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Visa Launches Global Stablecoins Advisory Practice

By
Paul Ugbede Godwin
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0

Visa officially announced the launch of its Stablecoins Advisory Practice, a new service under Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA). This initiative helps banks, fintechs, merchants, and businesses of all sizes evaluate, strategize, and implement stablecoin solutions.

The practice provides guidance on market fit, strategy development, technical and operational readiness, use-case analysis like cross-border payments, B2B transactions, remittances in volatile currencies, and integration support. It includes training programs and market-entry planning.

Already serving dozens of clients, including Navy Federal Credit Union, VyStar Credit Union, and Pathward. Visa expects growth to hundreds of clients, though some may conclude stablecoins don’t fit their needs after assessment.

Global stablecoin market capitalization exceeds $250–300 billion. Visa’s own stablecoin settlement volume has reached a $3.5 billion annualized run rate as of November 30, 2025. Builds on Visa’s existing efforts, such as over 130 stablecoin-linked card programs in 40+ countries, USDC settlements since 2023, and recent pilots for stablecoin payouts via Visa Direct.

Carl Rutstein, Global Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics, emphasized: “Having a comprehensive stablecoins strategy is critical in today’s digital landscape… Helping our clients grow is the reason we exist in stablecoins.”

This move positions Visa as a bridge between traditional payments and blockchain-based digital currencies, capitalizing on growing institutional demand amid evolving regulations.

This service targets banks, fintechs, merchants, and enterprises, offering guidance on strategy, market fit, technical integration, operational readiness, and implementation—without aggressively pushing adoption.

Visa’s involvement signals that stablecoins are transitioning from experimental crypto assets to core financial infrastructure. With the global stablecoin market exceeding $300 billion and Visa’s own settlement volume at a $3.5 billion annualized run rate, this advisory practice validates stablecoins as practical tools for payments, rather than speculative vehicles.

Early clients via Navy Federal Credit Union, VyStar Credit Union, Pathward are exploring real-world use cases like cross-border payments, B2B transactions, and remittances in volatile currencies. Visa expects the practice to scale to hundreds of clients, accelerating cautious but widespread institutional entry.

This lowers barriers for traditional institutions lacking in-house blockchain expertise, positioning Visa as a trusted intermediary between fiat rails and on-chain systems. Stablecoins enable faster, lower-cost transfers compared to traditional networks.

Visa’s advisory could drive broader integration, challenging incumbents while complementing Visa’s network through hybrid models. Competitors like Mastercard, PayPal with PYUSD, Stripe, and banks like JPMorgan, Citi are already active in stablecoins/tokenized assets.

Visa’s move intensifies the race, potentially leading to more efficient cross-border flows and reduced fees for end-users. Analysts project stablecoin market growth to $2–4 trillion by 2030, with Visa potentially benefiting as a central hub for multi-stablecoin interoperability.

The launch aligns with improving U.S. regulatory clarity, reducing “debanking” fears and encouraging TradFi participation. Visa emphasizes neutral assessment—some clients may conclude stablecoins don’t fit their needs—promoting responsible adoption focused on compliance, risk frameworks, and customer demand.

Positive for major stablecoins like USDC and others like EURC, PYUSD, boosting liquidity and utility. Reinforces stablecoins as crypto’s “killer app” for real-world payments, shifting focus from volatility to practical on-chain value transfer.

Positions Visa to capture revenue from consulting while defending its core business against pure blockchain disruptors. This isn’t just a consulting service—it’s Visa proactively shaping the future of digital payments, where stablecoins complement rather than replace traditional rails.

It underscores growing confidence in blockchain for enterprise use, likely driving faster adoption in 2026 and beyond amid evolving regulations.

Implications of Bitcoin Hashrate Dropping 8% from Xinjiang Shutdowns

By
Paul Ugbede Godwin
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0

Bitcoin’s network hashrate dropped sharply by approximately 8% around 100 EH/s in a single day, attributed to the shutdown of roughly 400,000 mining rigs in China’s Xinjiang region. Industry insiders, including Nano Labs CEO Jack Kong (former Canaan co-chairman), linked the decline to coordinated closures of mining farms in Xinjiang.

Hashrate fell from peaks around 1,124–1,200 EH/s to as low as 1,078 EH/s per HashrateIndex or even lower in some metrics ~876 EH/s per CoinWarz. China had quietly regained ~14% of global Bitcoin mining share post-2021 bans, often in gray-area operations relying on cheap coal/solar power in regions like Xinjiang.

Reasons for the shutdown remain unclear possibly local enforcement, power inspections, or compliance checks, but it’s not a new nationwide ban. Temporarily higher profitability for remaining miners less competition and slower block times, but Bitcoin’s difficulty adjustment next expected soon will rebalance the network.

Bitcoin price hovered around $86,000–$90,000 amid this, with no immediate crash. This event highlights ongoing geopolitical risks in mining centralization, despite shifts to the US and other regions.

BitMine Immersion Technologies (NYSE: BMNR), chaired by Fundstrat’s Tom Lee, has been aggressively accumulating Ethereum as a corporate treasury strategy, aiming for 5% of total ETH supply dubbed “Alchemy of 5%”. Recent announcements (December 15, 2025).

BitMine added 102,259 ETH in the past week, bringing holdings to 3.97 million ETH valued at ~$12–13 billion at ~$3,100–$3,200/ETH. This represents over 3.2% of Ethereum’s ~120–121 million circulating supply—not quite 4% yet, though some reports describe it as “nearly” or “approaching” 4%.

No specific mention of a single $73M purchase; recent buys were larger (e.g., 102K ETH ~$320M+ at current prices). Earlier reports referenced varying weekly amounts. BitMine holds the largest corporate ETH treasury globally and #2 overall crypto treasury behind MicroStrategy’s BTC holdings.

Long-term HODL, no plans to sell; planning MAVAN staking network in 2026 for yields ~$1M+/day projected at scale. Backed by investors like ARK Invest, Pantera, Galaxy Digital. This accumulation reflects strong institutional bullishness on ETH amid 2025’s regulatory tailwinds, upgrades, and tokenization trends.

Both stories are legitimate developments in the crypto space as of mid-December 2025. The Bitcoin event underscores mining fragility, while BitMine’s moves signal deepening corporate adoption of ETH.

The sudden offline of ~400,000 mining rigs in China’s Xinjiang region, removing ~100 EH/s, has several short- and long-term effects on the Bitcoin network and market.

Block times have temporarily slowed from ~10 minutes target, potentially increasing transaction confirmation delays and mempool congestion. This could raise fees slightly until the next difficulty adjustment which will lower difficulty by ~8-10% to rebalance. Remaining miners enjoy higher immediate profitability due to reduced competition.

No immediate risk of 51% attacks—the network remains highly secure with hashrate still above 1,000 EH/s in most metrics post-drop. However, it exposes lingering centralization risks: China quietly held ~14% of global hashrate despite 2021 bans, via gray-area operations.

This event accelerates redistribution to US, Kazakhstan, Canada, and others, improving long-term decentralization and resilience against single-region disruptions. Minor downward pressure on BTC price, partly from fears of affected miners selling BTC holdings to cover costs/relocations.

No crash observed; historical parallels (e.g., 2021 China ban) show quick recovery as hashrate migrates. Reinforces Bitcoin’s antifragility—network absorbs shocks without fundamental changes. Overall, a reminder of geopolitical vulnerabilities in mining, but bullish for non-China miners and network evolution.

Implications of BitMine’s ETH Accumulation

Removing millions of ETH from circulation creates a supply shock, reducing available liquidity. This tightens supply amid growing demand from staking, DeFi, tokenization, and upgrades—potentially bullish for ETH price. Analysts cite it as a catalyst for $9k-$12k by end-2025 or higher in supercycle scenarios.

Staking plans (MAVAN network in 2026) could yield ~$1M+/day, further locking supply. Mirrors MicroStrategy’s BTC playbook but for ETH—positions BitMine as #1 corporate ETH holder (#2 overall crypto treasury). Backed by ARK, Pantera, etc., it normalizes corporate treasuries holding ETH, encouraging others amid 2025’s pro-crypto US regulations.

Highlights ETH’s edge in real-world utilityHigh concentration ~aiming for 5% raises questions on influence over network decisions via staking votes. If ETH price rises sharply, amplifies gains; downturns could pressure BMNR stock. Market impact from buys has been absorptive so far.

In summary, underscores deepening corporate bullishness on ETH as “future of finance,” potentially driving scarcity-driven rallies while spotlighting centralization trade-offs. Both events highlight crypto’s maturing yet still volatile landscape in late 2025.

A Look At Recent Digital Asset ETP Inflows (> $700M Weekly)

By
Paul Ugbede Godwin
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0

Digital asset exchange-traded products (ETPs) recorded weekly inflows exceeding $700 million in recent reports from CoinShares, a leading digital asset manager.

CoinShares‘ most recent updates highlight positive momentum: One week showed $716 million in inflows, pushing total assets under management (AuM) to $180 billion still below the all-time high of $264 billion.

A subsequent week saw $864 million in inflows, marking the third consecutive week of gains and reflecting cautious optimism despite mixed price performance after the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut.

Bitcoin led with inflows around $352–522 million, though year-to-date figures lag behind 2024 levels. Standout performers included XRP up to $245–289 million in prior weeks, with YTD inflows surging and Chainlink record inflows relative to AuM.

Other assets like Ethereum, Solana, Aave, and Chainlink saw smaller positive flows, while selective outflows hit assets like Hyperliquid. Geographically, the US dominated, followed by Germany and Canada, accounting for most of 2025’s demand.

This trend signals recovering investor confidence following earlier outflows in November, driven by improving sentiment, regulatory clarity, and anticipation of macroeconomic easing. These inflows represent broad-based but concentrated interest in established digital assets via regulated ETPs.

The sustained inflows into digital asset exchange-traded products (ETPs)—ranging from $716M to over $1B in recent weeks as of mid-December 2025—signal a notable shift in the crypto market following earlier outflows and volatility.

These flows, primarily into regulated vehicles like ETFs, have several key implications: After four weeks of heavy outflows totaling ~$5.7B earlier in the period driven by hawkish Fed signals and macroeconomic uncertainty, the reversal to consecutive positive weeks reflects cautious optimism.

Investors appear to be interpreting potential Fed rate cuts and stabilizing macro conditions favorably, viewing dips as buying opportunities. Short-Bitcoin products seeing outflows (e.g., $18-19M) further indicates waning bearish bets, often a precursor to sentiment bottoms.

Inflows directly increase demand for underlying assets via ETP issuers buying spot crypto, providing structural buying pressure. Bitcoin has led absolute inflows ~$352M in recent weeks, but year-to-date figures lag 2024, suggesting room for catch-up if momentum builds.

Altcoins like XRP record inflows, YTD surging due to ETF launches and regulatory clarity and Chainlink highlight diversification, potentially supporting broader market rallies. Despite mixed price action in December 2025, Bitcoin price is fluctuating around $85K-$92K amid volatility, these flows could stabilize prices and fuel rebounds, especially if rate cuts materialize.

Heavy concentration in the US often >80% of flows, followed by Germany and Canada, underscores reliance on regulated markets with strong infrastructure. Shift toward “flight to quality” assets— large-cap like BTC, ETH, XRP over speculative ones, with selective outflows in niche products.

This points to crypto’s evolution into a strategic asset class for institutions, hedging macro risks rather than pure speculation. Rising AuM to ~$180B from November lows, though below $264B peak boosts liquidity and visibility in traditional finance.

Encourages further product innovation and integration with TradFi, as seen in projections for tokenized assets and stablecoin growth. However, risks remain: Inflows are “cautious” per analysts, and reversals could occur if inflation data disappoints or rate cuts delay.

Overall, these inflows mark a stabilization phase post-volatility, potentially setting the stage for renewed growth into 2026 if sentiment continues improving. They reinforce crypto’s resilience through regulated channels, attracting capital back toward established assets amid uncertain macros.

Markets crash as Bitcoin Falls Below $86K — Resulting to Massive Liquidations

By
Paul Ugbede Godwin
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0

Bitcoin (BTC) has fallen below $86,000 amid a broader market sell-off. Live prices across major sources show BTC trading in the $85,900–$87,000 range, down roughly 3–4% in the past 24 hours, with some intraday dips as low as $85,500–$85,700.

This extends a multi-day decline, pushing BTC about 30% below its all-time high of ~$126,000 earlier in the year.The drop has triggered significant liquidations over $600–650 million in the last day, mostly long positions, heightened volatility, and “extreme fear” sentiment.

Broader crypto markets are down similarly, with total market cap slipping below $3 trillion, influenced by factors like: Potential Bank of Japan rate hikes unwinding carry trades.

ETF outflows and macro indications remain with strong uncertainties (e.g., tech stock weakness, tax-loss harvesting). Reduced institutional momentum. Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi have sharply lowered probabilities in recent weeks.

As of mid-December data, odds hovered around 20–35%, on Polymarket at ~20% in some reports, well below 10% in the most bearish readings—aligning closely with the “<10%” claim amid the ongoing correction.

Earlier in the year, these odds were much higher (50–60%+), but the December pullback has crushed optimism for a quick recovery to $100K+ before January 2026. Analysts note support around $82,800–$84,800, with risks of further downside if broken, but many still see long-term bullish potential into 2026 (e.g., new ATHs post-consolidation).

This is a classic late-cycle correction, not uncommon in Bitcoin’s history. The recent drop of Bitcoin below $86,000 currently trading around $85,900–$87,000 signals a sharp shift in market sentiment, extending a correction from its October all-time high of ~$126,000.

This has wiped out over $1 trillion from the total crypto market cap since peaks, pushing it below $3 trillion.Key immediate effects include: Massive liquidations of over $600–$800 million in leveraged positions mostly longs liquidated in recent days, amplifying downside volatility.

Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi now price the odds of BTC reclaiming $100,000 by December 31, 2025, at 20–30% down from 50–60%+ earlier. Some readings dip as low as ~20%, aligning with bearish bets on sub-$80,000 outcomes rising to 40%.

Broader crypto srag — altcoins and deFi tokens have fallen harder 6–10%+ in 24 hours, with risks of further contagion if BTC breaks key supports around $82,000–$84,000. This correction appears driven by a confluence of factors, marking a classic late-cycle pullback rather than a full bear market reversal.

Signals of Bank of Japan rate hikes unwinding yen carry trades, reducing global liquidity; correlated sell-offs in tech/AI stocks; and tempered Fed rate-cut expectations odds for aggressive easing now lower.

Spot Bitcoin ETF outflows like those $300–$400 million in recent sessions from funds like BlackRock and Fidelity; slowed corporate treasury buying (e.g., MicroStrategy still accumulating but at a reduced pace overall).

BTC is range-bound with weakened momentum below key EMAs. A break below $80,000 could test $72,000–$74,000 lows, while holding $85,000 might allow stabilization. Renewed ETF inflows, clearer regulatory progress or macro easing could spark a rebound. Many analysts view this as healthy profit-taking/tax-loss harvesting ahead of a 2026 push.

Despite the pain, structural bullishness remains intact: Bitcoin is still up significantly YTD from early 2025 levels. Institutional adoption— ETFs holding ~1.5 million BTC, corporate treasuries ~1 million provides a floor.

Forecasts for 2026+ often target new highs ($130,000–$200,000+), driven by halving cycle dynamics, supply constraints, and growing recognition as a treasury asset. Risks include prolonged macro tightness potentially delaying recovery, or extreme scenarios.

This crash reflects over-leveraged euphoria meeting real-world liquidity drains—painful short-term, but historically common in bull cycles. Long-term holders often see these as accumulation opportunities, though near-term volatility likely persists until clearer catalysts emerge.

NASDAQ Filing for Rule Change on Trading Time Adjustment Benefits Asian Investors

By
Paul Ugbede Godwin
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0
NASDAQ

Nasdaq filed a proposed rule change with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to extend trading hours for U.S. equities and exchange-traded products (ETPs) to 23 hours per day, five days a week.

Approximately 16 hours total across pre-market (4:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. ET), regular (9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET), and post-market (4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET). Proposed structure: Shift to two sessions: Day Session: 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET including existing pre-, regular, and post-market. Night Session: 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. ET with a 1-hour break from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for maintenance, testing, and clearing.

Trades in the Night Session from 9:00 p.m. to midnight would count toward the following calendar day. The trading week would effectively run from Sunday 9:00 p.m. ET to Friday 8:00 p.m. ET.

Expected launch is around second half of 2026, pending SEC approval and necessary infrastructure upgrades to the Securities Information Processor and clearing systems like DTCC.

Reasons Cited by Nasdaq

The move responds to surging global demand for U.S. stocks, especially from international investors in non-overlapping time zones like Asia.

Foreign holdings of U.S. equities reached about $17 trillion last year. It also aims to compete with 24/7 alternative trading systems (ATS) like Blue Ocean and platforms for digital assets/cryptocurrencies, while positioning Nasdaq for future tokenized securities trading.

This follows similar efforts by competitors, such as NYSE’s approved 22-hour plan and proposals from others like 24X National Exchange for 23-hour trading. The filing (SR-NASDAQ-2025-106) is publicly available on Nasdaq’s site and will go through the standard SEC review process, including public comments.

Positive Impacts on Asian Investors

Nasdaq’s proposal to extend trading to 23 hours per day on weekdays with a Night Session from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. ET is explicitly designed to benefit international investors, particularly those in Asia, where time zones create significant misalignment with traditional U.S. market hours.

The Night Session (9:00 p.m. ET Sunday to Friday) corresponds to daytime hours in Asia. For example:9:00 p.m. ET is 9:00–10:00 a.m. the next day in Tokyo/Seoul/Hong Kong depending on daylight savings. This allows Asian investors to trade U.S. equities and ETPs during their normal business hours, rather than late at night or early morning.

Nasdaq highlighted surging overnight demand, “particularly among investors located in Asia” whose business hours do not overlap with U.S. regular trading. Asian investors can respond in real-time to macroeconomic headlines, geopolitical developments, earnings releases, or central bank announcements from Asia/Europe without waiting for the U.S. open.

This reduces “gap risk” — sudden price jumps at the U.S. open due to overnight news. Currently, many Asian traders use off-exchange alternative trading systems (ATS) like Blue Ocean for overnight access, which offer lower transparency and potentially worse pricing.

An official exchange session promises better liquidity, tighter spreads, fairer price discovery, and higher trust/regulatory protections. Expected to attract more global order flow, improving overall overnight liquidity.

Analysts from Pepperstone in Australia note it “brings US stocks into our local trading hours,” enabling real-time reactions and boosting participation. Foreign holdings of U.S. equities hit ~$17 trillion, with growing demand from Asia-Pacific regions like Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, India.

Competitors like NYSE (22-hour plan) and others are moving similarly, signaling a shift toward global 24/5 markets, influenced by always-on crypto trading. Overnight sessions historically have lower liquidity and higher volatility, leading to wider spreads and sharper price swings — risks that may persist initially.

Some industry voices express caution about market stability in thin-volume hours, though Nasdaq plans safeguards like circuit breakers. Overall, the proposal is widely viewed as a major win for Asian investors, addressing long-standing barriers and aligning U.S. markets more closely with global trading patterns.

Implementation is targeted for the second half of 2026, pending SEC approval.

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