XRP climbed from $1.77 to an intraday high of $1.957, approaching the $2 level while forming a double bottom near the recent low. Trading volume dropped 42% to $2.8 billion, raising doubts about the strength of the move even as optimism around XRP ETFs and Ripple's new partnerships supports sentiment.

Blockstream CEO Adam Back criticized Nic Carter on X on Friday for amplifying quantum risk narratives around Bitcoin. Carter said Castle Island Ventures invested in Project Eleven and disclosed the stake on October 20. The debate deepened after Charles Edwards warned that quantum computers could threaten Bitcoin within 2–9 years if security is not upgraded.

On December 20 2025, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky detailed a new infostealer malware called Stealka that is being distributed through pirated mods and cheats for Roblox and other Windows games. The malware targets browser data, crypto wallet extensions, standalone wallet apps, password managers, 2FA tools, and messaging and VPN clients to capture credentials and digital assets. Kaspersky reported detections mainly in Russia with cases also seen in Türkiye, Brazil, Germany, and India, and urged users to avoid unofficial mods, secure their accounts, and limit sensitive data stored in browsers.

Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) positions itself as a Bitcoin Layer 2 integrating Solana's SVM to deliver faster, lower-fee transactions and smart-contract support. According to CryptoDnes, its presale has raised more than $29.6 million, with the token priced at $0.013445 for two more days before the next stage, and the protocol is expected to launch in 2026.

Shiba Inu's netflow across exchanges hit -125,937,300,000 SHIB on Dec. 11, signaling heavier withdrawals than deposits. Over the last day, the exchange flow metric fell by more than 11%, while SHIB traded at $0.000007485, up 1.98% from a recent low of $0.000007011.

On December 20, 2025, the Museum of Modern Art added eight CryptoPunks to its permanent collection, recognizing the series' significance in digital and cultural history. According to CryptoPunks, the gift was facilitated by donors including Mara Calderon and ArtOnBlockchain, with additional contributions from collectors, and the collection continues to show steady market activity.

According to CoinGecko data, XRP holds a market capitalization of $115.62 billion out of $380.42 billion for made-in-USA cryptocurrencies, giving it a 30.39% share. XRP is trading around $1.91 with a 24-hour volume of approximately $2.73 billion, far ahead of U.S.-linked rivals such as Solana, USDC, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, and Zcash. Its position is linked to regulatory clarity following the 2025 resolution of Ripple's case with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, although XRP's price remains below $2 amid wider market volatility.

Gemini, joined by more than 125 organizations, has asked the U.S. Congress to retain the Genius Act's original language to preserve stablecoin reward programs. The coalition argues that curbing rewards would weaken competition and user incentives across platforms such as Gemini, Kraken, and Coinbase. The Genius Act was passed in June 2025.