Aave Founder Responds to DAO Controversy: Will Enhance Aave Labs' Alignment with AAVE Holders’ Interests Mechanism

December 26: Ethereum researchers and developers are eyeing 2026 as a pivotal year for the blockchain to unlock exponential scalability via zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs. By then, some validators will stop re-executing transactions and instead directly validate ZK proofs— a fundamental shift in how the network operates, on par with the 2022 merge from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS). Ethereum researcher Justin Drake noted that initial validators will validate ZK proofs for each block rather than re-running all transactions, delivering instant scalability to Layer 1 and laying the groundwork for a future 10,000 transactions per second (TPS). For context, Ethereum’s mainnet currently handles roughly 30 TPS. During Devconnet, Drake demonstrated that ZK proof validation can run on an old laptop. By the end of 2026, around 10% of validators are expected to switch to ZK validation mode (Lean Execution Phase 1). This shift will slash hardware requirements for validator nodes wh

Binance officially announced on December 26 that users holding at least 240 Binance Alpha Points are eligible to claim a SENTIS token airdrop. Specifically, eligible users can receive 320 SENTIS tokens via the Alpha event page. If rewards aren’t fully distributed, the points threshold will drop by 5 points automatically every five minutes. Please note: Claiming the airdrop will consume 15 Binance Alpha Points. Users must confirm their claim on the Alpha event page within 24 hours—otherwise, the airdrop will be considered waived.

Binance CEO Richard Teng shared updated data on Wednesday, Dec. 26, showing global cryptocurrency adoption is accelerating. The figures reveal crypto user counts grew from 0 to 170 million over roughly 6.5 years—but jumped from 170 million to 300 million in just over a year. Teng noted this shift means the crypto community is expanding at an unprecedented pace, with a steep user growth curve that reflects rising global acceptance of digital assets.

**December 26th Update** On December 19th, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party released an outline for the **FY 2026 (Reiwa 8)** tax system revision, proposing to classify cryptocurrency as a financial product supporting national asset formation and roll out a separate tax regime. Under the plan: - Spot trading, derivatives, and crypto ETFs will fall under the separate tax framework. - Trading losses may be carried forward three years for deduction, aligning with stocks and other financial assets. Key exclusions: - Income from crypto staking and lending will remain subject to current tax rules. - NFTs are not explicitly included in the reform and may still be taxed as miscellaneous income under comprehensive rules. Compliance changes: Exchanges will submit user transaction reports to tax authorities, meaning investors will face stricter compliance obligations. Experts advise investors to gather and organize transaction records ahe

As of December 26th, Coinglass data shows total net ETH inflow to centralized exchanges (CEX) hit 142,100 in the past 24 hours. Top 3 CEX inflows: - Binance: 138,900 ETH - Bybit: 8,959.89 ETH - OKX: 2,079.15 ETH Bitfinex led CEX outflows with 3,574.29 ETH withdrawn.

December 26, 2025 — The meme coin market is nearing its 2025 annual low, sliding sharply from the speculative peak around Christmas 2024. As of December 19, total meme coin market cap dropped to $35 billion — the lowest point of 2025 — down roughly 65% from the year’s high, before edging up slightly to ~$36 billion. By contrast, meme coin market cap neared $100 billion on Christmas Day 2024. Trading activity in the sector has also fallen in tandem: annual volume dropped 72% to $3.05 trillion, signaling retail capital is moving away from high-risk speculative assets. The broader market views meme coins as a barometer of retail risk sentiment. This latest sharp contraction reflects rising caution in the current crypto environment, with the sector’s appeal to capital clearly waning. CoinGecko notes the 2024 meme coin boom was closely tied to the U.S. presidential election: election-themed tokens surged in popularity across social media, on-chain activity, and listing platforms