Andreessen Horowitz's a16z crypto unit said in a Thursday outlook that the 2026 phase of digital assets will be driven by prediction markets, verifiable computation and "staked media" rather than launching new blockchains. The firm highlighted growth in platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, advances in zero-knowledge proofs for cloud workloads and a model where media participants back their claims with onchain, financially exposed commitments.

Strategy paused bitcoin buying last week and shifted $748 million into its USD reserve, taking the fund to $2.19 billion. The company still holds 671,268 BTC after acquiring 10,645 BTC for about $980.3 million the prior Monday at an average price of $92,098 per bitcoin.

Aave Labs advanced a proposal on control of Aave's brand assets to a Snapshot vote, drawing objections from its author and delegates over process. Voting opens Dec. 23, while founder Stani Kulechov said the decision follows extensive discussion. Critics warn the timing and escalation undermine consensus in the Aave DAO.

Researchers from the Ethereum Foundation's Stateless Consensus team have warned that the protocol's ever-growing state is making it harder and more costly for nodes to store, serve, and sync data. They outlined three paths — State Expiry, State Archive, and Partial Statelessness — aimed at containing state growth, reducing node bottlenecks, and preserving decentralization while longer-term stateless validation is developed.

Stani Kulechov outlined a multi-decade roadmap centered on Aave V4, Horizon, and the Aave App, with a Dec. 16 post highlighting Horizon's role. The plan seeks to onboard the next trillion dollars in assets and millions of users while the DAO debates fees and revenue alignment. He also said the SEC ended its years-long Aave inquiry without enforcement.

Nexo said it has agreed to acquire Argentina-based Buenbit to support a regulated expansion across Argentina, Peru, and Mexico, with the deal still subject to regulatory approval. Buenbit, which is registered with Argentina’s securities regulator (CNV), has processed more than $2 billion in volume and added over 40,000 active users in the final months of 2025, according to the company. Clients are expected to gain access to Nexo’s savings, credit, and trading products once the transaction closes.

Bitcoin held near $90,000 on Tuesday as traders stepped back ahead of the Federal Reserve’s final policy decision of the year. Liquidity has thinned across major venues, ETF flows show selective rotation rather than broad de-risking, and analysts say Powell’s tone—rather than the expected rate cut itself—will determine BTC’s next major move.

A British individual allegedly connected to the theft of $243 million from a Genesis creditor may have been detained in Dubai, blockchain investigator ZachXBT stated on December 5. Approximately $18.58 million in cryptocurrency was reportedly seized from addresses linked to the suspect. UAE authorities have not publicly confirmed any arrests or asset seizures related to the case.

Kraken has entered into an agreement to acquire Backed Finance, the issuer of tokenized assets that powers its xStocks trading service. The acquisition strengthens Kraken's position in real-world asset tokenization as it prepares for a 2026 IPO. The xStocks platform has generated over $5 billion in cumulative trading volume since launch.