BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, ranked sixth by 2025 year-to-date inflows even as it posted a roughly 9.6% loss for the year. The fund has taken in about $25.4 billion in net inflows, outpacing several equity and commodity ETFs, including GLD. The snapshot was highlighted on December 19, 2025.

On Dec. 10, the Federal Reserve launched its reserve management purchases (RMP) program alongside a 25 basis point rate cut, with plans to buy about $40 billion of short-term Treasurys in the first month. Arthur Hayes argues in a recent Substack essay that RMP functions like quantitative easing, inflating fiat liquidity and strengthening the investment case for Bitcoin, gold and other scarce assets while eroding purchasing power for those without assets. Bitcoin traded near $92,695 on Dec. 10 and around $87,300 at the time of writing, as Polymarket traders priced a roughly 77% chance of no policy change at the Fed's January meeting.

During his keynote at the Bitcoin MENA conference in Abu Dhabi, MicroStrategy executive chairman Michael Saylor framed Bitcoin as a hard asset comparable to crude oil and outlined plans some described as a Bitcoin-focused banking model. Economist Saifedean Ammous, author of The Bitcoin Standard, argued that this asset-focused approach does not change Bitcoin's monetary nature and expects growing use of fiat-based financial tools built on top of BTC as adoption expands.

Fidelity's director of global macro Jurrien Timmer argues that Bitcoin has likely completed another four-year halving cycle after hitting an October high close to $125,000, with a potential peak near $126,200. He maps out a support zone between $65,000 and $75,000 based on historical drawdowns and cycle timing, suggesting 2026 could be a cooling "off-year" as ETF flows and macro conditions drive price behavior.

New onchain metrics show that newly formed Bitcoin whale addresses have grown to control nearly 50% of BTC’s realized capitalization, suggesting a major reset in the network’s cost basis. Short-term holder supply has expanded by about 100,000 BTC over 30 days to a record level, while whale wallets have been net buyers as smaller traders reduced risk.

Metaplanet, a Tokyo-listed Bitcoin treasury firm, launched a Sponsored Level I ADR under the ticker $MPJPY, allowing U.S. investors to trade its equity in dollars. Trading on the U.S. OTC market begins December 19, 2025, with each ADR representing one ordinary share and no new shares issued. Deutsche Bank is depositary and MUFG Bank the custodian.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs logged $457 million in net inflows in one day, with Fidelity and BlackRock products driving most of the demand as total ETF assets climbed above $112 billion. At the same time, options data shows implied volatility around 44% and persistent put skew ahead of Bitcoin's largest-ever options expiry, signaling traders are hedging for downside and more contained near-term price swings.

Hyundai Group's headquarters in Seoul received an email demanding 13 Bitcoins and threatening detonations at 11:30 AM if unpaid, according to South Korea's police. The message cited sites in Jongno-gu and Seocho-gu; 13 BTC is worth $1.1 million (KRW 16.4 billion) at current prices. Police searched facilities and said no explosive devices were found.