Ripple’s $500 million raise shows Wall Street caution with its XRP-heavy holdings: Report

Crypto funds recorded a second consecutive week of inflows, pulling in $716 million as investor sentiment across crypto markets continued to stabilize and improve.

The fresh capital increased total assets under management (AuM) to $180 billion, marking a 7.9% rebound from the lows in November. However, this is still significantly below the sector’s all-time high of $264 billion.

Crypto Inflows Hit $716 Million as Crypto Sentiment Turns Higher

According to weekly flow data, crypto inflows were broad-based across major regions, signaling renewed global participation. The US led with $483 million, followed by Germany with $96.9 million and Canada with $80.7 million.

This highlights a coordinated return of institutional interest across North America and Europe.

Bitcoin once again emerged as the primary beneficiary, attracting $352 million in weekly inflows. That brings Bitcoin’s year-to-date (YTD) inflows to $27.1 billion, still trailing the $41.6 billion recorded in 2024, but showing renewed momentum after months of hesitation.

At the same time, short-Bitcoin products saw outflows of $18.7 million, the largest withdrawal since March 2025.

Historically, similar outflows have coincided with price bottoms, suggesting that traders are increasingly abandoning bearish positioning as downside pressure weakens.

However, daily data showed minor outflows on Thursday and Friday, which analysts attribute to the release of fresh US macroeconomic data indicating persistent inflation pressures.

That brief pause suggests that while sentiment is improving, it remains sensitive to interest rate expectations and signals from the Federal Reserve.

XRP and Chainlink Post Standout Demand

Beyond Bitcoin, XRP continued its strong multi-month run, recording $245 million in weekly inflows. This pushes XRP’s YTD inflows to $3.1 billion, dramatically outperforming its $608 million total for all of 2024.

The sustained demand reflects ongoing optimism surrounding XRP’s institutional use cases and regulatory positioning in key jurisdictions.

Chainlink posted one of the most striking performances of the week, with $52.8 million in inflows, its largest weekly intake on record.

Notably, this figure now represents over 54% of Chainlink’s total ETP AuM, highlighting how fast capital is rotating into oracle and infrastructure-focused crypto assets.

Sentiment Shifts After November’s Surge

The latest inflow streak follows an even stronger period at the end of November. For the week ending November 29, crypto funds recorded a powerful $1.07 billion in inflows, driven largely by rising expectations of potential 2026 interest rate cuts.

Together, the late-November surge and the current $716 million follow-up suggest a gradual yet consistent shift in institutional sentiment, even as concerns about inflation remain unresolved.

While total AuM remains well below peak levels, the steady return of capital into Bitcoin, XRP, and Chainlink suggests growing confidence that the worst of the recent risk-off cycle may be behind us.

Blockchain-based prediction markets are drawing in more speculators as traders hunt for returns that can beat simply holding spot cryptocurrencies, according to a new report.

Prediction markets are emerging as a new speculative arena for traders, pitting casual retail participants against data-driven, professional traders, creating “extreme information asymmetry and meaningful arbitrage windows,” according to a Monday report from crypto research company 10X Research.

While sports bets account for the lion’s share of activity on these platforms, Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto-outcome related events are presenting more niche opportunities that digital asset traders can’t ignore, according to 10X.

“It is a valuable reminder that nearly every major crypto trading venue operated its own market-making or ‘treasury’ desk, not just to provide liquidity, but to stand on the other side of retail flow, and rarely at a loss,” the company wrote.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has unveiled a major proposal that could fundamentally reshape how the network handles transaction fees. His new design aims to replace unpredictable costs with a system that lets users plan and budget more effectively, signaling one of the most significant shifts in Ethereum’s economic framework in years.

Ethereum Gas Fees As Predictable, Prepaid Resources

Buterin’s proposal centers on a new on-chain gas futures market. Today, gas fees rise and fall based on network congestion and users have no way to know in advance what they will pay, which complicates planning for developers, businesses, and high-volume platforms.

The new model reshapes that dynamic by allowing users to purchase a defined amount of gas at a fixed price for future use. Rather than hoping the network will be affordable at the moment they need to transact, they can lock in their costs in advance. This moves Ethereum from a system dominated by short-term fee volatility to one anchored in stable, forward-looking pricing

Under the proposed design, these futures contracts would be traded directly on-chain. Their prices would naturally reflect expectations of future demand. When demand is expected to increase, futures prices rise; when expected to fall, they drop. This creates a transparent, market-driven view of upcoming network activity, giving developers and organizations a more reliable basis for planning their operations.

The structure also builds on the foundation set by EIP-1559, which introduced the base fee mechanism. Buterin’s futures market doesn’t replace that system—it extends it. It transforms gas from reactive cost into a resource that can be managed in advance, similar to how businesses lock in costs for electricity, bandwidth, or other essential inputs.

Operational Benefits For Developers, Businesses, And The Network

The most immediate benefit is cost certainty. High-volume users—exchanges, rollups, wallets, and automation services—often operate on tight margins, and sudden gas fee spikes disrupt operations and planning. By locking in future gas costs, this uncertainty is removed, supporting consistent service delivery. Developers also gain a stable environment, enabling them to schedule upgrades, plan deployments, and manage workloads without worrying about fee surges. This predictability strengthens project roadmaps and enhances user experience.

For enterprises integrating Ethereum into payments, verification, or data-processing workflows, predictable fees are essential. Buterin’s model addresses this barrier, positioning Ethereum as a more reliable foundation for long-term, large-scale adoption.

At the network level, the futures market introduces clearer economic signals. Rising futures prices indicate increasing demand for blockspace, guiding scaling decisions and resource allocation. Falling prices signal lower demand, enabling more efficient development and infrastructure planning.

The proposal does not lower gas fees but makes them manageable, converting an unstable cost into a predictable one. This enhances Ethereum’s appeal for serious applications, institutional activity, and reliable operational planning. By introducing a gas futures mechanism, the ecosystem can better manage costs and prepare for growth, marking a decisive step toward a more professional-grade Ethereum.

The current price of Bitcoin is $92,080, reflecting a 9% increase from the low of $83,817 observed on December 1st. This surge indicates early market momentum as we approach significant upcoming events. 

Investors are particularly focused on the Federal Reserve’s final decision expected in 2025. It’s not just the price movement that matters; the overall market sentiment is also responding positively to this renewed confidence. 

In addition to the FOMC news, insights from prominent industry figures have set optimistic long-term expectations. Notably, debates featuring Binance’s CEO, CZ, and economist Peter Schiff have made the future of Bitcoin even more intriguing. Also, futures data is adding positive layer to Bitcoin price predictions and the broader landscape of cryptocurrency.

Fed Decision Takes Center Stage for Bitcoin Price

As the market heads into the final Federal Reserve meeting of 2025, the focus turns decisively toward interest-rate expectations. Traders are widely positioned for a 0.25% rate cut on December 10th, and this anticipation has kept risk-asset sentiment cautiously constructive. 

Furthermore, why rate cuts are needed because the recent U.S. labor data intensifies the expectations for monetary easing more urgently than ever. As Nonfarm payrolls have posted declines in five of the past seven months, which is the weakest stretch in at least five years, per an x post. 

Such deterioration strengthens the case for lower rates, potentially adding support to Bitcoin price USD trajectories if the Fed confirms a dovish stance.

Debate Clips Reinforce Long-Term Conviction Around Bitcoin

Alongside macro events, a series of resurfaced debate clips has fueled interesting discussions about long-term Bitcoin price forecast scenarios. During Binance Blockchain Week (BBW) on December 4, a notable moment highlighted the authentication challenge of physical gold presented by Binance’s CZ to Peter Schiff. That clip perfectly captured the essence of Bitcoin without a single word being spoken for explaining. It showcased the clear advantage of Bitcoin over gold. While a gold bar can’t be verified instantly, the blockchain’s ability to provide immediate verification underscores the efficiency of digital assets like Bitcoin.

This interaction of CZ in BBW’25 gained additional strength from earlier 2025 comments of his, which also suggested that the current cycle could deliver extremely high upside targets. 

Meanwhile, traders circulating these clips argue that ignoring such conviction from major ecosystem participants may overlook an incoming rally. While these long-term expectations do not guarantee immediate movements, but they remain influential in shaping broader Bitcoin price prediction sentiment.

Futures Market Conditions Hint at a Healthier Structure

Beyond narratives, one potentially favorable data presents an opportunity for the next sustained move. CryptoQuant’s insights revealed that Open interest in Bitcoin futures has reached its lowest level of the year, declining sharply from peak levels during Bitcoin’s all-time high period earlier in 2025. To which the analyst indicates this decline in OI as a combination of capitulation and investor apathy.

The Shiba Inu burn rate has collapsed 88.07% in the last 24 hours as traders are on hold ahead of a decisive week for financial markets.

According to Shibburn, a lower amount of SHIB was burned in the past day than the prior, with 4,103,799 SHIB burned compared to 34,397,753 SHIB the day before.

This resulted in a drop in the daily burn rate by 88.07%. The weekly burn rate reversed into the positive, with 96,746,621 SHIB burned in the last seven days, marking a 3.45% increase.

The recent burn rate has caused a reduction in Shiba Inu's total supply, which is now 589,246,109,943,196 SHIB.

Markets await Fed updates

The crypto market is slightly higher early Monday, mirroring a rise in Asian equities, ahead of a slew of central bank decisions, including a Federal Reserve meeting where markets have largely priced in a 25-basis-point rate cut.

The Federal Reserve policy decision is anticipated on Dec. 10, while a Bank of England policy decision is due Dec. 18, and that of the Bank of Japan is expected on Dec. 19.

Markets are expecting that the Fed will cut its key interest rate at its final meeting of the year, with traders pricing in around an 87% chance of a 25-basis-point cut when the central bank concludes its two-day meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

At press time, Shiba Inu was trading in green at $0.000008471, up 6% weekly.

Despite crypto market gains, sentiment remains cautious, with the potential for further declines without fresh catalysts and liquidity.

Shiba Inu U.S. perpetual style futures to go live

On Dec. 5, 24/7 trading for all monthly altcoin futures went live on Coinbase Derivatives, allowing round-the-clock access to crypto assets, including Shiba Inu .

It does not end there as Coinbase is set to expand support for Shiba Inu on derivatives markets.

U.S. Perpetual Style Futures for Shiba Inu will launch on Dec. 18, taking its trading to the next level.

Argentina, a nation where people use crypto as a daily tool to survive inflation, is considering lifting its 3-year ban on banks’ crypto activities, allowing trading and custody under a new regulatory framework. 

If approved, Argentina’s central banks would finally be allowed to let customers buy, sell, and even store cryptocurrencies directly from their banking apps.

Argentina’s Central Bank Eyes Crypto Services for Banks

Since May 2022, Argentina’s central bank, the Banco Central de la Republica Argentina (BCRA), has maintained strict regulations prohibiting traditional banks from dealing with crypto. The goal was to reduce money-laundering risks and avoid financial instability.

But under President Javier Milei, a known Bitcoin supporter, the country is rethinking that approach.

Since taking office in December 2023, President Milei has pushed for more financial freedom and believes people should be free to use different currencies, including Bitcoin, without heavy government controls.

What the New Framework Could Bring?

Multiple reports confirm that the BCRA is drafting a new framework that would allow banks to offer,

• Offer crypto trading
• Provide crypto custody
• List only major “blue-chip” coins like BTC, ETH, USDC, USDT, and XRP
• Follow strict KYC/AML rules under new CNV regulations
• Operate crypto services inside separate legal units with higher capital, security, and liquidity requirements

Argentina is moving from banning crypto to fully regulating it, becoming one of the first inflation-hit countries to bring crypto into its banking system.

Why Argentina Is Making This Move Now

Crypto use in Argentina has grown very fast in the last three years. Many people turned to Bitcoin and stablecoins because the peso kept losing value.

Inflation once hit 1,427% in 2023, and even now it stays above 2% each month, so families use crypto to protect their money.

By letting banks offer crypto services, the BCRA wants to make crypto safer, reduce the use of informal platforms, improve tax tracking, and keep money flowing more smoothly in the economy.

Approval Timeline: April 2026

Experts familiar with the news believe the final green light may arrive around April 2026, but internal planning has already begun. 

If completed, Argentina could become a global case study in how traditional banking and crypto can work together during an inflation crisis.