On 18 December 2025, Bitwise filed a proposal with U.S. regulators for a spot exchange-traded fund that would track the price of SUI, the native token of the Sui blockchain. The planned ETF would use Coinbase for custody and may include staking to earn network rewards, as competition among issuers in the altcoin ETF segment intensifies. Details such as fees, ticker, and listing venue have not yet been disclosed, and investor demand will likely determine the product's long-term viability.

On 18 December 2025, SoFi Technologies launched SoFiUSD, a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin issued by SoFi Bank on Ethereum. The company says the token is fully backed 1:1 by cash held in its Federal Reserve account and targets settlement, payments, and remittances, with institutional integration first and wider consumer access planned later.

On 18 December 2025, analysts noted that a broad wave of new crypto ETFs and ETPs in the United States may prove short-lived despite easier regulatory approval. Investor demand is still heavily concentrated in Bitcoin and Ethereum funds, and many smaller token products are expected to be liquidated within a few years due to low assets, weak inflows, and high operating costs. One market observer highlighted that with at least 126 crypto ETP filings, significant closures could occur by the tail end of 2026 or by the end of 2027.

On Wednesday, US spot Bitcoin ETFs took in roughly $457 million in net inflows, the strongest single-day tally since early November. On December 18, 2025, the report noted Fidelity attracted the largest share while BlackRock also saw gains, with cumulative ETF inflows above $57 billion and total assets exceeding $112 billion.

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.

On 17 December 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission restarted its review of Nasdaq's application to list BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, an actively managed product built around option-writing strategies rather than pure spot Bitcoin exposure. The fund's hybrid structure and listing under Rule 5711(d) have drawn deeper regulatory scrutiny, with a final decision due by 31 December 2025 that could influence how complex Bitcoin-based ETFs are treated in U.S. markets.

On 17 December 2025, Zcash drew renewed attention from traders as its price rebounded from a prior support region while many altcoins stayed range-bound. The move, highlighted by analyst Il Capo of Crypto, is viewed as part of a potential broader repricing scenario if macro conditions and market liquidity improve. How far this strength can extend will largely depend on whether Bitcoin breaks above the mid-$90,000 area and whether risk appetite returns across the crypto market.

Capriole Investments founder Charles Edwards warns that advancing quantum computing could become a concrete market risk for Bitcoin if the network does not adopt quantum-resistant protections within the next few years. He argues that a lack of upgrades by around 2028 could severely damage investor confidence, potentially driving Bitcoin’s price well below $50,000 even before any real-world attack occurs. Other industry voices remain divided on the urgency of the threat, highlighting a broader debate over Bitcoin’s long-term security outlook.

On 17 December 2025, Pi Network's price extended its decline on the 4-hour chart, drifting toward the lower edge of its recent trading range near levels last seen in October. The market structure shows persistent lower highs, while RSI hovers near oversold territory and MACD remains below zero, indicating subdued demand and limited upside momentum. Without a clear rise in volume or a break back above nearby resistance, the trend is more likely to stay weak or push to lower levels than to stage a strong recovery.