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According to market news, as the price of Bitcoin has fallen more than 40% from last year's peak, large mining companies holding over $8 billion in Bitcoin are quietly accelerating their sell-off.Unlike previous sell-offs aimed at covering costs, this round of selling is reallocating funds to the artificial intelligence sector. Mining companies are repositioning their facilities, which also benefit from cheap electricity and capital-intensive infrastructure, as AI data center operators to secure a more predictable source of income than Bitcoin mining. MARA Holdings, the second-largest holder of Bitcoin after Strategy, is adjusting its strategy and may sell a portion of its nearly $4 billion reserves.CleanSpark and Riot Platforms have restructured their executive teams to accelerate the AI transformation. Bitdeer has emptied its Bitcoin holdings. Analysts point out that the sell-off by mining companies has triggered market anxiety, but the proceeds from the sales are being used for strategic reallocation rather than survival, and the profit outlook for mining companies is actually more optimistic.

The world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, Bybit, today officially announced the comprehensive results of its 2025 Security Initiative. Bybit has built an industry-leading multi-layer defense architecture, successfully protecting the safety of tens of thousands of users and setting a new benchmark for proactive risk control in the digital asset space. According to a report by Chainalysis, global cryptocurrency losses due to scams and fraud reached as high as $17 billion in 2025.Redefining Industry Standards: Three-Tier Withdrawal Fraud Defense FrameworkTo break through the limitations of traditional post-event remediation in risk control, Bybit has pioneered a dynamic risk grading protection system that intervenes proactively before financial losses occur. This system categorizes potential fraud scenarios into three risk levels, each matched with differentiated response strategies—ensuring user withdrawal safety while maintaining a smooth trading experience on the platform.Level 1: Early Warning (Low Risk)Leveraging big data heuristic algorithms to identify abnormal behavior patterns (e.g., large withdrawals concentrated to a single new address), Bybit automatically triggers a risk questionnaire survey. Relevant insights assist the risk control operations team in blacklisting high-risk addresses in advance, achieving source interception.Level 2: Real-Time Warning (Medium Risk)When an account is flagged due to database breaches (cross-referencing external network leak data) or associated with suspicious withdrawal addresses, Bybit will trigger a real-time pop-up reminder during the withdrawal process. This mechanism guides users to pause operations and review transaction details, effectively resisting social engineering attacks that rely on urgency or emotional pressure.Level 3: Instant Interception + Cooling-Off Period (High Risk)For wallet addresses confirmed to be involved in fraud (including so-called "pig-butchering" investment scams), Bybit implements real-time withdrawal interception and enforces a 1-hour cooling-off period mechanism. This critical time window provides users with essential assurance to regain rational judgment and verify the authenticity of transactions.Overview of 2025 Achievements and Core DataThe measures implemented in the fourth quarter of 2025 have brought breakthrough results in user safety protection:Q4 Fraudulent Fund Interception and Recovery: Bybit successfully intercepted and recovered $300 million through proactive reminders, safeguarding the life savings of over 4,000 users;Q4 AI-Driven Risk Identification: Bybit's self-developed AI algorithm accurately identified 350 high-risk investment scam addresses through on-chain data analysis, helping 8,000 users avoid potential withdrawal losses;2025 Annual Infrastructure Resilience: The platform successfully withstood over 3 million hacker database breach (account hijacking) attacks;Q4 On-Chain Proactive Monitoring: The system automatically flagged 350 risk addresses, and the ticket operations team manually reviewed and marked 600 addresses, cumulatively avoiding nearly $1 million in immediate fraud losses.Co-Building a Safe Ecosystem: Industry Collaboration and Government-Enterprise LinkageBybit firmly believes that safety should not be a competitive barrier but a shared responsibility across the industry. The strategic focus for 2025 is on deep integration of external intelligence:"In 2025, our mission is to upgrade the risk control system from a 'silent shield' to a proactive, intelligent safety guardian," said David Zong, Head of Risk Control at Bybit Group. "By deeply integrating AI-driven on-chain monitoring with real-time intelligence from industry partners like TRM, Elliptic, and Chainalysis, we not only protect Bybit users but also help map the 'genetic blueprint' of fraud networks. We are opening and sharing these standardized monitoring clues across the entire ecosystem—because the safety of the industry begins with the safety of each participant."

GoPlus Security warns users to be cautious of a new type of Android malware called PromptSpy. This malware lures users into downloading APK files through phishing websites (such as those disguised as bank websites) and can remotely control devices after obtaining accessibility permissions.What makes PromptSpy unique is its use of the Google Gemini API to analyze the device interface and develop attack strategies, allowing it to better adapt to different phone brands and system versions, thereby increasing the stealth and success rate of the attacks.

The founder of CryptoQuant, Ki Young Ju, expressed dissatisfaction with Coinbase's wallet management model in a post on the X platform. He stated that Coinbase often disrupts wallets under the guise of protecting privacy. Additionally, the AOP (Account Balance) published by Coinbase mixes the balances of exchange and custodial accounts, making it difficult to accurately distinguish between pure exchange reserves and custodial reserves, thereby raising the threshold for on-chain data analysis.CryptoQuant has reverse-engineered the recent changes and adjusted its custom clustering logic to track and capture most real-time Bitcoin inflows and outflows. Currently, its platform only marks wallets that are 100% certain to belong to Coinbase (to avoid misjudgment). Some platforms may display higher reserve numbers, but this does not indicate higher accuracy.

Korean cryptocurrency exchange Korbit announced that it will accept a nearly $2 million fine and an official warning from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) without filing an appeal. The FIU conducted anti-money laundering on-site inspections of all fiat exchanges in South Korea in October 2024, discovering approximately 22,000 violations at Korbit, including 12,800 instances of accepting vague or unclear identification documents, as well as allowing users to trade without completing KYC verification.Korbit stated, "We respect and humbly accept the FIU's decision to ensure the transparency and healthy development of the cryptocurrency market, and we have completed all corrective measures." As the first cryptocurrency exchange in South Korea, Korbit's market share has now shrunk to 0.5%, with an average daily trading volume of only about $12 million. Securities giant Mirae Asset is advancing an acquisition deal, with amounts ranging from $68 million to $95 million.

Solid Intel posted on platform X that Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, now accepts ETH for space travel payments.

According to the Financial Times, the Defense Export Center (Mindex) under the Iranian Ministry of Defense has announced that it is ready to negotiate military contracts, allowing for various payment methods, including digital currencies, barter trade, or payments in Iranian rials.As the agency responsible for Iran's overseas defense sales, Mindex has listed advanced weapons for export, including Emad ballistic missiles, Shahed drones, Suleimani-class warships, and short-range air defense systems, aiming to circumvent Western financial sanctions.

Binance customer service representative Sisi disclosed a new type of scam on platform X and reminded everyone to pay attention to fund security. A user complained that they were scammed out of money by a "Binance executive" who promised to help solve a problem, but after the money was transferred, there was no further communication.Upon further investigation, several red flags were discovered: first, the scam was very simple; the chat screenshots and transfer records provided by the user showed that the "executive" did not verify any details, yet the user "absolutely trusted" them and transferred the money directly; second, the transfer records were suspicious, as the address claimed by the user to be the scam address was likely their own; third, the chat records "disappeared," and the user claimed that the other party had activated privacy mode, only able to provide screenshots of "post-questioning"; fourth, the account the user questioned was that of a real executive, but the executive was unaware of the situation.After the investigation, it was revealed that this was a self-directed scam targeting Binance and its users. The user fabricated chat records and transfer records (using a certain guarantee platform for the transfer records), then falsely claimed that the chat records were deleted, and later questioned the real executive's account, creating two sets of "executive" screenshots. Then, they approached customer service with the real executive's chat records, requesting verification, attempting to induce a response from customer service, and threatening to apply pressure through social media if assistance was not provided.Sisi stated that the purpose of sharing this publicly is to raise awareness and prevent various new types of scams. They also warned scammers and speculators that actions attempting to frame Binance through forgery and deception will be firmly exposed and legally pursued. Binance reminds users that the platform will not proactively contact users through unofficial channels, nor will it ask users to transfer funds or pay any fees to designated addresses.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin published an article titled "Balance of Power," exploring the concepts of power and balance. Vitalik believes that more projects should clearly consider not only the "business model" (i.e., how to raise resources to support their work) but also the "decentralization model" (i.e., how to avoid the concentration of power within themselves and the risks associated with having such power).In some cases, decentralization is easy: relatively few people care about dominance. English, or more precisely, open protocols like TCP, IP, and HTTP. In other cases, decentralization is difficult to achieve because use cases in certain situations require conscious action. How to gain the advantages of flexibility without bearing its downsides will remain an important challenge for a long time to come.

According to the official announcement, Gate has officially launched a new structured derivative "Smart Leverage." This product helps users avoid unexpected position losses caused by short-term extreme fluctuations or "spike" markets during high volatility periods by exempting the forced liquidation mechanism during the subscription period, allowing them to focus more on trend judgment and strategy execution.Smart Leverage supports high leverage configurations, with returns based on the settlement price at maturity. While improving capital efficiency, the user's maximum potential loss is limited to the principal of a single subscription, with no risk of liquidation or additional liabilities. The initial offerings include BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, and ADA, and users can participate through the Gate official website and Gate App.In addition, Gate is launching a limited-time experience event. From December 30, 2025, 14:00 to January 7, 2026, 14:00 (UTC+8), the first 1,000 users who subscribe to Smart Leverage for the first time will automatically receive a +100% APR (annualized) cash subsidy without needing to register. Regardless of the final profit or loss of the order, the subsidy will be distributed based on the subscription principal, significantly reducing the user's cost of the first order experience. In the future, the Gate platform will continue to improve its structured product matrix, providing more flexible and diverse trading options for users with different risk preferences.

According to the Securities Times, Douyin released the "Douyin Community Financial Industry Convention (Trial)," which mentions, "It is prohibited to package and publish illegal financial content related to virtual currency exchange business, providing information intermediary and pricing services for virtual currency transactions under the concepts of blockchain, digital assets, etc.; it is prohibited to analyze or predict individual stock buying and selling prices, promote future trends, provide investment consulting advice, and other illegal stock recommendation behaviors in the name of popular science."

Norwegian Travel Retail Company (TRN) has announced that it will accept Bitcoin payments at Oslo Airport. The payment solution is provided by Satoshi Consult, which has developed a system compliant with Norwegian regulations.This solution is currently only available for orders picked up in-store after arriving in Oslo, but Norwegian Travel Retail Company (TRN) is considering expanding it to other stores and payment methods. There will be no additional fees for using Bitcoin payments, although network or platform fees may appear in the customer's wallet.

Binance Alpha will launch VOOI (VOOI), and Alpha trading will officially start on December 18, 2025, at 11:00 (UTC). Users with at least 225 Binance Alpha points can participate in the airdrop. On the Alpha event page, users can claim an airdrop of 335 VOOI tokens.This event adopts a "decreasing cost" model: at the beginning of the event, claiming the airdrop requires 30 Binance Alpha points. During the event, the required points decrease by 5 points every minute, with a minimum of only 10 points needed to claim. Please note that users must confirm their claim on the Alpha event page within 24 hours; otherwise, the airdrop will be considered forfeited.

The cross-chain smart wallet project Blocto announced on social media:"After serving over 2 million users for five years, we are heavy-hearted to announce that the Blocto wallet service will soon be terminated.As one of the earliest ecosystem supporters of Flow, Blocto built the main infrastructure of this ecosystem, including the Blocto wallet, BloctoSwap, Blocto cross-chain bridge, and BloctoBay. We also established the most utilized FLOW staking node. We have partnered with top projects and served millions of users, for which we are immensely proud.However, solely focusing on creating excellent products is not always sustainable. With the price of FLOW dropping from nearly $40 in 2021 to currently below $0.3 (a decline of over 99%), Blocto has been operating at a significant loss. Over the past few years, we have incurred over $5.5 million in losses to maintain community services. But this cannot continue indefinitely. Realizing that our operating funds are about to run out, we began attempting to communicate with the leadership of Flow/Dapper starting in June of this year.After six months of relentless efforts, we have not been able to secure a single meeting with the leadership. Each email exchange takes weeks, while our remaining funds continue to deplete. During these months, we have neither received clear support nor been able to engage in constructive discussions about a sustainable development path. Now, we have no funds left to continue bearing these costs.Effective December 18, 2025, at 7 PM Pacific Standard Time (termination date), the Blocto wallet, BloctoSwap, and Blocto cross-chain bridge will cease operations. The staking service of Blocto's own nodes will not be affected."It is worth noting that Blocto completed a Series A funding round in February 2023 with a valuation of $80 million, with participation from Mark Cuban, IPX, and 500 Global, although the specific amount raised was not disclosed. At that time, Blocto had already supported the Aptos, Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Flow, and BNB Chain networks.

According to The Block, the L1 blockchain project Fogo originally planned a $20 million token presale (accounting for 2% of the total supply) but canceled it. The FOGO tokens intended for the presale will instead be airdropped to the community, and the 2% of tokens originally allocated to core contributors have been burned. According to the tokenomics model, 38.98% of the tokens will be unlocked at the network launch on January 13, which includes the airdrop portion that can be traded immediately, tokens for foundation operations, and the core contributors' portion that will be unlocked in phases. The token distribution includes approximately 1/3 for the foundation, 34% for core contributors (with a four-year lock-up), 8.77% for institutional investors, 7% for advisors, and 11.25% for the community.

German automaker BMW Group (BMW AG) has begun using a blockchain-based system to automate part of its foreign exchange transactions, as companies increasingly seek to leverage the technology behind cryptocurrencies to accelerate and simplify the billions of dollars in cross-border payment processes.The company is using JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Kinexys platform, which automatically reallocates euros from its Frankfurt account when BMW's dollar account balance in New York falls below a set threshold.

The Australian Treasury and the Department of Financial Services submitted the "2025 Corporations Act Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill" to Parliament, establishing the country's first comprehensive regulatory framework for businesses that hold digital assets on behalf of clients.The bill introduces two new categories of financial products: digital asset platforms and tokenized custody platforms, both of which must obtain an Australian Financial Services License. Digital asset platforms encompass facilities where operators hold customer crypto assets and provide transaction functionalities such as transfers, buying, selling, or staking; tokenized custody platforms handle real-world assets such as bonds, real estate, and commodities. Platforms must adhere to the custody and settlement standards set by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Platforms with each customer holding assets of less than $5,000 and an annual trading volume below $10 million may be exempt from full licensing requirements. The Australian government stated that the bill could unlock $24 billion in annual productivity gains, and non-compliant businesses will face fines in the millions of dollars.