🔍 Bitcoin Core Completes First Public Security Audit

🔒 Bitcoin Core, the software behind the world's largest blockchain, has successfully completed its first-ever public third-party security audit. Conducted by Quarkslab and funded by Brink, this audit marks a significant milestone in Bitcoin's security lifecycle.

🛡 The audit, which took place from May to September, primarily focused on Bitcoin's peer-to-peer networking layer—a critical area vulnerable to attacks. Quarkslab also examined mempool logic, chain management, consensus validation, and transaction-handling pathways. They employed a mix of manual code reviews, dynamic analysis, and advanced fuzzing techniques.

✅ The results were promising: auditors found two low-severity issues and 13 informational recommendations, none of which posed a security risk according to Bitcoin Core's internal classifications.

Bitcoin Core’s architecture and code quality demonstrate outstanding work

Quarkslab noted. They also highlighted that ongoing initiatives like Brink’s Fuzzamoto could reveal more edge cases in future tests.

🔴 The complete audit report and related documents are now publicly accessible in Quarkslab’s repositories. This transparency marks a new chapter for Bitcoin's critical software and reinforces its commitment to security.

🔴 Tether Exits Uruguay After Failed Negotiations

✅ Tether, a major player in the cryptocurrency sector, has officially announced its departure from Uruguay following unsuccessful negotiations with the national power company, UTE. The company has terminated 30 out of 38 employees and informed the national labor ministry about this decision.

⚡️ The exit comes after Tether's local subsidiary, Microfin, ceased payments to UTE in July, leading to power cuts at two mining sites in September. Despite a company spokesperson claiming there was no debt due to a warranty deposit held by UTE, the situation highlighted the challenges of operating in an environment with fluctuating power costs.

Tether is committed to developing long-term initiatives in Latin America, especially those leveraging renewable energy.

the company stated in September, denying rumors of its exit and emphasizing its commitment to the region.

💰 Tether's investment plan in Uruguay included a substantial $500 million investment aimed at establishing three data processing centers and a wind farm. However, the rising costs of power made these operations economically unviable.

📉 The company's withdrawal not only impacts local employment but also represents a loss for the Uruguayan economy, including a planned $50 million investment in power infrastructure that was to be managed by the state.

🔄 Moving forward, Tether's decision may influence its operations in other markets as the company seeks to secure favorable pre-deployment agreements before making significant infrastructure investments.

🛡 Yearn Finance Faces $9 Million Losses Due to Security Breach

🚨 Yearn Finance, a decentralized finance (DeFi) yield aggregator, has reported a security breach involving its custom yETH stableswap pool, resulting in losses of approximately $9 million. The incident occurred on November 30 at 16:11 EST and involved the unauthorized minting of a significant amount of yETH. Importantly, Yearn clarified that the affected contract is a custom version of widely used stableswap code and is not linked to other Yearn products.

🔍 In an update on X, Yearn assured users that its main V2 and V3 vaults remain unaffected by this vulnerability. Initial assessments revealed that the attack primarily targeted two areas: the yETH Stableswap Pool, which suffered a direct loss of about $8 million, and the yETH-WETH Stableswap Pool on Curve, from which approximately $0.9 million was drained.

🔒 The team emphasized its commitment to security and pledged to incorporate all lessons learned from this incident into future protocol development. Users affected by the breach were directed to open a support ticket on Discord for assistance.

💰 In a subsequent update, Yearn reported the recovery of 857.49 pxETH (Dinero Staked ETH) valued at $2.39 million. This recovery was made possible with the help of the Plume and Dinero teams, who are associated with the institutional liquid staking token used in the compromised pool.

🪙 Bitget Expands to Tokenized Shares and Commodities

🌍 Bitget, a cryptocurrency exchange based in Seychelles, is expanding its operations to include tokenized shares and commodities like gold. The company's CMO, Ignacio Aguirre Franco, emphasized that this move aims to attract customers who wish to trade these assets without the limitations of traditional markets.

🔄 Franco stated that Bitget's new goal is to merge the traditional centralized financial world, which has its restrictions, with decentralized finance (DeFi). This approach allows customers to benefit from both systems. He mentioned,

We want to bring more offers. We are an ecosystem with access to everything people do, without having to leave one app for another.

📱 Bitget aims to become an all-in-one trading platform, similar to other exchanges like Robinhood. However, it retains its cryptocurrency roots and sees an opportunity in combining these methods with a focus on usability. Franco stressed the importance of user experience, stating,

Usability is what will bring people to the platform.

📈 Franco was brought on board in November to implement Bitget's Universal Exchange philosophy. This trend is becoming common among crypto companies to keep their customers within their ecosystems.

📉 Tokenized Real-World Assets Experience Minor Decline

📊 Tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) saw a slight decrease this month, with a total distributed value dropping 1.09% as $268 million exited the sector since November 1. Despite this dip, the RWA sector continues to showcase a diverse ecosystem that includes tokenized T-bills, digitized oil exposure, and emerging-market private credit pools.

📉 As of December 6, the total distributed global RWA value stands at $18.38 billion, reflecting a 1.09% decline from the previous month. Represented assets total $391.63 billion, down 7.16% from the prior month. However, participation is on the rise, with 560,488 total asset holders, an increase of 5.91% since November 6.

🔔 Non-U.S. government debt has a total value of $611.54 million, which is 4.20% lower than seven days ago; yet holder participation has increased by 12.61% to 3,430 holders. Corporate tokenized bonds are at $259.92 million, showing a slight weekly gain of 0.33% despite a small dip in holders.

💪 Tokenized private credit remains a standout performer in the space. Active loans total $19.04 billion with a current average APR of 10.10%. Platforms like Maple, Figure, TrueFi, Goldfinch, and Centrifuge continue to expand issuance.

📈 Tokenized commodities have a market cap of $3.64 billion, up 5.68% over 30 days despite a significant drop in monthly transfer volume. Treasury products account for $9.07 billion, slightly down 1.06% week-over-week but with an average seven-day yield climbing to 3.81%.

📌 Overall, while RWAs experienced a slight dip in value, participation continues to rise and infrastructure is expanding. Major categories like private credit, treasuries, and commodities remain active. December may not be delivering fireworks, but the RWA engine is still running strong.

📈 Crypto ETFs Experience a Strong Rebound

📊 On Tuesday, December 9, the crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) market saw a significant resurgence, with a total of $330 million in inflows. This marked a stark contrast to the previous day's caution, showcasing a renewed risk appetite among traders.

Bitcoin ETFs roared back to life with a $151.74 million inflow, powered by a remarkable resurgence at Fidelity.

The Fidelity FBTC fund led the charge with an impressive $198.85 million influx, followed by contributions from Grayscale’s Bitcoin Mini Trust and Bitwise’s BITB. Despite a significant outflow from Blackrock’s IBIT, which saw $135.44 million leave, the overall momentum remained strong.

🚫 Ether ETFs also performed exceptionally well, surpassing Bitcoin with $177.64 million in inflows across seven issuers. Fidelity’s FETH topped this category, while other major players like Grayscale and Blackrock also made substantial gains.

🔔 Solana ETFs contributed to the positive trend with $16.54 million in new inflows, led by Bitwise’s BSOL. XRP ETFs rounded out the day with $8.73 million in inflows, primarily driven by Canary’s XRPC.

Across the board, Tuesday delivered a rare and refreshing sight: every major crypto ETF category finished in the green

This widespread participation and strong trading volumes reflected renewed investor confidence in the crypto market.

🪙 Silver Surges to New Heights: A Rally Driven by Scarcity and Demand

📈 Silver, often referred to as the "devil's metal" due to its price volatility, has recently achieved a historic milestone by surpassing $64 per ounce on the COMEX. This marks the first time in history that silver has reached such heights. The metal has been on an upward trajectory since early December, despite analysts repeatedly labeling it as overbought.

💰 Year-to-date, silver has emerged as the top investment, with prices soaring over 115%. It has outperformed significant competitors like gold, bitcoin, and the SPX index. This surge is part of a long-term cup and handle pattern that has been developing for nearly five decades since silver became tradable on commodity markets.

🔍 Analysts attribute this price increase to several structural factors, primarily a scarcity of supply. The silver market has been facing a multi-year deficit that is unlikely to be resolved soon due to inelastic supply.

It’s amazing that silver prices are not trading a lot higher right now. Supply deficits have become a significant concern. Demand is only going to grow, but supply remains extremely limited.

said Michele Schneider, Chief Market Strategist at MarketGauge.

📉 The recent Federal Reserve interest cut and the potential for hyperinflation next year could drive more investors towards precious metals like silver. Additionally, the growing use of silver in electric battery applications, particularly with the rise of new silver-infused batteries, creates a perfect storm that could propel silver prices to triple digits in the coming years.

🔗 Anchorage Digital Acquires Securitize For Advisors

📌 Anchorage Digital has announced its acquisition of Securitize’s wealth management division, Securitize For Advisors. This move adds an advisor-centric platform to Anchorage's regulated digital asset services. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

🔍 Securitize For Advisors offers registered investment advisors (RIAs) tools for providing digital asset exposure within a regulated environment. This includes trading interfaces and client portfolio access. The acquisition formalizes an existing relationship, as most of Securitize For Advisors' client assets are already custodied at Anchorage Digital Bank.

📈 Launched in 2021, Securitize For Advisors rapidly grew as RIAs sought compliant ways to integrate digital assets into client portfolios. The platform recently achieved record levels of net new deposits and assets under management, surpassing broader advisory industry growth. Anchorage plans to incorporate this advisor platform into its custody, trading, and settlement services.

🔄 This acquisition also indicates a shift in focus for Securitize. The firm, known for its role in asset tokenization, is best recognized for facilitating Blackrock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), a tokenized fund valued at approximately $1.84 billion. Securitize operates a fully regulated infrastructure, including an SEC-registered broker-dealer and a digital transfer agent, enabling issuers to tokenize securities and manage investor onboarding under U.S. securities regulations.

⚠️ By divesting its advisor-focused business, Securitize is signaling a stronger emphasis on tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs) rather than developing front-end wealth tools. In contrast, Anchorage Digital gains direct access to RIAs seeking compliant digital asset exposure, effectively integrating an advisor interface into its custody-first model.

🌍 This move illustrates the evolving landscape of digital asset infrastructure firms as tokenization matures. Some firms are concentrating on asset issuance and market operations, while others focus on how advisors and institutions access these assets. Regardless, the concept of tokenizing RWAs is gaining momentum globally.

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📉 Bitcoin and Ether ETFs Face Outflows While Solana and XRP Attract Inflows

📈 Bitcoin and ether ETFs experienced significant outflows as investor caution returned, while solana and XRP saw steady inflows. This indicates a market that is selectively rotating rather than completely exiting crypto exposure.

Bitcoin ETFs recorded a net outflow of $161.32 million, weighed down primarily by heavy selling in Fidelity’s FBTC.

The fund alone shed $170.28 million, more than accounting for the day’s net decline. Additional pressure came from Ark & 21Shares’ ARKB, which lost $12.27 million, and Bitwise’s BITB, which saw $11.54 million exit. Blackrock’s IBIT attempted to counter the weakness with a $32.76 million inflow, but it proved insufficient to reverse the trend.

Ether ETFs extended their outflow streak to a sixth straight session, posting a $96.62 million net exit.

Blackrock’s ETHA was again the focal point, recording a sizable $102.24 million outflow. That pressure was partially offset by modest inflows into Grayscale products, with the Ether Mini Trust and ETHE adding $2.89 million and $2.74 million, respectively.

💪 In contrast, solana ETFs continued to attract capital, logging a $13.16 million inflow. Fidelity’s FSOL led the advance with $6.57 million, followed by Bitwise’s BSOL at $2.95 million. Grayscale’s GSOL and Vaneck’s VSOL rounded out the gains with inflows of $2.49 million and $1.15 million.

XRP ETFs delivered another strong session, pulling in $30.41 million.

Grayscale’s GXRP led with $10.14 million, closely followed by 21Shares’ TOXR at $9.73 million. Franklin’s XRPZ added $6.89 million, and Bitwise’s XRP contributed $3.65 million.

🔄 Overall, the day highlighted a familiar pattern: Bitcoin and ether continue to face tactical pullbacks, while solana and XRP benefit from steady rotation as investors selectively reposition within the digital asset ETF space rather than stepping away entirely.

💰 Klarna Partners with Coinbase for USDC Stablecoin Funding

📈 Klarna, a global leader in flexible payments, has announced a strategic partnership with Coinbase to integrate USDC stablecoin funding into its financial operations. This move aims to raise short-term funding from institutional investors by leveraging Coinbase's digital infrastructure, thereby expanding beyond its traditional funding sources such as consumer deposits and long-term loans.

💡 Klarna's CFO, Niclas Neglén, emphasized the partnership as an innovative way to tap into a new class of institutional investors. He noted the potential for diversifying funding through digital assets. Coinbase was chosen for its robust crypto infrastructure, which currently supports over 260 businesses worldwide. It's important to note that this initiative is distinct from Klarna's upcoming consumer and merchant-focused crypto projects set for 2026.

To add USDC stablecoin as a new short-term funding source from institutional investors.

Coinbase powers crypto infrastructure for more than 260 businesses globally.

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📉 Bitcoin and Ether ETFs Face Outflows; XRP and Solana Show Resilience

📊 In a quiet holiday period, crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) experienced varied flows. Bitcoin and ether ETFs saw significant outflows, while XRP and Solana ETFs recorded modest inflows. Bitcoin spot ETFs faced a net outflow of $175.29 million, marking five consecutive days of exits. This trend was widespread across eight different funds, with Blackrock’s IBIT leading the way by shedding $91.37 million. Other notable outflows included Grayscale’s GBTC with $24.62 million and Fidelity’s FBTC losing $17.17 million.

💔 Ether ETFs also struggled, posting a net outflow of $52.70 million. Grayscale’s ETHE was the hardest hit, exiting by $33.78 million, followed by Blackrock’s ETHA which saw $22.25 million leave. The only exception was Grayscale’s Ether Mini Trust that attracted a small inflow of $3.33 million.

📈 In contrast, XRP ETFs continued to attract investments with an addition of $11.93 million. Most of this came from Franklin’s XRPZ which saw an inflow of $11.14 million. Canary’s XRPC contributed a smaller amount of $794K. Solana ETFs also remained positive with a total inflow of $1.48 million, driven by Fidelity’s FSOL and Vaneck’s VSOL.

🌐 Overall, the trading activity on Christmas Eve reflected a cautious market sentiment. While Bitcoin and ether ETFs continued to experience outflows, XRP and Solana managed to maintain small but steady inflows amidst the holiday season.

🚀 Solana Spot ETFs: A Rapid Ascent in 2025

📈 Launched on October 28, 2025, Solana spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) quickly made their mark in the U.S. markets. Despite a late entry, they attracted significant capital almost immediately. Within just a few days, they secured $199.21 million in net inflows, bringing total net assets to $502 million.

📊 November saw a surge in inflows, with Solana ETFs recording over $419 million. The week of November 7 was particularly notable, with $136.5 million flowing in and a trading volume of $260.9 million. By mid-November, net assets exceeded $700 million and continued to rise as institutional interest grew.

💪 Liquidity was a key feature throughout this period. Weekly trading volumes ranged from $180 million to $295 million, indicating that Solana ETFs were being actively used for tactical exposure rather than being treated as passive investments.

📉 December brought a slight slowdown in inflows but remained positive. The ETFs added $161.5 million in net inflows over the month, with the strongest week seeing an influx of $66.55 million and a trading volume spike to $270.75 million. By December 22, total net assets reached $938.43 million.

🔄 Throughout their first two months, Solana ETFs experienced no weekly net outflows. This stability indicated a strong conviction among early adopters despite broader market volatility.

🗓 The success of Solana ETFs in 2025 can be attributed to their timing. They launched after investors had become comfortable with spot crypto ETFs, entering a market that understood their structure and risks.

🪙 Trump Media Announces Digital Token Distribution for DJT Shareholders

🗣 Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. (TMTG) has announced its plan to distribute a new digital token to eligible DJT shareholders, with one token allocated per whole share. This initiative is positioned as a shareholder benefit rather than a financial instrument linked to company equity or earnings.

🔗 The token distribution will be conducted in collaboration with Crypto and will utilize the Cronos blockchain for its speed and interoperability. However, specific timelines and record dates for the distribution have not yet been disclosed.

📌 This announcement comes as TMTG and Crypto continue to expand their partnership. In August, the companies revealed plans to integrate Crypto’s digital wallet infrastructure across TMTG platforms, including Truth Social and Truth+.

💼 As part of their strategy to build a digital asset treasury, TMTG has established a new entity—Trump Media Group CRO Strategy, Inc.—which will merge with a SPAC backed by Yorkville Acquisition Corp.

🔔 Holders of the new digital token may receive periodic rewards such as perks or discounts on Trump Media products. However, the company clarified that these rewards will not involve profits from managerial efforts, a key point under securities law.

🚫 The tokens are expected to be nontransferable, not redeemable for cash, and available only to ultimate beneficial owners of DJT shares, excluding borrowed shares. Trump Media reserves the right to modify or terminate the program at any time.

📢 CEO Devin Nunes described the initiative as an experiment in shareholder engagement while emphasizing the need for regulatory clarity. He stated,

We look forward to utilizing Crypto’s blockchain technology and improving regulatory clarity to implement this first-of-its kind token distribution, reward Trump Media shareholders, and promote fair and transparent markets.

📈 This development follows a year of several Trump-linked crypto coins entering the market, including World Liberty Financial’s WLFI and its stablecoin USD1, as well as meme coins TRUMP and MELANIA.

💰 The announcement comes after TMTG signed a definitive agreement to merge with fusion power firm TAE Technologies in an all-stock transaction valued at over $6 billion.

📈 Ethereum Sets New Transaction Records as 2025 Ends

🚀 Ethereum made headlines as it concluded 2025 by achieving its highest single-day transaction count on December 29, with over 2.23 million transfers processed. This surge in activity continued into the new year, with December 30 and 31 also recording impressive numbers, alongside January 2, 2026, which saw nearly 2 million transactions.

📊 Despite a slight dip of about 1.5% from the previous month, Ethereum (ETH) started 2026 on a strong note, showing a year-to-date gain of 5.5%. The network's on-chain metrics reached new heights, consistently breaking daily transaction records.

On December 29, 2025, Blockchair recorded 2,230,801 confirmed transactions.

📈 Following this record-breaking day, December 31 logged over 2.13 million transfers, and December 30 had around 2.12 million. These figures surpassed the previous record set on January 14, 2024, which stood at 1.961 million transactions. Notably, January 1, 2026, also made it to the top ten with nearly 1.94 million transfers.

🔥 The data indicates a robust network performance as Ethereum transitioned into 2026. The clustering of high-transaction days suggests a sustained intensity in on-chain activity rather than isolated spikes, setting a challenging benchmark for future activity.

Sustained on-chain usage across decentralized finance, stablecoin transfers, and smart contract activity pushed Ethereum to multiple all-time-high transaction counts.

📈 As Ethereum moves further into 2026, the rising transaction volumes signal a strong ongoing network usage, indicating that the recent surge is not just a temporary anomaly but part of a growing trend in Ethereum's operational capacity.

📉 Market Expectations for the Upcoming FOMC Meeting

📊 With only 22 days left before the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on January 28, 2026, futures traders and prediction markets indicate a low likelihood of a rate cut. According to CME Fedwatch data, there is an 83.9% probability that the benchmark rate will remain unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75%. Only 16.1% of the pricing suggests a 25-basis-point reduction, with virtually no chance of a rate hike.

📉 This cautious outlook is reflected in prediction markets as well. On Polymarket, bettors assign a 90% chance to no change in January, while Kalshi shows a similar distribution with an 88% probability for the Fed holding steady. This convergence across futures and prediction markets is significant, especially considering the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate cuts in 2025.

🚫 The Fed reduced rates three times in 2025, culminating in a December cut that brought the target range down to its lowest level since 2022. However, markets seem unconvinced that this momentum will continue into January. CME futures pricing suggests that traders expect the Fed to pause and assess the effects of last year’s reductions rather than extending the easing cycle immediately.

❗️ Political pressure for further rate cuts remains, with Donald Trump advocating for lower borrowing costs to stimulate economic activity. However, the market appears to believe that these appeals will not influence the Fed's decision for January. Fed leadership, including Jerome Powell, has emphasized the need for data confirmation before committing to additional easing.

✔️ Analysis from the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank suggests that Trump’s tariffs could unexpectedly exert downward pressure on inflation. Additionally, Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran has expressed a desire for a full percentage point in rate cuts this year. Despite this, markets have not faced significant restraint from Powell regarding rate cuts.

📈 Record Surge in Stablecoin Transactions Amid Pro-Crypto U.S. Policies

📊 Stablecoin transaction volumes reached an unprecedented $33 trillion in 2025, marking a 72% increase from the previous year. This surge was largely driven by a favorable regulatory environment in the United States under President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto administration.

💱 USDC led the way with $18.3 trillion in transactions, followed by Tether’s USDT with $13.3 trillion. Together, these two tokens dominated global stablecoin flows as their adoption spread beyond traditional crypto users.

📌 Key policy changes played a significant role in this growth. The Genius Act passed in July, established a clear legal framework for stablecoins which encouraged greater institutional interest. Major companies like Walmart and Amazon began exploring stablecoin initiatives, and World Liberty Financial, linked to the Trump family, launched its own token USD1 in March.

🔄 Data from Artemis also indicates a shift in stablecoin usage. While overall transaction volumes increased, the proportion of transactions on decentralized crypto platforms decreased. This suggests a move towards more mainstream and real-world applications.

📉 Despite USDT being the largest stablecoin by market capitalization at $187 billion, USDC dominates transaction flows due to its extensive use in DeFi. In contrast, USDT is more frequently used for payments, business transfers, and as a store of value.

📈 The growth of stablecoin transactions shows no signs of slowing down. In the fourth quarter alone, transactions reached $11 trillion, up from $8.8 trillion in the previous quarter. Bloomberg Intelligence predicts that total stablecoin payment flows could reach $56 trillion by 2030.