On Tuesday, global oil benchmarks inched higher, with Brent crude at $62.13 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate at $58.03, following a sharp rally the previous day. Prices were constrained as concerns over disruptions from Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure clashed with forecasts of excess supply into early 2026. President Donald Trump confirmed the U.S. will retain or possibly sell seized Venezuelan oil tankers, while U.S. gasoline prices fell to their lowest December levels since 2021 amid an expected record holiday travel season.

On Monday, Invesco's Ben Gutteridge said the U.S. economy is losing momentum heading into 2026. The Commerce Department's Q3 GDP estimate of 3.3%, after 3.8% in Q2, was lifted by pre‑September 30 EV purchases, while the CBO projects a 1.0–2.0 percentage‑point Q4 hit and $7–14 billion in permanent losses. Invesco expects European equities to lead as ECB cuts are anticipated early next year and valuations remain lower.

Gold climbed to an all-time high at $4,486 per ounce as traders priced in further interest-rate cuts, a move analysts say reinforced demand for safe-haven assets. The surge raises questions for Bitcoin: some flows may rotate into gold short term, while similar macro forces could still underpin Bitcoin's longer-run appeal as 'digital gold'.

On December 23, 2025, BNB traded near $851 after briefly dropping under $850, extending an 11% pullback from a December high above $920. The Binance ecosystem token has seen derivatives open interest drop from over $2.97 billion in October to $1.28 billion, while daily BNB Chain transactions have fallen nearly 47% from October peaks. Technical indicators such as MACD and RSI point to short‑term bearish control, with key support zones around $825 and potential downside targets at $738 and $647 if selling deepens.

Hong Kong plans to introduce explicit rules allowing insurance companies to invest in cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and digital infrastructure, with the Insurance Authority proposing a 100 per cent risk charge on volatile tokens. A public consultation on the framework is scheduled from February to April 2026, and even limited allocations from the sector's HK$635 billion in 2024 gross premiums could significantly increase liquidity in digital asset markets.

In a December 23, 2025 press release from Johannesburg, VALR said it secured an FSCA Over‑the‑Counter Derivatives Provider licence and grew to over 1.7 million registered users. The company added 100+ tradable coins, enabled payments at 31,000 stores and 700,000 locations, listed USDPC and xStocks, and reported over $1 million in user rewards during 2025.

ZOOZ Strategy said it received a Nasdaq notice that its shares no longer meet the $1 minimum bid, putting the stock on a compliance timeline. The dual‑listed company may monitor conditions and consider a reverse split, and has until June 15, 2026, to record 10 consecutive closes at or above $1 while operations remain unaffected.

The Federal Reserve has released a proposal and opened a public feedback portal on creating so-called "skinny" payment accounts that would let certain fintech and crypto firms access its payment systems on a limited basis. Under the plan, non-bank institutions could clear and settle their own transactions via designated accounts linked to Fed master accounts, with strict caps, no interest, and risk controls, while some policymakers have raised concerns over safeguards against financial crime.