Staff at the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets clarified last week that broker-dealers may apply a 2% haircut to stablecoin balances when calculating net capital. Commissioner Hester Peirce welcomed the change, and industry voices said it lets firms hold and use stablecoins without skewing capital ratios.

Digital asset firm New Frontier Labs has selected BitGo Bank & Trust National Association, part of crypto infrastructure company BitGo, to issue and custody the FYUSD dollar-pegged stablecoin for institutional investors in Asia. FYUSD follows the GENIUS Act framework, including 1:1 backing with cash or short-term US Treasurys and AML/KYC controls, and is supported by Fypher tools that enable programmable settlement for AI-driven commerce.

Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov argued that disagreement inside decentralized autonomous organizations is a positive indicator for protocol governance, pointing to a 2024 grant proposal in the Curve DAO and a December 2025 dispute in the Aave DAO. In the Curve case, a $6.3 million-equivalent grant plan for Swiss Stake AG was revised after pushback and later drew over 80% turnout, while the Aave dispute over CoW Swap fee flows and intellectual property control highlighted how legal recognition and ownership structures remain unresolved for DAOs.

United States President Donald Trump announced on Friday a 10% global tariff under alternative trade statutes and on Saturday raised that rate to 15% with immediate effect. While critics argue these laws cap both the duration and scope of his tariff powers, major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin around $68,000 and Ether showed little reaction.

The cryptocurrency market has reversed most gains achieved after the 2024 U.S. election, now roughly 40% below its October 2025 peak. Total3 rose more than 91% to $1.16 trillion by December 2024 before slipping toward about $713 billion, while Bitcoin and Ether also saw drawdowns of over 50% and about 60%, respectively.

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court curtailed President Donald Trump’s IEEPA tariff authority, and he later announced a new 10% global tariff. Lawmakers and analysts argued the measures function as taxes on families and small businesses, while Bitcoin rose about 3% and broader crypto gauges showed little movement after the announcement.

On Friday, the US Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that the Executive Branch lacks authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. President Donald Trump criticized the decision and said he would seek "other alternatives" to restore tariffs. A 100% China tariff announced on Oct. 10, 2025 previously sent Bitcoin from about $122,000 to about $107,000 within minutes.

Monthly Lightning Network volume reached an estimated $1.1 billion in November 2025 across 5.2 million transfers. The report notes 2025 transaction counts trail 2023’s peak of 6.6 million and projects new growth as individuals and businesses test AI-driven payment agents, alongside rising institutional use and a capacity of 5,606 BTC in December 2025.

Dash said it will bring Zcash's Orchard shielded pool to the Dash Evolution chain, a smart contract layer, with activation planned after cybersecurity audits and an expected March launch. The first phase will enable basic ZEC transfers, with later updates adding Orchard-based privacy for tokenized real-world assets.