December 29, 2025 Cryptocurrency and Digital Finance Daily

Headline Today: The 2026 Crypto IPO Wave Is Coming, Kraken, Consensys, and Other Giants Valued Over $35 Billion

According to DL News, after raising $3.4 billion through IPOs in 2025, the crypto industry is expected to see more major listings in 2026. The six most anticipated potential IPOs include:

Kraken: A mainstream US exchange, valued at approximately $20 billion, planning to go public in the first half of 2026.

Consensys: Developer of MetaMask, valued at $7 billion, collaborating with JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs to advance.

BitGo: An institutional-grade service provider focused on compliant custody, potentially becoming the first major crypto custodian to go public.

Animoca Brands: A Web3 gaming giant, valued at around $6 billion, expected to go public via reverse merger.

Ledger: A hardware wallet leader, having sold over 6 million devices, dubbed the “Apple of crypto security.”

Bithumb: A South Korean exchange, choosing Samsung Securities as underwriter, planning a domestic listing.

Analysts note that these IPOs mark the crypto industry’s transition toward maturity, especially accelerating in compliance, infrastructure, and security.

Project Updates

Brevis Launches Airdrop Registration and Qualification Query Portal

The ZK smart verifiable computation platform Brevis has launched an airdrop registration and qualification query portal. Users need to check eligibility and complete necessary steps before applying. The application window will be open from December 29 to January 3, with specific distribution amounts announced upon future claims. This indicates the imminent launch of Brevis token $BREV, with community incentives accounting for as much as 32.2%.

Recent Token Unlock Alerts: Increased Selling Pressure Risk

Multiple projects are approaching token unlock windows, which may trigger short-term market volatility:

GOHOME will unlock 100,000 tokens (100% of total locked).

Orta Chain will unlock 10 million ORTA (100% of total locked).

Projects like CeluVPlay, Hemi, and others also have varying unlock ratios, with some tokens experiencing slight declines (e.g., CeluVPlay dropped over 15% in a single day).

Investors should monitor unlock ratios and project fundamentals; unlocks are both risks and potential low-entry opportunities.

Institutional and Market Dynamics

67 Entities Hold 6.81 Million ETH, Accounting for 5.63% of Circulation

According to StrategicEthReserve data, 67 entities collectively hold about 6.81 million ETH (worth approximately $19.99 billion), representing 5.63% of the circulating supply. Among them, BitMine holds over 4.07 million ETH, SharpLink Gaming about 863,000 ETH, Ether Machine approximately 496,700 ETH, and the Ethereum Foundation about 229,500 ETH.

BitMine Added Nearly 70,000 ETH Last Week, Total Holdings Reach 3.639 Million ETH

Onchain Lens monitoring shows that BitMine purchased 69,822 ETH last week (worth about $197 million), increasing total holdings to 3.6297 million ETH (worth about $102 billion). BitMine has become one of the largest corporate holders of ETH.

Japanese Listed Company KLab Invests $24 Million in Bitcoin and Gold

KLab announced the launch of a “Dual Gold Financial Strategy,” allocating 3.6 billion yen (about $24 million) from a 5.1 billion yen fund to buy Bitcoin and gold in a 6:4 ratio. As of December 25, it has added 3.17 BTC, with total holdings reaching 4.368 BTC, and has also purchased gold ETFs.

Policies and Traditional Finance

Central Bank Releases Digital RMB Action Plan, Effective January 1, 2026

The People’s Bank of China issued the “Action Plan for Further Strengthening Digital RMB Management Service System and Related Financial Infrastructure Construction.” The new generation digital RMB measurement framework, management system, operational mechanisms, and ecological system will officially launch on January 1, 2026. As of the end of November, digital RMB transactions totaled 3.48 billion, with a value of 16.7 trillion yuan.

Caixin: Bitcoin and Stablecoins’ “Testing Ground” Located in Hong Kong Instead of Hainan

Hong Kong’s functionally complementary to Hainan Free Trade Port makes it more suitable for innovative financial experiments like Bitcoin and stablecoins.

Standard Chartered and Ant International Launch Blockchain Tokenized Deposit Solution

Standard Chartered Hong Kong and Ant International collaborated to launch tokenized deposits based on blockchain, supporting 24/7 real-time transfers in HKD, offshore RMB, and USD. The solution was developed under the HKMA’s “Project Ensemble” framework, utilizing Ant’s “Whale” platform to enhance global corporate fund efficiency.

Nomura Securities Warns: Uncertainty After New Fed Chair Takes Office Could Erupt Between July and November 2026

Nomura expects the new Federal Reserve Chair to lead rate cuts after taking office in May 2026, but internal opposition to economic recovery may grow, with increased friction with the Trump administration. Uncertainty is concentrated between July and November, potentially triggering a “flight from US assets,” and investors should be alert to liquidity reversals.

Today’s Summary: Year-end market volatility intensifies, institutions accelerate positioning in Ethereum and Bitcoin, with 2026 IPOs and policy changes becoming focal points. Pay attention to unlock risks and airdrop opportunities; respond rationally to market fluctuations.