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Venture capital firm a16z Crypto has called on the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to clarify regulations for blockchain protocols and applications in order to protect developers. The firm highlighted a current inconsistency between decentralized finance (DeFi) and the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA). To address this, a16z proposed that the CFTC explicitly state that protocols and developers are not required to follow CEA registration requirements, provide no-action letters or interpretive guidance for applications, and create a tailored registration path.

Asset management firm Bitwise has released 10 forecasts for the cryptocurrency market in 2026, predicting the arrival of a bull market. The predictions are as follows: 1. Bitcoin will break its four-year cycle and reach a new all-time high. 2. Bitcoin's volatility will fall below that of Nvidia. 3. ETFs will purchase more than 100% of the newly issued supply of BTC, ETH, and SOL. 4. Crypto-related stocks will outperform technology stocks. 5. Polymarket's open interest will hit a new all-time high. 6. Stablecoins will be cited as a cause of currency instability in emerging markets. 7. Assets under management in on-chain vaults will double. 8. ETH and SOL will reach new all-time highs if the U.S. passes a crypto market structure bill. 9. Half of all Ivy League university endowments will invest in cryptocurrencies, either directly or indirectly. 10. More than 100 crypto-linked ETFs will launch in the U.S.

Grayscale has suggested that the traditional four-year cycle that has historically dominated the cryptocurrency market is over, proposing a new five-year cycle that would see Bitcoin reach a new all-time high in 2026. The asset manager explained that the market has become more structured and mature due to mainstream capital inflows from ETFs and corporate treasury strategies. Grayscale also argued that an immediate, long-term bear market is unlikely, as the recent rally did not exhibit the same parabolic surge seen in previous cycles. In contrast, British investment bank Barclays has predicted a bear market for 2026, citing a significant decrease in spot trading volume and weakening investment demand.

Hong Kong-listed China Properties Investment has announced it will add BNB to its strategic reserves in a move to diversify its portfolio.

Crypto.com has entered into a partnership with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) to utilize tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) in the global commodities market, CryptoBriefing reported. The collaboration aims to enhance the efficiency and transparency of global trade by integrating blockchain and tokenized assets. The partners will explore modernizing the financing, trading, and settlement of commodities through blockchain-based solutions.

The three major U.S. stock indices opened slightly lower. The S&P 500 is down 0.13%, the Nasdaq Composite is down 0.19%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 0.02%.

An early participant in the Ethereum ICO has deposited 3,000 ETH, valued at $8.79 million, to the Kraken exchange, according to a report from Onchainlens. The analytics firm suggested the address is likely associated with Richard Heart, the founder of the cryptocurrency project HEX. Deposits to exchanges are typically interpreted as a precursor to selling.

Frontera Labs, the developer of the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Strata, has raised $3 million in a seed funding round led by Maven 11 Capital, CoinDesk reported. Lightspeed Faction also participated in the round. Strata, which was initially built on Ethena's USDe, is a protocol that uses the financial technique of tranching to separate and tokenize the yield and risk generated from a single asset.

Hong Kong-based fintech firm RedotPay has raised $107 million in a Series B funding round to support the global expansion of its stablecoin payment services, CoinDesk reported. The round was led by Goodwater Capital with participation from Pantera Capital.

Web3 token presale platform Legion announced via X that the token sale for FUN, the native token of on-chain sports platform Sport.Fun, is currently underway on its platform and the Kraken exchange. Participation is restricted in some regions, including the UK. Sport.Fun, which recently secured a new investment from Coinbase Ventures, is building an on-chain prediction economy based on fantasy sports and athlete tokenization.

The percentage of UK adults who own cryptocurrency has fallen to 8% this year from 12% last year, according to a survey conducted by YouGov for the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The Block reported that the FCA noted that while the number of crypto holders has decreased, the average value of their holdings has increased. Public awareness of cryptocurrencies also remained high at 91%.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that non-farm payrolls increased by 64,000 in November, surpassing the market forecast of 40,000.

Tether (USDT) announced it has made a strategic investment in Speed, a global payment infrastructure company built on the Bitcoin Lightning Network. The investment round, co-led by Tether and ego death capital, totaled $8 million. Speed processes more than $1.5 billion in payments annually for consumers, creators, platforms, and businesses.

Binance Alpha has announced the addition of THQ. The platform is an on-chain trading service within the Binance Wallet that focuses on listing early-stage coins.

The Spanish government has shortened the transitional period for cryptocurrency firms to obtain full authorization under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation to Dec. 30, Cointelegraph reported. Existing crypto service providers must secure MiCA approval by this new deadline to continue their operations in the country. While the EU has set a general grace period until July 2026, Spain is implementing stricter measures by accelerating the compliance timeline.

Visa will provide a stablecoin payment service for U.S. banks using Circle's USDC, Unfolded reported on X.

Coinbase has changed its state of incorporation from Delaware to Texas, effective Dec. 15, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company stated that the move will not affect its operations or the rights of its shareholders.

A wallet address associated with BlackRock's spot ETH ETF (ETHA) deposited 47,463 ETH, valued at $140 million, to Coinbase Prime a short time ago, Onchainlens reported. Coinbase Prime is a prime brokerage platform that provides large-scale trading and custody services for institutional investors.

Matt Hougan, CIO of Bitwise, predicts that Bitcoin will break its traditional four-year cycle and reach a new all-time high next year, The Block reported. He stated that the cycle has been broken by a weakening halving effect, a falling interest rate environment, and accelerated institutional adoption amid regulatory improvements. Hougan added that the proliferation of spot ETFs next year could lower volatility and the asset's correlation to stocks, creating a more favorable structure for investors.

Singapore-based digital asset platform StraitsX plans to issue its stablecoins, XSGD and XUSD, on the Solana (SOL) network next year, Cointelegraph reported. XSGD is pegged to the Singapore dollar, while XUSD is pegged to the U.S. dollar.

Cryptocurrency analyst MAC.D predicted in a CryptoQuant contribution that macroeconomic indicators will likely determine the short-term direction of BTC. The analyst noted that while BTC rallied ahead of the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on rate cut expectations, open interest declined at the time, suggesting the rise was spot-driven. In contrast, during the recent price decline, both open interest and funding rates have risen, which MAC.D interprets as traders expanding their long positions. However, with major macroeconomic events scheduled for this week, including U.S. employment and inflation data and Japan's interest rate decision, the analyst concluded that these variables are poised to be the primary drivers of short-term price movements.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has risen above $87,000. BTC is trading at $87,035.43 on the Binance USDT market.

The supply of Bitcoin held by long-term holders has fallen to 14.3 million BTC, its lowest level in eight months, Cointelegraph reported, citing data from Glassnode. This figure, the smallest recorded since April, now accounts for 71.9% of the total circulating supply. Over the past 30 days, the amount of BTC held by this cohort, defined as those holding for over 155 days, has decreased by 760,000 BTC. Cointelegraph's analysis suggests this indicates sustained selling pressure from long-term holders. The outlet also noted that from a technical perspective, a break below key support levels could potentially lead to a correction for BTC down to $68,500.

An address presumed to belong to Lido (LDO) co-founder Konstantin Lomashuk sold 14,585 ETH ($42.71 million) over the past hour, Lookonchain reported.

KindlyMD (NAKA), a Nasdaq-listed company known for its Bitcoin investments, is at risk of being delisted for failing to meet listing requirements, CoinDesk reported. According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company's stock has closed below $1 for 30 consecutive trading days. KindlyMD has until June 8, 2026, to regain compliance by having its stock close at or above $1 for 10 consecutive trading days. Failure to do so will initiate delisting procedures. On Dec. 15, KindlyMD's stock closed at $0.38, representing just 81.7% of its modified net asset value (mNAV).