Cryptopolitan

First Brands creditors have hired Nardello & Co., the same company that investigated the FTX collapse, to dig into how the bankrupt auto-parts supplier handled shady off-the-books financing before crashing into Chapter 11.

The job is to dig through the murky disaster of off-the-books financing that First Brands was using before the auto-parts supplier crashed into bankruptcy.

According to a court filing from Wednesday, the committee representing unsecured creditors said they officially brought in Nardello on December 1. Their task includes digging into factoring and financing arrangements that money flowed through, and Nardello is also investigating accounts and shell entities tied to Patrick James, the founder of First Brands, plus other top insiders.

Investigators are also looking at James and insiders

The creditors’ committee asked the judge to let Nardello start work immediately, because time is tight and there are “time-sensitive matters” that need urgent attention in this Chapter 11 mess.

And yes, the judge still needs to approve the company officially, but that’s standard. Meanwhile, Nardello’s track record is already on the table. The committee reminded the court that during the FTX case, Nardello helped claw back billions in assets for creditors. They also pointed out that Nardello is not new to high-profile wreckage.

Nardello worked for creditors of Purdue Pharma, the opioid giant that filed Chapter 11 in 2019 after lawsuits over OxyContin. They also assisted in the Alex Jones case after the conspiracy theorist went bankrupt over that $1.4 billion Sandy Hook defamation ruling.

This probe into First Brands is only one of many. The entire Chapter 11 collapse is now under a microscope. On top of the Nardello investigation, advisers working for the company have already sued Patrick James, accusing him of looting corporate funds. He denies doing anything wrong.

Things are heating up elsewhere too. A former finance director at First Brands told creditors he plans to invoke the Fifth Amendment at his deposition. That means he doesn’t want to answer questions because of a federal criminal probe that’s already looking into the company.

The legal mess is officially filed as First Brands Group LLC, case number 25-90399, in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

There are no excuses left on the table. First Brands went down, and now the knives are out. Every account, every deal, and every insider is getting examined. Nardello has already started picking apart the pieces. The bondholders want answers, and they’re not playing around.

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As the year quickly draws to a close and 2026 looms on the horizon, crypto traders are working to get into the best cryptos to buy with the most upside and the top cryptos to buy as the next market boom erupts on the scene. Three of the most exciting ones to watch as the year draws to a close include Cardano (ADA), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Mutuum Finance (MUTM). 

Cardano (ADA) remains a popular choice as it continues to develop its ecosystem, boasts solid foundations for the coming year, and has stabilized its price near key levels, making it a solid choice for enthusiasts looking to buy on the way back into the mainstream crypto fold after a slight downturn. DOGE, meanwhile, remains a leader as the original meme coin sensation, with a devoted fan base prepared to spark another massive price rally should key psychological barriers be broken. Finally, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is a DeFi crypto coin that has only recently broken into the mainstream and is now undergoing its Phase 7 presale, with the cumulative funds reaching almost $20 million, offering crypto buyers a new, cheap crypto coin before its price increase. Among the top cryptos gaining attention, these three are often listed among the best cryptos to buy before 2026 kicks off.

Cardano (ADA) Stabilizes Around Key Levels while Momentum Accelerates

The current situation in the Cardano (ADA) cryptocurrency market is that of consolidation around key support levels, currently trading around $0.37 on the 4-hour chart, after a strong recovery from the lows. It appears to be attempting to establish a structure but remains beneath a key level of supply, indicating that the market remains prudent and waits for validation. A strong break above the current resistance levels will shift this momentum and will shortly be followed by a recovery, although a break below the current support levels will result in consolidation. Regarding investors tracking this market, analysis favors an inclusive portfolio that incorporates sound network assets like ADA and the new Mutuum Finance (MUTM). For those seeking the top cryptos, MUTM ranks among the best cryptos to buy for the early months of 2026.

Dogecoin (DOGE) Consolidates After Rally, Potential for Upside

Dogecoin (DOGE) is in the process of consolidating on the weekly charts after the completion of an impulsive move, and the market is well within an accumulation zone. Although this is in a pullback phase, the overall market trends are positive, and the establishment of a strong foundation at these current market levels could fuel further upward moves once traction is gained. 

The current market condition of Dogecoin tends to showcase its robust nature in being one of the top cryptos in the market. However, investors are hedging their market positions in Mutuum Finance (MUTM) for further rapid growth. Many analysts consider MUTM among the best cryptos to buy when looking at potential momentum-driven gains in 2026.

MUTM Surges in Presale Stage 7

During a relatively sluggish market for token sales, including ADA and DOGE, MUTM is causing a stir as it continues further in its presale journey in the DeFi space. Presale phase 7 is up for purchase at $0.04, following the relatively fast sale of tokens in Phase 6. Phase 8 will see the cost increase to $0.045, which is nothing short of a 20% increase. This is one of the final opportunities to acquire MUTM tokens at this stage, making it one of the top cryptos for early investors looking for extraordinary upside.

Mutuum Finance has so far raised $19.5 million with the support of 18,620 token holders, with pricing during Phase 7 set at $0.04. The project has already seen a 300% rise from Phase 1 pricing, which was set for $0.01, with plans to reach $0.06 at launch, meaning interested investors stand a chance to gain returns of as much as 400%. It should be noted, however, that most crypto projects lack tangible technology, but in MUTM, lending and borrowing capabilities exist, with this project being audited by  Halborn Security, a cyber-security firm. Many see this project as one of the best cryptos to buy due to its strong fundamentals and early-stage opportunity.

Leaderboard Incentives: Engagement, Activity Increase

To further incentivize the community to participate in the platform, Mutuum Finance has rolled out a dashboard with the Top 50 Holders, where each person who topped the ranking for the respective day receives a bonus of $500 for MUTM, provided that they have made at least one transaction in the period.

This further demonstrates the benefits of the MUTM token, emphasizing the token’s utilization-oriented framework, further establishing itself as a very promising and inexpensive DeFi investment opportunity. Among the top cryptos of 2026, MUTM stands out as an early-stage favorite and one of the best cryptos to buy for investors seeking high potential returns.

While the clock ticks closer to the start of 2026, Cardano (ADA) presents a stable investment, Dogecoin (DOGE) breeds speculative fervor, and with a price of merely $0.04 in Presale Phase 7, MUTM presents unimaginable gains. With a raised amount of $19.5M, the number of token holders at 18,620 and quite practical usability through the offering of loans and borrowing, early investment in MUTM is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to harvest gigantic profits. For traders looking for top cryptos or the best cryptos to buy as 2026 approaches, these three remain key highlights in the market.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://mutuum.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

David Duong, the global head of investment research at Coinbase, has published a copy of Coinbase Institutional’s 2026 Crypto Market Outlook. In it, Duong and his team attributed the shift in policy as the motivation for banks and corporations to finally start building the technical infrastructure that will be required to take things on-chain. 

Duong called the year an “extraordinary” period for the crypto ecosystem, despite some of the “lackluster price action.”

He went on to admit that the asset class is still defined by accelerating institutional adoption with a more diverse investor base reshaping overall demand, but that this only means the industry’s full potential is still far from realized.

Meanwhile, tokenization and stablecoins moved deeper into core financial workflows.

He claims they at Coinbase expect the positive forces to compound next year as stablecoins take a larger role in delivery-vs-payment structures, and tokenized collateral gets more recognition across traditional transactions.

Coinbase sees crypto maturing in 2026

The report also claims that the investor base itself is no longer what it used to be and is now more diversified. In the past, crypto was used by early adopters who couldn’t be sure mass adoption would ever happen.

But that has changed, and it is now dominated by institutions and a far wider cross‑section of allocators and end‑users.

Demand has also gone from a monolith to become a mosaic of macroeconomics, technology, and geopolitics.

According to him, if the industry executes on product quality, regulatory stewardship, and user‑centric design, it will be easier to help ensure that the next wave of innovation reaches everyone, everywhere, all the time.

Coinbase’s CPO thinks America may fall behind China next year

The competition for dominance in the new frontier that is crypto is bound to intensify next year, and President Trump has declared several times that he wants America to become the crypto capital of the world.

Coinbase’s chief policy officer, Faryar Shirzad, has expressed concern, warning that the United States could potentially lose ground in the global crypto if it proceeds with a ban on interest or rewards on U.S. stablecoins. The warning comes as countries are now competing more aggressively over digital money, and rewards or incentives could strongly influence which currencies come out on top.

In an X post, Shirzad claimed the issue has become more serious since China’s central bank has announced that starting January 1, 2026, banks will be allowed to pay interest on digital yuan balances.

This means the digital yuan will no longer be used just as digital cash; it will work more like a bank deposit that can earn interest. Chinese officials reportedly hope this will encourage more people to use it, since adoption has been slower than expected despite years of testing.

Coinbase sees the GENIUS Act as a way to help U.S.-regulated, dollar-backed stablecoins become the main tools for digital payments worldwide. However, Shirzad has warned that banning rewards could hurt that goal and weaken the U.S. dollar’s role globally.

To compete with China now, those rewards are non-negotiable. However, banking groups have been clear from the onset that they don’t want them, arguing that allowing rewards would make stablecoins too similar to bank deposits and could threaten financial stability.

2026 is bound to be tumultuous for all involved as the U.S. struggles to figure out how to proceed without crossing the very powerful parties involved. However, after the dust settles, the crypto sector is likely to be better off.

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At the time Ethereum (ETH) was at $30, few could have predicted that one day it could be pegged at $3,000, which amounts to a 100x increase. Yet, with the same logic of that particular historical example, some investors are of the idea that Mutuum Finance (MUTM) could be another investment with asymmetric potential and the best crypto to invest in at this point and time, with its current price of $0.04. When we calculate a 100x increase, MUTM could reach $4, which may seem ambitious; however, within the same parameters of early adoption and usage, and with the advancement of DeFi that led to the success of Ethereum, the reality may not be that impossible and far-fetched.

Mutuum Finance is building a decentralized, non-custodial lending and borrowing platform, which targets one of DeFi’s most capital-intensive verticals, and with its tiered structure in presale, rising demand, and growing investor base, MUTM has made a great start to ensure they leverage this early push and maximize their early adoption advantage. For those searching for their next big crypto investment, Mutuum Finance’s entry price and scalable usage, is exactly what has brought about market FOMO.

Ethereum (ETH) Price

Ethereum is at a very critical level with $2,890 as a crucial support zone. According to analysts, this token must be able to overcome this support zone so as to ensure optimism persists. Based on this support zone, this token has all the chances of passing $3,650 and even $4,250, which speaks of renewed optimism inside the crypto market. For people tracking developments with regard to growth, this case of the Ethereum token draws attention to another crypto called Mutuum Finance (MUTM).

Mutuum Finance Presale Phase 7

Mutuum Finance has entered Phase 7 in its presale process, and it is selling fast. This is one of the last opportunities for buyers to purchase MUTM for $0.04, as the price will hit $0.045 with the start of Phase 8, with a significant increase of almost 20%. Considering its growth potential and current price, many investors are treating it as a top crypto to buy before the wider market catches on.

Mutuum Finance has raised a total of $19.5 million since the presale began. The overall number of MUTM token holders has risen to 18,620. Currently, at Phase 7 with a price of $0.04, it has seen a spectacular increase of 300% from Phase 1 at $0.01, reinforcing its reputation as the next big crypto for early-stage investors.

Reinventing the Financing Space

Mutuum Finance operates using a dual lending model that combines the Peer-to-Contract (P2C) model and the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) model. The P2C model provides passive income for users who lock away stablecoins like USDT into liquidity pools. This model also helps borrowers obtain money in a cost-effective way. The P2P model on the other hand facilitates peer-to-peer transactions without the involvement of a third party.

Through the combination of P2C and P2P models in Mutuum Finance, a lending community that ensures a balance between safety, speed, and decentralization is created. All investors are able to completely control their lending activities in a way that suits either risk-averse or high return investors, making MUTM not just a promising DeFi token but the top crypto to buy for those focused on growth.

Secure and Stable Ecosystem

Mutuum Finance further facilitates the use of an Ethereum-based stablecoin that is completely collateralized and pegged to the value of the USD at par. The over-collateralization feature ensures that more value is locked in comparison to the stablecoin being created. This further stabilizes the future of the platform.

Transparency and safety are further ensured by complete smart contract audits and transparent financial systems, giving confidence to investors and avoiding problems faced by other lending platforms on DeFi. The pillars of strong value on which Mutuum Finance is established guarantee a trustworthy and robust environment for all users to show why some see it as the next big crypto for long-term gains.

Who can forget the price of ETH at $30? MUTM is currently $0.04, an early stage of double-lending DeFi platforms, $19.5 million raised, with 18,620 holders. Phase 8 increases to $0.045. When it hits 100x, it will go to $4, cementing its place as the top crypto to buy and a next big crypto for forward-thinking investors.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://mutuum.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

Coinstar is being sold in a deal that will clear its debt in one sweep. The coin-exchange and crypto kiosk operator, owned by Apollo Global Management, has agreed to a surprise sale that triggers a full bond repayment next month.

According to Bloomberg, people familiar with the matter allegedly say the buyer is tied to Alaska Native investments from the far north of the state.

The transaction has not been made public before. The buyer is Arctic Slope Regional, a company created in 1972 after a US government settlement with Indigenous residents of Alaska.

Debt repayment clears path as Alaska Native company takes control

As part of the takeover, the new owner will repay more than $750 million in principal, plus all accrued interest, in early January. A private notice sent to bondholders confirmed the timeline, according to Bloomberg.

The bonds involved in the Coinstar deal are structured as whole business securitizations, meaning they are backed by the full cash flow of the exchange.

Some analysts later worried the debt might need another overhaul if pressure on Coinstar’s business continued, but the planned repayment reportedly removes that risk.

Arctic Slope Regional (ASRC) oversees a wide mix of portfolios that include construction, petroleum refining, and government contract services, based on information published by the company.

ASRC is one of roughly a dozen regional corporations formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, passed in the early 1970s, which granted millions of acres of land and $1 billion in compensation to Alaska Native groups in exchange for land claims.

Coinstar entered Apollo’s portfolio in 2016, running over 24,000 kiosks that let users turn loose change into cash. After the pandemic slowdown, Coinstar pushed deeper into digital assets. Last year, it began letting customers use cash to buy cryptocurrency through kiosks or a mobile app. The sale now hands control of Coinstar to an Alaska-based owner while closing the book on its bond debt.

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Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, has predicted that the Federal Reserve will go for three interest rate cuts before June, each by 0.25 percentage points.

According to Mark, his prediction/warning is tied to what he sees as continued job market weakness, shaky inflation signals, and direct political pressure.

Unlike Wall Street and Fed officials, who expect a slow pace, Mark believes the central bank will be forced to act faster.“Behind the decision to ease monetary policy further will be the still flagging job market, particularly in the early part of 2026,” he wrote.

Companies, Mark says, won’t rush to hire. They’re still spooked by recent changes in trade and immigration policy and want stability before adding to payrolls.

Unemployment rise and weak hiring pace trigger early cuts

According to Mark, businesses are dragging their feet on hiring, which means job growth will stay soft.That keeps unemployment climbing, and that puts pressure on the Fed.

“Until then, job growth will remain insufficient to forestall further increases in unemployment, and as long as unemployment is on the rise, the Fed will cut rates,” he wrote.

This view is far ahead of market expectations, which are only pricing in two cuts, one possibly in April, the second likely around September. That’s according to CME FedWatch data, which tracks rate predictions from futures traders. Mark isn’t buying that timeline. He sees rate cuts coming much earlier and more frequently.

Fed officials themselves are even more cautious. Their latest dot plot, the grid of where each policymaker sees rates heading, only shows one rate cut for all of 2026. And even that one wasn’t a strong consensus.

December’s FOMC minutes revealed that the cut was a close call. Members admitted they might ease more later, but not by much. That’s not fast enough for Mark, who sees too many warning signs flashing red.

Trump’s control of Fed appointments adds more pressure

One reason Mark sees urgency is politics. President Donald Trump, back in the White House, is already reshaping the Federal Reserve’s leadership.

Right now, three of the seven sitting Fed governors (Christopher Waller, Michelle Bowman, and Stephen Miran) are Trump appointees. With Miran’s term ending in January, Trump will soon get to pick another.

It doesn’t stop there. Jerome Powell’s time as Fed chair ends in May, even though his governor term runs through 2028. Trump is likely to pick someone who shares his low-rate agenda. He’s also reportedly trying to oust Governor Lisa Cook, although courts are blocking that attempt, for now.

Mark warns that this lineup gives Trump major influence. “Trump will also pressure for lower interest rates. Federal Reserve independence will steadily erode as the president appoints more members to the Federal Open Market Committee, including the Fed chair in May,” he said.

With midterm elections coming, the push for lower rates could get louder. Trump wants to show economic growth, and that means more pressure on the Fed. The next FOMC meeting is set for Jan. 27–28, but traders only see a 13.8% chance of a cut then, based on CME data. That may change fast if Mark is right.

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The much-awaited altcoin rotation is finally taking form, and it’s becoming increasingly obvious why savvy investors are withdrawing capital from Ripple (XRP) and locking it into the likes of Mutuum Finance (MUTM). The project is an emerging new crypto that offers far more upside potential and currently sells at an astonishing $0.04 per token. While XRP does enjoy the advantage of being one of the oldest altcoins in the marketplace, the altcoin does find itself struggling in the given environment, thanks to its immense market capitalization and the regulatory headwinds that show little promise of dissipating soon.

Mutuum Finance, on the other hand, finds itself within the initial stages of its life cycle, where the token could enjoy significant upside on the back of its nascent phase and initial discovery, making it a new crypto that many investors are closely watching. Currently within Presale Phase 7, the token will see an immense appreciation after launch, where the initial buyers are poised to see an astonishing return on their investments.

XRP Pressured as Bear Structure Dominates

Ripple (XRP)’s performance is still being pressured, with the bearish formation still in place given that the market is still trading below major resistance. Technically, the current market formation of XRP is a descending channel. As long as the market remains under the resistance level created around the upper boundary of the descending channel, the most likely future movement will be the continuation of the current downward trend towards the identified level of support. For cryptocurrency market analysts looking into the performance of various cryptocurrencies, the limited momentum in the value of XRP reinforces the need to look into new crypto opportunities that promise higher potential. Here is where Mutuum Finance (MUTM) shines. 

MUTM Presale FOMO

Mutuum Finance is among the most promising projects and has attracted the attention of many investors. The presale event of the project has hit another major milestone with over 18,620 participants having joined, and the total value raised exceeding $19.5 million. The current price of MUTM token stands at $0.04. MUTM will launch at $0.06 with potential to climb past $0.60. This positions current investors for more than a 10x ROI in the next bull run. 

The Mutuum Ecosystem

Mutuum Finance is designed to be a next-generation decentralized finance lending and borrowing solution that can overcome some of the most challenging issues observed with the existing DeFi platforms. Essentially, the platform allows users the ability to lend idle assets to earn some extra income or borrow money against existing assets that they may already hold but don’t want to sell. Unlike some existing decentralized finance platforms that function on the basis of one lending solution, the system designed by the developers of Mutuum Finance allows two solutions that can cater to the interests of both conservative and aggressive investors.

What sets Mutuum Finance apart is the availability of their dual lending system that incorporates peer-to-contract lending (P2C) and peer-to-peer lending (P2P). Under the P2C system, users have the capacity to directly transact with smart contracts at predetermined interest rates that provide immediate liquidity even when dealing with fluctuating market environments. At the same time, it integrates the P2P system that allows lenders and borrowers to be automatically connected for better interest costs when dealing with volatile assets like meme coins.

The other notable strength that makes Mutuum Finance stand out is its emphasis on risk management and sustainability. The upcoming stablecoin by Mutuum Finance is set to act as a utility-centric foundation within the DeFi platform. Opposite to algorithmic stablecoins, which mostly function through strong market forces, the stablecoin by MUTM is structured on the concept of over-collateralization, which means that the stable value is ensured by the surplus value of the cryptos that have been locked within smart contracts, rather than being based on the credibility of the issuer. 

Mutuum Finance also takes a strong focus on security and transparency, which has become more and more important in the DeFi sector. The project has also been put through a full independent audit by Halborn Security, with all suggestions implemented before the V1 protocol launch on Sepolia testnet. This focus on security, together with a clear development roadmap that includes testnet launches as well as being mainnet-ready, serves to instill confidence in investors and also establishes Mutuum Finance as a crypto project to keep an eye on.

Ripple (XRP) finds itself squeezed by regulations and lacking potential, while Mutuum Finance (MUTM) appears to be the crypto to watch. At only $0.04 during Presale Phase 7 and set to increase past $0.6 post-launch, investors are poised to enjoy potential returns of more than 1000% over initial investment. Having already raised $19.5M, with 18,620 buyers, MUTM has both short-term and long-term momentum and clearly has the makings of one of the next crypto to explode. Investors seeking a promising new crypto have found a compelling opportunity here, as MUTM continues to rise in relevance among those scouting the next crypto to explode.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://mutuum.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

Nearly nine months have passed since President Trump announced a major shift in trade policy, and while the United States now has its steepest tariffs in close to 100 years, worldwide commerce has not fallen apart. Instead, it has changed course.

Companies and countries have adjusted their trading patterns. The United States purchases fewer goods straight from China these days, but it buys more products from factories China owns in countries with lower tariff rates, such as Vietnam. 

Meanwhile, China ships more products to nearly every other nation, particularly inexpensive goods heading to Europe.

Automakers move operations to America

Nissan, a carmaker with plants on five continents, decided tariffs meant it should focus more on the United States.

The company increased the number of Rogue SUVs it makes in Tennessee rather than bringing them in from Japan. It also started pushing other vehicles made in America, including the bigger Pathfinder SUV and Frontier pickup, while cutting back on imports from Mexico.

“There’s been a very deliberate plan to put marketing dollars behind the cars that are being produced in the U.S.,” Jérémie Papin, Chief Financial Officer, said in a recent interview. 

The car business got hit hard by tariffs, with major companies together reporting close to $12 billion in extra tariff expenses earlier in the year. Until now, automakers such as Nissan have not raised their prices much, taking the financial hit themselves with smaller profits. The average price for a new car sat just under $50,000 in November, only 1.3% higher than the previous year, Cox Automotive data shows.

April tariff announcement

On April 2, the president revealed broad reciprocal tariffs of 10% on no fewer than 60 countries, but important trading partners faced steeper tariffs. China got hit with 34% tariffs, Japan with 24%, and the European Union with 20%. The tariff on cars brought into the country jumped to 25%. When Trump made his announcement, he pointed out some of the high tariffs other nations place on American farm products and automobiles.

“They have taken so much wealth from our country, and we’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said then. He added later, “There is no tariff if you build your plant – your product – in America.”

The tariff actions seemed to work. Over the following months, the president and his team would reveal trade deals to boost market access to the United Kingdom, including promises to purchase more ethanol, beef, cereals, fruits, vegetables, and other farm goods.

Tensions with China

With China, the Trump administration did more than just impose tariffs. Officials labeled Chinese organizations as national security threats, limiting U.S. money going into Chinese businesses. The United States also tightened rules on Chinese access to technology.

Stopping soybean purchases came early, but Chinese officials made a much larger move in early October when the country revealed sweeping limits on rare-earth mineral exports.

China controls about 70% of worldwide rare-earth mining and holds an even larger portion of processing capacity.

China’s action on rare-earth minerals was so important that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer held a press conference on Oct. 15, criticizing the impact it would create worldwide. Greer said China’s move “is not proportional retaliation” but “an exercise of economic coercion on every country in the world.”

After that, both nations looked for a way out.

By late October, China agreed to postpone its limits on rare-earth minerals for at least a year. The United States agreed to reduce tariffs by 10% and stop a rule that blocked Chinese companies from certain U.S. technology exports.

Canadian relations worsen

In March, Trump put 25% tariffs on Canadian products not included in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), except for energy and potash fertilizer imports, which got 10% tariffs. 

Canada fought back by putting 25% tariffs on roughly $30 billion worth of U.S. products.

The overall Canadian tariff went up to 35% in August. The president then stopped trade discussions after the province of Ontario ran an advertisement in the United States using former President Ronald Reagan’s words criticizing tariff policies.

Canadian leaders said a close partnership that had long helped the country had turned into a major weakness.

Addressing affordability

Trump started getting questions about affordability in the fall as shoppers complained about high prices. Nations such as Brazil were dealing with 50% tariffs, which raised the costs of some common items.

In a speech earlier this month, Trump blamed the economy on his predecessor, saying, “I inherited a mess”, saying that the nation’s economy is stronger now than a year ago. On Truth Social on Dec. 27, Trump credited his tariff policies for helping the economy.

“Tariffs are creating GREAT WEALTH, and unprecedented National Security for the USA. Trade deficit has been cut by 60%, totally unheard of. 4.3% GDP, and going way up. No inflation!!! We are respected as a Country again.”

 

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Noise is not the beginning of some of the best crypto stories. They start quietly. The process of development occurs behind the scenes. First users come without headlines. Then visibility appears so quick. According to commentators in the market, this is usually where value is created over the long term. A project, which has been constructed in months, may suddenly become a center of attention. Several investors are now of the view that Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is in that visibility state.

What Mutuum Finance (MUTM) Has Been Developing 

Mutuum Finance is a developing DeFi platform that is based on lending and borrowing. The purpose is direct and straight to the point. Allow users to generate yield through provision of assets. Allow others to borrow on security without disposing of their assets.

Dual lending is utilized in the protocol. On the one hand, users provide resources into pools. On the other hand, there is easy access to liquidity by the borrowers, with clear rules. Rates change accordingly with demand. The system is guarded by collateral limits and liquidations. This system promotes actual use rather than value pursuit.

V1 of the protocol is the important turning point. Based on the official X statements, the team is in the process of separating a beta launch in the Sepolia testnet. It is then that the silent work takes a turn into the limelight. Users can test features. Metrics become visible. At that point, wider interest is a common phenomenon.

Expansion Occurring 

Participation in the Mutuum Finance increased gradually before most traders started paying attention. The project has increased funds to the tune of $19.5M and has earned 18,700 holders. These figures did not auto-bump at night. They increased over time.

According to the commentators in the market, this is important. A gradual increase is usually an indication of build up and not hyping. It demonstrates that users are not making last-minute reactions but rather, user positioning is early. 

This could mean more to investors who have the question of what to buy in crypto now than sudden spikes in the volume. It is this kind of development that makes MUTM increasingly be discussed as one of the most watched crypto to invest in at the next period of the market.

The Reason Why the Supply Is In The Focus

MUTM is currently selling at $0.04 with it being in presale Phase 7. The total supply is 4B tokens. That was in the form of 45.5% or approximately 1.82B MUTM that was placed under early distribution. To date, 820M tokens have already been sold.

This is important since the supply reduces and so does behavior. The previous stages were more spacious. The subsequent stages are of lesser availability and higher costs. The token began at $0.01 and has been increasing on a step-by-step basis. That is 300% growth since inception.

Moving on to the next crypto phase, the pricing is adjusted once more. It is structure that tends to change the way investors think. They re-evaluate timing other than waiting. This is where focus is escalated to by many following prices of crypto today.

Visibility and The Ultimate Transition to Security Stack

Security usually dictates its later adoption. Mutuum Finance has a 90/100 CertiK token scan rating. Halborn Security has also looked at the lending and borrowing contracts, the audit has been done and final changes are being made.

Besides this, the team has also introduced a $50k bug bounty which targets code vulnerabilities. These are technical risk reduction measures and indicators of preparedness. A lot of analysts are of the opinion that this stage frequently precedes even higher exposure.

Phase progression matters. Phase 6 sold out quickly. Phase 7 is now active. Allocation is tightening. Meanwhile, whale allocations have started appearing. When milestones are near, but not distant, larger wallets tend to move.

Collectively, these indications are indicating a change. Mutuum Finance is transitioning into silent construction to something that is under implementation. This is usually the window that can alter things, especially to the investors who are setting up ahead of the year 2026.

Markets are timed and organized. MUTM combines both. That is why a great number of people think that this new altcoin has the right to alter the appearance of a crypto-portfolio in a long-term perspective.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://www.mutuum.com

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

Polymarket locked in $2 billion in new funding this year while Kalshi raked in $1.3 billion, setting the pace in a year when fintech companies finally clawed their way back into the venture capital scene.

Both companies, which let users bet on real-world events, became the biggest winners in 2025’s startup financing sweep, drawing the largest U.S. rounds and two of the top five globally.

The data comes from PitchBook, which tracked a total $55.94 billion raised by fintechs worldwide this year, up 25% from $44.75 billion last year. But 2025’s total is still far from the $123.99 billion thrown around in 2021. That was when interest rates were basically zero, and investors were chasing anything with a website and a pitch deck.

Polymarket and Kalshi outshine Plaid, Stripe and everyone else

Polymarket pulled in its $2 billion round in October at a $9 billion valuation, but it plans to raise again with a valuation between $12 billion and $15 billion, Bloomberg said in October. That would push it ahead of some of the big legacy names like Plaid and Stripe, which didn’t raise anything near this scale in 2025.

Kalshi, meanwhile, raised $300 million in October, then locked in another $1 billion by December. Its valuation now stands at $11 billion. These rounds didn’t just beat out crypto competitors. They beat out everyone. The size alone is unusual, especially after a dry spell where deals this big just stopped happening.

Matt Streisfeld, general partner at Oak HC/FT, said this kind of activity is rare. “We have not seen these types of very large primary capital raises in some time,” he said. He’s been watching capital concentrate around a smaller group of companies, and he’s not surprised to see the money piling into places like Polymarket and Kalshi.

“You’re going to see more doubling down on the perceived market winners in each category,” Matt said. “The last thing we need is 10 new players to be added to the actual five players that are already in the market.”

The overall number of deals in 2025 dropped to 3,712, down 19% from 2024. That funding just got funneled into fewer hands. Companies that already had a foothold got even bigger, while newer players had a harder time getting in.

Trump’s lighter rules help fintech raise cash and go public

The regulatory environment has also changed under President Donald Trump, who returned to office in 2025. With restrictions eased, especially around banking relationships, fintechs are finding it easier to grow. That’s pulling in more investors.

Matt said the money is chasing “greater commercial adoption,” and that is helping crypto companies too.

This year, Coinbase landed partnerships with both Citigroup and PNC, showing how crypto platforms are finally plugging into the traditional banking system in a way that actually matters.

While some critics say the rule changes are happening too fast, it’s a sharp contrast to the chaos of 2021. That year was all about fantasy growth projections and marketing. Now, there’s more scrutiny, and investors want actual numbers. “A lot of the craze that happened in ’21 was based off projected growth,” Matt said. “That wasn’t a bad mentality, it was just that companies were being valued at these unsustainable compounding growth rates.”

Meanwhile, Ramp Inc. raised around $1 billion through three funding rounds of over $200 million each, and currently sits at a $32 billion valuation, up from $13 billion at the start of the year.

The looser oversight also helped fuel a run of IPOs. This year alone, Circle, Gemini, Chime, Klarna, and Wealthfront all went public, giving their backers a way to finally cash out. And this isn’t over. More fintech listings are expected in 2026.

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The crypto market this year experienced a notable divergence in terms of volatility across different asset classes. For instance, trading XRP and SOL has been twice as volatile as trading BTC over the past 12 months, indicating a lack of maturity in those altcoins and reinforcing the perceived dominance of BTC across the cryptocurrency landscape. 

Data tracked on-chain revealed today that XRP and SOL experienced volatility of 80% and 87%, respectively, compared to 43% for BTC. Other altcoins, including Ether and BNB, recorded increases of 76% and 51%, respectively. This trend quashed the hopes that altcoins could surpass BTC’s dominance in 2025 and extend its perceived lead across the crypto landscape. 

Altcoins need deeper liquidity to achieve stability

So far, billions have been pumped into SOL and XRP ETFs and CME futures, from which these major cryptocurrencies benefit in terms of liquidity. Except for BNB, other major altcoins, including XRP, SOL, and ETH, have established ETFs with billions in net assets.

For instance, the XRP ETF has received a net inflow of approximately $1.16 billion since its launch, while the SOL ETF has attracted roughly $763 million, based on data provided by SoSoValue.

If demand remains strong across altcoins in 2026, XRP, SOL, and ETH, alongside other altcoins, could help mitigate current price volatility and achieve the stability exhibited by BTC.

The current volatility exhibited by altcoins suggests a persistent difficulty for these tokens in achieving stability. The trend in BTC volatility, especially after the launch of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs in 2024, has been declining, underscoring the need for deeper liquidity in altcoins too. These suggest that alternative investment vehicles tied to XRP, SOL, and other altcoins may provide deeper liquidity, enabling the stability achieved in Bitcoin.

Bitcoin ETFs were introduced in January 2024, attracting multiple ETPs, including IBIT, which has attracted the majority of investor money, amassing $62.19 billion since its launch. GBTC, on the other hand, has recorded a negative flow, seeing approximately $25 billion withdrawn since its launch.

BTC ETFs so far have a cumulative total net inflow of $56.96 billion, according to SoSoValue. The surge in inflows has prompted several products, including covered calls on those ETFs. The strong demand has led to a steady decline in volatility in BTC this year.

Meanwhile, Ethereum ETFs, which launched in mid-2024, have exhibited a similar trend, attracting approximately $12.4 billion of investor capital since their launch. BlackRock’s ETHA has attracted roughly $12.59 billion of investor money, while Grayscale’s ETHE has recorded the worst performance, losing approximately $5.05 billion to withdrawals since its launch. We could say the same for ETH ETFs as BTC, which has seen a decline in volatility to the current 76%.

L1 tokens end the year with a negative or negligible return

L1 tokens recorded the worst performance this year, resulting in zero or negative returns despite several key advancements across the networks. For instance, the Total Value Locked value for BTC has grown to $6.7 billion as of today, compared to an average of $760 million prior to October 2024.

Source: Defillama; BTC’s Total Value Locked in DeFi

The same can be said for Ethereum, Solana, and Base networks, which have exhibited a gradual increase in growth since 2021, demonstrating structural maturity across the cryptocurrency landscape. 

Despite reaching these significant steps in terms of maturity, returns exhibited this year have been very low across different blockchains. Based on on-chain data, the Bitcoin blockchain recorded a -6.76% return, alongside -12.94% for Ethereum and -11.48% for XRP. BNB has shown a positive return rate of 20.64% over the past 365 days.

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It is the end of an era on both Wall Street and Main Street. Because today is the legendary Warren Buffett’s last day as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. After over six decades of control, the Oracle of Omaha is handing his legacy over to his longtime backup, Greg Abel, who takes over.

The author of this article would like to take this opportunity to say a proper thank you to the greatest investor who ever lived.

Now, as you know, Warren’s career started long before most of the current tech CEOs were even born, and he has become akin to a god on Wall Street.

No one will ever be able to achieve what he has, not only because he is that special, but also because investing has become so easy now that you won’t even get the chance to be Warren.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is his legacy. The fact that he managed to pull off what he has during the hardest era of finance/economics and before the internet is exactly why Google continues to name him the best investor to ever grace NYSE’s trading floor.

Warren bought Burlington Northern, kept Apple stock locked down like national treasure, and somehow remain lifelong besties with one man his entire life while ignoring every flash-in-the-pan trend that came along; crypto included.

Greg Abel officially takes over Berkshire as valuation alarm hits record highs

Greg officially becomes CEO on Wednesday. Warren named him as successor long ago, and he’s been in the background ever since. Now he takes the wheel. Howard Buffett, Warren’s son, described the company’s code last year:

“You do what you say you’re going to do, and you do it when you say you’re going to do it. You’re honest about it. You make mistakes, and you accept responsibility for those mistakes.”

No one’s rewriting Berkshire’s playbook, so Greg is inheriting it as-is, with the same style: buy strong, don’t panic, and shut up unless you’ve got numbers.

And speaking of numbers, the Buffett Indicator, made famous by Warren after a Fortune article he did in 2001 with Carol Loomis, is at 221.4% right now, a 22% surge since April 30 and the biggest since the data started in 1970, and the culprit is [of course] 2025’s AI mania.

The Buffett Indicator works by dividing the Wilshire 5000 Index by the US GDP, and if its high, stocks are getting wild.

Warren didn’t sit it out this year though. His portfolio is still loaded with Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet. He didn’t suddenly turn into a crypto degen, but he didn’t fight the AI wave either. He rode it in silence, letting the profits speak.

Cryptopolitan says goodbye to Berkshire with Bitcoin public letter still unanswered

Now that he’s out, the question’s simple: who’s going to watch the markets the way Warren did? Almost every single person in finance treats him like gospel.

People compare him to Einstein, Edison, and even Mozart. Someone once joked that calling yourself “the next Warren Buffett” is like calling yourself Mozart while looking like Salieri in Amadeus, the guy who listened in awe, knowing he’d never match it.

A $1 million investment in the S&P 500 from 1957 to 2007 would have landed you $166 million. That same amount with Warren gets you $81 billion. How insane is that?

Add another 18 years, and your portfolio would now be worth $428 billion. The author of this article wrote Warren a public letter exactly a year ago, asking him to invest in Bitcoin before retiring, to finish his legacy with crypto. He ghosted us. Classic. I’ve held BRK.B since 2020, but with Warren leaving, I can’t say what happens next.

The certainty is gone. I don’t know what to feel.

Goodbye, Warren.

As the beginning of January 2026 draws closer, investors on the lookout for the most exciting crypto opportunities are eagerly considering not only well-established but also emerging ones. Solana (SOL) and the new crypto Mutuum Finance (MUTM) gain particular attention. On one hand, Solana (SOL) keeps wowing everyone with its fast blockchain network and robust developer adoption and support. However, this is still not comparable to Mutuum Finance and its rapid rise in the DeFi market. The token has quickly become the best crypto to buy among investors seeking life-changing returns this bull cycle. 

MUTM’s well-structured presale enables crypto investors to secure tokens at a huge discount rate. An early entry into the project means at least 500% returns as MUTM is projected to zoom past its $0.06 market debut price. Moreover, apart from the pricing system, what elevates this new crypto to fame is its DeFi ecosystem that features a dual-lending mechanism. For investors seeking the best crypto projects of 2026, Mutuum Finance is quickly emerging as a prime contender.

Solana (SOL) Consolidates Prior to Breakout

Solana (SOL) has been range-bound for the past half-month, having consolidated after its previous surge to determine the next direction of the asset. The fact that the token is range-bound shows that the buying force and the selling force have equal strength, with the price waiting to be moved forward after some defining event. It is clear that after the breakout from the range, the next level to target is set at $500. This upside, however, could be easily constrained by increasing selling pressure and shifting investor attention toward newer projects offering greater growth potential. Among these cryptos is Mutuum Finance (MUTM).

Mutuum Finance Phase 6 Sold out

One of the most recent developments in the market today concerns Mutuum Finance (MUTM), a top investment opportunity within the DeFi space. Mutuum Finance is now in Presale Phase 7 and is offering its tokens at $0.04. This comes after phase 6 sold out earlier than projected. 

The presale has so far managed to raise $19,500,000, with 18,600 token holders showing immense confidence in the project. Market value in Phase 7 is an increase of 300% from the original value in Phase 1, priced at $0.01. An expected growth past $0.50 puts phase 7 buyers on track for a 10x+ profit in the next bull run. This has put MUTM on the map as a top new crypto to buy today. 

Mutuum Finance offers a complete DeFi platform. Some of the features that belong to it include mtTokens, which benefit stakers in the project. Most DeFi cryptos only give interest after unlocking, but with mtTokens, an investor can enjoy gains while the asset remains liquid. Another important aspect of the MUTM ecosystem is that it incorporates peer-to-contract (P2C), as well as peer-to-peer (P2P), loan solutions into a single system. This makes it possible to adjust to changes in market conditions according to user risk preference.

The peer-to-contract side, or P2C, allows users to deposit assets into smart contracts, and then earn interest depending on algorithmically-driven rates. Since there is pool liquidity, borrowers get instant access to loans regardless without needing a counterparty. The peer-to-contract side is useful for users who are interested in having predictability and immediate execution. Interest exchange rates are algorithmically adjusted depending on demand and supply. On the other hand, the P2P layer aims to achieve maximum capital efficiency. Instead of a general borrowing of funds, borrowers are matched with lenders at more favorable terms. The result of this approach aims to utilize funds in the most capital-efficient manner without compromising security and reliability concerns.

Sepolia Testnet

Mutuum Finance is poised to roll out Version 1 of its lending and borrowing system on the Sepolia Testnet. This follows the completion of a thorough audit of its lending and borrowing smart contracts by Halborn security. Users will be able to interact with ETH and USDT within the testnet, which will also include liquidity pools, mtTokens, debt tokens, and an automated liquidator bot. The Sepolia Testnet is going to serve as a learning platform whereby the features of the platform will be tested, while at the same time investors will familiarize themselves with the platform. This further solidifies MUTM as the best crypto to buy for forward-looking investors. 

Solana (SOL) is displaying strength, but Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is certainly taking center stage at a price of $0.04 within Presale Phase 7. The project is nearing testnet launch and imminent launch with 1000%+ post-launch gains, making this a unique entry point for investors to capitalize on huge gains. This combination of features cements MUTM as one of the best crypto options to watch this bull cycle.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://mutuum.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has brought to light what it called a “new type of scam” in which a user fabricated evidence to claim that they had been defrauded by a company executive. 

The scheme, disclosed on X by Binance staff with the handle @sisibinance, involved a user who created fake chat records and transfer documentation in an attempt to extract compensation from the exchange.

What is the new Binance scam about?

According to the Binance staff’s X post, “The incident started when customer service received a complaint from a user claiming they were scammed out of money by a supposed ‘Binance executive.’ The other party ‘promised’ to help resolve some issues, but once the money was transferred, they vanished without a trace.”

However, investigators uncovered multiple red flags that exposed the deception.

When the user was asked to provide real-time chat records, “he said the other party had enabled privacy mode, deleting all the chat history, and he could only provide a screenshot of an ‘after-the-fact confrontation.'”

The alleged executive asked only for a project name without conducting any verification. The transfer record started to raise eyebrows when blockchain analysis revealed the wallet address the user claimed belonged to the scammer actually initiated the transfer, suggesting it was the complainant’s own address.

Most telling was what they discovered during the investigation. According to Sisibinance, “The user first fabricated chat records and transfer records (the transfer record came from a certain escrow platform), then lied about the chat history being deleted. Next, he approached the real executive’s account for a confrontation, creating two sets of ‘executive’ screenshots.

Then, he took the conversation record from the real executive account to customer service, demanding an investigation in an attempt to bait a response from us, and threatening to apply pressure through social media if we didn’t help resolve it.”

Crypto industry continues to suffer losses

Exploit and fraud headlines have sort of become a feature of the cryptocurrency industry at this point. Phishing attacks alone ranked third after code vulnerability and wallet compromises, accounting for losses that exceeded $5.8 million in November 2025. Over $1 billion was lost across 296 incidents in 2024, according to blockchain security firm CertiK.

Address poisoning scams work by sending small cryptocurrency amounts to users’ wallets from addresses that closely resemble legitimate ones. Victims who copy addresses from their transaction history inadvertently send large sums to fraudulent wallets.

Cryptopolitan reported that a single trader lost around $50 million in an address poisoning attack.

Following the $50 million loss, Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s founder, popularly known as “CZ,” called for industry-wide action to crack down on poison scams on December 24.

CZ urged that wallets should automatically check if receiving addresses are associated with poisoning activity and block transactions, a mechanism that Binance already has. He also advocated for real-time security alliances maintaining shared blacklists of malicious addresses accessible across platforms.

Crypto scam attacks have been on the rise as the year’s curtain is being drawn, and many platforms have taken a proactive stance in informing their customers to avoid being victims of any of these schemes.

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Market major moves do not necessarily go in a straight path. In recent weeks, traders have been monitoring Bitcoin wavering following impactful rises, Ethereum hanging above pivotal areas and meme coins becoming unproductive. Capital tends to seek elsewhere when that occurs. 

According to the market commentators, when it goes on hiatus, it tends to focus on the projects being developed to be of actual use and not on short-term trends. That movement is currently pointing at a single altcoin within the DeFi sector that many individuals consider that it might be one of the finest cryptos to purchase presently. That is Mutuum Finance (MUTM).

Mutuum Finance (MUTM)

Mutuum Finance is catching attention since it is developing a DeFi protocol. It does not depend on the price frenzy but rather lending and borrowing which would be functional even when the market is cold.

In general high-level, Mutuum Finance users can provide assets to generate yield or borrow on collateral. It breeds a continuous demand which is not connected to hype cycles. Lending in sideways markets normally intensifies as traders remain to find liquidity without selling.

The other factor that makes MUTM outstanding is timing. The official X mentioned that the team is working on V1 of its lending and borrowing protocol, and a beta will take place on the Sepolia testnet. This gives the story its foundation during execution. When fulfilled with a real usage instead of planning, a DeFi protocol tends to be analyzed by traders.

Participation and What The Statistics Are Telling

The participation measures of Mutuum Finance can hardly be missed. It has brought about 18,700 holders and has already raised $19.5M. These numbers are important since these are figures of breadth, not of concentration.

Broad involvement at this point can be an indication of optimism on course input as opposed to short-term exchanges. According to the market commentators, it is expressed that once a project has a high number of holders before full access to the product, it may be an indication of users placing an early position towards a long-term gain.

Such a trend in participation is also among the reasons why MUTM is gradually becoming a topic of discussion as to what crypto to invest in as markets turn their backs on crowd trades.

Supply and Price Movement

MUTM is selling at $0.04 and is in presale Phase 7. The total MUTM supply is 4B tokens, of which 45.5% or approximately 1.82B is to be distributed through the presale. To date, 820M tokens are already sold.

The direction of the price has not been abrupt. MUTM started at the value of $0.01 and has progressed with every stage completed. It is a 300% increase since then. The rates and time of each stage are predetermined and increase supply fixedly, i.e. not increasing but narrowing it.

The price of the token and a further leap are made again as the next stage approaches. It is this construction that makes timing important. The future subjects purchase the exposure at a higher price and this shifts the upside trajectory as of 2026.

Security and Long-Term Purpose.

The token has a CertiK Token Scan of 90/100 that assists in certifying its structure. The loans and deposits agreements too have been fully reviewed by the providers of Halborn Security and audit finalized with final updates awaiting. In addition to this, the team has introduced a bug money bounty of $50k that aims at identifying vulnerabilities in code.

These layers are important as collateral and liquidations as well as user money are controlled in lending platforms. High security levels minimize the presence of sudden failures and sustainability of trust.

An additional layer is added to infrastructure planning. Mutuum Finance will have relied on solid oracle systems to arrive at proper pricing and this is important at volatile moves. One of its focus areas is also stablecoin lending, to ensure it maintains steady activity in times when other crypto prices in the market oscillate. The further expansion of layer-2 helps reduce the fees and facilitates the previous usage due to an increase in activities.

Positioning ahead of 2026

Engagement tools are also employed by Mutuum Finance to get adopted sooner. The best daily contributor is given $500 in MUTM and this makes people participate constantly as it has a 24-hour leaderboard. Cards are accepted, and this reduces the entry barrier to new users who do not wish to have complicated processes.

Certain questions such as what crypto to purchase now can be reduced to timing and design. Whenever Bitcoin halts, Ethereum and meme coins freeze, the focus will shift towards projects that are genuinely operating and those that will be executed in the nearest future.

Mutuum Finance is at that crossroad. It costs $0.04, it is constructed on the demand of lending, it has audits, and it is undergoing its initial test stage of live implementation. To investors who decide to invest before Q1 2026, that blend defines the reason why MUTM is becoming a popular subject of discussion as a potential top crypto to invest in before the next stage of the market can be shaped up.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://www.mutuum.com

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

Federal prosecutors said on December 8 that they have found a massive smuggling ring that secretly pushed Nvidia H100 and H200 GPUs, worth $160 million, from US warehouses into China between October last year and May this year.

The operation allegedly involved fake companies, illegal border entries, and relabeling high-end GPUs to sneak them out of the country, according to the prosecutors.

The investigation, named Operation Gatekeeper, was focused on chips; not weapons, not drugs, just raw compute power. These specific Nvidia chips are central to AI development, both for civilian and military systems.

And despite Beijing’s push to build local alternatives, it’s clear China still leans heavily on Nvidia’s gear to fuel its booming AI market.

Feds planted an agent inside New Jersey warehouse to catch fake GPU exporters

In Secaucus, New Jersey, U.S. officials said they sent an undercover agent into a shady shipping operation who allegedly watched suspects put fake branding on Nvidia hardware, packaging them under the name Sandkayan.

Instead of declaring the GPUs for what they were, the group would mislabel them as random electronics like “adapters,” “adapter modules,” and “contactor controllers.”

According to the prosecutors, three trucks showed up at the warehouse on May 28, ready to move the GPUs to the next stop before they hit international waters.

But something spooked them. A message flew through a private group chat used by the smugglers: one of the truck drivers had run into police asking about the destination of the cargo.

“Just say they don’t know anything,” the group allegedly told the drivers. Then five minutes later, another message: “Dissolve this group chat. Delete everyone.” But it was too late. Federal agents stormed the site and seized the hardware before it could leave the country.

Prosecutors said this bust wasn’t a one-off. Similar cases of illegal Nvidia shipments have popped up throughout the year.

The Center for a New American Security estimated that anywhere between 10,000 and several hundred thousand AI chips were illegally funneled to China in just this past year. That includes chips from older Nvidia lines, not just the latest models.

Analysts say China’s AI still depends on Nvidia despite local chip push

Ray Wang, a chip analyst at SemiAnalysis, said China still leans on Nvidia’s platforms to train most of its advanced AI models.

“I think more than 60% of the leading AI models in China are currently using Nvidia’s hardware,” Ray said. “Nvidia have a systematic advantage ranging from hardware to software. And I think for now, if you combine those two factors together, it’s still a thing that China is trying to catch up to.”

Ray also pointed out that once the chips are out in the wild, it’s hard for the company to track them.

“In today’s world, I feel there’s so many ways that you can get your hand on Nvidia’s chips in all kinds of illegal ways,” Ray said. “You can set up your data center globally, you can have shell companies to purchase Nvidia chips. And it’s so hard for Nvidia to track and do due diligence.”

Even Nvidia admitted the government’s export laws were tight. A Nvidia spokesperson told CNBC that even secondary-market sales of older chips are subject to federal reviews. “While millions of controlled GPUs are in service at businesses, homes, and schools, we will continue to work with the government and our customers to ensure that second-hand smuggling does not occur,” the spokesperson said.

Trump’s export deal throws prosecutors’ case into chaos

On the same day prosecutors dropped the case, President Donald Trump went online and dropped something bigger. Posting on Truth Social, Trump said the U.S. would now allow exports of Nvidia’s H200 GPUs, the same ones at the center of this case, to China, so long as the U.S. government gets a 25% cut of the sales.

The most advanced GPUs in Nvidia’s lineup, like the Blackwell and Rubin chips, are still restricted. But the H200s? Fair game, under Trump’s terms.

This blew up the argument prosecutors were trying to make. If the President was greenlighting the export of the very chips the defendants allegedly smuggled, then how could the DOJ claim those same exports were a national security threat?

Defense attorneys wasted no time. In a filing the very next day, they tore into the government’s narrative. “The President gave the lie to that claim when he announced that the United States will now allow Nvidia’s H200 GPUs, the most powerful GPUs seized by authorities in this case, to be exported to China,” the filing read.

And the case isn’t over. Two businessmen have been arrested. One man from Houston has already pleaded guilty, along with his company. But experts like Ray say this won’t stop anything.

“I don’t believe the smuggling will just stop,” Ray said. “It is unclear to me that the new opening of the H200 chips will be enough for Chinese AI demand. The compute demand we are seeing globally has been accelerating, and I believe that should be the case in China as well.”

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Retail traders in 2025 broke their own records more than once with a flood of cash into the stock market, outpacing all previous years by 53%.

The so-called “Dumb Money” came back and took the wheel, all without its king Roaring Kitty, whose last appearance was in January right before Trump’s inauguration.

Armed with real conviction and a strategy that ran counter to Wall Street’s panic, these guys outperformed, outplayed, and outlasted the pros.

Retail traders bought $3 billion in one day during Trump tariff panic

Everything turned the week of April 2, when President Donald Trump hit the global economy with a fresh wave of tariffs he branded “liberation day.” The S&P 500 tanked. Big funds bailed. But retail went straight in. They bought over $3 billion in stocks on April 3 alone, even as the market plunged nearly 5%. They kept buying the next day, through another 6% drop, according to VandaTrack.

Seven days after Trump’s announcement, on April 9, he put most of the tariffs on pause. The S&P 500 shot up 9.5%, and those same retail traders were already in position. Since April 2, the index has gained more than 21% and is on track to end the year up 17%.

“We often talk about retail as being sort of late to the party,” said Viraj Patel, deputy head of research at Vanda. “But this has been the polar opposite.”

Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert Financial, said, “They’ve been much more accurate in their dealings than my colleagues in the institutional space.”

Retail traders also leaned hard into what Zhi Da, a finance professor at the University of Notre Dame, called the “TACO trade,” short for Trump Always Chickens Out.

The strategy is simple; we buy when Trump policies tank the market, expecting him to reverse course. It has worked literally every single time, so that helped dumb money a lot.

JPMorgan’s quant analyst Arun Jain called it a “successful year” for retail investors, thanks mostly to how quickly they bought during drawdowns, while Bespoke Investment Group called 2025 the “second-best year for dip-buying since the early 1990s.”

Starting in May, many small investors turned their attention from individual names to ETFs. One of the biggest winners was the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) fund. Retail poured so much money into it that 2025 inflows beat the last five years combined. Gold soared, and GLD finished the year up over 65%.

The payoff was clear. Retail’s stock portfolios delivered higher profit-to-loss ratios than JPMorgan’s own AI and software baskets. Their ETF holdings outperformed both the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ).

This year, while a few meme names like OpenDoor popped up again, most cash flowed into Tesla, Nvidia, and Palantir, the top performers of the past 5 years. No drama. No games. Just chasing winners and cashing out right.

Retail participation in Wall Street hits highs not seen even in the GameStop saga

Retail’s surge is part of a movement that started during the pandemic with the legendary appearance of Keith Gill, the man Google has nicknamed “the greatest retail investor in the world.”

In 2024, over one in three 25-year-olds had already moved big chunks of money from checking accounts into investments by the time they turned 22.

Compare that to just 6% in 2015, and you’ll see what we mean. JPMorgan said retail trading jumped over 50% from last year and beat the 2021 meme stock mania by 14%. Retail’s share of total trades returned to levels last seen during the GameStop short squeeze.

A working paper by researchers at Chapman University, Boston College, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that retail activity this year rivaled 2021’s peaks. But the story’s different now. Pete Davidson’s “Dumb Money” film captured the old attitude, and now that attitude’s been replaced.

Patel said, “The average retail investor’s just becoming more and more sophisticated.” More access to data. More understanding of timing. More accurate plays.

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Uganda’s main opposition, Bobi Wine, has identified Bitchat as a suitable alternative communication channel amid growing concerns about an imminent internet shutdown in the country. Uganda is preparing for general elections in mid-January 2026, an event that has historically prompted the country’s ruling administration to shut down internet services and block social media.

Bobi Wine, Uganda’s opposition leader, urged his supporters to download a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging service, Bitchat, as the country gears up for elections on January 14, 2026.

The politician alleged that the current regime in Uganda will try to shut down communication services during the democratic process to prevent the mobilization of protests and the verification of election results.

Bobi Wine calls for Bitchat usage amid concerns about internet shutdown

Bobi Wine wrote on X that Uganda’s current government is plotting to block internet services in the country and restrict information relay on social media channels. Wine claims that the regime has done so in the past elections and could be laying down plots to do the same in the upcoming elections. 

HAVE YOU DOWNLOADED BITCHAT YET?

As we all know, the regime is plotting an internet shutdown in the coming days, like they have done in all previous elections. They switch off the internet in order to block communication and ensure that citizens do not organise, verify their… pic.twitter.com/KPVyc0ZW4H

— BOBI WINE (@HEBobiwine) December 30, 2025

In 2016, Uganda’s current and longest-serving president, Yoweri Museveni, blocked internet and social media access in the country, citing concerns over safety and security. Wine emphasized that Bitchat will allow users to “communicate with thousands of people in record time” when the government shuts down the internet.

He also explained that users “will be able to send pictures of DR Forms and share any other critical information to specific or other users” through the platform.

A report from the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network, a human rights umbrella organization, stated that Museveni disconnected the entire country from internet access during the 2021 elections. The organization noted that the internet blockage lasted approximately 4 days, from the day before the election (January 13) to January 18. 

Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former Twitter (now X) exec, launched Bitchat in July this year. The application provides a peer-to-peer messaging platform that enables users to send messages offline via Bluetooth, eliminating the need for an internet connection.

The Bitchat application utilizes a decentralized infrastructure that prevents users from providing personal details, such as phone numbers and email addresses, to use the platform, unlike traditional messaging platforms. 

Bitchat saw widespread usage during protests in Madagascar in September this year. The application received over 70,000 downloads from the country alone in just one week. Protests in Nepal also prompted nearly 50,000 downloads in the country on September 8 alone.

Ugandan government restricts Starlink importation and usage

The news comes after the Ugandan government issued a memo restricting the importation of Starlink, a satellite internet constellation by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The internet firm provides high-speed connections even in remote areas that previously had no reliable options.

The memo detailed that any importation of Starlink and its associated equipment should “be accompanied by a clearance certificate/authorization letter from the Chief of Defense Forces.” The restriction also comes just weeks before Uganda’s elections, where Yoweri Museveni will face his leading contender Bobi Wine for the second time.

Bobi Wine said that the ruling regime is operating in fear and asked the government why it was so concerned about people accessing the internet, if it was not planning mischief or electoral fraud.

Starlink has not received a formal license to operate in Uganda. However, citizens in the country have been importing the equipment and using the internet services.

Starlink has secured operating licenses in over 20 African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, and Zambia. However, significant regulatory hurdles in some African countries have restricted Starlink’s expansion plan. Cameroon, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Sudan have emerged as complex markets for Starlink due to regulatory constraints.

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The American dollar is heading for its worst performance in nearly a decade. Market experts think there’s more weakness coming, and it depends on who ends up running the Federal Reserve.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index has fallen 8.1% this year. That’s the steepest yearly drop in eight years. The dollar got hammered after President Donald Trump rolled out his April tariffs, which he called “Liberation Day”, and it’s been under pressure ever since.

Trump has been pushing hard for a more accommodating Fed chairman to take over next year, and that’s kept the currency on the back foot.

Yusuke Miyairi analyzes foreign exchange markets at Nomura. He said “The biggest factor for the dollar in first quarter will be the Fed,” adding that “it’s not just the meetings in January and March, but who will be the Fed Chair after Jerome Powell ends his term.”

Markets are betting on at least two interest rate cuts next year. That puts American monetary policy out of step with several other wealthy nations, making the dollar less appealing to investors.

Europe’s currency has been gaining against the dollar. Inflation there has stayed manageable, and there’s a wave of military spending on the horizon. That’s keeping expectations for rate cuts close to zero. Canada, Sweden, and Australia are different stories; traders are actually betting on rate hikes in those countries.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission puts out data on currency positioning. For the week ending December 16, it showed something interesting. There was a brief moment this month when people got bullish on the dollar again. That didn’t last. It flipped back to the pessimistic view that’s been around since those April tariffs got everyone worried about the American economy.

All eyes on Powell’s replacement

Right now, everything comes down to the Fed and who’s replacing Jerome Powell. His term as chairman ends in May.

Trump dropped hints recently that he’s picked someone but won’t say who yet. He’s also floated the idea of firing the current Fed leader before the term is up.

Kevin Hassett runs the National Economic Council. He’s been seen as the front-runner for a while now. Trump’s also talked about Kevin Warsh, who used to be a Fed governor. Then there are Fed governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman. Rick Rieder from BlackRock is in the mix too.

Andrew Hazlett trades foreign currencies at Monex Inc. He explained, “Hassett would be more or less priced in since he has been the frontrunner for some time now, but Warsh or Waller would likely not be as quick to cut, which would be better for the dollar.”

Fed officials split on next moves

Federal Reserve officials can’t seem to agree on when they’ll cut borrowing costs again. Most think more cuts could happen if inflation keeps cooling. But several officials want rates to stay where they are for a while. That came out in meeting records released Tuesday.

The minutes from the Fed’s December 9-10 session showed the disagreements aren’t going away as previously reported by Cryptopolitan. Most backed another rate cut last month, but it wasn’t an easy call for everyone.

The Fed voted 9-3 to trim its key rate by a quarter point in December. That’s three cuts in a row now. The rate is between 3.5% and 3.75%, as Cryptopolitan previously reported.

The minutes stated that “A few of those who supported lowering the policy rate at this meeting indicated that the decision was finely balanced or that they could have supported keeping the target range unchanged.”

Officials changed their statement after the meeting. The new version showed they’re less certain about when future cuts will happen. Their middle projection had just one quarter-point reduction coming in 2026. Individual forecasts were all over the place, though. Market watchers are putting their money on at least two cuts next year.

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