‍Shima Capital to Cease Operations Following SEC Fraud Lawsuit Crypto VC firm Shima Capital is reportedly winding down operations. This follows an SEC lawsuit against founder Yida Gao for alleged investor fraud. The SEC claims Gao misled investors by inflating past performance and profiting from undisclosed sales. Gao has agreed to a settlement, including disgorgement of profits and permanent injunctions. The firm's closure highlights increasing regulatory scrutiny in the crypto venture capital space.
‍Bitcoin Faces Critical Test at $81,500 Mark Bitcoin's price is nearing a pivotal $81,500 level, which represents the average purchase cost for investors. According to CryptoQuant, this threshold is key for determining the market's short-term direction. A sustained hold above $81,500 could reinforce the bullish trend, while a drop below might trigger a sell-off as investors seek to mitigate losses. Market sentiment is currently in consolidation, with volatility expected to increase based on the outcome of this price test.
‍JZXN Pursues $1B Token Acquisition and AI Partnership Jiuzi Holdings (JZXN) is in strategic discussions with an AI-focused Web3 firm for a joint venture developing AI-driven crypto trading platforms. A key aspect involves JZXN acquiring approximately $1 billion worth of the partner's tokens via a private placement of its common stock. The partner's tokens are also expected to seek a listing on Binance. Discussions are ongoing, with material uncertainties regarding the finalization of the deal and the Binance listing. JZXN will provide updates on significant progress.
‍Bhutan to Fund 'Mindfulness City' With 10,000 Bitcoin Reserve The Kingdom of Bhutan plans to allocate 10,000 BTC from its national reserves to finance the development of Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC). This initiative aims to create a new economic hub, foster employment, and integrate digital assets into the nation's long-term strategy. The GMC is envisioned as an economic corridor connecting South and Southeast Asia, operating with executive and legal independence. The project will be funded through risk-managed yield generation and long-term holding of Bitcoin reserves. Bhutan also launched TER, a sovereign-backed digital token collateralized by gold, positioning Gelephu as a hub for crypto and fintech innovation. The nation utilizes hydropower for sustainable "green mining" operations and has formed strategic partnerships to develop its digital asset infrastructure.
‍Bitcoin Lightning Network Achieves Record Capacity Amidst Upgrades The Bitcoin Lightning Network (LN) has reached a new all-time high capacity of over 5,600 BTC, equivalent to approximately $490 million. This surge is driven by increased adoption from major exchanges like Binance and OKX. Key technological advancements, including the latest v0.7 upgrade to Lightning Labs' Taproot Assets protocol, are enhancing the network's ability to handle diverse digital assets, such as stablecoins. Investments in startups like Speed further underscore confidence in LN's payment capabilities. These developments position LN as a critical infrastructure for scaling Bitcoin.
‍Theta Labs CEO Sued by Former Executives for Alleged Fraud and Market Manipulation Two former senior executives at Theta Labs have filed lawsuits against the company and its CEO, Mitch Liu, alleging a multi-year campaign of market manipulation, fraud, and retaliation. The complaints claim Liu used Theta Labs as a "personal trading vehicle" to orchestrate "pump-and-dump" schemes affecting THETA and TFUEL tokens. Allegations include misleading partnerships (e.g., misrepresenting a cloud services agreement with Google), generating false bids for NFTs, and undisclosed insider token sales. When employees raised concerns, they allegedly faced retaliation, leading to these whistleblower lawsuits filed on December 16, 2025.
‍Senate Introduces SAFE Crypto Act to Combat Fraud A new bipartisan bill, the SAFE Crypto Act, has been introduced in the US Senate to address the rise in cryptocurrency-related fraud. The legislation proposes a coordinated federal task force involving the Treasury, law enforcement, regulators, and private sector firms to identify and halt crypto crimes. This initiative follows a significant increase in reported losses, with Americans losing $9.3 billion to crypto investment scams in 2024, a 66% rise from the previous year. Industry experts believe the act's focus on collaboration and leveraging blockchain intelligence could effectively disrupt fraudsters' operations and enhance investor protection.
‍Kled Founder Accuses Believe's Pasternak of Token Dumping Avi Patel, founder of Kled, has accused Ben Pasternak, founder of the Believe launchpad, of selling millions of KLED tokens using a Dollar-Cost Averaging strategy. Patel alleges this violates a private agreement, as Pasternak had committed to OTC trades or token burns. The sales occurred during a major application update and low trading volume, forcing the Kled team into damage control. This follows previous public disagreements between the two founders in July 2025. Kled, an AI project on Solana, aims to create a marketplace for AI training data.
‍Hollywood Stars Launch Creators Coalition on AI A new coalition, the Creators Coalition on AI (CCAI), founded by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and filmmaker Daniel Kwan, is advocating for ethical AI standards in entertainment. The group's core demands include transparency, consent, and compensation for creators whose work trains AI models, job protection, safeguards against deepfakes, and the preservation of human creativity. This initiative mirrors efforts in other regions and aligns with discussions around data ownership and IP, potentially driving further exploration of blockchain for digital rights management.
‍Tether Invests $8M in Speed to Integrate USDT with Lightning Network Tether, the issuer of the world's largest stablecoin USDT, has led an $8 million investment round in Speed, a startup focused on enabling stablecoin payments via the Bitcoin Lightning Network. This initiative aims to expand USDT's utility into mainstream commerce, leveraging the Lightning Network's speed and low transaction fees. Speed currently serves over 1.2 million users and processes $1.5 billion in annual payment volume, offering instant settlement in BTC and USDT. Tether's investment supports its diversification strategy, contributing to its significant profits generated from Treasury bills backing USDT.