Grayscale Research projects bitcoin will reach new record prices in 2026, rejecting the traditional four-year cycle theory. Vanguard reversed its stance on digital assets, enabling clients to trade ETFs holding BTC, ETH, XRP, and SOL starting Tuesday. Bank of America will permit portfolio allocations of 1% to 4% in crypto assets.

Aave V3 deployed on Mantle Network on December 2, bringing lending infrastructure to the Layer-2 platform. A governance proposal shows the DAO is considering shutting down deployments on zkSync, Metis, and Soneium, which generate between $3,000 and $50,000 in annual revenue. The proposal also sets a $2 million revenue threshold for future chain expansions.

Kraken has completed its acquisition of Backed Finance AG to accelerate expansion of its xStocks tokenized equities platform. The platform surpassed $10 billion in trading volume within six months of launch. The deal consolidates issuance, trading, and settlement operations under Kraken's infrastructure.

Large Bitcoin holders moved hundreds of millions of dollars in BTC from cold storage to exchanges throughout November and early December. Bitcoin price remains range-bound between $83,000 and $86,000, with the Crypto Fear and Greed Index falling to 9—its lowest level in years. Market participants debate whether whale movements signal distribution or strategic positioning ahead of potential liquidity expansion.

American Bitcoin (ABTC) shares fell 51% within 30 minutes on December 2, triggering multiple trading halts. The mining company, co-founded by Eric Trump, declined as Bitcoin retreated more than 30% from its October peak. The previous day saw nearly $1 billion in leveraged crypto positions liquidated across the market.

BubbleMaps issued a warning about the PIPPIN meme coin following its 1,000% price surge over two weeks. The blockchain analytics platform identified insiders controlling approximately 50% of the token supply, valued at $120 million. The token's market capitalization jumped from $20 million to $220 million despite minimal team activity or announcements.

Bank of America has authorized more than 15,000 wealth advisers to recommend Bitcoin exchange-traded funds to clients, the bank told Yahoo Finance. Starting January 5, clients at Merrill, Bank of America Private Bank, and Merrill Edge can access four spot Bitcoin ETFs. The bank recommends a 1–4% crypto allocation for suitable investors, marking a significant expansion of regulated digital asset products within traditional banking channels.

Bitcoin reached an intraday high of $91,107 after falling below $84,000 earlier this week, data show. The recovery reversed losses triggered by hawkish Bank of Japan remarks and fresh Chinese regulatory actions. Institutional moves, including Vanguard's cryptocurrency ETF access and Bank of America's Bitcoin allocation policy, supported the rally.