LBANK INFO CRYPTOCURRENCY

According to an IMF staff statement released on December 22, 2025, El Salvador has made measurable progress on its reform program and is seeing faster economic growth than earlier expected. The IMF said discussions on the second review of the country’s 40-month Extended Fund Facility program are ongoing as authorities work to meet agreed benchmarks. Growth forecasts were revised upward, and the fund signaled continued financial support tied to further policy steps. IMF Notes Faster Growth Reports note that growth is running above earlier forecasts. The IMF now sees real GDP growth near 4% for 2025. Local data show the economy expanded 5.1% in the third quarter of 2025 compared with the same quarter a year earlier, led by construction and remittance-driven consumption. Remittances and stronger investment flows were cited as key drivers. The fund said higher confidence and improved fiscal numbers have helped create space for short-term rebuilding of reserves. Gradually, then sudd...

Ethereum is currently trading above the $3,000 level, offering a surface-level sense of stability after weeks of volatility. However, beneath this price resilience, market sentiment remains decisively bearish. Many analysts are openly calling for lower levels in the coming months, citing weakening momentum, macro uncertainty, and persistent selling pressure across risk assets. Extreme fear dominates positioning, with investors showing little conviction that the recent recovery can evolve into a sustained uptrend. This pessimistic backdrop makes recent institutional-linked activity stand out. Amid widespread caution, data suggests that Bitmine—an entity associated with Fundstrat’s co-founder Tom Lee—has increased its exposure to Ethereum. Bitmine is a digital asset mining and investment vehicle focused on long-term participation in blockchain infrastructure, combining mining operations with strategic accumulation of major crypto assets. Rather than trading short-term price swings, ent...

According to a post shared on X by Keith Grossman, president of crypto payments firm MoonPay, finance is heading toward an onchain future that could unfold over several years. The view comes as large banks and asset managers begin product tokenization, a move that once seemed extreme but is now being treated as a practical step by major institutions. Regulatory Signals Push Institutions Forward Based on reports cited by Grossman, progress has accelerated because rules are becoming clearer. Legislative efforts, regulatory guidance, bank involvement and accounting standards are starting to line up. That combination reduces uncertainty, which is often what slows large pools of capital. BlackRock has already launched tokenized funds, while Franklin Templeton is running tokenized money market funds on public blockchains. Those actions suggest that tokenization is no longer confined to pilot labs or internal trials. It is being used with real assets and real clients. Bank of Ameri...

Bitcoin mining may be providing incremental support to the Russian ruble, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said, while cautioning that the effect is difficult to measure because much of the sector still operates in a legal and reporting gray zone. Bitcoin Mining May Support The Ruble Responding to a question at a press conference, Nabiullina said it is “probably difficult to quantify” mining’s influence “because a significant part of mining is still in a gray area.” Still, she added that mining is “indeed one of the additional factors contributing to the strong ruble exchange rate.” As Russian business news portal for RBC reported , her remarks come as Russian officials increasingly frame mining and crypto flows as macro-relevant, not just a niche tech or energy story. Earlier, Maxim Oreshkin, deputy head of the presidential administration, said ruble forecasts have been thrown off by the underestimation of financial flows tied to mining and cryptocurrency. In his view, the s...

Lawmakers in the US have put forward a discussion draft that would ease tax reporting for small stablecoin payments and let some crypto earners delay taxes on staking and mining rewards. According to reports, the plan was circulated by Representatives Max Miller (R-Ohio) and Steven Horsford (D-Nev.). The proposal aims to clear up rules that many say are confusing for everyday users and small businesses. Stablecoin Safe Harbor For Small Payments Based on reports , the draft would create a safe harbor for regulated dollar-pegged stablecoins when they are used like cash. Under the plan, capital gains on stablecoin transactions under $200 would be exempt from tax. That $200 threshold is meant to stop everyday buys — coffee, tips, small fees — from triggering tax paperwork and capital gains calculations. The exemption would only apply to stablecoins issued by a permitted issuer and that keep a stable peg to the USD. A Deferral Option For Staking And Mining Rewards Reports have disc...

The Blockchain Association led a broad industry push this week, asking Senate Banking leaders to resist efforts that would widen a ban on stablecoin yields beyond what Congress wrote into law. According to the association, the letter was signed by more than 125 crypto and fintech groups and companies and was sent to lawmakers to warn against reinterpreting the new rules in a way that would also bar exchanges and apps from offering rewards tied to stablecoin holdings. Preserving Platforms’ Ability To Offer Rewards The coalition’s argument rests on the text of the GENIUS Act , which was signed into law earlier this year by US President Donald Trump and explicitly bars permitted stablecoin issuers from paying interest or yield directly to holders. Reports have disclosed that the statute nevertheless leaves room for third-party platforms to provide incentives, a distinction industry groups say is intentional and important for competition. Banks Call For Closing A Loophole Banking gr...

In the financial landscape, Bitcoin stands out as one of the few major assets that have failed to keep pace with broader market gains. This underperformance comes despite strong underlying fundamentals, where its price is being governed by the mechanics of hedging and synthetic leverage rather than the conviction of its holders. Network security remains strong, long-term holders continue to dominate supply, and institutional access has never been broader.  How This Cycle Looks Different For Bitcoin There’s no satisfying explanation for one of the strangest market outcomes of the year. An entrepreneur, Bitcoin investor, and founder of Wealth Mastery, Lark Davis, has mentioned on X that Bitcoin is the only asset underperforming, while gold and stocks are printing all-time highs, and 2025 was supposed to be the golden moment for BTC. Davis highlighted that in 2025, the United States had a pro-BTC administration for the first time in history, and there was demand for the cryptocu...

The price action of Bitcoin over the past week tells a perfect story of its performance this year. The premier cryptocurrency experienced incredible levels of volatility throughout the week, oscillating between the $90,000 and $86,000 range over the past few days. The latest market evaluation shows that the future of the Bitcoin price might be looking bleaker than mere periods of sideways volatility. According to a prominent cycle, BTC’s price cycle has turned and is entering a bear market. Bitcoin Cyclical Behavior Depends On Demand Cycles: CryptoQuant In its latest market report, blockchain analytics firm CryptoQuant has associated the steady decline in Bitcoin price with the fading demand boom. According to data on the on-chain platform, the BTC demand growth has slowed down in the course of 2025, signaling the start of a bear market. CryptoQuant highlighted that Bitcoin has witnessed three major spot demand waves—triggered by the US spot ETF launch, the US presidential electi...

Quantum computing has become a durable risk narrative for Bitcoin. This week, Galaxy Digital head of research Alex Thorn sat down with Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor addressing the issue, shortly after Saylor posted his own “Bitcoin Quantum Leap” thesis on X. “The Bitcoin Quantum Leap: Quantum computing won’t break Bitcoin—it will harden it. The network upgrades, active coins migrate, lost coins stay frozen. Security goes up. Supply comes down. Bitcoin grows stronger,” Saylor wrote on Dec. 16, 2025. Saylor Doubles Down On Freezing Dormant Bitcoin In Thorn’s interview , Saylor’s argument is less a cryptography lesson than a coordination claim: when a quantum threat is broadly recognized, the response will not be optional, and Bitcoin will follow the same upgrade logic as the rest of the digital economy. “There’s going to be a point when the world will form a consensus that there’s a quantum threat. We’re not there now, but you won’t miss it because the United States gov...

Bitcoin’s (BTC) price action has entered a conflicted phase, with renewed institutional inflows clashing against clear signs of market stress. After peaking above $126,000 earlier this year, the world’s largest crypto has retreated sharply and is now trading more than 30% below its all-time high. Related Reading: Bipartisan SAFE Crypto Act Unveiled: New Task Force To Combat Digital Asset Scams While some capital has returned through exchange-traded funds (ETFs), broader market signals suggest that selling pressure and weak participation continue to weigh on sentiment. Consequently, recent weeks have shown that Bitcoin’s recovery attempts remain fragile. Long-Term Holders Drive Persistent Supply Pressure A major source of downside pressure has been sustained selling by long-term holders. Data from K33 Research shows that roughly 1.6 million BTC that had been dormant for at least two years has been sold since early 2023. In 2025 alone, more than $300 billion worth of long-held Bitc...

Dogecoin and Shiba Inu have secured a place in Coinbase’s latest product expansion, a notable moment for meme coins within the regulated crypto derivatives market. Coinbase confirmed the launch of US perpetual-style futures trading in an announcement on X for a range of altcoins on Coinbase Derivatives, available around the clock. Coinbase Expands Derivatives Access With Meme Coins Included According to a recent announcement on X , US Perpetual-Style Futures are now live on Coinbase Derivatives. Among a lineup dominated by established layer-one networks and infrastructure tokens, Dogecoin and Shiba Inu stood out as the only meme-based assets included, showing how these tokens are being positioned within institutional-grade trading environments. The new product rollout allows both retail and institutional traders to access US-regulated perpetual-style futures through approved Futures Commission Merchants. Coinbase is effectively placing both meme coins alongside assets such as Cardan...

Grayscale, one of the world’s largest digital asset managers, outlined its 2026 Digital Asset Outlook, projecting that the Bitcoin price could reach a new all-time high in the first half of 2026. The forecast is based on structural changes in market design, expanding institutional participation, and broader macroeconomic forces . These developments form the foundation of Grayscale’s view that capital structure and demand dynamics will define Bitcoin’s next market phase. Institutional Capital Redefines The Bitcoin Price Growth Curve A central pillar of Grayscale’s outlook is the transition of Bitcoin from a retail-led asset to an institutionally supported financial instrument . The firm argues that the market is entering a phase where large allocators, including asset managers, advisory platforms, and long-term capital pools, are no longer evaluating Bitcoin as an experiment but as a portfolio component. This shift fundamentally alters demand behavior, replacing short-term trading f...

The market entered a sharper pullback this week after the Senate confirmed that a long-anticipated crypto structure legislation will not advance before the end of the year. Related Reading: Crypto Market Structure Bill Stalled: Senate Banking Committee Pushes Markup To Early 2026 What many investors had hoped would be a closing act for regulatory clarity in 2025 instead became another extension of uncertainty, triggering risk-off behavior across digital assets and related investment products. The delay arrived at a fragile moment for markets grappling with growing sensitivity to policy signals from Washington. Bitcoin slid below the $86,000 level, while the broader digital asset market shed roughly $140 billion in capitalization within hours. The total market value has fallen to around $2.93 trillion, its lowest level in several weeks, as traders reassessed regulatory timelines that now extend into early 2026. Senate Pushes Crypto Market Structure Talks Into 2026 The Senate Banki...

Japan is quietly reimagining how digital assets fit into its financial system, and the timing is drawing attention. While global markets are already sensitive to upcoming macro decisions from the Bank of Japan (BoJ), Tokyo is advancing parallel reforms that touch crypto regulation, taxation, and broader liquidity conditions. Related Reading: Ex-Terra Insider Calls Do Kwon Case ‘Backwards’ In Explosive X Thread Together, these moves are forcing investors to reassess how Japan may influence crypto markets in the months ahead, not just through headlines, but also through structural changes. The Financial Services Agency (FSA) has outlined plans to shift crypto oversight away from the Payment Services Act toward the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Crypto Moves From Payments to Investment Rules Under the proposed framework, cryptocurrencies would be treated more explicitly as financial products rather than payment tools. Oversight would move under securities-style rules, align...

Referral Feature to Enable Users to Earn and Track CRO Rewards Through App-Based Referrals Crypto.com App Referral Feature December 2025 – Crypto.com, a global leader in cryptocurrency services, today announced an updated App Referral feature to expand user participation across the Crypto.com platform and enable users to earn CRO rewards through app-based referrals. The updated App Referral feature, which aims to allow users to earn CRO by inviting friends to join the Crypto.com App, marks a significant step in broadening participation in Crypto.com’s ecosystem. The referral feature is designed to provide users with clearer visibility into referral activity and reward progression, while enabling both existing and newly referred users to track CRO rewards more effectively within the app. Additionally, the updated feature prioritizes ease of use, transparent tracking, and scalable participation, making it accessible for a broad range of users. “We are pleased to introduce updates to ...

Former Terraform Labs developer Will Chen argued in a Dec. 13 X thread that the fraud case against Do Kwon was built on a “backwards” theory, days after a court sentenced Kwon to 15 years in prison on Friday, Dec. 15. Chen framed his post as a critique of the legal mechanics, not a character defense. “I wanted Do to fail. I wanted him punished. I thought he was arrogant and reckless and I told him so to his face multiple times,” he wrote. “I’m not here to defend Do Kwon the person. But the legal case is broken.” Do Kwon Conviction Misframed Terra’s Collapse He described Judge Engelmayer as “sympathetic” and “extremely methodical,” but argued the guilty plea boxed Kwon into the government’s framing: “Do taking the guilty plea means admitting to the government’s charges as is. There’s no debating afterward.” Chen said he found it “incredibly ironic” that Do Kwon didn’t contest the case. At the center of Chen’s critique is prosecutors’ theory around Terra’s May 2021 depeg. As Chen s...

According to Itaú Asset Management, Brazil’s largest private bank, investors should consider holding 1%–3% of their portfolios in Bitcoin starting in 2026. The recommendation came in a research outlook released this week and frames Bitcoin as a small, complementary holding rather than a main bet. Itaú Backs Small Bitcoin Positions The bank’s note points to Bitcoin’s low correlation with many traditional assets and to currency risks that hit local investors hard this year. Itaú also moved to build the infrastructure behind that view: in September 2025 it created a dedicated crypto division and named former Hashdex executive João Marco Braga da Cunha to lead the team. That new unit sits alongside the bank’s existing products and is meant to help clients access regulated crypto tools. Access Through Local Products Brazilian savers can already reach Bitcoin via products tied to Itaú. The bank is part of the team that launched the IT Now Bloomberg Galaxy Bitcoin ETF, known by its ti...

Bitcoin has been the undisputed dominant force in the financial world. In a swift change of financial gravity, the spotlight has shifted from the decentralized digital asset to the US government treasury. As liquidity becomes the defining force behind every major market move, the Treasury General Account (TGA) has emerged as the true engine capable of driving risk assets. Why Bitcoin’s Cycles Matter Less When Federal Cash Levels Shift The most important chart for 2026 isn’t Bitcoin, it’s the US Treasury’s checking account. Crypto analyst Kyle Chassé has noted that the reason crypto has stalled is because of the government’s liquidity plumbing. Meanwhile, the TGA has just surged to $1 trillion, creating a massive liquidity vacuum in the cycle. When the treasury replenishes its funds, it drains dollars from the broader financial system. However, to avoid a recession heading into 2026, the government must drain the account back down. Draining the TGA means pushing $150 billion to $20...

Amid a steady price rebound in the Bitcoin (BTC) market, popular market analyst with the X username KillaXBT is predicting another significant correction in the forthcoming days. Bitcoin Historical Data Reveals Recurring Monthly 8% Price Decline In an X post on December 12, KillaXBT outlines a cautious market insight that suggests Bitcoin is headed for a price pullback. According to the renowned analyst, the premier cryptocurrency has consistently recorded an 8% price decline after the 14th day of the last five months. KillaXBT describes this observation as the 14th Pivot, which now holds important implications for Bitcoin in the short term. Since hitting a price bottom of $80,000 in late November, BTC has formed an ascending channel, recording a steady series of higher lows and higher highs. However, KillaXBT’s projection is expected to break this channel, potentially halting the nascent uptrend. Going by the recurring price pattern, the analyst states Bitcoin investors should an...

If anyone can help me resolve this i would be most greatful.... Issue is CORE IS USING A DIFFERENT DERIVATION PATH.... So i have broken this down to the X/Y pair scalar and can validate key 123 which corrlates to address ABC ..... this is on normal generation points and can walk the key displaying both comp and uncomp results which is correct... its the only value able to do so. When i go to import this WIF into core it displays another address. import 123 comes to DEF... but this is not correct as the math and libs show the ABC result. I dont know why its using another derivation path currently, when back years years years ago it worked fine as there are send txns etc etc.. . Trying to figure out how to make this work, i can change the Generation points to reflect the keys gen points and then it will map it out correctly also but modifying this is not allowed in core consensus rules so i am not sure how to apply that fix... the XY does change on that aspect but comes out correct. ...

Bitcoin’s 2025 price action has been anything but smooth , but one group of investors has quietly dominated the year’s profit statistics. Short-term holders, which are classified as addresses holding BTC for only one to three months, spent most of the year in the green amidst the push to multiple all-time highs and ensuing drawdowns throughout the year.  On-chain data from 2025 now provides a clearer answer to whether short-term exposure to Bitcoin actually paid off for holders, even though conditions look far less comfortable at the time of writing. Short-Term Holders Spent Most Of 2025 In Profit According to data from on-chain analytics platform CryptoQuant, Bitcoin short-term holders were in a profitable position for roughly two-thirds of 2025. On-chain profit and loss data shows that this cohort was in profit for about 66% of trading days, which translates to about 230 trading days.  During the first half of 2025, Bitcoin’s price frequently traded above the average ...