South Korea's Upbit discovered a critical wallet software vulnerability while investigating a $30 million theft. The exchange identified a defect that could potentially expose private keys through blockchain data analysis. Upbit has suspended operations and pledged full reimbursement to affected users, though no direct link between the flaw and the November 26 breach has been confirmed.

Kazakhstan's central bank has designated up to $300 million from its gold and foreign exchange reserves for cryptocurrency investments, Governor Timur Suleimenov said November 29, 2025. The actual allocation could range from $50 million to $250 million, depending on market conditions following recent volatility that saw Bitcoin drop 17% before recovering. The bank will wait for market stabilization before executing purchases.

South Korea will mandate identity checks on all cryptocurrency transactions regardless of amount, eliminating the current 1 million won reporting threshold. The Financial Services Commission announced citizens will be barred from sending funds to foreign exchanges flagged for money-laundering risks. Executives at crypto firms will face enhanced eligibility screenings, including automatic disqualification for prior convictions related to drugs, tax evasion, or other serious offenses.

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange suspended futures trading for approximately 10 hours on Friday following a cooling system malfunction at its Aurora, Illinois data center operated by CyrusOne. The outage affected equities, commodities, currencies, energy, and cryptocurrency markets during the post-Thanksgiving Asia session when U.S. markets were closed and liquidity was thin. CME restored full functionality around 1:30 p.m. UTC.

Cryptocurrency funding reached nearly $25 billion in 2025, representing a surge of over 150% compared to 2024. Centralized exchanges attracted approximately $4.4 billion, followed by prediction markets with $3.2 billion and DeFi platforms with $2.9 billion, data show. The influx signals a marked shift in institutional sentiment toward blockchain and digital-asset ventures.

South Korea's National Police Agency has opened an investigation into unauthorized withdrawals of approximately $36.9 million in Solana network assets from Upbit, the country's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Authorities are examining possible links to North Korea's Lazarus Group, a state-affiliated entity previously connected to multiple cryptocurrency thefts. Upbit has suspended all deposit and withdrawal services and moved remaining assets to cold storage.

CoinShares, which manages $10 billion in assets, has withdrawn SEC registration statements for three planned crypto ETFs covering XRP, Solana and Litecoin. CEO Jean-Marie Mognetti cited intense market saturation, with traditional finance giants now controlling over 90% of crypto ETF inflows. The firm will instead focus on developing thematic crypto baskets and actively managed strategies over the next 12 to 18 months.

Japan's Financial Services Agency is reviewing a legal amendment to reclassify cryptocurrencies from payment tools to financial products as crypto accounts reached 13 million. The FSA working group convened its sixth session on November 26 to address consumer complaints averaging 350 monthly and rising fraud schemes. The proposed shift would transfer crypto oversight from the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, introducing stricter disclosure requirements and insider trading protections.