Daily Crypto Briefing – December 21, 2025

Markets remain in consolidation mode as the crypto industry navigates year-end dynamics, with regulatory developments and institutional moves taking center stage.

Top Stories

Tether Executive Self-Dealing Raises Questions

The Financial Times reports that Tether-backed Northern Data sold its bitcoin mining operations to companies run by Tether's own executives. The transaction occurred just days before Rumble announced its $767 million acquisition of Northern Data, raising potential conflict of interest concerns.

Crypto Gaming Sector Faces Major Setbacks

Decrypt chronicles the biggest crypto gaming shutdowns of 2025, including high-profile projects like Deadrop and Nyan Heroes. The closures highlight ongoing challenges in the play-to-earn gaming sector despite significant initial investment and hype.

Arthur Hayes Predicts $200K Bitcoin

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes expects Bitcoin to trade sideways through year-end but could surge to $200,000 by March. His prediction is based on anticipated monetary policy shifts and institutional adoption patterns.

Cardano Hack Details Revealed

Charles Hoskinson explains November's "poisoned transaction" attack that temporarily split the Cardano blockchain. The incident highlighted vulnerabilities in the network's consensus mechanism that have since been addressed.

Regulation

House Lawmakers Draft Crypto Tax Relief

• Bipartisan House lawmakers unveiled a draft bill providing tax clarity for crypto transactions
• Proposes safe harbor for stablecoin payments under $200
• Includes deferral options for crypto staking and mining rewards
• CryptoBriefing notes the proposal could stimulate small-scale crypto adoption

Senator Lummis Won't Seek Reelection

• Crypto community expresses disappointment over Senator Cynthia Lummis's decision not to run again
• Industry supporters credit her with advancing crypto-friendly legislation
• Her departure removes a key crypto advocate from Congress

Markets

Bitcoin Price Action and Analysis

• Multiple analysts debate whether Bitcoin will crash to $70K or rebound to higher levels
• Citi projects a $143,000 base case for Bitcoin over the next 12 months
• CryptoSlate analysis suggests a supply wall is keeping prices below $93,000
• $600 million in Bitcoin short liquidations occurred amid recent price volatility

Ethereum Struggles Continue

• Ethereum ETFs recorded over $600 million in outflows, raising concerns among traders
• Arthur Hayes reportedly moved $3 million from Ethereum into DeFi tokens
• ETH continues to struggle below the $3,000 psychological level

Technology

Ethereum Security Roadmap

• Ethereum Foundation prioritizes security with new 128-bit security requirements by 2026
• CryptoNews reports the shift from speed to security focus
• Three security milestones established for zero-knowledge EVMs

Solana Network Resilience

• CryptoSlate details how Solana successfully defended against a 6 Tbps attack
• Network used traffic-shaping protocols to prevent spam scaling
• Demonstrates improved network resilience compared to previous outages

DeFi

Uniswap Governance Vote

• UNI token jumped 19% as voting opened on protocol fee activation
• The proposal could generate revenue for UNI token holders
• Vote represents significant governance milestone for the protocol

Maple Finance CEO's Bold Prediction

• Maple Finance CEO claims "DeFi is dead" as traditional finance moves on-chain
• Predicts institutions will stop distinguishing between DeFi and traditional finance
• Expects stablecoins to process $50 trillion in transactions

International

Brazil Crypto Growth

• Crypto activity in Brazil rose 43% with average investments exceeding $1,000
• Market shows signs of maturity with higher transaction volumes
• Growing demand for low-risk crypto products among Brazilian investors

Corporate Partnerships

• Klarna partners with Coinbase to accept USDC funding from institutions
• The BNPL giant explores stablecoins for treasury and capital markets use
• Represents growing institutional adoption of crypto infrastructure

Quick Hits

• Vitalik Buterin defends prediction markets as superior to social media for finding truth
• Crypto trader loses $50 million to address poisoning scam
• Meme coin market cap peaked at $150 billion before declining 70%
• [Hilbert Group acquires Enigma Nordic](https://cryptonews.com/news/hilbert-group-acquires-enigma-nordic