Meme-themed cryptocurrencies reached a record $150.6 billion market cap in December 2024 and later fell to $47.2 billion by November 2025, a 69% drop. The cycle was fueled by political tokens and a surge in January 2025 launches, while U.S. interest climbed from 20% to nearly 30% during the year.

In its newly released 2026 outlook, crypto analytics firm Presto Research projects Bitcoin could climb to $160,000 and expects tokenized assets and stablecoins to approach $490 billion in value. The report anticipates a maturing market shaped by institutional adoption, confidential DeFi reaching $10 billion, and growing focus on regulation-ready products and measurable cash flows.

On December 19, Ethereum’s derivatives activity on Binance saw its Estimated Leverage Ratio climb to 0.611, while the Taker Buy/Sell Ratio rose to 1.13. These readings suggest buyers are paying market prices to enter longs and are using elevated leverage. ETH was trading just above $2,900 at the time, up over 3% on the day.

Bitcoin moved toward the $85,000 area during Monday’s global session and hovered near $87,000 after a 3.6% daily decline. Altcoins fell harder, with ASTER down about 12%, ENA 9%, SUI 8%, and HYPE 7%. Social chatter spiked, yet classic capitulation signals remain limited, keeping traders watchful rather than fearful.

Bitcoin is trading near $90,000 as traders balance current macro headwinds against scenarios in which looser US monetary policy and the 2026 midterm cycle fuel a major rally. Some analysts project that if quantitative tightening ends, rates are cut, and liquidity improves, BTC could climb into a $300,000–$600,000 range, while others focus on nearby resistance between $90,000 and $94,000 and diverging expectations over whether $100,000 will be reached before 2026.

Analytics platform DeFiLlama reported that in the past week, major cryptocurrencies moved with unusually tight price correlations, led by a 0.99 reading between Bitcoin and Solana. Ethereum also posted strong links to Cardano, Solana, and Dogecoin, while BNB stood out as comparatively disconnected from broader market moves.

JPMorgan Chase has introduced a private tokenized money market fund on Ethereum, seeding it with $100 million. The MONY vehicle issues wallet-based share tokens via Morgan Money, with subscriptions and redemptions in cash or USDC and eligibility starting at $1 million; individuals need at least $5 million and institutions $25 million.

Bybit's 2025 rankings indicate that Ukraine, Nigeria, and Vietnam are among the most dynamic crypto adopters, with usage often driven by gaps in traditional financial systems. The report finds stablecoins are now the most widely used crypto product worldwide, supporting everything from remittances and savings to cross-border transfers and trading access.

On November 27, 2025, hackers breached Upbit and routed funds through over a thousand wallets before most flowed into Binance-hosted service wallets, according to KBS News. Police and Upbit asked Binance to freeze about 470 million won in SOL; Binance froze roughly 80 million won and confirmed the action around midnight the same day.