On December 25, 2025, the Bank of Russia said it has readied a regulatory framework that would permit both qualified and retail investors to trade digital currencies and stablecoins, while keeping a domestic payments ban. Retail buyers must pass a risk test and face a 300,000 rubles, or about $3,800, annual limit through one intermediary, and qualified investors can purchase without volume caps after testing.

On December 25, 2025, Strategy (MSTR) CEO Phong Le said he remains optimistic for 2026 even after Bitcoin fell below $87,000. The firm, a major corporate holder of BTC, saw its shares drop 8.5% as the market slid, while BTC traded around $87,039, down 1% over 24 hours.

On December 17, 2025, analyst Benjamin Cowen told his 969,000 YouTube followers that Bitcoin's bull phase is likely over. He cautioned a bear market could persist into October 2026 and projected a move toward $60,000–$70,000, citing the 200‑week Simple Moving Average. Cowen noted past cycle gains favored buyers from late 2022.