PANews reported on December 23 that Ali Yahya, General Partner of a16z Crypto, pointed out in an article that privacy is a core function driving global finance onto the blockchain, yet it is ignored by most blockchains. He stated that transferring tokens across chains is easy, but migrating privacy across chains is extremely difficult. This will bring strong network effects to privacy chains, creating a winner-takes-all situation and ultimately dominating the crypto market.

BlockBeats News, December 23, according to Globenewswire, Nasdaq has issued a notice letter to Bitcoin treasury-listed company ZOOZ Strategy, warning that the company has failed to meet the requirement of maintaining a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share. If its common stock closing price does not regain compliance by meeting or exceeding $1.00 for at least 10 consecutive trading days before June 15, 2026, it may face delisting. It is reported that ZOOZ holds Bitcoin as a strategic asset, with a current position of 1,036 coins.

BlockBeats news, December 23, a16z crypto general partner Ali Yahya stated that privacy will become the most important moat in the crypto field. Privacy is a key element driving global finance onto the chain, yet it is a feature completely missing from the vast majority of blockchains today. For most chains, privacy remains an afterthought. Cross-chain token transfers are effortless, but cross-chain privacy is difficult. Since privacy is crucial for most real-world use cases, a few privacy chains will capture the majority of the cryptocurrency market.

ChainCatcher reports that, according to Dlnews, a South Korean man who used cryptocurrency to launder $68,000 for a voice phishing gang had his sentence increased by the court when he appealed for a reduction. The man originally received a sentence of two and a half years in prison but with a four-year probation from a district court. Dissatisfied with the verdict, he appealed to the Suwon High Court, only to have his probation revoked and be directly sentenced to four years in prison. The court deemed the defendant not merely a participant but a "key player" in the voice phishing gang, having claimed to be the "person in charge" and receiving daily operational reports from the gang. Gang members impersonated prosecutors, warning victims that their identities had been stolen and inducing them to transfer funds to "secure" accounts. The funds were then converted into cryptocurrency and sent to addresses abroad. The court noted that the defendant had a prior criminal record and failed to learn from it, making it "highly likely he would commit similar crimes again," thus warranting a severe punishment. Under South Korean law, the defendant can still appeal to the Supreme Court.

ChainCatcher news, according to Arkham data, at 08:42, 199.77 BTC (worth approximately $17.74 million) was transferred from an anonymous address (starting with 36nfbZCz...) to another anonymous address (starting with 3Myndjca...).

PANews reported on December 23 that, according to an announcement from the Espresso Foundation, the ESP airdrop registration portal is now open, and users can connect their wallets to check their eligibility. The official announcement cautions against trusting fake websites or phishing messages, and states that the official token distribution will begin in early 2026, during which time eligibility criteria may be added; users who are not yet eligible will still have a chance to participate.

PANews reported on December 23 that, according to Onchain Lens, a whale transferred 3.8 billion PUMP (approximately $7.57 million) to FalconX. Initially, it withdrew the tokens from Binance for $19.53 million, incurring a loss of $12.22 million during its holding period.

BlockBeats News, December 23rd, according to an official announcement, Michael Selig has been sworn in as Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Michael Selig stated, "This is a unique time: emerging technologies, products, and platforms are proliferating, retail participation in commodity markets has reached historic highs, and Congress is about to submit the Digital Asset Market Structure Act to the President, which will solidify the United States' position as a global cryptocurrency hub. I am honored to take on the significant responsibility of overseeing the stability and security of the U.S. commodity derivatives market during this period of rapid transformation."Previously, Michael Selig served as the Chief Legal Counsel of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Cryptocurrency Working Group and as a Senior Advisor to Chairman Paul Atkins.

BlockBeats news, on December 23, the probability of betting on Hassett, Director of the National Economic Council, becoming the next Federal Reserve Chair on Polymarket is 61%. Additionally, the probability of Warsh being elected is 21%, and Waller's election probability is 10%.Previously, according to CNBC reports, sources familiar with the matter revealed that U.S. President Trump may appoint a new Federal Reserve Chair in the first week of January next year.

PANews reported on December 23 that, according to Onchain Lens, Aave founder Stani Kulechov purchased 32,660 AAVE tokens for 1,699 ETH (approximately $5.15 million), at an average price of $157.78. He currently holds 84,033 AAVE tokens, with a market value of approximately $12.6 million, representing a paper loss of approximately $2.29 million.