Data compiled by Dune and Keyrock shows that Polymarket's average user retention exceeds that of more than 85% of 275 crypto projects, including DeFi platforms, wallets and trading apps. In December, major firms such as Coinbase, Gemini, Phantom and Bitnomial moved into prediction markets, aiming to leverage event-driven engagement tied to elections, sports and macroeconomic data.

On December 17, 2025, security firm PeckShield reported an exploit against Yearn Finance V1's legacy TUSD vault, with losses of about $300,000. The attacker swapped the proceeds for 103 ETH held at address 0x0F21…4066 and allegedly used flash loans and price distortions on a misconfigured vault. A researcher linked the method to a similar 2023 Yearn vulnerability.

KuCoin announced an exclusive multiyear partnership with Tomorrowland Winter and Tomorrowland Belgium for 2026–2028, becoming the festivals' sole crypto and payments partner. The initiative follows KuCoin EU Exchange obtaining a MiCA crypto asset service provider license in Austria and will embed digital payment rails across ticketing, merchandise, and onsite purchases.

On Dec. 17, Aave founder Stani Kulechov outlined a 2026 roadmap featuring the V4 upgrade, Horizon's tokenised real‑world asset lending, and a mobile app push. Horizon deposits are around $550 million after surpassing $50 million by Sept. 1, with a goal above $1 billion. The plan follows the SEC ending its investigation.

U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Elissa Slotkin introduced the SAFE Crypto Act to establish a federal task force focused on cryptocurrency fraud. The measure seeks coordination across government and private-sector experts to study scam patterns, strengthen prevention, equip local law enforcement with investigative tools, and expand public awareness efforts.

On December 15, 2025, a New York federal judge allowed plaintiffs in the class action against Pump.fun and Solana to file a second amended complaint based on newly submitted evidence. The suit targets investors who bought tokens launched on Pump.fun from March 2024 and alleges an unfair market structure, securities law violations, RICO violations, and unjust enrichment. Plaintiffs say thousands of chat messages from a reestablished confidential source link individuals associated with Pump.fun, Solana Labs, Jito Labs, and others, and the court found the proposed amendments sufficient to move forward.

This explainer outlines the core terms new creators should learn before minting NFTs, covering wallets, smart contracts, royalties, gas fees, and token standards. It clarifies marketplace concepts like listings and floor price, plus safety topics such as phishing and rug pulls. Understanding this vocabulary helps first-time projects avoid costly missteps and launch with confidence.

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.