Initial jobless claims surged to 236,000 vs 220,000 expected, a significant jump from last week’s 191,000 reading that was the lowest since September 2022.

Bitcoin dropped from $92,000 to $90,000 yesterday, and it is holding there as traders digest whether the 45,000-person increase validates concerns about a softening labor market or simply represents holiday volatility normalizing.

The timing couldn’t be more critical as yesterday’s Fed meeting saw Chair Powell deliver a hawkish 25-basis-point cut and slash 2025 rate-cut projections from four to two, citing resilient employment as justification.

Today’s weaker claims data directly challenge that narrative and could revive arguments that the Fed is making a policy error by prematurely slowing the easing cycle.

The timing is critical as traders also digest today’s OPEC Monthly Report and the U.S. 30-Year Bond Auction, both of which carry implications for inflation expectations and Fed policy.

OPEC’s demand outlook could signal whether energy prices will pressure inflation higher in 2025, while the 30-year auction will reveal how bond markets are pricing long-term Fed policy after yesterday’s hawkish shift.

Currently, Bitcoin’s technical setup has deteriorated after the Fed decision, with support now critical at $88,000-$90,000 and resistance at $92,000. The total crypto market cap sits at $3.23 trillion as traders reassess whether today’s 236K jobless claims print marks the start of labor-market deterioration that forces the Fed back to dovish policy.

The question is whether one week’s data reverses Powell’s hawkish stance—markets now face a dilemma in which weak employment could be bullish (forcing rate cuts) or bearish (signaling a recession).

With the January 28-29 FOMC meeting now uncertain to deliver a rate cut, today’s labor market weakness provides ammunition for dovish Fed officials who warned against pausing the easing too soon.

Jobless Claims Spike: Labor Market Shows First Cracks

The post [LIVE] Bitcoin Price Watch: Initial Jobless Claims Jump to 236K vs 220K Expected — Does Weak Labor Support Rate Cuts? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Ethereum-focused treasury company BitMine received 33,504 ETH worth $112 million from institutional trading desk FalconX, according to on-chain intelligence firm EmberCN.

The purchase extends the firm’s aggressive accumulation strategy as chairman Tom Lee declared Ethereum has likely bottomed and projected the asset could reach $7,000 by early 2026.

The transaction pushes BitMine’s total holdings to approximately 3.86 million ETH, representing 3.2% of Ethereum’s circulating supply, according to StrategicETHReserve data.

Lee, who also serves as Fundstrat Global Advisors’ chief investment officer, told CNBC last month that the bottom is in despite ETH testing the critical $2,870 support level for the first time since July.

Wall Street Veteran Spots Ethereum’s Bitcoin Moment

Lee believes Ethereum is entering the same explosive growth cycle that propelled Bitcoin from $1,000 to over $100,000 since his firm’s initial 2017 recommendation.

Speaking on Farokh Radio, he noted Bitcoin endured multiple 75% drawdowns during that period before ultimately delivering 100x returns to patient holders.

“We believe ETH is embarking on that same supercycle,” Lee stated, arguing current weakness reflects market doubt rather than fundamental deterioration.

The comparison carries particular weight given his track record of calling major market bottoms, including upgrading the S&P 500 at 720 in February 2009, one month before the generational low at 666.

His conviction stems from Wall Street’s accelerating blockchain adoption, particularly BlackRock CEO Larry Fink’s commitment to tokenizing traditional assets on Ethereum.

Lee emphasized that financial institutions require “a neutral and 100% uptime blockchain, and that’s Ethereum” to bring stocks, bonds, and real estate onto distributed ledgers.

He noted that tokenization addresses a market “in the quadrillions,” rather than merely replacing gold’s $20 trillion addressable market, as Bitcoin does.

BitMine Doubles Down While Paper Losses Mount

The latest purchase follows BitMine’s acquisition of nearly $70 million in ETH over three days in early December, even as the firm sits on unrealized losses with an average cost basis of $3,008 per token.

Management claims it’s roughly 62% toward its long-term target of controlling 5% of total Ether supply, an ambitious goal that would require accumulating approximately 2.5 million additional ETH at current levels.

This contrasts sharply with broader market behavior. Bitwise data shows that digital asset treasury companies purchased just 370,000 ETH in November, an 81% decline from August’s peak of 1.97 million ETH.

While competitors retreated amid volatility, BitMine accelerated buying, with Lee noting that his team purchased ETH at more than double the rate compared to two weeks prior.

Lee dismissed concerns about the four-year Bitcoin cycle theory, suggesting it may no longer apply.

“If Bitcoin closes above $126,000 by January 31st, then there’s no four-year cycle,” he told Farokh Radio, adding that traditional market indicators like the ISM manufacturing index and copper prices have already broken their historical four-year patterns.

This challenges widespread beliefs among original crypto investors who expect 2026 to bring weakness.

The company recently appointed Chi Tsang as chief executive, replacing Jonathan Bates as part of a leadership transition aimed at positioning BitMine “to become a leading financial institution.”

Three new independent board members also joined alongside the management change.

Technical Setup Mirrors Pre-Rally Conditions

Ethereum’s current price action around $3,100 carries technical significance beyond simple support levels.

The asset retested $2,870 support, the same level that preceded a 72% rally to all-time highs near $4,900 in August.

Lee referenced this pattern when declaring that the bottom is likely in place, though he acknowledged the asset has “unfortunately” been in a sustained downtrend.

Market indicators reflect extreme pessimism that historically precedes reversals.

Currently, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index sits near 29, indicating that there is still some “fear” in the market, which often marks accumulation zones.

Speaking with Cryptonews, Ignacio Aguirre, chief marketing officer at Bitget, projects ETH could climb toward $3,800 as “institutional flows resume and macro conditions stabilize” following yesterday’s Federal Reserve rate cut.

Bitcoin traded around $90,000 at press time while Ethereum held above $3,200, with both assets pulling back roughly 2% in early Asian trading hours today.

The post Tom Lee’s BitMine Adds $112M in Ethereum, Calls Bottom at $2,500 appeared first on Cryptonews.

The New York Stock Exchange welcomed a bronze statue of Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto on Thursday.

Twenty One Capital, the first Bitcoin-native public company listed on the NYSE under ticker XXI, placed the sixth of 21 planned global monuments at the exchange as crypto markets navigate Federal Reserve policy uncertainty.

The installation by artist Valentina Picozzi represents what NYSE officials described as “shared ground between emerging systems and established institutions.”

Twenty One CEO Jack Mallers, who also founded Lightning Network payment provider Strike, said the placement reflects Bitcoin’s evolution from code to cultural phenomenon.

However, according to Bloomberg, the company’s stock tumbled 19% on its Tuesday trading debut following a blank-check merger.

Monument Placement Follows Switzerland Vandalism and Global Campaign

Picozzi expressed astonishment at the achievement, stating the NYSE location exceeded “our wildest dream” for the statue series.

The installation comes months after vandals stole and dumped another Satoshi monument into Lake Lugano following Swiss National Day celebrations in August.

Local investigators suspected intoxicated revelers used tungsten carbide cutting disks and petrol-powered angle grinders to sever the welded bronze sculpture from its base, leaving only the feet attached.

At that time, Satoshigallery, the art collective behind the global campaign, offered a 0.1 Bitcoin reward worth approximately $12,000 for information leading to the recovery of the stolen statue.

The group condemned the vandalism while vowing to continue their mission, declaring, “You can steal our symbol but you will never be able to steal our souls.”

The Lugano theft marked the first major incident affecting official Satoshi monuments since Budapest unveiled the world’s first installation in September 2021.

The global campaign aims to install 21 monuments representing Bitcoin’s 21 million coin supply cap, with existing statues in Budapest, El Salvador’s Bitcoin Beach, Tokyo, and now New York.

Budapest’s original bronze bust featured a faceless, hooded figure with a mirrored surface embodying the “we are all Satoshi” symbolism, while Picozzi’s “Disappearing Satoshi” design depicts a seated figure at a laptop that vanishes when viewed from different angles.

Twenty One Capital Faces Market Headwinds Despite Bitcoin Holdings

Twenty One Capital holds approximately 43,500 bitcoins, valued at over $3.9 billion, making it the world’s third-largest corporate holder.

The company merged with Cantor Equity Partners, a special-purpose acquisition company backed by investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, and chaired by Brandon Lutnick, son of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The deal included $486.5 million in senior convertible notes and roughly $365 million in common equity through private investment transactions.

Shares opened at $10.74 on Tuesday, below the SPAC’s $14.27 closing price, as digital asset treasury companies face mounting pressure.

Despite the volatility, Mallers emphasized that Twenty One differs from rivals by not trading at a premium to net asset value and plans to launch products and utility services beyond simply accumulating Bitcoin.

The company is majority-owned by stablecoin giant Tether and crypto exchange Bitfinex, with minority investment from Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group.

Fed Policy Clouds Bitcoin Rally as Traders Reassess Rate Path

Bitcoin traded at $90,121 Thursday morning, down 2.3% following the Federal Reserve’s third consecutive quarter-point rate cut.

Chair Jerome Powell described the reduction as further policy normalization while projecting only one additional cut in 2026, fewer than investors hoped.

Futures now imply a 78% chance that rates remain unchanged at the next meeting, up from 70% before the decision.

Speaking with Cryptonews, Ray Youssef, CEO of NoOnes, outlined two scenarios depending on Fed guidance.

“A dovish Fed tone could open the door to renewed risk-on sentiment, triggering a ‘Santa rally’ for digital assets, with BTC reclaiming $100,000,” he said, while warning that “a more cautious or hawkish FOMC message” could “drive a retest of the mid $70,000s, as defensive derivatives positioning accelerates downside moves.”

He emphasized that Bitcoin’s recovery hinges on renewed capital inflows rather than reduced selling pressure, noting ETF inflows remain shallow and market depth thin.

The post Satoshi Nakamoto Statue Arrives at NYSE as Wall Street Embraces Bitcoin appeared first on Cryptonews.

Federal Reserve officials approved another 25 basis point interest rate reduction at Wednesday’s FOMC meeting.

Bitcoin remained steady around $92,000 as traders had already priced in the cut, but analysts suggest the Bitcoin price prediction points toward a $100,000 breakout if current support levels hold.

Fed Treasury Bill Purchases Could Fuel Bitcoin Rally

The Fed targets a 2% inflation rate, which officials believe provides optimal employment conditions and price stability for consumers.

Powell has consistently stated that 2% represents the ideal balance, low enough to prevent severe price instability yet high enough to avoid deflation.

Though the 2026 economic landscape remains uncertain, economists have begun making projections.

Goldman Sachs anticipates inflation will decline modestly to approximately 2.34% by December 2026, predicting the Fed will implement two rate cuts during the year, in March and June.

However, CME Group forecasts the Fed won’t reduce rates until June’s meeting, following Powell’s departure from the chair position in May.

Analysts at Kobeissi highlight that the Fed will begin purchasing US Treasury Bills on December 12th, with plans to acquire $40 billion worth within 30 days.

This represents direct liquidity injection into the financial system, not quantitative easing on paper, which could trigger a substantial rally in risk assets like Bitcoin.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Double-Bottom Pattern Signals $100k Reversal

Bitcoin has formed a textbook double-bottom pattern around the $83,000 support zone, indicating potential mid-term trend reversal.

Price has since reclaimed the $92,000 region, which previously functioned as resistance, and is now attempting to establish it as new support.

Momentum is strengthening on the MACD, with the signal line curving upward and histogram bars approaching a bullish crossover, suggesting increasing buying pressure.

If Bitcoin maintains support above this neckline region, the technical structure points toward advancement to the next major resistance at $100,600, with possible extension toward $108,000 if momentum accelerates.

Losing the $90,000–$92,000 zone would undermine the breakout attempt and risk returning to the $83,000 demand level.

However, the current market structure and indicators favor upward continuation.

Bitcoin Hyper Presale Positioned for Fed Liquidity Boom

Bitcoin isn’t the only investment that could benefit when the Fed adds more money into the system in 2026.

Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is another project worth watching, and it’s still in its early presale stage.

Bitcoin Hyper is already getting attention from investors and has raised almost $30 million so far.

The project is building the first authentic Layer 2 solution for Bitcoin using Solana-based technology that delivers speed and scalability while maintaining Bitcoin’s security framework.

This means people who own Bitcoin can do more with their coins. They can use special tools built just for Bitcoin to earn money or try new features.

As more crypto wallets and exchanges start using this technology, more people will want to buy $HYPER tokens.

If you want to buy $HYPER before the price goes up, go to the official Bitcoin Hyper website.

Connect your crypto wallet (like Best Wallet) and trade your USDT or SOL coins for $HYPER at the current price of $0.013395.

You can also use a regular bank card to buy it right away.

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Fed Delivers Another 25 bps Cut – Can BTC Finally Break Above $100K? appeared first on Cryptonews.

PNC Bank, the sixth-largest commercial bank in the United States, has launched direct spot Bitcoin trading for eligible private bank clients, becoming the first major U.S. bank to offer native Bitcoin exposure.

Crypto analysts say the domino effect of this direct custody could positively impact the trajectory of the Bitcoin price prediction.

U.S Banks Break Down Barriers to Bitcoin Access

The new PNC bank service enables qualified private banking clients to purchase, hold, and sell Bitcoin without relying on external cryptocurrency exchanges.

This development follows a crucial regulatory milestone from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which recently confirmed that national banks may conduct riskless principal crypto-asset transactions.

The decision permits U.S. banks to function as intermediaries in crypto trades by simultaneously buying from one customer and selling to another without maintaining inventory.

Last week, Bank of America authorized its 15,000 wealth management advisers to recommend 1%–4% crypto allocations for client portfolios, signaling a broader institutional embrace of mainstream Bitcoin exposure.

In October, Citibank announced plans to launch crypto custody services in 2026, after developing the infrastructure over two to three years.

Meanwhile, Cryptonews reported in September that BNY Mellon is advancing toward offering custody services for Bitcoin and Ethereum, specifically targeting exchange-traded product clients.

If other major banks replicate PNC’s approach, BTC could establish stronger support levels in the coming months and position itself for a further push toward the $100,000–$130,000 range heading into 2026.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Breakout Targets $105K, $110K, $120K

Bitcoin is attempting to escape a multi-week descending channel after defending critical support near $83,000.

The recent bounce pushed the price back above the 9-day simple moving average, demonstrating early momentum, though it remains near the channel’s upper boundary.

The RSI has climbed out of oversold territory and is now approaching the mid-50s, indicating recovering bullish momentum following a prolonged downtrend.

If Bitcoin closes decisively above the descending channel and maintains support above $90,000–$92,000, charts suggest upside continuation toward resistance clusters at $105,000, $110,000, and potentially $120,000.

However, failure to sustain this breakout zone risks a retest of $83,000 support.

This New Meme Coin Raised $4.3M Fast – Is It the Next Dogecoin?

As Bitcoin gears up for its next major move, early-stage projects like Maxi Doge ($MAXI) are quickly gaining traction among investors looking for high-upside plays.

Inspired by Dogecoin’s explosive 1,000x rally, $MAXI is building a high-energy community where traders share alpha, early setups, and hidden gems before they go mainstream.

Since launching only a few months ago, the presale has already pulled in over $4.3 million, with strong momentum.

This could be one of the cycle’s most relatable, community-first opportunities, and early backers still have time to get in before the next price increase kicks in.

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

You can swap existing crypto or use a bank card to make the purchase in seconds.

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: US Bank Now Lets Clients Buy BTC Directly – Could This Be the Start of a Banking Domino Effect? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Stripe’s rollout of stablecoin payment processing has ignited fierce debate after the payments giant announced it would charge businesses 1.5% to transfer digital dollars that cost fractions of a cent on blockchain networks.

The company now supports USD-settled stablecoin payments across Ethereum, Base, and Polygon, with USDC, USDP, and USDG available through its platform, marking a significant expansion of its crypto infrastructure following its $1.1 billion acquisition of Bridge earlier this year.

Critics immediately highlighted the stark disparity between Stripe’s fees and the actual costs of blockchain transactions.

Sterling Crispin, a software developer, started the debate, arguing that sending $200 USDC on Base cost him just $0.000193 in transaction fees, 0.00009% of the transfer amount, while Stripe would charge $3 for the same transaction.

“Charging 1.5% simply to send USDC is ludicrously unreasonable,” Crispin wrote, calculating that Stripe would have extracted $24,818 in fees for a $1.65 million transfer that cost the sender $0.000412 on-chain.

Defenders Cite Value Beyond Transaction Costs

Industry observers defending Stripe’s pricing argue the fee reflects services beyond raw blockchain transactions.

Matt Silvestri noted that Stripe custodies USDC, converts it to USD, and deposits fiat into merchants’ bank accounts, an infrastructure that traditional bank accounts cannot handle directly.

“While I agree it sounds high, this fee is for abstracting all complexity away from accepting USDC,” Silvestri explained, adding that 1.5% remains substantially lower than the 3% plus 30 cents per transaction charged by credit card processors.

Youngsun Shin, Head of Product at Flipster, also commented that Stripe users are “not crypto degens willing to download wallets with private keys to send USDC by themselves.”

He argued that merchants will “gladly pay the processing fees” to avoid operational complexity, noting that Stripe’s stablecoin integration brings “massive amounts of money on-chain” while benefiting networks like Polygon, Base, and Solana.

Liz Bazurto, Director of BD at Consensys, echoed this perspective, noting that merchants have paid 2.5% to 4% on card transactions for decades while dealing with issues such as incorrect amounts, accounting requirements, and USD payroll needs.

Strategic Implications for Crypto Adoption

Haseeb Qureshi of Dragonfly Capital also stepped in, characterizing Stripe’s pricing as evidence of an incumbent “clinging to their old business model,” comparing it to telecoms offering discounted VoIP rates while Skype provided free calling.

“This is so bullish for all the crypto companies,” Qureshi wrote, predicting that merchants will easily switch to lower-cost stablecoin APIs once they achieve feature parity with Stripe’s offering.

He warned that stakeholders should “be scared when the incumbents drop the fees to ~0.“

Similarly, Bette Chen of Gluon described Stripe’s approach as “the classic walled-garden tax,” where fintech companies build elegant user experiences “but on old rails with old economics.”

She envisions an inversion in which platforms offer “Web2 on the outside, crypto rails on the inside,” enabling users to experience instant, global, and nearly free transactions without realizing they’re using crypto infrastructure.

Mikko Ohtamaa of Trading Strategy also suggested that stablecoin adoption could dramatically impact low-margin international e-commerce businesses, noting that eliminating Stripe’s 1.5% fee could increase profit margins by approximately 20% for companies operating with an 8% inventory markup.

Banks Face Mounting Competitive Pressure

The controversy emerges amid broader structural shifts in financial infrastructure documented in recent industry analysis.

According to StablecoinInsider, eight of the ten largest neobanks now use stablecoin rails internally for treasury settlement and cross-border payments, with platforms like Revolut and Wise routing internal liquidity through stablecoins without branding it as crypto.

Traditional wire transfers costing $45 with three-to-five-day settlement periods face competition from stablecoin rails charging $0.50 with 30-second finality.

Notably, this debate surfaced as Stripe CEO Patrick Collison recently argued that stablecoin growth will force banks to raise deposit yields beyond current rates of 0.40% in the US and 0.25% in the EU.

“Cheap deposits are great, but being so consumer-hostile feels to me like a losing position,” Collison stated, predicting that depositors will demand “something closer to a market return on their capital” as stablecoin alternatives proliferate.

The post Stripe Charges 1.5% for Stablecoin Transfers That Cost $0.0002 On-Chain appeared first on Cryptonews.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s 2:30 PM ET press conference is where Bitcoin traders will get answers on the Fed’s 2025 easing path. Markets already know the December decision; the real question is whether Powell signals two or four more cuts next year.

Bitcoin is holding $92,000 heading into the presser, with traders watching for any hawkish language about “patience” or “data-dependent” policy that could dampen aggressive easing expectations.

The updated dot plot, released at 2pm, will show where Fed officials see rates ending in 2025, but Powell’s tone and forward guidance will determine whether crypto interprets today’s likely 25-basis-point cut as dovish or hawkish.

The key risk for Bitcoin is a “hawkish cut” scenario where Powell emphasizes labor market strength (191K jobless claims, 7.7M job openings) as justification for slowing the pace of easing despite improving core inflation (2.8%).

Any mention of skipping the January meeting or reducing 2025 cuts from four to two would be bearish for risk assets.

Conversely, if Powell stresses that inflation is moving toward the target and the Fed remains committed to normalizing rates, Bitcoin could break above $92,000 resistance.

Bitcoin’s technical setup shows resistance at $92,000 and support at $88,000-$90,000, with the descending trendline since mid-November still intact.

Traders will parse every word from Powell for clues on the January 28-29 FOMC meeting and the overall 2025 trajectory.

The Fed’s credibility is on the line after ending QT and cutting rates twice—backing away from easing now would signal either policy error or genuine concern about sticky inflation.

Powell speaks at 2:30 pm ET, and crypto volatility is expected to spike immediately after.

Powell Press Conference: 2025 Guidance is the Real Story

The post [LIVE] Bitcoin Price Alert: Fed Chair Powell Press Conference at 2:30 PM ET—Will Guidance Shift Crypto Markets? appeared first on Cryptonews.

The Federal Reserve announces its December interest rate decision at 2:00 PM ET today, with Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference following at 2:30 PM ET.

Bitcoin is trading around $92,000 as markets price in an 89% chance of a rate cut that would lower the federal funds rate to 3.50%-3.75%.

The decision comes after a week of conflicting economic signals, including shockingly strong jobless claims (191K vs 219K expected, lowest since 2022), cooling core PCE inflation (2.8% from 2.9%), and yesterday’s JOLTS data showing job openings unchanged at 7.7 million with quits declining 276,000 year-over-year.

The combination of labor market stability and improving inflation supports the case for easing, but some Fed officials have expressed concern about cutting too aggressively, with employment still resilient.

This marks the Fed’s third policy meeting since beginning its easing cycle with a 50 basis point cut in September, followed by another 25 basis point reduction in October.

The central bank officially ended quantitative tightening on December 1, freezing its balance sheet at $6.57 trillion after draining $2.39 trillion from markets since June 2022.

Markets are focused not just on today’s decision but also on Powell’s guidance for 2025. The updated dot-plot projections could signal whether the Fed sees two, three, or four more cuts next year.

Any hawkish shift suggesting fewer cuts in 2025 would likely pressure Bitcoin and risk assets, while dovish guidance reinforcing the easing cycle could provide the catalyst for Bitcoin to break above $92,000 resistance.

Bitcoin’s technical setup shows critical resistance at $92,000 and the descending trendline that’s capped rallies since mid-November, with support holding at $88,000-$90,000. Total crypto market cap sits at $3.23 trillion.

The key risk for crypto is a “hawkish cut”—where the Fed reduces rates 25 basis points today but signals a slower pace of easing in 2025 due to sticky inflation or resilient employment.

Powell’s 2:30 PM press conference will be scrutinized for any hints about the January meeting and the overall trajectory of policy.

With the Fed’s liquidity pivot complete (QT ended) and inflation moving in the right direction, the path of least resistance for Bitcoin is higher—but only if Powell doesn’t pour cold water on aggressive 2025 easing expectations.

Fed Decision Day: Markets Brace for Rate Cut or Hawkish Surprise

The post [LIVE] Bitcoin Price Reacts to Fed’s 25bps Rate Cut: Will Powell’s Guidance Shift Crypto Markets? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Hundreds of crypto wallets linked to the now-defunct Silk Road darknet marketplace awakened from a decade-long slumber on Tuesday, transferring over $3 million in Bitcoin to a single unidentified address.

The sudden activity has sparked renewed attention to digital assets tied to the notorious platform that helped popularize Bitcoin in its early years.

Blockchain intelligence firm Arkham detected approximately 312 dormant wallets collectively moving $3.14 million in BTC to the address “bc1q***ga54” over 12 hours.

The wallets still retain roughly $40 million in Bitcoin following the transfers, according to Arkham’s latest data.

Mystery Surrounds Decade-Old Wallets’ Sudden Activity

The reason behind the wallets’ reactivation remains unclear.

Coinbase Director Conor Grogan identified these holdings earlier this year, estimating that they were worth around $47 million in Bitcoin across dozens of addresses potentially linked to Ross Ulbricht, the marketplace’s creator.

Grogan resurfaced that January analysis on Tuesday after a pseudonymous operator “0xG00gly” flagged the latest movements.

Individual transfers ranged from micro-amounts of 0.00006 BTC, roughly $5.58, to larger sums exceeding 3.6 BTC, valued at $338,640.

The transactions followed a pattern of consolidation, with funds from multiple legacy addresses flowing into the single destination wallet over several hours.

Several wallets showed connections to mining activity from the 2011 era, when Bitcoin mining remained accessible to individual participants using standard computer equipment.

Ulbricht himself has not publicly commented on the transfers.

He served multiple life sentences without parole for creating Silk Road before receiving a full and unconditional pardon from President Donald Trump in January through executive order.

The former darknet operator delivered his first public speech following his release in May, emphasizing freedom and decentralization as guiding principles for future technological advancement.

While Silk Road facilitated illegal narcotics sales and other prohibited transactions, the platform played a pivotal role in Bitcoin’s early adoption.

The marketplace processed over 1.5 million transactions worth an estimated $213 million between 2011 and its 2013 shutdown, all conducted using cryptocurrency.

Ulbricht, a physics graduate and early Bitcoin advocate, envisioned the platform as a libertarian experiment in anonymous commerce free of government interference.

However, prosecutors successfully argued that it enabled widespread criminal activity.

Government Bitcoin Holdings Face Competing Policy Directions

The wallet activity emerges amid ongoing debates over how authorities should handle seized digital assets.

The Department of Justice received approval in December to sell 69,370 Bitcoin, worth $6.5 billion, confiscated from Silk Road, following a federal judge’s ruling that ended a contentious ownership battle with Battle Born Investments.

That company claimed ownership through a bankruptcy estate tied to Raymond Ngan, allegedly the mysterious “Individual X” accused of stealing crypto from Silk Road.

Battle Born lost at every judicial level, including the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case.

The company’s attorney criticized what he called “the DOJ’s abuse of the Civil Asset Forfeiture process” and accused officials of “procedural trickery” throughout the litigation.

The approved sale represents one of the largest government cryptocurrency liquidations in history.

Officials justified the decision, citing Bitcoin’s price volatility, though they typically conduct such sales in smaller batches to minimize market disruption.

The decision came despite Trump’s campaign promise to establish a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” rather than liquidating government-held cryptocurrency.

The proposed reserve would mirror the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, retaining all seized digital assets to manage economic risks.

Similar dormant wallet movements have triggered security concerns before.

In July, another $8.6 billion in Bitcoin from wallets inactive since 2011 suddenly consolidated, prompting speculation about potential hacks or compromised private keys.

Some observers linked those holdings to Roger Ver, the early Bitcoin advocate arrested in Spain on tax charges, though no confirmation emerged.

Bitcoin’s price has remained relatively stable despite these large-scale transfers. The cryptocurrency traded near $92,500 on Wednesday, up 2.5% as traders awaited the Federal Reserve’s final rate decision of the year.

The post Silk Road Wallets Wake Up After 10 Years, Move $3M in Bitcoin appeared first on Cryptonews.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency confirmed that national banks may engage in riskless principal crypto-asset transactions, eliminating a key barrier between traditional banking and digital assets.

The decision allows banks to act as intermediaries in crypto trades by simultaneously buying from one customer and selling to another without holding inventory.

The policy shift marks the OCC’s most aggressive step yet toward integrating crypto into mainstream banking, building on earlier approvals for custody services and balance sheet holdings.

Banks can now facilitate client crypto trades while assuming only minimal settlement and credit risk.

Banking’s Crypto Gateway Opens Under New Framework

In Interpretive Letter 1188, senior deputy comptroller Adam Cohen said the activity falls squarely within the business of banking because it mirrors existing brokerage functions.

National banks have long acted as financial intermediaries in securities, derivatives, and other asset classes through riskless principal transactions, taking momentary ownership to bridge buyer and seller.

The OCC applied the same logic to crypto-assets, noting that banks eliminate market risk through offsetting trades while retaining limited exposure to counterparty defaults.

Cohen emphasized that the authority extends beyond securities to any crypto-asset, including those not classified under federal securities law, because the transactions align with banks’ traditional intermediary role.

Meanwhile, the regulator dismissed concerns about operational complexity, arguing that banks already manage similar risks when settling securities via electronic ledgers.

Cohen said distributed ledger technology simply represents a modern method of recording transactions, no different in principle from book-entry settlement systems that banks have used for decades.

Why This Changes Bank Crypto Operations

The decision removes a structural obstacle that forced banks to either avoid crypto trading entirely or rely on third-party intermediaries for client transactions.

By allowing direct riskless principal activity, the OCC enables banks to offer seamless crypto services while maintaining regulatory compliance and customer protections.

Banks can now serve clients who want crypto exposure without partnering with unregulated exchanges or pseudonymous counterparties.

The framework requires banks to implement know-your-customer protocols, transaction monitoring, and the ability to freeze or reverse transfers when necessary, features built into certain blockchain platforms, such as Stellar.

The policy also strengthens banks’ competitive position against fintech rivals and crypto-native firms seeking federal bank charters.

Several major institutions have already moved toward crypto integration, with Bank of America authorizing advisers to recommend Bitcoin ETFs and JPMorgan allowing customers to fund Coinbase accounts via Chase cards.

Regulatory Momentum Builds Across Digital Assets

The OCC’s move comes as federal agencies accelerate the development of stablecoin and tokenized deposit frameworks under the GENIUS Act.

The FDIC will publish its first stablecoin rule proposal later this month, establishing capital, liquidity, and reserve requirements for bank-issued dollar-backed tokens.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman said the central bank is coordinating with peer agencies on standards to anchor digital assets to traditional finance.

The Treasury Department closed its second public consultation on non-bank stablecoin issuers in recent weeks, creating parallel oversight tracks that will govern the entire US stablecoin market.

Acting FDIC chair Travis Hill revealed that guidance on tokenized deposits is also underway, clarifying how blockchain-based representations of bank deposits will be treated under existing regulations.

The effort responds to growing industry interest in using distributed ledgers for payments and settlement.

Jonathan Gould, who became the OCC’s first permanent comptroller since 2020 after confirmation in July, has pushed back against banking industry complaints about approving crypto firm charters.

Speaking at the Blockchain Association Policy Summit last week, he said digital asset custody and safekeeping have operated electronically for decades, adding there is no justification for treating crypto differently.

The OCC received roughly 14 bank charter applications this year, including from Coinbase, Circle, and Ripple, all seeking federal oversight for stablecoin and custody operations.

Gould dismissed concerns about supervisory capacity, noting the agency already supervises a crypto-native national trust bank and fields daily inquiries from traditional banks launching innovative products.

The post Federal Regulator Approves Riskless Crypto Trading for US Banks appeared first on Cryptonews.

At the ongoing Bitcoin MENA Conference in Abu Dhabi, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) suggested a crypto “supercycle” could emerge in 2026.

Analysts believe this could push the Bitcoin price prediction beyond the current cycle high of $126,000.

CZ’s Bold Vision Sees Bitcoin Catching Up with Gold

Just four days earlier at Binance Blockchain Week 2025, CZ debated the Bitcoin value proposition opposite Peter Schiff, senior economist and founder of Euro Pacific Asset Management.

During the discussion, CZ projected Bitcoin could experience a significant rally in 2026, potentially matching gold’s performance, which has surged over 60% year-to-date compared to Bitcoin’s 5.7% decline over the same period.

Moreover, the Bitcoin hash ribbon indicator has now flashed green, historically signaling favorable entry points for market participants.

The hash chart reveals the 30-day moving average of hashrate dropping below the 60-day MA, a pattern indicating miner capitulation that typically coincides with major price discounts and long-term accumulation opportunities.

This comes as Bitcoin experienced a short squeeze that propelled the price through the $94,000 resistance level.

Crypto analyst Trader Mayne notes Bitcoin is currently testing the yearly open around $93,000, with potential to extend gains toward $98,000 and subsequently $106,000.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: $106K Next as MACD Flips Bullish

The daily chart shows Bitcoin attempting to break free from a multi-week descending trendline after spending most of November in controlled decline.

Price is now pushing above diagonal resistance with noticeably increased volume, indicating buyers are re-entering the market.

The MACD has crossed bullish and is accelerating upward from deeply oversold levels, a configuration that typically precedes mid-term reversals rather than temporary bounces.

Price is also reclaiming the daily pivot zone, suggesting momentum is shifting from defensive consolidation toward early recovery.

If this breakout holds, Bitcoin is positioned to retest major pivot levels around $98,000–$100,000, which will serve as the first significant barrier to trend reversal.

A decisive close above that range would unlock movement toward $105,000–$110,000.

However, failure to maintain support above the trendline would pull the price back toward the $85,000–$82,000 support band, where lower pivot levels align with the former breakdown zone.

Bitcoin’s First Real Layer 2 Token $HYPER Could Skyrocket Next

Bitcoin isn’t the only asset investors anticipate experiencing a supercycle in 2026

Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is another project generating substantial attention as it develops the first genuine Layer 2 solution for Bitcoin, utilizing Solana-based technology to deliver speed and scalability while preserving Bitcoin’s security model.

Powered by a fast and scalable Solana-based Layer 2 infrastructure, the project has raised over $29M to enable developers to launch Bitcoin-native decentralized applications.

This provides BTC holders with new opportunities to deploy their assets productively, using on-chain tools built specifically for the Bitcoin ecosystem.

As leading wallets and exchanges integrate this scaling solution, demand for $HYPER is anticipated to go up very fast.

To acquire $HYPER before the next price increase, visit the official Bitcoin Hyper website and connect your preferred wallet (such as Best Wallet).

You can swap USDT or SOL for the token at the current presale price of $0.013395, or use a bank card for direct purchase.

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: CZ Predicts a 2026 Crypto “Supercycle” — Will BTC Break Out and Hit New Highs Above $126K? appeared first on Cryptonews.

The world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, has submitted an S-1 application to launch a staked Ethereum ETF, and analysts believe this Wall Street expansion could permanently alter the Bitcoin price prediction landscape.

BlackRock’s new SEC filing proposes a staking-enabled Ethereum trust that differs from its existing iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA).

While institutional interest in crypto continues to grow, all eyes are now on where BTC is heading next.

BlackRock Shifts Toward Yield-Bearing Crypto Products

While ETHA tracks spot price movements, the proposed fund would capture both price appreciation and staking yields generated from the trust’s ETH holdings.

This filing represents a significant evolution in institutional crypto strategy.

Investors are increasingly demanding exposure beyond simple price tracking, seeking tokenized financial instruments that generate returns.

If regulators approve the application, it could establish important precedents for how staking rewards are classified.

BlackRock’s dominance in crypto ETFs is undeniable.

Its iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) has become the largest crypto ETF globally and the most successful ETF launch in history, commanding approximately $70 billion in assets.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink recently revealed that multiple sovereign wealth funds are quietly accumulating BTC “incrementally” despite the recent 30%+ correction.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: BTC Holds $90K as Bulls Eye Return to All-Time Highs

Bitcoin has bounced strongly from the $90,000 zone and is now pushing into key resistance inside a long-term descending channel.

The latest move marks a potential shift in momentum, especially with price reclaiming the $93,000 level and targeting a breakout from this downward structure.

Buyers are currently defending the $90,000 support with confidence, and if BTC holds this zone, the chart shows two possible bullish scenarios.

In the short term, Bitcoin could sweep down to retest $80,000 or even $70,000 liquidity before making a sharp reversal to the upside.

Alternatively, a clean breakout above the channel could send BTC surging directly toward $112,000, with a longer-term path toward $126,000 if momentum holds.

RSI continues to trend upward, showing early strength, and MACD histogram bars have flipped green, suggesting short-term bullish pressure.

As the week begins, price action favors the bulls, but traders will want to watch for a strong daily close above $94,500 to confirm upside continuation.

Maxi Doge Presale Builds Momentum as Market Eyes Next Breakout

With Bitcoin on the verge of a breakout, investor attention is quickly shifting toward early-stage opportunities with even bigger potential.

Maxi Doge ($MAXI) has emerged as a top contender.

Built around the high-energy ethos of gym culture and trader discipline, $MAXI is more than just a meme coin.

MAXI is creating a hub where early adopters can share trading setups, alpha leaks, and early opportunities in a fast-moving market.

Tapping into the same speculative momentum that drove Dogecoin’s historic 1,000x rally, the Maxi Doge presale has already surpassed $4.3 million in funding.

With daily price increases and 72% APY staking rewards for early holders, the window to secure a strong position is quickly narrowing.

To purchase MAXI at the current price, visit the official Maxi Doge presale website and connect an Ethereum-compatible wallet, such as Best Wallet.

You can pay using existing crypto or a bank card in seconds.

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: BlackRock Doubles Down on Crypto with New ETF Filing – Is a Full-Scale Wall Street Invasion About to Begin? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin has rebounded to around $92,000 after last week’s $2 billion liquidation event, but traders are adopting cautious positioning amid high volatility and looming central bank decisions.

According to market maker Wintermute, market activity has narrowed sharply into Bitcoin and Ethereum, with investors favoring delta-neutral and carry strategies over directional altcoin exposure while awaiting clarity from the Federal Reserve and macro indicators.

The consolidation follows two months of macro uncertainty that triggered strong market turbulence. Total crypto market capitalization has recovered to approximately $3.25 trillion.

Yet, compressed basis rates and subdued funding levels indicate limited appetite for leveraged positions ahead of this week’s Fed decision and next week’s Bank of Japan rate announcement.

Market Absorbs Shock Without Follow-Through Selling

Friday’s sharp drawdown was a major blow to Bitcoin’s recovery, with cascading liquidations erasing roughly $4,000 in just over an hour.

The liquidation event eliminated approximately $2 billion in leveraged positions, briefly pushing Bitcoin below $88,000 before buyers stepped in at lower levels.

Despite the violent intraday move, the market absorbed the shock without triggering sustained selling pressure.

Glassnode data shows Bitcoin’s 14-day RSI climbing from 38.6 to 58.2, while spot volume increased 13.2% to $11.1 billion.

This suggests buyers remained active at the lows even as broader conviction remains uneven across on-chain, derivatives, and ETF metrics.

Year-end implied volatility remains elevated, with traders positioning for either $85,000 or $100,000 by December 26.

Options data reveals heightened caution, with the 25-delta skew reaching 12.88% and volatility spread turning sharply negative at -14.6%, indicating strong demand for downside protection despite the recent bounce.

Institutional Flows Turn Negative Amid Growing Caution

ETF flows have emerged as a major headwind, flipping from a $134.2 million inflow to a $707.3 million outflow.

The reversal indicates profit-taking or weakening institutional interest following Bitcoin’s recent volatility, which is adding pressure to near-term price action.

While ETF trade volume rose 21.33% to $22.6 billion and ETF MVRV increased to 1.67, the substantial outflows suggest some investors are taking advantage of elevated prices to reduce exposure.

Speaking with Cryptonews, Arthur Azizov, founder and investor at B2 Ventures, noted the impact of persistent withdrawals.

“More than $2.7 billion has left BTC products over the past five weeks, and another $194 million left just in a single day,” he said.

“When such a row of withdrawals persists, the whole market becomes quieter and gets less support.“

However, MicroStrategy continues its aggressive accumulation strategy, recently purchasing 10,624 BTC for approximately $962.7 million at an average price of $90,615 per bitcoin.

The company now holds 660,624 BTC acquired for roughly $49.35 billion at an average cost of $74,696, with 2025 additions totaling $21.48 billion, just $500 million short of its entire 2024 accumulation.

Traders Prioritize Yield Capture Over Directional Bets

Futures open interest has declined to $30.6 billion, while perpetual funding rates have turned more supportive, with long-side payments rising to $522,700.

However, the compressed CME basis has driven growing interest in delta-neutral strategies in lower-cap assets, where carry opportunities remain attractive, confirming limited appetite for directional altcoin risk.

On-chain metrics show modest stabilization, with active addresses rising slightly to 693,035 and entity-adjusted transfer volume increasing 17.1% to $8.9 billion.

However, Realised Cap Change fell to just 0.7%, well below its low band, indicating softer capital inflows, while the STH-to-LTH ratio climbed to 18.5%, indicating continued dominance by short-term holders.

While speaking with Cryptonews, Ignacio Aguirre, CMO at Bitget, also warned of additional pressure from international monetary policy.

“A stronger yen raises the risk of unwinding yen carry trades, which is a move that can temporarily weigh on crypto valuations as leveraged positions reset across global markets,” he said.

Azizov emphasized key resistance levels ahead. “Only a strong move above $100,000 could flip the script, restore confidence, and open the way toward $120,000+ level,” he said.

“If that fails, a deeper pullback to the broad $82,000–$88,000 zone may be needed.“

The post Crypto Traders Turn Cautious, Favor Bitcoin Over Risky Altcoin Bets appeared first on Cryptonews.

Hong Kong launched a public consultation on implementing the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and amended Common Reporting Standard (CRS), aiming to begin automatic exchange of crypto tax information with partner jurisdictions by 2028.

The government plans to complete legislative amendments in 2026, strengthening the city’s commitment to international tax cooperation while maintaining its reputation as a global financial hub amid evolving digital asset regulations.

Financial Services Secretary Christopher Hui announced “Hong Kong will make amendments to the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) (the Ordinance) for implementing CARF and the newly amended CRS” and demonstrated a commitment to combating cross-border tax evasion.

The automatic exchange will operate on a reciprocal basis with partners meeting data confidentiality and security standards, with the newly amended CRS implementation scheduled for 2029.

Framework Responds to Rapid Digital Asset Growth

The OECD published CARF in 2023 following the rapid expansion of the digital asset market in recent years, providing automatic exchange of crypto transaction tax information similar to Hong Kong’s existing CRS framework, operational since 2018.

The new framework incorporated digital financial products and enhanced reporting requirements, addressing gaps in traditional financial account information exchange.

Hong Kong has been exchanging financial account information automatically with partner jurisdictions annually since 2018 under the CRS, enabling tax authorities to use the information for assessments and to detect tax evasion.

The CARF extension builds upon this established infrastructure, applying similar transparency standards to crypto assets that process billions in trading volume across the city’s licensed exchanges.

The government proposes mandatory registration for financial institutions to enhance identification, alongside increased penalties and enhanced enforcement mechanisms.

These measures respond to the OECD’s second-round peer review of Hong Kong’s CRS administrative framework effectiveness, which began in 2024 and examines the city’s commitment to global tax transparency standards.

Balancing Innovation and Compliance Pressures

The consultation arrives as Hong Kong navigates competing pressures between fostering digital asset innovation and satisfying international regulatory standards.

The city has pursued aggressive fintech expansion through its new “Fintech 2030” strategy launched by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, focusing on data, artificial intelligence, resilience, and tokenization under the DART framework.

Hong Kong has courted crypto activity through licensing regimes and spot crypto exchange-traded funds, seeking regulated venues for demand.

Securities and Futures Commission Chief Executive Julia Leung recently announced licensed crypto exchanges will soon connect with global order books, ending the city’s isolated trading model and enabling local platforms to tap broader liquidity.

Despite regulatory openness, authorities have drawn bright lines between market infrastructure and listed issuers relying on speculative token holdings.

The stock exchange questioned at least five companies seeking to pivot to crypto treasury models, while the SFC warned retail investors about risks tied to digital asset treasury strategies after observing substantial premiums above asset holdings.

Amidst all these, HashKey Holdings advanced toward becoming Hong Kong’s first listed crypto exchange, clearing the stock exchange’s listing hearing and preparing to raise at least $200 million through an initial public offering scheduled before year-end.

The company accounts for more than 75% of Hong Kong’s onshore digital asset trading volume and has recorded HK$1.3 trillion in cumulative spot-market transactions.

Mainland Tensions Shape Regional Strategy

The consultation also unfolds against mainland China’s renewed crypto crackdown, with the People’s Bank of China reasserting strict prohibitions on virtual asset trading in late November following signs of renewed speculation.

Beijing specifically flagged stablecoins as posing money laundering and fraud risks, convening a high-level meeting with 13 government agencies to coordinate enforcement.

Hong Kong-listed crypto companies saw sharp losses following Beijing’s announcement, with Yunfeng Financial Group dropping over 10% and OSL Group losing more than 5%.

The mainland stance has complicated Hong Kong’s ambitions, particularly after Chinese regulators instructed major tech firms, including Ant Group and JD.com, to pause stablecoin issuance plans.

For now, regarding the consultation paper, public feedback is welcome through February 6, 2026, with submissions accepted by post or email to the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau.

The post Hong Kong Targets Crypto Tax Evasion with 2028 Data Sharing Plan appeared first on Cryptonews.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases both September and October JOLTS job openings data at 10:00 AM ET today, the final major employment report before the Federal Reserve’s rate decision tomorrow.

Bitcoin is trading around $92,000 as markets brace for the delayed data; both reports were postponed due to the government shutdown and are dropping simultaneously just hours before the Fed enters its December 9-10 FOMC meeting.

The last JOLTS report covered August and showed job openings holding steady, but traders are watching closely for any signs of a cooling labor market that could justify the Fed’s anticipated 25 basis-point rate cut.

Current market odds sit at 89% for a December cut, but today’s double data dump could shift those probabilities if openings show unexpected weakness or strength.

Job openings are a critical leading indicator for the Fed because they signal labor demand before it shows up in hiring or unemployment data.

After last Thursday’s shockingly strong jobless claims print (191K vs 219K expected—lowest since 2022), Fed Chair Powell faces conflicting signals. Robust initial claims suggest no labor market distress, but if JOLTS openings have declined sharply over September and October, it would support the case for preemptive easing.

The Fed has already ended quantitative tightening as of December 1, and September PCE data showed core inflation improving to 2.8% from 2.9%, creating a dovish backdrop despite recent employment strength.

Markets are essentially getting two months of data in one release, which could produce volatility if the trend shows clear acceleration or deceleration.

Bitcoin needs to hold support at $90,000-$92,000 heading into tomorrow’s 2:00 PM ET Fed decision and Powell’s 2:30 PM press conference. Resistance remains at $90,000, and the descending trendline that’s capped rallies since mid-November.

If JOLTS data shows job openings collapsing, it strengthens the rate cut case and could provide the catalyst Bitcoin needs to break above $98K.

Conversely, if openings remain elevated, it reinforces the “no landing” scenario where the economy stays strong, and the Fed pauses easing, potentially sending Bitcoin back toward the $88,000-$90,000 support zone that marked November’s low.

Double JOLTS Report: Final Employment Signal Before Fed Decision

The post [LIVE] Bitcoin Price Alert: September and October JOLTS Data Drops Today — Will Job Openings Shift Fed Rate Decision? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Blockchain intelligence firm Arkham announced on Tuesday that it has labeled over 53% of Zcash transactions, linking approximately $420 billion in volume to identifiable individuals and institutions, despite Zcash’s reputation as a privacy-focused cryptocurrency.

The platform’s new tracking capability covers both shielded and transparent transactions, with 48% of transaction inputs and outputs and 37% of total balances, roughly $2.5 billion, now attributed to specific entities.

The disclosure sparked immediate controversy within the crypto community, with critics accusing Arkham of making misleading claims about its ability to track truly private transactions.

Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox clarified that the firm “didn’t actually deanonymize any ZEC that was held at rest in the shielded pool,” noting such tracking would be “impossible because the information just isn’t there.“

Tracking Claims Draws Sharp Industry Backlash

Blockchain developers quickly challenged Arkham’s announcement, pointing out fundamental limitations in tracking shielded Zcash transactions.

Multiple industry figures noted that Arkham can only trace transparent-to-transparent, shielded-to-transparent, and transparent-to-shielded movements.

At the same time, fully shielded transactions remain cryptographically protected through zero-knowledge proofs that make deanonymization technically impossible.

Mert from Helius Labs called the announcement a “scummy clickbait title,” arguing Arkham deliberately included references to shielded transactions “for a few clicks” despite being unable to track them.

He added that “for a data org, that’s as scammy as it gets” and suggested the move prioritized “clicks over truth,” potentially damaging the firm’s credibility in blockchain analytics.

Saad El Kouari from AWB noted that the platform failed to identify major holders, including Grayscale, Electric Coin Company, and Shielded Labs, suggesting that its tracking capabilities remain limited to transparent wallet activity.

He emphasized that Arkham “can’t identify a single whale” and “0 individuals, not even very clear targets” like Wilcox himself, demonstrating the significant gaps in the firm’s surveillance reach.

Dynamic Fee Proposal Addresses Network Congestion

Beyond the privacy debate, Zcash developers advanced a separate initiative to overhaul the network’s fee structure.

Shielded Labs released a detailed blueprint Monday proposing a shift from static fees, originally 10,000 zatoshi, later reduced to 1,000, to a dynamic model based on median transaction activity across 50-block periods.

The proposal addresses recurring “sandblasting” spam episodes that previously clogged wallets and congested the chain under fixed-fee structures.

An earlier ZIP-317 proposal introduced action-based accounting, treating every transaction component as a uniform “action,” fixing abuse vectors while maintaining predictable, low fees that don’t adjust to network usage.

Developers emphasized that with ZEC’s recent price surge and increasing institutional interest, the current system has become unsustainable.

Some users have reported edge cases where shielding small transactions costs double-digit ZEC amounts.

The dynamic fee mechanism introduces a stateless design using “comparables” to establish standard fees while maintaining privacy protections.

Under network stress, a temporary priority lane at 10× the standard fee would allow users to compete for block space without requiring protocol redesign or risking the complexity of EIP-1559-style mechanisms that could compromise Zcash’s privacy constraints.

Institutional Adoption Drives Token Performance

ZEC surged nearly 5% today, trading above $400 and vastly outperforming the broader market.

Last month, Zcash received significant institutional validation. The Winklevoss twins’ treasury vehicle has acquired 200,000 ZEC since November, worth over $80 million, targeting eventual ownership of roughly 5% of the circulating supply.

Similarly, Reliance Global recently liquidated all other digital asset positions to focus exclusively on Zcash.

Grayscale also filed with regulators to convert its existing Zcash Trust into a spot ETF tracking the CoinDesk Price Index, potentially opening new access channels for institutional investors.

So far, the token’s share of supply held in shielded addresses has climbed to approximately 30% from an average of 10% in 2024, according to Grayscale Research.

Looking forward, as Carter Feldman, Founder and CEO of Psy Protocol, told Cryptonews, we are seeing a surge in demand for onchain privacy, and “not just at the base layer, but also with the emergence of next-generation blockchains designed for privacy-preserving smart contracts, like Psy, Miden, and Aztec.”

The post Privacy Coin Zcash Exposed – Half of All Transactions Now Tracked appeared first on Cryptonews.

Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang has amplified research alleging that prediction market Polymarket may be inflating its reported trading volumes through a data aggregation error that causes double-counting across most third-party analytics platforms.

The findings, detailed by Paradigm research partner Storm Slivkoff, suggest the issue affects public datasets and dashboards that rely on Polymarket’s disclosed figures, potentially overstating the platform’s actual activity by approximately 100%.

The controversy emerged as Huang reshared Slivkoff’s analysis on X, sparking immediate pushback from Polymarket’s data team and criticism that Paradigm, an investor in rival platform Kalshi, was attempting to discredit a competitor through technical semantics.

Technical Root of Volume Dispute

Slivkoff’s investigation reveals that Polymarket’s smart contracts emit separate OrderFilled events for the maker and taker sides of each trade, resulting in redundant representations of identical transactions.

Most analytics dashboards compute volume by summing these events, effectively counting the same trade twice.

A simple transaction involving YES tokens sold for $4.13 generates two OrderFilled events for that amount, causing dashboards to report $8.26 in volume rather than the actual $4.13 traded.

The complexity stems from Polymarket’s unique market structure, which supports eight distinct trade types, including conventional swaps and split-merge operations in which participants exchange USDC for opposing YES-NO positions.

While no individual event contains incorrect information, aggregating all OrderFilled events without distinguishing between maker and taker representations results in systematic double-counting of notional volume and cash flow metrics.

The issue extends across both Polymarket’s CTF Exchange and NegRisk exchange contracts, which share identical event emission patterns.

Slivkoff’s analysis, which included building a transaction simulator and auditing contract code, demonstrates that proper measurement requires using one-sided metrics, either taker-side or maker-side volume, rather than summing redundant event streams.

When calculated correctly, Polymarket’s actual monthly volumes for October and November 2024 were approximately $1.25 billion each, roughly half the $2.5 billion figures displayed on most public dashboards before corrections.

Industry Response and Competitive Tensions

Polymarket’s Primo Data quickly disputed the characterization, insisting that the platform’s official site displays notional taker volume without double-counting, in line with industry standards used by Kalshi.

“This post isn’t about Polymarket’s website, it’s about the common dashboards that people use for tracking Polymarket volume,” Slivkoff clarified, emphasizing the issue affects third-party analytics rather than Polymarket’s internal reporting.

Major data providers, including DefiLlama, Allium Labs, and Blockworks, confirmed they are updating their Polymarket dashboards to eliminate double-counting after validating Slivkoff’s findings.

Meanwhile, some analysts defended existing practices, with Dragonfly data head Hildobby claiming sophisticated dashboards accounted for the distinction since 2024, though acknowledging the methodology remained undocumented until now.

The timing drew scrutiny, given Paradigm’s investment in Kalshi, Polymarket’s primary US competitor.

Will Sheehan of Parsec Finance criticized the research as reading “a bit like a hit piece when it’s just data being hard and Polymarket’s contracts being open/onchain,” while others questioned whether the disclosure of Paradigm’s competitive interest adequately addressed potential bias.

Storm defended the work as identifying honest mistakes resulting from data complexity rather than assigning blame, noting Polymarket itself bears no responsibility for how third parties interpret its event streams.

Beyond the immediate volume dispute, Nick Preszler of Melee Markets argued the controversy highlights broader measurement challenges in prediction markets, where low-priced contracts can generate disproportionate notional volume compared to actual capital at risk.

“If a user buys $10 worth of contracts at .1c each, they are risking $10, but get credited for $10,000 of volume,” Preszler noted, advocating for alternative metrics like open interest and fee revenue to provide more accurate industry comparisons.

The debate comes as Polymarket prepares its full US relaunch following CFTC regulatory clearance and pursues a valuation of $12 billion to $15 billion.

Simultaneously, the company is facing criticism over plans to establish an internal market-making operation that would trade against customers, mirroring controversial practices already employed by Kalshi.

The post Polymarket Accused of Double-Counting its Trading Volume appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bernstein, the global research and brokerage firm managing over $790 billion in assets, has declared the end of the traditional 4-year crypto cycle.

The firm’s latest Bitcoin price prediction sets a $150,000 target by 2026 in what analysts describe as an “elongated bull market.”

End of 4-Year Cycle and Fed Policy Could Ignite a Major Rally

According to Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Asset Research at VanEck, Bernstein stated that following the recent market correction, “we believe the Bitcoin cycle has broken the 4-year pattern and is now in an elongated bull-cycle with more sticky institutional buying offsetting any retail panic selling.”

Despite Bitcoin’s approximately 30% correction that began in early October, the asset manager observed only about 5% outflows via ETFs, a striking indicator of institutional conviction.

Bernstein expects Bitcoin to resume its bull run soon with a 2026 target of $150,000 and a potential cycle peak in 2027 at $200,000.

“Our long-term 2033 Bitcoin price target remains approximately $1,000,000,” Bernstein added.

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

In their latest analysis, Cryptonews revealed that David Brickell and Chris Mills present that the central bank is positioned to deliver a “dovish surprise”.

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

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

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Technical Structure Remains Bullish Above $78K

The weekly chart shows Bitcoin holding above the critical $78,000 support level, which separates a deeper bear-market breakdown from the continuation of the macro uptrend.

Price recently dipped sharply but has stabilized near the 20-week SMA, while the 50-week SMA continues to slope upward, indicating that the long-term trend remains intact despite the correction.

RSI momentum has cooled significantly to the mid-40s, reflecting a reset from overbought conditions without reaching the extreme oversold levels seen at major cycle bottoms.

As long as Bitcoin maintains the $78,000 region, the structure suggests consolidation within a larger bull cycle.

Recovery above $102,000 would demonstrate renewed strength, while clearing the $108,000 resistance zone would confirm extension into new highs.

Pepenode Presale Capitalizes on Meme Coin Momentum

If Bitcoin returns to bullish territory and breaks the 4-year cycle as Bernstein projects, meme coins like Pepenode (PEPENODE) could experience explosive rallies.

This gamified mine-to-earn meme coin presale on Ethereum has already raised over $2.3million despite challenging market conditions.

Pepenode offers virtual mining nodes and facility upgrades through a browser-based game requiring no hardware.

The project is capturing the community-driven momentum that propelled PEPE to over 1,000x gains during the 2023-24 run.

As adoption of the platform grows, interest in the PEPENODE token is expected to skyrocket.

To secure Pepenode at the current presale price of $0.0011873, head over to the official Pepenode website and connect an Ethereum-compatible wallet such as Best Wallet.

You can complete your purchase in seconds by swapping ETH, BNB, USDT, or simply using a credit or debit card.

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Bernstein Says 4-Year Cycle Is Broken as Institutions Drive an ‘Elongated Bull Market,’ Raises 2026 Target to $150K appeared first on Cryptonews.

Michael Saylor’s company, Strategy, has just confirmed the purchase of 10,624 BTC for approximately $962.7 million at an average price of $90,615 per coin.

This brings Strategy’s total holdings to 660,624 BTC, acquired for $49.35 billion at an average price of $74,696.

With a 24.7% Bitcoin yield so far in 2025, this latest move could signal renewed institutional conviction in BTC and may be pivotal for Bitcoin price prediction outlooks going into 2026.

This announcement may once again hint that the smart money is preparing for the next leg up.

Michael Saylor Pitches Bitcoin to 100+ Investors

Saylor recently shared at the ongoing Bitcoin MENA Conference in Dubai that he’s been meeting with sovereign wealth funds and over 100 different investors, including hedge funds, banks, and their owners, who all want Bitcoin exposure.

UAE National Security’s Mohammed Al Shamsi declared that “Bitcoin has become the key pillar in the future of financing.”

With Bitcoin up 3.26% in the last 24 hours to reclaim the $92,000 mark, traders are now going long, flipping their bias from the previous bearish stance.

Over the past two hours, the Lookonchain tracker revealed that a whale with over $9.6 million in total profits opened a $32 million long position on Bitcoin.

However, analyst Ted Pillows believes that with the Fed rate cut decision coming between tomorrow and Wednesday, the BTC CME gap between $89,400 and $89,800 would likely be filled before any significant move into six-figure territory.

Bitcoin Price Prediction: Technical Analysis Points to $85k CME Gap Fill

The 4-hour chart shows Bitcoin trading just below the key $94,000 resistance, which remains the critical level the market must reclaim to confirm a clean bullish reversal.

Price is currently hovering around the 9-period SMA, suggesting short-term momentum is stabilizing after the recent pullback.

The RSI sits near 60 with multiple bullish divergence signals earlier in the structure, indicating underlying buyer strength remains present.

A notable feature is the CME gap around $85,000, which has yet to be filled.

If price retests the $85,000–$86,000 zone and holds it as support, the structure favors a continuation rally back toward $94,000.

A breakout above that resistance would likely open the door to the first upside target around $101,000, with continued momentum potentially extending the rally toward $106,000.

Maxi Doge Presale Surpasses $4.3M as Hype Builds for the Next Big Meme Coin

With bullish momentum brewing across the market, investors are rushing to secure early exposure to high-upside tokens and Maxi Doge ($MAXI) is quickly becoming a crowd favorite.

Tapping into the same degen-fueled energy that helped Dogecoin explode in 2021, Maxi Doge has already raised over $4.3 million from early backers since launching in July.

Inside the Maxi Doge community, members share early trading setups, alpha leaks, and access opportunities that most only find too late.

The project also reinvests up to 25% of presale funds into high-potential plays, using the profits to promote $MAXI even further.

Early buyers can currently lock in the presale price of $0.000272 and access 72% APY staking rewards but prices are set to increase soon.

To join before the next price tier, visit the official Maxi Doge website and connect a compatible wallet, such as Best Wallet.

You can swap existing crypto or use a bank card to make your $MAXI purchase in seconds.

The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Billionaire Michael Saylor Just Purchased More BTC – Does He Know Something? 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.“

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