BlackRock: Bitcoin remains primarily a capital-preservation tool
Robert Mitchnick, head of digital assets at BlackRock, noted that BTC currently functions more as a store of value rather than a global payment system — it lacks advanced L2 solutions such as the Lightning Network.
According to Mitchnick, Bitcoin should be viewed as a long-term asset, and investors shouldn’t try to predict short-term market moves.
Robert Mitchnick, head of digital assets at BlackRock, noted that BTC currently functions more as a store of value rather than a global payment system — it lacks advanced L2 solutions such as the Lightning Network.
According to Mitchnick, Bitcoin should be viewed as a long-term asset, and investors shouldn’t try to predict short-term market moves.
The market feels like it hit the snooze button today – charts barely moving, everything sluggish and quiet. Yet $OPEN is writing its own story, climbing over 12% while volume explodes more than 50% in a market that’s mostly frozen. Moves like this don’t happen by accident – smart money is clearly stepping in.
Now with the next 5 million $OPEN buyback cycle kicking off, things are about to get even more exciting. $OPEN isn’t just talking the talk, it’s running real revenue-backed buybacks. When a token shows this kind of strength even before the buyback officially starts, it usually means the next move will surprise everyone. This is how a strong reputation is built, right in front of the entire market’s eyes.
🔗 Official announcement: Check it out here
💬 Join the community on Telegram: OpenLedger Official
🐦 Follow updates on Twitter: OpenLedgerHQ
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DEX trading volumes are surging — the market is moving on-chain
According to CoinGecko, in Q2 2025 spot volumes on decentralized exchanges grew by at least 25%, while centralized exchanges saw a decline of nearly 28%. The main driver behind the growth is increased memecoin activity.
The shift toward decentralization continues: DEX platforms are becoming the primary venue for new assets and higher-risk strategies.
According to CoinGecko, in Q2 2025 spot volumes on decentralized exchanges grew by at least 25%, while centralized exchanges saw a decline of nearly 28%. The main driver behind the growth is increased memecoin activity.
The shift toward decentralization continues: DEX platforms are becoming the primary venue for new assets and higher-risk strategies.
Pavel Durov has launched the decentralized AI network Cocoon
Durov announced the launch of Cocoon — a confidential computing network on TON, where AI queries are processed with full privacy. GPU owners can already earn TON by providing their computing power.
The platform operates through a “client — proxy — worker” model: the user sends a request, the proxy selects a performer, and the GPU owner processes the computation. Cocoon connects the needs of AI applications with those who are ready to share their resources.
Durov announced the launch of Cocoon — a confidential computing network on TON, where AI queries are processed with full privacy. GPU owners can already earn TON by providing their computing power.
The platform operates through a “client — proxy — worker” model: the user sends a request, the proxy selects a performer, and the GPU owner processes the computation. Cocoon connects the needs of AI applications with those who are ready to share their resources.
Banks are stepping up crypto initiatives with Coinbase
Major U.S. banks have begun launching crypto projects in partnership with Coinbase, the company’s CEO Brian Armstrong said.
These initiatives involve stablecoins, crypto trading, and custody services.
Armstrong warned that banks that are slow to adopt crypto tools “are going to get left behind.”
Major U.S. banks have begun launching crypto projects in partnership with Coinbase, the company’s CEO Brian Armstrong said.
These initiatives involve stablecoins, crypto trading, and custody services.
Armstrong warned that banks that are slow to adopt crypto tools “are going to get left behind.”
Bloomberg: the digital treasury boom has ended in failure
The strategy of DAT companies that copied Michael Saylor’s model — raising capital and buying crypto — produced sharp growth in the first half of the year, but then collapsed. Many firms’ stocks plunged: the median decline is 43%, and some companies lost up to 99% of their value and are now worth less than their crypto assets.
The main issue is that tokens generate no income, while debts and dividends still need to be serviced.
For the first time, Strategy has admitted the possibility of selling BTC, which weakens the key narrative of “eternal holding” and creates a risk of cascading sell-offs. At the same time, large DATs are beginning to acquire smaller ones that have fallen below the value of their assets.
The strategy of DAT companies that copied Michael Saylor’s model — raising capital and buying crypto — produced sharp growth in the first half of the year, but then collapsed. Many firms’ stocks plunged: the median decline is 43%, and some companies lost up to 99% of their value and are now worth less than their crypto assets.
The main issue is that tokens generate no income, while debts and dividends still need to be serviced.
For the first time, Strategy has admitted the possibility of selling BTC, which weakens the key narrative of “eternal holding” and creates a risk of cascading sell-offs. At the same time, large DATs are beginning to acquire smaller ones that have fallen below the value of their assets.
Light-Protocol Unveils Light-Token Standard: Redefining Token Economics ⭐
Light-Protocol is proud to announce the launch of the Light-Token Standard, a high-performance token program designed to address the critical challenges of cost and scalability within the blockchain ecosystem.
This technology leverages cutting-edge ZK Compression to achieve unprecedented efficiency.
💸 200x Reduction in Account Creation Costs
The Light-Token Standard eliminates the requirement for rent-exemption on Mint Accounts and Token Accounts, drastically lowering costs for projects and end-users.
- Previous Standard (SPL): Account creation often incurred costs amounting to millions of Lamports.
- Current Standard (Light-Token): The cost for creating both Mint and Token Accounts is reduced to approximately 15,000 to 17,000 Lamports.
This monumental shift paves the way for mass-scale token adoption without the prohibitive storage overhead.
🚀 Superior Compute Unit (CU) Efficiency
Beyond being cost-effective, the Light-Token program is significantly more efficient. It demonstrates substantially lower CU usage for critical operations compared to the existing SPL Token Standard.
- Transfer (Base Path): Light-Token requires only 312 CU, vastly more efficient than the 4,645 CU required by SPL.
Projects integrating Light-Token will benefit from faster transactions and reduced gas fees across the board.
🛠️ Interoperability and Integration
The Light-Token Standard is fully interoperable with existing SPL and Token 2022 standards. We invite developers to begin testing integrations for use cases such as:
- Stablecoin Payment Solutions
- More Efficient Digital Wallet Development
- Large-Scale Streaming and Minting Systems
⚡️ The Light-Token Standard is currently live on Devnet.
Developers are encouraged to review the comprehensive documentation and begin building with the future of token standards today.
🔗 Learn More and Get Started:
https://www.zkcompression.com/light-token
#LightProtocol #LightToken #ZKCompression #EfficientBlockchain #Scalability
Light-Protocol is proud to announce the launch of the Light-Token Standard, a high-performance token program designed to address the critical challenges of cost and scalability within the blockchain ecosystem.
This technology leverages cutting-edge ZK Compression to achieve unprecedented efficiency.
💸 200x Reduction in Account Creation Costs
The Light-Token Standard eliminates the requirement for rent-exemption on Mint Accounts and Token Accounts, drastically lowering costs for projects and end-users.
- Previous Standard (SPL): Account creation often incurred costs amounting to millions of Lamports.
- Current Standard (Light-Token): The cost for creating both Mint and Token Accounts is reduced to approximately 15,000 to 17,000 Lamports.
This monumental shift paves the way for mass-scale token adoption without the prohibitive storage overhead.
🚀 Superior Compute Unit (CU) Efficiency
Beyond being cost-effective, the Light-Token program is significantly more efficient. It demonstrates substantially lower CU usage for critical operations compared to the existing SPL Token Standard.
- Transfer (Base Path): Light-Token requires only 312 CU, vastly more efficient than the 4,645 CU required by SPL.
Projects integrating Light-Token will benefit from faster transactions and reduced gas fees across the board.
🛠️ Interoperability and Integration
The Light-Token Standard is fully interoperable with existing SPL and Token 2022 standards. We invite developers to begin testing integrations for use cases such as:
- Stablecoin Payment Solutions
- More Efficient Digital Wallet Development
- Large-Scale Streaming and Minting Systems
Developers are encouraged to review the comprehensive documentation and begin building with the future of token standards today.
https://www.zkcompression.com/light-token
#LightProtocol #LightToken #ZKCompression #EfficientBlockchain #Scalability
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Shido Enters New Phase Toward Tera Mainnet Launch ⚡️
Shido is officially entering its next development phase, shifting its primary focus toward the upcoming launch of the Tera Mainnet.
The public Tera Testnet is currently reported to be operating with high stability and performance, achieving near-instant transactions and 500 ms finality. This milestone validates Shido's core infrastructure and marks a significant step toward a scalable, production-ready network upgrade.
Key Development Highlights:
1. Ongoing Development: The Shido team continues to work through the festive season, focusing on final testing, thorough validation, and full mainnet readiness.
2. Launch Target: Shido is targeting the launch of the new Tera Mainnet in January 2026, positioning the Shido Network for its next stage of growth.
3. Future Vision: Alongside its community and contributors, Shido is building a high-performance foundation for the future of decentralized finance (DeFi).
💰 Official Links:
🌐 https://www.shido.finance
✈️ https://t.me/ShidoGlobal
🐦 https://twitter.com/ShidoGlobal
🎮 https://discord.gg/HN4RK7x8FE
Shido is officially entering its next development phase, shifting its primary focus toward the upcoming launch of the Tera Mainnet.
The public Tera Testnet is currently reported to be operating with high stability and performance, achieving near-instant transactions and 500 ms finality. This milestone validates Shido's core infrastructure and marks a significant step toward a scalable, production-ready network upgrade.
Key Development Highlights:
1. Ongoing Development: The Shido team continues to work through the festive season, focusing on final testing, thorough validation, and full mainnet readiness.
2. Launch Target: Shido is targeting the launch of the new Tera Mainnet in January 2026, positioning the Shido Network for its next stage of growth.
3. Future Vision: Alongside its community and contributors, Shido is building a high-performance foundation for the future of decentralized finance (DeFi).
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Bitcoin expected to be less volatile than Nvidia
Bitcoin will remain less volatile than Nvidia in 2026, according to Bitwise.
The firm attributes this to the fact that “Bitcoin’s volatility has steadily declined over the past 10 years.”
In 2025, Bitcoin’s price swing amounted to 68%, compared with 120% for Nvidia shares.
Bitcoin will remain less volatile than Nvidia in 2026, according to Bitwise.
The firm attributes this to the fact that “Bitcoin’s volatility has steadily declined over the past 10 years.”
In 2025, Bitcoin’s price swing amounted to 68%, compared with 120% for Nvidia shares.
🔥 Korean public company Netmarble’s MARBLEX has made a strategic investment in $OPEN, signaling growing institutional confidence in on-chain AI infrastructure.
With major partnerships including Cambridge and Chainbase, a transparent public technical roadmap, and $OPEN up approximately 15% in the past 24 hours, OpenLedger appears to be reaching a key inflection point.
Market momentum continues to build, and many are now watching closely to see whether $OPEN can move toward the $0.30 range in the near term.
🚀 Official announcement
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English | China | Korea
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Global | China
With major partnerships including Cambridge and Chainbase, a transparent public technical roadmap, and $OPEN up approximately 15% in the past 24 hours, OpenLedger appears to be reaching a key inflection point.
Market momentum continues to build, and many are now watching closely to see whether $OPEN can move toward the $0.30 range in the near term.
🚀 Official announcement
Join Telegram
English | China | Korea
Follow Twitter
Global | China
IMF notes progress in El Salvador’s economy but disputes the country’s BTC course
The IMF positively assessed El Salvador’s economic growth and fiscal discipline under the EFF program.
At the same time, discussions around Bitcoin continue — the fund insists on reducing risks and protecting public funds.
El Salvador’s authorities state that despite the IMF’s position, the country will continue daily BTC purchases.
The IMF positively assessed El Salvador’s economic growth and fiscal discipline under the EFF program.
At the same time, discussions around Bitcoin continue — the fund insists on reducing risks and protecting public funds.
El Salvador’s authorities state that despite the IMF’s position, the country will continue daily BTC purchases.
Blockchain neobanks to grow to $1 trillion by 2030
The neobank market is projected to grow from approximately $149 billion in 2024 to $1 trillion by 2030, and to reach $4.4 trillion by 2034.
Branchless neobanks, which initially emerged as an alternative to traditional banking institutions, are increasingly transitioning to blockchain.
This model eliminates delays associated with cross-border settlements, reduces dependence on closed banking networks, and operates without regional time restrictions.
The neobank market is projected to grow from approximately $149 billion in 2024 to $1 trillion by 2030, and to reach $4.4 trillion by 2034.
Branchless neobanks, which initially emerged as an alternative to traditional banking institutions, are increasingly transitioning to blockchain.
This model eliminates delays associated with cross-border settlements, reduces dependence on closed banking networks, and operates without regional time restrictions.
SEC signals a possible easing of crypto regulation
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is signaling a possible easing of cryptocurrency regulation, reducing market uncertainty.
Regulators may shift from an enforcement-focused model to clearer and more predictable rules.
The market expects increased institutional investment and a stronger US position in the crypto industry.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is signaling a possible easing of cryptocurrency regulation, reducing market uncertainty.
Regulators may shift from an enforcement-focused model to clearer and more predictable rules.
The market expects increased institutional investment and a stronger US position in the crypto industry.
🐳 Tether keeps stacking Bitcoin
In Q4 2025, Tether added 8,888.8888888 BTC to its reserves — worth roughly $780M at the time of purchase.
Total BTC holdings: 96,185 BTC (~$8.42B in value)
The stablecoin giant continues to quietly build one of the largest corporate Bitcoin treasuries, reinforcing its long-term confidence in BTC as a reserve asset.
In Q4 2025, Tether added 8,888.8888888 BTC to its reserves — worth roughly $780M at the time of purchase.
Total BTC holdings: 96,185 BTC (~$8.42B in value)
The stablecoin giant continues to quietly build one of the largest corporate Bitcoin treasuries, reinforcing its long-term confidence in BTC as a reserve asset.
MPX x LBANK - The countdown is ON 🚀
Metapass ($MPX) is officially landing on LBank this January 5th. Be ready!
Deposit opens: 9:00 AM - Jan 5
Trading goes LIVE: 1:00 PM - Jan 5
Withdrawals open: 1:00 PM - Jan 6
Ready for rocketing!🤘
*️⃣ Official Links:
🌐 https://metapass.global
✈️ https://t.me/metapasschat
🐦 https://x.com/MetapassGlobal
Metapass ($MPX) is officially landing on LBank this January 5th. Be ready!
Deposit opens: 9:00 AM - Jan 5
Trading goes LIVE: 1:00 PM - Jan 5
Withdrawals open: 1:00 PM - Jan 6
Ready for rocketing!🤘
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China classifies RWA as banned virtual currencies
Seven of China’s largest financial industry associations have issued a joint letter — a “risk warning” — focused on the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA).
The document characterizes RWA as a high-risk activity, stating that such tokens “cannot guarantee legal ownership rights.”
The collective authorship of the warning reflects the position of Chinese authorities, although the need for its issuance was driven by the growing use of fraudulent schemes exploiting the term “RWA.”
Seven of China’s largest financial industry associations have issued a joint letter — a “risk warning” — focused on the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA).
The document characterizes RWA as a high-risk activity, stating that such tokens “cannot guarantee legal ownership rights.”
The collective authorship of the warning reflects the position of Chinese authorities, although the need for its issuance was driven by the growing use of fraudulent schemes exploiting the term “RWA.”
Altcoins are taking over spot trading
On-chain data shows a clear shift in market activity: altcoins now dominate spot trading volumes. They account for around 50% of total volume, surpassing both Bitcoin (27%) and Ethereum (23%).
This suggests traders are increasingly rotating into higher-risk assets in search of better short-term returns, while BTC and ETH take a back seat.
Historically, such dominance often reflects speculative appetite and can precede periods of heightened volatility across the altcoin market.
On-chain data shows a clear shift in market activity: altcoins now dominate spot trading volumes. They account for around 50% of total volume, surpassing both Bitcoin (27%) and Ethereum (23%).
This suggests traders are increasingly rotating into higher-risk assets in search of better short-term returns, while BTC and ETH take a back seat.
Historically, such dominance often reflects speculative appetite and can precede periods of heightened volatility across the altcoin market.
Polygon becomes a payments platform
Polygon Labs announced the $250 million acquisition of crypto payments company Coinme and wallet infrastructure provider Sequence.
The combined company will gain access to Coinme’s licensing network covering 48 U.S. states, as well as more than 50,000 retail kiosks and ATMs for cash-to-crypto exchanges across the United States.
“We are becoming a regulated payments platform, and our goal is to offer a fully vertically integrated stack that enables anyone to use stablecoins to move money anywhere,” said Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron.
The deal could position Polygon alongside payments giants such as Stripe. However, Boiron noted that the company is focused on partnering with established players as stablecoin adoption continues to grow.
Polygon Labs announced the $250 million acquisition of crypto payments company Coinme and wallet infrastructure provider Sequence.
The combined company will gain access to Coinme’s licensing network covering 48 U.S. states, as well as more than 50,000 retail kiosks and ATMs for cash-to-crypto exchanges across the United States.
“We are becoming a regulated payments platform, and our goal is to offer a fully vertically integrated stack that enables anyone to use stablecoins to move money anywhere,” said Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron.
The deal could position Polygon alongside payments giants such as Stripe. However, Boiron noted that the company is focused on partnering with established players as stablecoin adoption continues to grow.
DeFi Projects Are Leaving Discord Due to Scam Waves
DeFi teams are increasingly distancing themselves from Discord as scam activity becomes overwhelming. Even with strict moderation, scammers continue to reach users through direct messages, impersonation, and fake support.
Morpho has already switched its Discord server to read-only mode, redirecting users to alternative support channels. DeFiLlama is also gradually reducing its reliance on Discord, moving toward ticket systems, email, and live support instead.
The trend highlights a growing security issue: Discord is becoming harder to manage safely for large DeFi communities, pushing projects to seek more controlled and secure communication channels.
DeFi teams are increasingly distancing themselves from Discord as scam activity becomes overwhelming. Even with strict moderation, scammers continue to reach users through direct messages, impersonation, and fake support.
Morpho has already switched its Discord server to read-only mode, redirecting users to alternative support channels. DeFiLlama is also gradually reducing its reliance on Discord, moving toward ticket systems, email, and live support instead.
The trend highlights a growing security issue: Discord is becoming harder to manage safely for large DeFi communities, pushing projects to seek more controlled and secure communication channels.
ETH staking hits a new all-time high
The amount of staked ETH has reached a record level, now approaching 30% of the total circulating supply, according to data from Lido Finance.
This signals strong long-term confidence in Ethereum: more holders are choosing to lock up ETH for yield instead of keeping it liquid or selling. As staking grows, liquid supply on the market shrinks, which can reduce sell pressure — but also increases the network’s dependence on staking infrastructure.
The amount of staked ETH has reached a record level, now approaching 30% of the total circulating supply, according to data from Lido Finance.
This signals strong long-term confidence in Ethereum: more holders are choosing to lock up ETH for yield instead of keeping it liquid or selling. As staking grows, liquid supply on the market shrinks, which can reduce sell pressure — but also increases the network’s dependence on staking infrastructure.
Fed Meeting: No Surprises, Bitcoin Dips
Yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting brought no surprises — the interest rate was left unchanged at 3.75%. 👀
Following the decision, Bitcoin slowly drifted lower overnight, slipping toward the $88,000 level.
Markets took the outcome calmly, with price action reflecting a typical “no news, no momentum” reaction after a predictable Fed decision.
Yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting brought no surprises — the interest rate was left unchanged at 3.75%. 👀
Following the decision, Bitcoin slowly drifted lower overnight, slipping toward the $88,000 level.
Markets took the outcome calmly, with price action reflecting a typical “no news, no momentum” reaction after a predictable Fed decision.