Cryptocurrency Morning News – December 18, 2025
By Evgenia Likhodey, 08:05 MSK
Overview of the Crypto Market Activity While You Slept
As the new day dawned on December 18, 2025, several key developments emerged across the cryptocurrency landscape. From regulatory updates to market movements and major platform announcements, here is a detailed look at the latest in crypto.
Market Performance of Leading Cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin (BTC) started the day with a slight gain. According to TradingView data, at 07:27 Moscow time, Bitcoin was trading at approximately $86,716 per token, equivalent to about ₽6,989,056 in rubles. The 24-hour price range showed a low of $85,316 and a high of $90,264. Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, began the day relatively flat. It was trading sideways at around $2,833 per token (about ₽228,530).
In the top 10 most capitalized cryptocurrencies, all except the stablecoin USDC experienced declines over the past 24 hours and the last seven days. Dogecoin (DOGE) recorded the largest daily loss at -4.06%, while Cardano (ADA) showed the steepest weekly decline of -15.07%.
Among the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market cap, the strongest daily performer was pippin, gaining +13.96%, while Midnight led weekly gains at +30.47%. Conversely, UNUS SED LEO suffered the sharpest daily loss of -19.78%, and Pump.fun posted the largest weekly decrease at -26.90%.
Key Cryptocurrency News and Regulatory Updates
SEC Issues New Crypto Custody Rules for Broker-Dealers
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unveiled detailed guidelines for broker-dealers on how to securely store crypto assets that qualify as securities to ensure customer protection.
According to the SEC directive, firms must maintain “physical possession or control” of these assets by having exclusive access to private keys. The rules require companies to manage these keys internally and implement robust procedures designed to prevent theft, loss, or unauthorized use.
The SEC made clear that the term “crypto securities” includes tokenized stocks and bonds, emphasizing that broker-dealers must have contingency plans addressing blockchain failures, network attacks, and forks. They must also know how to legally execute orders to freeze, burn, or seize assets when required.
If a broker doubts the security of a network or operational risks, the asset cannot be deemed “under control” for compliance purposes.
Bloomberg Analyst Warns of Potential Liquidations in Crypto ETFs
James Seyffart, a Bloomberg analyst, forecasts a surge of over 100 new crypto Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs) and ETFs entering the U.S. market in 2026 due to recently streamlined SEC standards that ease product listings.
However, Seyffart cautions that many of these new offerings may struggle with low investor demand and insufficient assets under management. This could lead to widespread fund closures, especially toward the end of 2026 and into 2027, mirroring patterns seen in traditional ETF markets.
Demand is expected to remain strong primarily for the largest crypto ETFs, particularly those focused on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and select major altcoins.
Coinbase Announces Expansion Beyond Crypto Exchange at System Update Conference
At its recent System Update conference, Coinbase revealed ambitious plans to evolve from a traditional crypto exchange into a comprehensive financial super app.
Key upcoming features include:
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Launching stock and ETF trading services in the United States.
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Introducing prediction markets.
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Deploying an AI-based investment advisor.
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Enhancing derivatives trading with new futures products.
Additionally, Coinbase is bolstering its decentralized trading ecosystem through integration with Solana-based platform Jupiter. The company is also scaling the global reach of its Base application and preparing to roll out Coinbase Tokenize for real-asset tokenization.
On the stablecoin front, Coinbase plans to offer corporations “custom stablecoins” built on the USDC standard, enabling brands to issue their own digital dollars within proprietary ecosystems.
This integrated platform aims to unite cryptocurrency trading, traditional securities, event betting, AI portfolio management, tokenization, and blockchain payments—all within a single app.
Community and Further Resources
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