Michael Selig was sworn in as the 16th chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission after Senate confirmation on December 18, taking over as acting chair Caroline Pham left the agency after nearly four years. During her final year, Pham advanced initiatives such as spot crypto trading on CFTC-registered futures exchanges, a digital asset collateral pilot, and no-action relief for four prediction markets, while Selig has pledged to guide the regulator through a period of rapid technological change.

Solana Mobile has ended software update and security patch support for the Saga phone, warning that app compatibility "cannot be guaranteed" and limiting Saga-specific customer service. Seeker devices remain supported and are slated to ship worldwide on Aug. 4, 2025, with SKR incentives planned for January 2026. The shift raises practical risks for wallets on unpatched Saga devices.

Ghana legalized cryptocurrency trading under the Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill, 2025. The Bank of Ghana will license and oversee platforms, meaning only approved providers may operate. Governor Johnson Asiama announced the change on December 19, highlighting consumer protection, compliance, and formal supervision of the sector.

On Monday, White House official David Sacks said the United States is at a critical moment for crypto oversight and called Michael Selig and SEC Chair Paul Atkins a "dream team" to set clear rules. Selig was confirmed by the Senate last week in a 53 to 43 vote to lead the CFTC, with a market structure bill expected to see Senate markup in early January.

On December 22, 2025, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire said he wants the company to underpin a new internet layer for global money movement. Since its June 5 IPO, Circle launched the Arc Layer 1, partnered with BlackRock, Visa and AWS, and signed a multiyear Intuit deal. Q3 revenue and reserve income reached $740 million.

COTI has published its 2026 roadmap, prioritizing multichain Privacy-on-Demand, private RWAs, and expanded DeFi/DEX presence. The project's loyalty program offered 12.5 million COTI tokens in Season 001, ended on November 11, 2025, and launched a second season with 15 million $COTI plus bonuses and high APY equivalents.

On December 22, 2025, Hyperliquid denied rumors of insider-trading tools and USDC insolvency, saying the contested HYPE short was opened by a former employee. The alleged insider position was $25,140 (1,000 HYPE), while platform data showed $1.25B open interest and whales 59% long.

On December 19, 2025, the Federal Reserve launched a public consultation on a proposed 'payment account' model offering limited access to its payment services. The accounts would not earn interest or provide credit, and the Fed is considering overnight balance caps of the lesser of $500 million or 10% of assets. The comment period runs 45 days after Federal Register publication.