Schiff Jumps on Saylor's McDonald's Pic

Standard Chartered and Coinbase have expanded their partnership to build crypto infrastructure for institutional clients.

As part of the partnership, the duo will explore offerings across trading, prime services, custody, staking and lending, the British multinational bank announced on Friday.

“We aim to explore how the two organisations can support secure, transparent and interoperable solutions that meet the highest standards of security and compliance,” Margaret Harwood-Jones, global head of financing and securities services at Standard Chartered, said.

The two firms said the partnership combines Standard Chartered’s cross-border banking and custody expertise with Coinbase’s institutional crypto platform. The goal is to develop an integrated suite of services that allows institutions to trade and manage digital assets within a secure and compliant framework.

Related: Coinbase opens Solana DEX access as CeFi and DeFi converge

Standard Chartered, Coinbase build on Singapore partnership

The announcement builds on an existing relationship in Singapore, where Standard Chartered already provides banking connectivity for Coinbase, enabling real-time Singapore dollar transfers for the exchange’s customers.

Last year, Crypto.com also partnered with Standard Chartered to roll out global retail banking services that allow users in more than 90 countries to deposit and withdraw US dollars, euros and UAE dirhams through its app.

Meanwhile, Coinbase is set to announce new products next week that could include prediction markets and tokenized stocks.

Related: Pantera, Coinbase back Surf’s $15M push to build crypto-native AI models

Bank regulator clears path for crypto trust banks

On Friday, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency conditionally approved national trust bank charter applications for five companies linked to the digital asset sector.

The approvals cover BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets and Paxos, which plan to convert existing state-chartered trust companies into national trust banks, as well as new applicants Circle and Ripple.

Magazine: 2026 is the year of pragmatic privacy in crypto — Canton, Zcash and more

Interest in XRP exchange traded funds is growing quickly after another product received approval. Cboe has approved a 21Shares XRP ETF under the XR ticker, adding to the list of funds offering exposure to the token.

The pace of inflows has surprised even industry leaders. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently celebrated that XRP ETFs crossed $1 billion in assets in about 17 days, a much faster start than many expected.

Market analysts say this trend could accelerate.

$10 Billion Target Within a Year

Crypto analyst Mickle said that if current inflow rates continue, XRP ETFs could hold as much as $10 billion worth of XRP within a year.

He said ETFs are removing friction for investors who previously avoided crypto exchanges. Many investors did not buy XRP earlier simply because access was complicated or outside their compliance rules.

ETFs change that by allowing investors to buy XRP exposure through regular brokerage accounts. Mickle said XRP today is very different from what early investors bought years ago.

“The XRP I bought in 2016 or 2017 is not the same XRP we have today,” he said. “The network keeps getting more powerful. New features are being added, and from an investment point of view, that matters.” He added that many investors overlook Ripple’s original vision for the XRP Ledger.

“If you go back and watch interviews with Chris Larsen from as early as 2013, he was already talking about issuing assets on the ledger and using XRP as liquidity,” Mickle said. “That idea has been there from the start.”

New Liquidity Pipeline for XRP

The analyst described XRP ETFs as a new liquidity pipeline rather than a short term trade. This steady institutional demand could reduce reliance on retail trading cycles and add depth to the XRP market.

Over time, that demand may support price stability and higher trading volumes. As these markets develop, Mickle said the role of the XRP Ledger is likely to expand.

“You’re going to see more infrastructure move onto the XRP Ledger,” he said. “That positions XRP as underlying liquidity across different financial uses, not just money moving back and forth.”

Institutions Drive the Next Phase

Institutions have strong incentives to promote ETF products because they fit within compliance, marketing, and advisory frameworks.

This makes XRP ETFs easier to recommend and distribute than direct crypto holdings. Analysts see this as a major positive catalyst for long term adoption.

Market Cycles Are Changing

Recent price swings following U.S. rate cuts show that crypto still reacts to macro news. However, the analyst argues the market is moving away from strict four year boom and bust cycles.

Instead, performance is becoming more driven by fundamentals such as regulation, infrastructure, and institutional use cases.

XRP has already outperformed many altcoins over the past 18 months, suggesting capital is becoming more selective.

The Bitcoin market has continued to consolidate within the $90,000 price zone over the last day, reflecting a minor 0.04% gain within this period. Notably, the premier cryptocurrency has witnessed a steady rally in recent weeks, forming the early phases of an ascending channel. To protect this potential uptrend, recent on-chain data shows that investors are moving to initiate a downside and price in the market effect of an anticipated negative catalyst.

Bitcoin Sees High Inflows, Negative Funding Rates As Investors Guard Against Rate Hike

In a QuickTake post on CryptoQuant, the crypto analysis page XWIN Research Japan discusses how potential Japan economic developments are presently impacting the Bitcoin market. Notably, analysts and economists expect the Bank of Japan to announce a 25 bps rate hike at its next policy meeting between December 18-19, as the Asian nation moves to end an ultra-loose monetary regime.

Interest rate hikes are generally interpreted as bearish catalysts as they force investors to move out of risky assets due to less available capital, thereby inducing a price decline. According to XWIN Research Japan, Bitcoin investors may currently be attempting to absorb the resulting price pressure, potentially muting the immediate impact of the primary catalyst itself.

This theory is based on multiple developments, such as exchange netflows. The analysts at XWIN report that exchange inflows are rising to mirror similar levels seen during previous BOJ hikes. Investors are presently exiting exchanges and minimizing their spot exposure to reduce the market impact of the expected decision. Meanwhile, the funding rates are also declining, another event seen during past rate hikes. Notably, investors are proactively losing their leverage in what is a pre-event caution movement.

What Next For Bitcoin? 

At press time, Bitcoin tie valued at $90,190, reflecting a market gain of 0.77% in the past week. With the Bank of Japan’s hawkish pivot largely priced in, XWIN Research says that market focus has shifted away from the rate hike itself toward post-announcement yen dynamics.

Going forward, the analysts explain that Bitcoin’s near-term direction may hinge on whether the yen continues to strengthen or if markets respond with a “sell the rumor, buy the fact” reversal, signaling that the adjustment phase is already unfolding. With a market cap of $1.67 trillion, Bitcoin continues to rank as the largest cryptocurrency with a current market dominance of 58.2%

Trader sentiment toward XRP has been shifting into bullish territory on social media this week, according to market intelligence platform Santiment, and at the same time, the streak of inflows into the token’s exchange-traded funds has continued.

Retail traders are staying optimistic toward XRP (XRP) as it hovers around the $2 mark, with the week recording the seventh highest number of bullish comments for the year, Santiment said on Friday, citing data from its analytics platform Sanbase, which monitors social interest across cryptocurrency social channels, including Telegram, Discord, subreddits, and X.

“XRP’s bulls and bears continue to battle, and the asset is hanging on to a $2.00 market value for now. Sentiment is showing bullishness across social media,” Santiment said.

XRP has been drifting between $1.99 and $2.17 in the last seven days and is trading hands for $2.03 as of Saturday, according to crypto data aggregator CoinGecko.

A snapshot for Stronghold's Gov Vote 8 is set for 14 December 2025 at 8 PM UTC, according to the official communication. This vote determines whether integration efforts prioritize a Solana bridge or deeper support for XRPL. Snapshot events often result in SHX holders consolidating their assets to maximize voting weight, which can reduce short-term liquidity. Additionally, the governance direction selected could have medium-term valuation implications, as integrations with larger ecosystems like Solana can affect network utility and perceived future demand.

Talus Network's airdrop claim period concludes on 15 December 2025 at 4:59 AM UTC, as noted in the official announcement on X. This event marks the deadline for registered and eligible users to claim their allocated tokens. Typically, claim deadlines result in a decrease in immediate selling pressure as late claimants act, and any unclaimed tokens may be burned or redistributed, altering circulating supply. The end of an airdrop window can influence price volatility, as new holders may decide to hold or sell upon receipt, potentially impacting short-term price direction.