Acum 10 minCircle to Launch Privacy-Focused Stablecoin USDCx on Aleo BlockchainCircle has partnered with blockchain project Aleo to introduce USDCx, a privacy-oriented version of its stablecoin that will conceal transaction history, according to Aleo co-founder Howard Wu in a December 9 interview with Fortune. Wu said USDCx is designed to offer what he described as "bank-level privacy" for users' transactions on the Aleo network.Acum 21 minPNC allows high-net-worth clients to trade Bitcoin via investment accounts on Dec 9 after July tie-up with Coinbase Global Inc.PNC Financial Services Group Inc. began allowing high-net-worth clients to trade Bitcoin via investment accounts on Dec 9, Bloomberg reported. The move follows a July tie-up with Coinbase Global Inc., with Coinbase providing brokerage and tech integration to enable trading in any amount, Brett Tejpaul said.Acum 49 minStandard Chartered halves Bitcoin end-2025 price target to $100,000Standard Chartered lowered its Bitcoin price target for end-2025 to $100,000 from $200,000 on December 9, Decrypt reported. The bank kept its long-term target at $500,000 but pushed the timeline back to 2030 from 2028 after reassessing demand and anticipating slower institutional ETF adoption, Geoffrey Kendrick said.Acum 1 hCrypto market seen as "frozen" ahead of Fed decision despite early recovery signalsTimothy Misir, head of research at BRN, said in a report on Tuesday that flows into U.S. crypto ETFs point to selective positioning rather than broad-based de-risking, with altcoins drawing more capital even as bitcoin (BTC) continues to lag, The Block reported on December 9. He noted that active address numbers are stabilizing and transfer volumes are increasing, which he described as early signs of a market recovery, while emphasizing that overall confidence remains absent and the market is not yet in a fully healthy state. Misir described this week as a "macro binary" period and said many traders are staying on the sidelines ahead of Wednesday's FOMC meeting outcome, as rising rate-cut expectations are being driven by weak ADP employment data and worsening consumer confidence, while U.S. household pessimism and record consumer credit levels further complicate the demand outlook.Acum 2 hEthereum Foundation-linked address sends 5,748 ETH worth about $17.89 million to KrakenAn address beginning with 0x9D1c deposited 5,748 ETH, approximately $17.89 million, to Kraken on December 9, about 50 minutes ago, according to Lookonchain. On-chain tracking indicates the ETH originally came from the Ethereum Foundation, per the same source.Acum 2 hOKX to Launch NIGHTUSDT Perpetual Contract with 20x Leverage on December 9, 2025OKX plans to launch trading for the NIGHTUSDT perpetual contract on December 9, 2025 at 19:30 (UTC+8), according to an official announcement. The derivative will offer maximum leverage of up to 20x and will be available simultaneously via the exchange's web platform, mobile app and API.Acum 3 hEU eyes 2027 for capital markets reform bringing crypto firms under ESMAEuropean Union Financial Services Commissioner Maria Luisa Albuquerque said on December 9 that the bloc aims to begin implementing its capital markets union reform package by 2027, marking the first time a timetable has been set for the initiative, BlockBeats and Jinshi reported. The proposal, which still needs approval from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU and faces strong opposition from some member states, would centralize supervisory powers so that major clearing houses, central securities depositories, trading venues and cryptocurrency companies fall under the authority of ESMA.Acum 3 hSGX Bitcoin and Ethereum Perpetual Futures Hit $250M Cumulative VolumeSingapore Exchange has logged $250 million in cumulative volume on its Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetual futures since launch two weeks ago, CoinDesk reported. SGX president Michael Syn said the contracts are attracting fresh liquidity rather than capital moving from other venues. Institutional investors are primarily using these regulated contracts for spot-futures arbitrage instead of taking outright long positions.Acum 3 hHASHKEY HLDGS launches share offering, targets HKEX Main Board listing on Dec 17BlockBeats reports that HASHKEY HLDGS launched its share offering on Dec 9 and targets an HKEX Main Board listing on Dec 17. It plans a global sale of about 2.41 亿 shares, with a minimum subscription of about 2808.04 港元. At a midpoint offer price of 6.45 港元, net proceeds are about 14.26 亿港元, for technology and infrastructure upgrades and global expansion. Revenue for 2024 rose to about 7.21 亿港元; a BiyaPay analyst said HASHKEY HLDGS' long-term growth could benefit if Asia's regulatory environment remains supportive.Acum 3 hExchange Bitcoin balances drop to 2.936M BTC, lowest level of current cycle amid Binance declineOn-chain analyst Murphy said on December 9 that Bitcoin balances on centralized trading platforms have fallen to 2.936M BTC, a new low for the current cycle, with more BTC being moved on-chain for reserve rather than deposited for selling, BlockBeats reported. The previous time exchange balances were at a similar level was on December 17, 2022, after the FTX collapse, while Binance's BTC balance has shown a clear short-term price correlation, with four rapid increases since early 2024 coinciding with BTC price weakness and the recent continuous decline viewed as creating preconditions for a rebound. On-chain data cited by Murphy show that whale cohorts holding more than $1M and $10M in BTC are mainly withdrawing to on-chain addresses, whereas smaller holders with less than $100,000 tend to send BTC to exchanges. The analyst believes the rebound in BTC since the $80,000 low has not yet concluded.
