batcat priceBTC

I learned my first real lesson from $BTC patience beats speed every time. That mindset followed me into onchain trading on Bitget, where structure changed how I trade. Spot only, clear rules, no rush. I stopped chasing candles and focused on tokens I understand, managing risk and letting consistency compound. The BGB rewards are nice, but the real value is trading with intention, even when the market slows down. $D $ICNT

Cryptos next phase of growth is unfolding quietly, with crypto narratives shifting toward everyday use. Adoption in 2026 is increasingly shaped by how people already use crypto in daily financial life. In an interview with BeInCrypto, representatives from CakeWallet and SynFutures explained where crypto is realistically headed over the next year. According to them, payments, savings, and risk management are replacing speculation as the main drivers of sustained activity. Crypto as Everyday Money One of the clearest signs of real crypto adoption heading into 2026 is its growing role as everyday money, particularly in regions where traditional financial systems are unreliable or inaccessible. Rather than being used for speculation, crypto is increasingly becoming a practical tool for saving, spending, and transferring value. The answer to this varies widely based on where in the world you are, but I see two massive cases for growth in 2026, said Seth for Privacy, Vice President of CakeWallet. The first is in the Global South, where demand for stablecoins has skyrocketed in the last few years. Crypto adoption shifts from wallet counts to weekday spending as new behavioral metrics and loyalty economics redefine what real usage means. pic.twitter.com/Hv014vx6Ej Kira (@Kira_Crypto247) December 22, 2025 In these regions, crypto often fills gaps left by inflation, capital controls, or weak banking infrastructure. Stablecoins, in particular, allow people to hold value in a currency that does not rapidly depreciate, while remaining easy to transfer. The possibility for an average person in Nicaragua, for instance, to use stablecoins like USDT in a privacy-preserving way to store wealth and pay for real needs will help to protect and shield them against malice and theft, the executive explained. As crypto becomes more visible, privacy also becomes more important. For users relying on crypto for daily expenses, protecting transaction data is less about ideology and more about personal safety. In this context, adoption is driven by necessity rather than enthusiasm, and growth continues regardless of market cycles. As these use cases mature, the tools supporting themespecially stablecoinsare becoming increasingly central to how crypto functions globally. Stablecoin Yield and Payments While stablecoins have long been associated with emerging markets, their role is expanding rapidly across more developed economies as well. In 2026, they are increasingly positioned as a core financial tool rather than a temporary bridge between crypto and fiat. By far the biggest market left untapped today is the West, Seth said. Many people have overlooked the usefulness of stablecoins due to easy access to banking and fiat on-ramps. Our 2026 Infra Year Ahead Report is out now!Stablecoins have become the most important infrastructure story in crypto.Every fintech wave promised to fix payments but just layered better UX on the same infrastructure. Revolut and Nubank delivered better experiences while pic.twitter.com/zEhC6sndmv Delphi Digital (@Delphi_Digital) December 17, 2025 However, that perception may shift as users begin to compare the speed and simplicity of stablecoin transfers with traditional financial rails. For many, the appeal lies in avoiding delays, fees, and unnecessary intermediaries. Once these users grasp how much easier it is to move back and forth between something like Bitcoin and USDT instead of fiat, the pace of adoption will escalate exponentially, he added. Stablecoins are increasingly shaping how on-chain financial activity functions. More users will likely be attracted to stablecoins for passive income in 2026, tapping into DeFi yield. Stablecoins are becoming the base layer of DeFi trading and derivatives markets, said Wenny Cai, COO at SynFutures. She added that, rather than sitting idle, these assets are increasingly used as active balances. Users are beginning to treat stablecoins as working capitalfunds that are actively deployed, not just parked. This shift in how value is held and moved is also changing how users interact with crypto beyond simple payments. When Usage Becomes Intentional As crypto markets mature, user behavior is changing alongside them. Instead of chasing short-term price movements, many users are focusing on using crypto in more controlled and intentional ways. Well see them shift to using crypto as money, finally! Seth told BeInCrypto. When speculation dies down and prices stabilize, we will continue to see massive growth in usage of crypto to actually pay for goods and services. At the same time, some users are engaging with tools that allow them to better manage exposure and uncertainty. According to Cai, retail users in 2026 are gravitating toward active capital management, not passive speculation. Rather than overdiversifying, users are narrowing their focus. Instead of buying and holding dozens of tokens, users increasingly prefer to trade major assets with leverage, hedge downside risk, or deploy structured strategiesall on-chain, she explained. While the underlying mechanics can be complex, the motivation is straightforward. Users want more control, clearer outcomes, and fewer surprises. As user behavior evolves, adoption is also broadening across different groups and industries. DeFi and TradFi Integration Crypto adoption in 2026 is not limited to a single demographic. Instead, it spans individuals, businesses, and professional market participants, each driven by different needs. The biggest overall growth is still happening in the Global South, where real people have real needs today, not just a desire to speculate, Seth explained. Poor access to banking, rapidly depreciating fiat currencies, and harsh remittance controls make these countries especially ready to accelerate their usage of crypto in 2026. "But no one uses it as money!"For years, skeptics dismissed Bitcoin with the same tired line: "No one actually uses it for payments."That argument no longer stands up under scrutiny.As of mid-December 2025, there are now 24,113 verified bitcoin-accepting merchants pic.twitter.com/xpL00iY8cp Alex Stanczyk /21m (@alexstanczyk) December 17, 2025 In parallel, professional users are increasingly integrating crypto tools into existing operations. Beyond fintech, trading firms, digital asset managers, and online brokerages are leading adopters of DeFi tools in 2026, Cai said. What has changed is readiness. Infrastructure has improved, platforms are more stable, and tools now support consistent, high-volume activity. As a result, adoption is no longer framed as experimentation but as a practical business decision. Yet even as adoption broadens, one challenge continues to shape how far crypto can realistically expand. Platforms that Make Crypto Easy to Use Across both interviews, one common conclusion stands out: the main barrier to broader adoption is no longer technical capability, regulation, or liquidity. Absolutely user experience, said Seth when asked what would most unlock cryptos growth in 2026. For too long, crypto tools have been built by nerds and for nerds. Cai echoed that view from the trading side. The infrastructure works, liquidity exists, and demand is provenbut advanced trading tools still feel intimidating to many users, she said. As crypto enters its next phase, success will increasingly depend on clarity and simplicity. Platforms that make powerful tools feel intuitive and safe are likely to capture sustained usage. In 2026, the crypto narratives that matter most may be the ones users barely noticebecause they simply work. Read the article at BeInCrypto

Bitcoin is struggling to reclaim the $90,000 level, and market confidence continues to deteriorate as an increasing number of analysts begin to call for a prolonged bear market. Sentiment has turned decisively cautious, with investors reassessing risk exposure and preparing for a potentially challenging period ahead. Despite multiple attempts to stabilize, price action remains compressed, offering little confirmation that bullish momentum is ready to return. Related Reading The Gold-to-Bitcoin Rotation Narrative Gains Strength: A Data-Driven Review 23 hours ago According to an analysis by XWIN Research Japan, the current market phase is best described as a range-bound consolidation following a high-level correction, with momentum conditionally tilted to the downside. While Bitcoin has remained largely sideways over the past three months, traditional safe-haven assets have followed a very different trajectory. Gold and silver have continued to push higher, reflecting rising demand for defensive assets amid persistent geopolitical tensions, policy uncertainty, and expectations of lower real interest rates. This divergence highlights a structural challenge for Bitcoin in the current macro environment. Institutional capital can allocate to precious metals with relative ease, benefiting from deep liquidity, established market infrastructure, and clear regulatory frameworks. Silver, in particular, has amplified gold’s move, supported by tighter supply dynamics and greater sensitivity to speculative flows. Bitcoin’s Role as a Risk Asset Limits Its Upside The analysis explains that Bitcoin has not followed gold and silver higher because it is still treated primarily as a high-beta risk asset, rather than a pure safe haven. In risk-off environments, capital typically flows first into gold and government bonds, where investors seek stability and capital preservation. Bitcoin, by contrast, is often a secondary consideration, attracting flows only after confidence improves. Unlike gold’s long-term and relatively price-insensitive buyer base, Bitcoin remains more exposed to short-term positioning and marginal demand, making broad macro tailwinds insufficient on their own to sustain a durable uptrend. CryptoQuant data reinforces this interpretation. Bitcoin’s apparent demand has recently turned negative, signaling that fresh demand is not expanding even as prices hold at relatively elevated levels. Bitcoin apparent demand | Source: CryptoQuant At the same time, Short-Term Holder SOPR has spent extended periods below 1, indicating that short-term participants are selling at a loss or near breakeven. This behavior typically adds selling pressure on rebounds, as underwater holders use price strength to exit positions. As long as capital continues to favor gold and silver, Bitcoin’s internal demand structure remains a key constraint. The base case points to continued support for precious metals, while Bitcoin’s upside stays capped by weak demand and short-term holder pressure. That view would only change if apparent demand turns sustainably positive and STH SOPR reclaims and holds above 1. Related Reading Bitcoin Price Lags Network Utility: A Valuation Reset Is Underway 4 days ago Price Holds Critical Support as Trend Weakens Bitcoin is currently trading near the $87,000–$88,000 area after a sharp corrective move from recent highs above $110,000. The chart shows that price has lost the short-term bullish structure, with BTC now firmly below the 50-day moving average (blue), which has started to slope downward. This confirms that short-term momentum has turned negative and rallies are facing increasing overhead supply. BTC testing structural support | Source: BTCUSDT chart on TradingView More importantly, price is now testing the 100-day moving average (green), which sits just above the current level and has acted as dynamic support throughout much of this cycle. The market’s reaction around this zone is critical. A sustained hold above the 100-day MA could allow Bitcoin to stabilize and form a base, while a decisive breakdown would likely expose the 200-day moving average (red), currently rising near the low $80,000s. Related Reading Ethereum Market Structure Strengthens: Binance Netflows Point to Long-Term Conviction 1 day ago Volume dynamics reinforce the cautious outlook. The sell-off from the October peak was accompanied by elevated volume, signaling distribution rather than a shallow pullback. Since then, volume has tapered off, suggesting a lack of aggressive dip-buying interest at current levels. Structurally, Bitcoin remains in a broader uptrend as long as it holds above the 200-day MA, but the loss of the 50-day and weakening momentum indicate consolidation or further downside risk in the near term. Bulls need a recovery back above $90,000 to regain control and shift sentiment meaningfully. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

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The cryptocurrency market continues to move through a low-volatility phase as the year draws to a close. Trading volumes remain subdued, and price action across major assets has slowed noticeably. This environment is common during the final weeks of December, when market participants step back and liquidity thins. While short-term momentum is limited, structural shifts across the crypto ecosystem are becoming more visible. One of the most important changes is unfolding within mining itself, particularly in the Bitcoin network. These developments are influencing how investors evaluate opportunity, sustainability, and long-term participation across the broader market. Source – ClayBro YouTube Channel Summary Bitcoin Mining Reaches a Structural Turning Point Consolidation and the Shift Toward Alternative Computing Virtual Mining Gains Relevance in a Tightening Market Pepenode Presale – Earn More Than a Typical Meme Coin Conclusion Bitcoin Mining Reaches a Structural Turning Point Bitcoin has now passed a critical supply milestone, with more than 95% of its total issuance already mined. Fewer than 1 million coins remain to be released, and that final portion will be distributed gradually over more than a century. This reinforces Bitcoin’s scarcity narrative but also introduces mounting pressure on miners. Block rewards have declined steadily since Bitcoin’s launch, falling from 50 BTC per block to just 3.125 BTC following the most recent halving. At the same time, mining difficulty continues to reach new highs. Together, these factors compress margins and make profitability increasingly dependent on efficiency, scale, and access to inexpensive energy. Miners are quietly becoming Bitcoin’s new corporates.With traditional treasury buys slowing, mining firms are now emerging as the biggest force in $BTC accumulation.They already hold ~12% of all Bitcoin and their share keeps rising.The real power players in the next cycle… pic.twitter.com/JdEVIknIRg— Crypto Patel (@CryptoPatel) December 12, 2025 A post shared by Crypto Patel on Twitter shows that mining is no longer equally accessible: smaller operators are being forced out, while large firms with capital and infrastructure dominate network participation. Consolidation and the Shift Toward Alternative Computing To remain viable, many mining companies are adapting their business models. Data centers and specialized hardware originally built for Bitcoin are being redirected toward artificial intelligence workloads and high-performance computing. This allows operators to stabilize revenue in an environment where mining alone is no longer sufficient. Companies such as Bitfarms and HIVE Digital are already advancing this transition. In this new phase, mining becomes part of a broader computational strategy rather than the sole focus. While this evolution strengthens industrial players, it also highlights a growing gap. As physical mining becomes more capital-intensive, individual participants are left searching for alternative ways to engage with mine-to-earn mechanics. Virtual Mining Gains Relevance in a Tightening Market This is where virtual mining models begin to attract attention. Instead of relying on hardware, energy contracts, and physical facilities, these systems recreate mining-style incentives in a digital environment. Participation is based on ownership, progression, and activity rather than raw computational power. Pepenode operates within this emerging framework. All in a hard days work ☕️ ⛏https://t.co/FaKIaBpf4I pic.twitter.com/uaLczfNeef— PEPENODE (@pepenode_io) December 23, 2025 Although it carries meme-inspired branding, its underlying structure is built around a virtual mining system that allows users to acquire and upgrade digital nodes. These nodes generate rewards over time, offering a participation model that mirrors mining without the operational overhead. For investors evaluating the best crypto to buy now, this type of structure stands out during periods of uncertainty, when accessibility and sustainability matter more than short-term hype. Pepenode Presale – Earn More Than a Typical Meme Coin One of the defining characteristics of Pepenode is its emphasis on ongoing interaction. Rather than encouraging passive holding, the system ties rewards to progression and performance. Users who actively upgrade and manage their virtual facilities are positioned to earn more consistently over time. Additional incentives include bonus distributions linked to recognizable meme assets such as Pepe and Fartcoin. These layered mechanics reinforce engagement and differentiate the project from typical meme coin launches that rely primarily on visibility. The presale has already raised over $2 million and is still at an affordable price. This is the perfect entry point for investors who want more than a typical meme coin, they can also earn other meme tokens. Buying is simple and secure with Best Wallet. Best Wallet is non-KYC and gives exclusive access to all upcoming crypto presales, letting investors get in before tokens hit exchanges and potentially surge. Only 16 days left to join. Conclusion Major networks like Ethereum and Solana continue to anchor the crypto ecosystem, but early-stage projects operate under different dynamics. Their value comes from design, positioning, and innovative earning mechanisms rather than immediate liquidity. Pepenode exemplifies this shift, offering a virtual approach that keeps the mine-to-earn concept accessible even as Bitcoin mining becomes more exclusive. For investors looking at the best crypto to buy, these evolving participation models highlight opportunities beyond price action, showing where influence and value are moving within the ecosystem. Visit Pepenode This article has been provided by one of our commercial partners and does not reflect Cryptonomist’s opinion. Please be aware our commercial partners may use affiliate programs to generate revenues through the links on this article.