🚨 Michael Saylor’s Strategy Pauses Bitcoin Buying as Crypto Market Anticipates a ‘Santa Rally’

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🇯🇵 Bybit to Cease Services for Japan-Based Users Amid Regulatory Compliance

🚫 Bybit has announced that it will discontinue its services for residents of Japan and will implement account restrictions starting in 2026. This decision was made to comply with local regulations. Users who receive a residency notice must complete Identity Verification Level 2 (proof of address/KYC 2) by January 22, 2026, to maintain access to the platform. Failure to do so will result in being classified as Japanese residents and facing service limitations.

📜 This move is part of Bybit's proactive compliance strategy with Japanese regulatory requirements. Affected customers are directed to the verification portal and are encouraged to reach out to Bybit's support team for any assistance they may need.

Completion of Identity Verification Level 2 (POA/KYC 2) by January 22, 2026

is required for Japanese users, and gradual account restrictions will begin in 2026 for these residents. The only users impacted by this change are those residing in Japan.

📉 The Phantom Bitcoin Crash: Understanding the December 25 Incident

🚨 On Christmas Day, a viral post on X claimed that Bitcoin had plummeted to $24,000, causing a stir on social media. However, this was not a market collapse but rather a localized "flash crash" affecting a specific trading pair on Binance.

📊 The panic was triggered by a 72% drop in Bitcoin's price within seconds. Yet, this volatility was limited to the BTC/USD1 pair on Binance. During this brief period, the primary trading pair, BTC/USDT, which accounts for most of Bitcoin's trading volume, remained stable above $86,400. By December 26, Bitcoin's price was rising again, nearing $89,000.

“The ‘crash’ existed on exactly one order book,”

market analyst Shanaka Anslem Perera stated.

“It wasn’t a bitcoin crash; it was a liquidity vacuum.”

💧 The flash crash was attributed to a Binance promotion that offered a 20% annual percentage yield on deposits of USD1, a stablecoin. This high yield led traders to swap USDT for USD1 aggressively, draining liquidity from the BTC/USD1 pair. When a large market sell order was placed, the price dropped to $24,111 before being quickly corrected by arbitrage bots.

⚠️ Perera noted that a similar incident occurred on December 10 with the same trading pair. He warned that promotional trading pairs in the stablecoin sector can behave like "landmines" for traders. As long as these yield campaigns continue to disrupt liquidity, such "wicks" are likely to recur.

🔍 In summary, the December 25 incident was a reminder that not all price movements reflect the broader market. For informed traders, it serves as a lesson in market dynamics; for casual observers, it highlights the importance of context in interpreting market data.

🚨 ETH Treasury: Trend Research Uses USDT Loans to Expand Holdings to $1.8B, Eyes 2026 Bull Run

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📉 Bitcoin and Ether ETFs Struggle While XRP and Solana Show Resilience

🔻 The week leading up to the year-end saw Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) facing significant outflows, while XRP and Solana funds maintained their positive momentum. From December 22 to December 26, thin liquidity and cautious investor positioning characterized the market.

💸 Bitcoin spot ETFs experienced a sharp net outflow of $782 million, with all 12 funds reporting losses. Blackrock’s IBIT was a major contributor to this decline, suffering consecutive daily exits that resulted in one of its weakest weekly performances of the quarter. Fidelity’s FBTC also faced pressure, recording daily outflows that significantly added to the weekly total. Other funds like Grayscale’s GBTC and Bitwise’s BITB saw persistent redemptions, highlighting a trend of traditional products losing ground during risk-off periods.

📉 Ether spot ETFs fared slightly better but still ended the week in the red with a net outflow of $102.34 million. Blackrock’s ETHA bore much of the downside, while Grayscale’s ETHE fluctuated throughout the week but ultimately contributed to the net outflow. However, its Ether Mini Trust saw a substantial inflow. Smaller products like Bitwise’s ETHW and Franklin’s EZET also experienced light but consistent redemptions, indicating a subdued institutional appetite for ETH exposure as the year comes to a close.

💪 In contrast, XRP ETFs continued their strong post-launch performance, recording a weekly net inflow of $64 million. Franklin’s XRPZ led the group by absorbing the majority of new capital, while other funds like Bitwise’s XRP and Grayscale’s GXRP also added incremental inflows. This reinforces XRP’s position as one of the strongest ETF narratives as 2025 approaches.

🌟 Solana ETFs ended the week on a positive note with a collective net inflow of $13.14 million. Fidelity’s FSOL and Bitwise’s BSOL were the primary drivers, while Grayscale’s GSOL and Vaneck’s VSOL made smaller but steady contributions. These uniform inflows reflect sustained confidence in SOL exposure despite broader market caution.

📊 Overall, the week highlighted a clear divide in investor behavior. While Bitcoin and Ether ETFs faced year-end de-risking, XRP and Solana continued to benefit from structural demand and momentum from newer products.

📉 Year-End Crypto ETF Trends: Altcoins Gain Ground Over Bitcoin and Ether

📊 As 2025 came to a close, investors continued to reduce their exposure to bitcoin and ether ETFs, while XRP and Solana saw a slight increase in capital. The thin holiday liquidity amplified these movements, indicating a cautious positioning as we head into the new year.

💰 Bitcoin spot ETFs ended the year with a significant $348.10 million outflow. Blackrock’s IBIT led the way with $99.05 million in redemptions, followed by Ark & 21Shares’ ARKB with $76.53 million and Grayscale’s GBTC shedding $69.09 million. Other funds like Fidelity’s FBTC and Bitwise’s BITB also experienced notable outflows. Despite these heavy redemptions, net assets held steady at $113.29 billion.

📉 Ether ETFs also closed the year lower, recording a $72.06 million net outflow. The largest share came from Grayscale’s Ether Mini Trust with a $31.98 million exit, followed by Blackrock’s ETHA and Vaneck’s ETHV. Total value traded was $808.12 million, with net assets ending at $17.95 billion.

📈 In contrast, XRP ETFs saw a positive trend with a $5.58 million inflow. Franklin’s XRPZ led this group, while Bitwise’s XRP also added to the gains. Trading activity totaled $22.36 million with stable net assets at $1.24 billion.

🌟 Solana ETFs finished the year on a high note as well, posting a modest $2.29 million inflow driven by Bitwise’s BSOL. Total value traded reached $34.40 million, bringing net assets close to the $1 billion milestone at $950.82 million.

🔍 Overall, the final trading day of 2025 highlighted a selective approach to crypto ETF exposure. While bitcoin and ether ETFs faced sustained outflow pressure, XRP and Solana quietly attracted capital, signaling a shift in investor preferences as we move into 2026.

🆕 Vitalik Buterin Announces Major Ethereum Upgrades

🚀 Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has revealed that recent upgrades have significantly enhanced the blockchain's performance. He stated that zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (ZK-EVMs) have achieved production-quality performance and that PeerDAS data-availability sampling is now operational on the mainnet. These advancements provide Ethereum with decentralized consensus and high bandwidth.

🔄 Buterin compared these improvements to previous peer-to-peer models like Bittorrent's bandwidth-heavy, consensus-free design and Bitcoin's consensus-only, low-bandwidth replication. He emphasized that the remaining work focuses on safety, with full ZK-EVM deployment expected by 2026 and larger gas-limit increases anticipated through 2027-2030.

🗺 Additionally, Buterin outlined a roadmap for distributed block building aimed at reducing centralized control and enhancing geographic fairness, all while adhering to applicable regulatory environments.

🚨 Will Ethereum Price Hold $3,100 Level Amid U.S.-Venezuela Conflict?

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💰 Introducing Buck: A Savings-Focused Digital Asset

🌟 The Buck Foundation has launched a new digital asset designed for savings and backed by Strategy’s bitcoin-collateralized perpetual preferred stock. This innovative product offers holders a 7% annual reward that accrues continuously, positioning itself as a savings-oriented alternative to traditional stablecoins.

🔗 The credibility of the Buck digital asset is reinforced by its backing from the Buck Foundation’s holdings in Strategy’s perpetual preferred stock (STRC). STRC is a bitcoin-collateralized instrument that provides monthly returns to Buck’s treasury at a variable annual rate. Token holders can vote on the distribution of these earnings, fostering a transparent savings community rooted in STRC’s overcollateralization.

💼 Buck Labs, the U.S. technology company behind this initiative, is led by Travis Vanderzanden, a seasoned bitcoin investor and former executive at Lyft and Uber. Vanderzanden emphasizes that Buck is designed to offer a straightforward way for people to earn crypto rewards without speculation. He stated,

By offering access to the Bitcoin Dollar with 7% rewards, we aim to make saving in crypto intuitive and accessible for everyone.

💵 Priced at $1 per token, Buck allows for 24/7 trading with rewards accruing based on the exact duration of token ownership. This enables investors to transact directly in cryptocurrency, avoiding fiat conversions and traditional banking systems. The aim is to provide a borderless and user-friendly savings experience.

🔄 Vanderzanden also highlights Buck’s complementary role to stablecoins:

Stablecoins act as the checking account, providing liquidity for daily activity. Buck is positioned as the high-reward savings coin, delivering dependable returns and financial discipline.

🩺 The End of Bitcoin's Four-Year Cycle? Willy Woo Weighs In

🔍 Willy Woo, an on-chain analyst, is challenging the growing skepticism surrounding Bitcoin's four-year cycle. He argues that the data still supports this traditional pattern until at least 2026. Woo compares the misinterpretation of social media to misunderstanding a heartbeat's existence when its pace varies.

if your heart beats at 70 bpm and drops slightly while you sleep, it does not mean a resting heartbeat no longer exists just because the timing varied

Woo explains. He suggests that minor deviations in timing or intensity due to external factors do not undermine the fundamental health of the four-year cycle driven by supply and demand mechanics.

⚖️ Woo's perspective contrasts with industry leaders like Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan and researcher Ryan Rasmussen. They argue that the 2024–2026 period signifies a permanent shift in Bitcoin's macro reality. They believe that the forces driving these cycles, such as halving and leverage-fueled busts, are weaker than before. They assert that the influx of institutional capital through spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is creating a prolonged bull market without the violent crashes of the past.

📈 Experts interviewed by Bitcoin News support this view, stating that institutional capital flows and ETF demand now shape Bitcoin's trajectory more than miner reward halvings. This shift has resulted in slower, steadier movements rather than the sharp boom-and-bust patterns of earlier cycles. They argue that Bitcoin has outgrown its halving-driven DNA and is now influenced more by institutional adoption and macroeconomic forces.

No, that was Murad’s fund,” Woo explained. “My first fund was Crest in 2022; it’s 4 years old and is still operational today having delivered consistent returns

Woo responded to a critic questioning his credibility. He pointed to two primary drivers supporting the cycle: the internal halving supply shock and the four-year global liquidity cycle that determines risk-on/risk-off behavior.

Two impacts: internal halvening supply shock and 4-year global liquidity cycle determining risk on/off

Woo noted that Bitcoin has historically led the macro market into risk-off environments. He mentioned that the current federal injection of billions into the market may eventually fuel the cyclical expansion he expects to continue.

🚨 Breaking: JPMorgan Now Expects No Fed Rate Cuts in 2026, Bitcoin Falters

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🌐 Animoca Brands Expands Web3 Ecosystem with Somo Acquisition

🤝 On January 14, 2026, Animoca Brands completed its acquisition of Somo, integrating the latter's digital collectibles and gaming noscripts into its global Web3 network. This strategic move aims to combine Somo's crypto-native collectible mechanics with Animoca's extensive platforms and community reach to enhance cross-promotion and growth.

🌍 "The acquisition aims to connect it to our global network of games, communities, and partners," said Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands. This integration will leverage Animoca's existing tokenization and blockchain infrastructure to scale Somo's interoperable game loop and collectible economy. The rollout will adhere to applicable laws and platform integrations in each jurisdiction.

📅 Key details of the acquisition include:
- Acquired Entity: Somo, including its collectible games and gaming ecosystem.
- Completion Date: January 14, 2026.
- Integration Purpose: To incorporate Somo into Animoca's global Web3 ecosystem for cross-promotion and community growth.

📉 The Absence of Altseason: Analyzing the 2025 Cryptocurrency Landscape

📊 In 2025, Bitcoin reached unprecedented heights, yet the expected "altseason"—a period of capital rotation towards altcoins following Bitcoin peaks—failed to materialize. Analysts attribute this to several factors: institutional ETF inflows, diluted capital from numerous new token launches, and a shift in investor preference towards utility-driven projects.

While market participants waited for the customary flood of liquidity into smaller-cap assets, the altcoin index told a different story.

📉 The altcoin index, which measures altcoins' performance against Bitcoin, only briefly reached the critical 75-point threshold once during the latter half of the year. For the rest of 2025, it remained at levels indicating that Bitcoin's dominance was becoming a permanent aspect of the market.

🤔 This shift from historical trends has sparked intense debate among analysts and investors. The focus has shifted from when altseason will occur to whether the concept of a synchronized altseason is still relevant. Contributing factors to this stagnation include the influx of institutional capital through spot Bitcoin ETFs and the overwhelming number of new token launches each month, which dilute capital and hinder a unified rally.

These narratives sparked brief bursts of activity but failed to develop into durable, market-wide rallies.

📉 According to Wintermute's 2025 Digital Asset OTC Markets Review, altcoin rallies typically lasted 45 to 60 days between 2022 and 2024. However, in 2025, they averaged just under 20 days. This decline is attributed to market fatigue, structural constraints, and insufficient altcoin liquidity to sustain narratives beyond their initial phases.

The overall verdict is that the market has transitioned from “clean” four-year cycles to a regime of selective speculation.

📉 Additionally, a significant liquidation event on October 10, 2025, which wiped out approximately $19 billion, acted as a psychological turning point. This led retail traders to retreat to major tokens perceived as safer. The overwhelming volume of new token launches further complicated the situation; by year-end, about 85% of altcoins traded below their launch price, making a unified market rally nearly impossible.

🔍 In conclusion, the cryptocurrency market has shifted from predictable four-year cycles to a landscape characterized by selective speculation. Future altcoin performance will depend more on specific utility and structural demand rather than broad momentum shifts driven by Bitcoin.

🚨 Bitcoin Treasury Firm K33 Rolls Out Crypto-Backed Loans for BTC Investors

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