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Bitcoin staking protocol developer Babylon Labs has announced a partnership with DSRV, a global validator and Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP). The two companies plan to focus on creating a BTCFi 2.0 environment that institutional investors can use with confidence. Babylon Labs enables the use of Bitcoin within the Ethereum ecosystem without requiring a bridge. Its native BTC staking protocol currently has 62,000 BTC staked. DSRV is a global validator that provides secure, professional services for institutions, leveraging its capabilities in custody and infrastructure operations.

Probable, an on-chain prediction platform incubated by BNB Chain-based decentralized exchange PancakeSwap (CAKE) and EasyLabs, will soon launch on the BNB Chain, according to an official blog post. The platform will offer prediction products on topics such as cryptocurrency price movements and global events, and will implement a zero-fee policy for initial trades. Probable has integrated the UMA Oracle System, which allows users to deposit crypto that is automatically swapped to USDT for immediate betting on prediction products.

OKX announced it will list LIGHT/USDT perpetual futures at 8:00 a.m. UTC today. The listing will support up to 50x leverage.

Singaporean payments infrastructure firm StraitX plans to launch two new stablecoins on the Solana (SOL) blockchain, CoinDesk reported. The new assets are XSGD, pegged to the Singapore dollar, and XUSD, pegged to the U.S. dollar. Both stablecoins will utilize Solana's x402 payment standard.

The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a consultation process on the comprehensive regulation of the cryptocurrency industry, Reuters reported. The consultation period will run until Feb. 12, 2026, with plans to finalize the regulatory framework by the end of that year. The move follows a draft proposal from the UK Treasury to place cryptocurrencies under the FCA's authority starting in 2027, regulating them as strictly as traditional financial products. The draft covers areas including crypto asset listings, prevention of insider trading and market manipulation, rules for exchanges and brokers, staking, lending, and corporate risk management.

Across the top three crypto futures exchanges by open interest, short positions hold a slight majority in BTC perpetual futures over the past 24 hours, with an overall ratio of 51.19% short to 48.81% long. The breakdown by exchange is: Binance (Long 47.9%, Short 52.1%), OKX (Long 48.63%, Short 51.37%), and Bybit (Long 47.82%, Short 52.18%).

South Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC) plans to convert its Virtual Asset Division from a temporary to a permanent organization, News1 reported. The Virtual Asset Inspection Division, housed within the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), will also be made a permanent entity. The FSC announced the move on Dec. 16 via a legislative notice in the official gazette, detailing a partial amendment to the enforcement rules for the commission and its affiliated agencies.

Cathie Wood's Ark Invest purchased shares in several crypto-related companies on Dec. 15, according to The Block. Through its ARKK, ARKW, and ARKF exchange-traded funds, the firm acquired $17 million worth of Bitmine (BMNR) stock, $16.26 million in Coinbase (COIN) shares, and $10.8 million in Circle (CRCL) shares. The purchases also included $5.94 million of Block stock, $5.2 million in Bullish (BLSH) shares, and a $1.24 million investment in its own Ark 21Shares Bitcoin Spot ETF.

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb announced that it will list OpenEden (EDEN) for trading against the South Korean won at 8:00 a.m. UTC today.

Animoca Brands Japan, a subsidiary of NFT and blockchain game developer Animoca Brands, has partnered with multichain middleware platform Bifrost (BFC) to support publicly listed Japanese companies in holding and managing their Bitcoin. The initiative will provide support in several areas, including cryptocurrency custody, active management through staking, lending, and DeFi yield farming, and assistance for companies entering businesses that generate recurring fees.

Binance has announced on its official website that it will delist several margin trading pairs on Dec. 23 at 6:00 a.m. UTC. The affected cross margin pairs are DOT/FDUSD, ENA/FDUSD, SEI/FDUSD, FIL/FDUSD, BONK/FDUSD, ZK/FDUSD, ETC/FDUSD, WLD/FDUSD, OP/FDUSD, NEAR/FDUSD, WIF/FDUSD, APT/FDUSD, DYDX/FDUSD, TIA/FDUSD, and UNI/FDUSD. Additionally, the following isolated margin pairs will be delisted: DOT/FDUSD, ENA/FDUSD, SEI/FDUSD, FIL/FDUSD, BONK/FDUSD, ZK/FDUSD, ETC/FDUSD, WLD/FDUSD, OP/FDUSD, NEAR/FDUSD, WIF/FDUSD, DYDX/FDUSD, and TIA/FDUSD.

U.S. spot Ethereum (ETH) ETFs saw a total net outflow of $224.94 million on Dec. 15, marking the third consecutive day of net outflows, according to data compiled by TraderT. No ETFs recorded any net inflows. The outflows included $139.26 million from BlackRock's ETHA, $35.10 million from Grayscale's ETHE, $20.18 million from Grayscale's Mini ETH, $13.01 million from Bitwise's ETHW, $10.96 million from Fidelity's FETH, and $6.43 million from VanEck's ETHV.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a total net outflow of $351.69 million on Dec. 15, reversing course after just one day of net inflows, according to data compiled by TraderT. Fidelity's FBTC led the outflows with $230 million. Other funds seeing outflows included Bitwise's BITB with $44.32 million, Ark Invest's ARKB with $34.49 million, Grayscale's GBTC with $27.51 million, and VanEck's HODL with $21.25 million. BlackRock's IBIT recorded zero net flows, while Valkyrie's BRRR was the only fund with a net inflow, attracting $6 million.

NFT marketplace Magic Eden announced via X that it has launched a buyback program. The company will use 15% of its Ordinals trading fees to purchase Ordinals for its own collection.

Fourteen of the top 25 banks in the U.S. are currently developing Bitcoin products for their clients, according to Bitcoin financial services firm River. The company added that traditional financial institutions, which initially dismissed Bitcoin, are now actively designing crypto-based products in response to customer demand.

Forced liquidations in the cryptocurrency perpetual futures market over the past 24 hours were heavily skewed toward long positions. Bitcoin (BTC) saw $186 million in liquidations, with 84.41% from longs. Ethereum (ETH) followed with $174 million liquidated, of which 93.16% were long positions. Solana (SOL) recorded $34.54 million in liquidations, with 88.16% from longs.

U.S. President Donald Trump has stated he will review the case involving the co-founders of the privacy-focused cryptocurrency wallet Samourai Wallet, Cointelegraph reports. During a press conference at the White House, Trump responded to a question on the topic by saying he had heard about the matter and would look into it. Samourai Wallet co-founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill were sentenced in November to five and four years in prison, respectively, on charges of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. The president has previously pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht.

The cryptocurrency market will need time to recover and an uptrend will be difficult, according to a post on X by crypto analyst and CoinNess Content Creator Mignolet. He explained that while many people say Bitcoin's four-year cycle is over, he believes the bull cycle has ended, even when considering the new variable of ETFs. Mignolet noted that although some argue ETFs have altered the market cycle, this recent period has still followed the traditional four-year pattern. He added that if the old cycle is truly finished and a new ETF-based one has emerged, the current market phase could open up entirely new paths for both upward and downward movements.

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb announced that it will temporarily suspend deposits and withdrawals for Injective (INJ) starting at 9:00 a.m. UTC on Dec. 18 due to a network upgrade.

The South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinone has announced the designation of Myro (MYRO) as an item for investment caution. The exchange explained that the project's community is not sufficiently active. Coinone also cited concerns regarding the project's viability and operational sustainability, noting a potential for harm to users.

Tom Lee, Chairman of Fundstrat and Bitmine, said on X that assets with significant growth potential, such as AI, BTC, and ETH, are currently very sensitive to risk perception. For this reason, he views price adjustments as buying opportunities. Bitmine was previously reported to have purchased $321 million worth of ETH last week.

Nasdaq-listed social media marketing firm Thumzup has completed its acquisition of Dogecoin (DOGE) and Litecoin (LTC) mining company Dogehash Technologies. Following the acquisition, the company will rebrand as Datacentrex and is scheduled to begin trading on Nasdaq under the new ticker DTCX on Dec. 16. Datacentrex also plans to strategically invest its mining revenue into BTC, DOGE, and LTC.

An early Bitcoin holder, identified by an address beginning with 1011short·oxb317d, is facing an unrealized loss of approximately $54 million on long positions in BTC, ETH, and SOL, according to Onchain Lens. The investor had previously opened positions totaling over $600 million. The address's positions and average entry prices are as follows: a long position of 190,935 ETH ($563 million) at an average entry price of $3,167; a long position of 1,000 BTC ($85.93 million) at an average entry price of $91,506; and a long position of 250,000 SOL ($31.53 million) at an average entry price of $137.53.

Wyoming-based crypto bank Custodia Bank has requested a rehearing of a court ruling that upheld the Federal Reserve's denial of its application for a master account, according to reporter Eleanor Terrett. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling in October. Custodia argues that the court misinterpreted the law, thereby wrongly denying its right to open a master account. A master account with the U.S. Federal Reserve allows qualified institutions, such as banks, to transact directly with the Fed without needing an intermediary bank.

Whale Alert reported that 5,869 BTC has been transferred from Coinbase to an unknown new wallet. The transaction is valued at about $505 million.