The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons. source: https://www.theblock.co/post/383227/the-daily-coinbase-stocks-prediction-markets-sec-crypto-custody-guidance-sofi-launches-stablecoin-more?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss

Kraken-backed xStocks launches U. S. tokenized stocks on TON blockchain, integrated with Telegram. source: https://coincu.com/news/kraken-xstocks-us-tokenized-telegram/

Ethereum Foundation (EF) researchers have raised fresh concerns over a growing technical challenge known as state bloat, warning that unchecked growth in on-chain data could gradually undermine Ethereum’s decentralization. The warning was published on December 18, 2025, by the Foundation’s Stateless Consensus research team. source: https://www.ethnews.com/ethereum-researchers-warn-state-growth-could-threaten-network-decentralization/

Chainlink has partnered with 24 financial institutions to launch an infrastructure that seeks to improve corporate actions processing. source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/chainlink-with-24-financial-institutions/

null source: https://x.com/reutersbiz/status/2001733063575846939

null source: https://x.com/reutersbiz/status/2001732949369327732

Intercontinental Exchange is in talks to invest in MoonPay's latest funding round. source: https://www.bankless.com/read/news/nyse-parent-company-contemplates-investment-in-moonpay

According to Cointelegraph, representatives from the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), a nonprofit advocating for Bitcoin, have expressed concerns over the exclusion of Bitcoin from a proposed de minimis tax exemption by U.S. lawmakers. Conner Brown, BPI’s head of strategy, highlighted on X that the current legislative focus might limit tax exemptions to stablecoins, leaving Bitcoin transactions without similar relief. Brown described this exclusion as a significant oversight. In July, Senator Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming introduced a bill suggesting a de minimis tax exemption for cryptocurrency transactions under $300, with an annual cap of $5,000 on tax-free transactions and sales. The proposal also includes tax exemptions for digital assets used in charitable donations and tax deferment for crypto earned through mining proof-of-work (PoW) protocols or staking to secure blockchain networks. Advocates for Bitcoin argue that such exemptions could enhance Bitcoin's role as a medium of exchange, rather than merely a store of value, potentially fostering a financial system based on a Bitcoin standard. The debate over de minimis tax exemptions has also sparked discussions about their applicability to stablecoins, which are designed to maintain a stable value. Marty Bent, founder of the media company Truth for The Commoner (TFTC), questioned the necessity of such exemptions for stablecoins, arguing that their stable value renders the exemption illogical. Cointelegraph reached out to BPI for comments on the proposed legislation but had not received a response at the time of publication. Despite Bitcoin's increasing value, its use as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, as envisioned by its creator Satoshi Nakamoto in the 2009 white paper, remains limited. High transaction fees, average block times of about 10 minutes, and capital gains taxes hinder Bitcoin's adoption as a payment method for goods and services. Many investors prefer to hold Bitcoin long-term, sometimes leveraging their holdings to secure fiat currency for daily expenses. The Bitcoin Lightning Network, a second-layer protocol, aims to facilitate BTC payments by enabling multiple offchain transactions within a payment channel between users. This system allows for faster and cheaper transactions, as only the final net balance is recorded on the Bitcoin ledger once the channel is closed, eliminating the need for new blocks to be mined or network fees for each transaction within the channel.

U. S. asset manager Bitwise has forecast a wave of new crypto-linked exchange-traded funds (ETFs), predicting that more than 100 such products could launch in the United States by 2026 as regulatory clarity accelerates and issuer barriers fall. source: https://cryptonews.com/news/bitwise-predicts-etf-palooza-as-over-100-crypto-linked-etfs-set-to-launch-in-the-u-s-by-2026/

The latest development comes as tokenized U. S. equities begin circulating inside TON Wallet, giving Telegram users direct exposure to stocks […] The post Tokenized U. S. source: https://coindoo.com/tokenized-u-s-stocks-arrive-inside-telegrams-blockchain-ecosystem/

Vaults are one of the concepts in the cryptocurrency world that everyone thinks they understand, mainly because they seem simple and easy to understand.

Jinse Finance launches the "Jinse Web3.0 Daily," providing you with the latest and fastest news on MEME, DeFi, DAO, NFT, and the metaverse industry.

"The future of finance is on Coinbase. All in one app," Coinbase states in just two short sentences, outlining its vision for 2026 and beyond.

Recommended reading tonight: 1. Looking Back at 2025: 18 Milestones in the Crypto Industry; 2. Ethereum Foundation: Ethereum State Evolution Path and Future Challenges; 3. Post-Election Prediction Markets: How to Re-accelerate in 2025;

Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research and ex-girlfriend of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, has been quietly transferred out of federal prison after serving approximately 11 months of her two-year sentence, according to Business Insider.

OpenAI is in early talks to raise up to $100 billion at a valuation of $750 billion. The company is also preparing for a public listing that could value it at around $1 trillion.

Ethereum has grown from a small, experimental network into a key component of the global infrastructure.

Despite strong momentum in 2025, prediction market trading volume still represents only a small fraction of the overall sports betting industry.

Capital A, the parent company of AirAsia, and Standard Chartered Malaysia signed a letter of intent to develop a ringgit-backed stablecoin. The project will be piloted under Bank Negara Malaysia’s oversight, with Standard Chartered as issuer and Capital A testing wholesale use cases.

A Singapore-based entrepreneur has fallen victim to a sophisticated crypto malware scam, losing over $14,000 in digital assets after downloading a seemingly legitimate online game launcher.