NullWhisperer

【Blockchain Rhythm】An interesting trend worth paying attention to—Tom Lee, Chairman of Ethereum Treasury Company, recently teased a plan on social media, revealing that the company needs to increase authorized share capital, with three main considerations behind it.
First is financing flexibility, to gain more operational space for the company through ATM mechanisms and financing needs; second is to avoid being constrained by share capital when seizing strategic opportunities like mergers and acquisitions; the third and most core reason is to reserve sufficient authorized space for future stock splits.
Here is a logical chain worth pondering: Lee believes that as Ethereum is validated as the future of finance, the target exchange rate for ETH and BTC could potentially reach 0.25. If ETH rises to $250,000 in the future, the company's stock price could surge to $5,000. In this way, the barrier for ordinary investors to participate becomes too high. Therefore, the company plans to reset the stock price through a stock split to 2

The creator of the Solana ecosystem token $LAMB announced the launch of a new cryptocurrency project on the XRP Ledger, aiming to introduce value through decentralized governance. However, the XRP community's reactions have been mixed, questioning the project's feasibility and the reliability of its forecasts, emphasizing the importance of tangible results.

【Chain Wen】The 2016 Bitfinex Bitcoin theft that shook the crypto world has new developments. Hacker Ilya Lichtenstein has been released early due to participation in a rehabilitation program. The reason behind this is the First Step Act signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018, which provides inmates with the opportunity for sentence reduction through rehabilitation.
The full story is as follows: Lichtenstein was sentenced to 5 years in prison in November 2024 for assisting in money laundering involving nearly 120,000 Bitcoins (worth approximately $4.5 billion at the time of the incident). His wife Heather Morgan (online alias Razzlekhan) was sentenced to 18 months for co-participation in the crime and was released in October 2025.
This case was once one of the largest thefts in cryptocurrency history, but now it has been

Recently, an executive from a compliant platform stated that institutional investors are beginning to promote Bitcoin to clients, indicating a shift in traditional finance's attitude towards digital assets. Industry insiders are optimistic about Bitcoin's prospects in 2026, suggesting that the market cycle may enter a new phase.

In the first week of 2026, gold and silver continued to rise strongly, but the market remains cautious about the pressure from the rebalancing of the index. Precious metal prices are supported by expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts, with analysis predicting gold could reach $4,900 per ounce. However, in the next two weeks, there may be a risk of up to 13% in silver position liquidations, leading to increased volatility.

Chief Investment Officer of investment firm Navellier&Associates, Louis Navellier, predicts that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates four times by 2026 to address softening housing prices and deflationary pressures. He points out that sustained tightening policies are difficult to maintain, and such rate cuts could impact market liquidity, especially affecting the digital asset market.

Recently, a major HYPE holder, after remaining silent for a year, unstaked 631,889 HYPE tokens within three days through different wallets, valued at approximately $20.3 million. These tokens were purchased within three weeks after the TGE, indicating privacy considerations. This move accounts for about 14%-15% of their total holdings and is interpreted as a risk management or market judgment signal.

At the beginning of 2026, the altcoin market experienced a new upward cycle, with price fluctuations diverging from fundamentals. Market sentiment gradually shifted from speculation back to practical value. Layer 1 ecosystem transaction volume hit a new high, and analysts expect a major cycle for Layer 1.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that Amir Zaidi has rejoined as Chief of Staff, which could impact digital asset regulatory policies. Zaidi previously advocated for the approval of Bitcoin futures contracts, and his extensive industry experience will help address changes in the crypto market.

Latest data monitoring shows that there is no new capital inflow into the Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF markets. The 30-day moving average net inflow remains negative, and institutional investors are still on the sidelines. The market needs more positive signals to attract funds.

The US stock market opened steadily, with the Dow Jones up 0.01%, the S&P 500 up 0.06%, and the Nasdaq up 0.09%. The crypto sector performed strongly, with BitMine rising 0.94%. A decentralized RWA trading platform launched hundreds of RWA tokens, accelerating the on-chain liquidity release of traditional assets.

【BlockBeats】Interesting employment data came out at the end of December. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits during the Christmas week dropped from 215,000 to 199,000, which looks pretty good— but here’s the problem: the forecast was 220,000, so this decline was actually smaller than expected.
Economists are cautious about this data. The reason is simple: the seasonal adjustment during holiday weeks was particularly strong this year, casting doubt on the data’s reliability. They believe we need to wait until mid to late January to see a more accurate signal from initial jobless claims.
That said, the total number of layoffs remains low, which is a positive sign. The December non-farm payrolls data to be released next week is expected to show an increase of 75,000 jobs. But this doesn’t mean the outlook is entirely optimistic. Economists predict the unemployment rate will rise to 4.7%, partly because the labor force participation rate is increasing—that is, more people are re-entering the job market, increasing competition.
So overall, the picture

A cryptocurrency payment platform is advancing acquisition negotiations and plans to introduce an AI-driven biometric verification system to enhance security and compliance standards. The current pre-sale phase has surpassed $117,404, indicating market demand for secure crypto solutions. The combination of biometrics and AI offers new approaches to improve on-chain interaction security, and future efforts should find a balance between openness and security.

【Blockchain Rhythm】Since Trump's second term, the attitude towards cryptocurrency policy in the United States has become quite apparent, with the industry generally feeling a warm breeze of policy friendliness. 2026 is almost universally regarded as a decisive year, as the upcoming months will determine the regulatory landscape of the entire industry.
Let's first look at the actions at the beginning of the year. The Senate is expected to hold a hearing on the Crypto Market Structure Act in January. Once passed, this bill will be highly significant—it will clearly delineate the regulatory boundaries between the SEC and CFTC for the first time, thoroughly resolving the long-standing ambiguity over regulatory authority. At the same time, the SEC is also considering introducing an "Innovation Exemption" mechanism, which is undoubtedly a positive development for startups, as it can significantly reduce compliance costs.
Moving into the mid-term, there are two key dates to watch closely. On May 15, Jerome Powell's term as Federal Reserve Chair will expire. Trump's newly appointed candidate is expected to adopt a more dovish stance, which will impact the value of crypto assets.

A leading exchange will delist multiple spot trading pairs, including ARKM/BNB and EGLD/RON, on January 2, 2026. Investors should prepare in advance, monitor liquidity changes, and plan their trades accordingly.

Bitwise submitted 11 ETF applications to the U.S. SEC on December 30, covering multiple mainstream crypto assets, including DeFi, privacy coins, and emerging public chains. The ETF adopts a dual allocation model, with 60% directly holding cryptocurrencies and 40% investing in related ETPs. This move demonstrates traditional financial institutions' deep engagement with the crypto market.