Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis reported that Iran's crypto ecosystem surpassed $7.78 billion in 2025, with activity clustering around major domestic and geopolitical events and an increasing share linked to the IRGC. The study also found that IRGC-associated wallets made up about half of the value received by Iranian addresses in Q4 2025, while bitcoin withdrawals to personal wallets surged during mass protests, suggesting a possible move toward perceived safety amid unrest.

Standard Chartered's digital assets research head Geoffrey Kendrick said Ethereum is poised to outperform other major cryptocurrencies in 2026, even as the bank cut its near-term ETH price forecasts. The bank now expects ether to reach $7,500 by end-2026 and sees Ethereum's dominant role in stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets and DeFi, alongside rising network activity, as key drivers for a stronger ETH-BTC ratio.

Andreessen Horowitz's a16z crypto unit said in a Thursday outlook that the 2026 phase of digital assets will be driven by prediction markets, verifiable computation and "staked media" rather than launching new blockchains. The firm highlighted growth in platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, advances in zero-knowledge proofs for cloud workloads and a model where media participants back their claims with onchain, financially exposed commitments.

Strategy paused bitcoin buying last week and shifted $748 million into its USD reserve, taking the fund to $2.19 billion. The company still holds 671,268 BTC after acquiring 10,645 BTC for about $980.3 million the prior Monday at an average price of $92,098 per bitcoin.

Aave Labs advanced a proposal on control of Aave's brand assets to a Snapshot vote, drawing objections from its author and delegates over process. Voting opens Dec. 23, while founder Stani Kulechov said the decision follows extensive discussion. Critics warn the timing and escalation undermine consensus in the Aave DAO.

Researchers from the Ethereum Foundation's Stateless Consensus team have warned that the protocol's ever-growing state is making it harder and more costly for nodes to store, serve, and sync data. They outlined three paths — State Expiry, State Archive, and Partial Statelessness — aimed at containing state growth, reducing node bottlenecks, and preserving decentralization while longer-term stateless validation is developed.

Stani Kulechov outlined a multi-decade roadmap centered on Aave V4, Horizon, and the Aave App, with a Dec. 16 post highlighting Horizon's role. The plan seeks to onboard the next trillion dollars in assets and millions of users while the DAO debates fees and revenue alignment. He also said the SEC ended its years-long Aave inquiry without enforcement.

Nexo said it has agreed to acquire Argentina-based Buenbit to support a regulated expansion across Argentina, Peru, and Mexico, with the deal still subject to regulatory approval. Buenbit, which is registered with Argentina’s securities regulator (CNV), has processed more than $2 billion in volume and added over 40,000 active users in the final months of 2025, according to the company. Clients are expected to gain access to Nexo’s savings, credit, and trading products once the transaction closes.

Bitcoin held near $90,000 on Tuesday as traders stepped back ahead of the Federal Reserve’s final policy decision of the year. Liquidity has thinned across major venues, ETF flows show selective rotation rather than broad de-risking, and analysts say Powell’s tone—rather than the expected rate cut itself—will determine BTC’s next major move.