In the month leading up to December 15, Bitcoin's network hashrate fell by 4%, a development VanEck analysts Matt Sigel and Patrick Bush characterize as a historically bullish contrarian signal for future price action. Since 2014, Bitcoin has recorded positive 90-day forward returns 65% of the time after a 30-day hashrate decline, compared with 54% when hashrate rose, and negative 90-day hashrate growth has preceded positive 180-day returns 77% of the time with an average gain of 72%. Bitcoin trades around $88,400, while mining profitability is shifting as electricity breakeven costs drop and roughly 1.3 gigawatts of capacity in China allegedly shut down, with some energy potentially redirected toward artificial intelligence demand.

Bitcoin demand growth slipped below trend from early October 2025, pointing to a potential bearish turn. This cycle saw three distinct demand waves, ETFs reduced holdings in Q4 2025, and price remains under the 365‑day moving average near $98,172. Derivatives funding rates fell to their lowest since December 2023, signaling weaker leveraged long appetite.

The FDIC released a 38-page proposal setting out how FDIC‑supervised banks could issue payment stablecoins through subsidiaries under the GENIUS Act. The plan outlines approval criteria spanning reserves, redemption, governance, and safety and soundness, and is open for public consultation before further rule-making. If approved, the FDIC would serve as the primary federal regulator for those subsidiary activities.

Ether fell to $2,621 on Nov. 21, down 45% from its October high of $4,758, and hovered near the realized price of wallets holding more than 100,000 ETH. It rebounded 23.5% to about $3,238 on Nov. 22, while analysts highlight historical patterns and technical setups that point to potential moves toward $5,000–$5,800.

Western Union unveiled a digital asset initiative targeting economies with severe inflation. CFO Matthew Cagwin presented the strategy at the UBS Global Technology and AI conference, detailing plans for a "stable card" and proprietary digital coin to protect remittance recipients in countries like Argentina, where inflation has exceeded 250%.

Japan's government and ruling coalition have endorsed a comprehensive overhaul of cryptocurrency taxation, proposing a uniform 20% rate on digital asset gains. The Financial Services Agency introduced the plan in November and intends to submit legislation to the Diet in early 2026. The reform would align crypto taxation with equities and investment trusts, which currently face the same 20% rate.

A malicious browser extension has been extracting cryptocurrency from Solana traders by embedding unauthorized transfers into transactions, cybersecurity firm Socket disclosed Tuesday. The extension, marketed as a trading tool, attaches a minimum fee of 0.0013 SOL or 0.05% per swap while concealing the activity from wallet confirmation screens. The tool remained available on the Chrome Web Store since June 18, 2024, with 15 installations recorded at the time of discovery.

Strategy's stock has dropped over 40% year-to-date to approximately $170, down from near $300 in October. The company's Bitcoin holdings, acquired at an average cost of $74,430, show unrealized gains of roughly 16% with Bitcoin trading near $86,000. Institutional investors use Strategy's liquid options chain as a hedging instrument for cryptocurrency exposure, according to BitMine chairman Tom Lee.

Exchange-traded products tracking digital assets recorded $2 billion in outflows last week, marking the heaviest weekly redemption since February. The withdrawals represent a 71% increase from the previous week and extend the outflow trend to three consecutive weeks, totaling $3.2 billion in redemptions over that period, according to CoinShares on Monday.