💡 DeFi Innovation: Equities, Governance, and AWS Payments

Good afternoon,

Crypto markets remain cautious as Bitcoin’s upside stalls under heavy spot selling and bearish bets intensify into year-end. Meanwhile, Kamino brings tokenized equities into Solana’s DeFi ecosystem, Uniswap prepares for a pivotal governance vote, and BNB Chain enables AWS customers to make payments in BNB via Better Payment Network.

Let’s unpack this and more! 👇

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News Roundup

Artificial Intelligence

• Fetch.ai Says AI Agents Can Complete Online Payments (Decrypt)

Decentralized, Centralized, & Traditional Finance

• Fed Withdraws 2023 Policy, Opens Door to Responsible Bank Innovation (FRB)

• Base App Launches Globally Across 140+ Countries (Base)

• Kyrgyzstan’s USDKG Signals a New Model for Emerging-Market Stablecoins (Cointelegraph)

• DTCC’s $100T Tokenization Move Signals TradFi’s Fastest Embrace of Crypto Yet (DL News)

• JPMorgan’s Tokenized Deposits Signal Wall Street’s Shift to Public Blockchains (CoinDesk)

• Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Endorses Metaplanet’s Bitcoin Treasury Plan (Bitcoin Magazine)

• Kraken-Backed xStocks Brings Tokenized U.S. Equities to Telegram (Decrypt)

• Uniswap’s UNIfication Proposal Heads to Final Vote (The Block)

• SoFi Launches Bank-Issued SoFiUSD Stablecoin for 24/7 Settlement (The Block)

• Intuit Integrates USDC Payments Into TurboTax and QuickBooks (The Block)

• Lagarde Urges Lawmakers to Advance Digital Euro After ECB Holds Rates (CoinDesk)

• Kamino Adds Tokenized Public Equities as DeFi Collateral on Solana (The Defiant)

• NYSE Owner ICE in Talks to Invest in MoonPay at $5B Valuation (Bloomberg)

Exchanges

• Coinbase Expands Into Stock Trading and Prediction Markets (Coinbase)

• Bitfinex Eliminates Maker and Taker Trading Fees(Bitfinex)

• India Approves Coinbase’s Minority Investment in CoinDCX (The Block)

• Xiao Feng Explains HashKey’s Timing and Strategy Behind Going Public (Wu Blockchain)

• Coinbase Launches Custom Stablecoins for Partner Brands (Coinbase)

• Gate Founder Lin Han Outlines Market Outlook, Compliance, and IPO Ambitions (Wu Blockchain)

• FBI Shuts Down E-Note Crypto Exchange Linked to $70M in Ransomware Attacks (Decrypt)

Exchange-Traded Products

• Ark Invest Buys More BitMine, Coinbase, and Bullish Shares Amid Market Dip (The Block)

• U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $457 million in net inflows on Dec. 17.

• On Dec. 17, U.S. Ethereum spot ETFs saw $22.43 million in net outflows.

• On Dec. 17, U.S. Solana and XRP spot ETFs posted net inflows of $10.99 million and $18.99 million, respectively.

• Many Crypto ETPs May Shut Down by 2027 (Cointelegraph)

• Bitwise Files for SUI ETF as Crypto ETF Expansion Continues (The Block)

Infrastructure

• Buterin: Ethereum Must Simplify to Be Truly Trustless (Cointelegraph)

• Ethereum May Boost Throughput With Gas Limit Increase to 80M in January (Cointelegraph)

• Jito Foundation Plans US Return as Crypto Rules Clarify (Cointelegraph)

• Ethereum Researchers Warn of State Bloat Risk to Node Decentralization (The Block)

• Chainlink and Major Institutions Establish a Unified Standard for Asset Servicing (Chainlink)

• Polymarket Restores Service After Polygon Outage, Eyes Stability Upgrades (Polymarket)

• BNB Chain Enables AWS Customers to Make Payments in BNB via Better Payment Network (BNB Chain)

Markets

• Hyperliquid Moves to Permanently Burn 13% of HYPE Supply (The Defiant)

• Bitcoin’s Upside Capped as Spot Sellers Dominate (Decrypt)

• Privacy Coins Rally as DTCC Backs Canton Network (Decrypt)

• Bitcoin on a Knife’s Edge as Downside Bets Build Into Year-End (The Block)

• Kaito Kickstarter Tokens Plunge After TGE (CoinGecko)

• Bank of England Cuts Rates to 3.75% as Easing Cycle Resumes (BOE)

• November U.S. CPI Comes in at 2.7% vs 3.1% Expected; Core CPI Falls to 2.6% vs 3.0% Forecast (CoinDesk)

• Trump Media Stock Jumps 25% on $6B Fusion Merger (CoinDesk)

• South Korean Crypto and Blockchain Stocks Jump on Stablecoin Regulation Hopes (DL News)

• Kalshi Drops Plans for College Athlete Transfer Betting After NCAA Pushback (The Block)

Politics & Regulation

• Senate Banking Pushes Ahead on Crypto Bill Amid Industry Tensions (The Block)

• Crypto Industry, Senators Signal Momentum on Market Structure Bill Talks (CoinDesk)

• CFTC Acting Chair Caroline Pham to Join MoonPay as Chief Legal Officer (Crypto in America)

• SEC Clarifies How Broker-Dealers Can Custody Crypto Securities (SEC)

• SEC Charges VBit CEO Over $48.5M Bitcoin Mining Investment Fraud (The Block)

• SEC Trading & Markets Staff Clarifies Rules for Crypto Assets and DLT (SEC)

• Japan’s Crypto Tax Reform Faces Delay as SBI Chief Slams ‘Extremely Slow’ Pace (DL News)

Treasuries & Holdings

• Crypto Treasury Firms Take Wall Street by Storm in 2025 (Decrypt)

• World Liberty Financial Proposes Treasury Incentives to Grow USD1 Stablecoin (CoinDesk)

• MSCI Crypto Treasury Rules May Trigger Billions in Forced Selling (Cointelegraph)

• Taiwan Discloses 210 BTC Holdings (Bitcoin Magazine)

• Digital Asset Treasuries Attract $2.6B as Institutions Seek Safety (Decrypt)

• VivoPower Structures $900M XRP-Equivalent Exposure via Ripple Share Deal (Decrypt)

Venture Capital

• DAWN Raises $13M to Scale User-Owned Decentralized Broadband Networks (CoinDesk)

Other News

• The Block Releases 2026 Digital Assets Outlook Report (The Block)

• Crypto Adoption Shows Up in Weekday Spending, Not Wallet Counts (Cointelegraph)

• Silvergate Lawsuit Opens Claims for $10M FTX-Linked Settlement (Cointelegraph)

• Saylor Backs Post-Quantum Bitcoin Upgrade, Warning of Supply Lockup (Michael Saylor)

• Bitcoin Community Debates Quantum-Resistant Upgrade Amid Rising Concerns (Cointelegraph)

• Crypto Hacks Top $3.4B in 2025 as Wallet Attacks Surge (The Block)

• Former Pump.fun Developer Sentenced to Six Years for $2M Solana Fraud (Decrypt)

Check This Out!

More merchants around the world are beginning to accept Bitcoin. Has your country joined the orange wave yet?

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