Coinbase has obtained approval from India's Competition Commission to acquire a $2.45 billion minority stake in CoinDCX, strengthening its push into India and the wider Middle East. The deal follows CoinDCX's $44 million security breach in July and comes as Coinbase resumes direct operations in India after a two-year pause, with plans to add rupee deposits and fiat trading by 2026.

On-chain data shows Bitcoin active wallets have dropped to 2023 lows while the Fear & Greed Index has fallen to 11, pointing to extreme fear and thinning liquidity as the year-end approaches. Analysts note that Bitcoin’s price is hovering near $86,000 above the $81,500 True Market Mean Price, identifying $81,000 as key downside support and $100,000 as the level that must be reclaimed to negate bearish momentum.

On Tuesday, American Bitcoin Corp said its bitcoin holdings now exceed 5,000 BTC after adding another 54 BTC, placing the firm among the top 20 public bitcoin treasuries. Bitcoin is consolidating near $85,000–$87,000 as whales amassed 269,822 BTC worth $23.3 billion over the past 30 days, with traders eyeing a potential push toward $95,000 before December's end.

Bhutan unveiled a Bitcoin Development Pledge on Tuesday, committing up to 10,000 BTC worth about $1 billion to fund Gelephu Mindfulness City. The plan uses collateralized lending and risk-managed yield to finance infrastructure while keeping sovereign holdings intact. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck announced it during his National Day Address.

On December 16, 2025, MicroStrategy's Michael Saylor said on X that quantum computing would harden Bitcoin via upgrades that migrate active coins while leaving lost coins immobile. Technical analysis highlights consolidation beneath the $108,000–$110,000 zone, with RSI holding above 50. A decisive monthly close over $108,000 is seen as key for the 2026 advance.

ARK Invest's Cathie Wood said the Bitcoin bottom after the October 10 crash may already be in, with price stabilizing near $86,000. According to Glassnode, institutions now control 29.8% of circulating BTC, while MicroStrategy's December 15 Form 8-K detailed a 10,645 BTC purchase for $980.3 million at $92,098 per coin. Technical indicators suggest early stabilization despite trading below the $104,000 short-term holder realized price.

Wyoming-chartered Custodia Bank filed a December 15 petition asking the full Tenth Circuit to rehear its case contesting the Federal Reserve's denial of a master account. The filing argues the October 2-1 panel ruling misread the Monetary Control Act and raises constitutional issues by giving Reserve Banks unreviewable discretion over access to core payment services.

Bitcoin has fallen about 3.6%, sliding below $86,000 and edging toward the $81,000 True Market Mean support level, while liquidations near $400 million and spot bids cluster between $85,000 and $80,000. On‑chain metrics show wholecoiner inflows to Binance have dropped to roughly 6,500 BTC on a yearly average, last seen in 2018, as analysts track whether a sweep of the $80,000 area precedes a rebound toward $90,000–$100,000 or a deeper correction toward $76,000.

On December 15, 2025, CoinGecko reported Solana topped blockchain mindshare in 2025 with 26.79%, ahead of Base at 13.94% and Ethereum at 13.43%. Solana’s share fell 12.0 percentage points from 2024, while Sui and BNB Chain more than doubled, reaching 11.77% and 9.05% to enter the top five.