Bitcoin and Ether price update

Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$92,146.53 down by 1.5 percent over 24 hours.

Bitcoin’s continued volatility heading into the final weeks of 2025 has dampened expectations for a typical year-end rally, even as some high-profile investors remain bullish on the cryptocurrency’s longer-term prospects.

Bitcoin’s 30-day implied volatility as per Volmex’s BVIV index has slipped back to 49 percent after briefly spiking to 65 percent in late November. The decline suggests expectations for major price swings have eased, pointing towardsrisk assets as volatility in the S&P 500 has also fallen significantly from recent highs.

Historically, Bitcoin's performance has a positive correlation between volatility and price. While that relationship has weakened since late 2024, analysts view the subdued options activity as having undermined prospects for a typical December surge.

Still, some prominent institutional voices argue that the current pause does not necessarily signal the beginning of a new bear cycle. Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood said in recent interview that Bitcoin is “climbing another wall of worry,” behaving more like a risk-on asset as investors brace for what many expect to be a cooling phase of its four-year market cycle in 2026.

Wood pushed back against the assumption that next year must bring a major correction, pointing to the cryptocurrency’s resilience during its late-November drop as evidence that deeper declines may already have been avoided.

In her view, Bitcoin will outperform gold in 2026, despite the traditional safe-haven asset’s strong rally this year.

Ether (ETH) is currently priced at US$3,318.81, up 0.5 percent over 24 hours.

Altcoin price update

• XRP (XRP) was priced at US$2.07, a decrease of 4.0 percent over 24 hours.

• Solana (SOL) was trading at US$137.18, down by 4.8 percent over 24 hours.

Today's crypto news to know

OCC says banks can conduct riskless principal crypto trades

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued new guidance confirming that US national banks are allowed to execute riskless principal transactions involving crypto assets.

In these deals, a bank briefly takes the opposite side of a customer trade and immediately offsets it with a matching transaction, eliminating balance-sheet exposure to the digital asset.

The clarification is seen as a step toward giving regulated institutions more operational certainty when serving crypto-active clients. Banks conducting such activity must also comply with all existing consumer protection and anti-money-laundering rules.

Singapore leads new global crypto competitiveness index

Singapore has taken the top spot in Bybit and DL Research’s World Crypto Rankings 2025, edging out the US and Lithuania.

Analysts credit the city-state’s strong licensing regime, high digital literacy, and active institutional participation for pushing its total score to 7.5 out of 10. The report also highlights Singapore’s growing role in real-world asset tokenization, an area where market value has increased over 63 percent since early 2024 to reach US$25.7 billion.

The US remains closely behind with a score of 7.3, while Lithuania ranks third at 6.3, maintaining their status as a hub for fintech and exchange operators.

US teachers union warns Senate against crypto market structure bill

The American Federation of Teachers is urging the US Senate to throw out the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, arguing the proposal would undermine protections for retirement investors.

In a letter to Senate leadership, AFT President Randi Weingarten said the legislation could expose pension funds to “unsafe assets” and elevate risks tied to fraud and price instability in the crypto market.

The union fears that the bill’s tokenization provisions would allow companies to shift assets onto blockchain rails while sidestepping existing registration and disclosure rules. Weingarten argued that weaker oversight could ultimately threaten market stability and “lay the groundwork for the next financial crisis.”