On December 29, 2025, a market update flagged $446 million in weekly outflows even as XRP-linked products drew fresh capital, and on December 30, 2025, YoungHoon Kim called for $3 within 48 hours. XRP trades at $1.85 after 29 straight days of spot ETF inflows totaling $1.15 billion, while Geoffrey Kendrick keeps an $8 target for 2026.

On December 29, seven digital yuan–linked stocks saw net inflows above 100 million yuan, as investors added over $188 million, according to Securities Times. The move follows the PBOC's plan to allow e-CNY wallet interest beginning January 1, 2026, with Lakala leading at 371 million yuan. Top shareholders in related firms now hold 1.89 billion yuan in market value.

Russia's Ministry of Justice has drafted Criminal Code Article 171.6 to punish unregistered crypto mining, targeting operators outside the Federal Tax Service registry created on November 1, 2024. Penalties range up to 5 years of imprisonment and fines reaching 2.5 million rubles for organized schemes, while individuals above 3.5 million rubles in income face fines up to 1.5 million rubles.

Cicely LaMothe has retired from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after a 24-year career, concluding her role as deputy director of the Division of Corporation Finance. During her tenure, she helped steer seven staff guidance documents on issues such as stablecoins, liquid staking, mining, meme coins, and crypto exchange-traded products, and later faced congressional questions over Tron founder Justin Sun's reverse merger listing on Nasdaq amid broader shifts in SEC crypto enforcement policy.

Over the weekend, Iran’s rial fell to a record 1.42 million per US dollar, and on Monday Central Bank Governor Mohammad Reza Farzin resigned. Protests spread across major cities as shopkeepers staged two days of strikes. Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley framed Bitcoin as protection against monetary failures, posting his remarks on December 29, 2025.

Representative Maxine Waters has asked House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill to hold an oversight hearing with SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, focusing on the agency's recent dismissal or suspension of major crypto enforcement cases. Her letter highlights terminated actions involving Coinbase, Binance, Justin Sun, Kraken, and Ripple, and questions broader rollbacks in investor protections, staff cuts, and the SEC's perceived politicization under the Trump administration.

Digital asset investment products saw $446 million exit last week, bringing total outflows since mid-October to $3.2 billion and leaving year-to-date inflows at $46.3 billion against a modest 10% rise in assets under management. CoinShares data show Bitcoin and Ethereum products lost $443 million and $59.5 million respectively, while XRP and Solana ETFs drew $70.2 million and $7.5 million in new money amid diverging regional flows and a consolidating Bitcoin price near $87,800.

Bitcoin rose about 2.6% in thin holiday trade, but QCP Capital said the move lacks conviction after Friday's record options expiry saw open interest fall roughly 50%. Deribit funding jumped above 30% as dealers turned short gamma, with a push above $94,000 likely to intensify hedging flows.

Zerobase's ZBT token has climbed more than 150% over the last week, moving from about $0.07 to just under $0.20 after the project raised $5 million from investors including YZi Labs, Faction Ventures, Symbolic Capital, and Web3Port. Analysts view privacy-oriented infrastructure, alongside AI and robotics, as a key competitive arena heading into 2026, and Zerobase's recent price action suggests traders are betting on this theme. On the 4-hour chart, ZBT is attempting a recovery from a prolonged downtrend, with support forming around $0.10-$0.12 and key resistance seen between $0.24-$0.26 and near $0.30.