ChainGPT AI News

Prysm post-mortem pins Fusaka disruption on costly state recomputation — network dodges finality loss Prysm developers have published a post-mortem explaining the December 4 incident that threatened Ethereum’s stability immediately after the Fusaka upgrade. The problem was traced to resource exhaustion in Prysm: certain attestations triggered expensive recomputation of obsolete historical states, which overwhelmed affected nodes’ CPU and memory and left validators struggling to keep up. The bug appeared the moment Fusaka activated at epoch 411392 (December 4, 2025, 21:49 UTC). Validator participation collapsed from normal levels above 95% to roughly 75%, causing the network to miss 41 epochs and costing validators about 382 ETH in lost rewards. Prysm developers pushed emergency runtime flags to mitigate the issue and shipped permanent fixes in client releases v7.0.1 and v7.1.0. What went wrong Prysm’s core team says the failure centered on how the client handled “historical state.” As Prysm core developer Terence Tsao put it, “historical state is compute memory heavy, a node can be dosed by large number of state replays happening in parallel.” In short, certain attestations forced heavy state replays that consumed resources and produced a denial-of-service condition on Prysm nodes. Scope and risk Validators running Prysm represented an estimated 15% to 22.71% of the network, so the performance collapse of that subset drove the participation drop and pushed Ethereum alarmingly close to losing finality. The post-mortem notes that had the bug hit a different consensus client (for example, Lighthouse) covering a larger share of validation, the network might have lost finality entirely — an event that would likely freeze Layer 2 rollups and block validator withdrawals until fixes were deployed. Why the network survived The incident highlights the value of client diversity. While Prysm validators were impaired, ten other consensus clients — including Lighthouse, Nimbus, and Teku — continued to validate normally. Because roughly 75% to 85% of validators remained operational across other clients, finality was preserved and the chain continued processing transactions. Response and recovery The Ethereum Foundation quickly issued emergency guidance to Prysm operators. Validators applied the temporary mitigations while Prysm engineers developed and released permanent fixes (v7.0.1 and v7.1.0). By December 5, participation rebounded to nearly 99%, and normal operations were restored within 24 hours of the incident. Context: Fusaka and PeerDAS Fusaka itself — which introduced PeerDAS (Peer Data Availability Sampling) to expand blob capacity for Layer 2 scaling by roughly eightfold — executed successfully with zero downtime before the Prysm-specific bug surfaced. The upgrade’s innovations remain intact; the disruption stemmed from a client implementation issue rather than the protocol change. Bottom line The Fusaka incident was a serious, but short-lived, stress test of Ethereum’s resilience. A Prysm implementation bug caused heavy historical-state recomputation and degraded a significant slice of validators, but client diversity and fast remediation prevented catastrophic finality loss. The event underscores both the importance of robust client testing and the practical benefits of a multi-client ecosystem for Ethereum. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Tether’s bid to buy Juventus knocked back by Agnelli family’s Exor Tether’s attempt to take control of Italian giants Juventus has been firmly rejected by the club’s long-time owners. Exor — the Agnelli family holding company that has controlled Juventus for more than a century — said its board “unanimously rejected an unsolicited proposal submitted by Tether” to acquire all outstanding shares of the publicly traded club. What was offered - According to Reuters, Tether submitted a binding, all-cash proposal valuing Juventus at just over €1 billion, offering €2.66 per share. The company said it would make a public offer for remaining shares at the same price if Exor agreed. - Juventus’ market capitalization stood at €944.49 million after Friday’s close, with the stock trading at €2.19. Exor’s response and refusal - Exor reaffirmed “it has no intention of selling any of its shares in Juventus to a third party, including but not restricted to El Salvador‑based Tether.” - In a video on the club site, Exor CEO John Elkann stressed the family’s ties: “Juventus has been a part of my family for 102 years... Juventus, our history and our values are not for sale.” - Exor said the Agnelli family remains “fully committed to the Club” and will support Juventus’ new management in executing its strategy on and off the field. Tether’s pitch and recent activity - Tether told Exor it was prepared to invest €1 billion to support Juventus’ development if the deal completed. CEO Paolo Ardoino is quoted saying Juventus “has always been part of my life” and that Tether is in “strong financial health” with a long-term capital horizon. - The stablecoin issuer — best known for USDT — has been expanding beyond core crypto business lines. It first bought a stake in Juventus in February and increased that stake to over 10% by April. - Tether has also increased its influence at the club via governance: shareholders approved Tether’s nomination of Francesco Garino to the Juventus board last month, though another Tether nominee, deputy investment chief Zachary Lyons, was not appointed. What this means - The move highlighted growing interest from large crypto firms in traditional sports assets and the strategic value of football clubs for branding and broader business diversification. - Exor’s categorical rejection preserves the Agnelli family’s long-held control of Juventus for now, while Tether’s minority stake and board presence leave it a continuing player in the club’s affairs. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Crypto analyst Merlijn The Trader is calling Ethereum’s recent price action a “Wyckoff masterclass,” and his latest 2‑day chart breakdown on X frames ETH’s 2025 moves as a textbook Wyckoff accumulation setup that could presage a powerful upside if the structure holds. What’s been happening - Over the past several days ETH has been rangebound between roughly $3,050 and $3,400, with no sustained break above or below. At the time of the post, ETH was trading near $3,100. - Merlijn’s annotated 2‑day chart traces the accumulation sequence across 2025: a “spring” that briefly pushed ETH below $1,500 in H1, a quick recovery back into the range, and a subsequent rally that topped out at a selling climax (SC) near $4,946. - That SC and the automatic reaction that followed established the trading range that has dominated recent months. On Merlijn’s read, ETH has been working through Wyckoff Phase D and now appears to be gearing up for the Phase E breakout. Why Phase E matters - In Wyckoff theory, Phase E is the final markup stage: price decisively leaves the selling zone and trends higher with rising momentum. If Ethereum transitions into Phase E as projected, the chart shows the potential for a sharp vertical expansion once overhead resistance is cleared. - Merlijn’s projection highlights a multi-step advance rather than a straight line: an initial push to new all‑time highs, a modest rejection around the $5,000 area, then a pullback/verification forming a Backup and Last Point of Support (BU/LPS) around ~$3,750. Holding above that BU/LPS during the pullback would, according to the model, confirm structural strength. Targets and caveats - If the Wyckoff roadmap continues to play out, Merlijn points to a long‑term objective of $10,000 and beyond after the BU/LPS verification and renewed markup. He stresses, implicitly, that this scenario depends on the structure remaining intact. - As with any technical framework, Wyckoff outlines probabilities and scenarios, not guarantees. Breakouts, failed structures, and macro catalysts can change the picture quickly. Chart and image credits: TradingView (chart), Unsplash (featured image). Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

The SEC’s investor education arm has issued a fresh bulletin urging retail crypto investors to take custody risks seriously — and to understand exactly what their wallets do (and don’t) protect. Why this matters now The Office of Investor Education and Assistance (OIEA) published guidance explaining how crypto wallets work, the trade-offs between self-custody and third-party custody, and the specific risks that have left users locked out of holdings after recent exchange and custodian failures. Wallets hold keys, not coins The bulletin stresses a fundamental point that’s often misunderstood: crypto wallets do not store tokens themselves — they store the private keys that control access to those tokens. - Private keys: Randomly generated alphanumeric passcodes that authorize transactions. “Once created, a private key cannot be changed or replaced. If you lose your private key, you permanently lose access to the crypto assets in your wallet,” the SEC warned. - Public keys: Used to verify transactions and let others send assets to your wallet, but they cannot authorize spending. “A public key is like the e-mail address to your crypto wallet,” the bulletin added. Hot vs. cold wallets The guidance distinguishes between hot wallets (connected to the internet) and cold wallets (stored offline on physical devices), outlining the different security profiles of each. Seed phrases and recovery Many wallets generate seed phrases that can restore access if a private key is lost or a device fails. The SEC’s simple advice: store your seed phrase in a secure place and do not share it with anyone. Self-custody vs. third-party custody Investors must pick between managing their own keys or entrusting a custodian to hold assets. The SEC urged careful vetting of any third-party custodian: - Research background: Look for complaints, enforcement actions, and the custodian’s regulatory status. - Asset support and insurance: Verify which crypto assets the custodian supports and whether they offer insurance for loss or theft. - Ask about security: Inquire into physical and cybersecurity protocols and whether customer data is sold to third parties. - Fees: Check fee structures — annual asset-based fees, transaction costs, asset-transfer fees, and account setup/closure charges. Hidden risks: rehypothecation and commingling The bulletin warns that some custodians may rehypothecate deposited crypto (using it as collateral for lending) or commingle customer assets instead of holding them individually. If a custodian is hacked, shuts down, or goes bankrupt, customers may lose access to their crypto assets. Practical takeaway — a short checklist - Know whether you control private keys or a custodian does. - Securely store and never share your seed phrase. - Run internet searches for complaints or regulatory actions against custodians. - Confirm which assets are supported and whether insurance exists. - Ask direct questions about rehypothecation, commingling, and security protocols. - Review all fees before committing funds. The SEC’s bulletin comes as a reminder amid a recent string of custodial failures that left customers unable to access holdings, underscoring that custody decisions can be as consequential as the assets themselves. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Memecoins aren’t dead — they’ve just changed shape, says MoonPay president Keith A. Grossman. Grossman told crypto observers that the core innovation of memecoins was never the jokes or mascots themselves but the way blockchain makes attention cheaply and easily tokenizable. That, he argues, democratises access to the “attention economy.” The problem, he added, isn’t the mechanism but where the value landed: instead of flowing back to communities and creators, much of it became concentrated in large, centralized platforms. He likened today’s gloomy analyst takes on memecoins to early-2000s predictions that social media was finished after the first wave of platforms stumbled — only for a new generation of companies to turn the concept into a cultural and commercial juggernaut. Grossman expects memecoins to return, but “in a different form.” Performance and fallout - Memecoins were one of 2024’s best-performing crypto sectors and the year’s dominant narrative among investors, according to CoinGecko. - That momentum reversed after a string of high-profile token failures and mounting criticism that many social tokens lacked intrinsic value. By Q1 2025 the memecoin market suffered a severe collapse, with several projects labeled “rug pulls.” Notable collapses highlighted in the downturn: - A memecoin launched by former U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the January 2025 inauguration briefly peaked at $75, then plunged more than 90% to roughly $5.42, per CoinMarketCap (at time of writing). - Argentine President Javier Milei publicly backed a social token called LIBRA in February. The token later crashed after reaching a $107 million market cap; 86% of LIBRA holders reportedly realized losses of $1,000 or more. The collapse prompted accusations of a rug pull, a government probe into Milei’s role, lawsuits from retail investors, and calls for impeachment from lawmakers. What’s next Grossman’s message: don’t write off tokenized attention. The tech that enabled memecoins remains potent, but the model must evolve to get value back into the hands of participants rather than intermediaries. Whether the next wave of social tokens learns from recent failures — and how regulators and communities respond — will shape whether memecoins return as a durable part of the crypto landscape. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Headline: Gulf oil money is reshaping Bitcoin liquidity — Abu Dhabi and spot ETFs at the center A new wave of oil-linked capital from the Gulf — sovereign wealth funds, family offices, state-affiliated investors and the private-banking networks that serve them — has become a meaningful force in Bitcoin markets in 2025. These investors are largely moving into crypto through regulated channels, especially spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and their flows are already changing how liquidity and market structure behave. Why this matters - Spot ETFs buy and hold actual Bitcoin in custody (they do not hold futures). That means net inflows usually translate directly into BTC purchases in the spot market, linking institutional demand to spot liquidity rather than to derivatives exposure. - When large, steady institutional flows arrive through regulated vehicles, they can do more than lift prices temporarily: they can narrow bid-ask spreads, deepen order books and make it easier to execute big trades with less market impact. That changes the plumbing of the market, not just headline prices. Abu Dhabi: the regional hub Abu Dhabi has emerged as a focal point for this shift. The Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) combines specialized regulatory frameworks, increasing assets under management and proximity to sovereign capital pools — conditions that attract market makers, prime brokers and asset managers. Reuters coverage has linked ADGM’s rapid AUM growth to its closeness to Abu Dhabi’s sovereign capital. Under this framework, firms such as Binance have obtained regulatory authorization, further boosting the ecosystem. How Gulf capital is flowing in - Sovereign wealth funds and government-related investment entities in the Gulf. - Ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices, often using private banks and wealth advisers. - International asset managers and hedge funds setting up regional operations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Many of these allocations are routed through institutional-grade vehicles and platforms — spot ETFs, prime-broker facilities, institutional custody and regulated exchanges — which reduce operational friction for large-scale participation. The mechanics behind the liquidity effect - Spot ETF inflows can create ETF share creations and redemptions handled by authorized participants; those institutions hedge across spot and derivatives markets, producing continuous two-way flow. - Large investors often use block (OTC) trades and financing facilities to minimize market impact, encouraging intermediaries to commit capital and improve execution services. - A more developed, regulated derivatives and clearing ecosystem helps market makers manage risk and tightens pricing in the spot market. - Note: spot ETFs trade during stock market hours while Bitcoin itself trades 24/7 — that mismatch can still create price gaps at market open after weekend or overnight crypto moves. Concrete signs of Gulf exposure Regulatory filings show specific moves: during Q3 2025 the Abu Dhabi Investment Council expanded its IBIT (BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust) stake from roughly 2.4 million shares to nearly 8 million by Sept. 30 — a position worth about $518 million at quarter-end. That suggests Gulf capital is accessing Bitcoin through U.S.-listed, regulated ETFs, which in turn feeds hedging and market-making activity across spot and derivatives venues. Why oil-linked investors are buying Bitcoin - Diversification and long-duration thinking: Sovereign and institutional Gulf investors often favor long-term, portfolio-level allocations; some view Bitcoin as a potential store-of-value complement (though with very different risk characteristics than gold). - Generational demand: Younger family-office clients in the UAE have been pushing for regulated digital-asset exposure, prompting traditional platforms to broaden access. - Building infrastructure: The region is also investing in market infrastructure — custody solutions, regulated exchanges and derivatives platforms — lowering the operational barrier for institutional participation and supporting more durable liquidity. Limits and risks - Institutional participation doesn’t eliminate Bitcoin’s volatility. The same regulated channels that enable large inflows can also facilitate rapid outflows. For example, Reuters reported that BlackRock’s IBIT saw a record single-day net outflow of about $523 million on Nov. 18, 2025, during a wider market pullback. - Policy and regulatory change remain a wildcard. Governments can expand or restrict access to Bitcoin-linked products, altering how funds allocate. - Structural frictions — such as the ETF trading-hours mismatch with 24/7 spot markets — still create moments of price dislocation. Takeaway Gulf oil-linked capital is not just a new buyer of Bitcoin; it’s a force that could reshape market structure by routing big, patient allocations through regulated channels. Abu Dhabi — via ADGM, growing AUM and a cluster of institutional counterparts — is central to that story. The result could be deeper books and tighter spreads when flows are steady, but the classic risks of volatility, policy shifts and rapid outflows remain very much in play. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Headline: From Wall Street to the World Cup — Why Football Is Becoming Crypto’s Most Powerful On-Ramp Between October and November 2025 Bitcoin fell more than 25% — a move that once would have sparked panic across the industry. Instead, many institutions doubled down, signalling a boardroom-level shift: corporations, banks and multinationals are increasingly willing to stake reputations (and balance sheets) on crypto. That top-down momentum is crucial, but history shows mass adoption usually needs a familiar, everyday gateway. In the early 2020s that gateway was gaming. Now it’s football. Why gateways matter Technological adoption rarely spreads from strangers to the public overnight. Early uptake often begins with elites or institutions and then spreads through channels people already trust. For Web3, institutions building custody, treasury and trading rails are doing the heavy lifting on legitimacy. But that only completes the loop when the average person sees a clear, relatable reason to participate. GameFi proved the model GameFi showed how entertainment can onboard millions. From January 2018 to February 2022 GameFi’s combined market cap jumped from $0.48 billion to more than $22 billion. Ethereum active addresses — a key metric for user engagement on the chain that powered many early GameFi titles — rose from ~138,000 to over 1.1 million between 2020 and 2021 (BitInfoCharts). In that period crypto users climbed from an estimated 106 million to 295 million, with some estimates attributing roughly 49% of blockchain activity to GameFi in a single 12-month span. People came for the games and stayed for the crypto. Football has a bigger reach than gaming Sports is an even larger cultural and financial arena. The Global Institute of Sport estimated the global sports market at $2.65 trillion at the end of 2024 — and some estimates put football’s share as high as 43% of that total. Football is truly global: roughly 3.5 billion fans worldwide (compared with cricket’s ~2.5 billion), thousands of pro clubs (around 4,000) and hundreds of thousands of amateur clubs — a huge audience and network for any mass-market application. Enter SportFi: fan tokens and on-chain fandom SportFi — the intersection of sports and crypto — began to crystallize in 2019 when clubs like Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain launched official fan tokens. Firms such as Chiliz pioneered the fan-token model: blockchain-based tokens that give supporters closer engagement with clubs through voting polls, and grant access to perks like VIP matchday experiences, team dinners and travel with squads to continental fixtures. By 2025 nearly 100 sporting institutions had issued official tokens across networks including Chiliz, Binance, Polygon and Ethereum. It’s not limited to football giants — esports orgs, Formula One teams and MMA promoters like the UFC have joined the wave. Tokens tied to clubs such as Barcelona ($BAR), Manchester City ($CITY), AC Milan ($ACM), Arsenal ($AFC) and Napoli ($NAP) trade daily volumes that, at peaks, rival many tokens in the crypto market-cap top 20, approaching nearly $1 billion on busy days. Why football tokens convert non-crypto users Sport-linked tokens give fans an intuitive way to read price action. Instead of parsing whitepapers and technical roadmaps, supporters can apply what they already know: team form, injury news, transfers, managerial changes and match results. On-chain data shows token valuations react to match outcomes — spiking on goals, dipping after concessions, and sustaining long rallies during unbeaten runs. For many fans, this familiar context reduces the friction of entering crypto markets. What this means for mainstream adoption Institutions are building the infrastructure and signalling trust. Sport — and football in particular — is providing the cultural bridge. Where GameFi taught millions to think about digital ownership through play, football is converting fandom into on-chain engagement through emotion, ritual and real-world rewards. That combination (top-down legitimacy plus bottom-up familiarity) could be the catalyst that moves crypto from niche to mainstream. Bottom line: corporate accumulation builds the rails, but football’s global reach and emotional pull are becoming one of crypto’s most effective gateway drugs — and the next major wave of users is already marching through the turnstiles. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Headline: Social media flares as users debate a quantum hack on Satoshi’s stash — what’s real risk and what’s panic? A speculative scenario shared online this weekend — that a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could steal and dump Satoshi Nakamoto’s roughly 1 million BTC, crashing the price — touched off a heated debate across crypto channels. The spark: YouTuber Josh Otten posted a BTC price chart showing a collapse to $3 and suggested it could happen if a quantum machine stole Satoshi’s coins and dumped them on the market. Long-time Bitcoin analyst Willy Woo responded that many “OGs” would buy a flash crash, and that the Bitcoin network itself would survive — but he flagged a technical nuance: roughly 4 million BTC are stored in pay-to-public-key (P2PK) outputs that, when spent, reveal the full public key onchain and could be vulnerable to future quantum attacks. Why that matters: current public-key cryptography relies on mathematical problems a powerful quantum computer could theoretically solve, letting an attacker derive a private key from a revealed public key. If a quantum adversary can recover private keys associated with onchain public keys, they could move those coins and dump them into the market. By contrast, many newer wallet-address schemes aim to limit when or whether a public key is exposed onchain, reducing immediate vulnerability. Experts push back on imminent alarm. Blockstream co‑founder and cypherpunk Adam Back argued Bitcoin is unlikely to face a real quantum threat for 20–40 years, giving the community time to adopt post‑quantum cryptographic standards that already exist. Market analyst James Check likewise said the protocol itself isn’t doomed — users and services will migrate to quantum‑resistant address types well before a practical quantum threat appears. That doesn’t erase market risk, however. Check warned that the main danger is price volatility: if a quantum attacker did move and sell high‑profile coins, the market impact could be severe — and there’s “no chance,” in his view, the community would agree to freeze Satoshi’s coins preemptively to avoid that outcome. Not everyone sees the attack as practical or worthwhile. Prominent investors and commentators have argued a quantum attack on Bitcoin would be inefficient or unnecessary, while others continue to question whether current privacy and encryption practices are ready for long‑term quantum advances. Bottom line: The technical vulnerability tied to revealed public keys is real in principle, but timelines and practical risk remain contested. The consensus among many experts quoted is that post‑quantum cryptography can and likely will be adopted before a quantum computer capable of breaking Bitcoin’s crypto is built — although the market could still react violently to any high‑profile exploit. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Headline: Crypto ATMs go mainstream — but trust and rules must catch up Walk into many gas stations, grocery stores or convenience marts today and you’ll likely spot a compact orange kiosk: a crypto ATM. What began as a niche curiosity has quietly become one of the most visible in-person entry points to the crypto world. With nearly 40,000 crypto ATMs operating worldwide, these machines are helping make digital assets feel tangible and approachable for people who prefer transacting with cash. That reach is a major win for mainstream adoption — but it also creates new risks. As demand rises, so does attention from scammers seeking to exploit users who don’t fully understand the technology. The result: growing calls for clear rules, stronger oversight, and shared responsibility across the ecosystem. Policymakers are responding. Cities across the U.S. are considering measures such as mandatory on-screen scam warnings and daily transaction limits, and regulators have signaled that crypto ATM activity should face additional oversight. The goal is sensible: allow the sector to grow while protecting consumers. Achieving that balance requires practical, enforceable frameworks that evolve with the technology. For operators, that means meeting heightened compliance expectations: proper registration and licensing, rigorous AML and KYC protocols, and robust transaction and blockchain monitoring. Compliance must be proactive, consistent, and transparent — customers shouldn’t need to parse regulation to feel safe using a kiosk. When operators bake compliance into the user experience, they build credibility for the broader market. Industry-led measures can make a real difference in the short term. For example, Bitcoin Depot — the largest Bitcoin ATM operator — has tightened verification and clarified user flows by implementing ID verification at kiosks. The company also supports targeted safeguards for vulnerable groups: extra screening for customers over 60, daily transaction caps, and real-time on-screen scam warnings designed to interrupt common fraud scenarios. Education is the other half of the equation. Clear signage at machines, public awareness campaigns, and 24/7 customer support help users recognize scams and complete transactions confidently. Practical, human-centered protections combined with education reduce harm and strengthen overall trust in the channel. What’s clear is that the future of crypto ATMs depends less on price swings or headlines and more on everyday users feeling secure. Operators, regulators, and industry partners all have roles to play: enforceable rules, improved product design, visible consumer protections, and ongoing public education. These are not brakes on innovation — they’re the foundations for long-term credibility. Short checklist for stronger crypto ATM ecosystems: - Robust registration, licensing, and AML/KYC procedures - Transaction and on-chain monitoring for suspicious activity - Real-time on-screen scam warnings and daily transaction limits - Additional protections for older adults and vulnerable users - Clear signage, public education campaigns, and 24/7 support As crypto becomes part of everyday finance, the companies that commit to higher standards — and the policymakers that craft smart rules — will determine whether this technology earns lasting consumer trust. Compliance, transparency, and accountability aren’t signs of an industry in trouble; they’re how it matures. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

YO Labs, the San Francisco team behind YO Protocol, has closed a $10 million Series A to scale its cross-chain yield optimization platform. The round was led by Foundation Capital and joined by Coinbase Ventures, Scribble Ventures, and Launchpad Capital — bringing the startup’s total funding to $24 million after an earlier seed round led by Paradigm. What YO does YO Protocol is a yield optimizer that automatically reallocates capital across DeFi protocols to chase the best risk-adjusted returns. Unlike many aggregators that stay confined to a single chain, YO’s vaults operate across multiple blockchains and currently power products tied to USD, EUR, BTC, ETH and gold (yoUSD, yoEUR, yoBTC, yoETH, yoGOLD). The vaults dynamically shift funds to where the protocol calculates the most attractive risk-adjusted yield. Risk-adjusted approach The platform’s core differentiator is its Risk Adjusted Yield metric, developed from the team’s work building risk ratings for DeFi pools. Using Exponential.fi — a risk-scoring platform built by the same team — YO evaluates thousands of risk vectors (everything from protocol age to audit history) and computes a probability-of-default instead of simply chasing headline APYs. As YO’s co-founder and CIO Mehdi Lebbar told CoinDesk, this lets the protocol favor returns that balance yield with measurable risk. Security and cross-chain design To avoid the security pitfalls of constantly bridging assets between chains, YO Labs built an architecture that minimizes bridge exposure. Rather than frequently moving funds, the protocol establishes “embassies” — independent vaults that hold native assets on each blockchain. “If you bridge a pool, you have exposure to the risk of the bridge… We needed to create these ‘embassies’ across multiple planets,” Lebbar said, adding that native holdings reduce reliance on potentially vulnerable bridges. Complementing that design is a “DeFi Graph” that maps active dependencies up to five levels deep. The graph monitors for cascading failures or extreme volatility and can trigger automated withdrawals if any indirect exposure to a failing asset is detected — a safeguard against what the team calls “Armageddon scenarios.” What the funding will do YO Labs says the fresh capital will be used to expand its protocol to more blockchains and beef up infrastructure. The company is positioning YO as foundational yield infrastructure that fintechs, wallets and developers can embed to offer sustainable, risk-aware returns to users. Why it matters As DeFi users become savvier about security and real-world risk, products that combine cross-chain reach with transparent risk assessment could stand out from APY-chasing aggregators. With institutional backers like Foundation Capital and Coinbase Ventures and a focus on measurable risk, YO Labs aims to be a go-to layer for platforms seeking automated, defensible yield. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

The US government is pushing for wider crypto adoption as the Securities and Exchange Commission this week published a retail investor guide focused on custody options and risks. The SEC’s bulletin, released Friday by the Office of Investor Education and Assistance, lays out how retail investors can store and access crypto assets and what to watch out for. It defines a crypto asset as “an asset that is generated, issued, and/or transferred using a blockchain or similar distributed ledger technology network, including assets known as ‘tokens,’ ‘digital assets,’ ‘virtual currencies,’ and ‘coins.’” Custody is explained as “how and where investors store and access their crypto assets,” with the guide emphasizing the critical role of private keys—alphanumeric codes that grant access to digital assets via crypto wallets. The guide breaks down core custody concepts for everyday investors: the differences between self-custody and third-party custody (who controls access and who bears security responsibility), the two main wallet types—hot wallets (internet-connected) and cold wallets (offline)—plus related elements like seed phrases and public keys. The bulletin is intended to be a practical primer so retail holders better understand how to protect their holdings and the trade-offs involved in different custody choices. The publication comes amid a broader shift in US crypto policy under the Trump administration, which has pursued a more accommodating regulatory stance compared with the prior Biden administration’s enforcement-first approach. That pivot has included creation of a dedicated crypto task force, the termination of multiple lawsuits filed during the prior crackdown, and the launch of a regulatory program dubbed “Project Crypto.” The SEC’s custody guidance is being viewed by many as another step toward mainstreaming the industry. Crypto communities welcomed the SEC’s educational push. One market analyst posting under the X handle X Finance Bull called the guide “another lever of regulatory acceptance,” adding: “The SEC just released an official guide on crypto asset custody for retail investors. Months after dropping the $XRP case, the posture keeps shifting. from resistance to education. I’ve seen this movie before. This is what quiet acceptance looks like.” At press time, the total crypto market capitalization stood at about $3.04 trillion, up roughly 0.29% over the past 24 hours. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Standard Chartered and Coinbase announced on December 12, 2025 that they are widening a strategic partnership to build a suite of institutional-focused crypto services — a sign of growing collaboration between traditional banks and crypto exchanges to serve big-ticket clients. The two firms said the expanded effort will explore five core areas that institutional investors demand: trading, prime services, custody, staking and lending. In practice that means work on order execution, financing and custody solutions — plus staking and lending frameworks — designed for banks, funds and other large players that need institutional-grade controls and settlement processes. The initiative builds on an existing Singapore arrangement where Standard Chartered already provides banking rails that enable real-time Singapore dollar transfers to and from Coinbase. That linkage helped support Coinbase’s official expansion into Singapore’s institutional market on November 12, 2025. Standard Chartered also launched spot trading for Bitcoin and Ether for its institutional clients earlier in the year, underscoring the bank’s push to develop in-house crypto capabilities as demand grows. Each partner brings complementary strengths: Coinbase contributes its institutional trading platform and market access, while Standard Chartered supplies global payment rails, FX capabilities and a regulated bank compliance framework. Together they say they can give large clients the ability to trade, finance, stake and custody digital assets within familiar banking rules and procedures — an attractive proposition for institutions seeking regulated, lower-risk crypto exposure. The move comes amid a broader industry trend: other banks and prime brokers are either linking with crypto firms or building their own services to offer clients regulated trading and settlement pathways. For institutional traders, multiple regulated routes reduce single-point dependency and can help lower operational and counterparty risk. Neither Coinbase nor Standard Chartered disclosed a timeline or fee schedules. For now the partners plan to develop and test product ideas across the regions where each operates, with a focus on meeting institutional expectations for custody controls, credit and execution tools tied to bank-grade rails. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Headline: Whales and ETFs buy the dip as Solana price struggles — retail selling keeps pressure on Solana’s price action showed a clear tug-of-war on Thursday: big holders and institutional ETF flows piled into a recent pullback, but retail selling and weakening momentum kept SOL under pressure. Price and immediate moves - SOL attempted an upside breakout two days ago but was rejected at about $144, sparking a retrace that briefly broke the $130 support level. At press time SOL traded around $131, down roughly 5.5% on the day, with a low near $129 offering a buying window. Whales stepping in - Onchain Lens reported a long-term Solana whale withdrew 101,365 SOL (≈ $13.89M) from Kraken and moved it into private custody. After the transaction the whale’s holdings rose to 628,564 SOL (≈ $84.13M) — 519,217 SOL in a private wallet and 109,348 SOL staked. That accumulation during a dip signals conviction that a recovery could be coming. Institutional flows remain strong - SoSoValue data show Solana spot ETFs posted net inflows for five straight days in December. Since their late-October launch, the ETFs have recorded net outflows only three times, and total net assets for the group climbed to about $949.1M — closing in on the $1B milestone. Sustained ETF demand suggests institutional interest remains intact despite price weakness. Retail selling adds downward pressure - Retail activity painted a different picture: Coinalyze recorded 1.31M in sell volume vs. 1.15M buy volume on Dec. 11, a Buy–Sell Delta of –158.77k, indicating heavy sell-side participation by smaller traders. CryptoQuant’s spot taker metrics have been signaling seller dominance in the spot market, reinforcing the view that retail outflows have been a major headwind even as large holders absorb supply. Technical backdrop and levels to watch - Momentum indicators have turned cautious. The SMI Ergodic indicator formed a bearish crossover and slid to –0.103, while moving averages show a tightening bearish bias: the MA sits near $135 and the EMA around $136 (EMA ticked up slightly while the MA drifted lower). If selling persists, SOL could slip back below $130, with $123 cited as the next meaningful support. For bulls to regain control, analysts say SOL needs to flip the EMA at ~$136 and close above $146 — the level tied to the prior failed breakout. Takeaway - The market is in a classic battleground: whales and institutional buyers are using dips to accumulate, while retail selling and weakening technicals are keeping short-term pressure on price. Watch ETF inflows and whale custody movements for signs of sustained demand, and the EMA/$146 zone for a potential reversal confirmation. Disclaimer: This article is informational and not investment advice. Cryptocurrency trading is high risk; do your own research before making decisions. © 2025 AMBCrypto (sources: Onchain Lens, SoSoValue, CryptoQuant, Coinalyze, TradingView). Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

El Salvador — the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender — has teamed up with Elon Musk’s xAI to roll out what officials are calling the world’s first national AI-powered public education system. Under a Thursday announcement, the Salvadoran government will deploy xAI’s Grok chatbot across more than 5,000 public schools over the next two years. The initiative is slated to support over 1 million students and thousands of teachers by serving as a digital tutor that personalizes lessons to each student’s pace and skill level while aligning with the national curriculum. xAI says the system is designed to deliver consistent instruction across both urban and rural classrooms. Beyond classroom tutoring, the partnership will co-develop new AI datasets, frameworks and methods specifically for educational environments, with an emphasis on local context, safety, and human-centered impact. “By co-developing this system with El Salvador, we’ll generate new methodologies, datasets, and frameworks to guide responsible AI use in classrooms globally,” xAI’s release said. President Nayib Bukele framed the move as another example of El Salvador’s tech-forward strategy — the same administration recently increased the country’s bitcoin holdings to 7,500 BTC. “El Salvador is pioneering AI-driven education,” Bukele said. Elon Musk added: “El Salvador isn’t waiting for the future of education, they’re building it with xAI.” For the crypto community, the deal underscores El Salvador’s broader push to marry digital-asset adoption with high-profile tech initiatives, positioning the country as an experimental hub for both blockchain and AI-driven public services. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Binance is revamping part of its stablecoin infrastructure by integrating USD1 — the dollar-backed stablecoin tied to Trump-linked crypto project WLFI — more deeply across the exchange. What’s changing - New direct trading pairs: BNB/USD1, ETH/USD1 and SOL/USD1 will go live Thursday, letting traders use USD1 directly against three of the exchange’s largest assets, Binance said in a press release. - Zero-fee conversions: Binance will allow fee-free exchanges between USD1 and the two biggest market stablecoins, Circle’s USDC and Tether’s USDT. - B-Token reserve swap: Binance will convert all reserves supporting its BUSD-pegged token (the B-Token) into USD1. That conversion is expected to finish within seven days. Afterward, USD1 will be used as part of the collateral that underpins Binance’s internal systems, including margin trading and liquidity operations. About USD1 USD1 is redeemable 1:1 for U.S. dollars and is fully backed by U.S. Treasury bills, cash and equivalents. It currently has roughly a $2.7 billion market capitalization, making it the sixth-largest stablecoin by that metric, according to RWA.xyz. The token drew wider attention when a $2 billion investment in Binance from Abu Dhabi’s MGX was settled in USD1. Why this matters By shifting reserves into USD1 and adding native trading pairs, Binance is effectively routing more of its on-exchange liquidity through a single, Treasury-backed stablecoin. The zero-fee rails to USDC and USDT could also funnel liquidity between the dominant stablecoins more efficiently, potentially changing how traders and institutional flows move on the platform. Context The announcement comes after President Donald Trump granted Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao a pardon in October — a decision that drew scrutiny over the president’s crypto ties. Zhao had pleaded guilty in November 2023 to violating the Bank Secrecy Act and served a four-month prison sentence. Binance’s move is another notable step in stablecoin competition and exchange-level treasury management, with implications for liquidity, counterparty risk and how large platforms choose collateral going forward. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Acting CFTC Chair Caroline Pham has moved to wipe the slate clean on a contentious piece of crypto guidance, setting the stage for a fresh look at how “actual delivery” of digital assets should be defined and regulated. Pham announced on Thursday that the agency is withdrawing a 2020 guidance document that attempted to define “actual delivery” in crypto transactions — a key concept under the Commodity Exchange Act that helps determine when a spot crypto trade constitutes delivery of a commodity rather than a derivative. “Eliminating outdated and overly complex guidance that penalizes the crypto industry and stifles innovation is exactly what the administration has set out to do this year,” she said. The 2020 guidance was originally issued during the Trump administration; law firm Steptoe had pushed the agency for clarity on the term as far back as 2016. Earlier this year, the President’s Working Group on financial markets also urged the CFTC to reconsider and expand prior guidance on “actual delivery” for virtual assets. In its withdrawal notice, the CFTC said the document must be rescinded so regulators can reassess it “in light of further developments during the past 5 years in the means and methods deployed in the spot market for the purchase and sale of virtual currencies.” The move signals the agency’s intent to revisit foundational definitions that affect custodians, exchanges and market participants navigating the boundary between spot markets and derivatives. Pham’s action is the latest in a rapid flurry of crypto-focused policy moves at the CFTC. Her tenure is still temporary: President Trump’s nominee to replace her permanently, Mike Selig, is reportedly on track for possible confirmation as soon as next week — a development that could shape the agency’s long-term approach to crypto rulemaking. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Chainlink’s LINK slipped nearly 5% in 24 hours, sliding to $13.74 on Thursday despite a high-profile Coinbase tie-up that many expected to boost sentiment. Coinbase announced earlier in the day it will use Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to power a new bridge for roughly $7 billion in wrapped assets — including cbETH, cbBTC and cbDOGE. The selection of CCIP represents a significant institutional nod to Chainlink’s cross-chain infrastructure and its role in tokenization. Adding to on-chain interest, Nasdaq-listed digital asset treasury firm Caliber (CWD) said it has begun staking LINK for yield, deploying an initial 75,000 tokens. Still, broader market headwinds outweighed the headlines. Weak altcoin momentum and renewed investor concern about the Federal Reserve’s rate outlook pressured crypto prices, sending LINK down from Wednesday’s high of $14.46 to a Thursday intraday low of $13.43. Signs of a potential bottom, however, emerged late in the session. Trading activity jumped — volume was 20.4% above the seven-day average — and CoinDesk data recorded a concentrated burst of more than 340,000 LINK exchanged between 18:42 and 18:45 UTC. CoinDesk Research’s technical tool also flagged accumulation just above a key support level at $13.46, suggesting institutional buying amid wider market weakness. Key levels to watch (based on the session): - Support: $13.46 - Recent high/resistance: ~$14.46 Markets remain sensitive to macro developments, but the Coinbase CCIP partnership and institutional staking activity give LINK positive structural newsflow even as short-term price action tests support. Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and standards compliance. For details, see CoinDesk’s AI policy. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has exposed a pattern of what many in crypto are calling “debanking” — a development that has reignited fears of an “Operation Chokepoint 2.0” targeting lawful digital‑asset businesses. What the OCC found - The OCC’s supervisory review examined nine of the largest national banks it oversees: JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Capital One, PNC Bank, TD Bank, and BMO. - Reviewing policies and practices from 2020–2023, the OCC found that these institutions frequently treated customers differently based on their lawful lines of business. Many banks applied restrictions, extra approvals, or heightened scrutiny to certain sectors even when those activities were not illegal. - Affected industries included oil and gas exploration, coal mining, firearms, private prisons, tobacco and e‑cigarettes, adult entertainment — and notably, digital assets. The OCC reported that strict limits on crypto‑related activities were common across the banks reviewed, often justified by generalized concerns about financial crime. - The agency said these debanking practices were “prevalent” at each of the banks included in the review. Regulator reaction and next steps Comptroller Jonathan V. Gould didn’t mince words: “It is unfortunate that the nation’s largest banks thought these harmful debanking policies were an appropriate use of their government‑granted charter and market power.” He emphasized the OCC’s commitment to prevent the “weaponiz[ation of] finance,” whether by banks or by regulators themselves. The agency is still reviewing “thousands of complaints” alleging political and religious debanking and says it will report its findings “in due course.” The OCC has signaled it intends to hold banks accountable if unlawful debanking practices are found. A potentially positive counterbalance for crypto The OCC’s findings come just after the regulator cleared a new operating structure for national banks: a letter allowing them to engage in “riskless principal transactions” involving cryptocurrencies. Under this model, a national bank can buy and immediately sell crypto on behalf of a customer — acting as an intermediary rather than taking a proprietary position. Why this matters for crypto: - It gives customers an on‑ramp that routes crypto trades through regulated national banks rather than through some unregulated or lightly regulated exchanges. - That could expand mainstream access and custody options for digital assets while subjecting those transactions to bank oversight and compliance frameworks. - At the same time, the OCC’s review makes clear that policy changes at banks — whether from reputational worries or internal “values” policies — can still restrict lawful crypto businesses and users. What to watch - The OCC’s forthcoming report on the thousands of complaints and any enforcement steps the agency takes against banks. - Whether banks revise their internal “restricted sectors” policies after the OCC’s review and follow‑up. - How quickly national banks adopt the riskless principal model, and whether it meaningfully improves liquidity, on‑ramping, and compliance for crypto firms and retail users. Image credits: DALL‑E. Chart: TradingView.com. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

CoinPoker has launched a mobile-focused freeroll aimed at players who prefer gaming on their phones: a monthly Mobile Freeroll with a guaranteed $5,000 prize pool. The tournament will run on the last Friday of every month and is open to all new users who register with the promo code MOBILE and play at least 10 rake hands. Why it matters - Large mobile freerolls are rare in the poker space, and this offer gives newcomers a no-risk way to try CoinPoker while still having a genuine shot at a meaningful payout. - The freeroll also provides a simple, low-friction path to test CoinPoker’s updated mobile client and explore the platform’s other offerings—holiday series, around-the-clock cash tables, and seasonal promos—without depositing funds. How to qualify 1. Register a new account using promo code MOBILE. 2. Complete a minimum of 10 rake hands. After those two steps, the system automatically adds eligible players to the next monthly Mobile Freeroll. Mobile-first access CoinPoker’s mobile client has been redesigned to work directly in mobile browsers on iOS and Android—no app download required. Players can join via Safari, Chrome, Firefox and other major browsers, making entry faster and more convenient for users on the go. Who benefits - New players: an opportunity to build a starting bankroll without an initial deposit. - Experienced players: a chance to evaluate the revamped mobile experience and play a value-packed tournament without additional investment. About CoinPoker CoinPoker positions itself as a transparency- and innovation-driven poker platform. It uses a blockchain-based random number generator and counts well-known pros among its ambassadors, including Patrick Leonard, Bencb and Mario Mosböck. The site also hosts larger annual events—Cash Game World Championship (CGWC) and Coin Series of Poker (CSOP)—and runs high-profile promos such as CoinMasters, which carries a $250,000 prize pool. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Headline: Dogecoin ETFs struggle to attract institutions as volumes and assets lag peers Dogecoin exchange-traded funds have registered strikingly low demand since launching in late November, underscoring weak institutional appetite for the meme coin. Data from SoSoValue shows daily trading volumes and inflows for the Grayscale and Bitwise DOGE ETFs have trended downward in recent weeks. On December 10 the two DOGE ETFs together posted just $125,100 in trading volume and a combined net inflow of $171,920. That follows a peak daily volume of $1.09 million on December 2; overall, the DOGE funds have managed only three days with seven-figure volume out of 12 trading days since Grayscale’s Dogecoin fund debuted on November 24. The asset picture is even more telling. Combined net assets for the DOGE ETFs stand at roughly $6.01 million, far behind several recently launched crypto ETFs. Grayscale’s Chainlink (LINK) ETF, which launched at the start of December, has already amassed $77.71 million in assets — an outperformance that bucks the expectation that only coins closer to Bitcoin by market cap will attract assets. Indeed, Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas warned ahead of these launches that “the further away you get from BTC, the less asset there will be.” While that has held true for some listings, LINK’s stronger reception is a notable exception. Net flows further highlight the disparity. Since launch, Bitwise’s DOGE fund has recorded a net outflow of $972,840, while Grayscale’s DOGE fund has taken in just over $3 million. As a group, the DOGE ETFs posted net inflows on only five of the 12 trading days measured. Meanwhile, new Solana (SOL) and XRP ETF offerings — which have more funds available — have outperformed DOGE, and even Hedera and Litecoin ETFs currently report larger net assets than the Dogecoin products. Analysts point to several likely causes: DOGE’s meme-coin status, limited utility compared with other protocols, and its distance from Bitcoin in market-cap hierarchy, all of which seem to be dampening institutional interest. Dogecoin remains the only meme coin with an ETF wrapper so far. Price-wise, DOGE was trading around $0.138 at the time of the data snapshot, down more than 6% over the prior 24 hours (CoinMarketCap). For now, flows and assets suggest institutions are taking a cautious — or simply uninterested — stance on Dogecoin exposure through ETFs. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news