December 30, 2025 @ 12:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

An Ethereum (ETH) address reportedly connected to the perpetrators of the 2021 Indexed Finance exploit and the 2023 KyberSwap attack has sprung back to life after roughly a year of inactivity, reportedly dumping millions in cryptocurrency holdings. On-chain monitoring firm Lookonchain has now reported that… Read More

December 30, 2025 @ 11:35 am By Omar Faridi  |  

KPMG UK has recently noted that a relatively cautious consumer landscape is now expected to continue into upcoming year. KPMG’s Consumer Pulse survey measures the overall consumer confidence as the current year finally comes to an end and 2026 begins. KPMG UK Q4 2025 Consumer… Read More

December 30, 2025 @ 11:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced the planned retirement of Cicely LaMothe, who has been serving as the longtime Deputy Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, marking the end of a 23-year tenure at the agency. LaMothe, who played a significant… Read More

December 30, 2025 @ 11:04 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Lloyds Banking Group, which serves as one of the UK’s mortgage lenders, is preparing to discontinue its invoice factoring operations by the end of 2025, marking a further retreat by major high-street banks from specialized financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Invoice factoring, also… Read More

December 30, 2025 @ 9:15 am By JD Alois  |  

Both Bitcoin and Ethereum started the year higher than they will probably end the year. Yet many digital asset insiders anticipate a gangbuster 2026 as sentiment shifts and renewed interest in crypto takes hold. For Ethereum in 2025 on January 1st, it was valued at… Read More

December 30, 2025 @ 8:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

QED Investors, a venture capital firm based in Alexandria, Virginia, that is focused on investing in Fintechs, has shared some end-of-year insights with CI. QED Investors, which also invests in financial services initiatives in the U.K. and Europe, Latin America, India, and Southeast Asia, has commented on… Read More

December 30, 2025 @ 8:05 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Upvest has noted that it entered 2025 on a high, fresh off the announcement of their €100 million Series C last December and having reportedly reached a milestone 20 million orders processed during 2024. Fast forward to December 2025 and Upvest has claimed that they… Read More

December 30, 2025 @ 8:04 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Anchorage Digital noted that some years can pass without actually leaving a trace. And then certain years seemingly shift the center of gravity—years that force an entire industry to rethink and perhaps re-evaluate what’s possible, what’s probably coming next, and who’s leading the movement. For… Read More

December 30, 2025 @ 2:23 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

The following post was written by Alexander Jung, a principal economist with the European Central Bank. Are independent central banks better at ensuring price stability? A study of 155 central banks over 50 years shows why independence makes a difference. Central banks that are shielded… Read More

December 30, 2025 @ 12:28 am By Tony Zerucha  |  

Ahead of the Christmas spending peak, the October 2025 credit card data from global analytics software leader FICO showed a decline in credit card spending in the UK compared with the previous month and the previous year. Lower spending led to average balances falling for… Read More

December 29, 2025 @ 10:20 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Malaysia drew 54.13 billion ringgit ($13.3 billion) in approved Malaysia Digital (MD) investments in the third quarter of 2025, projects expected to generate 21,815 high-value jobs across 402 digital companies, according to the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). MDEC said the investment pipeline underscored sustained… Read More

December 29, 2025 @ 7:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

While Bitcoin has performed poorly in 2025, many people anticipate a better 2026. While there has always been a good amount of hubris in the Bitcoin sector with astronomical predictions that stretch the imagination, the fact that Bitcoin ended 2026 down for the year may… Read More

December 29, 2025 @ 6:56 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

iPower Inc. (Nasdaq: IPW) recently announced that it has entered into a $30 million convertible note financing facility to launch its Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) strategy. It is part of a broader crypto strategy designed to position the Company at the intersection of digital assets… Read More

December 29, 2025 @ 6:54 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

SoftBank Group has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire DigitalBridge (NYSE: DBRG), a global alternative asset manager dedicated to investing in digital infrastructure, including data centers, cell towers, fiber networks, and edge infrastructure, for a total enterprise value of approximately $4 billion. SoftBank Group… Read More

December 29, 2025 @ 5:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Derivatives Trading Desk at Laser Digital has shared key insights and market commentary with CI. The insights highlight how Bitcoin and crypto market prices have started to move in very interesting directions based on the time of day it is, with Asian and US… Read More

December 29, 2025 @ 2:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Samar Sen, SVP, Head of APAC at digital assets firm Talos, has provided an APAC year-end note. Sen has shared his reflections on what he considers to be  an impactful 2025 in the Asia-Pacific region for Talos. Sen pointed out that it has been just… Read More

December 29, 2025 @ 1:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A Deloitte Private survey of private company leaders revealed that nearly 6 in 10 (57%) respondents from organizations planning a future transfer or sale anticipate their company will engage in a transaction in the next 1 to 3 years. And overall business continuity (40%) is… Read More

December 29, 2025 @ 12:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BLIFE Protocol, a “decentralized” protocol on the Bitcoin blockchain focused on integrating Web3 applications and cultural experiences, announced it has merged with Portal, an interoperability and liquidity infrastructure for Web3 gaming centered on the utility token PORTAL. The combined business will “operate under the Portal… Read More

December 29, 2025 @ 11:27 am By Michael Wong  |  

Mirae Asset Group is in talks to acquire Korbit, South Korea’s fourth-largest cryptocurrency exchange, in a move that would mark a rare push by a mainstream financial group into the country’s tightly regulated digital-asset market, according to people familiar with the matter. The discussions are… Read More

December 29, 2025 @ 11:21 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Arbitrum and Aave noted that combining the DeFi rollup with digital lending infrastructure creates improved user engagement, quicker uptake of product features, and so-called “flywheel effects” that are said to be amplified by proper incentives. Arbitrum, developed by Offchain Labs, is an Ethereum rollup, a… Read More