Gold prices fell sharply on Monday after hitting a record high over the weekend, with international spot gold prices briefly dropping to around $4,300 per ounce. In an environment of thin liquidity ahead of the year-end holidays, gold is facing strong profit-taking, amplifying the correction following its sharp rise in recent months. Furthermore, a moderate rebound in the US dollar has also added pressure on gold. However, some analysts believe that despite the short-term pullback in gold prices, the overall macroeconomic background still supports its upward trend. The market continues to expect the Federal Reserve to ease monetary policy next year. In addition, political developments in the United States, particularly concerns about central bank independence, maintain an uncertain environment that favors safe-haven assets. (Jinshi)

In a report, Cantor Fitzgerald stated that Bitcoin may be entering a prolonged downturn, but this could be a prelude to a more stable, institutionally driven phase for the crypto industry. Analyst Brett Knoblauch noted in his year-end report that the market may be in the early stages of a crypto winter, echoing Bitcoin's historical four-year cycles. Currently, Bitcoin is about 85 days from its peak, and the price may remain under pressure for months, potentially even testing the Strategy (MSTR) average break-even price of around $75,000. Knoblauch stated that unlike previous downturns, this correction may not be defined by large-scale liquidations or structural failures. Institutional participants, rather than retail investors, are shaping the market profile, and there is a gap between token price performance and the actual progress of decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenized assets, and crypto infrastructure. The report shows that the tokenized value of on-chain real-world assets (RWA), such as credit products, US Treasuries, and stocks, has tripled this year, reaching $18.5 billion. Cantor Fitzgerald predicts this amount could exceed $50 billion by 2026. Furthermore, decentralized exchanges (DEXs) within DApps are gaining market share from centralized platforms due to improvements in infrastructure and user experience. Cantor Fitzgerald predicts that while trading volume may decline in 2026 as Bitcoin prices fall, DEX trading, particularly perpetual contracts, will continue to grow. The passage of the U.S. Digital Asset Markets Clarity Act (CLARITY) is seen as a turning point, as it clarifies the definition of digital assets as securities or commodities. Other trends highlighted by Cantor Fitzgerald include the rise of on-chain prediction markets, particularly in sports betting, where trading volume has increased to over $5.9 billion. Companies such as Robinhood (HOOD), Coinbase (COIN), and Gemini (GEMI) have entered the space. Despite the risks and the fact that Bitcoin's price is only about 17% higher than the average cost of strategy, Cantor Fitzgerald believes that despite a cooling price, more durable infrastructure and deeper institutional adoption are consolidating. (CoinDesk)

According to Odaily, Securitize announced on the X platform that BlackRock's BUIDL has become the first tokenized treasury project to accumulate $100 million in dividend payments.

Sky Protocol released data on its X platform: last week it used 1.9 million USDS to repurchase 29.3 million SKY tokens, bringing the total repurchase amount since the program began to over 96 million USDS.

Securitize announced on the X platform that BlackRock's BUIDL has become the first tokenized government bond project to have paid out a total of $100 million in dividends.

More digital asset businesses are preparing to raise billions in capital via initial public offerings (IPOs). This is coming off the back of a successful 2025, where crypto firms raised up to $3. 4 billion in IPOs. US exchange Kraken, crypto infrastructure giant Consensys, and French hardware wallet maker Ledger are among the companies preparing themselves […] source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/2026-crypto-ipos-consensys-kraken-ledger/

null source: https://x.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/2005666968523927692

According to BlockBeats, monitoring data from lookonchain reveals that the trader with address 0x94d3 has expanded their short positions in several major cryptocurrencies. After initially selling 255 BTC, valued at approximately $21.77 million, the trader has further increased their short positions over the past five hours. The new positions include 1,360 BTC, 36,281 ETH, and 348,215 SOL. The account currently shows an unrealized loss of $1.03 million.

According to ChainCatcher, data from Arkham indicates that at 23:25, a transfer of 522.85 BTC occurred from Fidelity Custody to Cumberland DRW.

Bitmine has started staking ETH, with more than 400,000 ether tokens now generating yield ahead of its planned MAVAN rollout in 2026. source: https://www.theblock.co/post/383853/tom-lee-bitmine-44463-eth-starts-staking-treasury-3-4-supply?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Japan is moving forward with a major overhaul of its crypto taxation framework, proposing a flat 20% tax on profits from digital assets under its 2026 tax reform plan. While this marks a significant reduction from the current 55% rate, the new policy currently applies only to a limited set of “specified” crypto assets, leaving many to wonder what that means.

OpenAI is facing lawsuits after a 16-year-old died by suicide, with claims that ChatGPT repeatedly discussed hanging and may have worsened his distress. The company is now introducing stronger teen protections, including safety alerts, age-specific guidance, and parental controls, to prevent harm and ensure younger users have safer, age-appropriate interactions.

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has partnered with LayerZero, a leading interoperability protocol, to enable native connectivity between Stellar and more than 150 blockchain networks. The integration allows assets—most notably USDC and other stablecoins—to move seamlessly across chains without relying on centralized bridges or intermediaries.

Hackers took control of Rainbow Six Siege, giving players billions of in-game credits and rare items, forcing Ubisoft to shut down the servers. The company is rolling back the affected accounts while allowing players to keep any items they used, and is gradually reopening the game.

Bitmine has made one of the most aggressive treasury moves in recent crypto history, committing hundreds of millions of dollars to Ethereum while simultaneously embracing staking as a long-term income strategy.

Mirae Asset Group is in talks to buy South Korea’s fourth-largest crypto exchange, Korbit, in a deal worth about 100 to 140 billion won ($70–$100 million).

Over $35 million in cryptocurrency stolen from LastPass users since 2022 has been traced to Russian cybercriminals using weak master passwords and laundering funds through mixers and Russian exchanges. TRM Labs found the thefts continued for years, showing that even encrypted vaults can be compromised if security practices are weak.

Coinbase has finally made its first arrest of one of the masterminds behind the exchange's customer data breach that exposed nearly 70,000 user accounts.

Global online interest in cryptocurrencies has fallen to its lowest levels as we approach the new year, with Google search data signaling a sharp pullback in retail attention as the market heads into 2026.

The Atlas memecoin, themed around US Vice President JD Vance’s pet dog, has nearly half of its supply controlled by 68 wallets showing signs of coordinated buying and potential insider activity. The token was heavily promoted by the influencer Whale Insider, raising concerns that retail investors could be at risk from price manipulation.