Privacy Coins Outperform as Crypto Investors Turn Defensive

The digital asset sector is closing out a turbulent quarter marked by losses, strained market infrastructure and investor disappointment. Yet one corner of the market stood out: privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. According to Grayscale’s latest quarterly market summary, privacy emerged as an unexpected investment theme in the fourth quarter, with assets such as Zcash (ZEC) significantly outperforming…

Ethereum Hits Record 8.7M Contract Deployments in Q4 2025

Despite sluggish Ether price action, developers are increasingly choosing Ethereum as a settlement layer, with the fourth quarter shaping up to be a record period for the network. Data from Token Terminal shows that the number of new smart contracts created and published on the Ethereum blockchain reached an all-time high of 8.7 million in…

Bitcoin Long-Term Holders Stop Sell Off as ETH Whales Accumulate

Long-term Bitcoin holders have pumped the brakes on selling their fat stacks for the first time in six months, while Ether whales have ramped up accumulation of the digital asset. Wallets holding Bitcoin (BTC) for at least 155 days trimmed their positions from 14.8 million coins in mid-July to 14.3 million in December. However, crypto…

How Strategy Buys Bitcoin in Downturns

Key takeaways Strategy funds its dip buying primarily through ATM equity sales rather than operating cash flow. Preferred shares and other financing tools add buying power but create ongoing dividend and interest obligations. A $1.44-billion reserve is intended to reduce “forced seller” concerns during prolonged market slumps. The model’s constraint is the cost of capital….

Russian Draft Bill: Prison Unregistered Crypto Mining

Russia has proposed a new draft bill seeking to crack down on unregistered cryptocurrency miners in the country, following concerns from the finance minister about illegal mining activity. Russia’s Ministry of Justice has proposed imposing penalties of up to 1.5 million rubles (about $19,000) and up to two years of forced labor for illegal cryptocurrency…

Bitcoin rises above $89,000, showing rare gain in U.S. trading

Open interest data suggests the advance is likely short-covering, rather than fresh longs entering the market. Source link

Bullish Trigger for 2026 Rally?

XRP (XRP) held above a key demand zone that has provided support for its price throughout 2025. Will holding this level and a reducing balance on exchanges trigger the start of a sustained recovery in 2026? Key takeaways: XRP supply on exchanges has dropped to an 8-year low, signalling reduced selling pressure. XRP price bulls…

Lighter Tokenomics Split DeFi Community After LIT Reveal

Lighter, one of the fastest-growing perpetual decentralized exchanges (DEXs), drew mixed reactions in the decentralized finance (DeFi) community after unveiling the tokenomics of its new Lighter Infrastructure Token (LIT). Under its structure, 50% of LIT’s supply is reserved for the ecosystem, while the remaining 50% is allocated to the team and investors, with a one-year…

Trust Wallet Faces False Reimbursement Claims Following $7M Hack

Trust Wallet has moved into a verification phase after a Christmas Day exploit involving its browser extension; while thousands of wallets have been identified, the company has received far more reimbursement claims than expected. On Monday, Trust Wallet CEO Eowyn Chen said the company had identified 2,596 wallet addresses tied to the compromised extension. Still,…

$11B Bitcoin Whale Cashes Out $330M ETH, Opens $748M Long BTC, ETH, SOL

The $11 billion Bitcoin whale who correctly predicted the $19 billion October market crash is betting on the price appreciation of the top cryptocurrencies, signaling a potential market recovery. After cashing out $330 million in Ether (ETH), the whale opened three leveraged long positions worth a cumulative $748 million, betting on price increases of Bitcoin…