💥 SBF Team Claims “FTX Was Never Bankrupt” as Creditors Receive 120% Repayment

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🌟 Bitcoin's Critical Support: A Precarious Balancing Act

⚠️ Bitcoin is currently facing a critical moment, hovering just above the crucial support level of $103,500. The market is tense, with heavy sell-side volume and bearish technical signals indicating that investors are on edge. If this support fails, losses could accelerate towards the $98,000–$100,000 range.

📉 The daily chart shows a clear downtrend for Bitcoin, which has dropped nearly 20% from its October peak of $126,272. The $103,530 support has already been tested twice, and another failure could lead to further losses. Red candle volume confirms that sellers are in control, and unless buyers can stage a convincing reversal, the pressure may increase.

🔍 Looking at the four-hour chart, the downtrend is evident with a lower high at $116,381. Recent candlesticks near support are small and indecisive, indicating a lack of conviction from buyers. A cluster of red volume bars suggests potential panic selling, and the resistance zone between $108,000 and $110,000 could hinder any weak bounces. A break below $103,553 without a successful retest would likely confirm a bearish continuation.

⏳ The one-hour chart presents a similar picture. Bitcoin made a slight bounce off $103,553, but it lacks momentum. The forming pattern resembles a bear flag, which often precedes further downside. Volume on the recovery is low, signaling that buyers are either absent or hesitant. If Bitcoin can close above $105,000 with convincing volume, a minor relief rally could occur. However, it is more likely that sellers will regain control near the $106,000 ceiling.

📊 Analyzing the indicators reveals a consistent story. The relative strength index (RSI) is at a subdued 36, leaning towards oversold. The stochastic oscillator is at 20, and the commodity channel index (CCI) has dropped to −168. Other indicators, such as the average directional index (ADX) and the awesome oscillator, also signal downside force. All major moving averages sit well above the current price, reinforcing the downward pressure.

✅ Bitcoin is at a critical juncture, with all major timeframes pointing to the same support level of $103,500. This is a pivotal point where bulls may attempt a comeback or face significant losses. The next few candles will likely determine the near-term trend, but the current charts do not favor upward optimism.

💪 If Bitcoin can hold the $103,500 support with rising volume and a bullish reversal pattern, a rebound towards the $108,000–$110,000 resistance zone remains possible. However, buyers will need to overcome a wall of overhead moving averages to regain control.

📊 MetaPlanet Raises $100M to Resume Bitcoin Treasury Purchases After One Month Pause

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📉 Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Decreases: A Temporary Relief for Miners

🌟 On October 25, 2023, the Bitcoin blockchain recorded its 23rd difficulty adjustment of the year, marking the seventh decrease in 2025. The mining difficulty dropped by 2.37%, from 155.97 trillion to 152.27 trillion, providing some relief for miners amid declining Bitcoin prices and mining revenues.

💰 The hashprice, which indicates the value of a petahash per second of SHA256 hashrate, has decreased by 11.17% since October 13. It fell from $47.89 to $42.54 today. Additionally, fee revenue has been low, averaging just 0.57% of the total block subsidy value.

⏱️ The global hashrate has also declined to 1,085 exahash per second, losing over 72 EH/s since reaching a peak of 1,157 EH/s on October 17. With the recent decrease in difficulty, block intervals have shortened to an average of 9 minutes and 23 seconds, falling below the typical ten-minute mark.

🛠 This adjustment comes at a time when miner income is under pressure and network strength has weakened from last month's highs. The slight reduction in difficulty offers temporary relief by easing operational pressures and speeding up block discovery times. However, the sustainability of this relief will depend on future price movements, transaction demand, and how miners adapt in the coming weeks.

🚨 BlackRock Moves Over $815M in BTC and ETH as Crypto ETFs See Heavy Outflows

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🛠 Bitcoin's Downturn: A Reset for Market Dynamics

📉 A significant downturn in Bitcoin is reshaping the market by clearing out excessive leverage. This adjustment is paving the way for a stronger structural momentum as the market shakes off excess risk and prepares for renewed confidence amidst ongoing resilience in digital assets and optimism in AI and technology sectors.

💬 Devere Group CEO Nigel Green stated that Bitcoin's recent decline, amounting to $1 trillion, is primarily due to the aggressive unwinding of borrowed positions rather than any deterioration in its long-term investment potential. He emphasized,

This is leverage being cleared out. When traders borrow heavily to magnify positions, any reversal triggers liquidations that accelerate the move.

Green reassured that the long-term case for Bitcoin and other major digital assets remains intact.

🌍 He pointed out that the current macro environment is heightening volatility, with concerns about jobs, the sustainability of the AI and tech surge, tariffs, and upcoming Fed policy decisions influencing sentiment. However, he noted that

these pressures influence sentiment but don’t alter foundational trends.

🔄 Green's analysis highlighted how leverage cycles often distort short-term price dynamics. He argued that the market now reflects a cautious approach rather than weakened fundamentals as traders reduce their risk exposure. Drawing on historical patterns, he remarked,

History teaches us that these phases have reversed faster than expected once the pressure points begin to ease.

🔜 Looking ahead, Green anticipates a swift return of confidence once excess borrowing is eliminated. He explained,

Confidence tends to rebuild rapidly when the excess leverage is out of the system.

He concluded by stating that while current market sentiment requires greater confidence from investors,

that confidence is likely to return once the major concerns lift.

🔋 Proponents of digital assets argue that phases of deleveraging often strengthen the market's structural foundation and create conditions for more sustainable future gains.

🚨 5 Reasons Crypto Prices Are Rising Today

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🌟 Nasdaq's Bold Move: A Thanksgiving Bet on Bitcoin

📈 On Thanksgiving Day, Bitcoin's price rose to $92,000, but the reason behind this surge was not widely recognized. Just a day prior, the Nasdaq International Securities Exchange (ISE) submitted a request to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to increase Nasdaq’s position limit for Blackrock Bitcoin ETF contracts from 250,000 to 1,000,000.

The Exchange believes that increasing the position limit (and exercise limit) for options on IBIT to 1,000,000 contracts would enable liquidity providers to provide additional liquidity to the Exchange

Nasdaq stated in its submission.

💼 Traders utilize options contracts to speculate on Bitcoin’s price without owning the asset. The more active contracts there are, the more liquid the market becomes. Currently, Blackrock Ishares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) options contracts represent bets on IBIT’s price direction, with about 8 million open contracts but a maximum limit of 250,000 contracts per position.

📊 Nasdaq’s request to raise this limit indicates a growing institutional interest in Bitcoin. The exchange previously had a 25,000-contract limit which was raised to 250,000 in July. Now, the request for 1 million contracts suggests that traders are seeking greater exposure to the cryptocurrency.

IBIT is now the biggest bitcoin options market in the world by open interest

said Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas.

🛡 More importantly, quadrupling the maximum limit—which serves as a safeguard against market manipulation—implies that the SEC believes Bitcoin derivatives are sufficiently mature to be traded alongside other major assets. Despite recent challenges for Bitcoin, Nasdaq's move is a positive sign for BTC investors.

📉 On the day of the announcement, Bitcoin was trading at $91,351.49 with a 1.63% increase and a weekly performance of 5.38%. Although daily trading volume decreased by 8.73% to $59.79 billion due to the holiday, market capitalization rose to $1.82 trillion and Bitcoin dominance increased by 0.37% to 59.14%.

🔥 Ethereum's Burn Milestone: Over 6 Million ETH Destroyed Since 2021

📈 As of December 7, Ethereum has surpassed a significant milestone by burning over 6 million ETH from transaction fees, equating to more than $18 billion in value since the London hard fork on August 5, 2021. This event introduced EIP-1559, which revamped Ethereum's transaction fee structure by implementing a dynamic base fee that is automatically burned with each block.

📈 Recently, Ethereum implemented the Fusaka upgrade, which significantly increased the network's data and gas capacity. This upgrade not only reshaped Layer 2 (L2) fees but also reduced on-chain (L1) gas costs, bringing them to impressively low levels—below a single gwei. As of December 7, low-priority fees were around 0.305 gwei, while high-priority fees were approximately 0.326 gwei, resulting in transfer costs ranging from $0.005 to $0.02.

📊 Since the London hard fork, a total of 6.1 million ETH has been removed from circulation. The blob fees have emerged as the largest contributor to this burn, accounting for 1,492,094 ETH. Traditional ether transfers followed with 377,388 ETH burned, and the NFT marketplace Opensea contributed 230,051.12 ETH. Other notable contributors include the decentralized exchange Uniswap v2 with 227,337.27 ETH and tether (USDT) usage at 211,342.55 ETH.

📉 Despite the substantial amount of ETH burned, Ethereum remains slightly inflationary at 0.800% per year. Since the London hard fork, approximately 4,065,657 ETH have been added to the supply. Under the proof-of-stake (PoS) model, issuance has decreased compared to the proof-of-work (PoW) model, which would have resulted in an annual inflation rate of 3.499% and an addition of over 16 million ETH to circulation.

🔍 In summary, while Ethereum has made significant strides in reducing potential inflation since the London hard fork, it is important to note that the network is not deflationary. The recent Fusaka upgrade has improved transaction cost efficiency, but the overall supply continues to grow gradually.

🚨 Michael Saylor’s Strategy Challenges MSCI Over Bitcoin Treasury Exclusion Plan

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🪙 Bitcoin's Volatile Week Amidst Global Economic Concerns

📉 Bitcoin started the week trading above $90,000 but fell to just under $89,000 as traders prepared for the Bank of Japan (BOJ)'s upcoming interest rate decision on December 19. Historically, BOJ rate hikes have led to significant declines in BTC prices, and recent market activity suggested that traders were anticipating a similar outcome this time.

🌍 Japan's monetary policy holds global importance due to its status as a major holder of U.S. Treasury bills. A rate hike by the BOJ could trigger a substantial unwinding of the Yen Carry Trade, where investors borrow cheap yen to invest in higher-yielding assets. This unwinding would tighten global U.S. dollar liquidity and force investors to de-risk across various markets, making the BOJ's announcements as significant as those from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

📈 The week began positively for Bitcoin following the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates by 25 basis points on December 9, which had pushed its price above $94,200. However, this momentum was short-lived as BTC quickly fell back below $90,000 within 48 hours. A similar pattern occurred after a brief rally to $93,000 on December 12, leading to a week marked by sharp volatility and a closing price firmly in the red.

📉 This decline also impacted the broader cryptocurrency market, with total market capitalization dropping to $3.12 trillion by December 14, similar to levels seen on December 7. Most altcoins mirrored this trend, losing the gains made earlier in the week. Notably, XRP experienced a weekly loss of over 3%, closing just under $2 and losing its position as the fourth-largest digital asset by market capitalization to BNB. Other high-cap altcoins like TRX, DOGE, and ADA also reported losses of 3% or more.

📈 In contrast, privacy coins XMR and ZEC stood out with impressive gains of nearly 10% and 21% respectively during this turbulent week.

Gold Reaches New Heights in 2025

📈 In 2025, gold quietly achieved a new record. While some assets fluctuate rapidly, others maintain a steady pace; both types reveal our reactions to risk.

📝 Test your understanding of these market shifts with a brief quiz.

See quiz

Netmarble's MarbleX invests in $OPEN, a strong signal of growing institutional trust in on-chain AI infrastructure.

With major partnerships (Cambridge, Chainbase), a public tech roadmap, and a 15% price surge, OpenLedger is hitting its stride.

All eyes are now on whether $OPEN can challenge the $0.30 resistance.

Check it out:

👉 Announcement
👉 Telegram: English | China | Korea
👉 Twitter: Global | China

🚀 Fiserv Introduces Crypto Payments in Argentina Through Clover

🌍 Fiserv, a Milwaukee-based company providing payment solutions globally, is set to launch QR payments in Argentina via its Clover platform. This makes Fiserv the first company of its kind to achieve this milestone in the country, enabling customers to pay with cryptocurrency while merchants receive payments in Argentine pesos.

📱 The new feature allows customers to use stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies at point-of-sale (POS) devices across Argentina. The payment process involves a QR code that directs customers to a wallet linked to an exchange for completing the transaction. Fiserv will handle the conversion from crypto to fiat, ensuring that merchants receive their payments in pesos. Customers can also verify the exchange rate at any time for transparency.

🌟 Sebastian Calens, Vice President at Fiserv, emphasized the importance of this development:

Once again, we are investing in innovation, expanding payment acceptance, and improving the experience on our devices, allowing merchants to accept any payment method and never miss a sale.

📈 This move by Fiserv highlights the growing crypto sector in Argentina and the efforts of fintech companies to tap into a market that increasingly prefers cryptocurrency for transactions. With over 20% of Argentines holding cryptocurrency, representing an active market of over 8.5 million people, this sector is crucial for payment companies.

🔔 As crypto adoption continues to rise in Argentina, it is anticipated that more companies will follow Fiserv's lead in integrating cryptocurrency payment options.

Hey Gardeners! 🌱

We have exciting news! Crypto Garden has been nominated for the "Best Crypto Community (TG/Discord)" award at the Crypto Impact Awards!

This nomination is 100% thanks to YOU – our amazing, insightful, and supportive community. Now, we need your help one more time to bring it home! 🏆

Voting is now LIVE and every single vote counts.

It takes just a moment:

🔹 Click the link 👉 https://awards.coingape.com/voting/?category=best-crypto-community-tg-discord-cmc
🔹 Find "Crypto Garden" in the Best Crypto Community category.
🔹 Cast your vote! ✅

Let's show the strength of our Garden! Share this post, tell your friends in crypto, and let's win this together. Your support means everything!

Thank you for being the best community in crypto!

#CryptoGarden #CryptoAwards #VoteNow #BestCommunity

🪙 Grayscale Predicts a Bullish Crypto Market in 2026 Driven by Institutional Adoption

📈 Grayscale Investments has released a report titled “2026 Digital Asset Outlook: Dawn of the Institutional Era,” which presents a bullish perspective on the crypto market despite prevailing skepticism. The report asserts that 2026 will signify the end of the current four-year cycle and anticipates increased valuations across all six crypto sectors, with bitcoin potentially surpassing its previous high in the first half of the year.

Grayscale believes that the crypto asset class is in a sustained bull market,

the firm states, emphasizing the ongoing macro demand for alternative stores of value and regulatory clarity as key drivers for institutional investment in public blockchain technology.

🔔 The report outlines Grayscale's top 10 crypto investing themes for 2026: 1) dollar debasement risk will drive demand for monetary alternatives; 2) regulatory clarity will support digital asset adoption; 3) the reach of stablecoins will grow; 4) asset tokenization will reach an inflection point; 5) stronger privacy solutions will be required; 6) AI centralization will create demand for blockchain-based solutions; 7) decentralized finance will accelerate; 8) mainstream adoption will require next-generation infrastructure; 9) investors will focus more on sustainable revenue; 10) staking will be sought by default.

🚫 However, Grayscale downplays two narratives it believes will not significantly impact crypto prices in 2026: quantum computing and corporate digital asset treasuries.

🌟 In conclusion, Grayscale expresses a optimistic outlook for digital assets in 2026 driven by macroeconomic demand and improving regulatory clarity. The report highlights the importance of deepening connectivity between blockchain-based finance and traditional finance and anticipates institutional capital inflows. However, it also cautions that

not every token will make a successful transition from the old one

as the crypto market enters a new era.

🚨 Roundhill Trust Amends Covered XRP ETF Filing as Spot Funds Post 30 Days of Inflows

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📈 Bitcoin Rebounds as Crypto ETFs Reset for 2026

🔄 The transition from 2025 to 2026 saw a significant shift in U.S. spot crypto ETFs, primarily driven by a strong rebound in bitcoin. From December 29 to January 2, these ETFs recorded a net inflow of $458.77 million, ending a streak of outflows. Blackrock’s IBIT led the way with an impressive $324.15 million influx, while other funds like Fidelity’s FBTC and Bitwise’s BITB also saw positive contributions.

📊 Ether ETFs also performed well, posting $161 million in net inflows, indicating a potential stabilization after recent volatility. Grayscale’s ETHE was the standout, attracting $103.78 million, followed by Bitwise’s ETHW and Blackrock’s ETHA with smaller additions.

💪 XRP ETFs continued their strong post-launch performance, bringing in $43.16 million for the week. Franklin’s XRPZ led this group once again, while Bitwise’s XRP also finished positively. Solana ETFs added a modest $10.43 million, with Bitwise’s BSOL and Fidelity’s FSOL accounting for most of the inflows.

🌟 Overall, the first week of 2026 marked a clear transition for crypto ETFs. Bitcoin reclaimed its leadership position, ether showed signs of balance, and both XRP and Solana quietly strengthened their positions. This sets a cautiously optimistic tone for the first quarter of 2026.