U.today

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has criticized the New York Times over a recent "hit piece" targeting the new administration of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

He believes the article constructs a false narrative about why the SEC is dropping crypto cases.

The NYT frames the SEC's retreat as political favoritism, but Garlinghouse argues that the retreat is actually a necessary correction of an "illegal" and legally unsound enforcement strategy pursued by former Chair Gary Gensler.

The Ripple boss has specifically criticized the NYT for omitting key context regarding federal judges who slammed the SEC's behavior during the previous administration. This refers to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, where judges called the SEC’s denial of a Bitcoin ETF "arbitrary and capricious." In the Debt Box case, a federal judge sanctioned the SEC for making "materially false and misleading representations."

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"This is not journalism. This is actively advancing a false and failed narrative," Garlinghouse said.

"Crypto dementia"

Other industry voices of the likes of Paul Grewal, chief legal officer at Coinbase, and Alex Thorn, head of firmwide researchat Galaxy Digital, have also criticized the prominent media outlet over the recent article.

Grewal argues that the article’s headline and tone imply corruption, yet the reporters openly admit they found no proof of it. If there is no evidence of pressure or influence, he argues, then the narrative of political favoritism is fabricated.

Thorn claims that the Times is relying on the Gell-Mann amnesia effect, meaning that the readers are too uninformed to realize that the previous administration's behavior was the actual anomaly. The analyst believes that the previous strategy was legally and politically unsustainable, accusing the NYT of prompting "crypto dementia."

Renowned San Francisco–based blockchain company Ripple has taken another step to boost adoption for its U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD.

On Monday, December 15, the company announced the expansion of RLUSD to multiple layer 2 networks, including Optimism, Base, Kraken’s Ink, and Unichain, using Wormhole’s Native Token Transfers (NTT) standard.

Notably, its decision to integrate Wormhole’s NTT standard follows plans to allow RLUSD to move natively across supported blockchains without relying on wrapped or synthetic versions.

Per the announcement, the move follows Ripple’s plans to preserve liquidity, maintain regulatory controls, and enhance security, while enabling a wide range of DeFi use cases across networks optimized for scalability and efficiency.

With this major expansion, RLUSD will emerge as the first regulated U.S.-based stablecoin to launch across the aforementioned L2 chains.

XRP in spotlight following latest Ripple development

Ripple disclosed the big move, highlighting its significance across its related assets. The company mentioned that the move aims to foster the utility of both RLUSD and XRP across the broader crypto ecosystem.

While the move has been ultimately welcomed by the XRP community, it positions the asset for more adoption, as it strengthens its role in the multichain economy.

As the move seeks to support wrapped XRP (wXRP), enabling premier liquidity pairs between RLUSD and wXRP across Optimism, Base, Ink, and Unichain, it positions XRP for more adoption, propelling its price toward a big upswing in the future.

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Notably, users will be able to swap, lend, or make payments using XRP and RLUSD directly within DeFi applications on the chains, without needing to bridge back to the XRP Ledger or Ethereum mainnet.

According to the announcement, the rollout will begin with a test phase this December. As such, RLUSD is already live on Ethereum and the XRP Ledger following its recent issuance under a NYDFS Trust Charter.

While the company revealed it will roll out the multichain expansion on a larger scale next year, it further emphasized that the broader deployment will be subject to regulatory approval from the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).

Chicago-based CME Group has announced the launch of spot-quoted futures for XRP as well as the SOL cryptocurrency.

The new products enable U.S.-regulated trading of spot prices through small 250-unit contracts with low margins on the CME Globex platform.

Spot-quoted futures, explained

Earlier this year, CME expanded beyond Bitcoin and Ether by launching spot-quoted futures or standard futures for XRP and Solana (SOL).

As the name suggests, the newly launched spot-quated futures closely mimic the familiar spot market prices (the current real-time price of XRP or SOL in USD). This sets them apart from traditional futures, which often trade at a premium or discount to the spot price.

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Each contract is for 250 units of the cryptocurrency. These are CME's smallest crypto contracts yet.

They have extended expiry dates (typically annual), which means that traders can hold positions for longer periods.

Strong demand

Notably, CME’s crypto futures and options markets reached record daily volumes in late 2025.

CME is now dominating futures trading for Bitcoin as well as smaller altcoins of the likes of XRP.

One of the most strategic developments is CME’s plan to offer 24/7 trading for its crypto futures and options.

Shiba Inu burn rate surges 1,567% despite ongoing price weakness

The Shiba Inu burn ratehas made a sudden reversal, surging 1,567% while other SHIB metrics remain in the red, triggering attention in the market.

SHIB burns jump. Shiba Inu’s burn rate reversed sharply in 24 hours, jumping 1,567% after dropping 62.96% the previous day, when only 69,420 SHIB were burned.

Following days of drop, Shiba Inu's burn rate made a reversal in the past day, soaring 1,567%. As reported, the day before the last saw a 62.96% drop in the Shiba Inu burn rate when a meager 69,420 SHIB tokens were burned.

The drop coincided with the sell-off in the market as investors weighed macroeconomic concerns. At the time of writing, SHIB was down 1.47% in the last 24 hours to $0.00000825 and down 2% weekly. While Shiba Inu's price still trades in the red, it is surprising to see the burn rate make a sudden reversal, surging up to 1,567%.

Activity spike. Despite the price remaining in the red, the sudden spike in burn activity suggests continued community engagement with supply-reduction efforts.

The reason for the SHIB burn surge remains unknown, but might indicate that the Shiba Inu community still remains committed to burns believed to have a potential impact on Shiba Inu's long term value despite the short-term bearish sentiment.

The crypto market remains in a weakened position after enduring a weeks-long sell-off that began in early October with a major liquidation event, which wiped out about $19 billion in leveraged bets.

Dogecoin chart issues downside warning

DOGE bullsare facing a hard reality as Dogecoin loses a key structure.

Dogecoin (DOGE) is slipping back toward price levels last seen in 2024, according to analyst Ali Martinez’s monthly chart.

In late 2025, Dogecoin (DOGE), the most popular meme coin, finds itself in a zone where the chart is no longer showing polite warnings, but rather is starting to issue more serious alerts. As highlighted by analyst Ali Martinez on the monthly chart, DOGE is dipping back down to levels that were last visited in 2024.

It is really all about the selling pressure due to which Dogecoin could drop to $0.1 or even lower, to around $0.062, and that second level is the uncomfortable one, because it will mean Dogecoin adding a zero back to its price, totally changing expectations not only for the biggest meme coin, but the sector as a whole.

Distribution. DOGE failed to hold the $0.16–$0.18 range, which previously acted as strong support.

The setup did not come out all of a sudden overnight. First, DOGE could not stay above the $0.16-$0.18 range, which had been a good spot before during stronger periods. Once the price dropped out of that zone, it became resistance, and every bounce since has stalled faster than the last. Classic distribution behavior, not accumulation.

XRP on-chain payments drop near zero

XRP's payment volumehas plummeted substantially, but it could be the new norm for the asset and its network.

XRP volume down, XRP’s on-chain payment volume has declined to near-zero levels, which looks alarming at first glance but does not point to a structural failure of the network.

At first glance, XRP's on-chain payment volume declining to almost zero levels appears concerning, but the background is more important than the headline. At the moment, timing market mechanics and the source of liquidity–or lack thereof–are more important than XRP's structural flaws.

After failing to recover important moving averages, XRP is still stuck in a wider declining channel on the price side. With the 200-day serving as far-off overhead resistance, the asset stays below its 50-day and 100-day averages. Instead of being impulsive, this keeps price action constrained and responsive.

Institutional driver. The collapse in payments volume is largely explained by timing and liquidity dynamics, not a sudden stop in XRP usage.

Momentum indicators show this reluctance: the RSI is in the low 40s, not oversold, but obviously weak. The price is weak, but not broken, to put it briefly.

The XRP Ledger payments volume chart, which displays activity collapsing toward zero, is the more perplexing signal. This is the point at which many people make incorrect assumptions. The decline does not indicate that XRP use has abruptly stopped or that the network is dead.

The weekend effect associated with institutional and ETF-related activity is the primary driver. The recent volume expansions of XRP have been significantly impacted by the U.S.-based engagement, especially via regulated platforms like Coinbase. It's important because in the U.S., the way that markets function varies throughout the week.

Global $4 trillion U.S. bank JP Morgan has continued to embrace the crypto industry, as the banking giant has joined the list of highly reputable firms launching tokenized money market funds on-chain.

The big move, which has caught the attention of the crypto community, has also triggered an optimistic reaction from Tom Lee, the chairman of the publicly traded Ethereum treasury company BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR).

Ethereum's big move ahead?

Tom Lee has reacted to the development, claiming that the move is bullish for Ethereum, as the bank had specifically launched the tokenized money-market fund on the Ethereum blockchain.

While the bank’s CEO, Jamie Dimon, had recently acknowledged the growing demand for its blockchain-based financial services from institutional investors, the former anti-crypto firm appears to be increasingly leaning toward the industry.

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With this development, JP Morgan has become the biggest world-class financial institution to launch a tokenized MMF on a public blockchain. Notably, this is also the first-ever tokenized money-market fund JP Morgan has launched.

Following this big development, the crypto community has expressed excitement, as the move propels Ethereum toward more adoption and daily usage, positioning its price for an explosive move in the future.

What to expect from JP Morgan’s MMF?

With the new development, JP Morgan is bringing blockchain technology to the fingertips of its large number of investors, allowing them to easily commit their funds on the blockchain network while maximizing returns.

Qualified investors will be able to access the product, also dubbed “My OnChain Net Yield Fund (MONY),” through JP Morgan’s institutional liquidity platform, Morgan Money.

With “My OnChain Net Yield Fund (MONY),” JP Morgan’s clients will be able to invest idle funds on Ethereum to earn a yield. The product will leverage Ethereum’s speed, and settlements will be executed faster at any time of the day, while also allowing investors access to real-time visibility.

The move seeks to expand the capabilities of the traditional banking system and improve the speed and efficiency of transactions.

In a recent post, Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior macro strategistMike McGlone drew a direct parallel between the Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index in 2025 and the Dow in 1929, calling the setup "Peak Bitcoin?" and framing the current phase as the early stage of a purge, not a pause — a purge similar to the one that caused the Great Depression almost 100 years ago.

The comparison is not abstract. Bloomberg’s own normalization shows crypto tracking the same arc as U.S. equities did a century ago: a powerful run-up, expanding speculation, then a slow turn lower.

McGlone argues this is exactly when bubble-versus-not-bubble debates explode, usually close to highs, not bottoms. For him,Bitcoin, tightly linked to wide risk markets, fits that script.

First surge, then purge

He describes Bitcoin’s post-2024 surge as a beach ball forced underwater until the 2024 reelection removed political pressure. Since then, the price accelerated fast, speculative appetite followed and excess piled up. Now, in McGlone’s words, it is the cleansing phase that appears to be underway.Bitcoin is down only about 5% in 2025 through Dec. 14, which he frames as resilience that may mask larger downside risk rather than confirm safety.

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The warning widens when gold enters the picture. The Bitcoin-to-gold ratio ended 2022 near 10, ballooned during the crypto rally, then fell about 40% this year to around 21. McGlone sees a path back toward 10 by 2026, a move that historically pressures all risk assets.

The most jarring projection by McGlone lands last: Bitcoin’s run above $100,000 may have planted the conditions for along pullback, with even $10,000 cited as a potential destination into 2026, alongside a broader downturn led by high-supply speculative assets that track nothing tangible.

Dog-themed cryptocurrency Dogecoin is performing a crucial support test, having reached a low of $0.131 in the early Monday session.

At press time, Dogecoin was trading down 2.04% in the last 24 hours to $0.132 as the majority of cryptocurrencies traded in red following Bitcoin's drop below $90,000 over the weekend.

Dogecoin fell from a Dec. 9 high of $0.153, marking four out of five days in the red since this date. Amid the drop, the $0.14 key support level failed, with eyes on $0.13 as the next crucial short-term support level.

According to CoinMarketCap data, Dogecoin trading volumes have increased 77% in the last 24 hours to $1.08 billion as traders adjusted their positioning as the market fell.

What comes next?

Analysts indicate that Dogecoin might be on the verge of a textbook capitulation event as increased volume coupled with support failure might mark short-term exhaustion.

Dogecoin is now at a crossroads, with indicators highlighting a mixed bag for traders as to where it heads next.

The $0.13 psychological level is now viewed as the most important short-term support, with a sustained hold above here favoring range-trading rather than continuation. If the $0.14 level is reclaimed, Dogecoin would target $0.15 once again. Failure below $0.131 might lead to a retest of Oct. 10 flash crash low of $0.09.

On the other hand, DOGE has seen an increase in notional open interest (OI) over 24 hours, reaching 10.80 billion DOGE, the highest since Nov. 20 alongside moderately positive funding rates, offering quiet hope to bulls.

Solana (SOL) demonstrated strong performance in the daily charts, as indicated by a spike in trading volume. Over the past 24 hours, Solana trading volume jumped more than 40% to over $3.1 billion, according to CoinMarketCap data.

What’s causing Solana's volume spike?

The 40% spike in Solana trading volume suggests increased network attention by both retail and institutional investors. As the SOL price showed signs of recovery, investors are gradually shifting their attention back to the coin.

After days of trading on the low, the SOL price surged 1.6% over the past 24 hours to $132.9. At the same time, technical analysis showed the formation of a golden cross, often recognized as a highly bullish pattern.

Typically, a golden cross pattern occurs when a shorter-term moving average crosses above a longer-term one. This signals that short-term momentum is outpacing the long-term trend, often preceding sustained upward price movement.

A 40% trading volume accompanying this setup strengthens the signal. This is because it indicates strong buyer conviction and increased market participation.

Earlier golden crosses seen on the Solana price chart this year contributed to rallies, pushing SOL toward $200 to $228 in various periods.

For instance, Solana breached above $200 in late October, reacting to thespot SOL ETF launch. In another scenario, SOL flipped the $220 resistance after the priceformed a golden cross.

However, it is important to note that future outcomes may depend on broader market conditions. This includes the performance of Bitcoin (BTC) and macroeconomic factors.

Solana ETFs continue inflow streak

Notwithstanding that recent inflows into Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have also helped to push the SOL price higher.

According to Farside Investors'data, Solana ETFs saw seven straight days of inflows totaling $674 million. This shows institutions are still buying the coin, despite recent price dips.

Other factors that also contributed to the latest rally include open interest spikes, network upgrades and integrations. Notably, the Solana Foundation recentlyannounced that a bridge between Solana and XRP Ledger is on the way.

Solana Foundation representative Vibhu Norby explained that this bridge will allow XRP to become available in Solana dApps like a regular Solana-based asset. Simply put, XRP liquidity will be able to debut in every DeFi protocol on the Solana blockchain.

As was recentlyrevealed by Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Asset Research at VanEck, Bitcoin's hash rate has fallen by about 100 EH/s, what makes it the steepest drawdown since the 2024 halving event. With current total network hash rate estimated at 1,200-1,300 EH/s under prevailing difficulty, the loss represents about 8% of global computing power securing the network.

Nano Labs CEO, whom Sigel cited, estimated the scale of the shutdowns using an average of 250 TH/s per mining unit, placing the implied number of offline machines at around 400,000.

For him, the root of the problem is in Bitcoin's mining operations in China’s Xinjiang region, where facilities have reportedly been shutting down progressively.

Bitcoin Hash Rate Falls by Most Since 2024 HalvingEx-Chairman of $CAN says 400k BTC mining machines shut off in China https://t.co/4RQ0O2esh3 pic.twitter.com/q5OopJq10M

— matthew sigel, recovering CFA (@matthew_sigel) December 15, 2025

At the same time, a Chinese regulatory notice made the rounds on social media, which states that local companies are being asked to cooperate with authorities on disclosures related to virtual currency mining activity, with a fixed response deadline in early December 2025.

While the document does not announce a blanket ban, the timing aligns closely with the observed hash rate contraction.

China FUD drags Bitcoin price down

Needless to say,Bitcoin price action has remained weak. The cryptocurrency has failed multiple attempts to sustain levels above $90,000 per BTC, with each rejection followed bybrutal sell pressure.

Interestingly, trading data shows elevated volumes on Binance during downside moves rather than during rebounds, suggesting that the core place where distribution happens is a black-and-yellow crypto exchange.

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It isno surprise that market participants have raised the possibility that Chinese miners affected by shutdowns are liquidatingBitcoin reserves to fund operational exits, equipment relocation or power loss adjustments.

There is no public confirmation tying specific selling flows to Chinese miners, and Binance’s regulatory access within China remains limited, but the overlap between hash rate losses and sustained spot selling has definitely drawn attention.

In a recent tweet, the official XRP Ledger Foundation has issued an urgent upgrade alert for node operators on the XRPL following the rippled version 3.0.0 release.

According to the XRP Ledger Foundation, the XRPL v3.0.0 adds new but currently disabled amendments, including LendingProtocol, DynamicMPT and fixDelegateV1_1. These amendments are nearly code complete but not yet open for voting.

XRPL v3.0.0 is live! 🚀 This release adds new (currently disabled) amendments: LendingProtocol, DynamicMPT & fixDelegateV1_1 — nearly code complete but not yet open for voting.Node operators: please upgrade ASAP. Notes: https://t.co/kFdquOi49v

— XRP Ledger Foundation (Official) (@XRPLF) December 15, 2025

In this light, node operators are urged to upgrade ASAP to ensure service continuity. More importantly, node operators and developers are urged to test the said amendments in standalone mode to help identify bugs early and reduce activation risk once they are enabled for voting.

An advantage of the XRP Ledger consensus mechanism is that node operators and developers can test how rippled behaves before proposed amendments are fully enabled on the production network by running their servers in stand-alone mode.

The rippled v 3.0.0 release also comes with several core ledger improvements and fix amendments. This includes a Token Escrow fix, which addresses a bug discovered in the original amendment.

XRPL validator addresses hesitancy in XRPL ecosystem

In a tweet, XRPL dUNL validator Vet addresses a seeming hesitancy in the XRP Ledger ecosystem, with some amendments yet to achieve majority.

A number of amendments included in the rippled v.3.0.0 are yet to achieve majority, although voting remains ongoing. Amendments "fixIncludeKeyletFields," "fixMPTDeliveredAmount," "fixTokenEscrowV1" and "fixPriceOracleOrderfix" have only reached 20.59% of consensus, while AMMClawbackRounding only gained 17.65%, according to xrpscan data.

According to Vet, several amendments have been adopted or are proposed on the XRP Ledger as more innovation and features are needed on the XRPL.

Vet highlights the essence of proper testing to prevent Ledger corrupting bugs, encouraging participation from XRP Ledger participants. He cited the instances of the AMM bug and, more recently, the Permission Delegation bug, which was caught before the feature was scheduled to go live, that could have devastating consequences to XRP holders.

In other news, XRP explorer xrpscan has announced its integration with Chainabuse, allowing it to flag suspicious accounts reported to Chainabuse and redirect scammed XRP users to Chainabuse to report crypto scams.

As fresh new data proves,Shiba Inu coin is not reacting to news, memes or sentiment right now. It is reacting to leverage.

According toCoinGlass, the level causing the most damage to SHIB bulls sits near $0.00777, while the level that hurts shorts is higher, near $0.0086. With the price trading around $0.00816, the downside liquidation zone is simply closer. That matters because the price often moves toward the nearest group of traders who can be forced out.

This is not a prediction or a theory. It is how leveraged markets behave when volume thins and conviction weakens. In SHIB’s case, a drop of less than 5% can trigger long liquidations. A move up needs more than 5% and stronger buying pressure to start hurting shorts.

So, the only thing evident about the Shiba Inu coin right now is an imbalance, where downside pressure is easier to activate than upside pressure.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) price chart reflects trend

Since mid-November,SHIB has failed to hold rebounds. Each bounce has been sold earlier than the previous one. The area above $0.009 rejected the price multiple times, and no durable support has formed above recent lows.

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This setup does not meanSHIB must collapse. What it means is simpler: leverage needs to be resolved. If the price briefly dips into the $0.0077-$0.0078 zone and selling dries up quickly, weak longs are cleared and price can stabilize. That is how short-term bottoms often appear. If price slides into that zone slowly, pressure can extend lower as liquidations keep feeding selling.

The bottom line is that SHIB is not ready for a clean upside move yet. It is sitting in a zone where longs are the first stress point.

Bitwise Asset Management is moving forward with its Hyperliquid exchange-traded fund (ETF) application, as indicated by its recent filing. The asset manager has submitted an amendment filing for its proposed Bitwise Hyperliquid (HYPE) ETF with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Bitwise amends Hyperliquid ETF application

Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunasshared the details of the new filing with his followers on X. He noted that the amendment filing includes a Form 8-A registration statement that requires securities to be listed on exchanges like NYSE and Nasdaq.

It is often one of the final steps before an ETF can start trading, as it registers shares for the exchange listing. Balchunas added that the amendment also disclosed a management fee of 0.67%.

Bitwise just filed amendment for its Hyperliquid ETF which added the 8a thing, the fee (67bps) and the ticker $BHYP. Usually that means launch imminent. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/uNXwlIrkga

— Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) December 15, 2025

This is the annual expense ratio investors would pay. For context, many spot crypto ETFs have fees of approximately 0.20 to 1.5%. Hence, a 0.67% fee is competitive but still on the higher side for altcoin ETFs.

In addition to the fee disclosure, the Bitwise HYPE ETF amendment proposed BHYP as the trading symbol. Similar to Form 8-A registrations, tickers are finalized late in the process and are a strong indicator of readiness.

Therefore, Balchunas has referenced the amendment as a signal that Bitwise is positioned for a quick HYPE ETF launch.

Bitiwise shows support for altcoins

Notably, a spot ETF that would allow investors to invest in HYPE, the native token ofHyperliquid, without directly holding the asset. Hyperliquid is a high-performance layer-1 blockchain and decentralized perpetual futures exchange (DEX) known for fast and low-cost trading of crypto derivatives.

The Bitwise HYPE ETF launch is expected to bring more institutional money into the Hyperliquid ecosystem. This could lead to surges in the price of HYPE, which is currently experiencing a downtrend.

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As of press time, HYPE is trading around $29.27, down 1.7% over the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the HYPE ETF amendment comes shortly after Biwise launched its Solana and XRP ETFs. These launches suggest the asset manager is confident in the future price direction of the top altcoins.

So far, these ETFs have seen increased institutional adoption as indicated by weeks of consistent inflows. Specifically, theBitwise Solana ETF registered 17 days of consecutive inflows as investors actively engaged the product.

Likewise, theBitwise XRP ETF saw $107 million in inflows on its first day of trading despite a broad crypto market slowdown.

As the price of gold and silver continues to shine green whileBitcoin is in a "sea of red," Peter Schiff is back to doing what brings him the most popularity — reminding crypto investors that confidence can disappear faster than price charts can be updated.

Gold is now trading above $4,300 per ounce, and silver is approaching $65. Meanwhile, Bitcoin is moving in the opposite direction, drifting below the $89,000 area after failing to hold recent highs.

It is no surprise that the longtime Bitcoin critic used the metals rally to pinpoint his critique, arguing that assets with physical demand and a monetary history are being accumulated, while Bitcoin remains trapped in a cycle of belief, attention and fragile liquidity.

Perhaps the most eye-catching line from Schiff was that Bitcoin holders risk going broke overnight if sentiment flips and buyers disappear.

Bitcoin short-term fraud, warns Schiff

At the same time, Schiff strongly rejected the idea that time protects Bitcoin investors. He argued that time only increases exposure because thecryptocurrency produces no yield, has no industrial use and has no fallback value once confidence is lost.

According to him, gold and silver do not need stories to survive. They rely on demand that persists even when headlines fade.

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Bitcoin supporters continue to dismiss Schiff as permanently bearish, pointing to long-term adoption, digital scarcity and past recoveries from deep drawdowns. They view the current weakness as just another pause in a major cycle rather than a structural problem.

Fair to say, Schiff’s argument is not about slow decay. It is about speed, and If Bitcoin stumbles again, his "overnight" warning will not sound so theoretical.

The Shiba Inu engineering manager, who goes by "Johndoeshib" on X, recently revealed he would be stepping away from his role on the Shiba Inu team. This decision has sparked a response on X from Shiba Inu developer Kaal Dhairya.

In a Dec. 12 tweet, "Johndoeshib" announced that his time being part of the Shiba Inu team had reached its natural conclusion and he was stepping away, immensely proud of the utility Shiba Inu has built and the resilience of the community.

"Johndoeshib" added he was moving on to new endeavors, while remaining a long-term observer of the Shiba Inu ecosystem, confident in the team's decentralized vision.

Not sure if this want meant to be the purpose! But love it as a car charm! ⁦@bubblemaps⁩ https://t.co/YxhajlbubW

— johndoeshib (@johndoeshib) December 15, 2025

The tweet sparked responses from the Shiba Inu community, with some expressing gratitude for his work with the Shiba Inu team, while saying that he will be missed.

In another tweet, which caught the attention of Shiba Inu developer Kaal Dhairya, "JohnDoeShib" revealed a renewed focus as he plans for the strategic iteration of his next project. His X bio has also been updated to reflect his departure from the Shiba Inu team and now reads "ex-Engineering Manager at Shib."

Thank you and good luck with your future endeavors! The team will miss you! https://t.co/6ThpizEULQ

— Kaal (@kaaldhairya) December 14, 2025

Shiba Inu developer Kaal Dhairya, in response to JohnDoeShib's tweet, thanked him for his work at Shib and wished him well in his future endeavors.

Shiba Inu continues building

Shiba Inu continues to quietly build as recent events test the resilience of traders and its community.

As reported, Shiba Inu lead ambassador Shytoshi Kusama broke several days of silence on social media, which he hinted at as being necessary in order to stay focused and reinvest in himself for the next phase of growth.

Kusama also changed his X location to "reemerging," sparking speculation of a potential SHIB comeback.

The crypto market remains in a weakened position, with the resilience of traders continually tested. In the last 24 hours, nearly $245 million in leveraged positions have been wiped out across the crypto market as the majority of cryptocurrencies saw losses.

Shiba Inu managed to return to green, up 0.16% in the last 24 hours to $0.000008211.

On the market, XRP is in an uncomfortable but important position. The asset is obviously under pressure in terms of price. The daily chart displays XRP trading below its short-, mid- and long-term moving averages and grinding lower inside a descending channel. Every relief bounce has been sold before it reaches the $2.30-$2.45 resistance band. Momentum has cooled, and the RSI is trapped in the low-40s range. Technically speaking, this still appears to be a corrective phase, as opposed to a trend reversal.

XRP's changing fundamentals

However, price by itself does not currently tell the whole story. The more intriguing signal is coming from XRP’s payment volume, a fundamental metric that shows real network usage rather than conjecture. The volume of XRP payments between accounts has repeatedly surged into the billions over the past month, with recent peaks coming close to 1.7 billion in a single day. Payment volume growth has historically tended to come before price growth rather than after it.

Additionally, there is a distinct pattern of behavior that is worth observing. Spikes in XRP payment volume typically happen during the week, not on the weekends. This is significant because it is in line with cycles of institutional activity rather than retail speculation.

Fundamentals shifting

A familiar setup is produced by this divergence between usage strength and price weakness. Prior to repricing fundamentals, markets frequently compress, particularly in situations where liquidity is limited and sentiment is erratic. The gap eventually closes if payment volume keeps growing while price is suppressed, and it rarely does so gradually.

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Sellers may intervene if there is a clear break below the $1.90-$2.00 range, which could lead to another rapid leg down. However, downward moves increasingly appear to be absorption rather than distribution, as long as network activity keeps trending higher and institutional-linked flows continue to appear throughout the week.

The next step depends on alignment. XRP does not require much to start moving aggressively once the growth in payment volume is matched by increased liquidity and risk appetite. Right now, steady growth in payment volume is the metric to keep an eye on rather than RSI or trendlines. Price catching up will not depend on if, but rather when, if that continues to pick up speed.

Ripple Labs executive Reece Merrick has hinted at the potential regulatory expansion of the blockchain firm in South Africa. Merrick emphasized that South Africa is a key market for Ripple, thus improvements in regulation and licensing signal progress for the firm.

What FSCA approval means to Ripple

Reece Merrick, Ripple Labs' Managing Director for Middle East & Africa, highlighted rapid advancement in South Africa's crypto regulation.

Merrick said that South Africa's Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has announced its licensing approvals for Crypto Asset Service Providers (CASP).

He noted that the FSCA approved 300 out of 512 CASP applications as of December 2025. The approvals indicate that the FSCA is actively processing and approving compliant applicants at a rapid pace. Additionally, it creates a growing pool of regulated and legitimate cryptocurrency providers.

Great progress is being made, as the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) in South Africa issues a statement regarding its CASP (Crypto Asset Service Provider) Licensing approvals. The @fscasouthafrica has received 512 CASP applications to date! So far, 300 have been…

— Reece Merrick (@reece_merrick) December 15, 2025

Meanwhile, 512 applications show strong interest from businesses wanting to operate legally in the crypto space in South Africa. However, 121 applicants voluntarily withdrew their applications after FSCA consultations.

This emphasizes that the FSCA is supportive yet with a rigorous approach, potentially reducing barriers for compliant firms while weeding out unprepared ones. Additionally, 14 applications were rejected, likely due to failure to meet standards.

Merrick went on to state that South Africa is a strategic priority forRipple. Essentially, clear, progressive regulation reduces uncertainty. It also builds investor and institutional confidence, protects consumers and attracts more innovation and capital.

For Ripple, a maturing licensed ecosystem in South Africa will make it easier for the firm to expand partnerships and offer services to customers in the region.

Ripple makes progress in Africa

Notably, the regulatory advancement in South Africa aligns with Ripple's recent moves in the region. For instance, Ripple partnered with Absa Bank, a leading bank in South Africa, to launch institutional-grade crypto custody services.

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As South Africa's regulatory progress is accelerating, it creates favorable conditions for Ripple to grow its customer base in the region. Beyond South Africa, Ripple positions itself as a leading crypto hub in Africa.

According to Reece Merrick,Ripple is gaining traction in Sub-Saharan Africa, amid increasing crypto adoption. The Ripple executive outlined that transactions exploded 52% to $205 billion from July 2024 to June 2025 in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In an earlierU.Today report, Merrick said the company is committed to advancing the cryptocurrency ecosystem in the region. He pointed out key focus areas, including cryptocurrency custody, tokenization and stablecoin regulation.

MicroStrategypurchased 10,645 Bitcoins for $980.3 million between Dec. 8 and 14, averaging $92,124 per BTC, according to a Monday announcement. This acquisition was financed through proceeds from at-the-market (ATM) equity offerings.

This marks the company's biggest Bitcoin purchase since July.

This addition brings total holdings to 671,268 BTC

The latest purchase is a tad bigger than the 10,624 BTC (about $963 million worth) that Strategy purchased between Dec. 1 and 7.

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Despite the mammoth Bitcoin buy conducted by Strategy, the price of Bitcoin remains below the psychologically important $90,000 level.

Could Strategy sell Bitcoin?

Asreported by U.Today, CEO Fong Lee did not rule out selling some of Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings if there is a prolonged crypto winter.

Lee noted that Bitcoin remains a core part of Strategy’s long-term plan.

However, Lee has also noted that Bitcoin remains a core part of Strategy’s long-term plan.

December is shaping up to be a big month for Ripple and the XRP Ledger ecosystem, marked by major announcements, acquisitions, upgrades and expansion. In a recent tweet, Ripple executive Reece Merrick hints at continued momentum while teasing a big week ahead.

At the start of December, Ripple announced that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) had approved an expanded scope of payment activities for the Major Payment Institution (MPI) license held by its Singapore subsidiary, Ripple Markets APAC Pte. Ltd. (RMA).

In December, Ripple announced the completion of a $1 billion acquisition of GTreasury, marking a significant expansion into the multi-trillion-dollar corporate finance arena, as well as that of Rail.

Gemini crypto exchange also announced it had added support for RLUSD, expanding the stablecoin's exposure.

In the most recent milestone, Ripple revealed it had received conditional approval from the OCC to charter Ripple National Trust Bank, a massive step forward for RLUSD stablecoin.

Momentum continues

In a tweet, Ripple's Senior Executive Officer and Managing Director, Middle East & Africa, Reece Merrick highlights continued momentum while teasing a big week ahead.

GM The momentum continues Big week ahead

— Reece Merrick (@reece_merrick) December 15, 2025

Ripple USD stablecoin (RLUSD) marked a major milestone in the Middle East at the close of November, being approved for use as lending collateral within Abu Dhabi's ADGlobalMarket.

According to Merrick, this year has seen some awesome momentum for Ripple in the Middle East. The Ripple executive hinted at expanding on these solid foundations as 2026 approaches.

Big week ahead?

The coming days will be watched for potential signals, moves and announcements that could shape 2026.

This week will welcome Spot-Quoted XRP futures on the world's leading derivatives marketplace. Spot-Quoted XRP futures are anticipated to launch on the CME Group platform on Dec. 15, pending regulatory review.

More XRP products are also expected to launch following the 21Shares XRP ETF, the fifth spot XRP ETF in the U.S., which launched in the past week.

The data makes it clear that Shiba Inu is in an uncomfortable position. The balance of risk is immediately altered when about 47 billion SHIB move onto exchanges in a brief period of time. Exchange inflows indicate intent, but they do not necessarily indicate instant selling. Tokens transferred to exchanges are a liquidity option, rather than a long-term cold storage commitment.

Shiba Inu moving down

SHIB is currently trading below all significant moving averages on the price chart and is still in a steady downward trend. While shorter EMAs continue to compress prices from above, the 200-day MA is still sloping downward and serving as a macro ceiling.

The structure at the lows is noteworthy. Following extended selling, the price is creating a shallow ascending base, a traditional compression pattern. Its not yet bullish, but it is also not in freefall. RSI in the low 40s indicates that sellers are losing ground, rather than that buyers are in charge. This stage is one of fatigue. Although the market is not dumping aggressively anymore, it is also not bidding confidently.

Exchange flows shifting

When interpreting exchange inflows, the context is important because large inflows during a panic appear different from inflows during a consolidation. On-chain metrics are more subtle. While net inflow growth (+1. 57%) confirms that short-term pressure has not subsided, exchange reserves ticking higher (+0.06%) suggests that supply availability is rising.

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Typically, this combination suggests one of two possibilities. In the first scenario, the current wedge collapses, inflows result in actual sell pressure and SHIB either revisits or slightly undercuts recent lows before discovering true demand. That would be tidy, but ugly. In the second scenario, the market absorbs the inflows, the price maintains the base and the excess supply serves as fuel for a dramatic relief move when sellers run out of options.

If exchange inflows keep increasing and the price does not decline, that is strength. The price is likely to accelerate downward if inflows spike once more and the price loses the base. Although SHIB has not yet made a decision, it is evident that the market is packing the chamber.

The ew week on the crypto market opens with hard numbers and price drama. $1.18 billion worth of XRP is now locked inside ETFs, removing 0.98% of the total supply, SHIB futures print a 3,000% liquidation imbalance with longs wiped out and JP Morgan launches a tokenized money market product on Ethereum’s Base network.

TL;DR

XRP ETFs now control $1.18 billion, equal to 0.98% of total XRP supply, but price stalls near $2.SHIB futures print a 3,000% liquidation imbalance, with longs taking the hit.JP Morgan launches My OnChain Net Yield (MONY) onEthereum's Base network.$1.18 billion of XRP absorbed by ETFs

Even though the price is not doing much,the story around XRP's ETF is growing. According to the latest data, the total net assets across U.S. XRP spot ETFs have reached $1.18 billion, representing 0.98% of XRP's total market capitalization.

Thus, almost 1% of all XRP in circulation is currently locked up in regulated investment vehicles. This is supply that has been taken off the market, and it is not just sitting around on the exchange order books or playing the volatility game during the day. It is being stored in a warehouse.

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What makes this all the more interesting is the timeline. The price of XRP has been stuck around $2, which is a level that has become a bit of a psychological stress test. Traders are seeing stagnation. ETFs see opportunity. The difference between the flat price and the continued asset accumulation is pretty telling.

ETFs are buying XRP even as the market struggles to decide on a direction. That mismatch usually resolves later, not right away. The price may look frozen, but the distribution underneath is changing.

The $2 level has become a bit of a pressure chamber. Bulls see it as a base. Bears see it as proof of exhaustion. Neither side is winning decisively. With almost 1% of the supply already taken in, any future increase in demand will not need to be huge to make a difference.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) prints 3,000% liquidation imbalance

While XRP stays tense and controlled,Shiba Inu derivatives markets descend into chaos.

The latest futures data byCoinGlass shows a liquidation split of around$122,000 in long liquidations versus just $4,000 in shorts, creating a liquidation imbalance near3,000% — a one-sided wipeout.

What happened is that SHIB traders kept leaning into upside bets inside a market that offered no follow-through. Each minor dip flushed leveraged longs. Bears, on the other hand, barely showed up, so short exposure remains thin.

The result is a loop: bulls enter longs expecting a breakout, the price chops sideways, leverage gets flushed and bulls reload.

The price itself confirms the diagnosis.SHIB is locked in atextbook chop market, a sideways grind where direction is absent and patience is punished. There is no trend to ride, only traps.

Ironically, this imbalance also creates latent risk in the opposite direction. With shorts largely absent, any unexpected upside move can trigger forced buying quickly. That does not mean a rally is guaranteed.

SHIB is not trending. It is rotating through traders.

JP Morgan picks Ethereum for first tokenized money market move

JP Morgan has launched its first tokenized money market fund onEthereum as perWSJ, marking a direct step into on-chain asset management rather than payments or settlement testing.

The product is called My OnChain Net Yield, or MONY for short. When it first launched, JP Morgan put in $100 million of its own money, and then made it available to investors who met certain criteria. The minimum investment is $1 million, so it is definitely an institutional product.

MONY operates fully on-chain and is designed to deliver returns comparable to a classic money market fund, but with blockchain-based issuance and settlement. Investors can put money into the fund with fiat currency or USDC, which lets traditional cash management and crypto-native rails work together.

It is not a deposit token or a stablecoin. MONY is a real investment fund that uses Ethereum infrastructure and is all about generating yield. JP Morgan is not just experimenting with token wrappers; it is actually running the product itself on public blockchain rails.

Ethereum was chosen as the execution layer, which is another way of saying that it is the preferred network for institutional-grade tokenization. This move comes after years of private blockchain testing and shows a clear upgrade: balance sheet capital being used directly on the blockchain.

Following the announcement,Ethereum rose about 3%.

Crypto market outlook

The next sessions are about follow-through, not surprise. XRP traders watch ETF absorption versus the $2 ceiling, SHIB remains driven by liquidation mechanics and Ethereum trades reaction to JP Morgan’s move.

XRP: The price sits near$2, with immediate support at$1.88-$1.92. Holding that zone keeps the structure intact. A break and hold above$2.12 opens$2.28-$2.35. Failure below$1.88 exposes$1.72-$1.75, where the next real demand sits.Ethereum (ETH): Reacted directly to the JP Morgan launch with a3% move. As long as ETH holds above$3,200, the market looks for continuation toward$3,550. Losing$3,100 cools the move and brings$2,950 back into focus.Shiba Inu (SHIB): Remains a range market dominated by derivatives. Support holds near$0.0000086-0.0000088. Resistance sits at$0.00001.

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