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BNB Chain-based decentralized exchange (DEX) PancakeSwap (CAKE) announced on its official blog that it will host a token sale for LV, the native token of LeverUp, on its CAKE.PAD launchpad platform. LeverUp is a decentralized perpetual futures exchange (PerpDEX) built on Monad (MON). The platform offers up to 1,001x leverage, applies zero fees to trades with leverage exceeding 500x, and returns all protocol fees to users who stake the token. To participate in the sale, users must use CAKE on the CAKE.PAD platform. The total supply of LV is one billion tokens, with 10 million LV (1% of the supply) allocated for this sale at a price of $0.01 each. The LV sale on CAKE.PAD is scheduled to run from 3:00 a.m. UTC on Dec. 17 to 3:00 a.m. UTC on Dec. 18.

Binance Alpha announced it will add CYS. The platform is an on-chain trading service within the Binance Wallet that focuses on listing early-stage coins.

Coinbase has announced a partnership with PNC Bank, the ninth-largest bank in the U.S. by assets. The collaboration will allow clients of PNC's private bank to trade spot BTC through the Coinbase Cryptocurrency as a Service (CaaS) platform.

Privacy-focused blockchain Horizen (ZEN) has launched a Layer 3 mainnet on Coinbase's Layer 2 network, Base, migrating from its proprietary Layer 1 chain, The Block reported. The move follows a DAO governance decision. Horizen also plans to launch a 100 million ZEN grant program for developers within the Base ecosystem.

U.K.-based Standard Chartered (SC) has significantly lowered its year-end Bitcoin price forecast to $100,000 from a previous target of $200,000, Decrypt reported. The bank also pushed back its timeline for BTC reaching its long-term target of $500,000 to 2030 from an earlier projection of 2028, stating that aggressive purchasing by corporations like Strategy has effectively concluded. In a report, SC analyst Geoffrey Kendrick explained that future BTC price appreciation will likely depend solely on inflows into spot ETFs. He noted that current inflows are at their lowest levels since the products launched, leaving the price to move sideways without any clear upward catalysts. Kendrick added that while the market expects the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates tomorrow, significant volatility could emerge depending on the economic outlook for next year.

U.S. Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin mining company Iren Limited, formerly known as Iris Energy, has completed a $2.3 billion convertible note issuance, CoinDesk reported. The company also finalized the repurchase of $544.3 million in existing convertible notes, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $2.27 billion.

The cryptocurrency market has entered a consolidation phase within a solid range, with trading volume increasingly concentrated in major assets like BTC and ETH, Wintermute said in a post on X. The firm noted that the market has become more resilient to macroeconomic risks, pointing to the absence of follow-up selling after a recent $2 billion BTC liquidation as a sign of this strength. While capital from both retail and institutional investors is flowing into BTC and ETH, there is less activity in leveraged positions. According to Wintermute, market attention is now focused on upcoming macroeconomic events, including the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate decision this week and Japan's rate decision next week.

Bitcoin's current sideways price movement is due to a lack of buying pressure, according to Eric Robertsen, Head of FX Research at Standard Chartered. He explained that a primary buying force, which he believes was a single entity responsible for the bulk of spot ETF inflows, has now vanished. Robertsen noted that since this entity's exit, fund flows into BTC spot ETFs have either stagnated or turned to net outflows.

BMW has adopted Kinexys, a blockchain-based payment system developed by JPMorgan, to automate some of its foreign exchange transfers, Bloomberg reported. The automaker has configured the system to automatically transfer funds from its euro account in Frankfurt whenever the dollar balance in its New York account falls below a specific threshold. JPMorgan stated that the system's speed and programmability enable BMW to reduce the capital buffer it must hold to cover potential funding shortfalls.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with Politico that a willingness to lower interest rates is a key criterion for selecting the next Federal Reserve Chair, Walter Bloomberg reported.

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)-listed Hyperscale Data (GPUS) has announced plans to expand its internal funds for Bitcoin investment to $75 million, an amount equivalent to approximately 83% of its market capitalization. The company's subsidiary, Sentinum, currently holds approximately 451.85 BTC. Additionally, Hyperscale Data has allocated an extra $34 million in cash to purchase more BTC on the open market.

Despite Bitcoin reaching a new all-time high this year, daily deposits from retail investors to Binance have fallen to a record low, averaging just 411 BTC, Cointelegraph reported, citing data from CryptoQuant. This marks a structural decline from December 2021, when daily deposits reached approximately 2,675 BTC. According to a CryptoQuant analysis, the decrease is likely due to the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs, which have provided an easier investment path for individual investors. The analysis also noted that while retail deposits have dwindled, large-scale whale investors have been accumulating spot positions or taking long futures positions, suggesting that a price bottom may have formed.

An anonymous address starting with 0x9D1c deposited 5,748 ETH, worth $17.89 million, to Kraken earlier today, according to on-chain analytics firm Lookonchain. The firm added that its tracking indicates the address is derived from the Ethereum Foundation.

Polygon (POL) has implemented its Madhugiri hard fork, an upgrade aimed at increasing network throughput by 33% and reducing block consensus time to one second, Cointelegraph reported. The hard fork also includes a limit on gas fee consumption and other network efficiency enhancements. Through this upgrade, Polygon aims to strengthen its infrastructure for applications such as Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization and stablecoins.

Bullish Aim, a company founded by the Malaysian Crown Prince, has launched RMJDT, a stablecoin pegged to the Malaysian ringgit, Bloomberg reported. The stablecoin, which launched on the Zetrix network, is backed by reserves of ringgit and short-term government bonds.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has decided to substantially ease regulations for intermediaries, such as exchanges and wallet providers, that handle certain stablecoins and wrapped tokens, Decrypt reported. Under the new measures, these firms will be exempt from licensing requirements and permitted to hold customer funds in omnibus accounts, which pool multiple clients' assets into a single account. The move is a temporary measure intended to prevent confusion within the industry until formal legislative regulations are established.

The continued issuance of stablecoins like USDT and USDC has not translated into upward momentum for the cryptocurrency market, according to an analysis by BeInCrypto. The report cited several factors for this disconnect: a greater flow of newly issued stablecoins into derivatives exchanges rather than spot markets, the use of stablecoins for purposes other than cryptocurrency investment, and a lack of market inflows due to cooled investor sentiment. BeInCrypto added that while an increase in stablecoin supply can signal potential for a market rally, its actual impact is heavily dependent on market sentiment and the specific use of the funds.

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan predicts the cryptocurrency market could grow by at least 10 to 20 times its current size over the next decade, The Block reported, citing a client letter. Hougan highlighted the immense growth potential in tokenized stocks, referencing a statement by former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Paul Atkins, who anticipated the U.S. stock market would transition on-chain within years. He noted that while the current market for tokenized stocks is only $670 million, the total U.S. stock market is valued at approximately $68 trillion. Hougan also emphasized that stablecoins will become increasingly important, and pointed to DeFi, prediction markets, privacy technology, and digital identity as other key areas poised for significant growth.

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb has announced that it will temporarily suspend deposits and withdrawals for Starknet (STRK) at 12:00 p.m. UTC on Dec. 9 due to a network upgrade.

The Singapore Exchange's (SGX) crypto perpetual futures, launched two weeks ago, are gaining significant traction, SGX President Michael Syn said in an interview with CoinDesk. He noted that trading volumes for the exchange's BTC and ETH perpetual futures have surged since their debut, supplying new liquidity to the market rather than drawing funds from elsewhere. Syn suggested the products are meeting demand from institutional investors, particularly for basis trading during Asian market hours. He also highlighted that SGX manages risk with a conservative collateral policy, unlike over-the-counter (OTC) markets where high leverage can lead to automatic liquidations. Syn added that the primary goal is now to build liquidity and trust, with plans to potentially add options or other altcoin futures in the future.

Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor stated that the company has no plans to issue perpetual preferred stock in Japan for at least one year, giving Metaplanet the first opportunity in the market, CoinDesk reported. Speaking at the Bitcoin MENA event, Saylor noted that Strategy currently issues perpetual preferred equity and digital credit in the U.S., which are products with no maturity date that pay regular dividends. There are currently five such products available in Japan, and Metaplanet is preparing to launch two new ones. Saylor added that he would give Metaplanet a 12-month window.

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

Shayne Coplan, CEO of the prediction market platform Polymarket, said in an interview with Axios that the company is currently operating at a loss. He explained that while Polymarket is not averse to making money, its priority is creating new markets. Coplan stated that the most important goal at present is to grow the prediction market as much as possible and secure maximum market share. He added that prediction markets have spreads similar to those in sports betting, and Polymarket redistributes the spreads paid by users to those who provide liquidity.

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb has announced that it will temporarily suspend deposits and withdrawals for Casper (CSPR) due to a network upgrade. The suspension is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. UTC on Dec. 11.

South Korean law enforcement agencies and government bodies have spent approximately 15.6 billion won (about $11.3 million) over the past three years on a U.S.-based cryptocurrency analytics program, Segye Ilbo reported on Dec. 9. The report cited data obtained through the office of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Tae-ho. According to the data, the National Police Agency spent a total of 4.81 billion won on the analytics firm Chainalysis this year. The largest portion, 3.69 billion won, was allocated to cyber and other investigative departments, while criminal divisions, including drug investigations, spent 954 million won, and national security probes accounted for 170 million won. Separately, South Korean prosecutors are also spending billions of won annually on Chainalysis. The Ministry of Justice stated that the prosecution service paid 1.35 billion won to the firm this year, a nearly fourfold increase from the 378.73 million won spent in 2022.