India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU‑IND) has launched a fresh anti‑money‑laundering crackdown aimed at privacy‑focused cryptocurrencies. The move targets Monero (XMR), Zcash (ZEC), and Dash (DASH), which together represent the largest and most widely used privacy coins globally.

India Tightens Crypto Oversight

Details of the action were shared on Friday by market analyst MartyParty on social media platform X (previously Twitter), who notes that FIU‑IND has issued a directive to crypto exchanges registered in India, instructing them to immediately suspend deposits, withdrawals, and trading activity for Monero, Zcash, and Dash. 

At the heart of the regulator’s concerns is the technology underpinning these assets. Privacy coins rely on advanced cryptographic techniques designed to obscure transaction details, wallet balances, and user identities. 

Monero uses ring signatures to hide the sender and receiver, Zcash allows shielded transactions that conceal transaction data, and Dash offers optional privacy features. 

While these tools are valued by users seeking confidentiality, regulators argue they make it difficult for exchanges to meet know‑your‑customer (KYC) and transaction‑monitoring obligations. The regulator views these features as posing elevated risks related to money laundering, terrorist financing, and sanctions evasion. 

The latest directive applies to all cryptocurrency exchanges registed in the country, which currently includes crypto platforms operating in compliance with Indian regulations. They have been instructed to stop supporting the assets, including delisting, blocking all deposits and withdrawals, and disabling any associated trading pairs.

Monero, Zcash, And Dash Show Mixed Market Reaction

The latest action builds on a broader regulatory push by Indian authorities. In October 2025, FIU‑IND ordered internet service providers to block access to 25 offshore crypto exchanges that failed to register. 

By contrast, only a handful of exchanges currently remain fully registered and compliant in the country. Binance, Mudrex, Coinbase, CoinSwitch (CoinSwitch Kuber), and ZebPay continue to operate legally in India.

Despite the regulatory pressure, market prices for the targeted privacy coins showed short‑term resilience. Over the past 24 hours, all three assets posted gains after recovering from sharp losses earlier in the week. 

Monero was trading at $524 at the time of writing, up 3.5% on the day. Zcash also rebounded modestly, rising 2.2% to trade at $372. Dash recorded the strongest daily performance, jumping 11.6% during the same period.

However, the broader trend remains negative. According to CoinGecko data, Monero, Zcash, and Dash are still down sharply on a weekly basis, with losses of approximately 21%, 8%, and 20% respectively over the past seven days. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

Zcash price is grappling with heavy bearish pressure as it has dropped over 30% since the start of the year, as investors reacted to a mass resignation within the core development team. Now, renewed whale selling is positioning the token…

As discussions surrounding the CLARITY Act—often referred to as the crypto market structure bill—continue in Washington, Kristin Smith, President of the Solana Policy Institute, has provided insights on the current status of the legislation and the organization’s top priorities. 

Solana Policy Institute’s Optimism For CLARITY Act 

One of the main priorities disclosed by Smith in a recent post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), is the importance of protecting open-source developers in the legislative landscape.

Smith pointed out that the recent delay in the markup of the market structure bill last week after Coinbase’s withdrawal should be seen as a temporary setback. “Despite the delay, industry engagement remains robust, and there is clear bipartisan support to achieve durable regulatory clarity for market structure,” she noted.

The Senate Agriculture Committee is making advancements with its own draft of the legislation expected to be released on Wednesday, as earlier reported by Bitcoinist.

Smith also highlighted a shared objective: to create a framework that protects consumers, fosters innovation, and provides certainty for developers operating in the United States. A central tenet of this goal is the safeguarding of developers, which Smith argued is crucial for the success of the industry.

Smith Advocates For Developer Protections

The Solana Institute was founded to ensure that policymakers gain a comprehensive understanding of public blockchains and the protocols that underpin them. 

Smith articulated the critical role that open-source software plays within the crypto ecosystem, noting that developers around the world collaborate to produce software that anyone can inspect, use, or improve. “Openness is a strength—not a liability,” she asserted.

However, she raised concerns regarding the case against Roman Storm of Tornado Cash, indicating that it treats open-source innovation as something questionable. Smith warned that penalizing developers merely for writing and publishing open-source code endangers all those involved in such collaborative efforts. 

She emphasized the “chilling effect” that the prosecution could have on open-source developers, asserting that writing code is an expressive act protected by the First Amendment.

Smith called for clear policy that differentiates between bad actors and developers working on lawful, general-purpose tools. To bolster this cause, she encouraged supporters to draft letters expressing their stance in favor of open-source protections.

Roman Storm responded to Smith’s support, thanking her and the broader community for advocating for open-source principles. He remarked, “Criminalizing the act of writing and publishing code threatens not just one developer, but the foundations of digital security, privacy, and innovation.” 

At the time of writing, Solana’s native token, SOL, was trading at $130.33, mirroring the performance of the broader crypto market, dropping 11% in the weekly time frame.   

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss donated 3,221 ZEC (approximately $1.2 million) to Shielded Labs on Tuesday, the Swiss-based nonprofit confirmed, marking their second contribution to the independent Zcash development organization.

https://t.co/iRx986OwCr

— Shielded Labs (@ShieldedLabs) January 20, 2026

Zcash (ZEC) is currently trading around $368.85 and is up about 3.01% over the past 24 hours.

The funds will support three protocol-level initiatives: the Network Sustainability Mechanism (economic health upgrades), Crosslink (a hybrid PoW/PoS layer), and Dynamic Fees. Shielded Labs operates entirely outside Zcash’s Dev Fund structure, relying solely on donations from ZEC holders.

“A healthy Zcash ecosystem depends on multiple independent organisations contributing at the protocol level. Shielded Labs plays an important role in that effort, and we’re glad to support their work,” Cameron Winklevoss said.

Cameron Winklevoss also added that the twins have backed Zcash for years, calling privacy “the point at which government and corporate overreach end and your freedom and self-sovereignty begin.”

Timing and Context

The donation lands two weeks after the entire Electric Coin Company development team (roughly 25 members, including CEO Josh Swihart and Chief Scientist Chelsea Komlo) resigned on January 7, citing what Swihart described as “constructive discharge” following a governance dispute with Bootstrap, ECC’s nonprofit overseer.

Over the past few weeks, it's become clear that the majority of Bootstrap board members (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created to support Zcash by governing the Electric Coin Company), specifically Zaki Manian, Christina Garman, Alan Fairless, and Michelle Lai (ZCAM), have moved into…

— Josh Swihart (@jswihart) January 7, 2026

The departing developers immediately formed a new startup, cashZ, and announced plans for a wallet built on the existing Zashi codebase. ZEC dropped 20% following the announcement, briefly touching $385.

Shielded Labs, led by Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox as Head of Product, now represents a parallel development path. The organization received its first Winklevoss donation in 2023 to seed the Crosslink team.

Winklevoss-Backed Accumulation

The brothers’ support extends beyond donations. Winklevoss Capital led a $58.88 million private placement in October 2025 for Cypherpunk Technologies (NASDAQ: CYPH), a company that shifted to a Zcash treasury strategy.

Cypherpunk purchased 56,418 ZEC last month and now holds nearly 2% of the circulating supply. Zooko Wilcox joined Cypherpunk as Strategic Advisor in December 2025.

Regulatory Tailwind

The SEC closed its two-year investigation into the Zcash Foundation on January 14, 2026, without enforcement action. The probe, initiated via subpoena in August 2023, examined whether ZEC constituted a securities offering. The closure aligns with broader SEC pullback on crypto enforcement under Chair Paul Atkins.

ZEC surged 14% on the SEC news but has since retraced as governance uncertainty persists.

What This Means for Desks

The Winklevoss donation shows institutional confidence in Shielded Labs as the de facto development anchor for Zcash. With ECC’s team now operating independently under cashZ and regulatory clarity secured, ZEC’s path forward hinges on execution of the Crosslink hybrid PoS upgrade.

Liquidity providers watching the privacy coin sector should note the twins’ coordinated accumulation via Cypherpunk and direct protocol funding. The governance fracture introduces development risk, but also decentralizes the previously ECC-centric structure.

The post Winklevoss Twins Donate $1.2M to Zcash’s Shielded Labs Amid ECC Exodus appeared first on Cryptonews.

Billionaire Brothers Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, co-founders of Gemini exchange, have donated 3,221 Zcash tokens (ZEC) to Shielded Labs, supporting the network’s initiatives. The contribution is valued at approximately $1.2 million at current market prices.

Shielded Labs, led by Zcash founder Zooko, announced Tuesday that the donation will directly support Shielded Labs’ core initiatives. This includes strengthening long-term security, sustainability, and scalability of the Zcash network.

Privacy is Crucial for Crypto: Winklevoss Twins

Cameron Winklevoss emphasized that privacy is the next frontier in crypto. It’s the point at which government and corporate overreach end and your freedom and self-sovereignty begin, he wrote on X.

“Shielded Labs is committed to building Zcash — unstoppable private money. That’s why Tyler and I are supporting their mission.”

Privacy is the next frontier in crypto. It's the point at which government and corporate overreach end and your freedom and self-sovereignty begin. @ShieldedLabs is committed to building Zcash — unstoppable private money. That's why @tyler and I are supporting their mission. https://t.co/Y63ynX0TGY

— Cameron Winklevoss (@cameron) January 20, 2026

Further, Tyler noted that the donation at the protocol level would help foster a healthy Zcash ecosystem. “Shielded Labs plays an important role in that effort, and we’re glad to support their work.”

Winklevoss twins initially donated to Shielded Labs in 2023 to support the formation of the dedicated Crosslink team.

“Their contribution meaningfully accelerates our ability to execute on critical protocol-level work and to collaborate openly with other contributors to advance Zcash’s mission,” Swiss-based Shielded Labs noted.

Besides, Winklevoss-backed Cypherpunk bought 56,418 ZEC last month, holding nearly 2% of the token’s circulating supply.

Zcash Token ZEC Trades in Red, What Next?

Zcash, in its turn, has been registering among the most robust performances in the crypto market since September 2025. increased nearly 800% in the last 12 months.

However, the token is showing bearish outlook since the start of this year. ZEC has been trading within a narrowing triangle pattern on the daily chart. The price has formed a series of lower highs and higher lows, showing a loss of momentum in both directions.

At the time of reporting, ZEC trades near $357.79, down 1.5% in 24 hours, extending a 14% weekly decline. Analysts warn that a close below $360 could target $300 next – a 16% downside risk from current prices.

That said, Zcash Foundation recently cleared a years-long investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission without any enforcement action. The move brought regulatory clarity to the industry’s most closely watched privacy projects.

The post Winklevoss Brothers Donate $1.2M ZEC to Shielded Labs to Support Zcash Network appeared first on Cryptonews.

Privacy coin Dusk surged 40% on Jan. 19 and over 4x in 2025 as traders rotate from Monero, Dash, and Zcash into its ZK-powered, regulation-friendly small-cap narrative. Privacy-focused cryptocurrency Dusk recorded a 40% price increase on Jan. 19, reaching its…

Zcash (ZEC) is back on investors’ radar after U.S. regulators ended a long-running investigation into the Zcash Foundation without enforcement. The decision removes a key source of uncertainty that had followed the privacy-focused cryptocurrency since 2023.

Related Reading: XRP Price Is Approaching A Key Decision Zone, But Structure Is Still Firmly Bullish

Markets reacted quickly, with ZEC posting double-digit gains in some sessions and stabilizing above the $400 level. While regulatory clarity has helped improve sentiment, questions around governance and long-term development remain.

SEC Closes Two-Year Zcash Investigation

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission confirmed it has concluded its review of the Zcash Foundation, which began with a subpoena issued on August 31, 2023.

The inquiry focused on potential securities law concerns tied to Zcash’s funding model, governance structure, and token distribution. According to the foundation, the SEC does not intend to recommend enforcement action, fines, or operational changes.

This outcome marks a notable shift for privacy-focused cryptocurrencies, which have often faced heightened regulatory scrutiny due to concerns about illicit use. The decision suggests that Zcash’s privacy features alone were not deemed sufficient grounds for action under existing securities laws.

The closure also aligns with a broader trend of the SEC withdrawing from several high-profile crypto investigations in recent months under new leadership. For Zcash, the end of the probe removes a regulatory overhang that had weighed on investor confidence for nearly two years.

Market Reaction and Price Projections

Following the announcement, ZEC surged between 5% and 14% across major exchanges, briefly testing the $440–$450 resistance zone. Currently, the token is trading around $427–$442, holding above the $400 psychological support level.

Technically, ZEC remains in a consolidation phase after falling from its January high near $535. Resistance is clustered around $450–$470, while support sits near $400, with a deeper floor around $350 if sentiment weakens.

Some analysts point to a symmetrical triangle pattern on longer timeframes, often viewed as a continuation structure after strong rallies. A confirmed breakout above the upper trendline could open the door toward higher levels, including a potential retest of the $1,000 mark later in 2026.

Governance Uncertainty Clouds the Outlook

Despite the regulatory win, internal challenges persist. Earlier this month, the full development team at Electric Coin Company (ECC), which has led core Zcash development, resigned following a dispute with its nonprofit board.

Former ECC leaders cited deteriorating working conditions and have since announced plans to launch a new privacy-focused wallet, cashZ, based on Zcash technology.

Related Reading: Arthur Hayes Bets On MSTR, Metaplanet And Zcash As Bitcoin Liquidity Turns

The Zcash Foundation has stated that network operations and protocol stability remain unaffected by the personnel changes. Still, the departures have raised concerns about governance stability, development continuity, and long-term coordination within the ecosystem.

Cover image from ChatGPT, ZECUSD chart from Tradingview

Arthur Hayes is positioning for a 2026 liquidity rebound, arguing that Bitcoin’s weak 2025 wasn’t a referendum on “crypto narratives” so much as a straightforward dollar-credit story. In his latest essay, “Frowny Cloud,” the Maelstrom CIO says he is adding risk via Strategy (MSTR), Japan’s Metaplanet, and Zcash (ZEC) as he expects US dollar liquidity to inflect higher after a year in which Bitcoin lagged both gold and US tech stocks.

Hayes frames 2025 as an awkward year for the standard cross-asset shorthand that treats Bitcoin as either digital gold or a high-beta proxy for US tech. In his telling, Bitcoin behaved “as expected” under tightening conditions, while gold and the Nasdaq 100 rose for different reasons despite falling dollar liquidity.

He argues gold’s bid is being driven by sovereign balance sheets rather than retail mania, rooted in distrust of US Treasury exposure after prior asset-freeze precedents. “If the US president steals your money, it’s an instant zero. Does it then matter what price you buy gold at?” he writes, casting central banks as price-insensitive buyers.

On equities, Hayes leans into an industrial-policy interpretation of the AI trade. His claim is that the US and China have effectively treated “winning AI” as strategic, dulling the usual market discipline and helping explain why the Nasdaq decoupled from his dollar-liquidity index in 2025. That divergence matters because it sets up his core takeaway for 2026: Bitcoin needs expanding dollar liquidity to regain momentum.

“Bitcoin and the Nasdaq rise when dollar liquidity expands. The only problem is the recent divergence,” Hayes writes, before returning to the “vicissitudes of dollar liquidity” as the primary driver he wants to track.

The Three-Pillar Liquidity Pitch

Hayes’ 2026 outlook hinges on a sharp rebound in dollar credit creation. He cites three channels: a growing Fed balance sheet via Reserve Management Purchases (RMP), commercial-bank lending into “strategic industries,” and lower mortgage rates catalyzed by policy-driven demand for mortgage-backed securities.

In his account, quantitative tightening faded as a dominant headwind in late 2025, with QT ending in December and RMP beginning as a new, steady buyer. He claims RMP “at a minimum” expands the balance sheet by $40 billion per month, and expects that pace to rise as government funding needs increase.

The second leg is bank credit creation, which he says accelerated in 4Q25, with large lenders willing to extend loans where government equity stakes or offtake agreements reduce default risk. The third is housing: Hayes points to Trump-backed directives for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to deploy $200 billion toward MBS purchases, arguing that lower mortgage rates could unlock a familiar wealth effect and, by extension, more credit.

He ties the pieces together with a simple conclusion: if liquidity turns, Bitcoin should follow. “Bitcoin … and dollar liquidity bottomed around the same time,” he writes, arguing that the next major leg depends less on sentiment than on renewed credit expansion.

MSTR, Metaplanet, And ZCash

Hayes describes himself as a “degen speculator” and says Maelstrom is already “nearly fully invested,” but he still wants “MOAR risk” to capture upside convexity if Bitcoin reclaims higher levels. Rather than using perpetuals or options, he says he’s long Strategy and Metaplanet for levered exposure via corporate balance sheets.

His timing argument is valuation-relative: he compares each company’s “DAT” to Bitcoin priced in the relevant currency (yen for Metaplanet, dollars for Strategy) and says those ratios sit near the low end of the past two years, after being “down substantially” from mid-2025 peaks. He adds a key condition: “If Bitcoin can retake $110,000, investors will get the itch to go long Bitcoin through these vehicles. Given the leverage embedded in the capital structure of these businesses, they will outperform Bitcoin on the upside.”

He also flags continued accumulation of Zcash. Hayes argues the departure of developers at Electric Coin Company (ECC) is not bearish: “We continue to add to our Zcash position. The departure of the devs at ECC is not bearish. I firmly believe they will ship better, more impactful products within their own for-profit entity. I’m thankful for the opportunity to buy discounted ZEC from weak hands.”

At press time, MSTR traded at $179.33.

On Wednesday, the Zcash Foundation announced a significant development regarding its ongoing operations: the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has concluded its investigation into the public charity. 

This news has sparked a notable recovery in the price of the Zcash native token (ZEC), signalling renewed investor confidence, with trading volume surging by 39% over the past 24 hours.

Zcash Foundation Cleared By SEC

The Zcash foundation received a subpoena from the regulatory agency back in August 31, 2023, as part of a broader inquiry titled “In the Matter of Certain Crypto Asset Offerings (SF-04569).” 

After a thorough review, the Zcash Foundation was informed that the SEC does not plan to recommend any enforcement actions or changes pertaining to the organization. 

This comes amid significant regulatory changes towards digital assets under the Trump administration, including the appointment of the pro-crypto Paul Atkins as chair of the SEC. Similar enforcement actions against firms such as Uniswap (UNI), Coinbase (COIN) and Robinhood (HOOD) were dropped last year.  

ZEC Price Surges Near $440

In their statement, the foundation expressed satisfaction with the outcome, emphasizing their commitment to transparency and adherence to regulatory standards. They reiterated their focus on advancing financial infrastructure that preserves user privacy for the greater good.

Following this announcement, ZEC experienced a robust increase of 12%, pushing its price to approximately $437.75 at the time of writing. This surge comes after the cryptocurrency had recently dipped to a near one-month low of $363 last Saturday, illustrating a significant turnaround. 

However, even with this recent boost, the Zcash token still has a long way to climb. The cryptocurrency remains 86% below its all-time high of over $3,191, according to CoinGecko data.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Monero (XMR) is leading the crypto market bounce by breaking out of a macro resistance level and breaching above the $600 barrier for the first time. A legendary trader has suggested that the cryptocurrency is mirroring silver’s historical breakout and could see a massive price discovery rally.

Monero Soars To New Highs

On Monday, Monero outperformed the rest of the market, surging nearly 21% toward its new all-time high of $611.01. The privacy-focused cryptocurrency has been leading the start-of-year market rally, experiencing a 43% increase over the past seven days.

XMR’s rally has been fueled by renewed interest in privacy tokens and redirected liquidity toward the project, which has driven its market capitalization to $10 billion for the first time.

Amid this performance, veteran trader Peter Brandt drew a parallel between Monero and Silver’s long-term charts, suggesting that the cryptocurrency could be near a massive breakout.

In an X post, Brandt compared Monero’s current rally to silver’s historical breakout, which led to a massive run toward new highs. Silver saw a multi-decade price setup in which its price accumulated below and retested a macro ascending resistance trendline.

According to the chart, its price formed its long-term resistance during its 2011 peak, when it reached a slightly higher ATH of $49.83 before correcting. During its Q4 2025 rally, silver finally broke above this key level, nearly doubling its price toward its latest ATH of $86.23.

Similarly, Monero has been forming its multi-year ascending trendline in the monthly timeframe since its 2017 high. In 2021, the cryptocurrency retested this area, also hitting a slightly higher ATH before retracing.

Now, XMR has broken out of its ascending resistance and could see a similar path to silver’s recent breakout into price discovery, the post suggested.

XMR to See 50% Breakout Or Breakdown Next?

Market observer TraderSZ recently shared an optimistic outlook for Monero once it broke through its crucial resistance area and turned this level into support. To the trader, the cryptocurrency could reach three main price targets if momentum continues.

Per the post, the initial breakout level could reach the $685 area, a more than 30% rally from the resistance level. Moreover, it could surge between 50% and 80% toward the $790 and $900 levels, like silver’s recent price discovery progression in the monthly chart.

Analyst 0xMarioNawfal also highlighted XMR’s performance as “price continues to trend aggressively higher, breaking through previous resistance levels with strong momentum and minimal pullback.”

To him, the structure remains bullish, with buyers stepping in and “no clear signs of distribution yet.” As a result, he forecasted potential volatility but added that as long as the price holds above recent breakout levels, the trend will remain intact.

Nonetheless, Ali Martinez posted a more concerning forecast for the cryptocurrency, suggesting that a significant correction may be around the corner. According to the chart, Monero has been forming a multi-year rising wedge pattern since 2017, with the price bouncing between the upper and lower boundaries.

Based on this, XMR could likely fail to turn the macro resistance into support and begin a long-term 50% decline toward the $300 area, where the pattern’s lower boundary is currently located.

As of this writing, Monero is trading at $597, a 47.5% increase in the monthly timeframe.

• An unauthorised contract upgrade enabled direct withdrawals from the protocol.
• Funds were bridged to Ethereum and laundered through Tornado Cash.
• Assets affected included WIP, USDC, WETH, stIP, and vIP.

A governance failure at Unleash Protocol has resulted in a major security breach, with attackers draining around $3.9 million in user funds.

The incident was first identified by blockchain security firm PeckShieldAlert and later confirmed by the Unleash team.

While the exploit did not affect the wider Story ecosystem, it has renewed attention on how governance mechanisms can become a critical point of failure in decentralised finance.

Unleash Protocol is a decentralised platform built on Story Protocol.

The project said the incident was limited to its own contracts and administrative controls, with no signs of compromise across Story Protocol’s validators or core infrastructure.

Even so, the event shows how vulnerabilities at the application level can still lead to significant losses.

Governance controls bypassed

On-chain analysis indicates the attacker targeted Unleash Protocol’s multi-signature governance system.

By exploiting weaknesses in how admin permissions were enforced, the attacker gained unauthorised access normally reserved for approved signers.

This access was then used to push through a contract upgrade that had not been sanctioned by the core team.

The unauthorised upgrade altered how the protocol handled withdrawals. With standard governance checks effectively bypassed, the attacker was able to move funds directly out of the protocol.

According to Unleash, these actions occurred outside its established governance framework and were not detected until after the funds had already been removed.

Laundering through bridges and mixers

After extracting the assets, the attacker bridged the funds to Ethereum. From there, the assets were broken into multiple transactions, a strategy often used to make tracking more difficult.

Blockchain data shows that 1,337.1 ETH was later deposited into Tornado Cash. The deposits were made in varying sizes, ranging from small transfers to batches of up to 100 ETH.

This pattern suggests a deliberate attempt to obscure transaction trails and reduce the effectiveness of on-chain monitoring tools.

Tokens impacted

In an official incident notice, Unleash Protocol confirmed that several assets were affected during the exploit.

These included WIP, USDC, WETH, stIP, and vIP.

The team reiterated that all affected withdrawals took place through the unauthorised contract upgrade rather than through normal user interactions.

The clarification that Story Protocol itself was not compromised is significant.

It indicates that the breach stemmed from Unleash’s internal governance design, not from flaws in the underlying blockchain or its validator set.

Emergency measures taken

Following confirmation of the breach, Unleash Protocol paused all platform operations to prevent further losses.

The team said it is working with independent security experts and forensic investigators to determine how the governance safeguards were bypassed and whether additional vulnerabilities remain.

Users have been advised to avoid interacting with Unleash Protocol contracts until further updates are issued.

The project has stated that future communications will be shared only through official channels as the investigation continues.

The post How a governance failure led to the Unleash Protocol hack appeared first on CoinJournal.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin-treasury Strategy Boosts Cash Reserve to $2.19 Billion, Pauses BTC Buying

Billionaire Bitcoin advocate Michael Saylor’s company, Strategy Inc., increased its U.S. dollar reserves by $748 million last week, lifting total cash liquidity to $2.19 billion, according to a regulatory filing released today.

The update confirms that the company continues to hold 671,268 bitcoin, leaving its total BTC position unchanged during the reporting period from Dec. 15 to Dec. 21. 

Strategy remains the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, with an aggregate purchase price of roughly $50.33 billion.The increase in cash stems from sales conducted under the company’s at-the-market equity offering program. 

During the week, the company sold roughly 4.54 million shares of its Class A common stock, generating $747.8 million in net proceeds after commissions. No preferred stock was issued, despite multiple preferred share classes remaining available for sale.

As of Dec. 21, Strategy reported more than $41 billion in remaining capacity across its common and preferred stock ATM programs. 

The filing shows that the company did not purchase any bitcoin during the period. Its holdings remained steady at 671,268 BTC, acquired at an average price of $74,972 per coin, inclusive of fees and expenses. The lack of accumulation marks a pause following a large bitcoin purchase earlier in December.

JUST IN: Michael Saylor posts the Saylor Bitcoin tracker, hinting at buying more BTC pic.twitter.com/ZUe7WzXMU6

— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) December 21, 2025

Strategy has historically relied on equity and debt issuance to fund bitcoin acquisitions. The absence of new purchases suggests a tactical pause, rather than a change in long-term strategy.

Strategy’s dollar reserves

The company first disclosed the establishment of a dedicated U.S. dollar reserve on Dec. 1, when the balance stood at $1.44 billion. The reserve is intended to support preferred dividend payments, service debt obligations, and manage short-term volatility. 

The increase to $2.19 billion strengthens Strategy’s near-term financial flexibility.

Management did not specify how or when the cash will be deployed. In prior filings, Strategy has said capital raises are designed to support long-term bitcoin accumulation while maintaining sufficient liquidity to operate through market cycles.

The continued use of at-the-market offerings underscores Strategy’s active engagement with capital markets. 

While bitcoin holdings were unchanged during the week, the company reiterated its commitment to transparency by publishing regular updates through its investor dashboard and SEC filings.

MSCI and Strategy 

All this is happening while MSCI considers a rule change that could reshape how crypto-heavy companies are treated in global equity markets. MSCI is weighing whether to remove firms like Strategy from its major indexes if more than 50% of their assets are held in digital assets, arguing that these companies resemble investment funds rather than operating businesses. 

Under the proposal, firms classified as “Digital Asset Treasury” companies would be excluded to preserve benchmark integrity and limit volatility. Strategy, the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, sits at the center of the debate, but several other companies with similar balance-sheet strategies could also be affected. 

Strategy has formally pushed back, calling the 50% threshold arbitrary, discriminatory, and unworkable. The company argues it is an operating technology business building digital credit and financial infrastructure, not a passive crypto vehicle. 

Analysts and industry participants have also criticized the proposal, warning that exclusion could force index funds to sell billions of dollars’ worth of shares. 

Estimates suggest potential outflows of $2.8 billion to $9 billion for Strategy alone, and $10 billion to $15 billion across the sector. MSCI is expected to decide by January 15, 2026, ahead of a potential February index implementation.

The outcome of this decision could send shockwaves through the market and potentially impact Bitcoin price performance over the coming months.

Earlier today, ​​Citigroup cut its price target on MicroStrategy to $325 per share from $485. The bank maintained its buy rating on the stock. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading near $90,000.

This post Bitcoin-treasury Strategy Boosts Cash Reserve to $2.19 Billion, Pauses BTC Buying first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

BestChange is not an exchanger but a monitoring of exchangers containing the best exchangers. The platform has been operating since 2007 and has collected many time-tested sites.

Why is the monitoring of exchangers needed?

This service is needed in many different situations, so we decided to discuss monitoring exchangers in more detail.

Now, this site is in demand due to the situation in the world; if you are in another country and want to transfer money to Ukraine or vice versa, from Ukraine to another country, then this service will be a godsend for you since you can buy dollars at the best rate, and much more. The site contains a large amount of currency and cryptocurrency that can be exchanged anytime convenient. Also, 374 exchange offices cooperate with the aggregator, which is ready to assist you in purchasing currency.

Exchanger services are completely free. Here, you will find a suitable exchanger for yourself, with good reviews from other users and the best exchange rate.

Can exchangers on BestChange be trusted?

BestChange took this issue responsibly since we are talking about money, so before adding an exchanger to their site, they pay attention to many key factors, such as:

• Rating in the list of payment systems;
• The volume of reserve stocks;
• Reputation on the Internet;
• Operating time of the exchanger, etc.

When choosing an exchanger, you need to emphasize the services they provide, namely, indications on the icon aggregator for additional checks and official registration.

After long cooperation, Bestchange carefully checks the exchangers to ensure they do their job. If the rules and conditions are violated, they will be removed from the network, or certain measures will be imposed, and thus, they are encouraged to solve the problem as quickly as possible. Also, the exchanger is excluded from the aggregator if you receive three negative reviews. Because of this, the risks of conducting a transaction or currency exchange are approaching zero.

What is the best way to choose an exchanger?

To start exchanging Adv Cash USD to BitCoin cryptocurrency, you need to familiarize yourself with the sites the company provides in the “Exchange Rates” section. Opposite each exchange office, there is an icon that provides brief information about the specific exchanger, namely:

• Company name.
• Reserve amount.
• Company country.

To the right of the exchanger, small icons display short but important information that can help you choose an exchange office when exchanging; some sites also indicate the percentage of their commission.

If you want to independently check the site’s honesty and read reviews from real users, this is not a problem. On the screen, you can see the “Reviews” button; if you click on it once, we will open detailed information about the exchanger you have chosen, and you can read the reviews.

If you have already opened a company profile, then you can get to know it better; the following information will be indicated there:

• work status;
• number of courses offered for exchange;
• the amount of available reserves;
• period of work on the market and period of cooperation with BestChange;
• country of origin of the site;
• number of reviews on the aggregator platform;
• statuses in different payment systems;
• information about the site on the forums.

We go to the exchanger and make a sale, purchase, or exchange.

When you have already decided on the exchange office and are trying to exchange Advanced Cash to Bitcoin (BTC) (more info you can find here bestchange.com/advanced-cash-to-bitcoin.html), you need to click on it once. After that, you will be transferred to a new window on the site itself, and all the information that you filled out on BestChange will be automatically transferred to your exchanger.

After you have checked the correctness of the Advanced Cash to Bitcoin pair you have chosen, you must fill out the following fields and click the “Make Exchange” button. Often, websites provide detailed instructions for use. Suppose something doesn’t work out for you. In that case, difficulties arise, or you want to make sure that you are doing everything correctly, there is customer support on the exchanger’s website, where you can ask any question you are interested in or ask on the BestChange aggregator itself.

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