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• France has eased restrictions on crypto ETNs by removing the requirement for warning labels.
• Similar moves have already taken place in the UK and Scandinavia and are fueling the growth of the ETN market in Europe.

On December 9th gab the French financial market regulator AMF known the restrictions on exchange-traded crypto bonds for private investors have been relaxed. The authority will amend its rules, in this case AMF position 2010-05, which will eliminate the previously mandatory warnings on ETN products.

France is aligning its national laws with the EU and expanding retail investors’ access to digital investment products, opening up new market opportunities for millions of retail investors and asset managers like CoinShares.

A bill in favor of cryptocurrencies has been on the table since October to better integrate Bitcoin and stablecoins into the French economy. In addition, a national Bitcoin reserve is being discussed in France. This will encourage the use of Euro-based stablecoins in everyday transactions and support domestic crypto mining.

As CNF reported, European banks are working together to launch Qivalis, a euro-backed stablecoin, to strengthen Europe’s control over digital payments. However, the bill is not a sure-fire success due to limited parliamentary support.

France’s move comes months after lifting its long-standing ban on retail crypto ETNs – CNF reported. This opened the doors to up to 7 million new crypto customers.

This regulatory move is crucial as the European crypto market has suffered from fragmentation. Large differences in regulation had hindered widespread acceptance and put the EU at a disadvantage compared to the better conditions in the USA.

That was done with that Official entry into force of the MiCA Regulation – Markets for Crypto Assets – beends. The regulatory changes made in Europe will expand the market for crypto ETNs. Europe has already seen inflows of €2.5 billion since the start of the year, with key markets such as the UK, France and Scandinavia representing tens of millions of active retail investors.

• The US Federal Reserve cut the key interest rate by 0.25 points on December 10th, for the third time this year.
• Bitcoin jumped briefly after the decision and then turned away again, but analysts are still talking about a possible lag according to the usual pattern.

A brief moment of shock, then BTC rises again. Bitcoin reacts to the Fed interest rate cut like a market that had already priced everything in and still remains nervous.

The Fed has cut by 25 basis points, the target range is now 3.50 to 3.75 percent. Three cuts in a row over the fall, a total of 0.75 percentage points, that was pretty much expected. And yet it doesn’t seem like relief, more like another data point that raises new questions.

Bitcoin initially jumped above the $94,000 mark, but only briefly, and then fell back towards 90,000. At the time of writing, the BTC price is close 92.600 USD and recorded an increase of in the last 24 hours 2,34%.

At the same time, a rather cautious tone was heard from the Fed, projections, a look to 2026, and risk turned off again. It’s not entirely clear how much of this is actually due to the Fed and how much is purely positioning.

Interest rate cut number three brings a moderate price increase

Some analysts are focusing less on the rate cut itself than on the underlying signal. Powell speaks of a neutral zone, and there are corresponding projections. At this point the market is rapidly losing its euphoria. This is particularly noticeable in the crypto sector, as reactions depend heavily on how clearly and reliably expectations of the next monetary policy steps can be classified.

The following morning, broad corrections began again, and not just for Bitcoin. The short-term bounce was there, but was quickly sold off. Futures positions and risk exposure have been pared back, a pattern that often emerges after highly anticipated calendar events.

Analysts rely on time-delayed effects

In parallel, an alternative interpretation exists. In the past, interest rate cuts were often followed by the actual market movement with a delay of 3 months, after the event had been processed and the positioning had been reorganized.

Some analysts therefore expect a rally to start later. It remains to be seen whether this pattern will work this time, especially since the Federal Reserve is currently sending more dampening than stimulating signals.

Added to this is the increasing background noise from the technology sector. Movements in AI and tech stocks, such as Oracle, as well as the general mood in the major US indices are now having a noticeable impact on the crypto market. Bitcoin is currently reacting nervously to this, regardless of its own narrative.

There is currently little to suggest a clear trend. The market seems headline-driven, reacts at short notice and rejects impulses just as quickly. If the upcoming labor market or inflation data deviate again, the focus is likely to shift accordingly. Bitcoin therefore remains in a phase of uncertainty, between hopes for interest rates and signs of fatigue.

• YouTube has activated a payout option in the USA where proceeds can be paid out via PayPal as PYUSD.
• According to reports, the offer is initially limited to US users and runs via PayPal, not YouTube’s own crypto infrastructure.

YouTube introduces a new payout option for US channel operators. Anyone who earns money in the partner program will in future be able to have it credited as PYUSD, i.e. a dollar-based crypto token from PayPal. The whole thing applies according to the first Report as live since December 12, 2025, because YouTube is otherwise rather cautious when it comes to such topics.

Payment is made via PayPal, YouTube is left out

The point is not that YouTube is suddenly managing crypto itself. It doesn’t. The leverage is with PayPal, where PYUSD is offered as a payment form and YouTube passes this option on in the payout flow. For channel operators, this practically means that they end up in the PayPal environment, not in a YouTube wallet. In short, YouTube keeps its hands clean.

In practice, this should dock with the existing PayPal payment channels that YouTube uses anyway, including via PayPal Hyperwallet in the payment settings. Anyone who has ever hung on about the settings knows how unglamorous it is. But it fits because it is an existing money route, only with another target currency.

PayPal’s own dollar token is being pushed

PYUSD has been around since 2023. PayPal describes the token as being fully backed by US dollar deposits, short-term US government bonds and similar liquid assets, and it is said to be redeemable one-for-one against US dollars. That’s the official narrative, and it makes the topic easier for platforms like YouTube because it sounds more like payments than speculation.

PayPal has also announced that PYUSD will also become available on Stellar in 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. This plays indirectly into this because it shows that PayPal is not treating the token as an experiment, but as a product line that is intended to fit into more systems. And then at some point something like this ends up in payouts to channel operators.

What remains open is the pace for other countries. In the reports, activation is clearly limited to the USA. It doesn’t say whether and when this will come to Europe, and in real operations it ultimately depends on rules, taxes, payout service providers, all that part that rarely appears in a nice product report.

• Pi Network expands the use of AI far beyond the previously introduced Fast Track KYC system.
• Customers should complete verification and ensure that all mainnet checklist tasks are completed.

The Pi Network has started using AI tools in its KYC verification system to useto accelerate the transition from Enclosed Mainnet to full Mainnet operational capability. At the same time, the team continues its work on processing and preparing rewards for KYC validators, which are scheduled to launch by the end of the first quarter of 2026.

Reviewing and standardizing task data collected over nearly four years is extremely difficult. This includes handling variants of task types, guaranteeing accurate reward calculations, and ensuring the security of the entire distribution process while fully integrating AI systems into the workflow.

Reduced backlogs and EU enlargement

Reliable identity verification not only protects the integrity of the network, but also enables the growth of apps and utilities. This is especially true for apps that require trusted user identities and use cases that rely on confirmation of human involvement.

Additionally, the queue of cases requiring human review has been reduced by approximately 50%. This has reduced reliance on scarce regional reviewers and improved processing throughput for millions of users awaiting approval. As a result, new entrants and existing pioneers can expect faster validation results and fewer bottlenecks when moving their accounts and mining balances to the mainnet.

According to the network, around 17.5 million customers have now completed KYC. About 15.7 million Pioneers have migrated to the mainnet blockchain, although several million customers are still in a preliminary or incomplete verification status:

“These millions of KYC’d Pioneers on the Pi mainnet, with many more to come, are a major achievement of the Pi community’s collective efforts and a great network resource that not only helps maintain the security and integrity of our network, but also serves as a foundation to promote more real-world Web3 and AI utilities that will shape our future.”

As CNF reported, Pi Network published an updated white paper to bring the project into line with the EU internal market and EEA regulations. They want to apply for EU approval in order to have Pi listed on several MiCA-compliant stock exchanges and initially want to expand to Denmark, France, Germany, Austria and Belgium.

• Strive has launched a $500 million equity offering to boost its Bitcoin assets.
• Standard Chartered has drastically lowered its forecasts for the Bitcoin price.

Strive has announced its plan to increase its crypto holdings through a new stock offering. As CNF reported, about 4.95 million BTC held worldwide by companies, institutions and ETFs. While Strive is adding to its crypto holdings, Standard Chartered has lowered its Bitcoin price forecast.

Strive will leverage the ATM structure, a common method for public companies to raise capital, giving it the flexibility to sell the SATA shares directly into the market at the market price at the time of sale. This method differs from the typical Initial Public Offering (IPO) or follow-on offering, where a fixed price is set in advance.

The goal is to increase the Bitcoin share per share in order to achieve better long-term performance than the cryptocurrency. As of November 7th, Strive held 7,525 BTC. SATA stock offers a 12% annual dividend, paid regularly starting November 10, 2025.

Strive wrote in one X-Post:

“The program builds on the success of the SATA IPO and will provide the Company with additional capital for general corporate purposes, including the acquisition of more Bitcoin.”

The move comes after Strive completed its initial IPO, having purchased all shares on offer and received the funds. The SATA shares were offered at $80 per share with the aim of selling 1.25 million shares, but strong interest resulted in a sale of two million shares.

Standard Chartered Lowers Bitcoin Forecast

In contrast to Strive’s bullish stance on Bitcoin, Standard Chartered, previously one of the biggest Bitcoin proponents, has sharply revised down its price forecasts.

Geoff Kendrick, R&D head of digital assets research, has halved the bank’s 2025 BTC price target from $300,000 to $150,000. The bank lowered its annual target for 2024 to $100,000.

What is noteworthy is that the bank’s long-term forecasts have not changed. As CNf reported, sees Kendrick Bitcoin at $200,000 by the end of the year and $500,000 by the end of Trump’s term.

Kendrick wrote:

“The price target changes were largely triggered by the recent Bitcoin price decline.”

Currently, a Bitcoin changes hands for with a market capitalization of Bn$1.83 90.312 $ after being in the last 24 hours a 2% has increased.

The Bitcoin price forecast cut comes months after Standard Chartered revised its 2025 Ethereum price forecast, cutting it by 60% from $10,000 to $4,000 – CNF reported.

The ETH token is currently being sold at 3.322,57 $ traded and is in the last few days 6,76% sunk .

• MANTRA has begun migrating its OM token from Osmosis ahead of a network upgrade scheduled for mid-January.
• The move comes as MANTRA adjusts its RWA strategy in a new partnership with Brickken.

Mantra has begun migrating its OM token from decentralized exchange Osmosis as the network prepares for a planned upgrade expected in mid-January. In the first step of the migration process, OM trading on Osmosis will be stopped.

The transition is mandatory for token holders who want to secure the full benefits of the upcoming upgrade and the planned token split.

Additionally, token holders who do not complete the migration before mid-January will lose their assets as all remaining tokens will be confiscated and redistributed for system development. The migration is a preparatory measure for the network’s 4:1 token split. Meanwhile, anyone with OM tokens on different platforms or in liquidity pools should trade before January 15th.

Mantra prepares for 4:1 split

In October quit the MANTRA community accepted the proposal, the token im Ratio 1:4 to redistribute and the token ticker von OM in MANTRA to rename. After approval In early November 2025, for every OM token migrated to the mainnet, the holder would receive four tokens post-upgrade.

The change does not dilute the value of the token, rather it is a structural change that increases the token supply by approximately 300% from 2.5 billion to 10 billion.

Brickken partners with Mantra for faster RWA tokenization

MANTRA has significantly driven the introduction and development of RWA tokenization. As CNF reported, Mantra announced a $25 million token buyback backed by major investors to bolster long-term confidence in the RWA system.

To support Mantra’s big plans for RWA tokenization, cooperated Mantra last month with Brickken, an institutional software provider specializing in the compliant tokenization of financial instruments such as stocks, bonds and funds. The Brickken dApp is officially implemented on the MANTRA chain.

“Brickken is an example of what the RWAccelerator should achieve.”

• Vitalik Buterin warned against exaggerations on the Internet and described extreme anti-EU narratives as inappropriate and misleading investors.
• He pointed to the EU’s practical digital regulations and made it clear that social media misrepresents stability and market opportunities.

Ethereum inventor Vitalik Buterin responded on growing US criticism of the European Union and warned against exaggerating the representations. He said:

“The attacks on Europe that I have seen here in the last few days, including from people I generally thought were interesting and sophisticated, have gone off the rails.”

He acknowledged that the EU also faces challenges, but criticized the extreme negativity permeating the internet. Vitalik Buterin explained that the prevailing “apocalyptic attitude” on X does not match his own experiences in Europe. He added that discussions on social media distort perceptions of political and regulatory stability.

Among the accounts he follows, some have been strongly critical of European politics. A post by Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin calling for the dissolution of the EU went viral. It has been viewed more than 1.3 million times since Sunday 7 December, showing how quickly and easily anti-EU sentiment can be spread on social media.

Elon Musk and the tensions in the EU

The latest criticism follows the European Commission imposing a €120 million fine on Elon Muska messenger service X for failing to moderate content in accordance with EU regulations despite repeated requests. Elon Musk reacted sharply, describing regulators as “Stasi commissioners who have woken up in the EU” and repeating his call that the European Union should be abolished completely.

Musk’s “criticism” is aimed at the centrist and liberal parties, i.e. the large parties that determine European politics. He continues to support Eurosceptic parties. Critics claim that X’s stance has led to a narrowing of the range of opinions on the platform, contrary to claims that it promotes free expression for all users.

Buterin’s criticism comes despite his opposition to the EU’s Chat Control initiative in September 2025. The plan would require platforms to scan private messages for illegal content, which Buterin and privacy advocates say threatens digital privacy and violates Articles 7 and 8 of the EU Charter.

Vitalik Buterin points to patchy investor awareness

The legislation is still highly controversial among member states as exemptions have been proposed for military, intelligence and ministerial communications, which critics say are hypocritical. The debate over digital privacy continues to influence EU citizens’ use of decentralized communications technologies.

Vitalik Buterin’s comments underscore how social media narratives can distort European stability and mislead investors about regulatory risks. He also said that Europe has practical rules for tokenization and digital identity and that negativity online can obscure the markets that offer real opportunities.