🤝 OpenAI–Amazon Talks, Hut 8–Google Deal, Binance Crackdown

Good afternoon,

Crypto markets saw a brief bounce as Bitcoin reclaimed $90K before sliding back below $86K amid ongoing volatility. In tech, OpenAI is reportedly in talks for a $10B+ investment and chip deal with Amazon, while Hut 8 secured a Google-backed agreement to develop massive AI data centers. Meanwhile, Binance cracked down on fraudulent listing agents as scams resurface across the space.

More news below! 👇

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News Roundup

Artificial Intelligence

• OpenAI in Talks for $10B+ Amazon Investment, Chip Partnership (Bloomberg)

• Creators Form Coalition to Push AI Rules (Decrypt)

Decentralized, Centralized, & Traditional Finance

• Anchorage Expands Into Full Token Lifecycle Management With Hedgey Acquisition (The Block)

• Aave DAO and Founder Clash Over Website Swap Revenue (DL News)

• Marshall Islands Launch Blockchain-Based UBI on Stellar (CoinDesk)

• Aave DAO Dispute Reignites Tokenholder Rights Debate (The Defiant)

• Exodus, MoonPay to Launch Fully Reserved USD Stablecoin (The Block)

• Securitize to Launch Real Onchain Stocks in 2026 (The Block)

• Aave Founder Outlines 2026 Master Plan (Stani Kulechov)

• Bank of Canada Sets High Bar for ‘Good Money’ Stablecoins (Cointelegraph)

• Deribit–SignalPlus Mission450K Trading Contest Tops $11B Volume (Deribit)

• ETHGas Raises $12M as it Launches an Ethereum Blockspace Futures Market (The Block)

• Uniform Labs Launches Multiliquid to Boost Liquidity for Tokenized RWAs (The Defiant)

• DTCC Moves Toward Tokenized Treasuries on Canton Network (Decrypt)

• BNB Chain Teases New Stablecoin as CZ Follows “U” Project (BNB Chain)

Exchanges

• Kraken Launches SportFun Token Sale at $60M FDV (Kraken)

• Binance Blacklists Fake “Listing Agents,” Flags Central Research (Binance)

• Binance Offers Rewards for Listing-Scam Evidence (Yi He)

• Binance Eyes U.S. Comeback as Zhao’s Influence Returns (Bloomberg)

Exchange-Traded Funds

• On Dec. 16, U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $277 million in net outflows.

• U.S. Ethereum spot ETFs saw $224 million in net outflows on Dec. 16.

• On Dec. 16, U.S. Solana spot ETFs recorded $3.64 million in net inflows.

• U.S. XRP spot ETFs posted $8.54 million in net inflows on Dec. 16.

Infrastructure

• Lightning Network Reaches Record Capacity as Exchange Adoption Grows (Cointelegraph)

• Tether Launches PearPass, a Peer-to-Peer Password Manager (Tether)

Markets

• Hyper Foundation Proposes $HYPE Token Burn (Hyper Foundation)

• HashKey Shares Dip 3% in Hong Kong IPO Debut (The Block)

• Bitcoin Braces for Derivatives Expiry Volatility (The Block)

• Bitcoin Sell Pressure From Long-Term Holders Nears Exhaustion (The Block)

• Hut 8 Shares Jump 25% on $7B AI Data Center Deal (The Block)

• Bitcoin Braces for BoJ Rate Hike as Yen Carry Trade Risks Weigh on Crypto (Decrypt)

Mining

• Hut 8 Lands Google-Backed Deal to Build Up to 2.3 GW of AI Data Centers (Bitcoin Magazine)

• Russian Regions Back Bitcoin Mining Ban Amid Power Shortages (DL News)

Politics & Regulation

• Elizabeth Warren Flags National Security Risks Tied to PancakeSwap and Trump-Linked Crypto (Decrypt)

• Trump Signals Openness to Democrats at SEC, CFTC, Reviving Crypto Bill Hopes (Decrypt)

• FTC Orders Nomad Operator to Repay Users After $186M Bridge Hack (Decrypt)

• SEC Sues Shima Capital, Founder Moves to Wind Down Fund (Kate Irwin)

• Trump Considers Pro-Crypto Waller for Fed Chair (The Block)

• US Senators Propose Bipartisan Bill to Fight Crypto Scams (The Block)

• Indian Lawmaker Pushes Tokenization Bill to Open High-Value Assets to the Middle Class (The Block)

• Gavin Newsom Targets Trump Crypto Pardons With New ‘Criminal Cronies’ List (Decrypt)

Treasuries

• KindlyMD Faces Nasdaq Delisting After 99% Stock Collapse (Decrypt)

• BitMine Adds 48,049 ETH as Prices Dip (The Block)

• Norway Wealth Fund Backs Metaplanet’s Bitcoin Strategy (CoinDesk)

• CIMG Expands Bitcoin Treasury to 730 BTC (PR Newswire)

Other News

• Holiday Crypto Scams Surge as Fraudsters Exploit Distraction and Emotion (Cointelegraph)

• Caroline Ellison Moved to Community Confinement Ahead of 2026 Release (Business Insider)

• Former Theta Executives File Whistleblower Suits Alleging Fraud and Retaliation (Decrypt)

• Bhutan Commits $1B in Bitcoin to Fund Gelephu Mindfulness City (Decrypt)

• Report Flags Major Risks in Central African Republic’s Crypto Push (Decrypt)

• Singapore Entrepreneur Loses Crypto to Fake Game Malware (Decrypt)

• Polygon Labs Invests in Boys Club to Boost Web3 Storytelling (The Block)

Check This Out!

The tokenized gold market has grown past $4.2 billion, climbing 147% over the last six months. Tether’s XAUT and Paxos’ PAXG now make up close to 90% of the total market.

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