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With the advent of 2026, new interaction patterns with the cryptocurrency environment are appearing outside the conventional trading and holding. Poain Staking is also one of the platforms that have attracted attention with an activity done to promote the New Year offering short-term income contracts and token rewards aimed at users who want to receive ordered returns in specific timeframe.

The program emphasizes predetermined contract returns, a check-in bonus, and a temporary token recharge bonus, all of which seek to combine predictable income and seasonal participation.

Short-Term Contracts: Specified Returns,Clear Duration

The latest activity by Poain presents a line of short term staking contracts having a stated duration and profit results. These contracts are not based on the fluctuating price movements and are instead built on the certain yield production in the course of fixed durations, which attracts the users who need the predictability and the timetable as opposed to the market timing.

The outline of the contract income structure in place is shown below:

• $100 contract (2 days) → $106 return

• $600 contract (6 days) → $648.60 return

• $1,300 contract (12 days) → $1,518.40 return

• $3,300 contract (16 days) → $4,065.60 return

• $5,700 contract (20 days) → $7,410 return

• $9,700 contract (27 days) → $13,890.40 return

These illustrations show that participants need only have the ability to gain incrementally depending on the choice and completion of contracts without engaging in active trading or modeling of the temporary moves of crypto prices.

New Year Event: Token Charge Bonus

Besides the contract participation, Poain has also introduced a New year event whereby users receive bonus tokens upon recharging their accounts during the time of the promotion. The event rules outlined by Poain are that bonus tokens should be awarded when recharging beyond specific levels and this can be used to improve the staking experience or be redeemed in the wider Poain ecosystem.

Reward Rules Recharge Receive (Tokens) $1,000 $2,000 $5,000 $10,000 $10,000 $23,000 $50,000 $150,000 $100,000 $380,000 $500,000 $2,000,000

The event lasts between December 31, 2025, and January 2, 2026, which gives the participants a short but possibly beneficial time to earn as much as they can by adding contract income and bonus tokens.

Registration Bonus: $15 to New Users

In order to entice new users, Poain will be providing a $15 registration bonus to users who manage to create and authenticate their accounts. This incentive is an additive kick start on new entrants, which allows to minimize the effective cost of first contract.

Upon registering, users are allowed to start staking with an initial contract of as low as $100, which means that the activity of Poain is affordable to even those holding a small budget.

The Broader Crypto Economy Positioning

Programmed income schemes such as Poain provide a rising pattern in the crypto sector: an exit of the plain speculative profits toward scheduled, predictable profits. Any stable income system that is not as tied to the short-term direction of the market is particularly sought after by investors especially at times when prices of major assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Litecoin, and Solana may be subject to change.

The Poain model, which incorporates the clarity of contracts, the presence of fixed terms, structured returns and time-constrained bonuses is designed to meet this requirement by providing users a transparent channel to marginal yield to users who favor a rule-based system.

What the participants are to know

Although the activity of Poain focuses on the structured returns and seasonal bonuses, the prospective participants are advised to take into account:

• The term of contracts and their liquidity schedules.

• Periods of bonuses, which depend on the event window.

• General investment plan, such as the risk level and capital expenditure.

• Independent research, since crypto and staking participation is a case of possible risks.

Like in all financial products, returns will be platform subject to terms and conditions.

Conclusion

The new project by Poain of staking during the New Year is indicative of a transformation to user-centered, time-based models of income in the crypto ecosystem. The activity offers a system and structured alternative to participants who want a predictable yield with a registration bonus and limited-time token recharge promotion with clear contract outcomes.

By staking your first ever crypto or a fresh revenue model to your portfolio, 2026 is near, Poain and its short-term contracts and bonus structures offer an exciting approach to the strategy.

Name of the company: Poain BlockEnergy Inc.

Websitehttps://poain.com/

Email: marketing1@poain.com

Disclaimer: The content within the Sponsored Insights and Press Release category has been provided by our partners and sponsors. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our website. While our team takes care to share valuable and reliable content, we do not take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or validity of any claims made in these sponsored articles and Press Releases. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and due diligence before making any decisions based on the information provided in Sponsored Insights.

The post Poain Staking Launches New Year’s Activity With Short-Term Contracts and Token Bonuses — Earn Up to $13,890+ in Returns first appeared on Coinfea.

RWAs have snatched the fifth position from DEXs in terms of TVL rankings. According to data from DefiLlama, real-world assets (RWAs) overtook decentralized exchanges (DEXs) to become the fifth-largest category in DeFi by TVL behind lending, liquid staking, bridging, and restaking.

The real-world asset TVL surge comes amid higher institutional interest and is expected to get even bigger next year. Real-world asset (RWA) protocols not only overtook decentralized exchanges (DEXs) to become the fifth-largest category by total value locked (TVL), but they now account for about $17 billion in TVL, a jump from $12 billion in Q4 2024. The growth has impressed many, including analysts at DefiLlama, who noted that at the start of the year, RWAs weren’t even in the top 10 categories.

RWAs saw massive growth in 2025

According to Vincent Liu, chief investment officer at Kronos Research, RWA’s growth can be linked to “balance-sheet incentives rather than experimentation,” as higher-for-longer rates have made tokenized Treasurys and private credit attractive as on-chain, yield-bearing assets. All that is happening amid improving regulatory clarity that is lowering friction for institutional allocators.

Other experts stamped Liu’s sentiments, also linking the growth of the RWA sector primarily to private credit and tokenized Treasurys. Tokenized US Treasurys are especially an investor favorite. It has emerged as a gateway product, with platforms like the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) and similar funds pushing the combined tokenized Treasury segment above the multi‑billion‑dollar mark as of December 2025.

Liu now believes that the constraint is no longer about tokenization itself and has become more about liquidity and the marriage of crypto with TradFi. He added that attention needs to shift from headline TVL to factors like who owns issuance, where RWAs get deployed as collateral, and which venues capture secondary market flows by next year.

Gold and silver contributed to the RWA frenzy

As Cryptopolitan reported during the weekend, RWAs were one of the few sectors that are actually in the green in terms of token prices in 2025, where BTC and ETH have relinquished all-time high gains made before the infamous October bloodbath. According to reports, another factor contributing to the successful RWAs this year has been the rally of critical metals like gold and silver, which have been attracting investors worried about inflation and dollar debasement.

Those rallies in gold and silver this year have reportedly encouraged more capital to invest in tokenized commodities. According to recent data, the market cap of tokenized commodities now nears $4 billion, led by gold products such as Tether Gold and Paxos Gold. The trends set by gold and silver have transformed the tokenized commodities sector from niche RWAs to macro-relevant assets with real demand.

Since they are supported by clearer pricing and custody standards, they easily plug into DeFi and institutional systems, and it has worked well, clearly. Another key signal driving the rally has been interoperability. Liu believes true acceleration will happen when tokenized commodities no longer function as isolated products and have been given the ability to move seamlessly across venues and chains.

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South Korean authorities have sentenced a crypto exchange operator to jail for espionage. The 40-year-old exchange operator was sentenced to four years in prison after a South Korean court upheld its ruling that the accused attempted to steal military secrets for North Korea.

The cryptocurrency exchange operator working under orders from a suspected North Korean hacker, along with his military recruit, who local media reports identified simply as Mr. B, have been sentenced to prison after they received substantial amounts of Bitcoin in exchange for military intelligence.

South Korean crypto operator bags jail term for spying

The Supreme Court’s 3rd Division, led by Chief Justice Lee Sook-yeon, recently upheld the lower court’s judgment against the 40-year-old defendant, identified only as Mr. A, who violated the National Security Act by spying. According to reports, in July 2021, Mr. A received instructions through Telegram from an individual operating under the alias “Boris,” suspected of being a North Korean hacker.

Mr. A approached an active-duty military officer, Mr. B, who was 30 years old at the time, with an offer to pay in cryptocurrency in exchange for classified military information, which the court believes was at Boris’s orders. Mr. B then used sophisticated spying equipment, including a hidden camera embedded in a watch. In addition, Mr B used a USB-shaped hacking device called “Poison Tap,” designed specifically for detecting and extracting military secrets to allow hackers remote access to a laptop.

The group attempted to penetrate South Korea’s defense systems. Boris was gunning for access to the Korean Joint Command and Control System (KJCCS). Mr. B successfully obtained and provided the login details for the system to both Boris and Mr. A. However, authorities confirmed that the actual hacking attempt failed. Mr. A received Bitcoin worth approximately 700 million won ($525,000) for his role in the espionage scheme.

On the other hand, Mr. B was paid Bitcoin valued at 48 million won ($36,000). Investigators also revealed that Mr. A attempted to recruit more conspirators by approaching another active-duty officer with offers of payment in exchange for military organizational charts. However, this second officer rejected the offer. Mr. A was found guilty and given a four-year prison sentence along with a four-year suspension period.

The court emphasized that Mr. A “was at least aware of the fact that it was trying to detect military secrets for a country or group that is hostile to the Republic of Korea.” The judges said that Mr. A only cared about his economic gain while “committing a crime that could have endangered the entire Republic of Korea,” which was an offense that deserved severe punishment. Mr. B was charged with violating the Military Confidentiality Protection Act and received a harsher 10-year prison sentence. He was also hit with a 50-million-won fine from the Supreme Court.

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On-chain perpetual futures trading has exceeded $1 trillion in monthly volume as crypto traders increasingly seek leveraged exposure. 

Leading decentralized exchanges like Hyperliquid, Lighter, and Aster dominate the market, driven by sideways altcoin movements that encourage high-leverage strategies.

Traders are using perpetual futures to amplify gains with small capital, benefiting from platforms integrated with decentralized finance. Coinbase researcher David Duong highlighted that demand for on-chain perpetual futures surged in 2025, marking a major milestone in the evolution of decentralized trading.

Traders Shift Toward Leveraged Perpetual Futures

The stagnation in altcoin prices has pushed traders toward perpetual futures to capture higher yields. Duong noted on X that speculative leverage peaked at around 10 percent earlier this year before falling to roughly 4 percent after October liquidations. Perpetual futures allow traders to multiply exposure without expiration dates, catering to both experienced speculators and algorithmic strategies.

Decentralized exchanges have contributed significantly to this growth by offering automated, non-custodial trading with low fees on Layer 2 networks. Platforms such as Hyperliquid, Lighter, Aster, and edgeX have created deep liquidity pools, providing 24/7 access to leveraged trading.

Integration of Perpetual Futures With DeFi

Duong explained that perpetual futures are moving beyond high-leverage trading tools and becoming core components of DeFi markets. Integration with DeFi protocols enables new applications, including liquidity pool hedging, interest rate instruments, and collateral for lending platforms.

He also suggested that tokenized equity perpetual futures could offer traders around-the-clock leveraged exposure to U.S. equities, potentially disrupting traditional retail trading. The integration signals a growing trend of composable financial products in decentralized finance, optimizing capital efficiency across markets.

Market Leaders and Recent Developments

Hyperliquid launched its on-chain perpetual futures platform in late 2023 and gained traction in 2024 after adding spot trading. It reached its peak monthly volume in July at $319 billion, according to DeFiLlama. Aster temporarily led the market with $36 billion traded in a single day after its token generation event in September. Lighter also raised $68 million following its public mainnet launch in November.

In the past 30 days, on-chain perpetual futures have recorded roughly $972 billion in trading volume, with Hyperliquid, Lighter, and Aster occupying the top three positions. Hyperliquid Labs will receive its next token allocation on January 6, comprising 1.2 million HYPE tokens worth $31.2 million. The platform currently has 238.4 million HYPE tokens in circulation, valued at around $26 each, giving it a market capitalization of $6.2 billion.

The record trading volumes and growing integration with DeFi demonstrate that on-chain perpetual futures are becoming central to crypto markets. Traders and platforms alike are leveraging this momentum to expand access, liquidity, and innovative financial applications.

The post Onchain Perpetual Futures Surpass $1 Trillion in Monthly Trading first appeared on Coinfea.

Trust Wallet has launched a wallet verification process following a recent hack that affected its Chrome browser extension. 

The move aims to prevent false claims as the company works to reimburse victims of the exploit.

The wallet identified 2,596 compromised addresses but received nearly 5,000 claims. The discrepancy suggests some users may have submitted duplicate or fraudulent claims, prompting Trust Wallet to prioritize verification before issuing compensation.

Wallet verification process underway

Browser Extension Incident – Short Update (Dec 28)Here’s where we are with the investigation of the Browser Extension v2.68 incident. 1/ First of all, I want to say we truly recognise the impact this incident has had on our users and the victims, and we appreciate the…

— Eowync.eth (@EowynChen) December 28, 2025

Trust Wallet CEO Eowyn Chen stated that the verification process is designed to ensure accurate reimbursements. She emphasized that the company will prioritize accuracy over speed.

Chen confirmed the internal investigation flagged 2,596 addresses, while nearly 5,000 claims were submitted. She noted that some claims could be false or duplicated by users attempting to access reimbursements for themselves.

The team is combining multiple data points to verify wallet ownership. This approach aims to separate genuine victims from opportunists and prevent fraudulent payouts. Chen added that the investigation and compensation process are the company’s main priorities.

Details of the Chrome extension hack

The breach occurred on December 25 when version 2.68 of Trust Wallet’s Chrome extension was released with hidden malicious code disguised as an analytics module.

When users opened the compromised extension or entered their seed phrases, the code captured and transmitted the data to a fake domain registered days before the release. Hackers then used the stolen information to restore wallets remotely and drain assets.

Reportedly, affected assets include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain. Blockchain security firm SlowMist suggested that the hackers were familiar with the extension’s source code, indicating careful planning.

The stolen data also included personal information and passwords, which could be sold on the dark web. The hackers reportedly used centralized exchanges and chain bridges to launder the stolen funds.

Reimbursement and response

Trust Wallet previously announced compensation plans through an online portal where victims could submit claims. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao confirmed that the company would fully reimburse affected users.

Zhao also noted the investigation is ongoing to determine how the malicious code was inserted into version 2.68 and hinted at possible insider involvement. Trust Wallet has not confirmed this claim. Users are reassured that their funds remain safe under the company’s protection measures.

The company continues to investigate the hack and verify wallets to ensure only legitimate claims are reimbursed. Trust Wallet remains focused on restoring affected users and strengthening its security measures for future releases.

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China has spoken out against the creation and usage of artificial intelligence chatbots that encourage suicide and gambling amongst its population. Regulators in China are planning a clampdown on AI-powered chatbots that are pushing people into suicidal emotions, self-harm activities, and gambling.

The development comes as two leading chatbot companies in China recently filed for IPOs in Hong Kong. According to reports, the newly proposed measures that were announced on Saturday will apply to AI products or services that are offered to the public in China that simulate human personality and engage users emotionally via texts, images, audio, or video.

China wants to protect minors from self-harm

According to the draft rules that were released on Saturday by the Cyberspace Administration, these are targeted at what it has termed “human-like interactive AI services,” as per CNBC’s translation of the Chinese-language document. The draft rules have several proposals. For example, AI chatbots cannot generate content that encourages self-harm or suicide, engage in verbal violence, or engage in emotional manipulation that can damage users’ mental health.

In addition, AI chatbots are not supposed to create obscene or violent, or gambling-related content. According to the draft rules, if a user proposes suicide, the AI company is supposed to have a human who takes over the conversation and immediately contacts the user’s guardian or a designated individual. The draft rules also propose that minors have guardian consent for emotional companionship use, with time limits on usage.

Under the new rules, AI platforms are expected to decide if a user is an adult or a minor even if they do not disclose their age. In the event of doubts, platforms must apply settings for minors, while allowing for appeals. Once finalized, these rules would mark the world’s first attempt to regulate AI with human or anthropomorphic characteristics, according to NYU School of Law professor Winston Ma.

These developments come as businesses have rapidly developed AI companions and digital celebrities. When comparing this with China’s 2023 generative AI regulation, Ma opined that this version “highlights a leap from content safety to emotional.” The proposals come as two Chinese AI chatbot startups, Z.ai and Minimax, have this month filed for initial public offerings (IPOs) in Hong Kong.

Minimax is best known for its Talkie AI app that lets users chat with virtual characters. According to CNBC, the app and its domestic Chinese version, known as Xingye, accounted for more than a third of the firm’s revenue in the first three quarters of the year, with an average of over 20 million monthly active users during that time.

As for Z.ai, which is also known as Zhipu, it filed under the name Knowledge Atlas Technology, but did not disclose its monthly active users. However, the AI company revealed that its technology is on about 80 million devices, including smartphones, personal computers, and smart vehicles. As previously reported by Cryptopolitan, the two AI startups, both backed by Alibaba and Tencent, are targeting to go public in early January next year on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

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Solana reserves held in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and treasury companies reached about 5% of the circulating supply. The supply was partially used in staking, as well as supporting validators.

In 2025, the Solana ecosystem saw another significant source of inflows. The pace of buying was uneven in 2025, and SOL still faces price challenges. Despite this, the influence of those holders may continue to affect Solana in 2026. Solana’s strategic entities built up over 20M SOL in their reserves, valued at $2.6B. Of those reserves, close to 9.5M SOL is staked with validators, increasing their influence.

Solana treasury companies slow down purchases in December

The Solana treasury companies seem to have completed their purchasing rounds for the year. In December, no net additions were made to the treasuries, despite the lower SOL price. The Solana treasury companies also lost on the stock market, following peak hype in Q3. Forward Industries, the leading treasury company, is on track to finish the year with around 40% net gains.

However, FWDI is down from a $39 peak in September. The company’s SOL treasury is valued at $871M, while the stock market cap is down to $608.8M, showing decreased enthusiasm for proxy buying. Solana Company, with a treasury of 2.3M SOL, failed to see its stock bounce. The former biotech company is trading at $2.78, down from a March peak of $772.50.

DeFi Dev Corp is also down from a yearly high of $53.88, trading at $5.76 toward the end of 2025. The company holds the third-largest treasury of 2.19M SOL. Toward the end of the year, the treasury companies did not have new inflows and had to switch to relying on the internal Solana ecosystem and its fees. Staking with validators may provide some windfalls for those companies, provided the price of SOL remains relatively stable.

The relative novelty of Solana ETF extended the buying streak for funds. ETFs are not as reliable as treasuries for long-term holding, as the trend may reverse at any time. The available Solana ETFs had mostly net inflows in the past three weeks. In total, the funds contain 7.86M SOL, breaking above the $1B tier in assets under management. The ETF may restart fees beyond that threshold.

SOL remains relatively subdued, trading at $127.91. SOL’s mindshare is above 10% on social media, rising by 29.25% lately. Despite the price slowdown, Solana remains a key platform for decentralized activity and fast apps. The chain was among the biggest fee producers based on real economic activity for 2025. Despite the expansion of on-chain activity, SOL has been bound in a range for years.

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The difficulty of the Bitcoin mining has plunged to 148.2 trillion, the most challenging point since there used to be significant controversies of miners involved in the network. 

The increase is due to higher hash power by industrial miners and thus making it hard to operate as a small-scale player. Analysts observe that the expansion highlights the strength of the network and the struggles of the miners.

Difficulty is increased by hash power

The difficulty shoot up is directly associated with the increase in network hash power. The protocol of Bitcoin changes difficulty after every 2,016 blocks to ensure that the average block time is approximately 10 minutes. The system increases difficulty when the blocks are mined faster than desired and decreases when they are lagging behind. 

Through the latest adjustment, the mean block time was 9.95 minutes. Its current growth in hash rate has set the difficulty almost at record highs, and analysts estimate that it may rise above 149 trillion in the next checkpoint, likely to occur in early January 2026.

The highest network hash power of more than 1,150 exahashes per second occurred in October and was followed by a minor decrease in November. However, the overall computational power is still significantly beyond the January levels. This growth has been largely propelled by industrial miners who have access to expensive ASIC machines and a cheap power supply, and thus have an upper hand over small-scale miners.

Effects on the miners and the security of networks

Difficulty is rising, and that raises the amount of resources required to mine new blocks of Bitcoin. Increased computational requirements imply increased electricity use and cost of operation, which may put smaller miners under stress. Although bigger players are able to absorb such costs, smaller players experience more and more pressure to make profits.

The difficulty mechanism provides network protection in terms of constant block production and predictable Bitcoin issuance. It offers decentralized resilience of consensus and minimizes the danger of network attacks, and maintains stability even in the case of high competition between miners. The protocol recalibrates approximately every two weeks, which is at a constant rate regardless of changes that happen in the hash power or market conditions.

Implications of market and network prospects

Analysts regard the strengthening of the difficulty as an indicator of the strength of the network as a whole. The more complicated it is, the more secure Bitcoin becomes and the more stable it is in the long run. Nevertheless, the increased operational expenses and unstable prices of Bitcoin can now pose a challenge to the continued operation of smaller miners. 

The subsequent change in January 2026 may shoot the challenge even higher, assuming that the hash power keeps expanding, indicating another stage of increased rivalry and net strength.

The issue of mining difficulty of Bitcoin proves the adaptive design of the protocol, the balance between security, decentralization, and the predictability of issues. The metrics of health and resilience of the ecosystem will be strictly tracked by miners and analysts in the network as the network enters 2026.

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Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan bumped up its economic forecast for 2025 to 3.2%, a jump from what officials predicted earlier this year.

Chan plans to maintain this upward trend by strengthening the city’s role across areas such as finance, technology, and trade. Earlier in February, he had estimated growth would land between 2% and 3%.

Hong Kong sees record year in stock listings

Hong Kong led the world in new stock listings this year, and authorities want more companies from Southeast Asia and the Middle East to list on the exchange. Chan noted in a recent blog post that the city will encourage broader worldwide acceptance of China’s currency. The plan places a significant priority on technological advancement.

To remain competitive globally, Hong Kong plans to grow its biotech and artificial intelligence sectors. Authorities are equally committed to helping Chinese businesses expand into foreign markets by utilizing Hong Kong’s position as a center for regional trade. “Looking into next year, Hong Kong’s economy is expected to keep the good trend of growth,” Chan said. “Finance, tech innovation, and trade will be Hong Kong’s key engines of growth as the city actively embraces China’s development strategy.”

The Hang Seng Index climbed 30 percent this year, making it one of the top-performing stock markets worldwide. Chan pointed to strong exports, active spending on buildings and equipment, and improving consumer spending as reasons the city did better than expected. To improve its financial center status, Hong Kong will make its stock market more competitive and grow trading in bonds, money markets, fintech, commodities, and gold.

Chan called AI a “core industry” for the future, saying the technology will determine how competitive economies are and change the global economy. The city is building a new center for managing cross-border supply chains and trade financing to help Chinese companies grow their international business.

The post Hong Kong makes 3.2% growth prediction for next year first appeared on Coinfea.

Big Ethereum player Bitmine has also launched staking on its Ethereum holdings, which represents about 74880 ETH in value amounting to 219 million. 

This position is the first time that the company made a profit out of its Ethereum treasury which is now over 4 million tokens. Bitmine plans to earn 5% of the overall supply of Ethereum in addition to earning a large amount of staking revenue.

Bitmine Activates Ethereum Staking

Recently, a considerable number of Ethers were deposited into the BatchDeposit contract by Bitmine-linked wallets. The staking program will enable the company to obtain an average of 3.12% yield on its investments every year. On-chain analyst EmberCN outlined that assuming that Bitmine puts all of its 4.066 million ETH to stake it can earn around 126,800 ETH in interest per year, worth now $371 million. The company had not staked previously despite having one of the largest treasuries in the market in Ethereum.

The company has bought almost 100,000 ETH last week with an average price of 2,991 allotted to each token. These acquisitions put the company back on track to profit as Ethereum rose to a level of above $3000. The staking of the company is in line with the long-term accumulation plan of Ethereum, which is highlighted by Chairman Tom Lee. Bitmine already owns approximately 3.37% of the total supply of Ethereum and intends to take it to 5%.

Strategic Growth and Institutional Influence

Bitmine has increased its stock by 606% since June as investors are optimistic about its focused Ethereum exposure. The company plans to increase its staking business using its Made-in-America Validator Network. The first program will be a pilot program involving three institutional partners, which will aim at generating further investment value through staking as it pursues its core accumulation program.

The rising applicability of Ethereum to tokenization and institutional finance is emphasized by industry experts. Sharplink Gaming co-CEO Joseph Chalom estimates that the overall value locked in Ethereum will be ten times higher in 2026 as more applications and institutional users are on-chain. Stablecoins and real world assets will also play a major role in the growth of Ethereum and the market can grow by up to half a trillion by the year end.

Ethereum’s Market Outlook

Tom Lee is optimistic about Ethereum and predicts that the price will be between $7000 and $9000 at the beginning of 2026. He identifies the dominance of the network in tokenized assets, stablecoins, and real-world assets as some of the main drivers of growth. There will be institutional interests in large financial institutions such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Franklin Templeton, and BlackRock, which will increase their support of Ethereum as the core of blockchain development.

Another point that Chalom emphasizes is the role of Ethereum as a financial insurance against global financial changes. According to her, the tokenization of equities and institutional participation make it strategic. Staking returns combined with treasury accruals and market development make Ethereum an essential technology asset to both investors and institutions.

The staking initiative by Bitmine can be interpreted as an indication of a rise in confidence in the long-term prospects of Ethereum and its central role in the changing crypto ecosystem.

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As tokenized real-world assets on the XDC Network cross $717 million, data from TradeFi.Network shows nearly half of that capital now sits inside a private-credit allocator; institutional finance is actually moving on-chain.

On-chain data from TradeFi.Network shows that total RWAs tokenized on the XDC Network have reached $717 million. More striking, however, is where that capital is concentrated: $345.3 million, roughly 48% of the network’s RWA, is now deployed through VERT Capital in USDC-denominated private credit pools. The data points to something more deliberate: institutional private credit moving on-chain at scale and selectively.

(Source: TradeFi Network )

What the Data Signals

Three signals emerge clearly from the numbers:

Capital is consolidating, not diversifying.Nearly half of all RWAs on XDC are managed by a single private-credit allocator, suggesting conviction rather than experimentation.

Private credit has overtaken other RWA categories.Unlike tokenized treasuries or commodities, these pools represent long-duration, yield-bearing credit instruments, traditionally among the least transparent corners of finance.

Settlement risk is being minimized.The exclusive use of USDC indicates institutional preference for regulated, fiat-backed settlement over volatile crypto assets.

Why XDC, and Why Now?

Private credit markets exceed $1.6 trillion globally and are expected to reach $3 trillion, according to Moody’s analysis, yet much of the infrastructure remains manual and opaque. Tokenization does not change credit risk, but it radically changes settlement speed, reporting, and operational efficiency.

(source: Moody)

The XDC Network has quietly positioned itself around those exact requirements: low transaction costs, predictable finality, and permission-aware infrastructure tailored for financial institutions.

The result, according to TradeFi data, is not a surge of small issuers, but fewer, larger pools deploying meaningful capital.

One of the largest concentrations of tokenized private credit has formed without marketing campaigns or retail incentives. If this pattern continues, the next phase of RWA adoption may be defined less by pilots and more by which blockchains quietly become settlement layers for institutional balance sheets. 

Disclaimer: The content within the Sponsored Insights and Press Release category has been provided by our partners and sponsors. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our website. While our team takes care to share valuable and reliable content, we do not take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or validity of any claims made in these sponsored articles and Press Releases. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and due diligence before making any decisions based on the information provided in Sponsored Insights.

The post Mapping $717 Million in RWA on XDC Network: Why Institutional RWAs Are Clustering on One Network! first appeared on Coinfea.

JPMorgan has frozen the accounts of two Y Combinator-backed stablecoin startups, Blindpay and Kontigo, over links to Venezuela, a country currently under heavy United States sanctions.

According to reports, both startups had connected to JPMorgan through Checkbook, a United States-based payments company. But the association with high-risk jurisdictions set off alarm bells. In its statement, JPMorgan insisted it is not cracking down on stablecoins. “This has nothing to do with stablecoin companies,” a bank spokesperson allegedly said. “We bank both stablecoin issuers and stablecoin-related businesses, and we recently took a stablecoin issuer public.”

JPMorgan freezes accounts over Venezuela sanctions

Still, the startups’ activity in Venezuela triggered concerns tied to the United States’ financial rules, especially sanctions enforcement. Banks like JPMorgan are mandated to know who they’re dealing with and where their money is coming from, or else the SEC would visit with sanctions.

While JPMorgan was shutting off access, President Donald Trump was going full steam ahead with new actions against Venezuela. Two weeks ago, Trump’s administration intercepted two tankers full of Venezuelan oil, with a third one now being tracked. Speaking to reporters, the president said, “Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it. Maybe we’ll use it in the strategic reserves. We’re keeping the ships also.”

At the center of the crackdown is Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, which has been blacklisted under Executive Orders 13850 and 13884 since 2019. Trump’s Treasury Department claimed in its official notice that oil sales are keeping Nicolás Maduro’s regime afloat. Earlier this month, they officially labeled fentanyl (which they allege flows through Venezuela) a “weapon of mass destruction.”

The United States Treasury Department, on December 11, sanctioned six shipping companies that have been moving oil out of Venezuela using shady location tactics and fake data transmissions. The first company is Myra Marine Limited, based in the Marshall Islands. Next is Arctic Voyager Incorporated, also from the Marshall Islands. Then there’s Poweroy Investment Limited, registered in the British Virgin Islands.

Ready Great Limited, also from the Marshall Islands, was also sanctioned along with Sino Marine Services Limited, a UK-registered company that runs the TAMIA (IMO: 9315642), which was flagged in Hong Kong. Lastly, Full Happy Limited, also registered in the Marshall Islands, took on oil in late May and sent it to Asia. Just like the others, it got hit with the same designation: E.O. 13850.

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A former Coinbase support agent in India has been arrested in connection with the massive security breach involving the crypto giant earlier this year. The arrest was confirmed by both Coinbase and Indian police in Hyderabad, and came months after hackers bribed customer service staff to steal customer information.

The breach triggered a $20 million ransom demand and left the company facing a $400 million fallout. The breach began in May, when hackers managed to buy access from Coinbase contractors outside the United States, gaining entry to internal systems. “What these attackers were doing was finding Coinbase employees and contractors based in India who were associated with our business process outsourcing or support operations, that kind of thing, and bribing them to obtain customer data,” said Philip Martin, Coinbase’s Chief Security Officer.

Coinbase confirms the arrest of the suspect

The breach was wide, allowing the attackers access to customer accounts for months. This type of social engineering attack has become a growing problem in the crypto world. Philip denied that the hackers had full access the entire time. In an interview with Bloomberg News, he mentioned that once the company discovered staff were leaking data, their access was immediately revoked.

“They did not have persistent access over the course of the entire period,” he claimed. The arrest was announced on X by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, who said, “We have zero tolerance for bad behavior and will continue to work with law enforcement to bring bad actors to justice. Thanks to the Hyderabad Police in India, an ex-Coinbase customer service agent was just arrested. Another one down and more still to come.”

However, not everyone in the crypto community was impressed. One user replied under Brian’s post: “lol why you acting like this is a win. You hired them in the first place.” Meanwhile, Coinbase is still digging out of the mess. The cost of repairing damage and reimbursing affected users could be as high as $400 million, putting it among the top ten biggest crypto hacks ever, according to Elliptic.

A Coinbase spokesperson also confirmed the India arrest and said it followed the firm’s work with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, where charges were recently filed against a Brooklyn man accused of running “a long-running impersonation scheme targeting Coinbase customers.”

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XRP appears poised for a period of sideways movement as analysts point to limited short-term drivers. 

Market observers say fresh catalysts are needed before the token can resume sustained price growth.

Nansen senior research analyst Jake Kennis said XRP may struggle to gain momentum until broader conditions improve. He expects more supportive conditions for risk assets in the latter half of 2026, while near-term sentiment remains cautious.

XRP outlook remains neutral in the near term

Kennis said altcoins face mild downside pressure until Bitcoin consolidates or forms a clear bottom. He did not offer price targets for 2026. However, he outlined potential long-term drivers for XRP price appreciation.

These include approval of XRP exchange-traded funds and deeper integration with global payment systems. He also cited improved functionality for XRP as a bridge asset across payment networks. Without these developments, XRP may remain range-bound.

Other market participants share a similar view. Jesus Perez, CEO of Posidonia21 Capital Partners, said XRP could trade near current levels into year-end. He said the market lacks a strong narrative to push the token into a new trend.

Perez added that ongoing discussions around staking have not resolved XRP’s lack of a clear yield mechanism. This remains a disadvantage compared with other major digital assets.

Technical signals and ETF flows offer mixed signals

Some traders see tentative technical support forming. Crypto trader Niels said XRP is setting a higher low similar to patterns seen in April 2025. He noted that prices above $2 could suggest renewed bullish control.

Despite these signals, XRP’s performance in 2025 has lagged. The token has fallen 14.63 percent since the start of the year. It currently trades at around $1.84, based on CoinMarketCap data.

Institutional interest has grown through regulated products. Spot XRP ETFs in the United States surpassed $1 billion in assets earlier this month. CF Benchmarks CEO Sui Chung attributed this demand to XRP’s long market history and brand recognition.

Still, ETF inflows have not yet translated into sustained price gains.

Ripple growth highlights adoption and price disconnect

Ripple has processed more than $95 billion in payments across its network. However, XRP’s price has not mirrored this expansion. Analysts note that infrastructure growth does not automatically increase token value.

Ripple Labs has captured much of the financial upside. The firm recently secured approval for Ripple National Trust Bank. The bank raised nearly $500 million and achieved a valuation near $40 billion.

Regulatory progress has also continued abroad. Singapore’s Monetary Authority approved expanded payment activities for Ripple’s APAC subsidiary. This move enables new regulated payment services in the region.

Banks such as SBI Holdings use XRP for faster settlement and lower costs. They do not hold the token for price appreciation.

XRP faces a period of consolidation as adoption advances without clear price catalysts. Analysts say future gains depend on ETFs, payments integration, and improved token utility. Until then, sideways trading may persist.

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The changes in Bitcoin prices are not accidental, and new facts provided by Japan are able to confirm it. 

According to the researchers, blockchain operations are capable of providing warning signals prior to volatility in prices. Results conflict with traditional ideas concerning the nature of Bitcoin volatility.

The scholars and analysts in Japan state that transaction networks can be studied to predict market shocks. Their operations are based on artificial intelligence and are not based on traditional price information and volume information. The study comes at a time when more Japanese companies are including Bitcoin as corporate balance sheets.

The study of Bitcoin relinquishes its attention to halving cycles

According to Japanese researchers, the price fluctuations of Bitcoin can be attributed to the structure of the blockchain. Their analysis is based on the transaction networks rather than macro events or supply schedules. The strategy does not subscribe to the notion that halving cycles govern the price movement.

The paper was issued through the Research Institute of Economic Trade. and Industry. A think tank supported by the government examined wallet interactions over the Bitcoin network. It has found influential wallets that precede significant price changes.

These wallets are nodes in transaction flows. Scientists state that they increase the abnormal activity associated with sharp rallies or sell-offs. Once such nodes are activated, it is followed by price instability.

The paper recommends that demand and liquidity prevail over supply cuts. Analysts suppose that this is the reason why the effects of halving are weaker with time. The nature of markets has been subjected to more short-term trading patterns.

The use of Bitcoin in corporations is increasing in Japan

The use of Bitcoin is proliferating among Japanese listed companies. A number of companies have considered the asset as a long-term treasury. This has seen more interest in crypto risk management tools.

ANAP Holdings became more exposed to Bitcoin in late December. This company purchased more than 109 BTC at approximately 1.5 billion yen. It currently has over 1,346 BTC holdings.

The chief executive of ANAP. Rintaro Kawai, stated that early adoption has strategic benefits. He cautioned that failure to do so early could be restrictive to future gains. The company advances Bitcoin as a fundamental business resource.

Metaplanet has been more aggressive. The company minimized its retail and real estate activities. It currently prioritizes nearly all of its attention to Bitcoin acquisition and owns more than 30,000 BTC.

The volatility of Bitcoin is a sign of crowd behavior

Bitcoin is still vulnerable to a decline in price. In October it was at an all-time high of almost $125,000. Then it dropped to approximately $110,000 at the beginning of November.

According to analysts, crypto does not have a defined intrinsic value. Sentiment and risk appetite are typical of price swings. Rakuten Wallet President Yasuo Matsuda told Coin Telegraph that Bitcoin is a reflection of the world’s anxiety.

According to Cornell economist Eswar Prasad, most volatility is caused by short-term traders. Most of them give up when the feeling runs out. This practice promotes boom and bust.

Japanese scientists are of the opinion that such changes can be identified with the help of monitoring abnormal wallets. They have an AI model that can identify hints of defensive market behavior. The investors tend to sell Bitcoin and then decrease other risk assets.

The authors indicate that blockchain data can potentially provide useful risk warnings. Early warnings might also be of benefit to regulators and exchanges. The study by Japan is a fresh perspective on the study of Bitcoin markets.

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Lithuania has announced that crypto platforms and firms must obtain a license to operate by December 31. According to the warning from the country’s central bank, any firm that fails to follow the rules will attract sanctions.

With the Baltic state serious about enforcing European rules, all crypto-related entities in Lithuania are obliged to have a license, with the monetary authority in Vilnius urging them not to wait until the very last moment to apply for one. A transitional period, allowing businesses active in the space, such as cryptocurrency exchange and wallet operators, to secure the necessary authorization, is set to expire at the end of 2025.

Lithuania orders crypto firms to comply with MiCA

The Central Bank of Lithuania (CBL) recently reminded participants in the market that this is not merely a recommendation, but a mandatory requirement, as noted by regional media this week. The licensing regime was introduced through legislation transposing the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation into national law.

After the December 31 deadline, measures will be taken against those who continue to work unlicensed, including fines, blocking of websites, and even criminal prosecution, the leading Russian crypto news outlet Bits.media detailed in a report on Wednesday. In a notice, Lietuvos Bankas called on platforms that do not intend to file license applications to take steps to ensure they terminate their activities smoothly.

Dalia Juškevičienė, head of the CBL’s Investment Services and Undertakings Supervision Division said, “Participants of the crypto-asset services market that do not plan to continue their operations should not delay and launch active communication campaigns to ensure that all of their clients are properly and timely informed of the winding down.”

Mandatory licensing deadline draws closer

Juškevičienė insisted users should be well-informed on the timeframe of the process and receive detailed instructions on how to transfer their fiat funds and cryptocurrency holdings elsewhere. She added that customers must also be offered an option to exchange their digital coins and have the money transferred to a custodian of their choice or self-hosted wallets.

“Operators should take all possible steps to ensure that assets belonging to their clients are returned before they are no longer authorized to provide crypto-asset-related services,” the press release added. Onboarding new users and accepting crypto assets, as well as the continued provision of related services without a MiCA license, will be deemed to constitute illegal financial activities from January 1, according to the Central Bank of Lithuania.

The regulator also warned that under the country’s criminal code, these are punishable by way of fines and even imprisonment for up to four years. Furthermore, Lietuvos Bankas remarked it’s empowered to restrict access to the websites of companies suspected of providing financial services outside the law. The monetary authority maintains a database of such entities and notifies relevant law enforcement agencies about any potentially criminal activities in the industry.

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Trust Wallet has reported a security incident, coinciding with one of its latest updates. On-chain researcher ZachXBT identified over $6M in stolen funds. Trust Wallet noted that the incident was connected to the browser extension version 2.68.

The platform warned users to disable the extension and move to version 2.69. However, users on mobile were not impacted by the breach. Trust Wallet was in the news after adding native prediction markets. Previously, the wallet served as a one-stop hub for all Web3 activities.

Binance’s founder and former CEO Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao immediately reacted to the incident, stating all users would be compensated. The Trust Wallet team is still investigating how the exploiters managed to submit a flawed version to the app store for downloads under the official wallet brand.

Trust Wallet suffers security breach

The initial wallet draining was noted soon after the update from December 24, with the exploit continuing for days before being detected by ZachXBT. Initially, users were urged not to use the extension while salvaging funds via the desktop or mobile versions. The problems emerged only when inputting private seeds into the flawed extension.

In addition, ZachXBT identified Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Solana wallets affected by the exploit. According to his data, hundreds of wallets were affected. Trust Wallet has announced that the losses will be compensated. ZachXBT has not mentioned if the exploit has compromised the private keys themselves, but users may have to generate new wallets.

Some of the affected addresses lost small amounts of BTC after years of holding. On ETH, the exploiter aggregated tokens into several intermediary addresses. Later, some of the Trust Wallet exploiter wallets sent out the funds to exchanges. The exploiter used ChangeNOW, FixedFloat, as well as high-profile exchanges like KuCoin and HTX.

Most of the destination wallets have been flagged. Some of the addresses contain only a few hundred dollars, while others have accumulated as much as $49,000. In the end, the hack estimates reached $6.77M, with around $2.35M remaining in all of the exploiter’s known addresses after moving and swapping funds.

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RWA tokenization leads crypto narratives in 2025 as most digital asset sectors posted weak or negative returns.

Tokenized real-world assets stood out amid a slow altcoin market and cautious investor sentiment.

The broader crypto market delivered modest performance in 2025, with few sectors sustaining gains. Investors favored infrastructure, yield, and regulated exposure over speculative growth. This shift shaped market outcomes across all major narratives.

RWA tokenization outperforms the market

RWA tokenization recorded the strongest performance among crypto narratives in 2025. According to Coingecko research, leading RWA tokens gained an average of 185.8% over the year. Demand focused on on-chain access to traditional financial products, including tokenized stocks and treasuries.

Chainlink emerged as a key proxy for tokenized equity exposure, despite not being a pure RWA platform. Smaller tokenization projects maintained modest valuations despite rising usage. ONDO reached a market capitalization of $1.2 billion, even as it became a major hub for real-world asset issuance.

Returns were concentrated among established projects. Smaller RWA tokens underperformed, reflecting limited liquidity and cautious capital allocation. Still, tokenization gained traction as one of the few narratives with sustainable growth. By late 2025, increased interest driven by regulatory clarity and institutional participation.

Layer one tokens struggle to keep pace

Layer one tokens underperformed in 2025, despite continued network usage. Ethereum declined nearly 10% over the past year. Activity grew across stablecoins and lending, yet ETH failed to reach a higher trading range.

Solana dropped over 34% in the past month to $123.52. The network remained active as a trading and meme hub. Price gains, however, proved difficult to sustain. BNB and TRX were exceptions, rising 22% and 9.9% respectively over twelve months.

Smaller layer one networks faced sharper declines. Avalanche fell 66.5% despite plans to expand its DeFi presence. Telegram’s TON dropped 73.4% to $1.52. User growth did not translate into lasting liquidity or valuation support.

Memes, AI, and gaming face deep losses

Memes and AI agents remained popular but posted weak price performance. Meme tokens declined 31.6% on average in 2025. AI agent tokens fell 50.2% year to date. These losses reduced activity across decentralized exchanges.

DEX-related tokens dropped 55.5% amid falling trading volumes. Layer two tokens declined 40.6% on average, even as networks retained users. The Solana ecosystem fell more than 64% as meme trading slowed.

GameFi and DePIN tokens performed the worst. DePIN assets dropped over 95% on average. The AI narrative failed to revive older infrastructure-focused projects.

RWA tokenization proved resilient during a challenging year for crypto markets. Most narratives struggled as capital rotated toward new use cases. The 2025 cycle favored stability, utility, and real-world integration over speculative returns.

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BTC and ETH markets take on record year-end options expiry as traders liquidate positions worth $28 billion on Deribit. 

The expiry was a monthly, quarterly, and annual combination contract, and it became the biggest event in history. The markets were resilient, but the data of options indicated pessimism and a desire to insure against a fall.

gm to everyone who knows that the largest options expiry day of the year is here

— Deribit (@DeribitOfficial) December 26, 2025

The crypto derivatives market is being reinvented by record options expiry

In the year-end trading period, Deribit recorded the biggest options expiry in crypto history. The event was over 50% of the total number of open options on the site. The amount of trading improved before the settlement with investors reorganizing their portfolios.

Bitcoin options took center stage on the expiry, and approximately 267,000 contracts were expired. The notional annual value of the BTC options was equal to 23.6 billion. The put-to-call ratio was 0.35, indicating that more calls were in demand even though the risk was increasing.

Etherium was also busy, and 1.28 million options were expiring. These agreements were worth not less than $3.71 billion. The highest level of pain realized by ETH options was around the 3,100 level.

Options that have a maturity of March comprise approximately 30% of open interest. The change is an indicator of a new orientation towards the next quarter. The role of institutional participation and large holders increased in terms of scale of activity.

Deribit awaits a record options expiry event, with $28B in notional positions expiring, out of a total open interest of $42B. | Source: CoinGlass.

Market sentiment reflects rising caution among traders

The expiry of the options was at a time when there was poor sentiment in the crypto markets. The fear and greed index was 27, which is slightly more than the previous week. The pressure on prices was put on by low liquidity at the end of the year.

Bitcoin and Ethereum were further pressured by lower levels of trade. The optimism about the broader market died following the recent price movements. This is why the fourth quarter of 2025 became one of the most difficult in recent years.

At the beginning of the year, Bitcoin rose to its highs, but he could not manage to maintain the momentum. There was abrupt volatility that triggered selling pressure and long liquidations. The data on options indicated that more hedging was taken against further falls.

Options positioning points to downside expectations

Deribit positioning shows traders are cautious on the near-term prospects of Bitcoin. The clusters of put options are found in the range of 75,000 to 85,000. The highest concentration of open contracts is in the strike of $75,000.

The call options rise beyond the 90,000 mark. This pattern will imply that dealers anticipate opposition prior to the revival of an upswing. The highest possible BTC options are around $95,000, which is above the existing spot prices.

Bitcoin was trading at close to $88,701 in a narrow band over several weeks. Efforts to sell above $90,000 have been met with uniform selling. Analysts project volatility in the short run, trading through skinny holiday trading.

The markets of BTC and ETH can absorb the record year-end expiry of options with a significant lack of severe disruption. But options data reveal continued precautions on the part of traders. The market is currently seeking better directional indicators at the beginning of 2026.

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Ethereum co-developer Vitalik Buterin has predicted bug-free smart contracts in the future. According to Buterin, developers who prefer security can expect bug-free coding to become achievable in the 2030s.

Speaking after Gnosis Chain’s controversial hard fork to recover $9.4 million from the Balancer hack, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said the belief that “bugs are inevitable, you can’t make bug-free code” will stop being true in the 2030s. Buterin made this on blogging platform X, after interacting with several users on the platform.

Vitalik Buterin makes a case for bug-free code

The discussion began when Gnosis Chain announced that it executed a hard fork on December 22, as reported by Cryptopolitan. The hard fork recovered $9.4 million stolen during the November 2024 Balancer exploit, which drained over $128 million across multiple blockchains. The recovery required most validators to adopt new software, with those who failed to update facing penalties.

This development was met with some resistance from blockchain supporters who criticized the move because it goes against the principle of immutability. An X user with the moniker ‘colluding node’ said the real problem is how blockchain applications are built. They argued that using smart contracts in programmable virtual machines is the wrong approach.

“There are only 7 contracts worth writing, and they should just be enshrined in the base layer and get security from client diversity,” the user wrote. Buterin then responded by clarifying that formally verified does not equal provably bug-free. “I’d even go so far as to say that ‘provably bug-free’ is not possible, because ‘bug-free’ means ‘no gap between intention and code execution’, and our intention is an extremely complex object we have only limited access to,” he added.

Formal verification uses mathematical methods to check whether safety-critical systems perform correctly. The technique has been used since the 1960s in fields like aerospace engineering. When used in smart contracts, formal verification can prove that a contract’s business logic meets a predefined specification. However, even though Balancer contracts were audited 11 times, conducted by four separate security firms, a critical flaw still slipped through.

Buterin proposed that the solution is multiple layers of redundancy to filter out gaps between intention and execution. He pointed to type systems as one form of redundancy, and formally verifying specific claims about code as another layer. Formal verification can detect issues such as integer underflows and overflow, re-entrancy, and poor gas optimizations that may slip past auditors and testers.

Meanwhile, traditional testing can only check for the presence of errors rather than their absence. Buterin noted that some software will continue having bugs because functionality gains matter more than perfection in certain cases. But developers who prioritize security will have the tools to achieve truly bug-free code.

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