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Binance founder Changpeng Zhao stated on X that he has not yet spoken directly with U.S. President Donald Trump. The statement comes after President Trump pardoned Zhao, who had been convicted on fraud charges.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao has begun a concerted effort to restore his standing in the United States following a pardon from President Trump, Bloomberg reported. The report states that while Zhao has officially stepped back from Binance's management, he is attempting to expand his influence in the U.S., aligning with the Trump administration's pro-cryptocurrency stance. He is reportedly reviewing a capital restructuring of Binance.US and discussing a reduction of his controlling stake, which has been a persistent obstacle. Binance recently reorganized its leadership, appointing co-founder He Yi as co-CEO alongside Richard Teng. He Yi, described as Zhao's common-law spouse, officially announced his retirement at a recent event, but his practical influence is believed to remain. The company is also said to be exploring an expanded partnership with BlackRock and a collaboration with World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a firm founded by the Trump family. Some observers are concerned that Binance may attempt to re-enter the U.S. market using its past aggressive business practices, the report added.

The co-founders of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization project Plume, Chris Yin and Teddy Pornprinya, met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington last summer, The New York Times reported. According to the newspaper, the founders were also photographed with President Donald Trump. Senior Trump administration officials were reportedly already aware of Plume and had a positive reaction to the project. The New York Times noted that Plume could become a key reference case in future U.S. regulatory discussions on tokenization. The project has also previously partnered with WorldLibertyFinancial (WLFI).

Tether announced on X the launch of PearPass, an open-source password manager solution. The platform utilizes end-to-end encryption and peer-to-peer (P2P) device synchronization and is accessible through a user-owned recovery key.

Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the Government Pension Fund Global (NBIM), has voted in favor of Japanese listed company Metaplanet's Bitcoin treasury strategy, Cointelegraph reported. The fund, which holds an approximate 0.3% stake in Metaplanet, supported all five proposals submitted by the company's management ahead of an extraordinary shareholders' meeting scheduled for Dec. 22. All of the agenda items are related to advancing the company's BTC accumulation strategy.

Decentralized prediction market platform Opinion Labs has surpassed $6.4 billion in cumulative trading volume within 50 days of its launch, according to a report from on-chain data analytics platform Dune. The platform's single-day trading volume has exceeded $200 million on multiple occasions, ranking it first among prediction market platforms. The report noted that prediction markets based on macroeconomic indicators are becoming mainstream by expanding their connections with traditional finance. It highlighted Opinion Labs as a leading project in this sector, designed to allow users to trade real-economy indicators like interest rates and inflation through standardized financial contracts.

Bybit has announced that it will soon list ZKP for spot trading. A specific listing schedule has not been disclosed.

Infrared, a DeFi protocol built on the Berachain network, announced via X that it is conducting its Token Generation Event (TGE) on Dec. 19. The protocol completed its Initial DEX Offering (IDO) and listing on Binance Alpha at 8:00 a.m. UTC. Airdrop claims and further exchange listings are scheduled to begin later in the day at 12:00 p.m. UTC.

Institutional demand for Bitcoin is showing signs of resurgence as the cryptocurrency attempts to establish a price floor following a decline of over 30% from its all-time high, Cointelegraph reported. According to crypto investment firm Capriole Investments, institutional purchases have outpaced the daily supply of newly mined BTC for the last three days. This marks the first time such a trend has been observed since early November. Current institutional buying volume is approximately 13% higher than the daily mining output. While this figure remains below the levels seen when BTC hit its record high two months ago, the firm noted that the renewed interest from institutions is a significant development.

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

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

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

Decentralized video streaming network Theta (THETA) has announced the release of the TDROP whitepaper version 2.0 via an official Medium post. Key changes from the previous version include expanding TDROP to serve as a foundational token for autonomous payments between AI agents and introducing a token economy focused on real-world use cases. Additionally, four billion TDROP will be moved from the NFT liquidity mining pool to a staking rewards pool, and the ecosystem functions of TFUEL and TDROP will be separated.

AI blockchain OpenLedger (OPEN) has announced a $5 million grant program to support decentralized AI research. The project has partnered with the Cambridge Blockchain Society at the University of Cambridge for the initiative.

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb announced that it will temporarily suspend deposits and withdrawals for Inisia (INIT) at 8:00 a.m. UTC on Dec. 22 due to a network upgrade.

Two addresses presumed to belong to Matrixport deposited 4,000 BTC, worth $347.56 million, to Binance earlier today, Lookonchain reported. Such transfers to exchanges are often interpreted as a precursor to selling.

Kyobo Life Insurance is developing blockchain-based insurance products, Decenter reported. The company is collaborating with Web3 healthcare platform SuperWalk (GRND) to explore ways to integrate health management data into its insurance offerings. Previously, Kyobo Life participated in the public testnet for Arc, a blockchain network developed by Circle.

Binance has announced that it will delist eight spot trading pairs at 3:00 a.m. UTC on Dec. 19. The affected pairs are AI/FDUSD, BICO/BTC, DOLO/BNB, MITO/BNB, MITO/FDUSD, MOVE/BTC, NEWT/BNB, and OM/BTC.

IoTeX (IOTX) has released a white paper for its token that complies with the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. The document provides a foundation for EU-based exchanges, custody providers, and partners to support IOTX within the MiCA regulatory framework. Under MiCA, utility tokens can be distributed without separate approval or authorization, but issuers are required to publish a white paper that meets the regulation's disclosure standards.

Whale Alert reported that 3,000 BTC has been transferred from an unknown wallet to Binance. The transaction is valued at about $260 million.

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

Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko has shared his vision for SKR, the upcoming token for Solana Mobile. He explained that while the technology stack is still far from complete, its eventual implementation will grant SKR token holders control over the phone, user experience, and revenue generation structure. Yakovenko added that the combination of the Solana Mobile stack and a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) will be designed to automatically distribute profits to SKR holders.

The Japanese government is considering delaying the introduction of a separate tax on cryptocurrency gains until 2028, Reuters reported. While there was initial discussion of a 2027 implementation if an amendment to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act passed the Diet next year, the current consensus favors reforming the system after observing market conditions. The government has stated that a delay is necessary as investor protection measures are still considered inadequate. Currently, profits from crypto trading in Japan are classified as miscellaneous income and are taxed at a rate of up to 55% when combined with other earnings. Investors and the industry have been advocating for a separate tax rate of 20%, consistent with the tax on stock market gains.

The dYdX Foundation is considering a proposal to distribute $100,000 in DYDX tokens to the 100 traders who incurred the largest liquidation losses during the first two weeks of December. The foundation announced on X that the initiative is part of a broader, community-approved $1 million pilot program designed to compensate for such losses.

The government of Bhutan plans to invest 10,000 BTC in the development of its 'Mindfulness City' in Gelephu, Cointelegraph reported. The city aims to attract various industries, including finance, tourism, and healthcare, and will offer regulatory flexibility for cryptocurrency and fintech companies.