Bloomberg: Bitcoin Fails to Join Wall Street's Optimism, Hovers Near $87,000

On December 24, CoinDesk reported that the European Union’s latest digital asset tax transparency regulations will take effect on January 1, 2026—marking a major shift in how the bloc regulates crypto activities. Known as DAC8, the rule builds on the EU’s longstanding framework for tax administrative cooperation, expanding its scope to cover crypto assets and service providers. Under the new rules, crypto service providers (including exchanges and brokers) must collect and submit detailed user and transaction data to their national tax authorities, which will then share this information with other EU member states’ tax agencies. For crypto users, the enforcement implications are more stringent. If tax authorities uncover tax avoidance or evasion, DAC8 allows local regulators—with support from their counterparts in other EU countries—to take action. This cross-border collaboration grants the authority to freeze or seize crypto assets tied to unpaid taxes, even if those assets or p

December 24th — Per Arkham Monitoring, a whale trader has secured $12.5 million in combined realized and unrealized gains from a 2-month-old BTC short position. Due to the unusually long holding period, the trade’s funding fees alone total a notable $9.6 million. The trader also holds $3.5 million worth of BTCB on the BNB Chain.

On December 24th, The Information reported that OpenAI is considering running ads within ChatGPT.

On December 24th, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin shared a post on social media with a prediction: “The idea that ‘bugs are inevitable—you can’t write bug-free code’ will no longer hold true in the 2030s.” “Of course, there will still be plenty of buggy software—for many use cases, functionality expansion matters more than absolute correctness. But if you actually want bug-free code, it will be achievable by then.”

Dec. 24: U.S. initial jobless claims for the week ended Dec. 20 came in at 214,000, below the expected 224,000. (Forex Factory)

**Dec. 24 (Globenewswire) — Bitcoin treasury firm Genius Group Limited announced today it has completed its acquisition of Lighthouse Studios.** Lighthouse Studios, a podcast and video production studio catering to entrepreneurs, content creators, and thought leaders, is based in Bali, Indonesia. Its custom facilities include multiple recording studios, coworking spaces, a cafe, and meeting rooms. Genius Group closed the transaction via an asset purchase agreement. The purchase price was not disclosed and does not meet the company’s material disclosure threshold. The seller is Monty Hooke, Lighthouse Studios’ founder. The firm plans to relaunch the studio under the new name Genius Studios on Jan. 23, 2026.