Over the past week, crypto markets extended a sharp decline as analysts highlighted fragmented liquidity and widening dispersion rather than broad capitulation. Bitcoin fell more than 17% week over week, while selective rotation appeared in products and tokens, including a 44% jump in Hyperliquid's HYPE during the selloff.

In 2021, brokers restricted buying in meme stocks such as GameStop; in June 2025, Robinhood launched tokenized access for European users with 24/5 trading. According to CEO Vlad Tenev, the firm now aims for 24/7 onchain trading, near-real-time settlement, and optional self-custody, positioning tokenization as a way to reduce clearing risks while U.S. rules evolve.

Fidelity Investments plans to introduce the Fidelity Digital Dollar (FIDD), a dollar‑backed stablecoin on Ethereum, in the coming weeks, according to a Wednesday press release. Issued by Fidelity Digital Assets' national trust bank, FIDD will be redeemable 1:1 for U.S. dollars and purchasable or redeemable for $1 across Fidelity's platforms, with reserves overseen by Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC.

In the past week, HYPE has risen more than 60% to trade around $35 while Hyperliquid’s HIP-3 derivatives markets saw open interest move above $925 million. Over roughly three days, the token advanced about 50% as commodities-focused activity, particularly in silver futures with over $1 billion in daily volume, coincided with stronger demand in HYPE derivatives and options.

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis reported that Iran's crypto ecosystem surpassed $7.78 billion in 2025, with activity clustering around major domestic and geopolitical events and an increasing share linked to the IRGC. The study also found that IRGC-associated wallets made up about half of the value received by Iranian addresses in Q4 2025, while bitcoin withdrawals to personal wallets surged during mass protests, suggesting a possible move toward perceived safety amid unrest.

Standard Chartered's digital assets research head Geoffrey Kendrick said Ethereum is poised to outperform other major cryptocurrencies in 2026, even as the bank cut its near-term ETH price forecasts. The bank now expects ether to reach $7,500 by end-2026 and sees Ethereum's dominant role in stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets and DeFi, alongside rising network activity, as key drivers for a stronger ETH-BTC ratio.

Andreessen Horowitz's a16z crypto unit said in a Thursday outlook that the 2026 phase of digital assets will be driven by prediction markets, verifiable computation and "staked media" rather than launching new blockchains. The firm highlighted growth in platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, advances in zero-knowledge proofs for cloud workloads and a model where media participants back their claims with onchain, financially exposed commitments.

Strategy paused bitcoin buying last week and shifted $748 million into its USD reserve, taking the fund to $2.19 billion. The company still holds 671,268 BTC after acquiring 10,645 BTC for about $980.3 million the prior Monday at an average price of $92,098 per bitcoin.

Aave Labs advanced a proposal on control of Aave's brand assets to a Snapshot vote, drawing objections from its author and delegates over process. Voting opens Dec. 23, while founder Stani Kulechov said the decision follows extensive discussion. Critics warn the timing and escalation undermine consensus in the Aave DAO.