Daily Crypto Briefing – December 18, 2025

Markets remain volatile as regulatory clarity improves and major platforms expand their offerings beyond traditional crypto services.

Top Stories

China Mining Crackdown Impact Overstated
New data suggests the feared impact of China's Bitcoin mining restrictions, particularly in Xinjiang, has been overstated by early reports. Hashrate losses proved brief and were driven partly by US power curtailments rather than Chinese enforcement alone.

Lido Proposes $60M Expansion Beyond Staking
DeFi's largest liquid staking provider has outlined plans to expand into stablecoin yield products aimed at institutional clients. The proposal represents a significant strategic shift for the protocol.

Coinbase Expands Into Traditional Assets
The exchange unveiled plans to offer stock trading and prediction markets alongside its crypto services, marking an ambitious expansion into traditional financial products.

100+ Crypto ETFs Expected in 2026
Bitwise predicts over 100 crypto-linked ETFs could launch next year following the SEC's streamlined approval process. However, analysts warn of potential infrastructure risks from this rapid expansion.

Regulation

Federal Reserve Rolls Back Crypto Banking Restrictions
The Fed withdrew its 2023 guidance that severely limited banks' crypto activities, replacing it with a principles-based framework that reduces regulatory friction.

SEC Issues Crypto Custody Guidance
New SEC guidance clarifies that broker-dealers must maintain control of crypto asset private keys to comply with customer protection rules.

Digital Euro Push Accelerates
ECB President Christine Lagarde shifted focus to digital euro rollout after completing technical preparations, pressing lawmakers to act quickly.

Markets

Bitcoin Struggles Near $87K
BTC remains volatile around $86,650-$87,400, giving up earlier gains despite softer-than-expected inflation data showing CPI at just 2.7%.

Altcoins Under Pressure
• XRP lost $1.90 support, trading near $1.80 amid broader bearish sentiment
• Dogecoin slides toward $0.10 as large holders reduce exposure
• Polkadot's DOT slipped 2% on above-average volume

ETF Flows Turn Positive
Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw sharp inflow revival with Fidelity's FBTC and BlackRock's IBIT leading demand.

DeFi & Technology

Hyperliquid Token Supply Reduction
The protocol proposed removing $1 billion worth of HYPE tokens from circulation, though the market continues to punish the token.

Uniswap Governance Vote
Founder Hayden Adams submitted the UNIfication proposal for final vote, which would activate fee switches and burn 100 million UNI tokens.

Ethereum State Bloat Concerns
Foundation researchers warned of storage burden from state bloat and proposed solutions to ease node centralization risks.

Enterprise & Partnerships

Intuit Integrates USDC
The fintech giant will integrate Circle's USDC stablecoin across TurboTax and QuickBooks through a multi-year strategic alliance.

SoFi Launches Native Stablecoin
SoFi Bank became the first US national bank to issue a stablecoin on a public blockchain with SoFiUSD.

PayPal PYUSD for AI Infrastructure
PayPal's stablecoin will be used to fund AI infrastructure through USD.AI, supported by a $1 billion incentive program.

Quick Hits

• FBI seized crypto exchange E-Note allegedly used to launder $70M from ransomware attacks
• Taiwan's Ministry of Justice unveiled 210+ seized Bitcoin from criminal cases
• Oslo Airport now accepts Bitcoin payments via Lightning Network through Travel Retail Norway
• Coinbase gained regulatory clearance for its CoinDCX investment in India
• CF Benchmarks projects Bitcoin could hit $2.95M by 2035 based on store-of-value analysis
• North Korea stole over $2B in crypto in 2025 despite fewer confirmed attacks
• Crypto hacks reached $3.4B in 2025 with rising attacks on individual wallets
• [45% of young investors own crypto](https://cryptonews.com/news/45-of-young-investors-own-crypto-as-housing-