During the first trading session of 2026, Korea Exchange chairman Jeong Eun-bo outlined plans to list virtual asset ETFs, add derivatives, and move toward 24/7 trading. Progress remains constrained as a long-running clash between the Financial Services Commission and the Bank of Korea over who can issue stablecoins holds up the Digital Asset Basic Act, even as regulators ramp up anti-money laundering enforcement and fines against major exchanges.

On December 30, Grayscale Investments filed a Form S-1 to convert its over-the-counter Bittensor Trust into a spot ETF on NYSE Arca under ticker GTAO. As of December 31, the trust held $7.97 million in digital assets, traded on OTCQX with 1.88 million shares, a 2.5% fee, and 0.0192 TAO per share.

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT warned on January 2, 2026 of an active cross-chain exploit draining hundreds of wallets across EVM-compatible networks. Reported losses exceed $107,000, with most affected addresses losing under $2,000 each while the root cause remains unknown. Researchers are mapping victim addresses, including a suspicious wallet (0xAc2***9bFB) potentially linked to the thefts.

Bitcoin closed Q4 2025 with a 23% drop, the weakest quarter since 2018's 42% slide. Analysts outline 2026 scenarios spanning a broad $80,000–$140,000 range, with risks of dips below $80,000 if recession pressures rise and potential extensions toward $170,000 under favorable Fed policy and ETF flows.

All 12 U.S. bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $348 million in net outflows on the final trading day of 2025, while BTC closed at $87,496, 6% below its December 2024 finish at $93,381. Ethereum ETFs saw $72.06 million in outflows, whereas Solana and XRP spot products logged $2.29 million and $5.58 million in inflows.

The UK and 47 countries began mandatory crypto transaction reporting under OECD’s Cryptoasset Reporting Framework, requiring exchanges to capture full records and tax residency data for HMRC. Automatic information exchanges with participating tax authorities are slated to start in 2027, while 75 jurisdictions have committed to adopt the rules, with the US implementing in 2028.

In Q4 2025, Tether bought $876 million in bitcoin, lifting its stash to 96,185 BTC and making it the fifth‑largest holder. It moved 961 BTC on November 7 and 8,888.8 BTC on January 1, and now sits on an unrealized gain as prices hover around $88,700.

Franklin Templeton's head of digital assets recently described XRP as a core component for improving cross-border payment efficiency, highlighting the XRP Ledger's real-time, low-cost settlement for large institutional transfers. Since mid-October, spot XRP ETFs have attracted $1.07 billion in inflows and Franklin Templeton's own fund has posted $28.6 million in weekly volume, while analysts watch the $3.00–$3.05 resistance zone as a key level after XRP’s rally from roughly $0.50 to about $3.50 between November 2024 and July 2025.

South Korean prosecutors said on December 30 that 13 members of a Poipet, Cambodia-based organization were charged over a SpaceX-themed romance scam. The group allegedly took 1.93 billion won (about $1.3 million) between December 2024 and October 2025 using a counterfeit app, with 11 arrested and two indicted without detention.