Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on Thursday for orchestrating a $40 billion cryptocurrency fraud—a sentence notably lighter than the 25 years handed to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) last year, despite Kwon’s fraud causing nearly four times the financial damage.

The sentencing disparity highlights how courtroom behavior, remorse, and cooperation with authorities can dramatically influence outcomes in high-profile white-collar cases.

The Verdicts

US District Judge Paul Engelmayer, presiding over Kwon’s case in the Southern District of New York, described the Terra-Luna collapse as “a fraud on an epic, generational scale.” He rejected both the prosecution’s recommendation of 12 years as “unreasonably lenient” and the defense’s request for five years as “utterly unthinkable and wildly unreasonable.”

“Your offense caused real people to lose $40 billion in real money, not some paper loss,” Engelmayer told Kwon, noting there may have been as many as one million victims worldwide.

By contrast, Judge Lewis Kaplan sentenced SBF to 25 years in March 2024 for an $11 billion fraud, citing the defendant’s “exceptional flexibility with the truth” and “apparent lack of any real remorse.”

Why the Difference?

Guilty Plea vs. Trial

Kwon pleaded guilty in August 2025 to conspiracy and wire fraud charges, accepting responsibility for misleading investors about TerraUSD’s stability mechanisms. In a letter to the court, he wrote: “I alone am responsible for everyone’s pain. The community looked to me to know the path, and I, in my hubris, led them astray.”

SBF, on the other hand, went to trial and maintained his innocence throughout. He argued that FTX was merely experiencing a “liquidity crisis” rather than outright fraud. The jury took just four hours to convict him on all seven counts.

Courtroom Conduct

Judge Kaplan found that SBF committed perjury at least three times during his testimony. Kaplan called SBF’s performance on the stand the most “evasive” he had witnessed in nearly 30 years on the bench. “When he wasn’t outright lying, he was often evasive, hairsplitting, dodging questions,” Kaplan said.

The judge also found that SBF had attempted to tamper with witnesses before trial. He sent messages to former FTX general counsel Ryne Miller suggesting they “vet things with each other.”

Kwon, by contrast, listened to victim impact statements—315 letters submitted to the court—and apologized directly. “Hearing from victims was harrowing and reminded me again of the great losses that I have caused,” he told Judge Engelmayer.

Future Legal Exposure

A critical factor in Kwon’s sentencing was his pending prosecution in South Korea. He faces charges that could result in up to 40 additional years in prison. Judge Engelmayer explicitly considered this when crafting the sentence. Kwon will likely be extradited to face trial in his home country after serving his US term.

SBF faces no comparable foreign legal jeopardy, making his 25-year US sentence his primary punishment. However, he is actively fighting to overturn his conviction. In November 2025, SBF’s legal team filed an appeal, arguing that he was “presumed guilty” before his trial even began. His attorney, Alexandra Shapiro, claims the court blocked key evidence proving FTX’s solvency and allowed biased treatment throughout the proceedings. The Second Circuit is expected to take several months to issue a ruling.

	Do Kwon	Sam Bankman-Fried
Sentence	15 years	25 years
Estimated Loss	$40 billion	$11 billion
Plea	Guilty plea	Trial conviction
Remorse	Apologized to victims	No remorse shown
Perjury	None	3 counts found
Witness Tampering	None	Yes
Additional Charges	Up to 40 years in South Korea	None

The Bigger Picture

Both cases represent landmark moments in cryptocurrency enforcement. Prosecutors noted that Kwon’s losses exceeded those caused by SBF, OneCoin co-founder Karl Sebastian Greenwood, and former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky combined.

The sentencing outcomes send a clear message to the crypto industry: cooperation and genuine remorse can meaningfully reduce prison time.

Kwon has agreed to forfeit $19.3 million as part of his plea deal. He was also ordered to pay an $80 million fine and to receive a lifetime ban on cryptocurrency transactions as part of his 2024 SEC settlement.

His request to serve his sentence in South Korea was denied.

The post Do Kwon Gets 15 Years, 10 Less Than SBF—Here’s Why appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States, is preparing to launch prediction markets and tokenized equities, while Gemini has secured regulatory approval.

Kalshi and Crypto.com have formed an industry coalition. Changpeng Zhao is targeting 220 million users through BNB Chain. The war among giants for the throne of the $15 billion prediction market has officially begun.

Coinbase Reveals Key Card in “Everything App” Strategy

Coinbase reportedly plans to officially announce prediction markets and tokenized equity services at a showcase on December 17. The tokenized stocks will be launched in-house, not through partners.

📢 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍: $COIN Coinbase Ready to Launch Prediction Markets, Tokenized Stocks – Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/D9Yws3pzun

— Hardik Shah (@AIStockSavvy) December 11, 2025

Coinbase executives have previously expressed interest in entering these businesses but had not made official announcements. However, expectations have been building as screenshots hinting at related functionality have circulated on social network X in recent weeks. A Coinbase spokesperson declined to comment on specific plans, stating only: “Tune in to the livestream on Dec. 17 to find out what new products Coinbase is shipping.”

This move is part of Coinbase’s ongoing “everything app” strategy, designed to provide traders with access to a broad range of assets and markets while keeping pace with rivals who are diversifying their offerings. Robinhood launched Kalshi’s prediction market products earlier this year, and both Robinhood and Kraken offer tokenized US stocks and ETFs outside the United States.

Trading in tokenized equities is growing rapidly. According to rwa.xyz, monthly transfer volume increased 32% over the last 30 days to $1.45 billion.

Industry Coalition CPM Launches: “A Unified Voice Is Necessary”

On the same day, Kalshi and Crypto.com announced the launch of the Coalition for Prediction Markets (CPM), a national alliance of prediction market operators. Coinbase, Robinhood, and sports gaming platform Underdog joined as founding members.

Matt David, executive board member of CPM, emphasized: “The US is the biggest frontier for prediction markets, and the momentum we’re seeing makes a unified industry voice not just important, but necessary.”

The coalition will focus on strengthening the federal framework for prediction markets, establishing nationwide integrity standards to curb insider trading, and pushing back against state-level regulatory overreach.

Sara Slane, head of corporate development at Kalshi and an executive member of the coalition, stated: “We spent years working with the CFTC because prediction markets must operate with strong federal safeguards that prevent insider trading, protect consumers, and ensure these markets remain transparent and corruption-free.” The coalition said more companies are in talks to join.

Gemini Secures CFTC Approval, Shares Surge 28%

Winklevoss twins-founded exchange, Gemini, has also entered the prediction market battlefield. Gemini Space Station Inc. received approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for a derivatives exchange.

The approval allows Gemini to offer event contract trading services to existing US customers through its website and mobile app. In regulatory filings related to its IPO, Gemini had included prediction markets on “economic, financial, political, and sports forecasts” among its list of products of interest.

Gemini stated it “will explore expanding its derivatives offering for US customers to include crypto futures, options, and perpetual contracts.” Following the approval announcement, Gemini shares surged as much as 28% in extended trading.

The approval is among the latest agency actions under Acting Chairman Caroline Pham, who has positioned herself as a champion of the digital assets industry and has taken numerous steps to advance crypto trading on CFTC-regulated platforms. Pham also announced that Tyler Winklevoss would participate in the agency’s CEO Innovation Council, which will include Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan, CME Group Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy, and Kalshi co-founder Tarek Mansour.

CZ Marches to the Center Stage of Prediction Markets

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) is also expanding his prediction market territory. On December 4, CZ posted on X about a new prediction market launching on BNB Chain. A key feature of the platform is that user funds generate yield while awaiting outcomes. The platform is backed by YZiLabs (formerly Binance Labs), which manages over $10 billion in assets and has invested in more than 300 projects globally.

One day earlier, Trust Wallet, owned by CZ, launched its Predictions feature. Web3 prediction market protocol Myriad joined as the first integration partner, enabling users to bet on politics, sports, and market trends within the app. Trust Wallet’s user base stands at 220 million.

BNB Chain completed its integration with Polymarket in October, and Opinion Labs, a prediction market provider backed by YZiLabs, launched its mainnet. Opinion Labs secured a multi-million dollar investment at Binance Blockchain Week. They completed a $5 million seed funding round in Q1 2025, led by YZiLabs with participation from Animoca Ventures and Amber Group.

Trump Media Enters the Fray with Truth Predict

Trump Media & Technology Group, the social media company of former President Donald Trump, is also jumping into the prediction market business. The company plans to launch “Truth Predict” on its Truth Social network, allowing users to bet on events ranging from political elections to changes in the inflation rate.

Truth Predict will use Crypto.com Derivatives North America to process bets and will offer wagers on commodity prices and events across all major sports leagues. Initial testing will begin “in the near future,” followed by a full US launch and eventual global expansion.

Devin Nunes, CEO of Trump Media and a former Republican congressman, stated: “For too long, global elites have closely controlled these markets. With Truth Predict, we’re democratizing information and empowering everyday Americans to harness the wisdom of the crowd.”

The Race for the $15 Billion Throne

Prediction markets have exploded since a federal court dismissed the prohibition on election betting last year. Weekly notional trading volume on Polymarket and Kalshi has surpassed the peak set during last year’s US presidential election, reaching new records.

Investor interest is soaring. Kalshi’s valuation has more than doubled following its recent funding round, reaching $11 billion. Polymarket is reportedly seeking to raise funds at a valuation of up to $15 billion.

Traditional financial exchanges, including CME Group and Intercontinental Exchange, are also exploring ways to enter this market. Monthly transfer volume for tokenized equities increased 32% over the last 30 days to $1.45 billion.

However, regulatory uncertainty remains a challenge. Kalshi filed a lawsuit in October against New York’s gaming commission, alleging that the state agency is overstepping its authority by attempting to regulate sports betting operations that fall exclusively under federal jurisdiction. Sports betting remains illegal in nearly a dozen US states, and lawsuits over the legality of prediction markets are mounting.

Coinbase, Gemini, CZ’s BNB Chain, and the newly formed industry coalition — the game of giants for the $15 billion throne has only just begun.

The post Game of Prediction Thrones: Coinbase, Crypto.com, Gemini Join the Battle appeared first on BeInCrypto.

JP Morgan has successfully arranged one of the first-ever debt issuances on a public blockchain, executing a US Commercial Paper offering for Galaxy Digital Holdings LP on the Solana network.

The transaction, announced December 11, was purchased by Coinbase and Franklin Templeton, with all settlement conducted in Circle’s USDC stablecoin—a first for the commercial paper market.

Wall Street No Longer Experimenting

The deal represents a significant departure from JP Morgan’s previous blockchain strategy, which relied primarily on its private Onyx network and JPM Coin. By choosing Solana’s public infrastructure, the Wall Street giant has effectively validated the network’s capability to handle institutional-grade financial products.

“This issuance is a clear example of how public blockchains can improve the way capital markets operate,” said Jason Urban, Global Head of Trading at Galaxy. Franklin Templeton’s Head of Innovation Sandy Kaul added that institutions are no longer just experimenting with blockchain—they’re “transacting on it in a big way.”

JP Morgan served as Arranger, creating the on-chain USCP token and facilitating delivery-versus-payment (DVP) settlement. The DVP model eliminates counterparty risk by ensuring that assets and payments are exchanged simultaneously—a critical feature for institutional adoption. Galaxy Digital Partners LLC acted as the Structuring Agent, marking Galaxy’s first-ever commercial paper issuance.

Coinbase played dual roles as both an investor and an infrastructure provider, offering private-key custody, wallet services, and USDC on- and off-ramp capabilities. The collaboration between traditional finance and crypto-native firms signals a maturing ecosystem ready for mainstream adoption.

Why Solana and USDC

Solana’s selection reflects its technical advantages: speed, scalability, and low transaction costs. The network’s ability to process thousands of transactions per second made it well-suited for institutional operations requiring efficiency and reliability. While Ethereum remains prominent in the tokenization landscape, Solana’s cost efficiency positions it for high-frequency, cost-sensitive financial applications.

Circle’s USDC stablecoin played an equally pivotal role. According to Circle’s official reports, USDC has enabled over $850 billion in value transfers globally, supporting real-time settlement for compliant financial operations. Its use as settlement currency for traditional debt instruments represents a breakthrough for stablecoin utility.

Strong Financials Back the Deal

The transaction strengthens Galaxy’s short-term funding capabilities amid robust financial performance. The company reported $629 million in adjusted EBITDA for Q3 2025—a record quarter. As of June 30, 2025, Galaxy held $2.6 billion in equity and $1.2 billion in cash and stablecoins, positioning it well to expand blockchain-based funding channels.

JP Morgan‘s involvement adds significant credibility. JP Morgan holds $40.1 trillion in assets under custody, $1.11 trillion in deposits, and operations spanning more than 100 countries. The bank’s endorsement of public blockchain infrastructure carries substantial weight for institutional observers.

SOL Unmoved Despite Historic News

Despite the landmark nature of the transaction, Solana’s native token, SOL, has shown a limited price reaction. As of December 12, SOL trades at approximately $136, down 2.25% over the past week. The token briefly spiked above $145 on December 9-10 before retreating to current levels.

The muted response may reflect the market’s forward-looking nature—institutional adoption has long been anticipated. Broader market conditions and profit-taking following recent gains could also be overshadowing the positive news.

The post JP Morgan Brings Commercial Paper to Solana in Historic First appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Sanctioned Russian exchange Garantex is quietly moving funds again, according to an on-chain payout architecture uncovered by blockchain analytics firm Global Ledger. 

The forensic evidence confirmed that Russian actors have rebuilt a functioning payout system despite law enforcement efforts.

Garantex Quietly Moves Millions

A new investigation by Global Ledger reveals that Garantex, a Russian crypto exchange previously hit by Western sanctions and a server seizure, is still managing to move large sums of money. 

Researchers have uncovered new Garantex-linked wallets on Bitcoin and Ethereum that, together, hold more than $34 million in cryptocurrency. At least $25 million has already been paid out to former users. These movements confirm that the operation is active despite international pressure to shut it down.

Global Ledger explained that Garantex is operating a payout system designed to conceal the flow of money. The exchange shifts its reserves into mixing services such as Tornado Cash, which scramble the funds to obscure their origin. 

The money is then routed through a series of cross-chain tools. These facilitate the transfer of assets between networks, including Ethereum, Optimism, and Arbitrum. These transfers eventually end up in aggregation wallets, and from there, the funds are distributed to individual payout wallets.

The investigation also found that most Ethereum reserves remain untouched. More than 88% of the ETH linked to Garantex remains in reserve, indicating that only the initial phase of payouts has commenced.

The findings in the Global Ledger report are situated within a broader transformation within Russia’s financial system.

How Russia Uses A7A5 to Keep Trade Alive

Russia has made a remarkable shift in its approach to digital assets. 

In early 2022, the Russian Central Bank proposed a blanket ban on cryptocurrencies, describing them as a threat to financial stability. By 2024, the country had reversed its position and began using crypto to support trade under sanctions.

President Vladimir Putin has also personally backed a new payment network called A7. 

A7 launched a rouble-backed stablecoin named A7A5 at the start of 2025. This token enables the flow of money in and out of the conventional financial system, and according to Chainalysis, it has already supported more than $87 billion in trading activity.

Russian companies utilize A7A5 to convert rubles into USDT. This allows Russian firms to continue making cross-border payments even when banks refuse to process transfers linked to Russia.

While Russia works to build a financial system that no longer depends on Western channels, the Global Ledger findings add a critical new layer by showing that Garantex has not disappeared. 

Instead, it has adapted its operations and continues to move money through structures that mirror newer state-backed systems.

Taken together, the evidence shows how states are developing new crypto-based payment systems that circumvent country-specific sanctions and erode traditional forms of external pressure.

The post Russia Revives Blacklisted Crypto Empire Garantex to Outrun Sanctions appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Bitcoin approaches Christmas 2025 in a fragile but interesting position. Price trades around the $93,000 area after weeks of pressure. Four key charts show a market late in its correction, yet still lacking a clear bullish trigger.

The data highlights three big forces at work. Recent buyers sit in heavy losses, while new whales are capitulating. Macro conditions still drive price, even as spot buying strength quietly returns.

Short-Term Bitcoin Holders are in Deep Pain

The first chart tracks short-term holder (STH) realized profit and loss. This group includes coins bought in recent months. Their “realized price” is the average cost basis for these coins. 

Earlier in 2025, STHs sat on strong gains. Their average position was 15–20% in profit as Bitcoin pushed higher. That phase encouraged profit-taking and added sell pressure near the highs.

Today, the picture has flipped. Bitcoin trades below the STH realized price, and the cohort shows about -10% losses. The histogram on the chart is red, marking one of the deepest loss regimes of 2025.

This has two consequences.

Near term, these underwater holders can sell into every bounce. Many simply want out at break-even, which caps rallies toward their entry zone.

However, deep and persistent loss pockets usually appear later in corrections. They signal that weak hands already took heavy damage.

At some point, the selling power of this group runs low.

75% of Short-Term Holder's coins are sitting in loss (over 4.36 million BTC).

Interestingly enough, this is a comparable trend to the prior two local bottoms of this Bitcoin cycle. pic.twitter.com/2w1J4rXzi9

— On-Chain College (@OnChainCollege) December 8, 2025

Historically, the key turning signal comes when price reclaims the STH realized price from below. That move tells you forced selling is mostly done and new demand absorbs supply.

Until that happens, the chart still argues for caution and range trading around current levels.

New Bitcoin Whales Just Surrendered

The second chart shows realized profit and loss by whale cohorts. It splits flows between “new whales” and “old whales”. New whales are large holders that accumulated recently.

Yesterday, new whales realized $386 million in losses in one day. Their bar on the chart is a large negative spike. Several other big negative bars cluster around recent lows.

Old whales tell a different story. Their realized losses and profits are smaller and more balanced. They are not exiting at the same pace as the newcomers.

This pattern is typical at late stages of a correction. New whales often buy late, sometimes with leverage or strong narrative bias. When price moves against them, they are first to capitulate.

That capitulation has a structural benefit. Coins move from weak large hands to stronger hands or smaller buyers. Future sell-side overhang from this group decreases after such events.

Short term, these flushes can still drag price lower. Yet medium term, they improve the quality of Bitcoin’s holder base.

The market becomes more resilient once panicked large sellers finish exiting.

Real Interest Rates Still Steer Bitcoin

The third chart overlays Bitcoin with two-year US real yields, inverted. Real yields measure interest rates after inflation. The series moves almost tick-for-tick with BTC across 2025.

When real yields fall, the inverted line rises. Bitcoin tends to rise alongside it as liquidity improves. Lower real yields make risk assets more appealing relative to safe bonds.

Since late summer, real yields have moved higher again. The inverted line trended lower, and Bitcoin followed it down. This shows macro conditions still dominate the larger trend.

Federal Reserve rate cuts alone may not fix this. What matters is how markets expect real borrowing costs to evolve. If inflation expectations fall faster than nominal rates, real yields can even rise.

For Bitcoin, a durable new bull leg likely needs easier real conditions. Until bond markets price that shift, BTC rallies face a macro headwind.

What is driving the drawdown in Bitcoin?

When you stop listening to Bitcoin pundits and start listening to what Bitcoin is saying about itself, then you will see the real truth

I am going to lay out the 3 major things you need to watch for Bitcoin right now 🧵 pic.twitter.com/FC60PPt2gG

— Capital Flows (@Globalflows) December 11, 2025

Spot Taker Buyers are Stepping Back In

The fourth chart tracks 90-day Spot Taker CVD across major exchanges. CVD measures the net volume of market orders that cross the spread.

It shows whether aggressive buyers or sellers dominate.

For weeks during the drawdown, the regime was Taker Sell Dominant. Red bars filled the chart as sellers hit bids across spot markets. This aligned with the grinding drift lower in price.

Now the signal has flipped. The metric just turned Taker Buy Dominant, with green bars returning. Aggressive buyers now outnumber aggressive sellers on spot venues.

Taker Buy momentum is back 🔄

Bitcoin's 90-day Spot Taker CVD just flipped to **Taker Buy Dominant** — marking a shift in market behavior after weeks of sell-side pressure.

Buy-side aggression is returning across major spot exchanges. pic.twitter.com/w5uaGcGHPi

— Maartunn (@JA_Maartun) December 11, 2025

This is an early but important change. Trend reversals often start with microstructure shifts like this.
First buyers step in, then price stabilizes, then larger flows follow.

One day of data is never enough. However, a sustained green regime would confirm that real demand is back. It would show spot markets absorbing supply from STHs and capitulating whales.

What It All Means For Bitcoin Price Heading Into Christmas

Taken together, the four charts show a late-stage correction, not a fresh bull market.

Short-term holders and new whales carry heavy losses and still sell into strength. Macro real yields keep a lid on risk appetite at the index level.

At the same time, some building blocks for a recovery are visible. Capitulation by new whales cleans up the holder base.

Spot taker buyers are returning, which reduces downside velocity.

Heading into Christmas 2025, Bitcoin looks range-bound with a bearish tilt, hovering around $90,000.

Downside spikes into the mid or high-$80,000s remain possible if real yields stay high. A clear bullish shift likely needs three signals together:

First, price must reclaim the short-term holders’ realized price and hold above it. Second, two-year real yields should roll lower, easing financial conditions.

Third, Taker Buy dominance should persist, confirming strong spot demand.

Until that alignment appears, traders face a choppy market shaped by macro data and trapped holders. Long-term investors may see this as a planning zone rather than a time for aggressive bets.

The post 4 Charts Explain Bitcoin’s Price Condition Heading into Christmas 2025 appeared first on BeInCrypto.

A US court has sentenced Terra founder Do Kwon to 15 years in prison, concluding one of the most consequential fraud cases in crypto history.

The decision, delivered on December 11, 2025, follows Kwon’s guilty plea earlier this year.

End of the 2022 Crypto Winter Saga?

The sentencing ends a three-year and seven-month legal saga that began after the collapse of Terra’s algorithmic stablecoin ecosystem in May 2022, which erased tens of billions in market value and triggered a cascade of failures across the crypto sector.

Prosecutors argued that Kwon knowingly misled investors about the stability of TerraUSD and the backing of its broader ecosystem.

Kwon’s sentence is shorter than the 25 years received by FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, though both cases have reshaped global regulatory attitudes toward digital assets.

Prosecutors highlighted the scale of damage caused by Terra’s implosion, citing widespread retail losses and systemic fallout across lending platforms and hedge funds.

Kwon had faced charges in both the United States and South Korea before being extradited. His guilty plea consolidated proceedings under US jurisdiction, enabling today’s sentencing.

The court emphasised investor protection and accountability as central factors in determining the term.

The decision marks a turning point for the Terra community, which continues to trade legacy tokens LUNC and LUNA despite the network’s collapse. Market reaction remains volatile as traders digest the implications of Kwon’s conviction.

With the case now closed, regulators are expected to use the verdict as a reference point for future enforcement actions involving algorithmic stablecoins and high-risk financial engineering in crypto.

The post Terra Founder Do Kwon Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Fraud appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Bitcoin, gold, and silver prices continue to trade with bullish biases this week, as the pioneer crypto and the two commodity safe havens see the Fed’s interest rate decision through a rearview mirror.

After policymakers decided to cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, data show that the stock market is no longer flashing fear, a major break last seen in early October.

Bitcoin, Gold, Silver: Updated Price Outlook as Stock Market Calm Returns

The US stock market hit an all-time high on Thursday, December 11, with analysts projecting further upside. It follows the Fed’s decision to cut interest rates, a move that usually lifts the stock market.

Lower borrowing costs boost corporate profits, encourage business investment, and increase the value of future earnings. Similarly, cheaper credit increases consumer spending, while investors shift from bonds to equities in search of higher returns.

Together, this improves liquidity and risk appetite, typically driving stock prices higher across most sectors. This explains why the stock market is no longer flashing fear.

JUST IN 🚨: Stock Market says Goodbye to Fear for the first time since early October 🫡🥳🫂 pic.twitter.com/vSd1qLkbkO

— Barchart (@Barchart) December 11, 2025

Meanwhile, Bitcoin, gold, and silver are evoking similar optimism, with XAU and XAG prices surging as holding costs decline and inflation expectations rise.

Bullish Reversal Builds for Bitcoin Price as Liquidity Flows Return

Bitcoin’s daily chart shows the price recovering within a well-defined ascending channel, which formed after the sharp correction from its early October highs.

Despite still trading below the major exponential moving averages (50 and 100 at $96,583 and $101,943, respectively), BTC is showing early signs of trend stabilization. This is seen with each recent low forming higher than the previous one, a classic early-stage recovery pattern.

The bullish Volume Profiles (green horizontal bars) reveal a significant high-volume node around the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement level, suggesting bulls could defend $90,358 as critical support.

This level may act as an anchoring point for price inflection, potentially serving as the jumping-off point for the next move north.

A decisive candlestick close above the $90,358 level could allow BTC to target the heavier liquidity cluster around $98,000–$103,000.

Meanwhile, the RSI (Relative Strength Index) indicator remains neutral, suggesting room for expansion in either direction.

The histograms of the AO indicators (Awesome Oscillator) are edging toward positive territory and flashing green, suggesting bullish momentum is growing.

Nonetheless, short-term bullish continuation depends on maintaining the upward channel structure. Breaking below the lower boundary of the channel, which confluences with the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement level at $90,358, would expose BTC to bearish pressure, with the ensuing seller momentum likely to send BTC to the range between $86,000 and $80,600.

The main challenge remains reclaiming the EMAs, particularly the 50-day and 100-day, which cluster around $96,583 and $101,943.

Historically, BTC tends to accelerate once it breaks above these moving averages during mid-cycle consolidations.

Overall, BTC exhibits a controlled recovery, rising volume, and a constructive channel, but major confirmation will only come if bulls reclaim the $100,000 psychological level.

Gold Price’s Breakout Momentum Strengthens Above Key Resistance

The 4-hour chart for the XAU/USD trading pair shows the gold price teasing with a clean breakout from a long, compressing symmetrical triangle. This technical formation formed after the sharp $490 retracement (-11.19%) earlier in the quarter.

Symmetrical triangles at the top of an uptrend often behave as continuation patterns, where price consolidates before resuming its prior direction. Gold’s breakout aligns with this playbook, pushing above the downtrend line with strong momentum.

The measured move of the triangle projects an upside target of roughly $4,720, up by just over 11% above the breakout point.

Meanwhile, the gold price is currently stabilizing around $4,273, where the breakout candle closed. As long as Gold holds above the triangle’s upper boundary, the bullish structure remains intact.

Traders waiting to take long positions on XAU/USD should consider waiting for a successful retest of the upper trendline.

The RSI is mid-range but leaning bullish at 65, suggesting gold is still not overbought. Its trajectory shows rising momentum, typically a healthy setup for continuation.

The MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) lines have crossed bullishly and are widening, a sign of increasing upward force.

Support levels to monitor sit at $4,180, $4,140, $4,098, and the deeper pivot at $3,998, which marks the base of the prior correction. As long as the gold price stays above these levels, bulls maintain control.

It is also worth noting that Gold’s breakout aligns with its broader macro trend: rising geopolitical uncertainty, persistent inflation expectations, and strong demand from central banks.

Central banks are ramping up gold purchases:

Global central banks purchased +53 tonnes of gold in October, the most since November 2024.

This marks a +194% jump compared to July, and the 3rd-straight monthly acceleration.

In the first 10 months of the year, central banks have… pic.twitter.com/7pZWyEjjvf

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) December 4, 2025

Technically, the structure supports the possibility of revisiting, and potentially surpassing, recent highs.

Silver Price’s Long-Term Cup-and-Handle Signal Targets Major Upside

The Silver price’s multi-decade chart is displaying one of the strongest long-term bullish structures in commodities, a giant multi-cycle Cup & Handle breakout.

The cup spans from the 1980 peak to the 2011 rejection, an 871% measured move. The handle, smaller but still powerful, forms a pattern between 2011 and 2024, showing a 152% measured move. Both formations converge at the same breakout line near $36, a level Silver has struggled to clear for over 40 years.

The latest candle shows a decisive, high-volume breakout far above this resistance, suggesting a structural shift rather than a temporary spike.

When a commodity breaks a multi-decade ceiling, price discovery can accelerate quickly due to lack of historical resistance.

However, the RSI is in overbought territory (above 80), but in long-term breakouts, this often reflects momentum rather than exhaustion. The MACD has crossed strongly into bullish territory, confirming the upward trend.

If the breakout sustains, the next key psychological level is $70, with the 1980/2011 all-time high zone, now near $50, flipped into support.

Silver soars to $64 for the first time in history 🚨📈 Dear God 🤯👀 pic.twitter.com/2ffpTOUB1E

— Barchart (@Barchart) December 11, 2025

Given the prolonged consolidation and tight multi-year supply constraints in the silver market, a move beyond historical highs cannot be ruled out.

However, Silver has historically remained volatile, so a retest of the $36 zone would be normal before a sustained continuation.

The post Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Gold, Silver as Stocks Move Out of the Fear Zone appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Venture firm a16z has released its annual crypto predictions, outlining a sweeping shift in how blockchains, AI agents, and global payments will operate by 2026. 

The research highlights three core forces — autonomous agents, disappearing payment rails, and a new era of privacy-first blockchains. All of these developments together signal a structural redesign of the internet’s financial layer.

AI Agents Will Force a Massive Shift

The most consequential shift, according to a16z, is the rise of AI agents as economic participants. For every human in financial services, agents now outnumber workers nearly 100 to 1. 

However, these autonomous systems still lack identity, permissions, or compliance structures. The firm argues that 2026 will introduce the first version of KYA: Know Your Agent, a cryptographic identity layer linking agents to their owners, constraints, and liabilities. 

Without this, agents will remain “unbanked ghosts,” unable to transact safely or access real markets. With it, they become programmable market actors capable of spending, trading, and settling value in real time.

Payments Vanish into the Internet’s Plumbing

This shift drives the second major prediction: payments will vanish into the network itself. As AI agents trigger transactions automatically — buying data, paying for GPU time, or settling API calls — money must move with the same speed and granularity as information. 

Emerging primitives like x402 enable value transfer to occur instantly, permissionlessly, and without intermediaries. 

In this model, payments stop being an application layer and become a native network behavior. Banks, stablecoins, and settlement systems become invisible infrastructure running under agent-to-agent commerce.

Privacy Chains Will Dominate

Privacy forms the third pillar of a16z’s 2026 outlook. The firm argues that privacy will become the strongest moat in crypto, far outweighing performance or throughput. 

More specifically, once transactions become private, users face real friction when switching chains because moving secrets leaks metadata. This creates “privacy lock-in,” a winner-take-most effect for the chains that get privacy right.

Privacy will be the most important moat in crypto.

Why? Because secrets are hard to migrate.

Everyone is launching a new "high performance" blockchain lately. But these chains are hardly different from one another. Blockspace is functionally the same everywhere. And with…

— Ali Yahya (@alive_eth) December 5, 2025

Arthur Hayes echoed the same point earlier, stating that institutional adoption cannot scale on public-by-default blockchains. 

“These large institutions don’t want their information public or at risk of going public,” he said, noting that Layer-2 privacy solutions may emerge first while Ethereum remains the underlying security substrate.

Other a16z crypto predictions highlight rising stablecoin infrastructure, the shift from tokenization to on-chain origination, verifiable cloud computing through faster SNARKs, and the emergence of “staked media,” where commentators prove credibility through on-chain commitments.

The post a16z Predicts Three Crypto Narratives Will Shine In 2026 appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Ethereum’s long-term trajectory has become a focal point again after Arthur Hayes laid out a sweeping forecast for the asset’s institutional future, price potential, and competitive space. 

His comments arrived as Ethereum trades near $3,200, fluctuating between $3,060 and $3,440 over the past week. Major players such as Tom Lee’s BitMine also increased their Ethereum holdings at an unprecedented pace.

Ethereum Becomes the Institutional Default

Hayes believes the market still misunderstands how deeply traditional institutions intend to integrate Ethereum. He argues that after years of failed experiments with private blockchains, banks now recognize the need for a public settlement layer.

“These organizations finally understand that you cannot have a private blockchain; you must use a public blockchain for security and real usage,” he said.

He links this shift to the stablecoin boom, which has forced banks to accept the value of on-chain settlement. 

According to Hayes, Ethereum is positioned as the only platform with the security, liquidity, and developer depth institutions need.

He expects this shift to drive a significant price resurgence for Ethereum in the coming cycle, complementing aggressive treasury accumulation by firms such as BitMine.

BitMine bought 33,504 ETH ($112 million) this week and 138,452 ETH (~$435 million) earlier in December, bringing its total to roughly 3.86 million ETH. That scale of accumulation has strengthened the narrative that institutions are positioning for Ethereum’s next major cycle. 

Privacy Remains Ethereum’s Biggest Weakness, But L2s Will Cover It

Hayes acknowledges Ethereum still lacks the privacy guarantees large institutions require. He notes that this is “the biggest thing Ethereum doesn’t have yet,” though he says Vitalik Buterin’s roadmap is actively addressing it.

Despite this gap, he argues institutional adoption will not be delayed. Instead, enterprises will deploy privacy-enabled Layer-2 networks while relying on Ethereum for settlement. 

He believes Ethereum L1 remains the “security substrate” regardless of whether activity occurs on L2s like Arbitrum or Optimism.

“There may need to be a debate about how fees are distributed between L2s and Ethereum L1,” he said, but he stressed that this does not change the underlying reality: institutions will still secure their operations using Ethereum.

This aligns with current ecosystem trends. Exchange balances are at multi-year lows, and whales have accumulated over 900,000 ETH in recent weeks, according to Santiment data. 

Institutional architecture continues to form around the Ethereum base layer, even as fees fall amid L2 migration.

A Narrow Field of Winners: Ethereum First, Solana Second

Hayes sees the future of public blockchains consolidating around a very small group. He places Ethereum as the clear long-term winner, with Solana in a distant but durable second place.

He credits Solana’s rise from $7 to $300 to intense meme coin activity in 2023 and 2024. However, he states Solana “needs a new trick” to outperform Ethereum again. 

While he expects Solana to remain relevant, he does not expect it to match Ethereum’s institutional role or long-term price strength.

Hayes views nearly all other L1s as structurally weak. He dismissed high-FDV chains such as Monad as over-inflated projects likely to collapse after an initial pump. 

“Monad won’t be able to compete with Ethereum

I have no belief that this is a legitimate blockchain.

It’ll never have any real usage.”

— Arthur Hayes

if you understand network effects, you know Ethereum’s here to stay at the top.

Monad’s solution is simple: build on… pic.twitter.com/EuXpU6VK1N

— rip.eth (@ripeth) November 29, 2025

50 ETH to Become a Millionaire by Next Election

Hayes offered his most explicit numerical prediction when asked how much ETH one would need to become a millionaire in the next cycle. 

He stated that Ethereum could reach $20,000, implying that 50 ETH would be enough to reach a seven-figure portfolio.

The BitMex founder expects this price target to materialize by the next US presidential election. His outlook aligns with the current supply environment: exchange reserves are shrinking, institutions are accumulating, and treasury buyers like BitMine continue to deploy hundreds of millions into ETH.

Arthur Hayes was just asked about Tom Lee saying $ETH could flip $BTC.

He says Ethereum is the best L1, with the most developers, the best DeFi, and the strongest talent. pic.twitter.com/EsQ74JpNRV

— SamAlτcoin.eth 🌎 (@SAMALTCOIN_ETH) October 21, 2025

If Ethereum fails to meet these expectations, Hayes says it will be due to narrative breakdown. 

Also, if stablecoin usage slows or institutions retreat from on-chain trading, Bitcoin could outperform Ethereum for a prolonged period.

However, he argues that current market structure favors Ethereum’s long-term dominance—especially as banks prepare to execute Web3 strategies on public infrastructure.

The post Arthur Hayes Makes Wild Ethereum Prediction for 2026 and Beyond appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Bitcoin’s (BTC) momentum has sharply reversed in the fourth quarter. While analysts expected the coin to set new highs, many now doubt whether BTC can even reclaim its previous peak. Forecasts are being revised downward as performance weakens.

This downturn comes despite a supportive macro environment. Demand is cooling, market strength is fading, and confidence appears to be eroding. So what changed? BeInCrypto spoke with Ryan Chow, Co-Founder of Solv Protocol, to unpack the shift in investor behavior and explore what Bitcoin will need to win 2026.

How Bitcoin Attracted and Lost Institutional Demand in 2025 

Historically, the fourth quarter has been Bitcoin’s strongest, delivering an average return of 77.26%. Expectations for 2025 were even more ambitious as institutional adoption accelerated and a growing number of public companies added Bitcoin to their reserves. 

Instead, the market reversed course. Bitcoin is down 20.69% so far in Q4, defying what has traditionally been its most favorable period. 

According to Chow, early 2025 was defined by institutional onboarding. 

“Spot ETFs, ETPs, and new mandates created an access shock, institutions were simply getting their baseline Bitcoin allocation in place, and mechanical inflows drove prices,” he said.

However, by late 2025, the environment had shifted. Chow revealed that structural buyers had already built their positions, forcing Bitcoin to compete directly with rising real yields. 

Once the cryptocurrency stopped posting new highs, chief investment officers began to question the rationale for holding a non-yielding asset when T-bills, corporate credit, and even AI-driven equities offer returns simply for staying invested.

“I think the market is finally confronting a truth that’s been obvious for years: passive holding has reached its limits. Retail is distributing, corporates have stopped accumulating, and institutions are pulling back. This time, it’s not because they’ve lost faith in Bitcoin but rather, the current market design doesn’t justify large-scale allocation in a high-rate regime,” Chow added.

Moreover, the executive highlighted that Bitcoin’s market structure has shifted. After the ETF and halving trades, Bitcoin transitioned into an overcrowded macro position. He noted that the asset has transitioned from the structural repricing phase into a carry-and-basis environment, now dominated by professional traders. 

The straightforward “ETF plus halving equals number go up”  thesis has effectively run its course. According to him, the next phase of adoption will be driven by demonstrable utility and risk-adjusted yield. He told BeInCrypto that,

“The first half of 2025 was about access, everyone rushed to secure their baseline Bitcoin exposure. The second half is about opportunity cost, now Bitcoin has to earn its place in a portfolio against assets that actually pay you to hold them.”

Bitcoin, often referred to as digital gold, has long been promoted as an inflation hedge. Chow acknowledged that the asset will likely retain its identity as a store of value. However, he stressed that this narrative alone is no longer sufficient for institutional investors.

Expert Reveals Bitcoin’s Key To Winning Back Institutions in 2026

Chow cautioned that the market may be significantly underestimating the scale of macroeconomic changes in 2026. He argued that unless Bitcoin evolves into a form of productive capital, it will remain a cyclical, liquidity-dependent asset. 

In that scenario, institutions would view and treat it precisely as such, rather than as a strategic long-term allocation.

“Bitcoin will no longer win on narrative alone. It must earn yield, or it will be structurally discounted. The volatility we’re seeing now is the market forcing Bitcoin to grow up,” he remarked.

So what safe, regulated yield products would bring institutions back in 2026? Chow pointed out that the real sweet spot lies in regulated, cash-plus Bitcoin strategies that resemble traditional investment products, featuring clear legal wrappers, audited reserves, and straightforward risk profiles.

He outlined three categories:

• Bitcoin-backed cash-plus funds: BTC held in qualified custody and deployed into on-chain Treasury bill or repo strategies, targeting an incremental 2 to 4% yield.
• Over-collateralised BTC lending and repo: Regulated vehicles lending against Bitcoin to high-quality borrowers. On-chain monitoring, conservative LTVs, and bankruptcy-remote structures will support this.
• Defined-outcome option overlays: Strategies such as covered calls, wrapped in familiar regulatory frameworks like UCITS or 40-Act vehicles.

Across all of them, several requirements remain non-negotiable. These include regulated managers, segregated accounts, proof-of-reserves, and compatibility with existing institutional custody infrastructure.

“The products that will bring institutions back aren’t exotic. They’ll look like Bitcoin-backed cash-plus funds, repo markets, and defined-outcome strategies, familiar wrappers, familiar risk controls, just powered by Bitcoin under the hood,” Chow claimed.

He further emphasized that institutions do not need 20% DeFi APY, which is often a red flag. A net annualized return of 2 to 5%, achieved through transparent and collateralized strategies, is sufficient to move Bitcoin from a “nice to have” to a “core reserve asset.”

“Bitcoin doesn’t need to become a high-yield product to stay relevant. It just needs to move from zero percent to a modest, transparent ‘cash-plus’ profile so CIOs stop treating it as dead capital,” the Solv co-founder mentioned to BeInCrypto.

What Bitcoin Yield Looks Like in Practice 

Chow detailed that Bitcoin’s transformation into productive capital would shift it from a static gold bar to high-quality collateral capable of funding T-bills, credit, and liquidity across multiple venues. In this model, corporates pledge BTC into regulated on-chain vaults, receive yield-bearing claims in return, and maintain a clear line-of-sight to underlying assets. 

Bitcoin would also serve as collateral in repo markets, as margin for derivatives, and as backing for structured notes, supporting both on-chain investment strategies and off-chain working capital needs.

The result is a multi-purpose instrument: Bitcoin as a reserve asset, a funding asset, and a yield-generating asset simultaneously. It mirrors the function Treasuries serve today, but operates within a global, 24/7, programmable environment.

“If we get this right, institutions won’t talk about ‘holding Bitcoin’ so much as ‘funding portfolios with Bitcoin.’ It becomes the neutral collateral that quietly powers T-bills, credit, and liquidity across both traditional and on-chain markets,” Chow commented.

Institutions Want Yield: Can Bitcoin Provide It Without Compromising Its Principles? 

While the applications are quite compelling, the question arises: can Bitcoin support regulated, risk-adjusted yield at scale without compromising its foundational principles?

According to Chow, the answer is yes, provided the market respects Bitcoin’s layered architecture. 

“The base layer stays conservative; yield and regulation live in higher layers with strong bridges and transparency standards. Bitcoin L1 remains simple and decentralised, while the productive layer sits on L2s, sidechains, or RWA chains where wrapped Bitcoin interacts with tokenised treasuries and credit,” he noted.

The executive acknowledged that several technical challenges must be addressed. He emphasized that the ecosystem must evolve from trusted multisig setups to institution-grade bridging. Furthermore, it should establish standardised one-to-one-backed wrappers and develop real-time risk oracles. 

“The ideological challenge is harder: post-CeFi collapse, skepticism runs deep. The bridge is radical transparency, on-chain proof-of-reserves, disclosed mandates, no hidden leverage. Crucially, productive Bitcoin remains optional; self-custody stays valid. We don’t need to change Bitcoin’s base layer to make it productive. We need to build a disciplined financial layer on top, one that institutions can trust and cypherpunks can verify,” the executive elaborated.

Ultimately, Chow’s message is clear: Bitcoin’s next phase will be defined not by narrative or speculation, but by disciplined financial engineering. If the industry can deliver transparent, regulated, yield-bearing structures without compromising Bitcoin’s core principles, institutions will return, not as momentum traders, but as long-term allocators. 

The path to 2026 runs through utility, credibility, and Bitcoin, demonstrating its ability to compete in a world where capital demands productivity.

The post Bitcoin Can’t Win 2026 on Narrative Alone — Institutions Want Value, Not Hype appeared first on BeInCrypto.

In the race to scale blockchain and decentralize AI, one barrier continues to surface: compute. Whether it’s the rising cost of zero-knowledge (ZK) proof generation or the opaque infrastructure behind AI inference, developers are increasingly bottlenecked by centralized, expensive, and often inaccessible compute power.

One protocol trying to end this bottleneck is Cysic, a decentralized compute marketplace built to provide ZK proofs and verified AI inference. It officially launched its mainnet alpha today, with over 260,000 nodes already onboarded and integrations with Scroll, Succinct, and NetworkNoya ecosystems. With such early success, the team characterizes this shift as the emerging ‘ComputeFi‘ era, in which computation becomes a verifiable, on-chain resource where computation itself becomes a verifiable, onchain resource.

The development comes at a time of significant transformation in both the blockchain and AI sectors. Ethereum’s shift toward ZK-native architectures, the rise of modular stacks, and the proliferation of AI agents have all contributed to a surge in demand for decentralized compute. Projects like zkSync, which recently surged 150% on the back of the new ZK infrastructure and privacy integrations, show how investors and developer interest is converging around verifiable computation as a foundational layer, not just a feature. 

Recent trends such as the emergence of Proof-of-AI, decentralized GPU markets, and compute tokenization mark a larger shift toward verifiable, programmable infrastructure layers. With outages like AWS’s recent downtime highlighting the fragility of centralized backends, builders are increasingly seeking more resilient and transparent alternatives.

Why Compute Has Become a Core Infrastructure Concern

Blockchain scaling and AI integration are both rapidly increasing compute demand, but traditional infrastructure struggles to meet the unique needs of decentralized systems:

• ZK Proof Generation: Zero‑knowledge proofs are central to many scaling strategies, enabling privacy and validation without exposing underlying data. But generating these proofs requires significant specialized compute, often handled by a handful of centralized providers — an arrangement that limits decentralization and can inflate costs.
• AI Verification: As AI models are integrated into onchain workflows and autonomous agents, there’s a growing need not just for compute output, but verifiable results that can be audited or proven to follow specified logic. Traditional cloud APIs deliver performance but lack native verifiability when tied to blockchain logic.

These pressures reflect a broader shift in how developers think about infrastructure: it’s no longer enough to just execute compute as applications increasingly demand cryptographic assurances about how that compute was performed.

Cysic’s Role in the New Compute Economy

Cysic’s mainnet goes live as verifiable compute moves from theoretical promise to ecosystem necessity. Rather than relying on centralized servers or opaque APIs, the network distributes ZK proving and AI inference tasks across a global node base, from consumer GPUs to custom ASIC hardware, forming a marketplace for provable computation.

Ahead of mainnet, the protocol processed over 10 million ZK proofs, onboarded 260,000+ nodes, and attracted 1.4 million wallets through test phases. It now integrates with projects like Scroll, Succinct, and Polygon CDK, signaling real adoption rather than speculative hype.

The network aims to provide scalable, verifiable compute at lower cost. In AI contexts, partners like NetworkNoya report over 70% speed boosts and 91% cost reductions using Cysic’s infrastructure. In ZK environments, teams like Succinct and Scroll have used its prover networks to improve efficiency on live workloads.

The project positions its approach as an effort to make compute more provable, decentralized, and programmable.

Decentralized Compute Is an Ecosystem Trend, Not an Isolated Sprint

Cysic’s launch is one piece of a larger pattern in Web3 and decentralized systems. While projects vary in approach, the underlying challenge they tackle is consistent: reducing dependency on centralized compute providers and enabling more trustable, accessible infrastructure.

For example:

• Decentralized AI compute networks like NodeGoAI are exploring ways to monetize idle hardware for AI tasks in distributed environments.
• Decentralized resource networks captured by the DePIN movement aim to incentivize compute sharing at scale — a theme that has come into sharper focus following disruptions like the AWS outage that affected parts of Web3 infrastructure.
• Broader discussions of decentralized AI infrastructure signal that trust, verification, and auditability are now core concerns, not niche research topics. 

These ecosystem signals suggest that decentralized compute isn’t a one‑off idea but a structural response to real world limitations in how compute is provisioned, priced, and trusted.

The Road Ahead: ZK, AI, and Beyond

While Ethereum rollups are a natural entry point, Cysic’s ambitions extend far beyond the blockchain scalability narrative. The network is already being used to support verifiable AI inference — a capability that enables smart contracts and autonomous agents to verify that an output came from a specific, authorized model. This use case is particularly relevant as AI-generated content proliferates and demands stronger provenance guarantees.

Cysic is also targeting workloads in scientific computing, including genomics and climate simulations, where reproducibility and transparency are critical. In parallel, the network supports a class of dual-purpose devices like the DogeBox1, which can toggle between mining and zero-knowledge proving based on real-time market conditions, allowing infrastructure owners to dynamically optimize for yield.

Together, these use cases point to a broader shift: computation is no longer just infrastructure. It’s becoming programmable, verifiable, and liquid, now the backbone of what Cysic coins the ComputeFi economy.

The post As Verifiable Compute Bottlenecks Grow, Cysic Mainnet Launches Into a Broader Infrastructure Shift appeared first on BeInCrypto.

After the FED announced interest rate cuts, major whale wallets began pouring capital into long positions on Ethereum (ETH). These moves signal strong confidence in ETH’s upside. They also increase overall risk.

Several factors suggest that their long positions may face liquidation soon without effective risk management.

How Confident Are Whales in Their Ethereum Long Positions?

Whale behavior offers a clear view of current sentiment.

On-chain tracking account Lookonchain reported that a well-known whale, considered a Bitcoin OG, recently expanded a long position on Hyperliquid to 120,094 ETH. The liquidation price sits at only $2,234.

This position is currently showing a 24-hour PnL loss of more than $13.5 million.

Similarly, another well-known trader, Machi Big Brother, is maintaining a long position worth 6,000 ETH with a liquidation price of $3,152.

Additionally, on-chain data platform Arkham reported that the Chinese whale trader who called the 10/10 market crash is now holding a $300 million ETH long position on Hyperliquid.

Whale activity in ETH long positions reflects their expectation of a near-term price increase. However, behind this optimism lies a significant risk stemming from Ethereum’s leverage levels.

ETH Leverage Is Reaching Dangerous Highs

CryptoQuant data shows that ETH’s estimated leverage ratio on Binance has reached 0.579 — the highest in history. This level indicates extremely aggressive leverage usage. Even a small price swing could trigger a domino effect.

“Such a high leverage ratio means that the volume of open contracts financed by leverage is rising faster than the volume of actual assets on the platform. When this occurs, the market becomes more vulnerable to sudden price movements, as traders are more susceptible to liquidation—whether in an upward or downward trend,” analyst Arab Chain said.

Historical data indicate that similar peaks typically coincide with periods of intense price pressure and often signal local market tops.

Spot Market Weakness Adds More Risk

The spot market is also showing clear signs of weakening. Crypto market watcher Wu Blockchain reported that spot trading volume on major exchanges dropped 28% in November 2025 compared to October.

November Exchange Data Report: Spot trading volume of major exchanges in November 2025 fell 28% compared with October. The top three exchanges by change rate were Bitfinex +17%, Coinbase -8%, and KuCoin -17%. The bottom three were Bitget -62%, Gate -44%, and MEXC -34%.… pic.twitter.com/oXgFKyrv6b

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) December 10, 2025

Another report from BeInCrypto highlighted that stablecoin inflows into exchanges have declined by 50%, falling from $158 billion in August to $ 78 billion as of today.

Combined, low spot buying power, high leverage, and shrinking stablecoin reserves reduce ETH’s ability to recover. These conditions could put whale long positions at significant risk of liquidation.

The post Whales Are Going All-In on Ethereum — But Record Leverage Puts Their Longs at Risk appeared first on BeInCrypto.

The crypto market is still under pressure after the latest FOMC meeting. The Federal Reserve delivered its third 25 bps rate cut of the year, but the tone that followed was more cautious than expected. Inflation risks and slower growth signals have kept prices weak across most major assets. Despite this pullback, crypto whales are quietly adding to their positions.

Their buying has focused on three tokens that show early signs of rebound or breakout setups.

Aster (ASTER)

Aster’s price has slipped almost 4% in the past 24 hours, extending its month-on-month losses to about 14%. Yet whales are moving in the opposite direction.

Their holdings jumped 7.35% over the past day, adding about 4.59 million ASTER, worth roughly $4.22 million at the current price. What’s interesting is that ASTER is one of those rare coins that saw whale buying both before and after the FOMC decision.

This buying stands out because the chart shows a technical setup that may help explain why whales stepped in.

Want more token insights like this? Sign up for Editor Harsh Notariya’s Daily Crypto Newsletter here.

Between November 3 and December 11, the ASTER price formed a higher low, while the RSI made a lower low. RSI, or Relative Strength Index, measures the strength of buying and selling. When the price rises but RSI falls, this creates a hidden bullish divergence. It usually signals that selling pressure is fading, even if the chart still looks weak on the surface.

Aster showed the same pattern between November 3 and December 1. That divergence produced a bounce of almost 22%. The current setup looks similar, and whales may be positioning for the same kind of rebound.

For upside continuation, Aster needs a clean daily close above $1.08, the level where the last bounce stalled. If it breaks that line, the price can aim for $1.25 and $1.40, which match the next major resistances.

If the structure weakens instead, the downside is clear too. A daily close below $0.88 would break the rising structure and weaken whale conviction. Under that floor, ASTER may revisit $0.81 or lower.

Maple Finance (SYRUP)

Maple Finance (SYRUP) is still down about 2.2% in the past 24 hours and nearly 40% over the past month. Even with this weakness, crypto whales continued building positions. Normal whale wallets increased their holdings by 3.86% in the past day, while mega whales increased their stash by 4.9%, taking their total to 1.1 billion SYRUP.

That 4.9% jump means mega whales added roughly 51.4 million SYRUP, worth about $14.4 million at the current price. The fresh accumulation comes right after the slightly hawkish FOMC tone, which makes the buying move more interesting.

Whales seem to be counting on the $0.23 support to hold. SYRUP touched this level several times since early December. It has not broken once, which may be the reason whales stepped in. The token has been moving in a broad $0.23 to $0.31 range, with its last support test on December 4.

Momentum gives a short-term boost. Between December 9 and December 11, the price made a lower low while the RSI made a higher low. RSI, or Relative Strength Index, measures buying and selling strength. When price drops but RSI rises, it forms a bullish divergence. On lower time frames, this usually points to a bounce even during a wider downtrend.

If a bounce forms, the first target is $0.31, the ceiling that has rejected every move since December 6. A clear break above $0.31 opens the path to $0.39 and $0.48.

But if the SYRUP price loses $0.23, the whale conviction weakens. A breakdown there exposes open downside and likely resets the setup.

Pudgy Penguins (PENGU)

Pudgy Penguins is down almost 10% in the past 24 hours, but crypto whales continue to buy through the dip. Whale wallets increased their holdings by 5.25%, taking their total stash to 1.18 billion PENGU. That increase means whales added about 58.9 million PENGU.

Top 100 addresses or mega whales also showed steady accumulation. Their holdings rose 2.85% in the past day, lifting their combined stash to 76.95 billion PENGU. That comes to an addition of about 2.13 billion tokens, worth close to $21.3 million at today’s price. For a token that just slipped double digits, this kind of synchronized whale and mega whale buying is rare.

The PENGU price chart explains why the whales continue to load up. Pudgy Penguins is forming an inverse head and shoulders pattern on the daily timeframe. This is a bullish reversal setup that often forms when a downtrend is losing pressure. The neckline sits near $0.014, and because it is sloping upward, it signals improving buyer-aligned structure even before a breakout forms.

Whales may be betting on that breakout. If PENGU closes above $0.014, the pattern’s height projects a move of roughly 35%, which places the upside target near $0.019. That is likely the reason large wallets are entering despite the price weakness.

But the pattern has clear invalidation levels. If Pudgy Penguins loses $0.010, the setup weakens. A drop under $0.009 fully invalidates the pattern and removes the bullish projection. For now, as long as PENGU holds above $0.010, the inverse head and shoulders remains in play, and crypto whales look prepared for a possible breakout.

The post What Crypto Whales Are Buying After December FOMC Rate Cuts appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Gold has been a tremendous performer this year. During its 2025 rally, the gold price has broken the $3,000 and $4,000 milestones for the first time in history.

The precious metal is up roughly 60% since January 1, 2025. 

Gold vs. Bitcoin

Bitcoin, which many argue is gold’s digital counterpart, hasn’t been doing so hot. In the same time frame, the price of the largest cryptocurrency declined by 5%. 

In light of this, it’s quite ironic that the very technology Bitcoin pioneered is now being used to make investment exposure to gold more accessible than ever.

What is Tether Gold (XAUT)?

Gold-backed crypto tokens like Tether Gold (XAUT) allow anyone across the globe to instantly add gold to their portfolio (with some caveats that we’ll explain later).

XAUT is a gold-backed token issued by Tether, which also issues the world’s largest stablecoin, USDT. Conceptually, XAUT is similar to the dollar-pegged stablecoins crypto investors are already closely familiar with. Each XAUT token in circulation is backed by one fine troy ounce of gold held by Tether. 

XAUT is available as an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain, and can be bought on a variety of centralized exchanges and DEXes. 

The tokens can be directly redeemed for physical gold, but this is only relevant for a small number of investors in practice. This is because you need to have 1 gold bar’s worth of XAUT tokens to redeem your tokens directly for physical gold. Tether says clients who want to redeem for physical gold should deposit at least 430 XAUT ($1.8 million at current prices). 

Tether launched XAUT in 2020, shortly after Paxos launched PAXG in September 2019. At the time of writing, XAUT tokenizes roughly $2.1 billion worth of gold. The second-largest gold-backed token, PAXG, is not too far behind with a market cap of $1.4 billion. 

It’s worth highlighting that Tether is among the 30 largest gold holders in the world, and owns roughly 116 tons of the precious metal. However, only a portion of these reserves is being used to back XAUT, as the amount of tokens in circulation corresponds to about 16.2 tons of gold (1,329 gold bars).

Why are investors choosing XAUT?

XAUT is one of the easiest ways to get exposure to gold as an investment, especially if you are already in the crypto ecosystem. All you need is an Ethereum-compatible wallet with some funds, and you can buy XAUT within seconds on a DEX like Uniswap. 

When buying XAUT on Uniswap, I had the same kind of “aha moment” that I first got when I just got started with crypto. The realization that I just added some gold to my portfolio in seconds without KYC or other tedious processes reminded me that blockchain does indeed enable some very cool things already, despite the community constantly lamenting the lack of adoption.

You can, of course, also sell XAUT as easily as you can buy it, which is much more convenient than the process of selling physical gold. This makes it one of the most highly liquid methods of getting exposure to gold. The market for XAUT is open 24/7, and anyone across the globe can access it instantly thanks to decentralized exchanges.

Another advantage of XAUT is its divisibility. With XAUT, you can get exposure to as little as 0.000001 ounces of gold, making it truly accessible to everyone.

What to keep in mind when buying gold-backed tokens like XAUT

While gold-backed tokens like XAUT are an extremely convenient way to invest in gold, holding them isn’t quite the same as holding physical gold. 

Most importantly, these tokens come with counterparty risk. Gold-backed tokens are ultimately based on trust in the issuer (for example, Tether for XAUT) to maintain the gold reserves, keep them properly secured, and honor redemptions. If the custodian fails financially, acts dishonestly, or can no longer access the bullion, the tokens may drop in value, or you may not be able to recover that value at all.

On top of that, the on-chain infrastructure introduces its own set of risks: hacks, technical flaws, or smart contract malfunctions could lock you out of your tokens or cause the token supply to drift from what’s actually held in reserve.

Converting tokens back into physical gold or cash isn’t always straightforward. Redemptions can come with minimum thresholds, extra costs, and geographic or legal constraints, and in volatile conditions, the issuer may pause or slow redemptions. Meanwhile, owning physical gold gives you direct control as you can store it yourself and sell it whenever you choose.

In this article, we mostly focused our attention on XAUT, since it’s the most popular gold-backed token. However, it’s worth mentioning that PAXG is functionally very similar, and the choice between the two really just comes down to which issuer you trust more (Tether or Paxos). 

What’s next for gold: Investors anticipate new price records in 2026

Gold in 2025 has lived up to its reputation as a “safe haven” and has proven to be one of the most successful investments. Its rise was driven by a rare combination of factors: lower interest rates and real yields, heightened geopolitical and trade uncertainty, a noticeable weakening of the U.S. dollar, and steady demand from central banks.

The algorithmic gold price forecast from CoinCodex, which is based on the asset’s price history, volatility, and broader market trends, anticipates that gold will continue rallying throughout 2026 and hit a peak at around $6,400. 

While this forecast is extremely bullish, CoinCodex isn’t alone in projecting that the gold price will continue to hit new all-time highs in 2026. 

Major investment bank Goldman Sachs recently conducted a survey of 900 institutional investor clients, and 36% of them predict that gold will hit $5,000 in 2026. Meanwhile, 33% of the respondents provided a more conservative prediction that gold will reach between $4,500 and $5,000, which would also result in new all-time highs (the current record is at around $4,377).

Daan Struyven, head of commodity research at Goldman Sachs, has provided a $4,900 price target, citing central bank demand and continued Fed rate cuts as key drivers that will lead to higher gold prices.

Meanwhile, analysts at both JPMorgan and HSBC expect the gold price to surpass $5,000 next year.

The post Why Investors Are Turning to XAUT: Market Analysis and Gold Forecast Through 2026 appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Trust Wallet, the world’s leading self-custody web3 wallet with over 220 million users has today announced the integration of Revolut’s on-ramp, Revolut Pay within Trust Wallet.

Through this partnership, European users can now purchase crypto seamlessly and instantly with Revolut Pay (with zero Revolut fees), as well as through supported cards and bank transfers. The initial token roll-out includes five in-demand assets for European users: BTC, ETH, SOL, and USDC, with asset expansion planned in the future.

Available across both Trust Wallet mobile and desktop, the integration delivers one of the fastest and most intuitive crypto funding experiences in Europe today. By combining Revolut’s trusted fintech rails with Trust Wallet’s trusted wallet infrastructure, the partnership will remove friction while preserving the seamless, user-first experience that mainstream audiences expect. It signals a broader shift: mainstream fintech and web3 converging around a user-first model, one which combines Web2 ease with web3 ownership.

At the heart of the partnership is a commitment to making the first crypto purchase – often the hardest step for new users – as simple as shopping online. And in doing so, enabling anyone to buy their first crypto in seconds, and moving from curiosity to ownership with ease.

“We believe buying your first crypto should be as simple as any everyday online payment,” said Eowyn Chen, CEO of Trust Wallet.

“By integrating Revolut Pay, we’re giving users a fast, familiar, and fee-free way to get started. This integration reduces friction for first-time buyers and provides the most reliable path for users to move from curiosity to action in web3.”

By pairing Revolut’s familiar payment ecosystem with Trust Wallet’s global web3 access, the integration lowers barriers for not only first-time crypto buyers but also returning users looking to fund their wallet quickly and confidently.

The move is a major step toward Trust Wallet’s vision of building the first true web3 neobank: a global financial gateway where users can access crypto, DeFi, tokenized assets, and everyday financial services – all while keeping full ownership of their assets.

About Trust Wallet

Trust Wallet is the secure, self-custody web3 wallet and gateway for people who want to fully own, control, and leverage the power of their digital assets. From beginners to experienced users, Trust Wallet makes it easier, safer, and convenient for millions of people around the world to experience web3, access DApps securely, store and manage their crypto and NFTs, as well as buy, sell, and stake crypto to earn rewards — all in one place and without limits.

For media enquiries, contact:
[email protected]

About Revolut

Revolut is a global fintech, helping people get more from their money. In 2015, Revolut launched in the UK offering money transfer and exchange. Today, more than 65 million customers around the world use dozens of Revolut’s innovative products to make more than a billion transactions a month.

Across our personal and business accounts, we give customers more control over their finances and connect people seamlessly across the world.

The post Trust Wallet and Revolut Join Forces to Enable Instant Crypto Purchases For Users appeared first on BeInCrypto.

XRP price has tested patience for weeks. The coin is down about 18% over the last month and nearly 4% in the past 24 hours. It has spent most of its time stuck inside a tight range, making the past few weeks feel flat and frustrating.

But the latest move shows something that the earlier attempts did not. A chart signal and a shift in holder behavior now point to a bounce that might finally have enough support to hold.

A New Signal Shows That Buyers Might Be Returning

XRP has been trading between $2.28 and $1.98 since late November. This range shows that buyers and sellers have been evenly matched. But the lower side of this range recently produced something new. The price touched the bottom trend line of a symmetrical triangle. A symmetrical triangle forms when buyers and sellers slow down at the same pace, which often signals an aggresive move.

The first strong clue comes from the volume trend. Between December 6 and December 11, the price made a lower low, but the On-Balance Volume (OBV) made a higher low.

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OBV measures whether volume is flowing in or out of a coin. When price drops but OBV rises, it shows hidden accumulation. This usually means someone is buying the dips even while the chart looks weak. That is the first sign that a bounce attempt might surface.

This combination of the triangle support and the OBV divergence hints that early buying pressure is returning.

Why This Bounce Could Finally Hold If Selling Pressure Keeps Fading

A clean bounce, if it happens, also needs lower selling pressure. Long-term holders, often the strongest group in any coin, have reduced their selling sharply. On December 3, they were moving out 101,083,156 XRP. By December 10, that number dropped to 51,157,301 XRP. That is about a 49% reduction. They are still net sellers, but the selling pressure is softening at a noticeable pace.

The most interesting, third clue, comes from the fastest-moving wallets. These short-term XRP holders often sell into every bounce and kill momentum. But this time, they are cutting the supply. That is evident via the HODL waves metric, which shows supply held based on cohort age.

The 24-hour cohort held 1.89% of the supply on December 2. By December 10, that had dropped to just 0.22%.

The one-day to one-week cohort peaked at 3.88% on December 4 and has dropped to 1.24% as of December 10. This removes the speculative pressure that usually weakens rebounds.

When long-term holders sell less and very short-term holders (speculative money) exit the market, it allows price bounces to sustain.

XRP Price Levels That Will Confirm or Break the XRP Bounce

XRP trades near $2.00 and is still inside the broader $2.28 to $1.98 range. For the bounce to gain strength, XRP needs to clear $2.17 first. That level, about 8.37% higher, is the checkpoint that decides the next push. A daily close above it improves the odds of testing the top of the range.

A move above $2.28 would confirm a range break. That would allow the XRP price to aim higher, finally.

On the downside, the risk is close. A daily candle close under $1.98 weakens the entire bullish setup. If that breaks, the chart opens a path toward $1.88. That is the next major support.

The post Is XRP Price Hinting at a Bounce? 3 Clues Say This One Could Finally Hold appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Pineapple Financial, a fintech firm and the largest publicly traded INJ holder, is migrating its $10 billion mortgage lending portfolio onto blockchain through Injective.

The company has already placed data for $716 million in funded mortgages on-chain. It says more than 29,000 additional loans are expected to follow.

Pineapple Financial‘s Mortgage Portfolio Moves Onchain via Injective

In a detailed thread on X (formerly Twitter), the company explained that the initiative anchors each loan record to a single, immutable, and verifiable reference point. According to Pineapple, each record contains more than 500 data fields.

So, the placement of detailed loan-level metadata on-chain will provide a consistent foundation for underwriting, servicing, and investor reporting.

“This represents a major step in modernizing how mortgage data is stored, verified, and used across our entire operation,” Pineapple Financial said.

It also enhances compliance and auditability. An on-chain record provides a continuous, tamper-evident trail of every update. This streamlines regulatory reporting and eliminates much of the manual reconciliation that typically comes with managing large loan portfolios.

Pineapple Financial added that updates to mortgage files are tied to immutable on-chain fingerprints. This allows for clearer coordination across departments. It also expects efficiency gains as automated workflows replace manual checks, such as document tracking, version control, and portfolio-level analytics.

Moreover, the company said this new data foundation is designed to support additional products, including a Mortgage Data Marketplace and Pineapple Prime.

“Our goal is a faster and more transparent mortgage ecosystem built on verifiable data. By standardizing loan-level information now, we create the conditions for automation, improved risk management, and new financial products that were not feasible under legacy systems. Pineapple has already tokenized data for $716 million in funded mortgages onchain, with more than 29,000 loans set to follow,” the post read.

The firm also noted that it chose Injective for this initiative because of the network’s high-throughput and security features. According to Pineapple Financial,

“Injective supplies the infrastructure needed for this scale. Its high-security and high-throughput infrastructure allows us to verify rich loan-level data while maintaining full ownership of the platform, data structures, and customer-facing products built on top of it.”

It is also worth noting that Pineapple Financial holds Injective’s native token, INJ, as a reserve asset. The firm launched its digital asset treasury strategy in September. CoinGecko data shows it has 678,353 INJ.

Retail interest in INJ has risen alongside institutional activity. Data from Token Terminal shows Injective’s daily active users jumped to 77,600 in December, a steep increase from just 6,900 at the start of the year.

Nonetheless, this has not translated into price strength. BeInCrypto Markets data revealed that INJ has declined 30.1% over the past month, trailing the broader crypto market.

At the time of press, the altcoin was trading at $5.37, representing a 4.83% decline in the past 24 hours.

The post Fintech Firm Taps Injective to Bring $10 Billion Mortgage Portfolio Onchain appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Bitcoin price has extended its correction after the FOMC rate cut. The coin is down about 13% over the past 30 days and almost 4% in the past week. The move still fits inside a slow, grinding corrective phase since the October peak.

But two on-chain shifts now show something that did not appear at any point earlier in this downturn. These signals suggest the correction could be close to a turn — if Bitcoin delivers the push it needs.

Two Metrics Now Point Toward a Possible Turn

Short-term capitulation is showing up clearly now. CryptoQuant’s realized profit-and-loss data shows short-term Bitcoin holders are still deep in losses. This usually happens near the end of a correction, not the middle, because panicked selling at a loss often marks late-stage exhaustion.

BTC Short-Term Holders are Still in a Pain Zone

“Structurally, these deep loss pockets usually show up closer to the late stages of a correction than the early ones.” – By @IT_Tech_PL pic.twitter.com/bw39CfxGh6

— CryptoQuant.com (@cryptoquant_com) December 11, 2025

This fits with what shows up on HODL Waves.

HODL Waves measure how much Bitcoin each “age band” holds — from very new coins to very old ones. It shows which groups are accumulating or selling. The one-day to one-week cohort held 6.2% of the supply in late November. By December 10, they held only 2%.

That is a massive 68% drop and signals heavy short-term selling, the kind that often completes a correction rather than starts a new one. Plus, this cohort dumping also pushes speculative money out of the asset.

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The next signal comes from Exchange Net Position Change, which tracks how many coins move into or out of exchanges each day.

On November 27, net flows were +5,103 BTC (coins moving in).

By December 10, the flows flipped to –43,292 BTC, a flip of more than 8.4x from inflows to outflows.

A similar shift happened between September 17 and September 25. After that flip, Bitcoin rallied toward its all-time high above $126,000, per CoinGecko.

Now the same combination — short-term capitulation plus strong outflows — is forming again. Together, they create the cleanest trend-shift setup of this entire correction.

Bitcoin Price Needs a 4% Push to Break Out?

If these signals are pointing to a turn, the Bitcoin price chart needs to confirm it. The Bitcoin price has been moving inside a symmetrical triangle on the daily chart. A symmetrical triangle forms when buyers and sellers slow at the same pace. Each side has only two touch points, which makes both trend lines weak. A small push can break the entire setup on either side.

That push is clear: Bitcoin needs a daily close above $94,140, which is only about a 4% move from current levels. This level overlaps with both the horizontal resistance and the upper edge of the triangle. A clean breakout opens the path toward $97,320 and then $101,850.

On the downside, the nearest risk level is $90,180. A daily close under it weakens the bullish case. If that breaks, $87,010 is the next major support. Losing that exposes $80,640, where the broader bullish idea breaks.

Right now, the setup is neutral but improving. Short-term capitulation and heavy outflows give the Bitcoin price a chance to end its correction — but only if it delivers that 4% breakout.

The post Bitcoin Is Just One Push Away From Ending Its Correction — Here’s How appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Privacy coins have emerged as one of the dominant narratives shaping cryptocurrency investment trends this year. The two leading altcoins in this sector by volume and market capitalization are Zcash (ZEC) and Monero (XMR).

Investor attention has focused heavily on ZEC. Meanwhile, XMR continues to show strong and steady growth.

XMR Outperforms ZEC in Many Aspects Despite Lacking the Spotlight

In terms of daily spot trading volume in December, ZEC performed exceptionally well.

According to CoinGecko, ZEC maintains a daily trading volume of nearly $1 billion. This level surpasses XMR and DASH, thanks to strong liquidity on major exchanges like Binance.

However, ZEC falls far behind in daily on-chain transactions. Data from BitInfoCharts shows XMR reaching an average of about 26,000 transactions per day. This figure is more than triple ZEC’s average of roughly 8,000 transactions per day.

The chart also indicates that XMR’s on-chain activity remains consistent over the long term. This trend reflects stable user behavior. In contrast, ZEC’s recent surge and sharp decline appear more like temporary excitement.

On-chain activity carries longer-term significance than spot volume. It reflects real usage patterns and user acceptance of XMR for anonymous transfers rather than short-term trading sentiment.

Additionally, ZEC’s price fluctuates due to increased volatility resulting from speculative trading. XMR’s price movement remains more stable.

TradingView data shows that ZEC has fallen by more than 40% over the past month. Many analysts now suggest the possibility of a bubble pattern. Meanwhile, XMR declined by roughly 12%.

From this perspective, ZEC suits traders who chase the privacy coin narrative and aim for quick profits during extreme FOMO cycles. The downside is deeper price drops and longer recovery periods.

Furthermore, the latest report from MEXC Research reinforces XMR’s position. Over longer timeframes, XMR demonstrates superior trading volume and user activity compared to ZEC and DASH.

“Despite ZEC and DASH posting record-high trading volumes, Monero remains an asset of choice among privacy coin traders, accounting for 93% of total trading volume in Q3–Q4 and 72% of users in this segment,” MEXC Research reported.

The report also notes that growing interest in privacy assets reflects users’ increasing need for anonymity as regulators strengthen capital controls.

Therefore, regardless of holding ZEC or XMR, investors can continue to benefit next year. Experts predict privacy coins will remain a dominant market narrative in 2026.

The post  Zcash Leads in Hype — But Monero (XMR) Is Quietly Dominating Where It Matters appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Bitcoin, gold, and silver experienced a sudden surge in strength on Tuesday, the eve of what appears to be another Fed rate cut.

The pioneer crypto, as well as the two commodity safe havens, Gold and Silver, may face volatility around the Fed’s interest rate decision, even as XAG price breaks above $60/oz for the first time in history, now up +108% in 2025.

Top BTC, XAU, and XAG Price Targets Ahead of the Fed Cut

All eyes are on the Fed’s interest rate decision tomorrow and the subsequent Jerome Powell press conference. This is one of the most important macroeconomic events for Bitcoin and commodity safe havens this week.

Data from the CME FedWatch Tool shows that interest bettors see an 87.6% chance that the Fed will cut interest rates.

A Fed rate cut is generally a tailwind for Bitcoin as it injects liquidity into the financial markets. Gold is typically the cleanest and fastest beneficiary of rate cuts, while silver often lags gold initially, then outperforms during strong reflation moves. This is why silver tends to make violent upside moves after cuts once momentum builds.

• Gold reacts first and most predictably
• Bitcoin benefits as liquidity expands
• Silver often becomes the late-stage momentum winner

Based on current price action, however, markets are already pricing in the event, with traders already front-running a rate cut amid near-certain probabilities.

Bitcoin Races for $100,000 Ahead of Fed’s Interest Rate Decision

The Bitcoin price is trading with a bullish bias, consolidating within an ascending parallel channel since bottoming out at $80,600 on November 21. As long as the price remains confined within this technical formation, the prospects for further upside remain alive.

Based on the RSI (Relative Strength Index) indicator, momentum is rising, which could push BTC further north. Its position above the 50 threshold suggests significant buyer momentum, but a lot remains in the balance, as this midline level is also susceptible to a bearish takeover.

The Bitcoin price faces immediate resistance due to the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $97,015, a roadblock in BTC’s path to the most critical Fibonacci retracement level, 61.8%, at $98,018.

This would be a key entry point for late bulls, such that if the Bitcoin price breaks cleanly through the level with strong volume, it would signal a strengthening trend. Such a directional bias would see the pioneer crypto extend a neck higher to $103,399, earmarked by the 50% midrange.

In a highly bullish case, BTC could reach the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level, signaling a strong trend.  

Conversely, if the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level holds as resistance, it would set the tone for a trend reversal.

Sellers pulling the trigger at current levels could see the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement level give way as support, a move that could cause BTC to fall out of the ascending parallel channel.

Such a directional bias could send the pioneer crypto’s price toward the $80,600 support floor. Such a move would constitute a drop of almost 15% from current levels.

Gold may be in a Stage A Classic Reload Zone

The gold price could sell off towards the lows of $4,199 and potentially violate the rising support trendline before reversing higher. Based on the RSI, momentum is fading, putting the XAU price at risk of a correction.

However, with the RSI still above the 50 threshold and strong downward support provided by the confluence of the 50- and 100-day EMAs at $4,202 and $4,203, respectively, the price could forge higher.

Critical support resides in the range between $4,178 and $4,192. If this zone holds, the bull structure would remain intact.

Meanwhile, the key resistance is at $4,241, with a clean break above this supplier congestion level likely to spark an acceleration.

In such a directional bias, targets would be $4,260, or in a highly bullish case, $4,300 before a potential recapture of the $4,381 all-time high (ATH).  

Therefore, current price levels could be a classic reload zone, with every dip providing a buying opportunity for late bulls.

Silver is up 6x as Much as the S&P 500 YTD

The silver price is experiencing one of the strongest bull runs in stock market history, up six times the S&P 500’s year-to-date (YTD) gain. The XAG/USD price is now on track for the largest 12-month gain since 1979.

After establishing a new all-time high of $60.794, silver is on price discovery levels, with potential for further upside.

On the 15-minute chart below, the XAG/USD price shows a clean bullish continuation breakout. The silver price has decisively cleared the prior range high near $58.83 and accelerated to price discovery, confirming a shift from consolidation to expansion.

All key EMAs (50/100/200) are now stacked bullishly and turning higher, signaling strong short-term trend alignment and trend strength.

Momentum supports the move, as evidenced by the RSI above 73, indicating strong buying pressure. However, this RSI position also warns of near-term overheating and the risk of a shallow pullback or consolidation before continuation.

Structurally, the former resistance at $58.80 to $59.00 now acts as first support, while the next psychological and technical target sits around $61.00–$61.50.

As long as the silver price holds above the rising 50-EMA (red), the bias remains buy-the-dip, with downside risk increasing only on a sustained breakdown back below $59.00.

The post Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Gold, Silver: Is the Fed-Driven Rally Built to Last? appeared first on BeInCrypto.