Сборщик RSS-лент

Robinhood, an American financial services company, has kicked off a holiday gifting event that lets users earn free Bitcoin (BTC), Dogecoin (DOGE), and other rewards through daily giveaways. The promotion is expected to run for six days and reward all users who participate in the countdown on the official app.

Robinhood Gifts Free Bitcoin And Dogecoin To Users

In the spirit of giving, Robinhood has launched a special holiday promotion offering users free cryptocurrency and other rewards through a countdown event called Hood Holidays. Running from December 26 to 31, the program delivers daily prizes to lucky participants who are on the App’s countdown screen when each Sweepstakes ends.

The Hood Holiday event is part of Robinhood’s effort to engage all of its users during the holiday season. The promotion spans six days and includes prizes totalling $7 million. Robinhood announced that, excluding Bitcoin and Dogecoin distributions, they will deliver grand prizes such as a trip to Hawaii and smaller awards like AirPods, providing a mix of traditional and digital rewards. 

Notably, users can claim their rewards by participating in the daily countdown on the App. They must be present on the countdown screen at the specified end time, 8:30 PM ET, to secure their prizes. Eligible participants receive a direct allocation of BTC or DOGE, which is automatically distributed to their Robinhood wallet account after winners are confirmed. 

Robinhood has revealed that on the first day of the event, eligible users were awarded five grand prizes valued at $17,500, 1,000 first prizes of $129, and $500,000 in Dogecoin. From day two, Gold members gained access to higher-value prizes. They were offered five grand prizes of $17,150, 1,000 first prizes of $275, and $750,000 in BTC shared among the remaining participants. Day three will see $850,000 in Ethereum (ETH) distributed to winners and other gifts.  

Day four is expected to feature Solana (SOL) rewards and other prizes, while Day five opens again to all users and awards $1 million in XRP to entrants. The final day is reserved for Gold members and includes a grand prize of $164,900, $1.5 million in Bitcoin distributed to participants, and other rewards. Robinhood has stated that prizes will be fulfilled 8-10 weeks after winners are confirmed, and each user is limited to one prize a day. 

Participants Face Glitches During Hood Holidays Giveaway

On the first day of Robinhood’s Hood Holidays event, many users reported being unable to access the activity on the application or reveal their gifts. Some participants disclosed experiencing frozen screens, failed loading, app errors, and glitches.  

Due to the severity of the technical problems, Robinhood had taken to X to assure users that the issue would be resolved and that participants from day one would receive their gifts. They revealed that the errors were due to high traffic and that regular updates will be delivered directly to users in the app.

Bitcoin’s price may be showcasing slight upward movement, but the overall outlook is still quite bearish considering the volatile state of the broader cryptocurrency market. Even with the flagship asset trading below the $90,000 price mark for the past few weeks, expectations for another huge rally remain solid in the hearts of major investors as they lean toward an upside position.

Big Money Bets On Bitcoin Are Sharply Returning

A recent view into the action of investors shows that the Bitcoin market is entering a decisive phase where sentiment could trigger the next potential move. After months of range-bound trading and recurrent responses to macro news, a deeper structural shift is now taking place among BTC investors.

Currently, large investors regarded as whales are demonstrating robust bullish sentiment toward the flagship asset. CW, a data analyst and crypto investor, shared that the cohort is massively opening long positions once again after examining the key BTC Whale vs. Retail Delta metric.

With the massive long positions coinciding with changes in liquidity, investors’ action, and on-chain activity, this suggests that the shift could be more than just short-term noise. This is because such a strong desire for bullish moves has the potential to redefine momentum across the market in the upcoming weeks.

According to the expert, these deep-pocket investors are largely building long positions in anticipation of a possible renewed upward trend in the price of Bitcoin. It is worth noting that long positions opened by the cohort reached their peak when BTC’s price dropped to around the $80,000 level. 

CW stated that this robust newfound buying trend has continued ever since. To address market fears and confusion, the expert highlighted that whale holders leaning toward long positions are a bullish signal for the crypto king generally. 

In a broader view, the chart shared by CW shows that large BTC investors have been concentrating more on upside bets than downside bets since July 2024. This trend points to sustained conviction among the cohort in BTC’s long-term prospects.

Whales And Retail Holders Are Now Buying More BTC

Bullish sentiment appears to have returned across the overall Bitcoin market, as big and small investors move in a similar bullish trajectory once again. CW revealed in another post that large and smart retail investors are now buying BTC at the same time, suggesting growing confidence beneath the surface.

Interestingly, this dynamic historically preceded phases of increased volatility and directional certainty. Furthermore, the synchronized accumulation indicates that investors on various scales might be preparing for a potential significant upswing in BTC’s price.

Amid the development, the resumption of retail investors’ buying activity is particularly noteworthy. Meanwhile, CW noted that only seasoned investors are still participating, which implies that the market is getting close to the beginning of a rally.

Flow Foundation отказался от вызвавшего споры плана отката блокчейна Flow, пострадавшего от взлома и потери $3,9 млн. Предложение вернуть сеть в состояние, предшествовавшее атаке, вызвало резкую негативную реакцию со стороны партнеров Flow Network.

According to reports, Mirae Asset Group is in advanced talks to buy Korbit, South Korea’s long-running crypto exchange, in a deal valued at about 100 billion to 140 billion won — roughly $70 million to $100 million.

The memorandum of understanding was reportedly signed through Mirae Asset Consulting, an affiliate outside the group’s regulated financial arm, as part of the preliminary purchase talks.

Mirae Asset Signs MOU With Major Shareholders

Sources say the agreement covers most of the stakes held by NXC and SK Planet, which together control the firm. Korbit’s ownership is reported at about 60.5% for NXC (the Nexon holding company) and 31.5% for SK Planet, with Mirae Asset negotiating to buy those shares.

Korbit’s Position In South Korea’s Market

Korbit is described as the fourth-largest exchange in South Korea, but its trading volume is small compared with the market leaders. Reports put its market share under 1%, while Upbit and Bithumb continue to handle the bulk of local trading.

According to The Chosun Daily, Mirae Asset Group is in talks to acquire Korbit, South Korea’s fourth-largest crypto exchange. Mirae Asset Consulting has signed an MOU with major shareholders. Korbit is currently ~60.5% owned by NXC and subsidiaries, with SK Square holding ~31.5%.…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) December 28, 2025

Why A Big Financial Group Is Interested

Based on reports, Mirae Asset sees two practical advantages: first, buying an existing, licensed operator gives faster access to regulated crypto business lines.

Second, using a non-financial affiliate helps the group navigate rules that restrict direct involvement by banks and insurers in virtual asset trading.

Industry observers have flagged that a licensed exchange — even a small one — can be valuable to a large financial house aiming to offer custody or trading services under local rules.

Regulatory Hurdles And Next Steps

Regulators are expected to review any final deal, and no confirmation has been issued by either Mirae Asset or Korbit as of reporting.

MIRAE ASSET IN TALKS TO ACQUIRE KOREA’S CRYPTO EXCHANGE KORBIT FOR $100 MILLION

Mirae Asset is reportedly negotiating a $100 million acquisition of South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Korbit, signaling continued interest from major financial institutions in expanding their… pic.twitter.com/RlZbeLIS05

— Crypto Town Hall (@Crypto_TownHall) December 29, 2025

Antitrust checks, banking relationship transfers, and compliance reviews would be part of the close if negotiations move forward. Market participants say that until formal filings are made, talks should be treated as preliminary.

If the purchase completes, a major financial player would own a licensed exchange — a move that might encourage other traditional firms to consider similar deals.

For Korbit, new ownership could mean an influx of capital and a push to rebuild competitive footing. For users, the change could bring stronger compliance and perhaps new product offerings, but it would be unlikely to shift the overall market share picture quickly given the dominance of the top two exchanges.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Биткоин может упасть в новом году до $50 000, но эта цена не окажется для первой криптовалюты дном, заявил аналитик Bloomberg Майк Макглоун (Mike McGlone). По мнению эксперта, криптовалюты пережили свой пик в 2025 году и дальше их ждет только падение.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong argued that Bitcoin ultimately strengthens the US dollar by acting as a market-based constraint on fiscal and monetary excess, framing the asset as a “check and balance” that could help the US retain reserve-currency credibility.

In a Dec. 28 post on X accompanied by a short voice recording, Armstrong pushed back on the idea that Bitcoin is inherently a threat to the dollar. “Bitcoin is good for USD,” he wrote, saying it “It creates competition in a way that’s healthy for the dollar, which helps to provide a check and balance against high inflation and deficit spending.”

Bitcoin is good for USD.

It creates competition in a way that’s healthy for the dollar, which helps to provide a check and balance against high inflation and deficit spending. pic.twitter.com/iHjQCJVqCb

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) December 28, 2025

Bitcoin Acts As A Check On Dollar Inflation

Armstrong’s core claim is that the existence of a credible alternative store of value increases the political and economic cost of letting inflation or debt dynamics deteriorate. In the recording, he said that if the US veers into “too much deficit spending or inflation,” capital can “flee to Bitcoin in times of uncertainty,” creating external pressure on policymakers and, by extension, a stronger incentive to maintain currency stability.

He situated the argument inside a broader critique of budgeting incentives in democratic systems. “Democracies around the world, including the United States… are trying to figure out how to fix deficit spending,” he said, adding that “the incentives are just not aligned to actually balance the budget.” The implication, as Armstrong laid it out, is not that Bitcoin repairs those incentives directly, but that it makes ignoring them more costly by offering an exit valve when credibility erodes.

Armstrong also tied reserve-currency status to the relationship between inflation and real growth. “It might be okay to have 2% to 3% inflation if the economy is growing 2% to 3%,” he said. But if “inflation outstrips the growth of the economy,” Armstrong warned the US could “eventually lose the reserve currency status,” which he described as “a massive blow” to the country.

He added a geopolitical layer, arguing that reserve-currency privilege is not static. “China, these other superpowers are coming in trying to compete for that over time,” Armstrong said, positioning monetary credibility as an axis of long-run strategic competition.

The conclusion he offered was a reframing of Bitcoin’s role: less an adversary to the dollar than a disciplining force that could lengthen the runway for US financial leadership. “So I actually think in a strange way, Bitcoin is helping extend the American experiment,” he said.

Armstrong’s comments land in the middle of a growing debate inside crypto about whether Bitcoin’s maturation makes it a parallel system or a pressure mechanism within existing ones. If his framing resonates, it could reinforce an emerging narrative among institutional allocators and policy-adjacent crypto advocates: that Bitcoin’s competitive presence may be compatible with, rather than corrosive to, dollar dominance, so long as it keeps signaling costs when confidence starts to slip.

At press time, BTC traded at $87,604.

В новом году интеграция с глобальными платежными системами и одобрение спотовых ETF на XRP могут подтолкнуть цену альткоина вверх, предположил аналитик ончейн-платформы Nansen Джейк Кеннис (Jake Kennis).

В 2026 году ожидается как минимум два крупных обновления сети Эфириума, сообщили разработчики. Одно запланировано на первую половину года, второе — на конец. Это значит, что блокчейн будет обновляться быстрее, чем Эфириум это делал ранее.

Bitcoin’s network has become slightly harder to mine, with the latest difficulty rising to a little over 148 trillion. Block times are currently averaging about 9.95 minutes, a little below the network’s 10-minute goal, prompting the adjustment to slow mining slightly.

Projected Difficulty Rise

Bitcoin adjusts its mining difficulty every 2016 blocks, roughly every two weeks, to keep the average block time near 10 minutes. When blocks are added too quickly, the network raises difficulty; when they fall behind, it lowers it.

Right now, miners are adding blocks a bit faster than the target, which means the network will increase the challenge to keep production steady.

Based on CoinWarz estimates, the next adjustment on January 8, 2026, at block 931,392, is expected to push the difficulty to past 148 trillion.

Historical Context And Market Moves

Mining difficulty has climbed to new highs during 2025, with two sharp jumps in September coinciding with Bitcoin’s price surge earlier in the year.

Bitcoin hit $125,100 in October before experiencing a significant drop. As prices rise, more mining rigs enter the network, which increases total computing power and prompts difficulty to adjust upward.

Miners’ Costs And Network Security

Higher difficulty means miners need more computing power and energy to solve blocks. This raises costs and can squeeze profit margins, especially for smaller operations.

At the same time, the system protects the network from centralization. If one miner or a group controlled too much computing power, they could dominate block production or even attempt a 51% attack. By adjusting difficulty, the network keeps mining distributed and secure.

Outlook From The Investment Side

According to Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan, Bitcoin may deliver steady growth over the next 10 years rather than massive yearly gains.

He told CNBC that he expects “strong returns” with moderate ups and downs. Hougan also maintains that 2026 is likely to be a positive year for Bitcoin, reflecting the network’s resilience after recent highs and volatility.

The rise to above 148 trillion is not dramatic but will slightly tighten miners’ margins. Tracking block times, hash rate, and difficulty can give insight into short-term mining profitability.

For investors, difficulty trends also indicate the real-world effort securing Bitcoin, which influences supply and potential selling pressure.

The network’s difficulty adjustments are routine but vital. They ensure coins are released steadily, miners remain challenged, and Bitcoin’s decentralized design is preserved.

Featured image from Pixabay, chart from TradingView

В январе нисходящий тренд на крипторынке может сломаться — у главных монет появился шанс «уйти в бычий прорыв», заявили эксперты сервиса блокчейн-аналитики 10x Research.

Количество смарт-контрактов, развернутых в сети Эфириума за три последних месяца 2025 года, достигло исторического максимума в 8,7 млн, говорят данные платформы Token Terminal.

Похищенные хакерами криптоаккаунты в даркненте стоят в среднем по $105 каждый, подсчитали аналитики «Лаборатории Касперского». Чаще всего ценовой диапазон для криптоадресов составляет $60–400. Для сравнения: данные банковской карты или счета стоят дороже, в среднем $350.

The current XRP drawdown is accompanied by a notable jump in exchange inflows, a setup CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) says is consistent with rising sell pressure and a market that has not yet transitioned into accumulation.

XRP Selling Pressure Intensifies

In an X post, Darkfost wrote that “recent data point to a clear intensification of selling pressure on XRP,” placing it in the context of a sharp drawdown. “This dynamic comes in the context of a sharp correction, with the price dropping by around 50%, falling from a peak near $3.66 to an area around $1.85,” he said.

Darkfost’s main signal is exchange inflows, with an emphasis on Binance, which he called the venue that “continues to concentrate the largest trading volumes among all exchanges.” The underlying idea is simple but often effective: when inflows ramp up quickly, the market is seeing more coins positioned where they can be sold.

“One way to visualize this selling pressure is by analyzing XRP inflows to exchanges, particularly Binance,” he wrote. “These inflows are generally interpreted as a potential intent to sell, especially when they increase rapidly.”

He described the shift as starting mid-month. “After a relatively calm period marked by moderate and stable inflows, the situation shifted noticeably starting on December 15,” he said. “Since then, XRP inflows to Binance have risen sharply, with daily volumes ranging from 35 million XRP to a significant peak of 116 million XRP recorded on December 19.”

The implication is less about a single spike and more about the persistence of elevated prints. In that framing, repeated large inflows during a drawdown tend to read like ongoing distribution rather than a clean washout.

Darkfost argued the inflow regime also maps to a behavioral change across cohorts. “This change in dynamics also suggests a shift in investor behavior,” he wrote. “While a large portion of the market had been following a holding strategy since October, the trend over the past two weeks points to a move toward profit taking for older positions, as well as capitulation and loss selling from more recent entrants.”

He was explicit about what would need to change before “accumulation” becomes a defensible label. “As long as these elevated inflows persist or intensify further, it will be difficult for XRP to establish a true accumulation phase,” he said. “If this selling pressure continues, the current correction could not only extend in time but also deepen further.”

The Macro Backdrop

In separate posts, Darkfost tied the XRP signal to a wider market condition he characterized as liquidity constrained. “The crypto market continues to suffer from a lack of liquidity,” he wrote, adding that “the market cap of the main stablecoins has been stagnating for the past few weeks.”

He offered a specific interpretation of what that means for marginal demand. “There is no longer any fresh liquidity entering the market (fiat → crypto),” he said, while also arguing that “liquidity is still present within the market and is not leaving it.” The catch, in his view, is that available liquidity is staying sidelined: “However, this liquidity is not being deployed either, if we look at current stablecoin inflows to exchanges.”

Darkfost quantified the slowdown using exchange inflow averages. “Between September and today, the average monthly inflow to exchanges has been cut in half, dropping from $136B to around $70B,” he wrote, adding that “the annual average has also started to decline over the past few weeks.”

Sentiment Turning Bearish

Darkfost also said sentiment in the entire crypto market has swung negative, based on a composite he tracks. “The general consensus has turned bearish,” he wrote, saying the indicator is “based on media articles, data from X, and several other sentiment indicators.” He noted that “when a shared consensus forms, the market tends to reverse and prove the majority wrong,” citing similar setups he observed between July and October 2024 and between February and April 2025.

At the same time, he warned against treating the signal as a timing tool, especially if broader conditions deteriorate. “These phases can last for some time, especially when the market enters a prolonged bear market phase,” he wrote. “We have only started to enter this period since early November, so there is no need to rush, but it is probably already a bit late to turn bearish.”

At press time, XRP traded at $1.90.

Сооснователь Fundstrat Global Advisors и председатель компании BitMine Immersion Technologies Том Ли (Tom Lee) составил прогноз курса, по которому могут торговаться в 2026 году две крупнейшие по рыночной капитализации криптовалюты: биткоин и эфир.

Глава компании-оператора криптокошелька Trust Wallet Эовин Чен (Eowyn Chen) заявила, что из-за недавней кибератаки пострадало 2596 адресов. Однако в службу поддержки поступило уже примерно 5000 заявок на возмещение ущерба.

Согласно данным, предоставленным сервисом Google Trends, количество поисковых запросов со словом «криптовалюта» резко сократилось в уходящем году.

Федеральный суд Австралии обязал криптовалютную компанию NGS Crypto прекратить работу из-за нарушений в бухгалтерской отчетности и отсутствия лицензии на ведение финансовой деятельности.

С 1 января коммерческие банки Китая, которые обслуживают кошельки с цифровыми юанями, должны начать выплачивать владельцам кошельков проценты. Доходность будет зависеть от баланса кошелька, сообщил заместитель управляющего Народного банка Китая Лу Лэй (Lu Lei).

Цифровой рубль может занять до 5% от объема безналичных платежей в течение следующих семи лет, заявила директор департамента национальной платежной системы Банка России Алла Бакина.

Leaders in crypto and tech are pushing back hard against a proposed one-time 5% wealth tax in California. The measure would hit net worth above $1 billion and would tax paper gains—assets counted even if they haven’t been sold.

Supporters say the money would pay for health programs and other public services. Based on official estimates, the plan could raise up to ~$100 billion from roughly 200 very wealthy residents.

What The Tax Would Do

According to the initiative’s fiscal outline, the levy would apply to net worth on January 1, 2026, and it targets unrealized gains — stocks, company stakes, and other holdings valued on paper.

Taxpayers could pay in one lump sum or stretch payments over five years, with interest if they choose the latter. For example, someone with $20 billion in assets would face about $1 billion in liability under a 5% rule. A resident with more than $200 billion could see a bill exceeding $10 billion.

A 5% theft of unrealized gains and assets taxes were already paid on is about the most retarded thing I’ve ever heard. I promise you this will be the final straw. Billionaires will take with them all of their spending, hobbies, philanthropy and jobs. Solve the waste/fraud issue. https://t.co/DKcNWni2kB

— Jesse Powell (@jespow) December 28, 2025

Industry Pushback And Warnings

Based on reports, several high-profile crypto firms and founders say the measure would drive people and money out of California. Executives named in coverage include Hunter Horsley, Jesse Powell, Chamath Palihapitiya, Nic Carter, Alexis Ohanian, and other tech figures.

I say this with no joy as a California resident:

Many who’ve made this state great are quietly discussing leaving or have decided to leave in the next 12 months.

More generally, one of the fascinating developments of this decade is people voting their views not with the… https://t.co/bTlBnsYdnY

— Hunter Horsley (@HHorsley) December 27, 2025

Their message is simple: large, sudden tax bills on paper wealth could force owners to sell stakes or move to other states, which they argue would cost jobs and investment in the local economy. Some say the rule would be especially tough on founders whose wealth is tied up in startups.

Supporters offer a different view. They argue the charge would target a small group—high net worth individuals—and provide funds for health care, education, and food programs without increasing taxes for middle-income families.

Representative Ro Khanna has been mentioned as a backer who sees the revenue as a way to strengthen public services.

Numbers And Unknowns

The math is clear in one sense: 5% of very large sums adds up quickly. Estimates put potential revenue as high as ~$100 billion. But collection is less certain.

Critics point to past cases where wealth taxes produced less money than forecast because some taxpayers relocated or shifted assets offshore. Valuing private companies and volatile holdings like crypto presents practical challenges, and that could make administration complex.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView