📉 ZORA Slides, Bitwise Files 11 ETFs

Good afternoon,

Crypto markets closed Q4 2025 on a sour note, with both Bitcoin and Ethereum falling more than 22% as the anticipated Santa rally failed to materialize. Ethereum remains below $3K heading into 2026, while creator-coin momentum faded as ZORA’s token pulled back and Nick Shirley’s token flopped. Meanwhile, Bitwise filed 11 new crypto ETF applications, and Lighter’s $675M $LIT airdrop ranked among the largest in crypto history.

Let’s unpack this and more! 👇

Stay up-to-date with AI

The Rundown is the most trusted AI newsletter in the world, with 1,000,000+ readers and exclusive interviews with AI leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, Demis Hassibis, Mustafa Suleyman, and more.

Their expert research team spends all day learning what’s new in AI and talking with industry experts, then distills the most important developments into one free email every morning.

Plus, complete the quiz after signing up and they’ll recommend the best AI tools, guides, and courses – tailored to your needs.

Sign up to start learning.

News Roundup

Decentralized, Centralized, & Traditional Finance

• Perpetual DEX Volumes Nearly Triple in 2025 as Onchain Derivatives Hit Scale (Cointelegraph)

• Family Offices Grow Wary of Crypto After $19B October Wipeout (DL News)

Exchanges

• Binance Tops 300M Users as Trading Volume Hits $34T in 2025 (Binance)

• South Korea’s FIU Fines Korbit $1.9M Over AML Violations (FSC)

Exchange-Traded Funds

• Bitwise Files 11 New Crypto ETF Applications With SEC (SEC)

• U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $355 million in net inflows on Dec. 30.

• On Dec. 30, U.S. Ethereum spot ETFs saw $67.84 million in inflows.

• U.S. Solana spot ETFs posted a $5.21 million net inflow on Dec. 30.

• On Dec. 30, U.S. XRP spot ETFs recorded $15.55 million in net inflows.

Infrastructure

• Neo Co-Founders Clash Over Foundation Finances and Control (Da Hongfei)

Markets

• Fed Minutes Point to Moderate Growth as Inflation Seen Returning to Target (FRB)

• ZORA Slides as Creator Coin Hype Fades After Nick Shirley Token Flop (The Defiant)

• Fed Rate Cuts Seen as Key Trigger for Retail Crypto Comeback in 2026 (Cointelegraph)

• Lighter Sees $250M Outflows After LIT Airdrop (CoinDesk)

• Ethereum Hits Record 2.2M Daily Transactions as Fees Fall to $0.17 (Cointelegraph)

• U.S. Jobless Claims Fell to 199,000, Below Expectations of 219,000 (DOL)

• Ethereum Stuck Below $3K as Weak Demand Clouds 2026 Outlook (Cointelegraph)

• Bitcoin, Ether Slide Over 22% in Q4 as Santa Rally Fails (CoinDesk)

Meme Coins

• TRUMP Memecoin Team Wallets Move $94M USDC to Coinbase (Cointelegraph)

• Trump Memecoins Show Correlation With President’s Approval Rating (DL News)

Non-Fungible Tokens

• NFT Supply Surges as Sales Slide in 2025 (Cointelegraph)

Politics & Regulation

• CFTC Chair Appoints Amir Zaidi as Chief of Staff (The Block)

• UK Moves to Regulate Crypto Like Traditional Finance by 2027 (Cointelegraph)

• Key US Crypto Regulation Dates to Watch in 2026 (DL News)

• Uganda Opposition Pushes Decentralized Messaging Ahead of Election (Cointelegraph)

Token Generation Events

• Lighter’s $675M Airdrop Ranks Among Crypto’s Largest Ever (Cointelegraph)

• Trump Media Plans Token Airdrop for DJT Shareholders (CoinDesk)

Treasuries & Reserves

• Prenetics Halts Bitcoin Buying to Focus on Core Health Business (CoinDesk)

• BitMine Buys 32,938 ETH as Year-End Selling Weighs on Prices (Cointelegraph)

Other News

• Crypto Heads to Hollywood as Netflix Greenlights Its First Mainstream Comedy (Decrypt)

• Pakistan Could Become a Global Crypto Leader by 2030 (Cointelegraph)

• U.S. Prosecutors Push Back on DeFi Brief as MEV Retrial Looms (Cointelegraph)

• Crypto Billionaires Suffer Heavy Losses in 2025 (Cointelegraph)

• Vitalik Buterin’s Playbook for Privacy, Decentralization and Open Source in 2026 (DL News)

• 13 Indicted in South Korea Over $1.3M SpaceX-Themed Crypto Romance Scam (DL News)

• Crypto Lawsuit Against Mark Cuban and Dallas Mavericks Thrown Out (The Block)

• SEAL Reports Sharp Rise in Crypto Exploit Cases in 2025 (The Block)

Check This Out!

The odds haven’t been great: just 12% of tokens sold in 2025 are still profitable, reflecting the harsh conditions facing long-term crypto investors.

Meme of the Day

Rate Today’s Edition

Share this newsletter, claim your reward! 🎁 

Participate in the On & Off Chain referral program by sharing the newsletter with your friends to claim your reward:

• ✌️2 referrals: A personal shoutout in On & Off Chain

Must be subscribed