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El Salvador's Bitcoin holdings have surpassed the 7,500 mark, according to a report from CryptoBriefing. The country currently holds 7,501 BTC, valued at approximately $671 million.

The South Korean won-pegged stablecoin KRWQ has been integrated into FraxNet, Frax Finance's cross-chain settlement infrastructure designed for compliance with the GENIUS stablecoin bill. KRWQ was launched by decentralized AI and blockchain developer IQ in partnership with Frax Finance. The integration provides investors and institutions with access to KRW-USD settlement rails through Frax Finance's frxUSD infrastructure. The KRWQ team also announced plans to create new liquidity pools with support from Frax and IQ.

The Korea Asset Management Corporation (KAMCO) provided principal forgiveness on COVID-19 relief loans to borrowers who were financially capable of repaying their debts, E-Daily reported. According to a regular audit of KAMCO by the Board of Audit and Inspection, 1,944 of the 32,703 recipients of principal reduction were deemed to have a 100% repayment ability. These individuals collectively received 84 billion won ($60.8 million) in debt forgiveness. The audit also found that among a group of recipients who had over 30 million won forgiven, 269 held more than 10 million won in virtual assets at the end of last year. These crypto-holding borrowers received a total of 22.5 billion won ($16.3 million) in principal reductions. In one case, a borrower who received a 120 million won ($87,000) principal reduction in July of last year held 430 million won ($311,000) in crypto assets at year-end.

The following are the key liquidation figures for cryptocurrency perpetual futures over the past 24 hours: BTC: $108 million liquidated, with long positions accounting for 86.3%. ETH: $62.43 million liquidated, with long positions accounting for 71.66%. SOL: $13.77 million liquidated, with long positions accounting for 89.15%.

CryptoQuant CEO Ju Ki-young announced on X the launch of an Analyst Consensus Index, which was developed using Claude AI based on data from 246 analysts. He stated that backtesting over the past five years showed the index successfully predicted the 2022 bear market, the 2023 rebound, and the current market correction. Ju added that while many are asking what comes next, he believes that in the current neutral and uncertain market, it is an advisable strategy for investors to maintain their convictions and hold their existing positions.

A sharp decline in Bitcoin transfers between exchanges is a significant warning sign for the market, according to an analysis by XWIN Research Japan, a contributor to CryptoQuant. The analyst noted that while the BTC price appears stable on the surface, on-chain data suggests otherwise. The Bitcoin Inter-Flow Pulse (IFP) indicator, which measures fund flows between exchanges, has turned red, signaling a slowdown in liquidity. The analysis explains that high IFP levels typically support price stability through smooth arbitrage and liquidity provision. However, a decline in the IFP suggests the market is becoming more sensitive to smaller trades, heightening the risk of volatility. This liquidity crunch is occurring as Bitcoin reserves on exchanges sit at historically low levels. While a smaller sellable supply can support prices in the short term, it also thins order books, which can cause slippage and volatility to spike once the price starts moving. The analyst added that with market leverage still high, leveraged positions are particularly vulnerable until liquidity recovers, noting that past instances of the IFP turning red have preceded sharp corrections or sudden price swings.

Jack Yi, founder of LD Capital, stated on X that on-chain data for Ethereum (ETH) confirms continuous accumulation by whale addresses. He suggested that the current price range is a suitable time for spot purchases, arguing that the potential for price decline is limited while the upside is unlimited. Yi added that the core of investing lies in risk management and assessing the risk-to-reward ratio.

A wallet address starting with 0x7BB8, presumed to belong to cryptocurrency service provider Matrixport, withdrew 3 million ASTER ($2.84 million) from Binance approximately 13 hours ago, according to Lookonchain.

Decentralized crypto options exchange Aevo has suffered a $2.7 million hack, The Block reported. The incident stemmed from a price manipulation vulnerability that emerged during an upgrade to the platform's oracle infrastructure. Aevo stated that the hack did not affect its main Layer 2 exchange.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has risen above $89,000. BTC is trading at $89,019.14 on the Binance USDT market.

An address linked to Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin sold 1,400 UNI ($7,480), 10,000 KNC ($2,470), and 40 trillion DINU approximately five hours ago, acquiring 16,796 USDC in the process, according to a report from Lookonchain.

South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party is reportedly set to oppose the Bank of Korea's key proposals for its upcoming legislation on won-denominated stablecoins, Yonhap Infomax reported. According to the party's Digital Asset Task Force, the group will reject the central bank's demands to limit issuance to bank-led consortiums where banks hold a stake of over 51%. The task force also plans to discard the proposal for a policy council with unanimous decision-making power. The legislation is part of the second phase of the country's Digital Asset Basic Act.

According to Tokenomist, several major token unlocks are scheduled for the week of Dec. 15-21. On Dec. 15, 55.56 million SEI tokens ($6.93 million), representing 1.08% of the circulating supply, will be released. This will be followed by the unlock of 92.65 million ARB tokens ($19 million), or 1.9% of the circulating supply, on Dec. 16. Two unlocks are scheduled for Dec. 20: 25.71 million ZRO tokens ($37.79 million), representing 6.79% of the circulating supply, and 33.44 million LISTA tokens ($5.34 million), representing 6.85% of the circulating supply.

Exor, the majority shareholder of Italian Serie A football club Juventus, has rejected a €1 billion (approximately $1.1 billion) acquisition offer from stablecoin issuer Tether, Cointelegraph reported. In an official statement on Dec. 14, the holding company announced that its board had unanimously turned down the proposal. The bid from Tether reportedly valued Juventus at around €1 billion, proposing a price of €2.66 ($2.87) per share. Exor, which has been controlled by Italy's Agnelli family for over a century, owns a 65.4% stake in the club.

Cryptocurrency wallet Phantom announced via X that it plans to launch a debit card in the United States. Users who complete identity verification will be able to obtain the card to access fiat on/off-ramp and bank account transfer services.

Layer 1 blockchain Neo (NEO) and Web3 agentic operating system SpoonOS announced they will host the Scoop AI Hackathon: Seoul Bowl in Seoul on July 20-21. The event will focus on developing agent technology that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) and Web3, with a total prize pool of $8,000. The hackathon will feature several tracks, including agentic AI infrastructure, AI for science, and autonomous finance and fintech. Participation is free for both developers and the general public.

Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council (NEC) and a potential candidate for the next U.S. Federal Reserve Chair, has stated that he would not be swayed by any attempts from President Donald Trump to influence the central bank's policy. Speaking in an interview with CBS's Face the Nation, Hassett emphasized that the Fed's role is to maintain its independence and build a consensus on the direction of interest rates among the members of its Board of Governors and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). He added that this process must be conducted under the leadership of the Fed Chair.

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao announced on X that he holds more than 2 million ASTER. This follows a previous disclosure on Nov. 2, when Zhao shared a screenshot of his transaction history. The image showed he held a total of 2,090,598.14 ASTER, acquired at a price of $0.913.

The United Kingdom plans to classify cryptocurrencies as financial products and strengthen its regulatory framework. According to The Guardian, the UK Treasury announced that starting in 2027, crypto assets will be placed under the supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and regulated as strictly as traditional financial instruments. This measure is intended to address previously inadequate consumer protection, as crypto was not subject to the same rules as products like stocks. Under the new regulations, crypto firms will be required to register with the FCA if they are subject to anti-money laundering laws. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves explained that bringing crypto into the regulatory perimeter is a crucial step in making the UK a leading global financial hub in the digital age. She added that the move will provide clear rules for businesses, encourage investment and innovation, strengthen consumer protection, and prevent illicit activities.

The Altcoin Season Index from the cryptocurrency data platform CoinMarketCap currently stands at 20. The index is calculated by comparing the price performance of the top 100 coins by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins and wrapped tokens, against Bitcoin. An altcoin season is indicated when 75% of these top altcoins outperform Bitcoin over the preceding 90-day period. A reading closer to 100 suggests an altcoin season, while the opposite indicates a Bitcoin season.

December 16 - 5:30 a.m. UTC: FOMC member John Williams speaks. - 1:30 p.m. UTC: U.S. November Non-Farm Payrolls release. December 17 - 3:15 a.m. UTC: Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller speaks. December 18 - 7:30 a.m. UTC: FOMC member Raphael Bostic speaks. - 9:00 p.m. UTC: Bank of England interest rate decision. - 1:30 p.m. UTC: U.S. November Consumer Price Index (CPI) release. December 19 - 3:00 a.m. UTC: Bank of Japan interest rate decision.

CME Bitcoin futures opened the week with a gap of approximately $2,035. The contract, which closed the previous trading session at $90,610, began trading on Monday at $88,575. These gaps occur because the CME market is closed on weekends, while the Bitcoin spot market operates 24/7. Significant fluctuations in the spot price over the weekend can create a disparity between Friday's closing price and Monday's opening price. As a result, investors are closely watching for the possibility that the futures price will move to fill this gap.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index from data provider Alternative has fallen five points from the previous day to 16, maintaining the market's state of extreme fear. The index measures market sentiment, where a value closer to zero indicates extreme fear and a value closer to 100 signifies extreme optimism. It is calculated based on several factors: volatility (25%), trading volume (25%), social media mentions (15%), surveys (15%), Bitcoin's market cap dominance (10%), and Google search volume (10%).

UK investment bank Barclays has a negative outlook for the cryptocurrency market in 2024, Cointelegraph reported. In a recent year-end report, the bank noted a sharp decline in spot market trading volumes on major platforms like Coinbase (COIN) and Robinhood (HOOD), alongside a significant decrease in demand from retail investors. While firms such as BlackRock and Robinhood are conducting pilots in tokenization, Barclays believes these efforts are too early to have a meaningful market impact. The bank concluded that structural growth will likely be limited, as there are no clear catalysts to revive demand, unless major events occur such as the approval of a spot Bitcoin ETF or the election of a pro-crypto president in November 2024.

According to CoinNess market monitoring, BTC has fallen below $88,000. BTC is trading at $87,985.77 on the Binance USDT market.