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According to Foresight News, Elvira Nabiullina, the Governor of the Russian Central Bank, stated in an interview with Russian media outlet RBC that quantifying the impact of cryptocurrency mining is challenging due to its largely unregulated nature. However, she acknowledged that mining is one of the factors contributing to the strengthening of the ruble. Additionally, a presidential aide in Russia remarked earlier this month that cryptocurrency mining is emerging as a 'new export product' and is influencing the country's foreign exchange market.

According to BlockBeats, Jocy, founding partner of IOSG, shared insights on social media regarding the evolving dynamics of the crypto market. Jocy highlighted 2025 as a pivotal year marked by a fundamental shift from retail speculation to institutional allocation. This transition is evidenced by core data showing institutional holdings at 24% and a 66% exit by retail investors, indicating a completed turnover in the crypto market. Despite a 5.4% decline in Bitcoin's value in 2025, the cryptocurrency reached a historic high of $126,080 during the year. The market leadership has shifted from retail investors to institutions, who continue to build positions at high levels, focusing on cycles rather than prices. While retail investors are selling, institutions are buying, marking the current period not as a bull market peak but as an institutional accumulation phase. Looking ahead to 2026, the midterm elections in November are expected to influence market dynamics. Historically, election years prioritize policy, suggesting that the first half of 2026 may be a policy honeymoon period favorable for institutional allocation and market optimism. However, the latter half of the year may see increased volatility due to political uncertainties. Risks include potential delays in market structure legislation, continued selling by long-term holders, and uncertain election outcomes. Yet, these risks also present opportunities, as periods of pessimism often offer the best chances for strategic positioning. In the short term (3-6 months), Bitcoin is anticipated to fluctuate between $87,000 and $95,000, with institutions continuing to accumulate. In the medium term (first half of 2026), policy and institutional drivers could push Bitcoin's target to between $120,000 and $150,000. In the long term (second half of 2026), increased volatility is expected, influenced by election results and policy continuity. The year 2025 signifies an accelerated institutionalization of the crypto market. Despite negative annual returns for Bitcoin, ETF investors have demonstrated strong holding resilience. The year is characterized by the largest supply turnover, robust institutional allocation intentions, clear policy support, and extensive infrastructure development. Although Bitcoin's price fell by 5%, ETF inflows reached $25 billion, indicating optimism for the first half of 2026. Key considerations for 2026 include legislative progress on market structure bills, potential expansion of strategic Bitcoin reserves, and policy continuity post-midterm elections. In the long term, improved ETF infrastructure and regulatory clarity are expected to lay the groundwork for the next market uptrend, as traditional valuation logic becomes obsolete and new pricing power is established.

According to Odaily, the Director of the White House National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, stated that the current three-month average core inflation rate is 1.6%. U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking a data-driven candidate for the position of Federal Reserve Chair.

According to PANews, Maple Finance co-founder and CEO Sidney Powell has declared that traditional decentralized finance (DeFi) is "dead," with the future being defined by on-chain capital markets. Powell emphasized that as institutions increasingly move trading, clearing, and settlement processes on-chain, the conventional reliance on Wall Street intermediaries and infrastructure will be diminished. He stated, "onchain markets will swallow Wall Street." Powell highlighted that the early industry model, which focused on speculation and simple lending, will be replaced by a more institutionalized, on-chain financial infrastructure. He anticipates that future capital market activities will occur directly on public or permissioned blockchains, rather than through traditional brokers and investment banks.

According to Odaily, Jameson Lopp, co-founder of Bitcoin custody firm Casa, shared insights on social media regarding the risks posed by quantum computing to Bitcoin. Lopp noted that discussions on this topic have been ongoing for 18 months, with the main conclusion being a hope for a halt or regression in quantum computing development. He emphasized that adapting Bitcoin for a quantum-resistant era would be extremely challenging due to various factors. Lopp reassured that quantum computers are unlikely to compromise the Bitcoin network in the short term. However, he warned that a comprehensive overhaul of the network, along with unprecedented fund migrations, could take 5 to 10 years. He advised maintaining optimism while preparing for potential adverse scenarios.

According to BlockBeats, an on-chain analyst known as Ai Yi has reported that a significant Bitcoin whale, who has been consistently shorting Bitcoin since March 2025, recently reduced their position by 20 BTC, securing a profit of $465,000. The whale still holds a short position of 550.7 BTC, valued at $48.6 million, with an unrealized profit of $12.8 million and funding fee earnings of $9.6 million. The overall account profit exceeds $55.51 million.

On Dec 21, 2025, 13:33 PM(UTC). According to Binance Market Data, BNB has dropped below 850 USDT and is now trading at 848.690002 USDT, with a narrowed 0.37% decrease in 24 hours.

On Dec 21, 2025, 13:32 PM(UTC). According to Binance Market Data, Bitcoin has dropped below 88,000 USDT and is now trading at 87,923.992188 USDT, with a narrowed 0.15% decrease in 24 hours.

According to PANews, the Ethereum Community Foundation has responded to the '50 million USDT phishing attack' incident by urging the immediate cessation of using truncated addresses with ellipses (e.g., 0xbaf4b1aF...B6495F8b5). The foundation emphasized that address information should be fully displayed to avoid unnecessary risks associated with hiding parts of the address. Additionally, some UI options provided by certain wallets and block explorers pose security issues, which can be resolved. The phishing incident involved an attacker generating an address with identical first and last three characters, leading victims to mistakenly transfer 50 million USDT to the attacker's similar-looking address.

According to BlockBeats, the Altcoin Season Index, as reported by Coinmarketcap, currently stands at 17. This marks a significant drop from its previous high of 78 on September 20. The average index value last week was 21. The index indicates that over the past 90 days, approximately 17 out of the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization have outperformed Bitcoin. The CMC Altcoin Season Index is a real-time metric used to assess whether the cryptocurrency market is currently experiencing a season dominated by altcoins. It is based on the performance of the top 100 altcoins relative to Bitcoin over the past 90 days.

According to BlockBeats, South Korea's central bank has distributed a formal document to major banks regarding the second phase of testing for its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). A bank official noted that details, including specific methods and timelines, are currently under discussion. The second phase of testing is considering the distribution of certain government subsidies in digital currency form. The aim is to use the CBDC to restrict the use of subsidies and reduce administrative and management costs associated with their distribution. Previously, the central bank launched a three-month CBDC pilot project in April, involving seven banks, but later suspended it. The pilot faced criticism due to its limited practical application and the significant cost burden it imposed on participating banks.

According to BlockBeats, Hyperinsight monitoring has revealed that the address associated with Huang Licheng, also known as 'Machi,' has significantly increased its ZEC holdings by tenfold, with the position valued at approximately $390,000 and an opening price of $439.24. Additionally, 'Machi' holds a 25x leveraged long position in ETH, comprising 5,200 ETH, with an unrealized profit of $266,000 and a liquidation price of around $2,789.

According to PANews, Federal Reserve official Hamarck has indicated that the positive inflation data for November might be skewed due to data collection disruptions caused by the government shutdown in October and early November. This distortion could have led to an underestimation of the 12-month price growth. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 2.7% year-over-year increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for November, adjustments for measurement difficulties suggest the figure might be closer to the generally expected 2.9% or 3.0%. Hamarck also expressed concerns about interest rate cuts, emphasizing her belief that the neutral interest rate is higher than commonly perceived. She noted that the economy has the potential to maintain robust growth into the next year. Although the neutral rate cannot be directly observed, it can be inferred from the economic conditions.

According to BlockBeats, Federal Reserve official Hamark stated that following three consecutive rate cuts in recent meetings, there is no need for further rate adjustments in the coming months. Hamark expressed opposition to the recent rate cuts, citing concerns over persistent inflation rather than potential vulnerabilities in the labor market. Although Hamark is not a voting member of the rate-setting committee this year, she will become a voting member next year. "My basic expectation is that rates can be maintained at their current level for some time, at least until spring. This will continue until we obtain clearer evidence indicating either a decline in inflation to target levels or a more substantial weakening in the job market," she said during an interview on The Wall Street Journal's Take On the Week podcast.

According to BlockBeats, Polymarket shows a 56% probability that U.S. National Economic Council Director Hassett will be the next Federal Reserve Chair. Additionally, Walsh has a 22% chance, while Waller stands at 12%.

According to BlockBeats, data from Coinglass indicates that if Bitcoin surpasses $90,000, the cumulative liquidation intensity of short positions on major centralized exchanges (CEX) will reach $481 million. Conversely, if Bitcoin falls below $87,000, the cumulative liquidation intensity of long positions will reach $514 million. BlockBeats notes that the liquidation chart does not display the precise number of contracts pending liquidation or the exact value of liquidated contracts. Instead, the chart's bars represent the relative importance of each liquidation cluster compared to nearby clusters, indicating intensity. Therefore, the chart illustrates the extent to which the target price reaching a certain level will be affected. A higher "liquidation bar" suggests that once the price is reached, there will be a stronger reaction due to a wave of liquidity.

On Dec 21, 2025, 09:56 AM(UTC). According to Binance Market Data, Bitcoin has crossed the 89,000 USDT benchmark and is now trading at 89,038.367188 USDT, with a narrowed 0.88% increase in 24 hours.

On Dec 21, 2025, 09:34 AM(UTC). According to Binance Market Data, Ethereum has crossed the 3,000 USDT benchmark and is now trading at 3,000.300049 USDT, with a narrowed 0.49% increase in 24 hours.

According to CoinMarketCap data, the global cryptocurrency market cap now stands at $3T, up by 0.58% over the last 24 hours.Bitcoin (BTC) has been trading between $87,796 and $88,796 over the past 24 hours. As of 09:30 AM (UTC) today, BTC is trading at $88,644, up by 0.35%.Most major cryptocurrencies by market cap are trading mixed. Market outperformers include ASR, ACT, and VTHO, up by 37%, 32%, and 22%, respectively.Top stories of the day:Citigroup Updates Outlook on Digital Asset Stocks Amid Market VolatilityAnalyst Highlights Ethereum's Role in Global Dollar Liquidity SettlementU.S. Margin Debt Reaches Record Levels Amid Rising LeverageSigns of Market Sentiment Recovery Observed in Bitcoin TransactionsBitcoin's Value Against Gold Reaches Key Support LevelCynthia Lummis to Step Down, Recognized for Contributions to Crypto IndustryAnalysts Split on BTC’s 2026 OutlookJapan to Launch Major AI Development Project with Private Sector CollaborationVanEck Submits Application for Avalanche Spot ETF to SEC BlackRock CIO to Interview for Federal Reserve Chair PositionMarket movers:ETH: $2993.62 (+0.27%)BNB: $853.14 (-0.05%)XRP: $1.9423 (-0.01%)SOL: $125.87 (-0.63%)TRX: $0.2846 (+1.97%)DOGE: $0.13253 (+0.23%)WLFI: $0.1333 (-1.33%)ADA: $0.3724 (-1.59%)WBTC: $88423.79 (+0.38%)BCH: $586.4 (-1.73%)

According to the announcement from Binance, the platform is set to expand its trading options on Binance Futures by introducing new perpetual contracts. These contracts are scheduled to launch on December 21, 2025, with varying leverage options. The ZKPUSDT Perpetual Contract will be available at 10:00 (UTC) with up to 40x leverage, followed by the GUAUSDT Perpetual Contract at 10:15 (UTC) offering up to 20x leverage, and the IRUSDT Perpetual Contract at 10:30 (UTC) also providing up to 40x leverage. The underlying assets for these contracts include zkPass (ZKP), SUPERFORTUNE (GUA), and Infrared (IR). Each contract will be settled in USDT, with a tick size of 0.00001 and a capped funding rate of +2.00% / -2.00%. Funding fees will be settled every four hours, and trading will be available 24/7. Additionally, these contracts will support Multi-Assets Mode, allowing users to trade across multiple margin assets, such as using BTC as margin. Binance has announced that these perpetual contracts will be part of the Binance Futures New Listing Fee Promotion campaign and will be available for Futures Copy Trading within 24 hours of launch. The platform may adjust the specifications of these contracts based on market risk conditions, including funding fees, tick size, maximum leverage, and margin requirements. It is important to note that futures and spot token listings are not correlated, and a token listed on Binance Futures does not guarantee a spot listing. These contracts are subject to Binance's Terms of Use and Futures Service Agreement.