The CFTC said on Dec. 31 that Chairman Michael S. Selig appointed Amir Zaidi as chief of staff, bringing back a veteran who helped advance bitcoin futures in 2017. Zaidi previously led the Division of Market Oversight from 2010 to 2019 and later joined TP ICAP. His return follows Selig’s Dec. 18 Senate confirmation.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee, led by Chairman Tim Scott, plans to hold a markup on a digital asset market regulation bill in the second week of January 2026 after delays tied to DeFi concerns and a government shutdown. The proposal, Senate Bill 2669, would direct the SEC and CFTC to jointly define rules for classifying and overseeing digital assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, while Bitcoin trades around $87,753.05 with a market cap near $1.75 trillion.

Crypto markets are subdued as 2025 rolls into 2026, with many assets holding local support. Bitcoin is capped by the 26 and 50 EMA on the daily chart, XRP sits on long-term weekly support near the 50- and 100-week averages, and Shiba Inu trades in a tight band around $0.000007.

Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the Founder of Binance, highlighted Pakistan's rapid crypto adoption and recent regulatory advances, including the first No Objection Certificates from the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. He argued that Pakistan's young user base and policy shift could allow it to leapfrog legacy finance, while also sharing his own practice of living fully on Bitcoin and BNB as a model for a code-driven financial future.

On December 31, 2025, Coinbase research head David Duong released the 2026 Crypto Market Outlook, attributing 2025 progress to clearer regulation and growing institutional build‑out. The report expects stablecoins and tokenized collateral to take bigger roles in 2026. Policy chief Faryar Shirzad warned that banning rewards on US stablecoins could cede ground to China as interest on the digital yuan starts January 1, 2026.

Members of the US Senate Banking Committee are expected to hold a markup on the Responsible Financial Innovation Act in the second week of January after months of delays. The House passed a related market structure bill in July, and sources familiar with the effort expect broader consideration in early 2026. Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis said on Dec. 19 she will not seek reelection in 2026.

Apollo Global Management is selling Coinstar to Arctic Slope Regional Corp., a deal set to repay more than $750 million in principal plus accrued interest in early January. A private notice to bondholders outlined the payoff timeline, according to Bloomberg. Coinstar, in Apollo's portfolio since 2016, operates over 24,000 coin and crypto kiosks.

On December 30, 2025, Coinbase policy chief Faryar Shirzad warned on X that proposals to restrict rewards on U.S. dollar stablecoins risk undermining their appeal abroad. His comments followed the PBOC’s plan to let banks pay interest on digital yuan wallets from January 1, 2026, as the GENIUS Act and pending Senate talks revisit stablecoin incentives.