Binance founder CZ said on Dec. 17 that anyone claiming they can help list tokens on Binance is a scammer, BlockBeats reports. He urged users to report such claims, including those from purported middlemen, consultants, former employees or current staff, and said those involved will be blacklisted and in some cases publicly disclosed. CZ added that even a national president recently asked for listing assistance, and he replied he could not help.

SBI Ripple Asia signed a memorandum of understanding with XRPL-native protocol Doppler Finance on December 17 to jointly explore XRP-based yield products and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization on the XRP Ledger, BlockBeats reports. The deal marks SBI Ripple Asia's first collaboration with a native XRPL yield protocol, with both parties focusing on building compliant and transparent yield infrastructure for institutional clients to support XRP's evolution from a payment-focused token to an income-generating financial asset. Doppler Finance will supply the on-chain yield framework, while SBI Digital Markets, regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, will act as the institutional custodian providing segregated custody for client assets. The partnership is described as a key step to deepen institutional use of XRP Ledger, leveraging the regulatory and ecosystem position of SBI Group and Ripple in Asia to accelerate XRP yield use cases and RWA tokenization in markets such as Japan and Singapore where rules for tokenized assets and blockchain-based yield products are relatively clear.

Binance has been evaluating a restart of Binance.US to rebuild its U.S. footprint, including a potential capital restructuring that would reduce founder CZ's control at the unit, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Dec. 17. If Binance purchases part or all of CZ's shares, the company could install new leadership at the exchange, pursue growth-focused business strategies, and leverage its political relationships in Washington, the people said. Binance has also sought a closer working relationship with BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, according to the people.

More than 250 U.S. listed companies have begun holding cryptocurrencies on their balance sheets this year as President Donald Trump publicly embraces digital assets, the New York Times reports. Trump has called himself the "first crypto president," rolled back earlier strict oversight after taking office, supported pro-crypto legislation, and launched a memecoin named TRUMP. These moves have pushed the once-marginal crypto industry into the core of the U.S. financial system, with some newly listed firms lacking mature businesses and instead focusing on accumulating Bitcoin and other tokens. Analysts quoted in the report said Trump's policies are channeling crypto-related risk into the stock market, increasing investors' exposure to volatility as corporate structures become more crypto-focused.

Bitcoin mining company Hut 8 rose more than 18% in U.S. premarket trading on Dec. 17, lifting its market capitalization to $3.981 billion, after signing a $7 billion, 15-year leasing agreement with Fluidstack. Under the deal, Hut 8 will lease 245 megawatts of IT capacity at its River Bend data center campus to Fluidstack. The agreement grants Fluidstack a right of first offer for up to an additional 1,000 MW of IT capacity in future expansion phases at the same campus, conditional on a corresponding increase in the site's power supply.

Research firm K33 said on Dec. 16 that selling pressure from long-term Bitcoin holders is approaching saturation after years of redistribution, suggesting on-chain sell-side pressure may ease. Since 2024, Bitcoin supply held for over two years has declined, with around 1.6 million BTC reactivated and moving to market, worth about $138 billion at current prices, K33 research head Vetle Lunde said. The report shows 2024 and 2025 rank as the second- and third-largest years in Bitcoin history for long-term supply returning to circulation after 2017, driven by holders realizing liquidity into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs and corporate treasury demand rather than ICOs or altcoin trading. K33 expects sell-side pressure to decline, with roughly 20% of Bitcoin supply reactivated over the past two years and on-chain selling likely nearing saturation, while the amount held for over two years may end its downtrend in 2026 above the current level of about 12.16 million BTC.

Bitcoin is on track for a fourth yearly decline and its first major pullback not accompanied by a scandal or systemic industry crash, as institutional participation expands and the regulatory backdrop matures, Bloomberg reports on December 17. After climbing above $126,000 to a record high in early October, the token has since retreated sharply, with trading volumes muted and investors pulling capital from Bitcoin-linked products. Data show that since October 10, U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen more than $5.2 billion in net outflows, market depth has dropped about 30% from this year's peak, and positioning in derivatives indicates weak conviction for a rebound. Apollo Crypto noted that, despite multiple supportive factors including public backing from U.S. President Donald Trump, the lack of sustained price follow-through and Bitcoin's decoupling from a roughly 16% year-to-date rally in the S&P 500 suggest a broader repositioning and cooling risk appetite rather than a panic-driven crash.

Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission said spot virtual asset ETFs it has authorised reached HK$5.47 billion in total capitalisation by end-November, up 33% year on year, with the product count rising to 11, according to the regulator's third-quarter 2025 report published on December 17. Assets under management in SFC-authorised tokenised retail money market funds climbed 557% year on year to HK$5.48 billion by end-November since their launch this year, with eight such funds now in operation. The SFC noted it jointly reminded investors with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in August to monitor market volatility related to stablecoin concepts while supporting virtual asset innovation.

A whale address deposited 10,169 ETH (worth approximately $29.77 million) to Binance on Dec. 17, realizing a profit of $11.36 million, OnchainLens data show. The address had previously withdrawn 19,505.5 ETH (approximately $48.69 million) to stake, then deposited 20,269 ETH (approximately $60.05 million), earning 763.58 ETH. Address: 0xc8D45CC670c6485F70528976D65f7603160Be2CD.