On Dec. 24, XRPL Labs lead software engineer Denis Angell announced that the XRP Ledger’s AlphaNet has integrated post-quantum cryptography and native smart contracts. The upgrade replaces elliptic curve signatures with the NIST-standardized ML-DSA (CRYSTALS-Dilithium) scheme, introducing Quantum Accounts, Transactions, and Consensus while significantly increasing signature size to about 2,420 bytes. Alongside enhanced quantum resistance, the update brings base-layer smart contract capabilities designed to expand XRPL’s DeFi ecosystem beyond payments.

On 25 December, blockchain investigator ZachXBT and other researchers raised security concerns about a recent Trust Wallet browser extension update. They allege that new code added on 24 December may exfiltrate seed phrases and wallet data to a spoofed domain, with users reporting rapid fund drains exceeding $2 million. The reports suggest a potential supply-chain compromise limited to the browser extension, while Trust Wallet has not yet issued any public response.

Pudgy Penguins ran animated visuals across the Las Vegas Sphere’s exterior, with the display going live on Christmas Eve, according to a post on X. The 2021-founded NFT project, acquired by Luca Netz in April 2022 for $2.5 million in Ether, has broadened into physical toys alongside digital collectibles.

Changpeng Zhao has called for coordinated industry measures to combat address poisoning scams after a trader lost about $50 million in USDT in a single phishing incident. He is pushing for wallet-level spam filters, blacklists, and warnings, as security firms highlight rising dusting attacks and broader crypto fraud losses running into tens of billions of dollars.

The Asia Web3 Alliance Japan and Web3 Salon have launched the JFIIP accelerator with Ripple Labs and several major Japanese financial institutions to support compliant finance projects on the XRP Ledger. The program offers Japanese startups a grant of about $10,000 and prioritized access to Ripple's broader grant pool, with a strong focus on real-world banking and tokenization use cases.

On 25 December 2025, commentary from Rob Hadick argued that growing tokenization will likely support a shared digital economy instead of a single dominant blockchain. He sees Ethereum evolving as a core settlement and capital layer while Solana focuses on speed and high-volume activity, with fragmentation across multiple networks expected as more assets move onchain.

India's Enforcement Directorate conducted coordinated searches on 18 December across 21 locations in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi, targeting 4th Bloc Consultants under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Investigators allege a long-running Ponzi-style crypto operation; assets and multiple wallets were identified, and a 23 December 2025 post on X noted the probe remains ongoing.

A forged press release alleging Circle launched a tokenized gold-and-silver platform spread across crypto channels on Christmas Eve. On 25 December 2025, Circle said the announcement was fake and urged users not to connect wallets to any related sites, highlighting common drain-wallet tactics.