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Crypto Talkies December 11th 2025

Tonight’s crypto tape didn’t pick a single storyline. It was all happening at once: big banks on-chain, regulators fighting over the future of digital assets, and stablecoins slipping further into the center of global payments while prices stayed choppy and cautious. Let’s start with the rails being built under the market. Stripe quietly doubled down on crypto by acquiring the team behind Valora, the mobile wallet originally built on Celo. The app’s IP heads back to Celo’s cLabs, but the people go to Stripe, just days after its Tempo testnet went live. The message is pretty clear: Stripe wants stablecoins and blockchain payments to feel as boring as using a credit card. That theme keeps popping up. In the UK, regulators are targeting 2026 as the year pound‑pegged stablecoins become part of everyday payments, with sandboxes and pilots meant to let fintechs test real-world use cases without blowing up the system. In the UAE, telecom giant e& is piloting AE Coin, a dirham‑backed sta...

Crypto Talkies December 10th 2025

If today’s crypto tape felt a bit bipolar, you’re not alone. At the same time that Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) kept grinding higher on macro optimism, parts of the market looked like they’d just rolled out of a hangover. From slumping NFTs to record institutional demand, regulatory battles, hacked chat apps, and the Fed’s latest move, the story tonight is less “up or down” and more “what exactly is this asset class becoming?” Let’s start where the money is actually moving. Bitcoin and Ethereum spent the day in the driver’s seat. With traders fully pricing in a 25 bps Fed rate cut, BTC hovered in the low-to-mid $90,000s and ETH climbed above $3,300–$3,400, outpacing most of the altcoin field. The narrative is simple: rate cuts plus an improving outlook into 2026 are fuel for risk assets, and crypto is back in that risk-on bucket. Markets are now obsessing over Powell’s tone rather than the cut itself. A “hawkish pivot” is in play, but as long as the Fed isn’t slamming on the ...

Crypto Talkies December 9th 2025

The sun is setting on another wild day in crypto, and tonight’s tape tells a story of two worlds converging: old-school finance finally leaning into digital assets, even as regulators, rating agencies, and markets remind everyone this is still a high‑risk game. Let’s start in Hong Kong, where HashKey Group is aiming to make history. The UBS- and Fidelity-backed firm is seeking to raise about HK$1.67 billion (around $215 million) in an IPO that would make it the city’s first publicly listed, fully licensed crypto exchange. If it lands, HashKey becomes the poster child for Hong Kong’s push to be a regulated digital asset hub, giving traditional investors a way to own a slice of the exchange business instead of just trading tokens on it. That same theme of “TradFi meets crypto” is running hot elsewhere. In the U.S., Twenty One Capital just listed on the NYSE under ticker XXI, backed by more than 43,500 Bitcoin (BTC). It’s essentially a publicly traded vehicle with a mountain of BTC behi...

Crypto Talkies December 8th 2025

Crypto closed the day with a familiar mix of big green candles, regulatory curveballs, and a few “wait, what just happened?” moments on-chain. Let’s walk through what mattered before the lights go out on this trading session. Bitcoin once again grabbed center stage, dragging the market higher in the process. After a rocky stretch, BTC (BTC) pushed back up toward the 92,000 level, helping lift total crypto market cap into the 3.1–3.2 trillion dollar range. Volumes picked up, altcoins finally got some oxygen, and traders started whispering about the next leg of the cycle. Still, under the surface, onchain data is a bit less euphoric: more supply is sitting at a loss, demand looks softer than the headline price suggests, and macro is looming large. That macro overhang is why institutional desks are glued to their calendars. A cluster of key U.S. economic releases, OPEC moves, and a pivotal Fed rate decision are all hitting in early December. The bet: if the Fed leans even slightly m...

Crypto Talkies December 5th 2025

Tonight’s crypto tape had a little bit of everything: hardware scares, political money moves, ETF milestones, and a fresh round of “institutions are absolutely watching this space,” even as retail in the U.S. eases off the gas. Let’s start with the story that should make anyone using their phone as a wallet sit up. Ledger’s Donjon security team says it has found a critical, unpatchable flaw in MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Android chip (COMMON). With physical access and some serious electromagnetic pulse hardware, an attacker could get full control over a device. This is not a casual, everyday threat — you need specialized equipment and hands-on access — but for people storing significant crypto on affected smartphones, it’s a reminder that “hot” mobile storage is only as strong as the silicon inside. For larger balances, hardware wallets and multisig still look a lot more comfortable than a single Android chip. Money and politics crossed paths in the UK, where crypto and aviation invest...

Crypto Talkies December 5th 2025

Tonight’s crypto tape had a little bit of everything: hardware scares, political money moves, ETF milestones, and a fresh round of “institutions are absolutely watching this space,” even as retail in the U.S. eases off the gas. Let’s start with the story that should make anyone using their phone as a wallet sit up. Ledger’s Donjon security team says it has found a critical, unpatchable flaw in MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Android chip (COMMON). With physical access and some serious electromagnetic pulse hardware, an attacker could get full control over a device. This is not a casual, everyday threat — you need specialized equipment and hands-on access — but for people storing significant crypto on affected smartphones, it’s a reminder that “hot” mobile storage is only as strong as the silicon inside. For larger balances, hardware wallets and multisig still look a lot more comfortable than a single Android chip. Money and politics crossed paths in the UK, where crypto and aviation invest...

Crypto Talkies December 5th 2025

Tonight’s crypto tape had a little bit of everything: hardware scares, political money moves, ETF milestones, and a fresh round of “institutions are absolutely watching this space,” even as retail in the U.S. eases off the gas. Let’s start with the story that should make anyone using their phone as a wallet sit up. Ledger’s Donjon security team says it has found a critical, unpatchable flaw in MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Android chip (COMMON). With physical access and some serious electromagnetic pulse hardware, an attacker could get full control over a device. This is not a casual, everyday threat — you need specialized equipment and hands-on access — but for people storing significant crypto on affected smartphones, it’s a reminder that “hot” mobile storage is only as strong as the silicon inside. For larger balances, hardware wallets and multisig still look a lot more comfortable than a single Android chip. Money and politics crossed paths in the UK, where crypto and aviation invest...