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.

Ethereum's 2026 plan is built around two parallel efforts: increasing rollup data capacity with blobs via Fusaka, which activated on Dec. 3, 2025, and lifting base-layer throughput through higher gas limits. That execution-side path relies on validators shifting from full block re-execution to verifying ZK execution proofs, supported by proposals such as PeerDAS, ePBS, BALs, and broader gas repricing. The roadmap introduces new liveness and decentralization risks tied to proving markets, bandwidth limits, and validator operations as upgrades like Glamsterdam and Hegota move through 2026 timelines.

On December 28, meme coin valuations are showing notable strength while Bitcoin and Ethereum remain below clear breakout levels. Dogecoin is approaching a key resistance zone, while lower-cap tokens such as Maxi Doge, MemeCore, Bitcoin Hyper and Pepenode are attracting attention for their utility features, staking rewards and presale momentum. Some of these projects are being framed as potential high-upside plays, with reported fundraising figures in the tens of millions of dollars.

On 28 December 2025, Coinbase Institutional outlined how crypto markets are moving away from retail-driven boom-bust cycles toward an institutional, macro-linked structure dominated by derivatives. The report argues that regulation, real-economy linkages, and growing institutional use of crypto infrastructure, tokenization, and privacy tools are reshaping market behavior and reducing wild-west dynamics.

Upbit suspended Flow FLOW transactions on December 27 after signs of a security issue on the Flow mainnet, and DAXA issued a trading risk warning. The token reportedly fell about 40% around the announcement. At the time, FLOW traded near $0.12 with notable 24-hour volume, highlighting elevated volatility.

XRP's network has recently recorded a sharp rise in payment activity, with daily transactions nearing 900,000 while trading volume and price momentum remain weak. The asset continues to trade below the $1.85–$1.90 zone where the 50-, 100- and 200-day moving averages are acting as resistance, leaving XRP in a declining channel despite the on-chain spike. Analysts note that this divergence between growing ledger usage and subdued price action raises questions about whether large entities or upcoming catalysts are driving the move.

With 2026 approaching, XRP is trading around $1.8 after dropping below the $2 mark and remaining almost 10% lower year-to-date, far from the previously discussed $5 level. The token has been highly volatile, retreating from a yearly high of $3.55 recorded in late July. Some analysts see improved regulation, rising cross-border usage and ETF inflows as supportive, but XRP's large supply, competition and macro headwinds still constrain its path to $5.