Speaking on CNBC on Friday, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan said Bitcoin is entering a 10-year "grind up" featuring strong yet steadier, lower-volatility returns. He maintained a bullish 2026 outlook after October's all-time high of $125,100, while Bitcoin trades around $87,800 and is down about 3.8% over the past 30 days, according to CoinMarketCap.

Google Trends data shows global searches for "crypto" slipping to 26, just above the yearly low of 24, while the U.S. reading fell to 26, a one-year trough. An April sell-off and an October flash crash coincided with waning retail interest; the Fear and Greed Index hit 10 in November and has recovered to 28.

On December 26, 2025, Jan3 founder Samson Mow said on X that 2025 was Bitcoin's bear market, setting up a potential bull run into 2035. Analyst PlanC backed the view, while others warned October's $125,100 peak might mark a cycle top. Bitcoin trades around $87,200, down nearly 9% year-to-date, according to CoinMarketCap.

According to Joseph Chalom, co-CEO of Sharplink Gaming, Ethereum’s total value locked could increase tenfold in 2026 as stablecoins, tokenized assets and institutional infrastructure migrate on-chain. He projects the stablecoin market could climb from roughly $308 billion to $500 billion by the end of next year and expects tokenized real-world assets to reach $300 billion in 2026. Ethereum’s current TVL is around $68.2 billion, while Ether trades near $2,924 after a 12% decline over the past year despite these adoption trends.

On December 26, 2025, the crypto market extended its advance for a second straight session, with total capitalization up about 1% to roughly $3.07 trillion and 24‑hour turnover near $91.4 billion. Bitcoin is hovering around $88,681 and Ethereum near $2,967, while analysts highlight key resistance around $89,000–$90,500 for BTC and $2,980–$3,000 for ETH, alongside cautious sentiment and recent ETF outflows.

Caroline Ellison, former co-CEO of Alameda Research, is scheduled to leave federal custody on Jan. 21, 2026, about 10 months before completing her two-year sentence. She pleaded guilty in December 2022 to fraud and conspiracy tied to the FTX collapse, cooperated with prosecutors, and has been in community confinement since October 2025. Her cooperation, good-conduct credits, a 10-year bar from senior roles at public firms or crypto exchanges, and supervised release conditions will shape her post-custody restrictions.

On December 25, 2025, Uniswap token holders approved the UNIfication governance package with 99.9% support, according to Hayden Adams. The vote saw 125,342,017 UNI in favor and 742 against, and after a two-day timelock the protocol plans a one-time burn of 100 million UNI while activating a fee switch to fund ongoing burns from trading and Unichain sequencer fees.

On December 25, 2025, the cryptocurrency market is modestly higher, with total market capitalization up about 0.7% to roughly $3.04 trillion and 24-hour volume near $69.9 billion. Bitcoin is trading close to $87,400 while Ethereum hovers just under $2,930, as sentiment remains cautious with a Fear and Greed Index reading of 28 and continued outflows from US spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs.

AI-focused crypto tokens have fallen about 75% year over year, erasing roughly $53 billion, according to CryptoPresales.com. Losses intensified into December, which alone accounted for nearly $10 billion, and the combined market value stood around $16.8 billion at the time of writing.