Russia's 2020 legislation classifies cryptocurrencies as property, allowing buying, selling, and holding while banning their use for domestic payments. The ruble remains the sole legal tender, and violations can lead to fines. Authorities permit limited crypto use for international settlements under an experimental framework, while the digital ruble advances to strengthen oversight.

Coinbase projects AI-driven productivity could spur a new crypto upswing in 2026. Total market capitalization peaked near $4.2 trillion in 2025 before easing toward $3.0 trillion, framed as a transition rather than cycle end. Institutional treasuries, tokenization, stablecoins, and regulated DeFi are cited as structural adoption signals.

Monero's XMR has climbed 3.6% in the last 24 hours, with trading volume up 6% to over $170 million as the price retests the $420 resistance level. A trader projects that a decisive breakout above this ceiling could push XMR toward $500 and potentially $600 in the medium term, building on a 122% gain since the start of 2025.

On December 17, 2025, SpaceX began a regulatory quiet period as it weighs a 2026 IPO, instructing employees to avoid discussions about growth and valuation. The company is targeting more than $30 billion, implying around a $1.5 trillion valuation, with funds outlined for Starship launches and space-based AI data centers.

On Wednesday, December 17, BlackRock moved 74,973 ETH worth $220 million and 2,405 BTC valued around $211 million to Coinbase Prime. With these transfers, its weekly ETH net change stood at -98,250 ETH, while BTC remained positive at +1,066 BTC. It also led Ethereum outflows, representing about 75% of the total 133,130 ETH moved out.

Kyrgyzstan introduced USDKG, a USD-pegged stablecoin the project says is backed by physical gold, with an initial 50 million tokens issued on Tron and plans to support Ethereum. Launch materials describe an issuer with 100% state participation and operations run by a local private firm. Next, independent reserve attestations, clear redemption and real-world liquidity will determine credibility.

XRP has fallen back under the $2 mark, with the price hovering near $1.90 and sliding about 1.4% over the last 24 hours as futures metrics weaken. CoinGlass data shows XRP futures open interest dropped 4.92% over the same period to roughly 1.81 billion tokens, while trading volume declined by nearly 40%. CME remains the largest venue for XRP derivatives, holding more than 22% of open interest and about 403.6 million XRP in futures exposure.

Senators Elissa Slotkin and Jerry Moran introduced the bipartisan SAFE Crypto Act to strengthen federal responses to crypto fraud. The move follows the FBI's finding that U.S. residents lost about $9.3 billion in 2024, a 66% rise year‑over‑year. The bill would require the Treasury to convene a cross‑agency task force within 180 days.