Bitcoin’s Lightning Network has reached a record capacity of more than 5,600 BTC, ending a year-long decline in liquidity on the layer-2 payments system. While large exchanges and institutional players are adding significant Bitcoin to existing channels, the number of nodes and channels remains below prior peaks, highlighting stronger capitalization rather than broad user growth.

Gemini has rolled out its Gemini Predictions platform across all 50 US states after its affiliate Gemini Titan received a designated contract market license from the CFTC. PancakeSwap has introduced Probable, a BNB Chain-based prediction market backed by YZi Labs that will initially charge no fees and use UMA's Optimistic Oracle for event resolution. Trading volumes on platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket have reached billions of dollars per month since October, drawing interest from both crypto firms and traditional financial players.

The Marshall Islands introduced a nationwide UBI that pays roughly $200 per quarter (about $800 a year), with residents choosing bank transfers, checks, or a government-backed blockchain wallet. First disbursements occurred in late November, and officials say the program uses a US dollar–pegged stablecoin; early uptake of the digital wallet has been limited.

Sberbank is piloting DeFi tools and expanding regulated crypto-linked investments, with total issuance around 1.5 billion rubles. Executives outlined the approach at the "FI Day. AI & Blockchain" conference in Moscow, while the bank engages the Bank of Russia and Rosfinmonitoring on qualified investor access to digital assets.

Solana has been subjected to a distributed denial-of-service attack peaking at nearly 6 terabits per second, reportedly the fourth-largest incident ever recorded against a distributed system, yet its network continued processing transactions without disruption. While validators absorbed the week-long surge in traffic, on-chain indicators now point to shrinking liquidity and persistent realized losses, with analysts describing the current phase as a full liquidity reset that could precede the next market cycle.

The U.S. SEC has reduced crypto enforcement, dismissing or pausing nearly 60% of cases since January. Pullbacks include high-profile actions involving Ripple and Binance, while the agency says decisions reflect legal and policy considerations rather than politics. Leadership changes loom as Caroline Crenshaw prepares to depart and Paul Atkins is expected to remain chair.

MetaMask has introduced native Bitcoin support, enabling users to buy, swap, send, and receive BTC directly in the wallet after previously relying only on wrapped versions. The rollout, announced on Monday following initial hints in February, extends MetaMask's multichain strategy alongside assets like Ethereum, Solana, Monad, and Sei, with further network integrations and a Polymarket partnership also in the pipeline.

Doha Bank completed a digitally native US dollar bond, issuing $150 million in floating-rate notes with T+0 settlement on Euroclear’s D-FMI. Standard Chartered served as sole global coordinator and arranger, and the notes were listed on the London Stock Exchange’s International Securities Market. The bank said the deal diversifies funding and expands its investor base.

Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov has filed a proposal for a 17.45 million CRV grant, valued at about $6.6 million, to fund Swiss Stake AG. The plan covers research, development, infrastructure, and security for Curve’s lending stack and a 2026 roadmap, including upgrades to Llamalend. The proposal appeared on the Curve DAO forum on Sunday.