CME Group will introduce real-time and daily reference pricing indices for Hedera’s HBAR on December 29 via the CME CF Cryptocurrency Pricing Market Data feed. The rollout adds regional benchmarks and a live index updating about once per second; HBAR was at $0.1135 after a 5.32% 24-hour decline.

On December 15, 2025, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin outlined a framework that uses zero-knowledge proofs to make social media algorithms verifiable without exposing proprietary code or user data. He proposed on-chain timestamps for content and engagement, delayed publication of algorithm code, and the use of layered cryptography, including MPC, FHE, and TEE, for applications such as voting. Buterin's ideas emerge as zero-knowledge rollups secure billions of dollars in value and are increasingly adopted by major financial institutions and stablecoin transactions.

On December 13, 2025, Itaú Unibanco reiterated that investors should consider a 1%–3% Bitcoin allocation in their portfolios starting in 2026. The bank's research frames Bitcoin as a long-term diversifier and currency hedge, not a core holding, and highlights how 2025 foreign-exchange moves shaped returns for Brazilian investors. Itaú also points to access via its Íon platform and BITI11 ETF, while recent price data shows Bitcoin at $90,300 after a 2.5% 24-hour drop.

Coinbase and Standard Chartered are deepening their partnership to broaden regulated crypto services for institutional users, emphasizing trading, custody, lending, financing, and staking. The collaboration builds on Singapore banking rails that enable real-time SGD transfers, with Standard Chartered allowing clients to settle with custodians of their choice. No timeline or budget details were disclosed.

JPMorgan completed a $50 million commercial paper offering for Galaxy Digital on the Solana blockchain, with settlement conducted entirely in USDC. Coinbase Global and Franklin Templeton bought the tokenized short-term debt, while JPMorgan led the structuring and plans to extend similar on-chain issuance models. The transaction brought multiple institutions into a single workflow and is being used to test how public blockchains can support capital-markets funding.

On December 5, 2025, OKX laid out plans to end OM services and migrate users by late December, prompting a warning from MANTRA CEO JP Mullin on December 8. MANTRA says Governance Proposal 26 allows migration only after ERC-20 OM is deprecated on January 15, 2026 and links the timing to further technical review. The project is urging users to keep direct custody of their OM and withdraw from OKX, arguing that the exchange’s dates conflict with official governance rules.

Circle and Bybit announced a partnership to broaden USDC availability and bolster liquidity for the dollar-backed stablecoin across multiple markets as its market capitalization nears $80 billion. The deal extends USDC's role in Bybit's trading and payments stack and leverages recent regulatory milestones and growing stablecoin demand in the EEA, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and Latin America, the companies said.

Ten major European banks have formed Qivalis, a Dutch-based entity, to launch a regulated euro stablecoin in the second half of 2026. The consortium includes BNP Paribas, ING, UniCredit, and seven other lenders. Qivalis is seeking an Electronic Money Institution license from the Dutch central bank to issue a fully backed token under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets framework.

Huione Pay halted operations and froze customer withdrawals, triggering crowds outside its Phnom Penh headquarters. The suspension, set to last until January 5, follows a surge in withdrawal requests that overwhelmed the platform's liquidity. Users now face locked accounts and uncertainty about fund recovery.