Kim Byung-ki, the floor leader of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party, is facing pressure to resign. Multiple South Korean media outlets have revealed that while the National Assembly was pushing for criticism of Upbit, South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange, his son was interning at rival Bithumb, raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest. According to a former aide to Kim Byung-ki, at his request, his team launched a concentrated attack at the National Assembly level on Upbit's operator, Dunamu, accusing it of monopolistic practices in the domestic cryptocurrency exchange market. This instruction reportedly occurred in February of this year, when Kim Byung-ki was still a member of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, which has direct oversight authority over financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges. Investigative media outlet NewsTapa previously reported that Kim Byung-ki's son was placed in an internship at Bithumb's data analytics team shortly after a private meeting between Kim Byung-ki and Bithumb executives in November 2024. In the following weeks, Kim Byung-ki repeatedly criticized a "trading platform with a market monopoly" at committee meetings. Although he did not name names, it was widely interpreted as referring to Upbit. However, Kim Byung-ki himself has denied the conflict of interest allegations, emphasizing that his remarks were based on his principled stance against market monopolies, and that his son's employment was "completely unrelated" to his legislative and regulatory activities. (DL News)

Chainlink is entering a critical phase as price action tightens and volatility continues to fade. The latest charts highlight a market where sellers remain structurally in control, while buyers struggle to reclaim momentum despite short-term rebounds. With price compressing near long-term support, the next directional move is becoming increasingly important source: https://www.ethnews.com/chainlink-faces-renewed-selling-pressure-as-price-compresses-near-key-support/

Market data shows that JOJO briefly broke through 0.83 USDT and is currently trading at 0.8276 USDT, with a 24-hour increase of 2615.1%.

Major technology companies will gather in Las Vegas next week to convince everyday consumers that artificial intelligence belongs in their homes, as the industry faces skepticism about whether people actually want AI-powered devices. The Consumer Electronics Show, scheduled for Jan 6-9, serves as the launching pad where tech firms present their products for the coming […] source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/ces-nvidia-lenovo-samsung-ai-market/

Bitcoin’s recent price moves suggest derivatives markets, not spot demand, are driving short-term direction. source: https://ambcrypto.com/bitcoin-price-discovery-shifts-to-derivatives-as-spot-demand-fades/

Incoming liquidity from the US Fed and bullish technical breakouts are aligning to support a $1,000 price outlook for Zcash. source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/zcash-price-first-stop-1k-arthur-hayes?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Bitcoin bears just got erased in a 3,436% liquidation imbalance as gold and the whole metals board hits intraday lows, and the market starts treating Bitcoin as its new parking lot. source: https://u.today/bitcoin-hits-3436-liquidation-imbalance-amid-sudden-brutal-sell-off-of-gold-and-metals

Hyperliquid’s weekly volume trails newer rivals as a Lighter airdrop looms source: https://blockworks.co/news/perps-wars-heating-up

Bitcoin is entering a decisive phase after a stretch of sharp volatility, failed breakouts, and fast-changing sentiment. The latest price action, structural analysis, and sentiment data all point to the same conclusion: the market has moved from emotional reaction into compression, setting the stage for a potentially meaningful next move. source: https://www.ethnews.com/bitcoin-tightens-after-violent-swings-as-market-awaits-direction/

Bitcoin critic Peter Schiff offers financial advice to Michael Saylor's Strategy on choice of asset to buy. source: https://u.today/any-other-asset-instead-of-bitcoin-peter-schiff-reacts-to-strategys-btc-bet

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.