Из жизни альткоинов

В течение следующих нескольких месяцев курс биткоина может упасть до $70 000, а если нисходящий тренд не прекратится, то котировки актива рухнут до $56 000, заявили эксперты платформы CryptoQuant.

Компании одного из крупнейших рынков страховых услуг Азии получат право инвестировать в криптоактивы и инфраструктурные проекты отрасли, заявили в Управлении по страхованию Гонконга (IA).

Прокуратура Бруклина обвинила 23-летнего местного жителя Роналда Спектора (Ronald Spektor) в организации масштабной схемы с использованием методов социальной инженерии, в ходе которой у 100 американских пользователей криптобиржи Coinbase было украдено около $16 млн.

В 2024 году выгоднее всего было майнить в Иркутской области. Теперь это Хакасия, где годовая стоимость потребленной электроэнергии для майнеров составляет 56 000 рублей, сообщило издание РБК со ссылкой на данные системы контроля энергетических расходов МТС EnergyTool.

Власти США сохранили курс на снижение ключевой ставки в декабре. Правда, криптовалюты никак на это не отреагировали и продолжили падать. А как обстоят дела на фондовом рынке у компаний, вовлеченных в индустрию цифровых активов?

Bitcoin mining may be providing incremental support to the Russian ruble, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said, while cautioning that the effect is difficult to measure because much of the sector still operates in a legal and reporting gray zone.

Bitcoin Mining May Support The Ruble

Responding to a question at a press conference, Nabiullina said it is “probably difficult to quantify” mining’s influence “because a significant part of mining is still in a gray area.” Still, she added that mining is “indeed one of the additional factors contributing to the strong ruble exchange rate.”

As Russian business news portal for RBC reported, her remarks come as Russian officials increasingly frame mining and crypto flows as macro-relevant, not just a niche tech or energy story. Earlier, Maxim Oreshkin, deputy head of the presidential administration, said ruble forecasts have been thrown off by the underestimation of financial flows tied to mining and cryptocurrency. In his view, the sector has effectively become a new export item that can influence the currency market, in part because it moves outside standard channels and therefore stays statistically “invisible.”

Nabiullina did not endorse a direct, one-to-one link between ruble strength and a sudden surge in mining. She stressed that mining did not appear in 2025, so it would be incorrect to attribute the ruble’s strengthening specifically to a sharp rise in mining activity this year. “This mining did not appear this year, so it is impossible to link the strengthening of the exchange rate specifically to the fact that it has somehow grown sharply,” she said. “There is probably some increase. Nevertheless, mining is indeed one of the additional factors contributing to the strong ruble exchange rate.”

Crypto Legislation Is Coming?

The central bank’s emphasis on measurement and legality is also tied to its broader push to “whiten” Russia’s Bitcoin and crypto market — bringing activity into a more formal framework where it can be monitored, constrained, and accounted for. Last week, first deputy chairman Vladimir Chistyukhin said it is now fundamentally important to “legalize” the cryptocurrency sector and called for laws governing crypto transactions to be adopted as soon as possible, including strict restrictions and prohibitions.

In parallel, the central bank is discussing rules for crypto trading with the Finance Ministry, Rosfinmonitoring, and other agencies. Under the approach described, crypto transactions would be conducted primarily through existing market participants operating under existing licenses, rather than through informal venues or bespoke structures.

Meanwhile, Anatoly Aksakov, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets, clarified last week that cryptocurrencies “will never” function as money inside Russia or in global trade.

For crypto markets, the significance is not that Russia has officially “blamed” or “credited” mining for the ruble’s moves. It is that senior policymakers are increasingly treating mining-linked flows as an input into currency-market dynamics — while pushing for regulatory plumbing that would make those flows easier to see, categorize, and control.

At press time, Bitcoin traded at $88,927.

Lawmakers in the US have put forward a discussion draft that would ease tax reporting for small stablecoin payments and let some crypto earners delay taxes on staking and mining rewards.

According to reports, the plan was circulated by Representatives Max Miller (R-Ohio) and Steven Horsford (D-Nev.). The proposal aims to clear up rules that many say are confusing for everyday users and small businesses.

Stablecoin Safe Harbor For Small Payments

Based on reports, the draft would create a safe harbor for regulated dollar-pegged stablecoins when they are used like cash. Under the plan, capital gains on stablecoin transactions under $200 would be exempt from tax.

That $200 threshold is meant to stop everyday buys — coffee, tips, small fees — from triggering tax paperwork and capital gains calculations. The exemption would only apply to stablecoins issued by a permitted issuer and that keep a stable peg to the USD.

A Deferral Option For Staking And Mining Rewards

Reports have disclosed another major change: taxpayers could elect to defer taxes on staking and mining rewards. Instead of being taxed the moment rewards are received, a taxpayer could choose to defer recognition for up to five years.

After that period ends the rewards would be taxed as ordinary income at fair market value. The choice would be voluntary, and some taxpayers might still face tax when they sell or convert assets later.

Mark-To-Market And Wash Sale Provisions Also Included

The draft does more than just touch stablecoins and staking. It would apply wash sale rules to digital assets, which limits the ability to claim artificial losses by quickly repurchasing the same token.

It also creates a path to elect mark-to-market accounting for certain traders, which would treat their holdings as sold at year-end for tax calculations. These moves are meant to align crypto tax practice closer to other parts of the tax code and to reduce gaps the IRS says exist.

A Draft, Not Yet A Bill

Lawmakers described the text as a discussion draft and have been talking with stakeholders and committees. The measure has not been formally introduced as a bill, and changes could come as it moves through the House Ways and Means Committee. If enacted, the framework is written to take effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.

Featured image from Chainalysis, chart from TradingView

The investment landscape in 2025 has delivered an unusual outcome that few would have anticipated at the start of the year. Assets traditionally viewed as slow movers have risen as the clear winners, while the cryptocurrency market has quietly slipped to the bottom of the performance rankings. 

As the year draws to a close, data from across commodities, equities, and digital assets shows an imbalance in returns, revealing that cryptocurrencies now sit behind every major asset class in year-to-date performance.

Clear Split Between Traditional Assets And Crypto

The performance data for 2025 reveals a strong divergence between traditional markets and digital assets, with the gap widening as the year progressed. According to the figures revealed on the social media platform X by ‘Bull Theory,’ silver is the top-performing asset for 2025, posting gains of about 130% year-to-date. Gold is the second-best-performing asset of 2025, with an increase of about 65%, while copper has climbed close to 35%. These numbers reflect sustained strength across the commodities sector.

Equity markets are also currently trading in positive territory. The Nasdaq is up around 20% on the year, the S&P 500 has gained approximately 16%, and the Russell 2000 is higher by about 13%. 

The only negative numbers are from the crypto industry. In contrast, the crypto market sits at the bottom of the performance rankings. Bitcoin is currently down by about 6% from its 2025 opening price, Ethereum has declined around 12%, and the entire altcoin market (removing Ethereum) has suffered a much deeper drawdown of about 42%. Therefore, the crypto market is now officially the worst-performing asset class in 2025.

Chart Image From X. Source: @BullTheoryio

From Mid-Year Rally To Q4 Breakdown

The current weakness of the crypto market is very different from the optimism that dominated the beginning and middle of 2025. During that period, the crypto market experienced a powerful recovery that reignited bullish sentiment across the board. Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and several large-cap tokens pushed to new all-time highs.

Bitcoin’s rally peaked in October, when it set its standing record of $126,000 after months of steady accumulation and strong momentum. Ethereum, on the other hand, registered a new all-time high of $4,946 in August, while XRP’s all-time high came earlier in July. XRP’s record price of $3.65 was the most notable, as it was its first time breaking into a new all-time high since 2018.

That bullish trend began to unravel as the fourth quarter got underway, starting with the crypto market flash crash on October 10. The decline has extended since then, and Bitcoin and the broader crypto market have now fallen into negative territory from their 2025 opening levels. 

Quarterly returns data shows that Bitcoin just recorded its worst fourth-quarter performance in seven years. The result is a year in which digital assets, despite a powerful mid-year rally, are closing out as the worst-performing major asset class.

Bitcoin Quarterly Returns. Source: @TedPillows On X

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

According to a report by Mercado Bitcoin, crypto trading activity in Brazil rose 43% year-over-year in 2025, while the average amount invested per user crossed roughly BRL 5,700 — about $1,000.

Reports have disclosed that this jump was driven by heavier use of stablecoins and a growing appetite for lower-risk crypto products alongside traditional tokens.

Rise In Transaction Volumes

Bitcoin remained the most traded asset, followed closely by USDT, Ether and Solana. Stablecoin transaction volumes were about three times higher than the prior year, a sign that many investors are moving funds into pegged tokens for trading or as a cash-like holding.

The report shows that around 18% of investors now hold more than one digital asset, which points to broader portfolio choices beyond single-coin speculation.

Fixed-Income Tokens Gain Traction

Demand for tokenized fixed-income offerings surged. Renda Fixa Digital, or RFD, recorded 108% growth in volume, and Mercado Bitcoin distributed roughly $325 million through these structured products during the period covered. Based on reports, many retail investors appear to be using these instruments to seek stable yields instead of chasing only price gains.

Young Traders Push Numbers Higher

Younger investors were a major factor, with participation among those under 24 rising about 56%. Activity increased across age groups, but the fastest growth was clearly among younger adults.

Regional data show São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro leading in transaction volume, although activity expanded into other states. Average ticket sizes increased, which helped lift the overall value of trades even as more people entered the market.

Regulatory And Market Signals

Tax authority figures and market trackers offer similar signals. A Receita Federal update covering activity through September 2024 recorded a roughly 24% rise in crypto transactions measured in BRL, and one report put USDT’s share of on-chain volume near 62%. Those numbers underline how stablecoins have become central to flows in and out of Brazilian crypto markets.

What This Means For Investors And Firms

Based on reports, Brazil’s market is showing signs of maturation: investment amounts are growing, product choices are widening, and stablecoins are being used more often for trading and storage.

Exchanges are responding with more fixed-income style offerings, and younger users are helping to expand the investor base. Market watchers warn that this does not remove price risk, but it does suggest a shift in behavior as more people use crypto for a mix of trading and yield strategies.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

2025 was a challenging year for the cryptocurrency market and industry, and it did not spare the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The US-based Bitcoin ETF market experienced wet and dry spells in equal proportions over the course of the year.

However, BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, iShares Bitcoin Trust (ticker: IBIT), has been a standout performer at times this year. According to the latest market data, the product’s performance in 2025 has earned it a spot among some of the best funds in the global ETF market.

BlackRock’s IBIT Records $25 Billion Net Inflow In 2025 

In a recent post on the social media platform X, senior Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas revealed that BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF has ranked sixth in net capital inflows in the past year. This feat comes despite the BTC exchange-traded fund posting a negative return in the same period.

According to data shared by Balchunas, BlackRock’s IBIT registered a net inflow of approximately $25 billion so far this past year. What’s interesting is that the Bitcoin ETF pulled in this significant capital despite being the only fund with negative performance among the traditional equity and bond ETFs, as observed in the chart below.

Interestingly, SPDR’s GLD ETF, the world’s largest physically backed gold exchange-traded product, lags behind BlackRock’s IBIT in terms of capital inflows despite its 64% return in the year. Notably, Vanguard’s S&P 500 ETF (VOO) led the cohort with a year-to-date capital inflow of over $145 billion.

Furthermore, Balchunas highlighted that while the crypto community would naturally complain about the Bitcoin ETF’s yield, it is also important to recognize the significant feat of attracting the sixth-largest capital in spite of this negative return. According to the ETF expert, this yearly performance is a good sign in the long term.

Balchunas wrote:

If you can do $25b in a bad year, imagine the flow potential in a good year.

The Bloomberg analyst did credit the older, long-term investors (the boomers) in what he called a “HODL clinic” for the positive net inflows seen by BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF.

Bitcoin ETFs Record $497 Million Weekly Outflow

According to SoSoValue data, the US-based Bitcoin ETFs closed the week with a total net outflow of $158 million on Friday, December 19. This brought the ETFs’ record to about $497.05 million in outflows over the past week.

The dismal run of performances in the Bitcoin ETF market can be seen in the price action of the premier cryptocurrency in recent weeks. The Bitcoin price is down by exactly 30% from its all-time high of $126,080.

As of this writing, the price of BTC stands at around $88,293, reflecting a 2% decline in the past seven days.

В январе нового, 2026 года курс биткоина будет оставаться в узком диапазоне $80 000–$90 000, заявили аналитики американского банковского холдинга Citigroup и объяснили свою точку зрения.

Hyundai Group’s Seoul offices were evacuated after an email threatened explosions unless a Bitcoin ransom was paid, authorities and media reports said.

The message demanded 13 Bitcoin — roughly $1.1 million — and set a deadline of 11:30 AM, prompting an immediate safety response across multiple company sites on December 20, 2025.

Threat Sent To Seoul Offices

According to police and news outlets, the email named two locations: the Hyundai Group building in Yeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, and the Hyundai Motor Group tower in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu.

Staff left work and buildings were cleared while local law enforcement mobilized special units. Reports have disclosed that Hyundai moved operations to remote work as officials searched the premises.

Police Clear Buildings After Sweeps

Bomb squads and officers combed rooms and public areas at both sites. Equipment was used and rooms were checked methodically. No explosives or suspicious devices were found, officials reported.

During the hours of searching, streets near the buildings were closed and entry was tightly controlled. No transfer of the demanded 13 BTC has been traced, and Hyundai did not pay the ransom, according to sources close to the company and law enforcement briefings.

Officers said the threat appeared aimed at causing alarm rather than reporting a verifiable plan. Investigators have been collecting digital evidence from the threatening email and are working with cyber units to trace its origin.

Searches of nearby surveillance footage and building logs were carried out as part of standard procedure. Several witnesses described the scene as tense, with employees escorted out calmly and officers coordinating safe movement.

Part Of A Wider Pattern Of Extortion

Based on reports from multiple outlets, this incident is not isolated. Similar threats have targeted major South Korean firms in recent days, with messages mentioning Samsung Electronics, KT, Kakao, and Naver.

Authorities believe some of the messages may be copycat attempts or coordinated extortion that rely on fear rather than real bombs. Officials said they are treating each tip seriously while trying to separate credible leads from hoaxes.

Financial and cybercrime units have noted an uptick in ransom demands tied to cryptocurrencies in the region over the past months. While attackers favor crypto for its cross-border reach, tracing transactions can sometimes reveal useful leads when firms and exchanges cooperate.

Analysts who follow such cases say investigators now routinely combine physical security sweeps with blockchain analysis to follow any money trail.

Hyundai released a brief statement confirming the evacuations and thanking emergency services for their fast response, but it declined to comment on investigative details.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Пока розничные инвесторы опасаются падения цены эфира, корпоративные игроки готовятся к ралли, так как стоимость актива может достичь $6000–$7500 к концу 2026 года, заявили аналитики инвестфонда Bitwise Asset Management.  

Tom Lee, chairman of BitMine and managing partner at Fundstrat, has been a vocal optimist when it comes to the cryptocurrency market, especially for Bitcoin and Ethereum. Most recently, Fundstrat’s managing partner revived his $62,000 target call for the Ethereum price in 2026.

However, it appears that Lee and his investment firm do not align in terms of their market expectations for the coming year. Fundstrat seems to be looking at a more bearish setup for most of the large-cap digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, in 2026.

$60,000 Is The Target, But Not For Ethereum

According to screenshots posted on social media platform X, Fundstrat released a 2026 crypto strategy report, warning internal clients of potential market headwinds in early 2026. The report’s title, however, also suggested that Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana could enjoy significant growth in the second half of next year.

Sean Farrell, Fundstrat’s head of digital asset strategy, projected significant drawdowns for the crypto market in the first half of 2026. The research set the target for the Bitcoin price between $60,000 to $65,000, the Ethereum price within $1,800 – $2,000, and the Solana price around $50 – $75.

Farrell wrote in the report:

These levels would present attractive opportunities into year-end. If this view proves incorrect, I still prefer to play defense and wait for confirmation of strength.

This circulating report stands in contrast to the predictions of Tom Lee, who is the chief investment officer (CIO) at Fundstrat. Speaking to attendees at the Binance Blockchain Week earlier this month, Lee stated that the price could run up to as much as $62,000 as Ethereum becomes the core infrastructure for tokenized finance.

In September, at the Korea Blockchain Week, Lee said that the price of Bitcoin could reach as high as $250,000 by year-end, while Ethereum’s value could climb toward $12,000. The rationale for this projection revolved around macro tailwinds and growing institutional interest in crypto assets.

Now, while the Fundstrat internal document has yet to be authenticated by Bitcoinist as of press time, Colin Wu-led outlet Wu Blockchain verified that this document was indeed distributed to internal clients.

Bitcoin And Ethereum Price At A Glance

As of this writing, Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is valued at around $88,180, reflecting no significant movement in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the price of ETH stands at around $2,980. 

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Kings County, has charged a man for allegedly defrauding $16 million from unsuspecting individuals by posing as a Coinbase representative. The elaborate scam, which reportedly ran from April 2023 to December 2014, resulted in about 100 victims, 70 of whom were interviewed over the course of the investigation.

Brooklyn Man Indicted In Nationwide Phishing Scam

In a press statement on Friday, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced the Virtual Currency Unit had indicted one Ronald Spektor of Sheepshead Bay, for orchestrating a multi-million dollar phishing and social engineering scam. Spektor, also known as “Ronaldd”, and identified as 23 years old, allegedly contacted multiple Coinbase users acting as an exchange representative to claim that users’ assets were at risk of being stolen, and directed that they move their assets to a given new cryptocurrency wallet. 

As earlier stated, victims of this scam were found all around the US, including a California resident who reported a $1 million loss, and another Virginia resident who lost over $900,000. Spektor, who has been associated with the Telegram handle @lolimfeelingevil, notoriously cleaned out the stolen assets by laundering them through crypto mixers and gambling sites.  

The 23-year old defendant was arraigned before the Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on a 31-count indictment, including counts of first-degree grand larceny, first-degree money laundering, and scheme to defraud. However, Spektor has been held on bail conditions of $2.5 million, after investigations also revealed plans of the alleged fraudster to escape to Mexico.

Coinbase Collaborates With Authorities

Speaking on the case, Coinbase’s Chief Legal Officer, Paul Grewal, appreciated the district attorney’s efforts while also noting the exchange’s commitment to protect its customers, evident through its participation in the investigation. 

Grewal said: 

We’re grateful to District Attorney Gonzalez and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for their partnership and relentless work to protect victims. In this case, Coinbase supported the investigation by helping identify the perpetrator and the customers he defrauded, providing evidence to ensure he could be charged, and assisting law enforcement efforts to trace and recover funds connected to the fraudulent phishing scheme. We’re committed to protecting our customers and working hand-in-hand with law enforcement to hold scammers accountable and help bring justice for those they harm.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez has vowed to cleanse Brooklyn of online scams, especially those exploiting innocent crypto users.

The Brooklyn DA said:

My office is committed to making sure that Brooklyn never becomes a hub for online scams, and we will continue to root out every instance of cryptocurrency fraud, which is a serious problem that’s been exploding throughout the country. We will investigate offenders using the latest technology, freeze their assets whenever possible, and assist the victims.

At press time, Gonzalez’s office also reports that $105,000 in cash and approximately $400,000 in crypto assets have been confiscated from the defendant over the course of the investigation, with ongoing efforts to gain access to more stolen assets.

Стейблкоины перестали восприниматься как «эксперимент с ликвидностью» и перешли в новую фазу, став фундаментом расчетов для трансграничных платежей, заявили эксперты блокчейн-компании Hashed.

Директор по глобальной макростратегии инвестиционной компании Fidelity Юрриен Тиммер (Jurrien Timmer) предположил, что биткоин сломал свой привычный четырехлетний цикл, и крипторынок ожидает целый год коррекции цен.

An unsuspecting crypto user has recently lost $50 million USDT in an address poisoning scam. The incident represents one of the largest on-chain losses in 2025, drawing reactions from crypto security experts as new developments on the matter roll in.

Copy-Paste Mistake Costs User 50M USDT

Address poisoning is a scam in which an attacker sends small transactions from a wallet address that closely resembles a victim’s legitimate address, hoping the victim will later copy the wrong address from their transaction history and unknowingly send funds to the attacker.

Blockchain security page, Web3 Antivirus reports that a crypto user recently fell victim to this scam, sending 49,999,950 USDT to a poisoned address copied from transaction history. Considering the large transaction, the user had tried taking caution by sending a small test transaction to the correct address. However, the nature of address poisoning requires close monitoring, where attackers are able to immediately send dust transactions from wallets resembling the intended address.

Cos, founder of fellow security platform Slowmist, provided valuable insights on this operation, noting the similarity between both addresses, which shared the same first 3 characters and last 4 characters. The victim unknowingly picked the poisoned address from the transaction history to complete the $50 million, thus marking one of the biggest on-chain individual losses of 2025. 

More data from Web3 Antivirus reveals that the victim wallet has been active on-chain for approximately two years and is primarily used for USDT transfers. The stolen $50 million was also initially withdrawn from Binance before the scam occurred. Notably, the stolen USDT has since been converted to ETH by the attackers and shared among multiple wallets, who have also funneled some of the loot through Tornado Cash.

Address Poisoning Victim Offers Bounty With 48-Hour Ultimatum

In other news, blockchain investigator Specter Analyst reports that the victim has attempted to establish communication with the attackers via an on-chain message. 

According to an X post on December 20, the victim claims to have filed a criminal complaint case while also enlisting the relevant law enforcement, cybersecurity, and blockchain protocols to provide needed intelligence on the scammer’s activities. Furthermore, all six addresses associated with the heist are now under constant surveillance. However, the aggrieved party is offering the perpetrators of the address poisoning a peaceful resolution, which involves the willing return of 98% of the loot to a specified address within 48 hours.

Notably, the victim will allow the bad actors to keep $1 million as a bug bounty for spotting such a vulnerability in their operations. However, they warn that failure to accept the amicable offer within the stipulated time will result in legal escalation of the matter to international law enforcement authorities. They further warn that the attackers’ identities will be revealed and shared with the relevant agencies to aid their arrest and persecution. At press time, total crypto losses in 2025 have surpassed $3.4 billion, underscoring the need for continually strengthened security measures within the thriving ecosystem. 

Новые крупные держатели биткоина захватили 50% рынка первой криптовалюты и от их активности во многом будут зависеть котировки актива в среднесрочной перспективе, заявили аналитики ончейн-платформы CryptoQuant.

The Blockchain Association led a broad industry push this week, asking Senate Banking leaders to resist efforts that would widen a ban on stablecoin yields beyond what Congress wrote into law.

According to the association, the letter was signed by more than 125 crypto and fintech groups and companies and was sent to lawmakers to warn against reinterpreting the new rules in a way that would also bar exchanges and apps from offering rewards tied to stablecoin holdings.

Preserving Platforms’ Ability To Offer Rewards

The coalition’s argument rests on the text of the GENIUS Act, which was signed into law earlier this year by US President Donald Trump and explicitly bars permitted stablecoin issuers from paying interest or yield directly to holders.

Reports have disclosed that the statute nevertheless leaves room for third-party platforms to provide incentives, a distinction industry groups say is intentional and important for competition.

Banks Call For Closing A Loophole

Banking groups have pushed back hard. A coalition led by the American Bankers Association and other banking trade groups asked Congress to clarify that the prohibition should extend to partners and affiliates, arguing that third-party rewards could circumvent the law and drain deposits from traditional banks.

According to recent coverage, Treasury analyses cited by bank advocates estimate that stablecoins could, in some scenarios, pull over $6 trillion from bank deposits — a figure that has become central to the banks’ case for tightening the rules.

What Industry Leaders Say

Industry spokespeople say expanding the ban would chill new services that rely on stablecoins and would tilt the market toward larger, incumbent financial firms that already control many payment rails.

Based on reports, the Blockchain Association and partner groups contend that changing the law’s interpretation now would reopen negotiations the GENIUS Act resolved and would sow regulatory confusion before agencies finish writing implementing rules.

Competition And Consumer Choice At Stake

Supporters of stronger limits say the aim is consumer protection — to stop stablecoin arrangements from becoming de-facto interest accounts that could undermine the banking system and reduce loans to households and businesses.

Other observers point out the issue could also shape which firms win in payments going forward, since restrictions on rewards would affect the commercial incentives of exchanges and fintechs.

Next Steps In Washington

Senate Banking staff are weighing letters from both sides as they consider potential fixes or clarifying language during upcoming hearings.

Regulators who must implement the GENIUS Act have been urged to issue rules that prevent evasion of the ban, and lawmakers may face pressure to either leave the law as written or to craft narrow changes aimed at banks’ concerns.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView