In late 2025, crypto breaches escalated as Chainalysis tallied $3.4 billion in losses for the year. During Christmas week, Trust Wallet disclosed a $7 million Chrome-extension breach, while DeBot confirmed a $255,000 theft traced to a server in Japan; OKX's Star Xu cautioned that DEX bots and custodial wallets heighten risk.

XRP is hovering around $1.87 after falling below $2 and is down about 30% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Some analysts highlight prior accumulation phases and current support near $1.8–$2 as signs a rebound could form, while others point to the downtrend from October 2025 as continued selling pressure.

On December 28, 2025, Kaspersky's SecureList reported that stolen crypto accounts listed on dark-web markets fetch an average of $105, with individual prices ranging from $60 to $400. The data is harvested by phishing kits, exfiltrated via email, Telegram bots, or admin panels, and then monetized immediately or routed into broader resale pipelines.

Between December 26 and December 28, large Ethereum holders accumulated about $350 million in ETH while the Money Flow Index stayed subdued, highlighting weak participation from smaller traders. Price action is trapped below $3,000, with chart signals pointing to possible moves toward $4,400 on a break above $3,390 or down to $2,620 if key support fails, even as network activity, RWA tokenization and institutional strategies keep long‑term targets in the $7,000–$9,000 range.

Samson Mow, Bitcoin maximalist and CEO of JAN3, described 2025 as a bearish year for BTC after it ended below $90,000 despite having set a new all-time high of $126,000 earlier. He now expects a decade-long bull market to begin as Bitcoin closes the year around $87,500, slightly under its starting level above $93,000. While some analysts foresee scenarios ranging from a bullish reversal to a drop toward $60,000 in 2026, bulls and bears are both positioning for control of the market in the coming year.

On December 28, 2025, an XRP watcher highlighted Times Square's 2026 display using 589 lights, reviving a long‑running community motif. Bitcoin has three trading days left in December to hold the mid‑Bollinger near $88,929, opening a path toward $125,571 if defended. SHIB ended December negative and is targeting a January move that could delete one zero.

EU crypto reporting under DAC8 begins January 1, with providers required to share user and transaction data and a compliance deadline on July 1, 2026. Several European jurisdictions still exempt long‑term holdings, while others introduce new levies such as Slovenia's 25% and Cyprus's 8%. Asia features 0% regimes in the UAE and targeted relief in Thailand.

In 2025, major U.S. stock indices posted double-digit gains while gold and silver hit multiple record highs, yet many cryptocurrencies are set to finish the year negative. According to analysts at the Kobeissi Letter, 2026 could be even stronger for investors amid further Fed rate cuts, mass deregulation and an AI investment boom, with Trump advocating 1% interest rates and stimulus checks. If these macro trends persist and borrowing costs fall, risk-on assets such as bitcoin and altcoins could see renewed interest after their mixed performance in 2025.