🆕 South African Reserve Bank Establishes New Risk Category for Crypto Assets

📈 The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has introduced a new monitored risk category for crypto assets and stablecoins due to a significant increase in local crypto adoption. This decision aligns with SARB's efforts to create a comprehensive framework for overseeing cross-border crypto transactions and updating the country's exchange control rules.

🔍 In its recent Financial Stability Review (FSR), SARB categorized crypto assets and stablecoins under "technology-enabled financial innovation". Nicola Brink, head of SARB’s financial stability department, described structural risks as

slow-burning risks

that, while not expected to disrupt the financial sector in the short term, could undermine its resilience and efficiency over the long term.

📊 This assessment follows a significant increase in custody balances at major licensed crypto asset service providers (CASPs) like Luno, VALR, and Ovex, which have risen from under $580 million at the beginning of 2023 to nearly $1.5 billion by the end of 2024. The number of registered users on these platforms has reached almost 7.8 million, with Bitcoin being the most held crypto asset domestically.

⚠️ A key concern raised in the review is the borderless nature of crypto, which poses challenges to South Africa’s exchange control regulations. The report revealed that the top 10 domestically hosted Bitcoin wallets have processed nearly $3.7 billion in outward volume to foreign-hosted wallets since January 2019. SARB officials are working on a framework to oversee cross-border crypto transactions and are also reviewing exchange control regulations to explicitly include crypto assets.

📉 Crypto Market Faces Severe Decline Amidst U.S. Equities Drop

📉 On December 1, 2025, the crypto market experienced a significant downturn, mirroring the decline of U.S. equities. Bitcoin, the largest digital asset by market cap, fell over 7.5%, reaching a low of $83,814 per coin. This drop triggered a ripple effect across the market, with altcoins also suffering substantial losses.

🚫 Traders have hit the pause button ahead of an upcoming address from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, reports indicate, highlighting a growing uncertainty among investors.

💔 The digital currency market now sits at $2.83 trillion after a 7.97% decline in just 24 hours. Bitcoin (BTC) is down 7.5%, while Ethereum (ETH) has dropped 9.6%. A wide range of altcoins were severely impacted, with the privacy coin Decred (DCR) plummeting 20.35% and Zcash (ZEC) falling approximately 19.74%.

✔️ Other notable losses include meme token Mog Coin (MOG) which dropped 18.92%, Brett (BRETT) down 18.4%, and Plasma (XPL) slipping 17.89%. Many other tokens also experienced declines between 15.36% and 16.33%.

🔔 Among the top ten cryptocurrencies, XRP and BNB both fell by 9.5%, SOL dropped over 11%, and DOGE was down 11.6%. ADA faced a 12.3% drop, while BCH absorbed an 8.2% hit.

🔴 The day's pullback triggered heavy liquidations in the derivatives markets, nearing $1 billion with total liquidations reaching $950.16 million. Of this, approximately $866.8 million came from crypto long positions, including a significant $358 million in Bitcoin longs.

📈 CNBC Partners with Kalshi for Real-Time Prediction Market Integration

🔔 On December 4, 2025, CNBC announced a significant partnership with Kalshi, the world's largest prediction market, to integrate real-time prediction market data into its various platforms. This collaboration, set to commence in 2026, will feature a Kalshi ticker during on-air programming, including popular shows like Squawk Box and Fast Money. The aim is to provide viewers with market-driven insights on economic, political, and financial events.

📊 The partnership will also include a dedicated CNBC page on Kalshi’s platform, showcasing curated market predictions.

Prediction markets are rapidly shaping how investors and business leaders think about important events

said KC Sullivan, CNBC’s President. This statement underscores the strategic significance of this innovative collaboration.

🌍 The integration will cover a wide range of events, including economic indicators, elections, cultural moments, and global events. This partnership not only enhances CNBC's content but also targets global financial newsroom coverage.

💰 Crypto Markets on the Brink of Recovery: Coinbase's Insights

📈 Crypto markets may be on the verge of a significant upswing as increasing liquidity and expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut fuel optimism for a widespread digital-asset recovery. Coinbase Institutional, a division of Coinbase Global, recently highlighted these factors on social media, suggesting that crypto could be entering a recovery phase.

It’s beginning to look a lot like a recovery,

Coinbase Institutional stated. They noted that liquidity is improving and the odds of a Federal Reserve rate cut have risen to 92% as of December 4. The firm added,

In October, we teased this positioning reset...anticipating November weakness and a December reversal.

📊 The institutional arm of Coinbase also shared a visual representation of its custom global M2 money-supply index, which showed a rising liquidity trend through late 2025 despite fluctuations in crypto prices. This supports their view that systemic liquidity may be becoming more favorable.

Analysts frequently track global M2 shifts to understand liquidity cycles,

the article explained. A macro environment leaning towards monetary easing could attract sidelined capital, especially if volatility decreases. While there are still concerns about inflation and growth uncertainty, crypto advocates believe that bitcoin’s issuance structure and ethereum’s evolving monetary profile may benefit from renewed liquidity expansion and a softer U.S. dollar.

🚨 FOMC Meeting: Experts See ‘Hawkish’ Cut as Crypto Traders Price In Third Cut This Year

👉 Read more

📌 Andreessen Horowitz Expands into Asian Crypto Market

🚀 Andreessen Horowitz (A16z) has announced its strategic expansion into Asia by opening its first office in Seoul, South Korea. This decision is driven by the region's substantial presence in the cryptocurrency market, with South Korea being the second-largest crypto market worldwide. Notably, nearly one in three South Korean adults own cryptocurrency.

👤 SungMo Park has been appointed to lead this expansion. He brings valuable experience from his previous roles as APAC Lead at Monad Foundation and Head of APAC Business Development at Polygon Labs. A16z's State of Crypto report emphasizes Asia's pivotal role in global crypto activities. Countries like India and Singapore are highlighted for their high rates of crypto adoption and ownership, particularly among younger generations.

📈 The goals of this expansion include supporting portfolio companies, establishing partnerships, and accelerating crypto adoption across the region.

🚫 Divided Fed Signals Limited Rate Cuts Ahead: Implications for Bitcoin

📉 The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) recently displayed increasing internal tensions, with three members officially dissenting on an interest rate reduction for the first time in over six years. This division raises concerns about the future of interest rate cuts, particularly for 2026, as the Fed's own polling suggests there may be only a single rate cut that year. This news has already impacted bearish traders, causing Bitcoin prices to dip below $90K.

“You just have people who have strong views,”

said Fed Chairman Jerome Powell during the press conference. He noted that while nine out of twelve members supported the cut, it was not the usual scenario of unanimous agreement.

📊 The “dot plot” chart, which illustrates interest rate projections by FOMC members, indicates that the median projected interest rate for the end of 2026 is 3.4%%. This suggests that many officials anticipate only a single 25-basis-point cut in 2026, a situation that could be detrimental for risk-sensitive assets like Bitcoin. Currently, the interest rate range stands at 3.50-3.75%%.

“In our summary of economic projections, FOMC participants wrote down their individual assessments,”

Powell explained. He emphasized that the median participant projects a federal funds rate of 3.4% by the end of 2026.

📉 As for Bitcoin's market performance, it was priced at $91,346.75 at the time of reporting, reflecting a 1.82% decrease over 24 hours and a 0.43% decline for the week. Daily trading volume increased by 13.56% to reach $65.64 billion, while market capitalization fell to $1.82 trillion. Despite this, Bitcoin dominance rose by 0.45% to 59.34%%.

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💰 Tokenized Treasury Funds Approach $9 Billion Mark Amid Strong Onchain Demand

📈 This week, tokenized Treasury funds have nearly reached the $9 billion milestone, experiencing a 0.94% increase over the past seven days due to steady onchain demand for yield-bearing government debt. According to data from rwa., the total value of the tokenized Treasury sector has risen to approximately $8.99 billion, supported by a slight uptick in weekly yields, with the average seven-day annual percentage yield (APY) at 3.71%.

💼 The market now encompasses 60 active products and over 57,600 holders, demonstrating the rapid transition of blockchain-based access to U.S. government debt from a niche experiment to institutional-grade infrastructure. Tokenized Treasuries are digital representations of short-term U.S. government debt or money market funds issued and settled on blockchains.

⚡️ These funds allow investors to hold exposure to Treasuries in token form, enabling near-instant settlement, programmability, and compatibility with onchain financial applications. Demand has surged as investors seek dollar-based yield without leaving crypto rails, especially during periods when traditional finance (TradFi) fixed-income products are less accessible or slower to settle.

🌐 Ethereum continues to dominate the tokenized Treasury sector’s blockchain footprint, hosting approximately $4.9 billion in tokenized Treasury market capitalization. BNB Chain follows with about $1.8 billion, while Stellar accounts for roughly $603.6 million. Solana holds around $529.4 million, Aptos stands near $345.7 million, and Avalanche’s C-Chain carries close to $193 million.

🔄 Rwa.’s data dashboard reveals a dynamic market with net flows over the past month indicating capital rotation rather than a wholesale retreat. Circle’s USYC led inflows with roughly $266 million, followed by Superstate’s USTB at $102 million and Libeara’s ULTRA at $58 million. On the other hand, Securitize’s BUIDL recorded net outflows of about $684 million, signaling a shift in capital rather than a complete withdrawal.

📈 Bitcoin ETFs Surge as Ether Struggles; Solana and XRP Attract Capital

💰 Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) experienced a significant rebound with a net inflow of $457.3 million, primarily driven by Fidelity’s FBTC and Blackrock’s IBIT. In contrast, ether ETFs faced continued outflows, marking their fifth consecutive day in the red.

Fresh capital flowed decisively back into BTC-linked funds, signaling renewed conviction after days of heavy redemptions,

the article states. Fidelity’s FBTC led the way with a substantial $391.5 million inflow, while Blackrock’s IBIT contributed $111.2 million. This surge easily offset modest outflows from Ark & 21shares’ ARKB and Bitwise’s BITB.

📉 Ether ETFs, however, posted a net outflow of $22.4 million. Blackrock’s ETHA was the main contributor to this decline, shedding $19.6 million. Despite these challenges, trading volume remained robust at $2.20 billion.

📌 Solana ETFs showed resilience with a total inflow of $10.99 million. Bitwise’s BSOL led this segment with an addition of $6.96 million. XRP ETFs also performed well, attracting $18.99 million in inflows. 21Shares’ TOXR and Canary’s XRPC were the top performers in this category.

Taken together, the day highlighted a clear divergence in investor behavior,

the article notes. Bitcoin regained momentum while ether struggled. Solana and XRP benefited from steady rotational flows as investors reallocated capital across the crypto ETF landscape.

Institutional validation for OpenLedger ($OPEN) grows as Korean gaming giant Netmarble, via MarbleX, announces an investment.

This move, combined with established academic/industry partnerships and a transparent development plan, coincides with a 15% price increase. The project appears to be reaching an inflection point, with market momentum building for a potential test of the $0.30 range.

Check it out:

👉 Announcement
👉 Telegram: English | China | Korea
👉 Twitter: Global | China

📌 Stealka: The Infostealer Disguised as Game Mods

🔍 Kaspersky has identified a new infostealer named Stealka, which spreads primarily through popular platforms like Github and Sourceforge. This malware disguises itself as game cheats, mods, and software cracks, targeting Windows users by stealing sensitive information from browsers, cryptocurrency wallets, messaging apps, and various other applications.

💻 Stealka can compromise over 115 browser extensions, 80 cryptocurrency wallets, and multiple gaming and communication platforms. It collects system data, takes screenshots, and can potentially hijack accounts by extracting cookies, session tokens, and authentication credentials. Kaspersky warns users to be cautious when downloading unofficial software and to use robust antivirus protection.

How does Stealka spread? — Primarily through fake game mods, software cracks, and pirated software on legitimate platforms like Github and Sourceforge.

What types of data does Stealka steal? — Browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallet information, messaging app data, gaming service tokens, and system information.

🚀 BC Card's Successful Stablecoin Pilot in South Korea

📌 BC Card has successfully completed a two-month pilot program that tested the use of foreign-held stablecoins for QR-code payments at domestic merchants. This trial, which took place from October to December 2025, was conducted in collaboration with Wavebridge, Aaron Group, and Global Money Express.

💳 The pilot demonstrated the feasibility of integrating stablecoins into South Korea's card-payment system. It allowed foreign users to make seamless QR-code transactions without the need for physical cards or currency exchange. CEO Choi Won-seok stated,

Stablecoins have great utility for cross-border payments, and BC Card will progressively develop a compliant stablecoin-payment model.

⚠️ This initiative is significant as it paves the way for a domestic stablecoin-payment infrastructure that aligns with emerging virtual-asset regulations. The solution will be implemented where permitted by Korean law.

🔍 In summary, the BC Card pilot tested the conversion of foreign stablecoins into digital prepaid cards for QR payments at Korean merchants. It concluded on December 23, 2025, and is usable at BC Card-affiliated stores across South Korea, subject to local regulations.

🚀 XRP ETFs: A Strong Start and Future Challenges

📈 XRP spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) made their debut in the U.S. on November 14, 2025, quickly attracting over $1.1 billion in inflows within six weeks. This rapid accumulation of assets positioned them as significant players in the market as they headed into 2026.

In the period ending November 14, XRP ETFs pulled in $243.05 million, lifting net assets to $248.16 million.

Their opening week set high expectations with solid trading activity. Momentum continued to build throughout November, with net inflows reaching $666.6 million by the end of the month. This demonstrated sustained demand rather than mere speculative interest.

📊 December further confirmed the ETFs' staying power. They recorded their largest weekly inflow of $230.74 million on December 5, bringing total assets to $861.3 million. Despite a slight moderation in inflows the following week, trading activity remained robust.

XRP ETFs added $82.04 million in the week ending December 19 and another $43.89 million by December 22.

By the end of the year, total net assets had climbed to $1.25 billion with cumulative inflows exceeding $1.12 billion.

💪 Notably, XRP ETFs did not experience any weekly net outflows during their initial launch period. This consistency is remarkable given the volatile nature of the broader crypto market. The successful rollout can be attributed to regulatory clarity, pent-up demand, and diversified issuer participation.

🔔 Looking ahead to 2026, the challenge will be to maintain this level of engagement as the novelty wears off. While XRP ETFs enter the new year from a position of strength with over $1 billion in assets secured, future flows will depend on liquidity depth, broader market sentiment, and XRP’s evolving role within institutional crypto portfolios.

🚀 BC Card and Coinbase: Pioneering USDC Payments in South Korea

📌 BC Card, a leading payment processor in South Korea, has teamed up with Coinbase to test a hybrid crypto-to-fiat payment solution. This initiative involves linking BC Card's popular QR payment system with Coinbase's Base ecosystem, which was launched in 2023.

💱 The pilot aims to allow customers to use USDC, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, for domestic transactions. Merchants will receive payments in Korean won, ensuring compliance with local regulations.

“This represents an early step in exploring how stablecoins can improve payment efficiency and global interoperability,”

said David Hyuckjae Park, Base’s Regional Lead for East Asia.

🔗 Following the pilot, there is potential for a medium to long-term partnership to enhance the current USDC payment settlement model in Korea. Choi Won-seok, President of BC Card, emphasized the goal of creating a

USDC payment ecosystem optimized for the domestic environment

by leveraging both companies' infrastructures.

🌍 BC Card serves over 36 million customers in South Korea and 3.5 million internationally. This collaboration seeks to introduce global stablecoin payments to these users in a seamless manner.

🛡 Shlomo Kramer Advocates for Limiting the First Amendment to Combat Cyber Warfare

🚨 Shlomo Kramer, CEO of Cato Networks, has sparked controversy by calling for restrictions on the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He argues that such measures are necessary to safeguard the nation against cyber warfare and social media manipulation.

🗣 In a recent CNBC interview, Kramer, a former member of Israel's cybersecurity unit 8200, stated,

It’s time to limit the First Amendment to protect it. And quickly, before it’s too late.

He emphasized the need for the government to take control of social media platforms and verify the authenticity of online voices.

⚠️ Kramer's remarks have ignited a backlash on social media, with critics expressing fears about potential infringements on freedom of speech. Former Representative Matt Gaetz firmly opposed Kramer's view, stating,

No. We aren’t going to do this.

Similarly, Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the proposed measures as contrary to the principles upheld during President Trump's election.

🔍 As the debate continues, the intersection of artificial intelligence, social media, and political stability remains a contentious issue. Kramer's call for action highlights the ongoing struggle to balance national security with individual rights in the digital age.