On December 31, Polymarket data showed Kevin Hassett's probability of becoming the next Federal Reserve Chair falling to 44%, while Janet Yellen's odds climbed to 33% and Jerome Powell's stood at 11%. Bitcoin traded at $87,984.31 with a market cap of $1.76 trillion and 24-hour volume of $33.60 billion, as analysts pointed to potential monetary policy shifts under a new Fed leadership that could influence BTC and ETH.

On December 30, 2025, Bitwise Asset Management submitted filings to the U.S. SEC for 11 cryptocurrency strategy ETFs focused on altcoins rather than BTC or ETH. Each fund is designed with a 60/40 allocation between direct exposure to the underlying asset and related exchange-traded products, with market participants watching potential regulatory feedback and trading implications. If approved, the products could broaden institutional access to diverse digital assets and spur new hedging and innovation in crypto markets.

On December 24, Trust Wallet's browser extension v2.68 was compromised, enabling attackers to drain about $8.50 million from 2,596 wallets, according to CEO Eowyn Chen. The team reverted to a secure version, launched a documentation-based compensation process, and warned users about phishing attempts while markets saw lower Bitcoin and Ethereum trading activity.

On December 11, 2025, Grayscale's Bittensor Trust began trading on OTC Markets, marking its transition to an SEC-reporting entity via a voluntary Form 10-12G filing. The firm has now filed a Form S-1 to support public market access to TAO, offering U.S. investors the first publicly quoted exposure to Bittensor and its decentralized AI network. As of December 30, 2025, TAO traded at $219.92 with a market cap of 2.32 billion, reflecting growing interest in decentralized intelligence infrastructure.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, through Interpretive Letter 1188, states that national banks may take part in risk-free principal crypto transactions without maintaining inventory or price exposure. This clarification separates brokerage-style intermediation from proprietary trading and could support higher regulated liquidity in assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Market data show Bitcoin trading around $87,215.87 with declines over the last 24 hours and 90 days as banks explore new, legally defined ways to route client orders.

On December 30, South Korea postponed submitting its Digital Asset Basic Law to 2026 because of disagreements between the Financial Services Commission and major banks over stablecoin oversight. The draft law targets investor protection and requires stablecoin issuers to hold more than 100% of issuance in reserves, but the delay has introduced uncertainty for the country's digital asset market.

BlockBeats News reported that on December 29th Real World Assets reached $17 billion in TVL, moving ahead of decentralized exchanges to become DeFi's fifth-largest sector. The advance was linked to demand for tokenized U.S. Treasuries and private credit, while Ethereum remained the primary chain supporting RWA activity.

Deputy Governor Lu Lei of the People's Bank of China has announced that, starting January 1, 2026, digital renminbi wallet balances will earn interest under a new management framework. Chinese banks will handle e-CNY balances in a way that is comparable to traditional savings deposits, a move industry leaders view as strategically important for wider digital currency adoption.

From January 1, 2026, China's digital RMB will shift to an interest-bearing model with partial reserve management, as outlined in new regulations. Bank-operated institutions will move digital RMB balances onto their balance sheets, allowing interest payments and extending deposit insurance protection. These changes mark a notable adjustment in asset-liability management and bring the e-CNY closer to traditional banking products.