Trump explicitly stated that the next Federal Reserve Chair must believe in "large-scale rate cuts" and will soon announce a candidate. He demands lowering interest rates to the crisis level of 1% and believes the next Chair should consult with him on rate setting. This article is sourced from Wall Street Insights, compiled, translated, and written by Foresight News. (Previous context: Trump named Kevin Warsh as his "preferred" candidate for the next Federal Reserve Chair, with Kevin Hassett's chances dropping by 30%) (Additional background: Trump: Rate cuts are a litmus test for the Federal Reserve Chair, and tariffs may be adjusted to lower the prices of some goods) Table of Contents All three candidates support rate cuts, but to varying degrees Trump demands the Federal Reserve Chair consult with him on rate decisions Rate cuts have limited impact on mortgage rates On Wednesday, U.S. time, President Trump made a nationwide speech in which

Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis's latest report reveals that North Korea-linked hackers stole at least $2 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025, setting a record high and representing a 51% year-over-year increase, with their total stolen amount reaching $6.75 billion. The attack patterns are characterized by "small but precise" operations; despite a decrease in the number of incidents, each attack is massive, with 76% of service-layer attacks attributed to them. The $1.4 billion vulnerability incident at Bybit in March was a major driver. The report systematically depicts North Korean hackers' unique money laundering pathways for the first time: relying on Chinese service providers and mixers, following a typical 45-day fund laundering cycle. This marks the emergence of a "super threat" in the cryptocurrency industry—state-sponsored, highly organized, and well-funded—posing unprecedented challenges to the security, protection, and compliance collaboration of global exchanges and protocols.

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, is in talks to acquire a stake in crypto payment provider MoonPay, raising its valuation target for this round to $5 billion, a 47% increase from $3.4 billion in 2021. This is its latest move following its investment in the prediction market Polymarket, valued at up to $2 billion, and the institutional-grade trading platform Bakkt.

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) earlier officially announced a 25 basis point increase in the policy interest rate to 0.75%, the highest level since the 1990s. This move signifies Japan's official exit from the long-standing zero interest rate framework and sends a signal: if the economy and prices remain stable, the rate hike cycle will continue.

A London court sentenced Canadian Jarett Dunn to six years in prison for fraud and misappropriating $2 million in Solana from Pump.fun. Though he claimed to be a whistleblower, the court dismissed his defense, citing his public threats against the platform. Dunn remains detained in London.

U.S. regulators signaled a friendlier future for crypto, emphasizing innovation, privacy, and individual empowerment as the SEC outlined potential regulatory paths that could reshape digital assets and limit surveillance-heavy oversight. SEC Positions Crypto as a Core Driver of 21st Century

United Stables launched the US dollar stablecoin $U on December 18, deployed on BNB Chain and Ethereum. By aggregating top stablecoin liquidity and integrating AI Agent micro-payment protocols, it aims to establish a unified settlement layer in a fragmented market.

Author: Maartje Bus @ The Medici Network, Source: Messari 2026 Crypto Thesis; Translation: Golden Finance For years, we have regarded cryptocurrencies as a single asset class because their past market performance indeed aligned with this characteristic. But now, this label has become misleading. The era of big differentiation is coming Cryptocurrencies are gradually shedding the "single asset class" label, primarily because the price movements of assets within different categories are no longer converging, and their risk-return profiles are also diverging — both of which are core elements that define an asset class. Bitcoin's current performance is increasingly resembling a macro store of value: its volatility has shown structural decline, institutional participation continues to deepen, and its price movements are becoming less correlated with other cryptocurrencies. In contrast, Ethereum and main

Altseason phases begin with capital rotation into liquid, execution-focused networks. Infrastructure assets with steady usage often act as anchors during expansion cycles. Mid-cap platforms may benefit once large-cap liquidity establishes directional stability. As market structure

Institutional Interest Resurges as Bitcoin ETF Inflows Reach Over $450 Million Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) demonstrated renewed investor confidence on Wednesday, recording net inflows of $457 million — their most substantial daily increase in over a month. This influx signals a

The Bitcoin market is currently overshadowed by an options expiration event worth up to $23 billion, which undoubtedly adds significant uncertainty to the already tense year-end trading. The expiration volume accounts for about half of the total open interest on the largest options trading platform Deribit. Coupled with weak technical patterns and a complex macroeconomic background, Bitcoin's price remains precariously above the critical support level of $85,000. Despite a general cooling of global inflation data, market sentiment remains defensive, with put options at the $85,000 level accumulating approximately $1.4 billion in risk exposure, potentially "pulling" the price toward that level. Analysts point out that after the options expiration, the market will also need to contend with new catalysts such as the MSCI index rebalancing in early next year, and high volatility may become the main theme of the year-end trading.

Bitcoin developers face pressure from quantum computing threats, impacting prices and investments. Experts stress the importance of acknowledging potential risks and creating contingency plans to ease concerns among investors.

The sudden shift in global macro policy is pushing XRP toward a critical crossroads. As the Bank of Japan可能在周五宣布加息, concerns about a large-scale unwind of "yen carry trades" have sharply increased, causing XRP to decline for two consecutive days and testing a key support level around $1.8 on December 18. In stark contrast to the short-term selling pressure, the XRP spot ETF market has shown surprising resilience, with 23 consecutive days of net inflows totaling over $1.03 billion, while progress has been made on the US Market Structure Bill. This intense collision between short-term and long-term factors makes the decision within the $1.75 to $2.0 range a key observation point for judging XRP's future trend over the coming months.

Bitcoin Bounces Back to $90,000 Amid Short Squeeze and Liquidity Fluctuations Bitcoin has reclaimed the $90,000 level following a volatile session driven by liquidity dynamics and aggressive short-liquidations. After a recent dip that tested support levels, the leading cryptocurrency surged as

XRP faces intense selling pressure for the second consecutive day, testing the $1.8 support. The Bank of Japan's interest rate hike expectations have sparked concerns over yen arbitrage trade unwinding, but spot ETFs have seen 23 consecutive days of net inflows totaling $1.03 billion. Analysts are optimistic about a medium-term rebound to $2.5.

Ethereum Mainnet Welcomes Return of Perpetuals Trading Platform Synthetix Synthetix, a prominent perpetual trading platform, is making a significant move back to Ethereum’s mainnet, grounded in the belief that the network now possesses the capacity to support high-frequency financial

Chainalysis's latest report shows that in 2025, the total amount of stolen crypto worldwide is approximately $3.4 billion, of which at least $2.02 billion comes from North Korea-related attack activities, a 51% increase (about $681 million) compared to 2024, setting a new record. North Korean hackers account for 76% of all hacking incidents, with a total of at least $6.75 billion in crypto assets stolen to date.