Bitcoin has declined about 26% over the past three months and roughly 30% from its near $126,200 peak, but on-chain data indicates it is still outperforming most major crypto sectors. While the total crypto market cap has fallen around 27.5% and altcoin segments such as AI, DeFi, meme coins and real-world asset tokens have recorded much deeper losses, investors are concentrating capital in BTC as a comparatively defensive asset. At the same time, mid-sized "shark" holders have rapidly accumulated around 54,000 BTC in a week, even as long-term whales distribute coins and keep near-term upside constrained.

Bitcoin has hovered around $89,000–$90,000, well below the October peak near $126,000. Samson Mow says Dec. 26 matters more than recent candles, as the December options expiry with heavy call interest between $100,000 and $118,000 and put clusters around $85,000–$90,000 could unlock a larger move.

Invesco and Galaxy Digital launched the staked Solana ETP QSOL on Monday, listing it on the Cboe BZX U.S. equities exchange with 17,500 SOL in custody valued at $2.19 million and a 0.25% total expense ratio. Crypto ETF flows diverged the same day, with Bitcoin spot ETFs seeing $357.69 million in outflows and Ethereum $224.78 million, while Solana products recorded $35.2 million in net inflows.

On 16 December 2025, U.S. lawmakers effectively pushed comprehensive crypto market structure legislation into 2026 as election pressures, fiscal deadlines, and limited floor time take priority. The pending bill seeks to clarify federal oversight of digital assets, including how authority is shared between the SEC and CFTC, yet procedural steps such as hearings and markups remain incomplete. In the meantime, agencies continue to shape crypto regulation through guidance and enforcement, leaving the industry operating under evolving interpretations of existing law.

In 2025, UK adult crypto ownership fell to about 8%, down from 12% in 2024, even though Bitcoin briefly reached $126,251 in early October. According to the Financial Conduct Authority, overall awareness stayed at 91% and the share of holders with £1,001–£5,000 in crypto grew, while small accounts under £100 declined. Lawmakers are increasingly engaging with the sector as the FCA consults on a broad rulebook that would introduce licensing from 2026 and full regulations in 2027.

On December 16, XRP slipped 4.35% and was changing hands at $1.9164, hovering just above key support near $1.8209. Intraday action shows a move higher after breaking local resistance at $1.8975, opening the way for a potential test of the $1.95 area. If no strong bounce develops and support around $1.8209 fails, chart readings suggest a corrective extension toward $1.80 in the short term and possibly the $1.30–$1.60 zone on a midterm horizon.

Stellar’s XLM has fallen 3.4% over the past 24 hours to trade near $0.22 while derivatives metrics point to increasing bearish positioning. Open interest in XLM futures has declined alongside rising short exposure, and technical indicators such as RSI and MACD signal sellers remain in control as price revisits the June low around $0.217.

On December 16, 2025, Beijing approved China's first two passenger cars with level-three hands-off capability. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Changan and BAIC can produce models restricted to designated zones, with limits of 50 kilometers an hour on city roads and 80 kilometers an hour on highways.