Category: Coins

• Spot XRP and spot Bitcoin ETFs see inflows as Fed minutes signal timely rate cuts in 2026 are less likely.
• In the crypto sector, market shares (Perps-DEX race) are shifting as companies continue to aggressively accumulate BTC/ETH.

---

Even at the end of the year, the crypto market does not stand still. Below are the 12 most important news stories from the last 24 hours.

1) Spot XRP ETFs: 29 days of inflows in a row

The American spot XRP ETFs continue their inflow streak to 29 days, even though sentiment in the crypto market is currently in the basement. According to SoSoValueData The cumulative net inflows since launch are around $1.15 billion and the net assets are around $1.24 billion.

Yesterday, Tuesday, the XRP ETFs attracted $15.55 million in capital, and on Monday it was $8.44 million. Even on December 24th it was $11.93 million. The data suggests a steady but not euphoric allocation.

2) Fed Minutes: 25 basis points in 9-3 vote

The December Fed Minutes paint a picture of heightened internal tensions: the 25 basis point move came in a 9-3 vote on 9/10. December through.

Not only inflation versus the labor market was discussed, but also the question of how close policy is to neutral interest rates. Several participants described the decision as a “close call,” which increases sensitivity to new data. The internals of the protocol are relevant for the crypto market in that the hurdles for the next interest rate cut have increased.

3) Don’t rush for more cuts

The tenor repeatedly appears in the Minutes that interest rates could remain unchanged “for some time” while we wait to see the effect of the steps taken so far. Accordingly, the chances of an early cut in 2026 fell after publication.

CME FedWatch Ocean Tool The majority does not expect the first interest rate cut in 2026 until April. For the first meeting at the end of January, the chances are around 82% that the Fed will leave interest rates at 3.5-3.75%. There is around a 46% chance of a 25 basis point cut at the end of March meeting.

4) Perps-DEX race: Lighter passes Hyperliquid

The DEX “Lighter” reported around $200 billion in 30-day volume, overtaking competitors such as Hyperliquid. According to DefiLlama data, Aster and Hyperliquid were in the same window below.

The jump coincided with the launch of the LIT token, an indication that incentives and launch dynamics can quickly redirect volumes. What will be crucial is whether Lighter can stabilize this level without acute token incentives.

5) BitMine buys 32,938 ETH

BitMine Immersion Technologies continues its buying spree. According to data from Nansen, the Tom Lee-led company purchased an additional 32,938 ETH for around $97.6 million. The company’s total ETH holdings are approximately 4.07 million ETH.

6) Tom Lee (CNBC): S&P -10 to -15% in Q1 2026, then recovery in Q3

In a CNBC interview, Lee explained that US stocks could see a 10-15% decline in the first quarter of 2026. At the same time, he expects the markets to “come back” later in the year, with a noticeable recovery towards Q3.

This is particularly relevant for crypto because beta assets often correlate more strongly in phases of stress, but also react disproportionately in phases of recovery. The call is therefore less crypto-specific than a macro framework for risk-on/risk-off.

TOM LEE ON CNBC: 2026 SETUP

2026 could mirror 2025 volatility.

Q1:
• S&P may drop 10–15%
• Delayed Fed cuts
• Policy uncertainty
• Tariff conflicts
• AI skepticism

Q3:
• Strong recovery
• Year-end markets likely higher

Takeaway for crypto:
Volatility creates… pic.twitter.com/0EmUFSsvfI

— Crypto Tice (@CryptoTice_) December 30, 2025

7) Metaplanet buys Bitcoin again

Metaplanet upped the ante at the end of the year and purchased 4,279 BTC at a cost of around $451 million. This reportedly brought the total holdings to 35,102 BTC, in the region of around $3 billion in market value.

8) Trump Media: Five Truth Social ETFs launch on the NYSE

Trump Media & Technology Group joined Yorkville in bringing five America-First/Made in America ETFs to the NYSE. The range includes, among other things, products for Defense/Security, Frontier Tech, “Icons”, Energy and REIT Focus, each under Truth Social branding. Further ETFs, including crypto products, have been announced for 2026.

9) Spot Bitcoin ETFs are seeing inflows

On December 30, US spot Bitcoin ETFs turned positive again after seven consecutive days of net outflows points SoSoValue +$355.1 million. Drivers included BlackRock (US$143.75 million) and Ark/21Shares (US$109.56 million), each with high positive daily values.

10) South Korea postpones crypto law – dispute over stablecoins

South Korea’s “Digital Asset Basic Act” stalls; the submission is now expected in 2026. According to reports, the core of the conflict is who is allowed to issue won-linked stablecoins and which authority has supervisory authority: Financial Services Commission versus Bank of Korea. The period of regulatory uncertainty is extended for the local market.

11) Grayscale files S-1 for Bittensor product

Grayscale filed a Form S-1 with the SEC on Dec. 30 that seeks to enable a U.S.-listed product with TAO exposure. In the filing, the “Grayscale Bittensor Trust (TAO)” is described as a Delaware trust whose shares are intended to track the TAO price.

12) Russia: Justice Ministry wants prison sentences for illegal mining

Russia’s Ministry of Justice presented a draft that would address unauthorized or unregistered crypto and Bitcoin mining in a tougher criminal law. Fines of up to millions of rubles as well as forced labor are mentioned; According to reports, in more serious cases, prison sentences of several years are envisaged. The move follows the trend of tolerating mining as an industry, but strictly binding it to registration and reporting obligations.

• Yesterday there was a disruption in the online banking of several major banks in Germany. Deutsche Bank, Postbank, Norisbank and Commerzbank were affected.
• Customer login was not possible for hours. According to official information, the cause was a technical malfunction on the Deutsche Bank Group’s shared IT platform.

---

Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., thousands of customers were unable to log into their accounts. Because many customers then tried telephone banking, this quickly became overloaded. However, ATMs and card payments continued to work. However, online transfers, account balance inquiries and app access were blocked. The problem was resolved in the afternoon.

Reason for concern?

Technically speaking, these are central failures – so-called “single points of failure”. They are not absolutely safety-critical, but can still have extremely unpleasant consequences:

Late payments, no access to urgently needed liquidity, missed deadlines. This can be a threat to the existence of companies and self-employed people who rely on real-time payment transactions.

Things become critical when such disruptions occur in combination with security gaps or attacks – for example through DDoS attacks or compromised authentication systems.

Can this also happen with crypto systems?

It can, but not like this. Although blockchain databases are distributed systems, i.e. decentralized both physically and organizationally, many altcoins and L2 networks use central cloud services – and they usually are not.

Many will still remember the outage of Amazon’s AWS cloud on October 19th of this year. Polygon, Base, MetaMask and Coinbase were disrupted for hours.

The incident showed that, despite blockchain technology, many crypto projects depend heavily on central infrastructure – and if that fails, the most beautiful, regularly praised dentralization is of no use. Incidentally, Bitcoin remained largely unaffected – evidence of its robust decentralization.

Failures are possible in both worlds

In classic banking they usually arise from central IT problems, in cryptocurrencies from external infrastructure dependencies and their problems. If you are looking for maximum reliability, you have to pay attention to real decentralization – and to redundant, that is to say, accesses that are implemented in different technical ways. Unfortunately, this is very expensive and that is why it is the exception.

There is an official statement from Deutsche Bank on the current incident. A spokesman for the bank said:

“Access to online accounts of Deutsche Bank, Postbank and Norisbank was temporarily restricted on Monday. The cause was a technical malfunction. The malfunction was resolved in the afternoon. In some cases, a second login attempt may be necessary. We ask customers for their understanding of the inconvenience caused.”

The bank did not disclose any further technical details, but the fact that several banks in the group were affected at the same time clearly points to a key infrastructure problem. According to media reports, the disruption was largely resolved by around 1:30 p.m.

• 2026 will be a year of opportunities for Germany’s crypto investors: more mature markets, more transparency and new technological developments.
• But 2026 will also be a year of greater due diligence: more regulation, more tax involvement – ​​less anonymity.

---

With the implementation of the EU Directive DAC8, Germany will introduce a new transparency regime from 2026. Exchanges, brokers and other crypto service providers will in future have to report all holdings, transactions and customer identities to the tax authorities. The data is automatically exchanged across the EU. This means for investors:

DAC8: End of lack of transparency

• Every transaction, whether purchase, sale, exchange, staking or lending, is subject to reporting.
• Tax offices receive a complete overview of personal crypto activities.
• Incorrect or late information can result in a fine of up to 50,000 euros.

Tax gray areas disappear and correct documentation becomes mandatory.

Favorable tax rules remain – controls are becoming stricter

The good news: The one-year holding period for tax-free crypto profits remains. Anyone who holds Bitcoin, Ethereum and other assets for more than twelve months will continue to pay no taxes on profits.

But from 2026 onwards, the tax offices will be able to automatically check whether holding periods have been observed and whether staking and mining income has been correctly stated.

Consequence: Long-term investors continue to benefit – if their documentation is correct.

Possible Bitcoin supercycle

Several experts expect a multi-year Bitcoin supercycle that could extend into the 30s. Reasons:

• Institutional demand from ETPs and funds
• Supply shortage due to halvings
• Geopolitical uncertainties
• Growing trust in Bitcoin as a store of value

This is relevant for German investors because it shifts investment strategies: away from short-term trading and towards structured, long-term positions.

Self-custody becomes standard

With Tether’s new AI-supported self-custody wallet, a trend is emerging: self-custody becomes easy, secure and automated. The wallet offers:

• Local AI modules instead of cloud dependency
• Support for Bitcoin Lightning network, USDT, XAUT and USAT
• Automated security procedures
• Ein Open Wallet Development Kit

For German investors this means: Self-custody is practical for everyone, but at the same time relevant from a regulatory perspective because private wallets are also subject to the DAC8 regulations as soon as they interact with regulated service providers

Compliance is enforced

Exchanges, brokers and FinTechs may need to reorganize their systems to enable DAC8-compliant reporting. For investors this means:

• KYC processes are becoming stricter
• Transaction histories must be complete
• Tax reports are becoming more detailed
• On-chain analyzes are becoming standard

More opportunities than risks in the new year

Anyone who still switches to unregulated platforms in 2026 risks tax and legal problems. Anyone who relies on clean documentation, regulated providers and a clear strategy early on will see 2026 as an opportunity.

• The XRP Ledger has made noticeable gains in smart contracts, interoperability/bridging and tokenization in 2025.
• The focus for 2026 should be less friction for onboarding, more high-quality assets and a better incentive program.

---

At the end of the year, voices from the XRP Ledger (XRPL) ecosystem draw a mixed, overall positive assessment for 2025: noticeable progress in smart contracts, interoperability and tokenization, but still weak points in user onboarding, asset quality, incentives and DEX liquidity.

Via X, dUNL validator Vet (@Vet_X0) and Anodos Finance CEO Panos Mekras explain where the

XRP Ledger Achievements 2025

Vet describes 2025 will be a year in which several strands of development have progressed at the same time, especially when it comes to smart contracts. In his X contribution he emphasized the great progress:

“There’s been a lot of development in smart contracts to get the alpha testnet out – you can deploy it today and play around with it. There’s also a lot more attention in the community.”

For the community, this represents less of a hype moment and more of a foundation: more maturity in the stack, more visibility, more opportunities for developers.

In the DeFi space, Vet paints a picture familiar to many ecosystems: strong momentum at launch, then disillusionment.

“XRP DeFi came out of 2024 strong – with meme coins – but activity has dried up over the year. Baseline activity on the DEX is higher than before, but in 2026 we have huge potential to expand on that.”

On the infrastructure side, Vet refers to concrete integrations: Wormhole has gone live, as has Axelar; In addition, “bridged yield-bearing issued assets” have been launched on the XRPL. Technologically, however, there is still potential for optimization in the long term:

“ZKP looks like an enabler for more trust-minimized bridging.”

In parallel, Vet highlights tokenization as a particularly strong field in 2025, with RLUSD as the driving force:

“Tokenization has been very strong with RLUSD, as well as smaller launches of other stablecoins and tokenized funds. However, the distribution channels of these assets are still something we need to work on.”

He ties this directly to adoption: Distribution goes “hand in hand” with DeFi and app development, i.e. with what actually attracts and retains users.

Further need for improvement in 2026

Panos Mekras formulated three priorities for 2026, primarily aimed at adoption and expanding the ecosystem. First:

“Batch transactions and sponsored fees/reserves should go live as soon as possible because they are critical to removing friction and enabling mass consumer onboarding.”

Secondly, he calls for “more high-quality” assets on the XRPL, especially RWAs: These include, among other things, yield-bearing stablecoins, tokenized stocks and commodities. Thirdly, according to Mekras, better incentives are needed:

“Finally a serious incentive and grant program – the XRP Ledger Foundation needs to step up with real resources for builders: better dev tools, funding for killer consumer apps and use cases that can bring millions to the

Vet expressly agrees and comments briefly: He agrees to “all three wishes”.

• With the integration into the TAS Network Gateway, Ripple now has a foothold in the European financial infrastructure.
• This means access to the TARGET2, TIPS, SEPA and T2S payment systems, a step that goes far beyond just payment processing.

---

The integration of Ripple into the TAS Network Gateway opens up new access to the European financial market infrastructure, which directly affects banks, their customers and existing Ripple partners.

The connection between TAS and a DLT‑based settlement layer like Ripple creates a technical and regulatory bridge that was previously missing. For the DACH region, this is a step that goes far beyond pure efficiency gains.

Access to the central EU payment systems

The TAS Network Gateway has been a central element of the European banking architecture for years. It connects banks to TARGET2, TIPS, SEPA and T2S and takes care of routing, ISO 20022 conversion, security certificates and regulatory checks.

With Ripple, this infrastructure is being expanded for the first time to include a DLT-capable settlement layer. Banks can use Ripple-based transactions without having to adapt their own core systems or go through new regulatory certifications.

For end customers, this means fast, transparent and cost-effective payment processing, especially in international traffic. Processing becomes easier to plan, status information becomes more precise and liquidity bottlenecks can be avoided because banks require less pre-financing.

Advantages for Ripple customers and fintechs

Ripple customers also benefit directly. The TAS Gateway gives you access to the most important European payment systems without having to develop complex bank connections yourself. This reduces integration costs, shortens time to market and creates regulatory connectivity, which often represents a high barrier to entry for fintechs.

At the same time, Ripple is strengthening its position as an infrastructure provider that not only enables international payments, but also embeds itself in the core processes of European banks. The combination of DLT settlement, compliance functions and direct connection to the ECB infrastructure makes Ripple a relevant player in the emerging RWA market and DLT-based financial market infrastructure.

The European context

Europe is modernizing its payment and settlement systems. DLT-based settlement models, digital central bank money experiments and the harmonization of ISO 20022 standards are central building blocks of this strategy. The integration of Ripple into the TAS Network Gateway fits exactly into this development.

It enables banks to use new technologies without endangering existing systems and allows Ripple to prove itself as a reliable partner in a highly regulated environment. For the market, this means the merging of the traditional financial world and the world of distributed layer technology.

• XRP is losing momentum and is unable to overcome the strong resistance at the $2.21 level.
• Analysts speak of a compact, dangerous market structure.
• Institutional voices see XRP as more dependent on politics and regulation than other altcoins.

---

The XRP price has moved around $2.21 several times in the past few weeks – and was unable to break out. Analyst Thomas Joos from the news portal “Kryptoszene” describes the situation unusually clearly:

“XRP’s weekly chart doesn’t make a good impression. … The market is becoming more compact and the whole situation is getting worse.”

The formation of a descending triangle indicates increasing selling pressure. At the same time, sales remain low – a classic sign of uncertainty. Warnings of an alleged XRP supply shock are circulating again on social media. EGRAG CRYPTO refers to a long-term “Macro Triangle” and calls it a roadmap.

But “Cryptoscene” puts it into perspective: Exchange inventories are declining, but XRP liquidity can be “mobilized very quickly” – an indication that a real supply shock is not imminent.

XRP responds more to politics than technology

Institutional voices paint a different picture. Bitwise’s Max Shannon told BTC‑Echo:

“XRP has historically acted primarily in response to political and regulatory developments.”

This brings the question of ETF approvals, interest rate decisions and US regulation into greater focus. Jonathan from CoinShares also emphasizes the economic component:

“Falling interest rates, looser financial conditions and a weaker U.S. dollar… are historically fertile ground for rising crypto prices.”

Long-term forecasts up to 26 dollars

The range of current XRP forecasts is extreme: in the short term until the end of January 1.82 dollars according to CoinCodex. In the medium term until the end of 2026, the best case is seen at $4.94 and the worst case at $1.07.

ETF inflows, interest rate cuts and clear regulation are cited as drivers. “CoinSpeaker” is talking about $26 in the long term, around 2030, on the grounds of progressive global RWA tokenization.

XRP ahead of crucial Q1 26

XRP finds itself in a tight, increasingly risky market structure. The next few weeks will decide whether the “wall” at $2.21 will be broken, whether ETF approvals will provide new capital, or whether the market will slide towards $1.80.

In 2026, XRP will definitely remain a politically charged asset, the price of which depends less on technology than on the economy, regulation and institutional behavior – in short – on politics.

• By the end of 2026, many see Bitcoin at $150,000-$250,000, buoyed by institutional demand and US spot ETFs.
• Bearish scenarios range from $70,000/56,000 to $25,000 and, in extreme cases, $10,000.

---

At the end of the year, Bitcoin forecasts for 2026 from major banks, asset managers and prominent experts are piling up again. The Bild is divided into two parts: The majority is bullish and predicts a price range of $150,000 to $250,000 by the end of 2026. At the same time, the spectrum of bearish scenarios ranges from $70,000 to $56,000, $25,000 and, in extreme cases, $10,000.

The Bullish Bitcoin Predictions for 2026

Standing out in the bullish camp is Fundstrat co-founder Tom Lee, who has publicly stated a range of $200,000 to $250,000 by the end of 2026. According to Lee, growing institutional buying demand and US spot ETFs will catapult Bitcoin to new heights.

Even within Fundstrat, however, there are differing opinions: Sean Farrell, Head of Digital Asset Strategy, believes a deeper correction in the first half of the year is possible in an internal 2026 strategy and names $60,000 to $65,000 as the target range for BTC.

During a panel discussion at Binance Blockchain Week on December 4, 2025, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated that he expects $180,000 by the end of 2026. Solana Foundation President Lily Liu remained less specific during the talk, but predicted a Bitcoin price above $100,000.

On the banking side, JPMorgan supports a constructive outlook with a valuation model: Using a “volatility-adjusted BTC-to-gold relative valuation”, the derived price target is around 170,000 US dollars.

Standard Chartered has significantly cut its previously more aggressive expectations: to around $100,000 for the end of 2025 and to around $150,000 for 2026. The bank cites the current market weakness and fading drivers as reasons, including fewer “DAT” purchases and slower ETF inflows.

Bernstein also remains at $150,000, but argues that a recent pullback is not necessarily the end of the bull market and that the cycle follows less strictly the halving cycle, but can transition into a longer bullish phase through institutional capital.

Citigroup forecasts a 12-month base case of $143,000, linking it to expected ETF inflows and positive US crypto legislation. At the same time, Citi names a key support level around $70,000 and presents three scenarios: $143,000 as a base, $78,500 as a bearish variant and $189,000 as a bullish case with broad institutional and retail participation.

The bearish Bitcoin predictions for 2026

In contrast, there are bearish scenarios that argue less with a “lack of upside” but rather with a lack of demand, withdrawal of liquidity and technical structure.

On-chain analytics firm CryptoQuant argues that demand growth has slowed sharply and the market has already entered a bearish phase. The company cites $70,000 as the medium-term zone; If there is further loss of momentum, a lower scenario around $56,000 is outlined, close to the realized price region, which has historically often marked the bear market low.

The renowned trader Peter Brandt is cautious to bearish for 2026 because he sees a structural weakness in the long-term chart (break in the parabolic trend structure). He believes a very deep correction is possible. According to Brandt, an 80% drawdown cannot be ruled out, which would mean a Bitcoin price of around $25,000.

At the lower end of the range, Bloomberg Intelligence expert Mike McGlone warns of an extreme case around $10,000, which he links in the source to a deflationary macro regime, tighter liquidity and a broad purge of speculative assets. It is important to note that McGlone has been warning of a crash to $10,000 for some time (March this year).

Barclays and VanEck are positioned in the neutral area. The former forecast 2026 as a potentially “flat to weaker” market year if catalysts fail to materialize, citing falling spot volumes and weaker retail participation. VanEck is predicting more of a consolidation phase: not a clear blow-off, but not an inevitable crash either, but rather a year in which the market “digests” previous volatility.

• The German Savings Banks and Giro Association wants to open up to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies after years of abstinence.
• The savings banks want to make specific crypto offers to their around 50 million customers from mid-2026.

---

After years of reluctance, the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe is opening up to trading in Bitcoin and other digital assets. Several media outlets unanimously report that the entire board of the German Savings Banks and Giro Association DSGV agreed on a new line.

Customers should have access to a regulated crypto offering via the Sparkasse app. DekaBank, the central securities house of the savings banks, is responsible for the technical implementation. But it will take around a year for the project to be implemented across the board. A start can hardly be expected before summer 2026.

€1.5 TRILLION GERMAN BANKING GIANT SPARKASSEN ANNOUNCES IT WILL SOON LAUNCH #BITCOIN BUYING

2026 – THE YEAR BANKS ADOPT BTC pic.twitter.com/h6VnPL5J4u

— The Bitcoin Historian (@pete_rizzo_) December 27, 2025

Remarkable turnaround

As recently as 2022, the savings bank committees had expressly warned of “incalculable risks” and recommended that the institutions not provide any crypto offerings.

Now it is said that they want to “create reliable access to a regulated crypto offering for all those who make a conscious and informed decision to invest in digital assets”.

But despite the opening, the financial group maintains its critical stance. The DSGV continues to emphasize that cryptocurrencies are highly speculative investments.

Active advice or promotion of the offer is therefore not planned. Instead, customers should be transparently informed about risks – including the possibility of a total loss.

The savings banks are trying to achieve the trick of balancing the tension between competitive pressure and active investor protection for the benefit of their customers – and for their own benefit, because ultimately they will also earn money.

While the savings banks are now preparing for their late entry, other banks are already further ahead. The German Volksbank and Raiffeisenbanken have been offering their customers crypto offers since July of this year, in cooperation with the DZ Bank and the Stuttgart Stock Exchange.

Neobanks like N26, Revolut and Trade Republic have long had millions of young customers anyway. This is a trend that the savings banks perceive as a threat – and may have contributed to their change of heart.

Bitcoin in piggy bank

With around 50 million customers, the Sparkasse Finance Group has an enormous reach. A regulated crypto offering via the banking app that customers are familiar with should significantly simplify access for many potential new customers – and permanently change the market in Germany. Again: We are talking about 50 million potential new crypto customers.

But the savings banks have not yet completely jumped over their own shadow: Although there will be crypto offerings in the future, there will be no advertising for them. Let’s see how long this marketing paradox can last.

In any case, the savings banks are sending the signal: Bitcoin has arrived in German piggy banks – even if they didn’t want it there for a long time.

• On X, the “XRP Supply Shock” theory is making a comeback, although the data looks different.
• At the same time, new on-chain signals indicate increasing selling pressure on Binane.

---

The trigger was a post from the XRP community account @unknowDLT, which shared a Glassnode graphic and from it the supply shock thesis derived:

“XRP ETFs are rapidly depleting the available supply. With only around 1.5 billion XRP left on exchanges and around 750 million XRP absorbed in a few weeks, a supply shock is likely by early 2026. This fits with the Clarity Act, which enforces price discovery and enables true institutional use.”

Why there is no XRP supply shock in sight

Objection came promptly from the XRP ledger dUNL validator xrp.vet (Vet). His central thesis: Exchange stocks and order books cannot be interpreted statically because supply can be mobilized in seconds.

“There is no XRP supply shock on exchanges. 1) Holders hold nearly 16 billion XRP on exchanges and have them available immediately. There is enough for everyone to get some. 2) Whether the price goes up or down, any of you who don’t have XRP on an exchange could send yours to an exchange within 3-4 seconds,”argued Vet.

Vet’s core argument is the “elasticity” of visible liquidity: “This means that the XRP supply that is for sale in the order books is also dynamic. It is elastic – it can condense or dry up, back and forth, in a matter of seconds.”

XRP influencer Zach Rector asked how sure Vet was that the data was correct. Vet explained: “I have full confidence that these numbers represent the lower bound of what is actually on exchanges. That is, these values ​​are at the lower end in the worst case scenario and there are additional exchange accounts that we have not yet identified.”

He pointed to Upbit as an example. Four XRP accounts on the Korean exchange alone hold a total of 2 billion XRP (significantly more than @unknowDLT states), and this is “just a part” of Upbit’s total holdings.

Full confidence that these numbers are the lower bound of what actually is on exchanges. Means, these numbers are at worst on the lower end and that there are more accounts of exchanges we haven’t seen yet.

I mean just check upbit alone, lets only look at 4 out of many xrp… pic.twitter.com/CDotpZMoNS

— Vet (@Vet_X0) December 28, 2025

CryptoQuant: Binance inflows are increasing

In parallel with the supply shock debate, pseudonymous CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) provided new on-chain data that contradicts the supply shock narrative: rising inflows to exchanges as an indicator of selling intent, in an environment he describes as a sharp correction.

“Current data suggests a clear intensification of selling pressure on writes Darkfrost.

Darkfost uses XRP inflows to Binance as an example, as Binance has “the largest trading volumes among all exchanges,” and the data is clear:

“After a relatively calm period with moderate and stable inflows, the situation changed noticeably from December 15th. Since then, XRP inflows to Binance have increased sharply, with daily volumes ranging between 35 million XRP and a significant peak of 116 million XRP recorded on December 19th.”

From this, Darkfost derives a change in investor behavior, away from the HODL strategy since October towards profit-taking on older positions as well as capitulation and loss-selling with newer market participants. As long as these increased inflows continue or continue to increase, it will be “difficult for XRP to form a real accumulation phase” and the correction could not only be extended in time but also deepen further.

The immediate implication for traders is clear: if exchange inflows remain elevated, any bullish squeeze narrative will compete with visible, short-term activated liquidity. An XRP price rally currently seems impossible under these circumstances.

At the time of writing, XRP was trading at $1.85.

• For almost a decade, Europe has been a somewhat passive observer of the crypto markets in the US and Southeast Asia.
• But now, thanks to the EU and its MiCAR regulation, Europe has developed into a global industry heavyweight.

---

The USA is hindering itself through unresolved questions of regulatory responsibilities. Although Asia is dynamic in the crypto market, it is even more inconsistent. This is due to China, because its leadership regularly stumbles over its own political ideology, despite knowledge of how the real crypto market works.

Meanwhile, thanks to the EU, the world’s largest unified crypto market is emerging in Europe – with clear rules, growing participation of traditional institutions and broad acceptance by the population.

MiCAR as a global model

With the MiCAR Regulation – “Markets in Crypto-Assets” – the EU created the world’s most comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets in 2024/25. MiCA defines uniform rules for the first time

• Crypto exchanges and custodians
• Token and stablecoin issuers
• Market integrity and market transparency.

This harmonization creates a single market with over 450 million potential customers – an economic heavyweight that could set nothing less than a global benchmark: the MiCA rules have an impact far beyond their original jurisdiction.

Europe is overtaking the USA and Asia

According to Chainalysis, Europe reached record transaction volumes between July 2023 and June 2025. In the first half of 2025 alone it was $234,000 billion – a historic value.

What is remarkable is that the recovery of the European crypto industry after the 2024 crisis was faster and stronger than in other parts of the world. The distribution of roles of the states within Europe has changed:

• Russia has become Europe’s largest market with $376 billion in transaction volume.
• Despite Brexit, Great Britain follows as an innovative center with $273 billion.
• Germany, France, Poland and Ukraine have growth rates of over 50 percent and are rapidly catching up.

Europe and the EU are not a monolithic block, but consist of at least three sub-markets with several hot spots.

The use of cryptocurrencies is continuously increasing in Europe. According to the European Central Bank, nine percent of adults in the Eurozone owned crypto in 2024–Assets – more than twice as many as in 2022. Slovenia, Greece, Ireland and Austria achieve particularly high values.

The MiCAR have created the necessary legal certainty. In less than two years, Europe has become an anchor of stability in the global crypto industry.

MiCAR set standards not only in Europe, but also globally, as other regions are already following the MiCA regulations in order to survive in international competition.

In recent years, the EU has built the largest regulated crypto market in the world. It is the result of a political and economic strategy that relies on clarity, stability and institutional participation.

While authorities in the USA are at loggerheads with one another over regulatory powers and Asia is dynamic but highly fragmented, Europe has a unified market.

Other geographical focuses in Europe

New priorities have emerged within Europe. Despite the Ukraine war and sanctions, Russia has become the region’s largest single market with a transaction volume of $376 billion.

This is followed by Great Britain, which despite Brexit continues to have London as a global financial and innovation center.

Germany, France, Poland and Ukraine are also recording strong growth rates.

Europe therefore not only consists of the homogenized EU internal market with 450,000,000 inhabitants, but also of other crypto hotspots, each of which brings its own strengths.