Cryptopolitan

America’s national debt crossed $38.5 trillion in the opening month of 2026, pushing past a level the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget once expected around 2030.

The negative rally traces back to pandemic-era spending that flooded the economy with federal cash as officials tried to keep businesses open, workers paid, and markets steady during the crisis.

Huge figures no longer shock the system. Prices across the economy are higher, and long strings of zeroes now show up everywhere from grocery bills to government ledgers.

In 2026, another line item joins that list. Annual interest payments on the national debt are reaching the trillion-dollar range, locking in a costly reality for the federal budget.

Uncle Sam’s interest cost is surging crazily as borrowing piles up

In 2020, as COVID spread, the US federal government paid $345 billion in interest. Six years later, that cost has nearly tripled. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has described this pace as the new norm.

At this point, the United States owes lenders about $38.4 trillion, and servicing that balance now consumes a massive share of federal revenue.

Elected officials across parties keep talking about shrinking the debt, and 2025 followed that familiar script. President Donald Trump, now back in the White House, signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” last summer.

The package combined tax cuts with new spending and carried a $3.4 trillion cost spread across ten years, reinforcing Washington’s appetite for constant borrowing.

Trump has laid out several ideas to deal with the growing tab. He has said tariffs could help pay it down and that proceeds from his golden visa program could offset some borrowing.

He has also argued that faster economic growth would ease pressure by improving the debt-to-GDP ratio and that the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, would trim spending and reduce future borrowing needs.

Not everyone sees those steps as enough. Economists do not expect any administration to reverse the debt quickly, but many expected tougher action. Kush Desai, the White House deputy press secretary, pushed back.

“America’s debt-to-GDP ratio has actually declined since President Trump took office, and as the administration’s pro-growth policies of tax cuts, rapid deregulation, more efficient government spending, and fair trade deals continue taking effect and America’s economic resurgence accelerates, that ratio will continue trending in the right direction,” Kush said.

He added, “That’s on top of the record revenue that President Trump’s tariff policies are bringing in for the federal government.”

Tariffs and DOGE deliver cash but barely dent totals

Warnings from major figures have grown louder in recent years. Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase chief executive, has called the situation the “most predictable crisis” in history. Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, has said it could lead to an “economic heart attack.”

Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, has said the issue demands an “adult conversation.”

The White House points to results so far.DOGE’s public tracker says it has cut $202 billion from government costs.

That equals $1,254.66 per taxpayer. Even so, the math remains brutal. Debt per person now sits just over $108,000, showing how small those savings look next to the total.

Tariffs have also brought in money. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reported that tariff revenue jumped from about $7 billion last year to roughly $25 billion by late July. The inflow is rising, though opinions differ on whether consumers or foreign exporters carry the burden.

Per Cryptopolitan’s calculations, $25 billion equals less than 0.07% of the national debt. If every dollar of current tariff revenue went straight toward paying it down, it would still take nearly 120 years to clear the balance.

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The chairman of BitMine Immersion Technologies, Tom Lee, has urged shareholders to consider a proposal to increase the firm’s total number of shares from 50 million to 50 billion. This change, according to the chairman, may be essential for future stock splits, as Ether’s price has a significant impact on the company’s value.

Lee noted that BitMine’s share price is keeping up with Ether’s price. To effectively forecast future values, the executive carefully observed the ETH/Bitcoin ratio. 

Based on his argument, if, by any chance, BTC achieves a peak of $1 million, ETH would secure an all-time high of $250,000. At this point, Lee asserted that this rise would significantly increase the price of BitMine’s shares to highs he anticipated would be unreachable for many retail investors.

Lee demonstrates a strong commitment to increasing the total number of BitMine’s shares

In 2025, BitMine started as a Bitcoin mining and holding firm. Later, after careful consideration, the company shifted its focus to embracing an ETH treasury strategy. However, sources pointed out that BitMine continues to conduct some Bitcoin operations. 

Regarding his prediction, Lee declared that if ETH attained a peak of $250,000, BitMine shares could encounter an implied cost of approximately $5,000 each. Reports stated that this price is costly for several regular investors. To support this claim, the chairman mentioned that not everyone desires stocks to be priced at $500, $1,500, or $5,000; instead, a large group of individuals wants shares to be priced around $25.

Meanwhile, apart from this finding, Lee also acknowledged that if ETH reaches an all-time high of $250,000, BitMine would be required to carry out a 100:1 stock split to maintain the share price at $25. With the move in place, the firm’s shares are expected to increase the total number to 43 billion.

In a statement, Lee mentioned, “Right now, there are 426 million shares available. We aim to increase the authorized share count to 50 billion. However, that doesn’t mean we will actually create 50 billion shares; that’s just the highest number we want.” 

Reports highlighted that Lee is referring to the unit bias issue. Unit bias, in the basis of finance,  is the psychological tendency for investors to prefer owning whole units of an asset (like a whole Bitcoin or share) over fractions, or to equate a low price per unit with better value, even when the total investment value is the same or a fractional amount of a pricier asset is a better investment. 

Lee’s idea faces criticism 

Regarding Lee’s proposal to increase the total number of BitMine’s shares, reports pointed out that several users shared negative responses to this suggestion on X.  Some argued that it is unwise to raise the limit of authorized shares because this act would dilute the stock.

This discussion made headlines, sparking controversy among individuals in the crypto ecosystem. One user remarked, “Tom, this seems shady and silly to raise the share count just because the stock could hit $500. You should wait until next year when it’s not in such bad shape.”

Nonetheless, despite these concerns, recent reports highlighted that BitMine purchased approximately 32,938 ETH on Tuesday of this week for more than $102 million, based on current prices. Notably, as of December 2025, BitMine’s treasury had expanded to more than 4 million ETH, valued at over $12 billion. The firm also began staking ETH to generate income.

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Big moves in the crypto are hardly initiated through big announcements. They typically begin when change of structure transpires beneath the surface. Supply tightens. Usage plans become clear. The first movers get ahead of the general market. The move has already been made in large part by the time it makes headlines. One DeFi crypto is entering the setup stage. It is still in the early stages but the pieces are beginning to fall into place. 

Mutuum Finance (MUTM) Progress and Core Vision

Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is a new crypto and it has been growing since early 2025. The presale opened at $0.01 and has been going through planned steps. The token price went to $0.04, with the beginning of Phase 7. This move is a 300% growth compared to the first stage.

Mutuum Finance has raised over $19.5 million. The holder count has grown to 18,650. These numbers depict multi- sensitivity as opposed to central ownership. Out of the entire 4 billion tokens, 45.5% has been set aside to the presale. More than 820 million tokens have been sold already.

Mutuum Finance is a DeFi being developed to be a lending platform in the crypto sector. The protocol will accommodate two lending markets. This enables users to give assets to earn money when another one takes loans on definite conditions. This is aimed to establish predictable lending behavior rather than speculative behavior.

How mtTokens Drive Value and V1 Launch

The launch of V1 will be a significant achievement of Mutuum Finance. As per official words, V1 will enable the main functions of the protocol on lending. At this point, MUTM is no longer in development but it is entering into live operation phase.

An important part of such a system is mtTokens. Such tokens mark the involvement of the users in the lending pools. Users who provide assets are given a token of their share in the pool called the mtTokens. These mtTokens increase in value as the demand to borrow increases due to the activity of protocols.

This is a model that analysts tend to consider as the basis of an enduring increase in prices. As the usage grows so does the token demand. According to the latest participation tendencies and the imminent V1 release, a few analysts provide a list of situations that refer to 750%  upside over the next two years, assuming growth in adoption will be as anticipated.

Security and Participation Signal

The issue of security has been considered as a fundamental requirement. Halborn Security has reviewed Mutuum Finance. The CertiK token scan scored 90 out of 100. To the same end, there is also a bug bounty program that has been introduced with a value of $50,000.00 to motivate continued code testing. These will minimize protocol risk and raise confidence of the participants. This layer would be important to a DeFi that is based on lending.

The participation cues are important, as well. Mutuum Finance has a 24 hour leaderboard that uses activity to reward participation. This system is not based on a one time contribution. Entry is also increased by card payment access. This has aided in the growth of the base of holders and diversified participation with crypto native users.

The Reason This Arrangement is Under Observation

When wondering what crypto to purchase at present or what crypto to invest in and grow in the long run, installations such as this one tend to become prominent before the multitude. Mutuum Finance is a combination of presale momentum, following utility, formal token economics, and sound security practices.

The presale is advancing. Phase 7 came with an almost 20% price increment. Supply is tightening. V1 is approaching. Plans about infrastructure are well stipulated.

When analysts are simulating possible scenarios they tend to seek consistent timing, structure and participation. In MUTM those aspects are beginning to overlap. Near mid 2026, Mutuum Finance is emerging not as the hype as a new crypto, but as a DeFi crypto that has its execution. That is the arrangement that is being followed by many market watchers.

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

Website: https://www.mutuum.com

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, is taking a decisive step following the revelation of a major security breach affecting the Flow (FLOW) blockchain.

Binance announced that it will delist some Flow trading pairs and add FLOW and other volatile tokens to its “Watchlist.” This label was introduced to notify users about elevated risk profiles.

According to a Friday announcement, Binance stated that it would eliminate nine spot trading pairs from the exchange, effective Saturday, including one for FLOW/BTC. In a separate notice, the company included FLOW and three other tokens on its monitoring tag list.

Flow hack exposes vulnerabilities and sparks market turmoil

On December 27, 2025, the Flow network was hacked by a hacker who exploited a weakness to mint fraudulent FLOW tokens, sparking a rapid sell‑off and liquidity crisis on exchanges. The hack is said to have shaved about 40% off Flow’s market price in the immediate days after the attack. 

The label is applied to tokens that exhibit “notably higher volatility and risks compared to other listed tokens,” the exchange stated, noting that the monitoring flag indicates the risk of tokens no longer meeting listing requirements.

Binance stated that the decisive moves followed “recent reviews” of the tokens, but did not explicitly mention the Flow exploit on Saturday. Reporters reached out to the exchange for comment on the exploit, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

In a preliminary post-mortem report on the exploit, Flow said it was “concerned by one exchange’s handling of this incident,” referring to an “AML/KYC failure” that allowed the hackers to deposit the stolen FLOW tokens, convert some to Bitcoin, and withdraw the funds. Some users speculated that, based on Flow’s description, the unnamed exchange could have been Binance.

Restoration underway as exchanges and developers respond

As of Friday, the Flow Foundation noted that it was working on fully restoring the blockchain ecosystem as part of a plan to address the $3.9 million exploit. According to the platform, the only steps remaining in the plan were to address user account restoration and remediate fraudulent tokens.

“What was initially projected as a sequential, multi-day process has been executed in parallel, restoring both Cadence and EVM [Ethereum Virtual Machine] functionality while maintaining surgical precision in removing fraudulent assets and preserving legitimate transaction history,” said Flow

The delisting news follows the scrapping of a proposal from earlier this week that included a rollback of the blockchain, which it halted amid criticism from many users. According to the platform, it expected to release a comprehensive post-mortem report on the hack “within 48 hours” with “complete ecosystem restoration expected this week.”

In an official update, Binance stated that it had traced and frozen the hacker’s remaining funds held on its platform to protect users, while urging the Flow project team to provide a detailed post-mortem of the exploit. Binance also emphasized that if the Flow team implements any recovery mechanism, exchange wallets should be excluded from such rollbacks to prevent complicating user balances.

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Financial markets began the new year just like they ended the old one, heading up. Stock prices climbed during January’s first trading session, keeping alive a trend that ran through most of last year.

Things stayed positive throughout the previous year. Excitement about artificial intelligence, lower inflation, and central banks stepping in kept the rally going. Trade fights, global tensions, and expensive stock prices? Investors shrugged those off. The takeaway was simple enough: taking risks paid off.

But what really stood out wasn’t just the gains themselves. It was how everything rose together. Stocks went up. Bonds went up. Credit spreads got tighter. Commodities climbed even as inflation cooled. The profits came from all directions and kept coming. By year’s end, financial conditions had loosened to nearly their easiest levels of the whole year. Stock valuations climbed and investors seemed to agree on what was driving it, economic growth and AI.

When you look at global stocks, bonds, credit, and commodities as one big picture, the previous year delivered the strongest combined performance since 2009. That was the year markets were in crisis mode and governments had to step in big time.

All this moving together made diversification look almost too easy. Which is actually the problem. It masked how much depends on those same conditions sticking around. When investments that are supposed to offset each other all go the same direction, you’re not as protected as you think. Sure, returns stack up. But there’s less room for things to go wrong.

Wall Street still betting on same playbook

Wall Street analysts are still banking on the same things, massive AI spending, solid economic growth, and central banks cutting rates without lighting the inflation fire again. Forecasts from more than 60 firms show pretty broad agreement that those conditions are still in place.

Thing is, markets have already baked in a lot of good news.

“We are assuming that the torrid pace of valuation expansion we have seen in some sectors is not sustainable nor repeatable,” said Carl Kaufman, a portfolio manager at Osterweis, referring to AI and nuclear-related stocks. “We are cautiously optimistic that we can avoid a major collapse, but fearful that future returns could be anemic.”

The numbers tell the story. U.S. stocks returned about 18%, marking three years in a row of double-digit gains. Global equities did even better at roughly 23%. Government bonds climbed too, global Treasuries were up nearly 7% as the Federal Reserve cut interest rates three times.

Volatility dropped hard and credit markets followed suit. Bond market swings recorded their steepest annual decline since after the financial crisis. Investment-grade spreads tightened for a third straight year, leaving average risk premiums below 80 basis points.

Commodities got in on the action. A Bloomberg index tracking the sector rose about 11%, with precious metals out front. Gold hit one record high after another, helped by central bank buying, easier U.S. monetary policy, and a weaker dollar.

Inflation remains the wildcard that could flip everything

Inflation’s still the big wild card. Price pressures eased through most of the previous year, but some investors warn that energy markets or policy mistakes could flip that around fast.

“The key risk for us is whether inflation finally returns,” Mina Krishnan at Schroders told Bloomberg. “We envision a domino of events that could lead to inflation, and we see the most probable path beginning with a rise in energy prices.”

You can see the disconnect beyond just markets. As reported by Cryptopolitan previously, the world’s 500 richest people added a record $2.2 trillion to their fortunes last year. Meanwhile, U.S. consumer confidence fell for five months straight through December.

Old-school Wall Street strategies made a comeback too. The 60/40 portfolio, splitting money between stocks and bonds, returned 14%. An index tracking the risk parity strategy jumped 19% for its best year since 2020.

Most investment managers aren’t sweating it yet. They say economic momentum and policy support are strong enough to justify higher prices.

“We are looking to spend as much cash as possible to take advantage of the current environment,” said Josh Kutin, head of asset allocation for North America at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. “We really are not seeing any evidence that we should be concerned about that downturn in the immediate future.”

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Rivian Automotive reported disappointing 2025 delivery figures on Friday, delivering 42,247 electric vehicles throughout the year. This represents an 18% decline from the previous year and falls short of analyst expectations of 42,500 deliveries. 

The autonomous driving industry is experiencing a decline in consumer interest due to high costs. Automakers are reporting low sales after the $7,500 federal EV tax credit expired in September last year.

How was Rivian Automotive’s 2025 performance?

Rivian delivered 42,247 EVs in 2025, down 18% from 2024 and missing analyst expectations of 42,500 units. The California-based automaker delivered 9,745 vehicles in the fourth quarter alone, narrowly missing Wall Street’s prediction of 10,050 units. During the same period, Rivian produced 10,974 vehicles at its Normal, Illinois, manufacturing facility.

Elon Musk’s Tesla also had a rough year as Cryptopolitan reported that the EV maker posted disappointing delivery numbers for 2025. The situation for American EV makers is compounded by the expiration of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit at the end of September 2025 effectively increased prices for consumers and choked off demand across the industry.

The premium vehicles such as the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV that Rivian sells at high prices are usually the first to go when economic volatility hit consumers.

Rivian implemented efficiency measures at its Illinois manufacturing facility, attempting to streamline its production processes and reduce costs. The company is also simplifying vehicle components

Rivian needs to demonstrate that it can achieve sustainable profitability, as investors are no longer as patient with unprofitable EV startups as they were during the EV boom in 2020-2021.

Will Rivian launch more products?

Investor attention is increasingly focused on Rivian’s upcoming R2 SUV that is scheduled to begin deliveries in the first half of 2026. The vehicle is expected to target a lower price point than the company’s current vehicles.

This smaller SUV is expected to compete directly with Tesla’s Model Y, which is currently one of the best-selling EVs globally. The R2 could significantly expand Rivian’s customer base by appealing to consumers who want the brand but cannot afford the R1 series vehicles.

Rivian plans to release its complete fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results on February 12, after market close. The company’s CEO RJ Scaringe announced that point-to-point automated driving would come to Rivian vehicles sometime in 2026.

Rivian launched Universal Hands-Free in December, which is part of Rivian Autonomy+ that begins charging $49.99 per month or a one-time $2,500 purchase in February 2026. The company held an AI and Autonomy Day in early December, where it showcased its hands-free highway assist and navigation technology.

In the United States, November 2025 new EV sales totaled 70,255 units, down 41.2% from a year earlier, with EV share of total sales falling to 5.4%, the lowest since April 2022.

Despite these short-term headwinds, analysts project that U.S. EV sales could reach 2.25 million by the end of 2025.EVs are expected to account for 11.8% of sales in 2026.

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Stani Kulechov, founder of  Aave, says his company will share profits with token holders. This comes as his research firm and the group running the protocol argue over money and control.

Kulechov put out a blog post Friday about the plan. Aave Labs will split revenue from work done outside the main protocol with people who own AAVE tokens.

“Given the recent conversations in the community, at Aave Labs we are committed to sharing revenue generated outside the protocol with token holders,” Kulechov wrote. “Alignment is important for us and for AAVE holders, and we’ll follow up soon with a formal proposal that will include specific structures for how this works.”

Dispute over frontend fees sparks debate

The Aave community has been fighting over profit sharing and ownership questions. The whole thing started when a token holder asked why Aave Labs redirected frontend fees away from the Aave DAO. Aave Labs built the first version of the protocol, but the DAO mostly maintains it now.

The December proposal wanted to move all brand assets, domains, social media and copyright into a DAO-controlled entity. But details remain unclear about how Aave Labs would participate going forward. The centralized entity has handled most of the work and innovation, and nobody knows if the community can deliver the same results.

Other platforms like Cardano have moved to community ownership. For coins like Kaspa, the shift from leadership to community governance hurt the token price.

Push for expansion beyond crypto

Kulechov says both groups need to agree on where Aave goes next. He wants it to grow past crypto and get into real-world assets, consumer lending, and institutional loans.

“We believe the most effective path forward is to allow opinionated teams to build products independently on top of the permissionless Aave Protocol, while the protocol itself captures upside through increased usage and revenue,” Kulechov said.

His post also talked about fixing problems “with respect to branding.” Some people want Aave Labs to give the Aave intellectual property to the DAO.

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Trust Wallet’s browser extension has returned to the Chrome Web Store following a temporary removal forced by a sophisticated hack that compromised roughly $8.5 million worth of digital assets in December.

The platform posted on X, stating, “Version 2.71.0 is now available & includes customer service verification code support to help with the claims process.”

Trust Wallet’s chief executive officer, Eowyn Chen, called for calm on December 31, posting on X, “Some may have noticed that the @trustwallet Browser Extension is temporarily unavailable on the Chrome Web Store. We hit a Chrome Web Store bug while releasing a new version that includes a feature to help reimbursement claimants submit verification codes from their extension — this helps us better verify wallet ownership for affected users, separate from the hacker/scammer.

Google has acknowledged the issue and is escalating it internally. We hope to have it resolved soon.”

Chen also warned users to remain vigilant for fake versions of the extension.

Holiday attack drains thousands of Trust Wallet users’ assets

In the hack that occurred in December, attackers released a malicious version 2.68 of Trust Wallet’s browser extension on Christmas Eve. Unsuspecting users were stunned when their funds got drained during a roughly two-day period between December 25 and 26.

According to Trust Wallet, 2,520 wallet addresses were affected across multiple blockchain networks.

The crypto wallet platform also added that they have a high confidence that the exploit is linked to the November Shai-Hulud supply chain attack, which targeted the npm software registry and affected thousands of repositories industry-wide.

Security researchers noted that the attackers demonstrated sophisticated planning, having staged their infrastructure by December 8, more than two weeks before deploying the compromised extension.

White-hat security researchers attempted to mitigate the damage by launching distributed denial-of-service attacks against the attackers’ infrastructure, helping to limit the number of additional victims after the breach was discovered.

Trust Wallet initially released a version 2.69 to replace the compromised version 2.68, urging users to download it; however, that new version hit a bug, as Chen pointed out.

Fraudulent claims complicate reimbursement plan

Trust Wallet, which is owned by Binance but operates as a separate entity, assured users that only the browser extension was affected. It insisted that the mobile app versions were not affected throughout the incident.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao confirmed the company’s plan to fully reimburse all verified victims.

However, according to Chen, Trust Wallet had to revise its claims process to be more stringent after receiving over 5,000 claims despite identifying only 2,596 affected wallet addresses.

In an X post dated December 28, Chen acknowledged the irregular number of claim seekers, writing, “Our team is working diligently to verify claims; combining multiple data points to distinguish legitimate victims from malicious actors.”

Chen explained that the newly restored extension’s verification code feature will allow Trust Wallet to distinguish genuine claims from fraudulent or duplicate submissions.

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At some point in each crypto cycle, there is a shift in focus. It normally occurs when massive property goes decelerating and capital begins searching for the next dimension of expansion. These moments are not initiated loudly. They manifest themselves in the form of stable involvement, reduction in supply and increased infrastructure indicators.

This change is reemerging in 2026. One new DeFi cryptocurrency that is priced at only $0.04 only at the time is starting to enter the market conversation more frequently. Not in the form of hype, but as a programmed procedure toward implementation. 

The Presale of Mutuum Finance (MUTM) Has Shaped Up

Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is now selling at $0.04. This price was launched with the initiation of Phase 7, which was preceded by an increase of close to 20%compared to the previous phase. The presale itself started in early 2025 and started at $0.01 at Phase 1.

The token has been in several systematic stages since its launch. MUTM has advanced into a 300% growth at a price range of $0.01 to $0.04. The initial price of the MUTM launch is set at $0.06 and this puts the Phase 1 participants in a position to appreciate at approximately 500 %.

The protocol has  already raised $19.45 million. It has increased the number of participants to 18,650 to the holder base. These figures indicate that this has dispersed widely and not a few who have dominated supply. Phase 7 is active and the remaining supply is tightening at an even faster rate than in previous phases.

Mutuum Finance also accepts card payments and this has enlarged access to crypto native users. There is a participation leaderboard displayed every day and 24 hours to encourage daily involvement, as opposed to high turnover.

The Protocol Level Overview

Mutuum Finance is a DeFi crypto that is aimed at lending infrastructures. This protocol is based on dual lending markets. This implies that it is the sustenance of two parallel systems that have clear rules.

One of the sides enables borrowers to provide assets to lending pools. These pools yield on the basis of the demand to borrow. The other side facilitates the lending agreements in a structured manner that has fixed terms. These systems, together with one another, are supposed to balance flexibility with predictability.

One of the major components of this design is mtTokens. These tokens indicate the share of lending in the protocol of a user. The development of usage causes accrual-based value to be reflected in the price of mtTokens that is in relation to actual protocol performance.

Security has not been an add on, it has been approached as a core layer. Halborn Security reviewed the project. Furthermore, one of the CertiK token scans showed a score of 90 out of 100. There is also a bug bounty system of $50,000 to serve as a motivation to keep on code testing.

Phase 7 and V1 Protocol Launch

Phase 7 is currently advancing. This coincides very well with the V1 launch developments. V1 will be able to trigger core lending functionality and open the protocol to live usage, according to official statements.

This combination matters. The supply is tightening now when utility is slightly about to be launched. In the past this overlap frequently occurred as a transition in the value of a token by the markets.

The indications of bigger allocations during recent phases have also been taken. Whale sized inputs imply increased confidence among the participants who have longer term horizons. Such allotments lead to still lower supply.

A Growth Story Heading Into Q1 2026

The best cryptocurrencies do not imply substituting it. It is being discussed as a serious option in another category. Mutuum Finance is not a meme coin, nor the copy of existing giants. It is establishing itself as DeFi crypto based on lending, flow of revenue and controlled growth.

MUTM is currently being valued at a point in the early stages of its roadmap at $0.04. The project is in build mode as it shifts to the execution with Phase 7 in progress, V1 approaching, and infrastructure layers matching.

Adoption and delivery will determine whether it will be as large as top 10 discussions allude. The fact is that the invisibility of Mutuum Finance is no longer as such. It is emerging as one of the cheapest crypto projects that are keeping the eyes of its market participants as the year 2026 nears.

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

Website: https://www.mutuum.com

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

Ilya Lichtenstein, the Russian-American hacker who stole nearly 120,000 bitcoin from crypto exchange Bitfinex, has been released from prison early, after serving just over a year.

His exit from federal custody was made possible through the First Step Act, a prison reform law signed by Donald Trump during his first term in office.

The news broke Thursday night after Ilya posted the announcement himself on X, saying, “Thanks to President Trump’s First Step Act, I have been released from prison early.”

Ilya had been sentenced in November 2024 to five years behind bars. That came after he pleaded guilty to helping move billions of dollars in stolen crypto and confessed to the Bitfinex hack, which at current market prices totals more than $4 billion.

His prison term factored in time already served after his 2022 arrest, giving him credit that slashed down his time inside.

Trump’s First Step Act reduces sentences and puts crypto offenders on home confinement

The First Step Act, passed in December 2018, was introduced as a bipartisan attempt to reduce the size of the U.S. federal prison system. It allowed inmates to earn early release or home confinement if they met certain behavior requirements and were deemed low risk under a federal assessment system.

Ilya appears to have qualified, and as of Friday morning, a federal inmate search showed him set for official release on February 9.

According to CNBC, a Trump administration official confirmed that Ilya “has served significant time on his sentence and is currently on home confinement consistent with statute and Bureau of Prisons policies.”

Heather Morgan, Ilya’s wife, also confirmed his early return in her own X post, two minutes after his, writing that,“The best New Years present I could get was finally having my husband home after 4 years of being apart,” and attached a photo of them smiling together.

The best New Years present I could get was finally having my husband home after 4 years of being apart. 💜🙏🪬 https://t.co/toUJ0Bz70h pic.twitter.com/plsnktmJ5l

— Heather "Razzlekhan" Morgan (@HeatherReyhan) January 2, 2026

Heather had pleaded guilty alongside Ilya in the same case for helping launder the stolen funds and was sentenced to 18 months in February 2025, only to announce her early release in October.

In a video posted on October 26, Heather appeared in a bathtub wearing just a towel and addressed her followers: “Why hello Razzlers, I have missed you,” using her rap alias, Razzlekhan. She ended with a nod to Trump: “It is very good to be back, and I want to give a shout out to Papa Trump for making my 18-month sentence shorter.”

The timing of his release lines up with the White House’s expanded use of the law in 2025 under Trump’s second term.

On his first day back in office, Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the Silk Road founder who had been serving a life sentence. Then, in October, he pardoned Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, the founder of Binance. CZ had pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering on the platform.

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Cardano is back in the limelight as a result of a price action that shows signs of a revival. Development activity in its DeFi infrastructure is picking up. After testing very low price points, this asset may now have fallen too far, a scenario which often precedes a reversal. A 40% price surge is being rumored. At the same time, funds from sophisticated investors are being moved to new investments. A recently new cryptocurrency has gained popularity owing to rise fast.

Cardano (ADA) Displays Recovery Trends

The price of Cardano has been on a steep decline, having fallen by more than 70% from its previous highs. However, going by the current charts, the market is showing signs of reduced sell pressure. Major technical analysis tools indicate that the coin is oversold, which is what typically happens before the price starts trending upwards. It is likely that further purchases could push the price up by 40%.

Besides the dynamics relating to pricing, the network activity for the Cardano network is also on the rise. A new token called NIGHT, linked to the private sidechain, has been launched. Since the launch, the transactions carried out on the Cardano DeFi apps have reached a historic high of almost $200 million for the month, which is the highest recorded activity for the network for the current year. As such, while major developments lie ahead, ADA is a token to watch for a short-term reversal.

The Best Cheap Crypto Investment

Though there is a focus on Cardano, there are investors who have shifted attention to Mutuum Finance (MUTM), which is perceived to be one of the best cheap investment options at the moment. Mutuum Finance is in Presale Phase 7, which is the last opportunity to buy MUTM at $0.04. Phase 8 is expected to raise the price to $0.045, marking a close to 20% jump. At the open of the presale, tokens were valued at only $0.01. This shows the token has appreciated by 300% long before it goes live.  

Currently, Mutuum Finance has $19.5 million in funds and has a total of 18,600 holders. Meanwhile, the initial launch price has been fixed at $0.06, suggesting a possible return of 400%+ for presale investors. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Early market predictions show MUTM could explode 40x by the end of the upcoming bull run. Given the $0.06 launch price, a 40x jump puts the token at $2.40. A small investment of $500 in MUTM at the current price will explode into $30,000 if this price target is hit. This ranks Mutuum Finance among the best cryptos to invest in during the next bull run. 

One of the principal reasons for interest in their project, MUTM, is the clear road ahead. The project plans to launch their V1 on the testnet sometime this year, and this will come with a lending dApp and associated features like liquidity pools and debt tokens. The starting lineup of supported coins will be Ethereum (ETH) and Tether (USDT).

The project is marked by its openness and involvement of the community. There is a live dashboard on which there is now a leaderboard featuring the top 50 token holders, while there is also an everyday contest that rewards the highest-ranked person, who must have bought at least once, with an extra $500 MUTM bonus.

The project is very serious on security and Halborn who is a top-tier audit firm has reviewed the code.  What’s more, the project has implemented all recommendations highlighted by the audit and are now gearing up for testnet launch. With Phase 7 progressing fast, buyers should not lose time.  To attract the attention of investors, who prefer the most appealing long-term propositions in the defi crypto market, MUTM with its utility, increasing popularity, and well-developed strategy is worth considering.

Justification for Urgent Action 

Although Cardano is looking for a recovery, Mutuum Finance has the potential for tremendous growth within the short term. Phase 7 is the last chance for acquiring tokens at a price of $0.04, and time is dwindling fast. For those seeking the top assets to buy before a price rise, this marks a critical juncture for this defi crypto.

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

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance 

The self-driving car company Waymo is getting ready to dramatically increase its presence across America and beyond, with plans to quadruple its weekly rides by late next year while entering dozens of new cities.

The autonomous vehicle service, owned by Alphabet, currently gives about 250,000 rides each week. Company officials say they want to reach 1 million weekly rides before 2026 ends. Since starting public service in 2020, Waymo has completed 20 million total trips.

Waymo traces its roots to 2009, when Google launched the project inside its experimental X division. The company took its current name in 2016. Two years later, it teamed up with British carmaker Jaguar, using the I-Pace electric vehicle for its testing program. This model remains the most common vehicle riders see today.

Right now, people in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta can open the Waymo app and request a ride in a car with no driver. The service also works through Uber in Austin and Atlanta.

Alphabet shares rose during morning trading Friday following news of the expansion.

The company is entering what it calls its most aggressive growth period yet. Twenty new markets are coming to the Waymo network in the next year. Testing is already underway in several southern cities, including Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando. Full service should start in early 2026 in these locations.

Out west, Las Vegas and San Diego are joining the list with service expected sometime in 2026.

The northeast presents unique challenges. Waymo is testing in Detroit and Washington, D.C., with 2026 launches planned. Earlier this month, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis were added to the schedule. Northern cities bring special problems because snow and bad weather can cover the sensors these vehicles need to navigate. To handle this, Waymo will start service in these cities with human operators sitting in the driver’s seat, ready to take control if something goes wrong.

New York City is also getting tests, though the company gave no timeline for when actual service might begin there. Special permits are required, making the process slower.

Waymo’s first service outside the United States will launch in London in 2026. The company has been running tests in Tokyo since April.

Tesla operates its own ride service with safety drivers present. That service only reached Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area in mid-2025. The company says Nevada and Phoenix will come next year.

To build enough vehicles for this expansion, Waymo is growing its manufacturing capacity. Working with partner Magna, the company is doubling production at its Arizona factory. More than 2,000 vehicles should roll out of that plant by the end of 2026.

A new partnership with Zeekr will help build the next generation of robotaxis. The goal is to produce tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles each year.

Wall Street analysts mostly like what they see

“Waymo is furthest along in true driverless deployment,” wrote Edison Yu from Deutsche Bank in early December. He noted the service already runs fully autonomous rides in multiple cities with no safety driver needed for many trips.

Yu did point out concerns about Waymo’s reliance on expensive equipment like lidar sensors, radar, and cameras. He said these high costs and the need for detailed maps could slow down expansion and make each vehicle more expensive.

Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas agrees the technology works well, but worries about costs compared to Tesla. Tesla uses only cameras with computer learning systems, similar to how a human driver uses their eyes.

Waymo and supporters say using multiple sensors improves reliability and safety.

Safety numbers back this up. Waymo data shows human drivers are five times more likely to crash and cause an injury. The robotaxis have 0.8 crashes per 1 million miles compared to 3.96 for human drivers.

Tesla numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show seven crashes in 250,000 miles, which equals about 28 crashes per 1 million miles.

Getting permission from city governments remains complicated for both companies. Federal guidelines from NHTSA might be coming.

Public opinion seems to be warming up

An electrical blackout in San Francisco on December 20 created embarrassment for Waymo when its cars got stuck in the streets because traffic lights stopped working. The company says a software fix will prevent this problem.

Still, safety matters most, and Waymo’s strong safety record helps convince cities and passengers to try the service.

A survey from April 2024 found 45% of people thought robotaxis were safe, while 37% disagreed. In cities where Waymo already operates, support jumped to 54% with only 32% opposed.

A July survey in San Francisco showed 67% of residents now support driverless robotaxis, up from 44% in 2023. Overall favorability ratings went from negative 7% in late 2023 to positive 38% in mid-2025.

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The annual technology trade show returns to Las Vegas this month, and robots are expected to dominate conversations on the showroom floor.

CES will open its doors on Jan. 6, bringing together thousands of companies at the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding venues. But the action begins earlier, with major announcements scheduled for Jan. 5 when chip industry leaders take turns presenting their latest products.

Kinsey Fabrizio, who heads the Consumer Technology Association that organizes the event, said robotics will be the main talking point this year.

“Every year CES has a theme. And sometimes you don’t know what it is until you get to the show, and everybody’s talking about it,” Fabrizio said. “But we can tell you right now, robotics is going to be talked about … big time at CES.”

A proving ground where chip manufacturers compete for attention

Jensen Huang, who runs Nvidia, will speak at 1:00 p.m. PT on Jan. 5, as reported by Cryptopolitan previously. His company finished 2025 valued at $4.5 trillion in the stock market. Attendees expect him to announce new gaming products along with artificial intelligence tools and services.

Hours later, at 6:30 p.m. PT, Lisa Su from AMD will present her company’s response, sharing updates about gaming and AI offerings.

Intel also has a slot on the schedule. Jim Johnson, a senior vice president who oversees the company’s Client Computing Group responsible for selling computer chips, will talk about the Core Ultra Series 3 processors. These chips carry the code name Panther Lake and use Intel’s new 18A technology, which the company first mentioned in October. The processors represent a significant piece of Intel’s plan to turn around its business.

Qualcomm’s leader, Cristiano Amon, will join a conversation with Andrew Nusca from Fortune magazine. Last year at CES, Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon X-series chips for Windows computers, and the company is likely to build on that launch.

All these chip makers are expected to discuss how their products will run physical AI systems, which is the technical name for robots. Visitors will see humanoid robots walking around, plus robotic arms, drones powered by AI, and cars that drive themselves scattered throughout Las Vegas during the show.

Flying cars remain a big draw at CES

This year will probably feature concepts for flying cars, which have appeared regularly in recent years. Car companies will also demonstrate how they are putting AI into vehicle dashboard systems.

Wearable devices with AI could make their first appearance at CES 2026. These might come as smart rings, glasses, or pins. Smart glasses have gotten more attention after Meta released its Ray-Ban Display glasses in September. Google and Samsung are working on their own versions.

Apple is also reportedly considering smart glasses, though the company does not attend CES. Instead, Apple holds its own carefully planned events at its California headquarters in Cupertino throughout the year.

CES typically includes some unusual products

Past years have featured smart toilets and special forks meant to encourage healthier eating habits.

Companies ranging from major corporations to small startups will fill the famous Strip and convention center, showing both serious products and experimental items that may never reach customers. While CES officially starts on Jan. 6, early events like CES Unveiled and press conferences begin days before.

Artificial intelligence will appear throughout the show in various forms, from computers designed specifically for AI work to new chip designs that power these systems.

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The Ethereum market is in crisis at this time. Its value is at about $2,921. Its recent fall from $3,000 was caused by a sell-off by large investors which caused its price to briefly touch $2800.  Long-term holders are now gradually accumulating more ETH, although wallets that contain between 100,000 and 1,000,000 ETH are selling.

Meanwhile, a new crypto called Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is currently attracting investors as predictions show it could soar high in a short period. Mutuum Finance is expected to rally from its current price of $0.04 to $1.60 in 2026. This translates to 40x rise while ETH aims for a rebound. The new project is currently in its 7th presale phase. Investors buying today have been drawn to the project by its recently completed Halborn security audit. The audit covered MUTM’s lending and borrowing contracts and raised some recommendations, which the team was quick to integrate. This follows another security audit that was carried out by blockchain security giant CertiK, where MUTM was awarded a 90/100 security score. Consequently investors have been scrambling to accumulate this next crypto to explode.

MUTM’s Audit Completion Changes the Narrative

Whereas the Ethereum network is slowing down, the pace of Mutuum Finance is accelerating. However, the most important development for this project is that the full audit of the V1 lending and borrowing protocol by Halborn Security is complete.

Following the audit, the project is now set for the launch of its V1 lending and borrowing protocol. The release will introduce core components including liquidity pools, mtTokens, debt tokens, and automated liquidation mechanisms, enabling users to lend, borrow, and collateralize assets like ETH and USDT.  This indicates the transition of Mutuum from the development stage to implementation. It is among the reasons why many investors view MUTM as the next crypto to explode.

Since the presale started, Mutuum Finance has managed to raise $19,550,000 and has 18,650 wallets. The current phase is Phase 7, which sells for $0.04. The token will rise higher, with analysts projections pointing to a 40x price increase. This will the token zoom past $1 and touch $1.60 by mid-2026. 

A complete lending and borrowing platform is being developed by Mutuum Finance, allowing one to earn yield or borrow funds without having to divest their holdings. This feature is likely to ensure genuine activity on this platform, as opposed to mere hype. With increased usage, the subsequent rise in the demand for the MUTM token is likely to drive the prices up, making Mutuum Finance attractive for long-term investors.

Moreover, there are additional incentives from Mutuum Finance to encourage participation. A 24-hour leaderboard rewards the highest-ranked individual in terms of daily buying with a $500 MUTM bonus if there is a completed transaction before the cycle resets at 00:00 UTC. The bonus serves to encourage activity before the product launch in 2026. 

Why Investors are Attentive 

Paying $0.06 at launch, means leaving a huge ROI in the table. However, joining Mutuum Finance presale now means securing a $0.04 price with potential to see growth past $1 in 2026. Even more importantly, having an audited V1 protocol, a comprehensive security review by Halborn Security, and preparations for launch set it apart from much of the early-stage competition. In the wake of Ethereum’s recent strength challenges, Mutuum Finance is one of the brightest alternatives out there that offers technologically audited technology and strong early demand.

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

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

Tesla on Friday released its Q4 production and delivery report, with 418,227 deliveries for the quarter, which is well below Wall Street’s 426,000 estimate, according to StreetAccount.

The report also missed the company’s own analyst survey, posted on December 29, which pointed to 422,850 vehicles and a 15% year-over-year drop.

In the report, Tesla said it built 434,358 vehicles during the quarter, 5.5% away from the 459,445 vehicles produced in the same period of 2024. For the full year, deliveries crashed by 8.6% to 1.64 million, down from 1.79 million in 2024, and Tesla’s annual production reached 1.65 million, which is barely ahead of deliveries and far from past growth streaks.

Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y carry the quarter as Cybertruck stays minor

Tesla said it delivered 406,585 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Q4, making up about 97% of all units delivered in the quarter, while the rest came from Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck, which altogether were 11,642 vehicles.

In 2023, Tesla claimed more than 1 million reservations for the Cybertruck, but that has sadly not translated into volume sales, and the angular steel pickup has also not become a major contributor as of Q4 2025.

In Q3, Cryptopolitan reported that Elon Musk’s SpaceX reportedly bought tens of millions of dollars worth of Cybertrucks, but still, that didn’t help Q4 earnings much.

Competition also continued to intensify for Tesla across global markets, mostly from BYD in China, Kia and Hyundai in South Korea, and Volkswagen across Europe. BYD overtook Tesla as the world’s largest EV seller for the calendar year. In a Thursday statement, BYD said sales rose 28% to 2.26 million vehicles.

Politics, incentives, and regional pressure are still weighing on Tesla’s performance

Beyond vehicles, Tesla deployed 14.2 gigawatt hours of battery energy storage products in the fourth quarter, following 12.5 GWh in Q3.

The company will release its full financial results for Q4 on January 28, but did acknowledge that vehicle sales in 2025 were indeed affected by Donald Trump’s decision to end a federal EV incentive by September 30, earlier than planned.

As you should know, Elon spent the first quarter leading the administration’s DOGE initiative to reduce the federal workforce. He later endorsed Germany’s extremist anti-immigrant AfD party and supported British activist Tommy Robinson.

In recent weeks, Elon also called for ending the European Union. Consumer backlash followed in both Europe and the United States.

Despite that response, Tesla shares rallied late in the year. The stock jumped 40% in the third quarter and hit a record in mid-December. Elon bought $1 billion in shares in September. In November, shareholders approved a $1 trillion pay package granting him more control. Critics said the plan set no limits on political activity or time commitment.

Cryptopolitan has earlier reported that Tesla’s European registrations fell 39% in the first eleven months of 2025, according to ACEA. BYD registrations rose 240% in the region. Battery electric vehicles made up about 16% of new European car sales.

Analysts at Cannacord Genuity wrote that adoption “is rising quickly in emerging markets such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Brazil.”

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Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and a DeFi project priced under $0.05 are the assets of interest to the financial community, who are anticipating the next possible market rally in the year 2026. While both Bitcoin and Dogecoin remain established assets, the attention is largely centered around the accomplishment of a new player called Mutuum Finance.

This initiative has recently seen its V1 lending and borrowing protocol thoroughly examined by Halborn Security. The feedback from the examination has also been incorporated, and the smart contracts have been perfected. As investors take a look at the cryptocurrencies to purchase now in light of genuine readiness and not hype, Mutuum Finance, at the current presale stage of 7, seems to slowly emerge as the best crypto.

Bitcoin Remains Stable But Has Limited Potential

Bitcoin is currently priced around $88,410 as it ends the year 2025 down 5% and has seen limited price action as trading volume has reduced and sellers continue to unload the asset even at a loss. The realized loss for Bitcoin currently stands at $300 million per day.

Though it retains the dominant market, the immediate profit potential for Bitcoin appears to be limited. Thus, for instance, if one chooses to purchase a $5,000 Bitcoin today, it may have to perform a strong breakout to gain only a few hundred dollars. It is for this reason that investors are presently looking to other options when it comes to what to purchase for the next cycle.

Dogecoin Remains Pinned By Hype

Dogecoin remains very much dependent on market sentiment and trends. Although Dogecoin does make rapid movements during a bullish phase, the cryptocurrency does not have much use value and revenue-generating factors. A Dogecoin investment of $1,500 would require a significant lift in price in order for this cryptocurrency to even double in value, which has traditionally happened when viral hype catches up with a particular cryptocurrency, and not because of its fundamental factors.

Mutuum Finance Audit Changes The Narrative

The main reason for the rapid popularity of Mutuum Finance lies in the fact that the security review has been completed. Halborn Security has conducted a full audit of the V1 protocol, including the lending and borrowing contracts. The audit has been completed, and the recommendations have been implemented. The team is now working on the timing of the V1 launch, and Mutuum has entered the execution phase. This is an important step for those investors searching for the best cryptocurrency to buy today.

Presale Growth And Pricing

Mutuum Finance has managed to raise $19,550,000 since the presale began and currently has 18,650 holders. It is currently in Phase 7 at $0.04, which is up 300% from the initial phase price of $0.01. Phase 7 is selling out quickly, and this is the last opportunity to get in at $0.04. An example of the value of getting in early is shown in this scenario. Purchasing $250 worth of tokens at $0.04 will get 6,250 tokens. If demand goes up after the launch, and MUTM hits $0.20, it will be worth $1,250. However, waiting until launch at $0.06 will only buy 4166 tokens and deliver a tiny $583 profit when MUTM touches $0.20

Mutuum Finance is creating a DeFi platform that will allow users to borrow or lend their assets with much ease. The platform will have continuous activity rather than being known for one-time hype. The project has developed a dashboard that displays the top 50 wallets and a 24-hour leaderboard that shows the biggest daily buyers. The top-ranked investor every day will receive a $500 bonus in MUTM every day, as long as there is a transaction before 00:00 UTC, when the cycle resets.

As the year 2026 draws near, investors are torn between safety and upside. Bitcoin and Dogecoin provide familiarity but little upside. Mutuum Finance comes with a low barrier to entry, a totally audited V1 protocol, and adequate preparation for the launch. For those individuals wondering which cryptocurrency to invest in before the next rally, Mutuum Finance appears to be a key player among the new players.

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

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

After businesses and consumers spent 2024 testing out new AI tools and last year rolling them out widely, the technology now faces tough questions about whether it can deliver on its promises. 

While hundreds of thousands of companies and several hundred million people put AI to work in various ways, some found it helpful while others ran into problems that led to costly mistakes.

The coming months will see an intense examination of whether AI systems work reliably enough and make financial sense for the massive amounts of money being poured into them. Investment in AI equipment and infrastructure could reach $500bn in 2026, making it crucial for the industry to answer three major challenges.

Growth strategy hits a wall as investors demand results

The first issue centers on whether AI’s growth strategy has reached its limits. In 2019, researcher Rich Sutton published a piece called “The Bitter Lesson” that explained how feeding more information and computing power into deep learning systems proved the best way to make them stronger. Companies like OpenAI proved this approach right by creating increasingly powerful systems that needed more and more computing resources.

However, Sutton now joins other researchers in believing this method is losing steam. This doesn’t mean AI development will stop making progress. Instead, companies will need to show investors they can write better computer programs and find other ways to advance the technology that uses less energy. Experts predict neurosymbolic AI, which combines current data-based systems with rule-following programs, will get much more attention this year.

The second challenge involves whether major players can make money as AI becomes more common and ordinary. Tech giants like Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft will keep using AI to lower costs and improve services that already reach billions of people worldwide.

But newer companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic, which plan to go public this year, must prove they can build lasting advantages that keep competitors away. Business values across the sector shot up in 2025, but companies will soon be judged more carefully on their individual merits.

Chinese competitors win users with cheaper, open systems

The third question concerns how American tech companies will handle the growing success of Chinese AI systems that anyone can modify and use. About a year ago, a Chinese company called DeepSeek surprised the industry by releasing a high-quality thinking model that cost far less to train than similar American products.

Since then, Chinese systems that are more focused, cheaper, and easier to adjust have grabbed significant market presence. Research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Hugging Face showed that Chinese-made systems, which anyone can access, jumped ahead of American ones, making up 17 percent of all downloads.

Even Sam Altman, who runs OpenAI, said his company may have picked “the wrong side of history” by mainly building expensive, private systems that users cannot modify. American firms are now putting out more open systems to compete in this space.

AI holds real promise when used carefully. It can make business operations smoother, help workers get more done, and speed up scientific research. But users and investors will now separate services and companies that provide genuine value from those simply riding the wave of AI excitement.

 

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ETH ended 2025 in the red, after closing nine months of losses. This is the worst performance for ETH since the 2018 bear market. 

The past year saw ETH close nine months in the red, its worst losing streak since 2018. Despite the overall positive performance of the Ethereum network, the underlying token lagged, only briefly making a new all-time high. 

In 2025, ETH did not suffer a big crisis, yet its performance was worse in comparison to 2022, when only seven months ended in the red. ETH crashed despite the lack of a major catastrophic event or bankruptcy in the crypto space, and in the midst of record wallet activity.

While the Ethereum ecosystem showed signs of health, including address activity, stablecoin inflows, and DeFi expansion, the ETH token failed to fulfill expectations for a higher price range. 

ETH lagged in dollar terms despite a climb against BTC

In 2025, ETH lost the faith of retail investors and instead became a playground for whales and institutions. ETH whales attempted to achieve a more favorable average price by buying the dip, but the token did not have enough momentum to break out. ETH failed to fulfill the prediction of Bitmine’s Tom Lee for a hike to $7,500 or even $10,000 at the end of the year. 

The token ended the year with 11.9% in market cap dominance. Over the course of 2025, ETH managed to recover from lows of 0.019 BTC to end the year at 0.034 BTC. Despite this, the token did not fulfill the expectations of expanding to $10,000. 

The weak ETH performance also coincided with the failure to launch a more lasting altcoin season. The weakness of L2 performance also affected Ethereum, as liquidity left even top networks like Arbitrum.

Treasury companies only had a brief effect on the price of ETH. Unlike BTC treasuries, building up ETH reserves was viewed as a means to earn passive income through staking. Even DAT companies did not show conviction in the climb of ETH, but instead on the token’s DeFi and staking ecosystem. 

ETH recovered the $3,000 range

Despite the downturn, ETH managed to recover the $3,000 range. The token mostly traded above the acquisition price of whales at $2,800, bouncing from this support level. The asset ended 2025 with a net loss of 11% after turbulent shifts each quarter. 

ETH ended 2025 with a net loss of close to 11%, despite the mid-year relief rally. Even with DeFi recovery, ETH had its worst year since 2018. | Source: Coingecko

The token had its worst quarterly performance at the start of 2025, losing over 45%. Later, ETH managed to bounce off the mid-year slump and spend several weeks above $4,000. ETH moved to $3,079.92 as of January 2, following a market-wide recovery. 

The token ended 2025 with a neutral market sentiment, following weeks of relatively subdued derivative trading. Following the October 11 liquidation, ETH open interest declined to a low of $16.2B, recovering to $18B by the end of 2025. 

 

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The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has reduced its enforcement activity and closed 100 of its active investigations. 

Regulatory authorities like the SEC and FCA are changing their focus to higher-impact cases and being selective about their enforcement due to reasons like government pressure to promote business practices and help the economy, and crypto-friendly political administrations. 

Is the FCA scaling back its activity? 

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has dramatically reduced its enforcement activity, closing 100 investigations without taking any action in less than three years. 

Since the FCA’s establishment in 2013, this is the largest number of investigations they’ve ever closed, bringing the number of active investigations down to 124 as of October, nearly half the 230 cases they were handling in 2022.

When Therese Chambers and Steve Smart became co-heads of the Financial Conduct Authority’s enforcement division in April and June 2023, they began switching the focus to fewer investigations, but they ensured the cases they pursued had an impact. 

Between April and November of last year, the FCA completed 24 investigations, with nine closed without enforcement and 15 resulting in action.

In March 2025, the FCA launched just 23 new investigations, compared to previous years when it regularly opened more than 50. City lawyers representing firms in FCA cases say it now focuses on clear-cut matters where enforcement outcomes are more certain.

Despite handling fewer cases, in 2024, the FCA announced 41 enforcement actions, and 33 in 2025. Both were more than the historic annual average of 20 to 25. The authority’s biggest fines last year targeted anti-money laundering violations, including a £44 million penalty for Nationwide Building Society and £39 million for Barclays Bank.

Last year, seven of the FCA’s investigations reached outcomes within 16 months of launch, compared to a historical average of 42 months. 

How does the UK FCA compare to the US SEC? 

The FCA’s approach is similar to developments across the Atlantic, where the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is also pulling back on strict oversight. 

Cryptopolitan previously reported that under Trump’s administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission had dropped or paused approximately 60% of the enforcement cases it had against crypto companies. 

The SEC has also scaled back its audit inspections and enforcement actions, representing a significant departure from its once aggressive regulatory stance. 

The UK government has been pushing the Financial Conduct Authority and other financial regulators to ease business restrictions to support the country’s struggling economy. Both the FCA and the SEC have framed the changes to their approach as efficiency improvements. 

The FCA emphasizes it continues taking action against “the most egregious misconduct,” while the SEC argues it’s focusing resources on areas of greatest risk.

Despite what seems like weakening supervision, a new regulatory regime for cryptoasset providers will take effect in 2027, with rules covering non-financial misconduct like bullying and harassment to begin in 2026. The FCA is also set to be in charge of supervising anti-money laundering in professional services.

Lorraine Johnston, a financial regulation partner at law firm Ashurst, noted that while the FCA maintains “quite a strong enforcement culture,” investigation numbers will likely continue declining.

Tracey Dovaston, a partner at law firm Pallas, views the changes positively and noted that cases are no longer being opened “merely for diagnostic purposes.” She maintains “quite a strong enforcement culture,” and investigation numbers will likely continue declining.

Tracey Dovaston, a partner at law firm Pallas, views the changes positively and noted that cases are no longer being opened “merely for diagnostic purposes.”nostic purposes.”

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