Polymarket prediction markets currently assign Bitcoin a 21% chance of touching $150,000 before 2027, with expectations clustered around a peak between $100,000 and $120,000. Analysts are divided, with some projecting a major rally in 2026 that could lift BTC as high as $150,000 to $250,000, while others argue that growing Bitcoin options and covered call activity is constraining price upside.

In December 2025, tokenized real-world assets on Solana rose nearly 10% to a record $873.3 million, alongside an 18.4% jump in holders to 126,236. Institutional momentum has been fueled by six Solana ETFs approved in October 2025, Western Union’s choice of Solana for a stablecoin remittance platform serving 150 million customers, and expanding RWA products such as US Treasuries and tokenized equities. Despite SOL trading near $125 at the start of 2026, well below its early-2025 peak, the network has generated $110 million in 30-day onchain app revenue and is seen by firms like Bitwise and Galaxy Research as a key beneficiary of stablecoin and tokenization growth.

On January 2, 2026, Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang Yong said South Korea's economy remains solid despite the won's slide and vowed to resist US-bound investments that could unsettle FX. Authorities rolled out support measures last week as the won neared 1,500 per dollar, and the policy rate was held at 2.5% in late November.

Flow Foundation said it has moved into Phase Two of its recovery plan after a $3.9 million exploit disrupted the network on December 27, 2025. Developers are working to restore EVM functionality, execute validator-approved cleanup transactions, and test fixes on the Cadence chain, with completion expected to take several days.

Turkmenistan's Law on Virtual Assets took effect on January 1, 2026, after parliamentary approval in November and presidential assent in late 2025, creating a legal regime for crypto mining, trading, and exchanges under central bank oversight. The framework keeps crypto use under tight control, bans it for payments, and is expected to support only gradual, limited industry growth, while leveraging excess natural gas for mining and mirroring cautious regulatory trends also seen in Russia's recent mining reforms.

PeckShield said total crypto losses from hacks fell to about $76 million in December, a 60% drop from November's $194.2 million across 26 major incidents. The month included a $50 million address‑poisoning scam and around $27.3 million lost to a multisig key leak, while Trust Wallet and Flow added $7 million and $3.9 million, respectively.

On December 31 2025, former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said Pakistan could become one of the world's leading cryptocurrency markets by 2030 if it maintains its current pace on regulation and adoption. He highlighted the country's young population, recent regulatory steps, and moves into tokenization and Bitcoin reserves as key drivers. Zhao also urged young entrepreneurs to build in crypto and blockchain and encouraged Pakistan to accelerate tokenization of its stock market and government assets.

South Korea's consumer prices rose 2.3% year-on-year in December, remaining above the Bank of Korea's 2% goal for a fourth straight month. Core inflation held at 2%, pointing to limited scope for a near-term rate cut. Analysts said high food costs, a weak won and firm housing demand continue to pose upside risks.

In a December 30 filing, interim US Attorney Jay Clayton asked a New York federal judge to reject the DeFi Education Fund's amicus brief in the criminal case against Anton and James Peraire-Bueno over a $25 million Ethereum MEV exploit. Prosecutors argued the brief repeats legal arguments already decided and adds no new facts, while DEF warned the prosecution could chill DeFi development and a retrial window has been floated for late February or early March 2026. The case is being closely followed across the crypto sector because of its potential impact on MEV practices and developer risk.