In 2025, Bitcoin ended the year in negative territory for the third time, leading traders to question whether its long-observed 4-year cycle is breaking down. CZ has highlighted a potential "super cycle", pointing to Wells Fargo's $383 million Bitcoin purchase in January 2026 and easing U.S. regulatory priorities as key drivers. While some analysts expect a topping pattern and bear market, others argue the long-term structure remains intact, with the next cycle low possibly arriving in October 2026.

In 2026, Solana’s price action was increasingly driven by ETF inflows and renewed whale accumulation, even as key support zones came under pressure. The network processed around eight times more Daily Transactions than major rivals, while SOL traded near $136 on 10 January with downside levels flagged at $122 and $102. Clustered liquidity below $120 and weakening RSI and MACD pointed to rising downside risks if those supports failed.

Bitcoin surged to $93,000, a yearly high, after whales accumulated over $3.5 billion within 10 hours on the 5th of January. ETFs logged their strongest inflows since October, while trader James Wynn raised a $14 million BTC long at 40x leverage with over $750K unrealized gains, leaving the rally's sustainability in focus.

Bitcoin rose above $91,000 after breaking a mid‑December 2025 range, with Polymarket showing a 70% chance of $95K in January. Addresses holding 1,000+ BTC turned from net selling to accumulation, according to Checkonchain. Technicals on TradingView showed RSI nearing overbought and a positive MACD crossover as traders eyed the $94K–$95K zone.

By 26 December 2025, Strategy ($MSTR) had fallen roughly 66% over six months, wiping close to $90 billion in market value while Bitcoin stayed comparatively firm. The move tracked a collapsed NAV premium, ongoing share issuance, and mounting leverage and balance-sheet concerns that pushed the equity away from Bitcoin’s performance.

On 1 January 2026, El Salvador's National Bitcoin Office said the country was going "all-in" on Bitcoin and artificial intelligence, reinforcing a multi‑year strategy that began with BTC becoming legal tender in 2021. The government has treated its roughly 7,500 BTC position as long‑term reserve infrastructure, while a partnership with xAI to roll out Grok across 5,000 public schools links AI deployment with education and broader economic diversification.

On 31 December 2025, XRP traded near $1.87 as institutional ETF inflows reduced exchange supply. Exchange balances fell to about 1.6 B from 3.76 B in October, while daily ETF inflows reached $15 million. Liquidity clustered above $2.50–$3.20 and momentum stayed mixed, with price capped within $1.73–$2.32.

On 26 December, total crypto market capitalization hovered near $2.96 trillion with roughly $102.94 billion in daily volume, according to CoinMarketCap. Bitcoin traded between $86,000 and $90,000 while the Fear and Greed Index read 30; since 18 December, market cap rose from $2.85 trillion to $2.96 trillion, an increase of about $110 billion, as Santiment noted social spikes on price dips.

Arbitrum led 2025 net on-chain inflows, according to Artemis, alongside fundamentals such as about $20B secured value and Timeboost fees above $6M. On 28 December, ARB traded near $0.19 inside a falling wedge as RSI stayed neutral and MACD muted, while October revenue was roughly $4.5M and tokenized stocks volume topped $50M.