Ethereum

Heading into 2026, the sector is prioritizing privacy-first digital identity, with selective disclosure and zero-knowledge proofs at its core. On Oct. 29, Ethereum's X account said more than 750 privacy projects are building on the network, while April and Dec. 10 milestones from Google Wallet and Switzerland's Council of States show parallel shifts in mainstream platforms and policy.

Ether has traded below $3,400 for around 40 days as a $6 billion ETH options expiry on Dec. 26 approaches, with call positions outnumbering puts by 2.2 times. Bears retain an edge unless price breaks $3,100, while key payoff zones span $2,700–$3,300 depending on where ETH settles at Friday's 8:00 am UTC mark.

Midnight (NIGHT) traded at $0.07326 after a 3.5% drop over the past 24 hours, while still up 12% week-on-week and 15.5% over two weeks. Technical signals point to a short-term correction near oversold levels, and potential catalysts include major exchange listings that have yet to add the token.

In August 2025, Ethereum (ETH) exceeded its 2021 peak, touching $4,945 and a $600 billion market capitalization. Institutional flows dominate this cycle: reserves on centralized exchanges fell to 10.5% by December 21, more than 35.6 million ETH are staked, and Exchange Traded Products attracted about $12.7 billion in 2025.

BlackRock-linked wallets moved 2,292 BTC and 9,976 ETH to Coinbase, valued around $428 million. Its Bitcoin ETF recorded a $118.64 million outflow on Monday, and the latest transfer came roughly 24 hours after a prior deposit. During the move, major coins fell, with Bitcoin and Ethereum down 0.49% and 0.56% over the last day.

On Wednesday, December 24, BlackRock moved 2,292 Bitcoin worth about $200 million and 9,976 Ethereum valued around $30 million to Coinbase Prime before partially buying back 499 BTC and 1,511 ETH. The asset manager currently holds roughly $77.6 billion in crypto, mostly in Bitcoin and Ethereum, while both coins trade below key resistance levels during a broader market downturn.

Large Ether holders increased purchases while price remains below $3,000. Since Nov. 4, one "66k ETH Borrow Whale" accumulated 569,247 ETH ($1.69 billion), and in the past 24 hours Bitmine bought 67,886 ETH ($201 million). About 70% of derivatives positions are net long, and ETH's leverage ratio hit 0.611 last week.

Binance will remove five spot trading pairs — BIO/FDUSD, ENS/FDUSD, INJ/ETH, TREE/BNB and VTHO/TRY — on Dec. 26 at 3:00 a.m. (UTC). The exchange also scheduled Ethereum network wallet maintenance for Dec. 25 at 6:00 a.m. (UTC), temporarily pausing deposits and withdrawals.

Vitalik Buterin backed EIP 7864, aiming to lift Ethereum's smart contract size cap. In 2025, Layer 2 activity concentrated around leading rollups such as Base, while ETH stalled below $3,000 with a noted support area near $2,800. A recent chart snapshot showed price around $2,931 amid defined resistance bands.

Ethereum remains capped beneath the $3,300–$3,700 supply zone, with the 200‑day and 100‑day moving averages acting as resistance. Price is hovering above $2,800 support, and open interest is around $18B. A loss of $2,800 may trigger a quick move toward $2,600, while failure to clear resistance increases the odds of a pullback toward $2,700.