82 times larger than Ed25519, while verification takes approximately 294 microseconds, roughly 4.8 times slower.

These performance costs are deliberate, accepting efficiency losses in exchange for ironclad security guarantees that don’t introduce untested cryptographic assumptions into the system.

Alternative schemes like ML-DSA offer smaller signatures and faster verification but depend on the hardness of structured lattice problems, introducing new mathematical assumptions.

Falcon delivers even better performance with compressed signatures around 1.5 KB, but requires floating-point arithmetic, which makes implementation error-prone.

Aptos is reserving these aggressive optimizations for future proposals once SLH-DSA establishes a conservative baseline.

Preparing Without Mandating Migration

The proposal explicitly avoids forced migration, keeping Ed25519 as the default signature scheme while introducing SLH-DSA as an optional layer that governance can enable when quantum threats warrant activation.

Users requiring post-quantum assurances can adopt the scheme selectively without disrupting the broader network.

This measured approach aligns with broader industry perspectives on quantum preparedness.

MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor recently argued that “quantum computing won’t break Bitcoin—it will harden it,” suggesting that networks that upgrade proactively will see security improve while supply dynamics tighten, as lost coins remain frozen.

His view reflects a growing consensus that quantum threats, while serious, present opportunities for networks prepared to evolve their cryptographic foundations.

For Aptos, implementation includes feature flags allowing controlled deployment across validators, indexers, wallets, and development tools.

The phased rollout gives the ecosystem time to adapt infrastructure before quantum computers become capable of breaking current cryptography.

Industry-Wide Quantum Concerns Mount

The proposal reflects broader anxiety in the crypto industry about the timelines for quantum computing.

Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko recently warned that Bitcoin has a 50% chance of facing quantum breakthroughs within five years, urging accelerated adoption of quantum-resistant schemes as AI acceleration compresses development timelines.

Experts estimate 30% of Bitcoin’s supply, roughly 6-7 million BTC worth hundreds of billions of dollars, remains vulnerable in older address formats that expose public keys directly.

Tech giants are racing toward quantum supremacy with aggressive timelines. IBM plans to build 100,000-qubit chipsets by decade’s end, while PsiQuantum targets one million photonic qubits within the same timeframe.

Microsoft claims quantum computing is now “years, not decades” away following recent chip breakthroughs, while Google’s Willow chip solved problems in five minutes that would take classical computers billions of years.

Gavin Brennen from Macquarie University told Cryptonews that estimates for breaking 256-bit elliptic curve signatures have dropped from requiring 10-20 million qubits to around one million.

“A plausible timeline for cracking 256-bit digital signatures is by the mid-2030s,” Brennen said.

Grayscale’s 2026 Digital Asset Outlook also acknowledged quantum computing as a long-term cryptographic challenge but dismissed near-term price impacts, noting cryptographically relevant quantum computers remain unlikely before 2030.

However, the asset manager emphasized that most blockchains will ultimately require post-quantum upgrades as the technology advances toward practical viability.

The post Aptos Proposes Quantum-Resistant Signatures to Future-Proof Blockchain Security appeared first on Cryptonews.

The recent surge in privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash may reflect short-term capital rotation rather than the start of a durable bull market, according to Real Vision founder and macro investor Raoul Pal.

Speaking on the When Shift Happens podcast with Kevin Follonier on Thursday, Pal said Zcash’s rally has yet to prove it represents a structural trend rather than speculative repositioning within the broader crypto market.

“Do I need that asset to say I was in earliest? I don’t really,” Pal said, suggesting that recent price action alone is not enough to justify long-term conviction.

Zcash’s 699% Rally Loses Steam as Prices Pull Back 37% in a Month

Zcash (ZEC) has posted some of the strongest gains among major cryptocurrencies this year, rising roughly 699% since Jan. 1 to trade around $385, according to CoinMarketCap.

However, momentum has faded in recent weeks, with the token down about 37% over the past 30 days.

Pal said that distinction is critical. “We can’t prove it until the whole market goes up and it continues to trend and not a rotation,” he said. “Right now it’s confirming the rotation thesis.”

According to Pal, the next key test for Zcash will be whether it can establish a stable base after its sharp move higher.

Sustained support at lower levels would indicate that buyers are stepping in with longer-term conviction, rather than exiting after a rapid run-up.

“What you want to see is whether it finds a base and then starts pulling up again,” he said.

Despite the strong year-to-date performance, Pal said he is not inclined to chase the asset at current levels. “I’m not sure I’m going to chase it, but I might buy it in the next down cycle,” he added.

Zcash’s rally has stood out in a broader market that has struggled to maintain upward momentum. The token’s market capitalization climbed from under $1 billion in August to more than $7 billion at its early November peak, even as several major cryptocurrencies traded lower.

Part of that surge followed comments from crypto entrepreneur Arthur Hayes, who said in late October that Zcash could eventually reach $10,000, triggering a sharp short-term price reaction.

ZEC jumped roughly 30% within 24 hours of the remarks.

Institutional Interest Moves Toward Zcash ETF

Interest in privacy-focused assets has also increased amid growing concerns around surveillance, censorship, and regulatory scrutiny.

In November, XT Exchange said anonymity-focused tokens were gaining renewed attention as traders reassessed the role of privacy in digital assets.

Institutional interest has begun to follow. On Nov. 27, Grayscale Investments filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to convert its Zcash trust into a spot ETF, signaling a potential pathway for broader investor exposure.

The post Raoul Pal Says Zcash Rally Looks Like Capital Rotation, Not a Structural Bull Run appeared first on Cryptonews.

Tom Lee’s Ethereum-focused treasury company, BitMine, has bought at least $229.31 million worth of ETH this week alone, Arkham reported. On-chain data show that the firm just bought another 30,075 ETH ($88.73 million).

“Two fresh wallets just withdrew $88.73M of ETH from FalconX,” Arkham Monitoring reported. “This acquisition matches prior BitMine purchase patterns.”

BitMine Owns Over 3% of ETH Supply

BitMine has been aggressively accumulating Ether despite the market slump. The fresh purchase arrives days after the company disclosed a $140 million worth ETH buy from a hot wallet on FalconX.

Further, the NYSE American–listed company said Monday that it owns over 3.2% of the ETH token supply. According to CoinGecko ETH treasury data, the company has purchased 407,331 ETH in the last 30 days.

Early this month, BitMine bought nearly $70 million worth of ETH in three days, positioning itself as the biggest Ether-focused crypto treasury by a wide margin.

Days after, the company accumulated another $150 million of Ether to its balance sheet, adding 18,345 ETH via BitGo and 30,278 ETH through Kraken. The purchase marked one of the largest single inflows into a corporate Ethereum treasury this year.

BitMine management said previously that the firm aims to control around 5% of all ETH supply.

ARK Buys $10.56M Shares in BMNR, Stock Slides

BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) fell 3.04% on Thursday, closing at $29.32, per Google Finance data.

The slide comes after Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest bought $10.56 million worth of shares in the firm across its three exchange-traded funds on Wednesday. This purchase adds on top of the previous $17 million purchase of BitMine.

ARK also reported buying $5.9 million worth of Coinbase shares and $8.85 million worth of Bullish.

The post BitMine is Still Buying ETH: Total Accumulation This Week Reaches $229M appeared first on Cryptonews.

A senior promoter behind the collapsed crypto platform IcomTech has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that targeted working-class, Spanish-speaking investors across the United States.

Magdaleno Mendoza was sentenced on Thursday to 71 months in prison, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Prosecutors said Mendoza played a central role in promoting IcomTech, a purported crypto mining and trading company that launched in mid-2018 and unraveled by the end of 2019.

IcomTech’s “Guaranteed Returns” Masked Classic MLM-Style Crypto Ponzi

IcomTech promised investors guaranteed daily returns from cryptocurrency mining and trading.

In reality, the operation functioned as a classic multi-level marketing Ponzi scheme, using funds from new investors to pay earlier participants while senior promoters diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars for personal use.

In addition to prison time, Mendoza was ordered to pay $789,218.94 in restitution and forfeit $1.5 million, along with his home in Downey, California, which prosecutors said was purchased using proceeds from the scheme.

Court filings show Mendoza was one of IcomTech’s most senior promoters and maintained close contact with founder David Carmona.

He hosted recruitment events at his own restaurant in the Los Angeles area, collecting large amounts of cash from attendees.

Promoters traveled nationwide hosting flashy expos, arriving in luxury vehicles and designer clothing, while investors were shown dashboards displaying profits they could not withdraw.

By August 2018, investors began encountering delays and excuses when attempting to cash out.

IcomTech responded by introducing a proprietary token called “Icoms,” which promoters claimed would eventually be used for payments. The token ultimately proved worthless, further compounding investor losses.

The sentencing also covered Mendoza’s illegal reentry into the United States after deportation. Prosecutors said he had been removed from the country four times, once under a false identity, and continued promoting crypto Ponzi schemes even after IcomTech collapsed.

IcomTech Mastermind Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

Several other figures connected to IcomTech, including founder David Carmona and multiple senior promoters, have already been convicted and sentenced.

In October, Carmona, the mastermind behind IcomTech, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Gustavo Rodriguez, an IcomTech promoter, was sentenced to eight years on October 31, while David Brend received a 10-year sentence on December 2. In January, Ochoa was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the scheme.

Between 2018 and 2019, IcomTech promised investors a 100% return every six weeks.

IcomTech promoters enacted the massive crypto scheme by attending lavish expos in luxury cars and wearing expensive clothing, giving the illusion that the sham digital asset company could offer investors financial freedom.

However, this facade began to crumble by August 2018 as investors struggled to withdraw their funds from the platform.

The post IcomTech Promoter Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison Over Crypto Ponzi Scheme appeared first on Cryptonews.

Coinbase has filed lawsuits against the US states of Michigan, Illinois, and Connecticut, escalating a growing legal fight over who has the authority to regulate prediction markets in the United States.

According to a Bloomberg report, Coinbase said the three states have either taken action or threatened to act against prediction market operators, despite lacking the legal authority to do so.

The exchange said it is seeking court orders to affirm that prediction markets fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), not state gaming regulators.

Coinbase Lawsuit Follows Kalshi Deal Ahead of 2026 Prediction Market Launch

The lawsuits come one day after Coinbase announced plans to offer event-based contract trading through a partnership with Kalshi, a CFTC-regulated prediction markets platform.

According to court filings, Coinbase plans to roll out prediction market access to U.S. customers starting in January 2026, including in Illinois.

Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal said the cases are meant to clarify a point the company views as settled law.

“Prediction markets fall squarely under the jurisdiction of the CFTC, not any individual state gaming regulator,” Grewal said in a post on X.

He argued that state-level efforts to block or control these markets undermine innovation and conflict with federal law.

In its Illinois filing, Coinbase warned that state interference could cause “immediate and irreparable” harm to its business.

The company is seeking both declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent enforcement actions while the courts weigh the issue.

At the center of the dispute is whether prediction markets, particularly those tied to sports outcomes, should be treated as gambling.

Several states have argued that event-based contracts resemble unlicensed sports betting, placing them under state jurisdiction.

Coinbase disputes that framing, saying prediction markets operate as neutral exchanges that match buyers and sellers rather than setting odds for profit.

Grewal also pointed to Congress’s definition of commodities, noting that lawmakers excluded only a narrow list of items from CFTC oversight, such as onions and box office receipts.

By that logic, he said, sports-related event contracts remain within the agency’s remit.

Connecticut Targets Kalshi and Robinhood

The lawsuits follow recent enforcement actions by Connecticut regulators, who earlier this month issued cease-and-desist orders to Kalshi, Robinhood and Crypto.com.

Kalshi challenged the move in court and won temporary relief after a federal judge paused state enforcement while the case proceeds.

As reported, crypto exchanges and platforms are accelerating their push into prediction markets, with Gemini and PancakeSwap emerging as the latest players to roll out new offerings.

Rivals such as Coinbase and Crypto.com have also been exploring similar expansions as competition intensifies.

The post Coinbase Sues Michigan, Illinois, and Connecticut Over Prediction Market Regulation appeared first on Cryptonews.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has signalled that a digital euro is ready to roll out and is now awaiting legislative action from the European Parliament and the Commission.

Addressing this year’s final press conference on Thursday, ECB President Christine Lagarde said that the digital euro is technically ready.

“We have done our work, we have carried the water,” Lagarde noted. “But it’s now for the European Council and certainly later on for the European Parliament to identify whether the Commission proposal is satisfactory, how it can be transformed into a piece of legislation or amended.”

In September, ECB’s Executive Board member Piero Cipollone set a realistic timeline for digital euro rollout around mid-2029, calling it “a fair assessment.”

He said at the time, “Discussion at the level of member-states is going very well.”

Now, with the authorities stressing that the preparatory systems are built, attention is shifting to political institutions to authorize.

“We place great hopes in the work that will be done in Parliament, once the Council has determined its views,” Lagarde added.

Along with her counterparts from other EU nations, Lagarde has been a “very strong” supporter of this initiative.

MiCA-Compliant Stablecoins Are Regarded as Safe: ECB President

During the Q&A session, the ECB head dismissed that stablecoins are a threat to Europe’s monetary sovereignty, when the asset class comes under Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).

“We are lucky in Europe to have something that is called MiCAR,” Lagarde said. “It’s the legal framework within which instruments like stablecoins can work and can be supervised and can be regarded as safe.”

Besides, she added that regulated stablecoins are “an alternative form of payment,” which might have its own benefits.

She also pressed the potential risks around multi-issuance currency for stablecoins, which potentially exposes the reserves.

“So on that particular area, I think that we need to be extremely attentive to what the potential risks are for the system itself and for the holders of stablecoins.”

Digital Euro to Exist Alongside Fiat Money

At the meeting, President Lagarde stressed that the ECB does not aim to be a role model for digital euro. Instead, “to make sure that in the digital age, there is a currency that is the anchor of stability for the financial system.”

She reaffirmed ECB’s commitment to keeping euro cash widely available, emphasizing that a digital euro is to complement and not replace fiat money. “In addition to making sure that it is user-friendly, not costly, fast, efficient, private, that it can work online, offline,” she noted.

Further, she addressed a data-driven approach to interest rate decisions, adding that inflation is projected to meet the ECB’s 2% target by 2028.

The post Digital Euro is Ready to Advance, Awaits Legislative Action: ECB’s Christine Lagarde appeared first on Cryptonews.

The administrators winding down what is left of Do Kwon’s Terraform Labs have turned on one of crypto’s biggest trading shops, alleging Jump Trading profited from Terra’s surge and helped lay the groundwork for its collapse.

Todd Snyder, the court-appointed plan administrator for the Terraform bankruptcy, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Illinois seeking $4B in damages from Jump Trading, co-founder William DiSomma, and former Jump Crypto president Kanav Kariya, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

“Jump Trading actively exploited the Terraform Labs ecosystem through manipulation, concealment, and self-dealing that enriched Jump while financially devastating thousands of unsuspecting investors,” Snyder said in a statement.

“This action is a necessary step to hold Jump Trading accountable for illegal conduct that directly caused the largest crypto collapse in history.”

Terra’s Death Spiral And The Contagion That Followed

Terraform’s collapse still hangs over the market. TerraUSD, known as UST, was billed as a stablecoin that would hold $1 through an algorithm tied to its sister token, Luna, known as LUNA. When UST broke its peg in May 2022, the mechanism unraveled and both tokens spiraled toward near zero in days.

The wipeout erased about $40B in value and rippled across the industry, squeezing lenders, funds, and exchanges that had treated UST yields and Luna liquidity as deep and durable.

Three Arrows Capital was among the first major casualties, with later failures piling up as confidence and collateral evaporated.

Terraform filed for bankruptcy in Jan. 2024, and public filings show the estate has recovered about $300M so far for creditors as it unwinds what remains.

Claims Of Peg Support And Profits From Terra’s Fall

Snyder’s complaint says Jump entered a secret arrangement to support TerraUSD’s peg before the final break and later walked away from the wreckage with outsized gains.

Regulators have previously pointed to Jump’s trading in Luna, with the SEC saying in court filings that Jump made about $1B in profit by selling the token.

The suit lands after a bruising year for Terraform’s former leadership. The company and Kwon agreed to a roughly $4.5B settlement with the SEC in 2024 following a jury verdict on securities fraud claims.
Kwon, once a celebrity founder who mocked critics as UST scaled, pleaded guilty in August 2025 and a New York federal judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison last week.

The post Terraform Liquidators Allege Jump Trading Helped Fuel Crypto’s Biggest Crash: Report appeared first on Cryptonews.

The Bank of Japan raised its short-term policy rate by 25 basis points to 0.75%, highest level in the last 30 years, a unanimous move aligned with market expectations, while signaling that overall monetary conditions remain accommodative. Policymakers reiterated that real rates will stay at exceptionally low levels and further hikes will depend on improving inflation and economic trends. Despite the modest tightening, crypto markets continued their decline, with Bitcoin briefly slipping below the $86,000 mark and Ethereum hovering near $2,800. Sector-wise, the AI token complex led losses with a 5.34 percent drop, while heavy declines were also recorded across CeFi, Layer 1, DeFi, PayFi, Layer 2, and Meme segments. A handful of tokens bucked the trend, including Zcash, Beldex, and Bitcoin Cash.

But what else is happening in crypto news today? Follow our up-to-date live coverage below.

The post [LIVE] Crypto Market Update: Bank of Japan Raises Rates by 25 bps; Crypto Markets Extend Slide as BTC Breaks Below $86K appeared first on Cryptonews.