Key takeaways The Fed’s Dec. 9-10 meeting carries unusual weight as markets wait to see whether another rate cut will arrive before Christmas, shaping bonds, equities and crypto. After two cuts in 2025, rates now sit at 3.75%-4.00%. Labor weakness and softer inflation support further easing, but officials remain divided because inflation risks have not…
Key takeaways: Ripple is spending about $4 billion to combine prime trading, treasury tools, payments and custody into a single integrated setup. RLUSD trials aim to settle real card payments and corporate payouts onchain, then sync results back into ERP and TMS systems. To scale, Ripple needs strong controls with clear reserves, strict compliance checks…
Key takeaways: Bitcoin gifts aren’t immediately taxable. The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, so recipients generally don’t owe income tax on the gift. Stay within the 2025 exclusion limit. You can gift up to $19,000 per person, or $38,000 for spouses splitting gifts, without triggering Form 709. Recipients inherit the donor’s cost basis. Future taxes…
Key takeaways 2025 marked a turning point for crypto, as investors prioritized real utility and institutional integration over hype-driven speculation. Bitcoin’s performance was supported by US spot ETFs, keeping it near or above the $100,000 mark for much of the year despite market pullbacks. Ether rebounded after an early-year slump, supported by growing institutional interest…
Key takeaways Tether operates a Treasury- and repo-heavy balance sheet, holding $181.2 billion in reserves against $174.5 billion in liabilities, leaving $6.8 billion in excess. High interest rates have turned those reserves into profit, generating more than $10 billion in interest income so far in 2025, which is uncommon for a typical crypto issuer. It…
Key takeaways Token burns are a key part of many projects’ tokenomics. They permanently remove coins from circulation, but supply cuts alone don’t guarantee price gains. Burns work best when supported by strong fundamentals, meaningful burn volume and rising demand. Market trends, investor sentiment and burn transparency all shape price impact. Tokens with high burn…
Key takeaways: Privacy-focused cryptocurrencies have rallied sharply, with sector value up nearly 80% by November 2025. Zcash hit a seven-year high and Dash a three-year peak as traders rotated into privacy assets. Technical breakouts, derivatives positioning and an upcoming Zcash halving fueled the move. Despite the hype, privacy coins face tightening global AML rules and…
Key takeaways Mastercard is in talks to buy Zero Hash, following earlier interest in BVNK, in a push toward 24/7 stablecoin settlement. The deals could give Mastercard a turnkey onchain payments stack, accelerating its move from pilot to production. Stablecoin-based settlement would let banks and merchants transact continuously, bypassing batch cutoffs and weekend delays. Yet…
Key takeaways XRP ETF talk has moved from Crypto Twitter to Wall Street trading desks. Analysts say the first few months of inflows could top $1 billion. SEC rule changes have streamlined spot crypto fund listings. Approval isn’t guaranteed, but momentum is building fast. Talk of a spot XRP (XRP) exchange-traded fund (ETF) has shifted…
Key takeaways Reuters estimates Trump-linked ventures earned $802 million in crypto in early 2025. Income came from WLFI tokens, the TRUMP coin and USD1 stablecoin yields. Alt5 Sigma’s deal and foreign buyers helped turn token value into cash. As US crypto enforcement eased, experts noted possible conflict concerns. In the first half of 2025, Trump-linked…