🏦 Banks Shift Onchain, Aave Vote Sparks Clash

U.S. banks prep for onchain finance shift, Russia eyes retail crypto access, Aave faces governance rift over holiday vote, and more.

Author

Bernadette Winston
December 23, 2025

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Good afternoon,

Bitcoin drifts lower as a $28B options expiry casts a shadow over thinning holiday liquidity and a renewed appetite for traditional safe havens like gold. Meanwhile, U.S. banks quietly rebuild core financial infrastructure to prepare for a shift to onchain finance, Russia signals support for retail crypto trading, and tensions rise in Aave governance over a controversial holiday season vote.

Let’s unpack it all! 👇

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News Roundup

Artificial Intelligence

  • AI Models Agree Crypto Users Obsessed Over Cycles, Profits, and Risk in 2025 (Wu Blockchain)

  • OpenAI Details New Push to Defend ChatGPT Atlas From Prompt Injection Attacks (OpenAI)

Decentralized, Centralized, & Traditional Finance

  • Erebor Secures $350M Raise After Getting FDIC Approval (The Block)

  • U.S. Banks Quietly Rewire Core Financial Infrastructure for an Onchain Future (Cointelegraph)

  • IMF Advances Talks on Privatizing El Salvador’s Chivo Wallet (Crypto Briefing)

  • Ethereum Stablecoin Transaction Volume Growth Shifts From P2P to Business Payments (James Smith)

  • OpenEden Brings Treasury-Backed Yield to Solana With cUSDO Launch (OpenEden)

  • Russia to Open the Door to Retail Crypto Trading Under Tight Controls (Bloomberg)

  • Aave Governance Rift Deepens as Holiday Vote Sparks Backlash (DL News)

  • EU Backs ECB Plan for Digital Euro—With Strict Caps to Protect Banks (CoinDesk)

  • EU Council Backs Dual Online and Offline Rollout of Digital Euro (Cointelegraph)

Exchanges

  • Coinbase Rethinks Base App’s Strategic Focus (The Defiant)

  • Bybit to Wind Down Japan Operations as Regulatory Pressure Mounts (Cointelegraph)

  • Crypto.com is Hiring a Market Maker for Sports Prediction Market (Bloomberg)

  • OKX Sees Explosive Growth in Regulated Markets After U.S. and EEA Expansion (OKX)

Exchange-Traded Funds

  • U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $142.19 million in net outflows on Dec. 22.

  • On Dec. 22, U.S. Ethereum spot ETFs attracted $84.59 million in net inflows.

  • On Dec. 22, U.S. Solana and XRP spot ETFS funds saw net inflows of $7.47 million and $43.89 million, respectively.

  • Bitcoin Dominates Crypto ETFs in 2025 as Ethereum Slowly Gains Ground (The Block)

Infrastructure

  • 2026 Layer 2 Outlook: Consolidation, Enterprise Rollups, and Centralization Risks (The Block)

Markets

  • Ether Reclaims $3K as Analysts Flag Breakout Setup (Cointelegraph)

  • Justin Sun’s World Liberty Bet Sours as Locked Tokens Lose $60M (The Block)

  • Aave FounderBuys 84K AAVE as Governance Fight Weighs on Price (Coinspeaker)

  • Bitcoin Drifts Lower as $28B Options Expiry Looms Over Thin Holiday Markets (The Block)

  • U.S. Q3 GDP Expanded at 4.3%, vs. Market Expectations of 3.3% (BEA)

  • BNB Slides Toward $850 as Broader Crypto Pullback Takes Hold (CoinDesk)

Politics & Regulation

  • Michael Selig Takes Helm of the CFTC as Digital Asset Policy Nears Inflection Point (CFTC)

  • Arizona Moves to Shield Crypto From Property Taxes and Local Fees (Bitcoin Magazine)

Token Generation Events

  • Crypto’s Biggest Airdrops Shrink in 2025—but Still Deliver $4.5B Windfall (Decrypt)

Treasuries & Reserves

  • Japanese Corporates Double Down on Bitcoin as Treasury Model Faces Scrutiny (DL News)

  • Trump Media Adds 451 BTC to Bitcoin Holdings (Bitcoin Magazine)

  • Biggest Crypto Treasury Plays in 2025 (Decrypt)

  • SharpLink Reports 460 in ETH Staking Rewards Last Week (SharpLink)

  • Upexi Seeks Up to $1B Capital Raise to Support Solana Treasury Strategy (CoinDesk)

Venture Capital

  • Ex-FTX US President Raises $35M to Build Perpetuals Exchange for Traditional Assets (The Block)

Other News

  • $2.3M USDT Stolen in Private Key Hack, Laundered via Tornado Cash (PeckShield)

  • Chinese Crypto Scammers Fuel Record Telegram Darknet Markets (WIRED)

Check This Out!

The U.S. remained the largest source of memecoin traffic in November 2025, representing 29.1% of global views, while overall interest in the category declined by more than 80% this year, according to CoinGecko.

Source: CoinGecko

Meme of the Day

Source: Bitcoin Magazine

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