TU Crypto News (EN)

🏦 PayPal has applied for a banking license in the U.S. The payment giant submitted documents to U.S. regulators to open its own bank in the state of Utah. Earlier, PayPal’s partner Paxos — the issuer of the PYUSD stablecoin — had already received approval for banking status.

⚠️ Shutdown of Chinese miners leads to Bitcoin hashrate decline 💸 Bitcoin’s hashrate has dropped significantly since December 13 following tighter controls on mining operations in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. ➡️ According to some estimates, up to 500,000 mining rigs have been taken offline, causing the sharpest decline in Bitcoin mining since the 2024 halving and resulting in a 5.6% drop in the network’s total hashrate. ➡️ Although the shutdown of mining operations is not expected to directly affect Bitcoin’s price, BTC fell below $86,000 on Monday. The shock was particularly unexpected given that Chinese authorities had previously not objected to mining activities in Xinjiang.

‼️ Circle acquires Axelar crypto developer 💲 Stablecoin issuer Circle has announced that in early 2026 it will acquire the team and intellectual property of Interop Labs, the developer behind the cross-chain platform Axelar. The acquisition strengthens Circle’s position in blockchain interoperability and is aimed at enhancing its projects in this area. ➡️ It was announced that the deal does not involve the Axelar Foundation or Axelar’s token-related operations, which will remain fully independent.

🪙 Strategy increased its Bitcoin reserve again The company purchased 10,645 BTC for approximately $980.3 million at an average price of $92,098. As of December 14, 2025, Strategy holds 671,268 BTC, having invested about $50.33 billion at an average price of $74,972. The BTC reserve’s return since the start of 2025 stands at 24.9%.

🐋 JPMorgan launched the tokenized MONY fund on Ethereum The bank introduced My OnChain Net Yield (MONY) — a digital version of a money market fund for qualified investors. The fund’s size is $100 million, with a minimum entry threshold of $1 million.

⚽️ How Tether’s attempt to buy Juventus ended Tether, the company behind the USDT stablecoin, attempted to acquire the football club Juventus. The move, however, was unsuccessful, as the owners of the “Old Lady” flatly rejected the proposed $1.3 billion offer. Why didn’t such a large sum persuade Exor to come to the negotiating table, and what really lay behind the refusal? 🔍 Read more about this in our new article: Off the Post: Why Tether failed to buy Juventus

🇧🇷 Itaú advises holding up to 3% of a portfolio in Bitcoin in 2026 Brazil’s largest private bank recommends allocating 1–3% of a portfolio to BTC as a diversification tool and protection against currency risks. Itaú analysts note that despite volatility and a weak 2025, the main risk for an investor is staying out of the market, while Bitcoin should complement the portfolio rather than serve as its core.

🇺🇸 Kevin Hassett: The Fed must remain independent from the president Kevin Hassett, Donald Trump’s leading candidate for the position of Fed chair, said that if appointed, interest rate decisions would not depend on the position of the U.S. president. According to him, the regulator’s key task is to maintain independence and work together with the Board of Governors. According to Polymarket data, the probability of Hassett’s appointment is estimated at 52%, while his competitor Kevin Warsh is at around 40%.

😁 Saylor is ready to work for BTC — Schiff didn’t miss the chance to joke Strategy CEO Michael Saylor said he is “ready to work for Bitcoin,” accompanying the post with an image of himself wearing a McDonald’s uniform. Economist and well-known crypto critic Peter Schiff replied that this is “an excellent illustration of the future that awaits Bitcoin holders.”

🚀 El Salvador accelerates Bitcoin accumulation, reaching 7,500 BTC 🟠 Over the past month, El Salvador’s Bitcoin reserves increased by 1,120 BTC, marking one of the most aggressive accumulation periods since the launch of its strategic Bitcoin accumulation initiative. One of the most significant purchases took place on November 18, when the treasury acquired 1,090 BTC in a single day, although the past week saw a more modest increase of 8 BTC. ➡️ El Salvador’s reserves have now reached 7,500 BTC, valued at approximately $677 million

🇧🇷 Brazilian police seize $500 million from Bitcoin Pharaoh gang 🚨 As part of Operation “Cryptolaundry,” authorities carried out 24 search-and-seizure operations across the country, arresting 45 people and confiscating real estate and other assets belonging to them. ✅ Local media report that the police operation is linked to the criminal group of Glaidson Acácio dos Santos, known as the “Bitcoin Pharaoh,” who was recently sentenced to 19 years in prison. Santos was the head of Gas Consultoria, one of Brazil’s largest investment pyramid schemes, which defrauded thousands of Brazilians through pseudo-investments in cryptocurrencies.

🚀 Latvia issues first MiCA licenses 📈 Latvia’s regulator, Latvijas Banka, has issued the first licenses under the European MiCA regulation, which are valid across the entire European Union ➡️ Under the authorization, Nexdesk SIA will be able to provide cryptocurrency custody and crypto-asset management services on behalf of clients. ➡️ Meanwhile, BlockBen SIA will offer token placement and trading on its platform, as well as the issuance of crypto-assets (including utility tokens) for businesses. According to Invest in Latvia, around 130 companies currently operate in the country’s fintech sector, employing more than 3,600 people. Their annual revenue has exceeded €400 million.

Moody’s proposes stablecoin ratings Moody’s, one of the “big three” credit rating agencies, is developing a rating system for stablecoins based on the quality of their reserve assets.

“We also propose taking into account stablecoin operational risk, liquidity risk, technology risk, and other factors in determining the assigned rating,” Moody’s said.

In practice, the proposed Moody’s stablecoin rating system would mean that two U.S. dollar–pegged tokens with 1:1 backing could receive different ratings depending on the assets used to support them. The agency is inviting market participants to submit their feedback by January 26, 2026.

🕯 Strategy retained its place in the Nasdaq-100 index Despite concerns about exclusion due to its Bitcoin strategy and declining profits, the company remained in the index following the rebalancing on December 12, 2025. Strategy joined the Nasdaq-100 in December 2024 and currently holds more than 660,624 BTC.

📣 OKX exposes MANTRA OM manipulation scheme OKX identified coordinated activity by multiple accounts that used large OM holdings as collateral to borrow USDT and artificially inflate the price of MANTRA OM. Following the intervention, a sharp price drop occurred, leading to significant losses that were fully covered by the OKX Security Fund. 👉 The exchange has shared all evidence with regulators for investigation.

🤝 Ripple expands partnerships to promote RLUSD Ripple announced a partnership with Swiss bank Amina to promote its RLUSD stablecoin. ✍️ Earlier, Ripple and Mastercard unveiled a pilot project in which the RLUSD stablecoin on the XRP Ledger will be used for credit card settlements.

🔹 Ethereum has gone through 8 red months since the start of the year In the entire history of ETH, there has been only one year with more “red” months. Importantly, such prolonged declines are more often linked not to sentiment, but to forced selling by funds and investors who need cash. In November, trading volumes increased, but the price decline slowed — a sign that selling pressure is starting to ease.

⚡️ Pyth Network creates a PYTH reserve to support the ecosystem The project is launching a reserve mechanism that involves purchasing PYTH tokens to strengthen the network’s value. The initiative aims to increase ecosystem stability and investor confidence by linking the token’s price to growing adoption and revenues.

‼️ Tether ready to acquire 100% of Juventus FC 💵 On December 12, Tether submitted a binding offer to purchase 65.4% of Juventus shares from the holding company Exor NV. ➡️ Tether is prepared to buy all shares owned by the Agnelli family—the club’s current owners—and add to them the shares held by other minority shareholders. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino frames his proposal as more than a business move, saying he grew up admiring the “hard work, ambition, and unwavering dedication of Juventus fans,” principles that he later built into Tether itself.

‼️ Shitcoins against dangerous crypto laws 🇫🇷 The French crypto community is protesting the potential adoption of Amendment 1649AC, which would require the country’s citizens to declare cryptocurrency held in self-custody wallets once it exceeds a certain threshold. ➡️ Ledger co-founder Éric Larchevêque has called for an act of civil disobedience using a namesake shitcoin, 1649AC — a zero-value token that citizens could declare at a fictional price of €1 billion per coin to render the data entirely unusable. “Let’s make Article 1649AC unenforceable through civil disobedience. And finally give shitcoins a real purpose,” the entrepreneur said.