On December 24, 2025, a fraudulent "CircleMetals" platform circulated a fake press release claiming that USDC issuer Circle had launched tokenized gold and silver trading. The scam used Circle branding, fabricated executive quotes, and a website that asked users to connect their wallets for swaps between USDC and non-existent GLDC, SILC, and CIRM tokens. Circle later confirmed the announcement was false and urged users to verify product news only through its official channels.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin predicted in an X discussion that developers who focus on security could achieve genuinely bug-free code in the 2030s, supported by advances in formal verification and layered redundancy. His remarks followed Gnosis Chain's December 22 hard fork to recover $9.4 million stolen in the November 2024 Balancer exploit, which had drained over $128 million across several blockchains.

On December 24, 2025, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao called for industry-wide measures to eradicate address poisoning after a trader's nearly $50 million USDT loss on December 19. He said Binance Wallet already uses automated checks to warn against flagged recipients and urged other platforms to deploy similar protections. The attacker later converted the funds and funneled them through Tornado Cash.

On December 22, 2025, Ethereum’s Layer 1 processed about 1,913,481 on-chain transactions in a single day, marking its highest daily count of the year. Average fees were around $0.16 per transaction, with stakeholders linking this record to the Pectra and Fusaka upgrades that expanded block capacity and optimized Layer 2 data handling. Despite reduced congestion and lower costs, the network still faces fragmentation and an ever-growing state database that could challenge node operation over time.

In 2025, payment companies secured $6.2 billion in funding, surging from $540 million in 2024 as investors backed blockchain-based settlement infrastructure. Circle's $1.05 billion June IPO at a valuation of $8.06 billion, alongside major raises by Figure, Ripple, Tempo and Rapyd, accounted for over half of the total. Additional late-year rounds, including RedotPay's $107 million Series B, highlighted strong demand for stablecoin payment platforms and related networks.

Gnosis Chain said it activated a hard fork on December 22, 2025 to recover roughly $9.4 million that had been frozen after the November 2025 Balancer V2 exploit. The project disclosed the move on December 23, adding the assets were no longer under the attacker’s control and urging remaining node operators to update, a step that has prompted debate over governance and immutability.

Uganda has imposed an immediate clearance rule on Starlink gear, making approval from Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba mandatory for any imports. The move, introduced weeks before the 2026 general elections, covers all Starlink communication hardware and components and has drawn criticism from opposition figures and digital rights advocates.

On December 22, Fold Holdings, a Bitcoin-focused financial services company, announced its inclusion in the Russell 2000 Index, a benchmark tracking small-cap U.S. equities. At the same time, MSCI has proposed removing firms whose digital asset holdings make up 50% or more of total assets from its indexes, a move analysts say could trigger multi‑billion‑dollar outflows. MSCI's consultation runs until January 15, 2025, and its final decision may shape how other major index providers treat companies with large crypto treasuries.

Italy's Competition Authority (AGCM) imposed a €98.6 million ($115 million) fine on Apple after a probe launched in May 2023, citing App Store policies tied to App Tracking Transparency. The 199-page ruling orders Apple to halt the conduct and report compliance within 90 days, while the company says it will appeal.