Weekly Recap | Fed Cuts Rates by 25 bps, Echobit Christmas Campaigns Go Live, Synthetix to Return to
2025.12.15
Weekly Review (Dec 8 – Dec 14)
Last week, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points and initiated short-term Treasury operations, providing macro-level support for Bitcoin’s price floor. After an initial rebound, BTC retraced alongside U.S. equities, while ETH showed relatively stronger upside momentum before also pulling back with the broader market.
Institutional flows turned positive, with combined net inflows into BTC and ETH ETFs exceeding USD 500 million. However, selling pressure remains elevated, as long-term holders continue to reduce positions, weighing on price stabilization.
Additionally, following Japan’s rate hike, Bitcoin once again fell below the USD 90,000 level. Whether BTC enters a rebound phase or extends its decline will largely depend on upcoming macro data, capital flows, and changes in long-term holder behavior.
This report reviews the key developments in the crypto industry over the past week and highlights major events and trends to watch in the week ahead.
Market Pulse
Interactive Brokers now allows select U.S. users to fund accounts using stablecoins
Tether is exploring on-chain equity issuance following a proposed USD 20 billion equity financing
The Federal Reserve cuts rates by 25 bps and signals only one additional cut expected in 2026
Polygon plans to increase network TPS to 5,000 within the next six months
SpaceX plans an IPO targeting over USD 30 billion in fundraising, potentially the largest in history
Bloomberg reports that the median share price of U.S. and Canadian listed DAT companies is down 43% year-to-date
Funding & M&A
A total of 19 funding and M&A deals were completed last week, raising over USD 180 million, primarily across DeFi, AI, and infrastructure sectors:
RWA tokenization network Real Finance raised USD 29 million in a private round
ETHZilla acquired a 15% stake in digital mortgage platform Zippy for approximately USD 21 million
Crypto AI platform Surf secured USD 15 million in funding led by Pantera Capital
Cross-chain protocol LI.FI raised USD 29 million led by Multicoin Capital and CoinFund
YO Labs, the team behind YO Protocol, completed a USD 10 million Series A round
Stablecoin cross-border payments firm MetaComp raised USD 22 million in a Pre-Series A round
Paradigm invested USD 13.5 million in Brazilian stablecoin project Crown
Policy & Compliance
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency approved trust bank charters for Ripple, BitGo, and three other firms
Moody’s proposed a stablecoin rating framework centered on reserve quality
Poland resubmitted its Markets in Crypto-Assets Act without amendments
The U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council no longer classifies digital assets as a potential systemic risk
The UK FCA stated that stablecoins will be a key focus of future regulation
Japan will require crypto exchanges to hold liability reserves or purchase insurance
Echobit Highlights
ATUSDT futures trading campaign launches with a USD 20,000 double rewards pool
A crypto mystery discussion kicks off around the topic of selling all ETH to buy a Porsche
Echobit Christmas Wish campaign goes live, inviting users to share their crypto wishlist for a chance to win 300 USDT
Week Ahead (Dec 15 – Dec 21)
Coinbase will discontinue USDC rewards for non-paying users on December 15
Blockchain-based AI computing protocol Gensyn launches its public sale on December 15
The SEC’s Crypto Task Force will host a roundtable discussion on December 15
Sports prediction app Football.Fun will conduct a token sale on Legion on December 16
The Trump administration extends the TikTok ban grace period for a fourth time, delaying enforcement until December 16
Synthetix announces its return to the Ethereum mainnet on December 17
The deBridge Season 2 airdrop claim window closes on December 19
PayPal launches a Bitcoin giveaway campaign for U.S. users, ending December 21
Major token unlocks are scheduled for ZRO, ARB, STRK, and others
Echobit will continue tracking global crypto developments, with a focus on market movements, regulatory trends, and funding activity—helping users navigate market cycles and stay ahead.