Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov said on Wednesday that KGST, a stablecoin pegged to the national currency som, has been listed on Binance and is intended to support cross-border payments. The move follows new crypto legislation, the launch of the gold-backed USDKG dollar stablecoin on Tron with 50 million units, and plans to establish a national crypto reserve as part of the country’s broader digital asset strategy.

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.

ETHZilla disclosed in a U.S. regulatory filing that it sold 24,291 ETH for $74.5 million at an average price of $3,068.69 per token to reduce its senior secured convertible notes. The firm, which rebranded from 180 Life Sciences Corp on July 29 and shifted to an Ether-focused strategy, now holds about 69,800 ETH, while its shares have fallen sharply amid a broader crypto market pullback.

Strategy raised $747.8 million in net proceeds by selling 4.535 million Class A common shares between Dec. 15 and 21, boosting its cash reserve to $2.19 billion while halting fresh Bitcoin purchases. The company holds 671,268 BTC acquired for $50.33 billion in total and is building a USD reserve to cover at least 12 months of preferred dividends and interest, with a long-term target of 24 months or more.

In its latest annual outlook, Galaxy Research forecast that dollar-pegged stablecoins could process more transaction volume in 2026 than the US Automated Clearing House system, citing current growth trends and pending regulation. The report also noted that stablecoin supply has been expanding at a 30%–40% compound annual rate and already handles volumes exceeding major card networks while approaching half of ACH activity. Galaxy's analysts further pointed to new offerings from firms such as Western Union, Sony Bank and SoFi as evidence of expanding stablecoin adoption.

On Dec. 10, the Federal Reserve launched its reserve management purchases (RMP) program alongside a 25 basis point rate cut, with plans to buy about $40 billion of short-term Treasurys in the first month. Arthur Hayes argues in a recent Substack essay that RMP functions like quantitative easing, inflating fiat liquidity and strengthening the investment case for Bitcoin, gold and other scarce assets while eroding purchasing power for those without assets. Bitcoin traded near $92,695 on Dec. 10 and around $87,300 at the time of writing, as Polymarket traders priced a roughly 77% chance of no policy change at the Fed's January meeting.

A Federal Reserve discussion paper finds the dollar’s share of international bond issuance has moved in waves over six decades, with a post‑2008 rebound; as of 2024, emerging‑market borrowers still have about 80% of outstanding international bonds in dollars. DefiLlama data show stablecoins grew to $309.6 billion from $205.5 billion in December 2024, led by USDT and USDC.

Stablecoin payments firm RedotPay has raised $107 million in a Series B round led by Goodwater Capital, taking its total funding for 2025 to $194 million. The company plans to use the capital for acquisitions, additional licensing, compliance expansion and hiring as it pushes into new markets and broadens its payments products.

Kindly MD has received a Nasdaq notification after its stock traded below the $1 minimum bid price for 30 straight business days, triggering a 180-day compliance period. The company, which merged with Bitcoin-focused Nakamoto Holdings in August and holds thousands of BTC, must raise its share price above $1 for at least 10 consecutive trading days or face potential delisting. Its shares, trading under the ticker NAKA, have dropped more than 98% from late May highs to $0.39.