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The Bitcoin (BTC) mining difficulty is projected to increase during the next difficulty adjustment scheduled for December 11, as hashprice, a critical metric that measures expected miner profitability per unit of computing power, sits at record lows.
Bitcoin’s next mining difficulty adjustment is expected to occur at block 927,360 at about 12:09:34 AM UTC, marginally increasing the difficulty from 149.30 trillion to 149.80 trillion, according to CoinWarz.
The most recent adjustment, which occurred on Thursday, decreased the difficulty from 152.2 trillion to 149.3 trillion, resulting in an average blocktime of about 9.97 minutes at the time of this writing, slightly below the 10-minute target.
Bitcoin’s mining difficulty from 2014-2025. Source: CoinWarz
Despite the recent drop in mining difficulty, hashprice is hovering around $38.3 petahashes per second (PH/s) per day, according to Hashrate Index, up from the record low below $35 PH/s reached on November 21.
For context, a hashprice of $40 PH/s is a break-even level for miners and the point where they must consider de-energizing their machines or continuing to operate.
Bitcoin mining hashprice, a critical metric for miner profitability, sits below the $40 mark and is hovering near record lows. Source: Hashrate Index
The mining industry continues to face mounting challenges, including regulatory bans or restrictions, rising energy costs, and geopolitical tensions between the United States and China that could disrupt critical equipment supply chains.
US probes the largest manufacturer of crypto mining hardware, triggering fears of shortages
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is investigating mining hardware manufacturer Bitmain, which is based in China, to determine whether its machines can be remotely accessed or used for espionage purposes.
In 2024, US Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of crypto’s most vocal critics, suggested that ASICs could be used for spying on US military bases and sensitive national defense installations.
Bitmain is the leading manufacturer of the application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) used to mine proof-of-work (PoW) cryptocurrencies. The company commands an 80% market share, according to the University of Cambridge.
Restrictions, tariffs, or sanctions imposed on the company by US officials could trigger supply chain issues for the mining industry, which is heavily reliant on Bitmain.
Crypto veteran Arthur Hayes has issued a warning over Monad, saying the recently launched layer-1 blockchain could plunge as much as 99% and end up as another failed experiment driven by venture capital hype rather than real adoption.
Speaking on Altcoin Daily, the former BitMEX chief described the project as “another high FDV, low-float VC coin,” arguing that its token structure alone puts retail traders at risk. FDV stands for Fully Diluted Value, which is the market value of a crypto project if all its tokens were already in circulation.
According to Hayes, projects with a large gap between FDV and circulating supply often experience early price spikes, followed by deep selloffs once insider tokens unlock. “It’s going to be another bear chain,” Hayes said, adding that while every new coin gets an initial pump, that does not mean it will develop a lasting use case.
Hayes said most new layer-1 networks ultimately fail, with only a handful likely to retain long-term relevance. He named Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL) and Zcash (ZEC) as the small group of protocols he expects to survive the next cycle.
Hayes also laid out a bullish outlook for crypto as a whole, driven almost entirely by renewed monetary expansion. He argued that governments, particularly the United States, are preparing for another wave of liquidity injections ahead of political campaigns and slowing growth.
“I think that we are at the end of the beginning of this cycle and the massive amounts of crazy bull market money printing is ahead of us,” he said.
He also dismissed the widely cited four-year Bitcoin cycle, saying past market booms were fueled not by halvings but by global credit expansion led by the US and China. When liquidity dries up, Bitcoin reacts first, he said, calling it the “last free-market smoke alarm” for the global financial system.
Looking ahead, Hayes predicted privacy technologies will dominate the next crypto narrative, with zero-knowledge systems and privacy coins seeing renewed interest. He added that institutional adoption is likely to settle on Ethereum, especially through stablecoins and tokenized finance.
Earlier this month, he revealed that Zcash has become the second-largest holding in his family office Maelstrom, trailing only Bitcoin.
Hester Peirce, a commissioner of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and head of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, reaffirmed the right to crypto self-custody and privacy in financial transactions.
“I’m a freedom maximalist,” Peirce told The Rollup podcast on Friday, while saying that self-custody of assets is a fundamental human right. She added:
“Why should I have to be forced to go through someone else to hold my assets? It baffles me that in this country, which is so premised on freedom, that would even be an issue — of course, people can hold their own assets.”
SEC commissioner Hester Peirce discusses the right to self-custody and financial privacy. Source: The Rollup
Peirce added that online financial privacy should be the standard. “It has become the presumption that if you want to keep your transactions private, you’re doing something wrong, but it should be exactly the opposite presumption,” she said.
Many large Bitcoin (BTC) whales and long-term holders are pivoting from self-custody to ETFs to reap the tax benefits and hassle-free management of owning crypto in an investment vehicle.
“We are witnessing the first decline in self-custodied Bitcoin in 15 years,” Dr. Martin Hiesboeck, the head of research at crypto exchange Uphold, said.
Hiesboeck attributed the shift to the SEC approving in-kind creations and redemptions for crypto ETFs in July, which allowed authorized holders to exchange crypto for ETF shares and vice versa without triggering a taxable event, unlike cash-settled ETFs.
“A move away from the self-custody mantra of ‘not your keys, not your coins’ is another nail in the coffin of the original crypto spirit,” Hiesboeck added.
Bitcoin may be carving out a short-term bottom after weeks of heavy selling, with one market analyst arguing that conditions are in place for a relief rally toward the $100,000–$110,000 range.
In a recent video, trader Mister Crypto said Bitcoin (BTC)’s short-term structure shows signs of stabilization following what he described as “capitulation” across the market. He claimed that indicators tied to trader behavior suggest that large players have begun opening new long positions despite the sentiment plunging into extreme fear territory, a mix that has historically preceded bounces during downturns.
One of the main technical signals cited is the Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the weekly chart, which is approaching the 30 level. “We have bottomed out for Bitcoin right here. We have been reaching the 30 level. Boom,” he said.
The analyst noted that, in past cycles, this zone has coincided closely with market bottoms. While he cautioned that this does not guarantee the start of a new bull run, he said the current setup often signals at least a temporary reversal.
Bitcoin price performance after Thanksgiving. Source: Mister Crypto
Another factor adding weight to the rebound scenario is Bitcoin’s distance from the 50-week moving average, currently near $102,000. According to the analysis, Bitcoin has repeatedly retraced toward this level after dipping below it in previous market cycles. The expectation now is a bounce that could lift prices back into six figures before any deeper trend emerges.
Macro conditions are also feeding optimism in the near term. The analyst pointed to expectations that quantitative tightening could soon end, combined with speculation around another interest rate cut at an upcoming policy meeting. Both developments tend to favor risk assets such as Bitcoin by easing financial conditions.
However, the longer-term outlook remains cautious. The analyst claimed that the broader market is in bear territory. He warned that any bounce could be followed by renewed weakness later on, as broader conditions have yet to show a decisive shift back into sustained growth.
Meanwhile, Bitwise Europe research head André Dragosch has said that Bitcoin could have major upside ahead, as its current price doesn’t reflect improving macro expectations. He said Bitcoin now offers an “asymmetric” risk-reward similar to the COVID crash of March 2020, when prices plunged before rebounding strongly, arguing the market is already pricing in an extremely bleak global outlook.
Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) ended a bruising month of withdrawals with a modest turnaround, posting roughly $70 million in net inflows for the week.
The reversal follows four straight weeks of heavy outflows that drained about $4.35 billion from the sector and pushed net assets sharply lower, according to data from SoSoValue. The highest weekly outflow occurred in the weeks ending on Nov. 7 and Nov. 21, 2025, with each week seeing $1.22 billion leave spot Bitcoin ETFs.
On a daily basis, Bitcoin (BTC) funds registered about $71 million of net inflows on Friday, lifting cumulative inflows to nearly $57.7 billion since launch. Combined net assets have increased to nearly $119.4 billion, around 6.5% of Bitcoin’s market capitalization.
During the day, BlackRock’s IBIT saw $113.7 million in daily outflows, but this was offset by strong inflows into rival funds, led by Fidelity’s FBTC with $77.5 million and ARK 21Shares’ ARKB with $88 million.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $76 million in inflows on Friday. Source: SoSoValue
Spot Ether (ETH) ETFs also staged a turnaround, recording $312.6 million in net weekly inflows after three straight weeks of heavy withdrawals.
The rebound comes after a bruising run that drained roughly $1.74 billion from Ether ETFs across the prior three weeks. The worst week in that stretch was the period ending Nov. 14, 2025, when investors pulled $728.6 million.
On Friday, Ether ETFs posted about $76.6 million in inflows, pushing cumulative net inflows to $12.94 billion since launch. Total assets across US spot Ether ETFs now stand near $19.15 billion, equivalent to around 5.2% of Ether’s market capitalization.
As Cointelegraph reported, trader Mister Crypto has said Bitcoin may have formed a short-term bottom as RSI nears oversold levels and whales reopen long positions, raising the odds of a relief rally toward $100,000–$110,000.
Bitwise Europe research head André Dragosch has also said that Bitcoin could have major upside ahead, as its current price doesn’t reflect improving macro expectations.
Amundi, Europe’s largest asset manager, has introduced its first tokenized share class for a euro money market fund.
The fund is now offered in a hybrid structure, allowing investors to choose between the traditional version and the new blockchain-based one. The first transaction was recorded on the Ethereum network on Nov. 4.
The rollout was developed in collaboration with CACEIS, a European asset-servicing group that provided the tokenization infrastructure, investor wallets, and the digital order system used to process subscriptions and redemptions.
According to the companies, tokenizing the fund streamlines order processing, widens access to new investor channels, and enables 24/7 trading.
Amundi said the fund holds short-term, high-quality euro-denominated debt, primarily comprising money-market instruments and overnight repurchase agreements with European sovereigns.
According to the company’s website, it manages about 2.3 trillion euros ($2.6 trillion) in assets and serves more than 100 million retail clients. Amundi is based in Paris, France.
BlackRock and Franklin Templeton drive growth in tokenized funds
Tokenized money market funds investing in US Treasurys have expanded rapidly in 2025. RWA.xyz data shows BlackRock’s onchain money market product currently holds $2.3 billion in tokenized assets, while Franklin Templeton’s money market fund has more than $826 million in assets.
Both funds have been expanding across multiple blockchains. On Nov. 12, Franklin Templeton announced that its tokenization platform joined the Canton Network, enabling its money market fund to operate within a permissioned ecosystem built for financial institutions.
BlackRock has also expanded its tokenized fund beyond Ethereum, adding support for Aptos, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Optimism and Polygon.
A Bank for International Settlements bulletin released on Wednesday noted that tokenized money market funds had climbed to $9 billion in value by the end of October, up from about $770 million at the end of 2023.
However, the report warned that the growing adoption of tokenized Treasury portfolios as collateral could expose the financial system to new operational and liquidity vulnerabilities.
Two members of the Balancer protocol community submitted a proposal on Thursday outlining a distribution plan for a portion of the funds recovered from the protocol’s $116 million November exploit.
About $28 million from the $116 million heist was recovered by white hat hackers, internal rescuers, and StakeWise — an Ether liquid staking platform.
However, the proposal covers only the $8 million recovered by white hat hackers and internal rescue teams, while the nearly $20 million retrieved by StakeWise will be distributed separately to its users.
Balancer community proposal to distribute recovered funds. Source: Balancer
The authors proposed that all reimbursements should be non-socialized, meaning that funds are distributed only to the specific liquidity pools that lost the funds and paid out on a pro-rata basis according to each holder’s share in the liquidity pool, represented by Balancer Pool Tokens (BPT).
Reimbursements should also be paid in-kind, with victims of the hack receiving payment denominated in the tokens they lost to avoid price mismatches between different digital assets, according to the authors.
The Balancer hack was one of the “most sophisticated” attacks in 2025, according to Deddy Lavid, the CEO of blockchain cybersecurity company Cyvers, highlighting the need for crypto user safety as security threats continue to evolve.
Despite the audit, the platform was still hacked, prompting some crypto users to question the value of audits and whether they actually ensure code safety.
Balancer released a post-mortem report on Nov. 5 outlining the root cause of the hack: a sophisticated exploit targeting a rounding function used in EXACT_OUT swaps within its Stable Pools.
The rounding function is designed to round down when token prices are input, but the attacker managed to manipulate the calculation so that values were rounded up instead.
The attacker combined this flaw with a batched swap — a single transaction containing multiple actions — to drain funds from Balancer’s pools.
ALT5 Sigma, a crypto treasury company with ties to US President Donald Trump, replaced CEO Jonathan Hugh and cut ties with chief operating officer Ron Pitters in November as part of a broader leadership overhaul.
Tony Isaac, the president of ALT5 Sigma and a member of the company’s board of directors, has been appointed as acting CEO, while the company works with Hugh to “finalize the terms of his departure,” according to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing submitted on Wednesday.
ALT5 Sigma’s crypto treasury strategy includes purchasing tokens from World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a decentralized finance platform tied to the Trump family.
The company said that the departures were “without cause.” Cointelegraph reached out to ALT5 Sigma, but did not receive a response by the time of publication
ALT5 Sigma discloses the leadership shakeup in a recent SEC filing. Source: SEC
The company raised $1.5 billion in August to create a crypto treasury dedicated to purchasing WLFI tokens, with Eric Trump, the son of US President Donald Trump, serving as a director on its board.
World Liberty Financial and other Trump-linked crypto ventures have come under scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers in the United States, who argue that the president and his family’s involvement with the industry represents a conflict of interest.
Trump-linked crypto projects come under fire from US lawmakers
In August, rumors surfaced that venture capitalist and ALT5 shareholder Jon Isaac was under investigation by the SEC for earnings inflation and insider sales, which the company denied.
“For the record: Jon Isaac is not, and never was, the president of ALT5 Sigma, and he is not an advisor to the company. The company has no knowledge of any current investigation regarding its activities by the US SEC,” ALT5 Sigma said in response.
The WLFI token has been in decline amid scrutiny from US lawmakers. Source: CoinMarketCap
Eric Trump scaled back his involvement with the company in September to comply with Nasdaq listing rules and was designated as a board observer, according to an SEC filing.
In November, Democratic lawmakers in the US urged Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, to investigate allegations that WLFI sold tokens to sanctioned entities in North Korea and Russia.
The lawmakers said the Trump family’s crypto ventures and the $1 billion in profits from their projects represent a national security threat and a way to peddle influence through selling access to the president.
A malicious Google Chrome browser extension is letting users trade on Solana, while quietly skimming a fee from every swap into the creator’s wallet.
According to a Tuesday report by cybersecurity company Socket, the Google Chrome extension allows users to trade on Solana (SOL) from their X social media feed. Unlike typical wallet-draining malware that tries to steal the entire balance, Crypto Copilot “injects an extra transfer into every Solana swap, siphoning a minimum of 0.0013 SOL or 0.05% of the trade,” Socket found.
On the back end, Crypto Copilot uses the decentralized exchange Raydium to perform swaps for the user, but appends a second instruction that transfers SOL from the user to the attacker. The user interface only shows the swap details while wallet confirmation screens “summarize the transaction without surfacing individual instructions.”
“Users sign what appears to be a single swap, but both instructions execute atomically on-chain,“ Socket said.
Featured image of the Google Chrome extension. Source: Chrome Web Store
Socket noted that it submitted a takedown request for the extension to the Chrome Web Store security team. The malicious extension is relatively long-lived, having been published on June 18, 2024, but the store reports that it only has 15 users at the time of writing.
Crypto Copilot markets itself as a convenience tool allowing Solana traders to execute swaps directly from Twitter. It promises “allowing you to act on trading opportunities instantly without the need for switching between apps or platforms.”
The latest of many malicious Google Chrome extensions
Google Chrome’s massive user base and extensible design have long made its extension ecosystem a target for crypto-focused scams. Earlier this month, Socket warned that the fourth-most-popular crypto wallet extension in the Chrome Web Store was draining user funds. In late August, decentralized exchange aggregator Jupiter said it had identified another malicious Chrome extension that was emptying Solana wallets.
In June 2024, a Chinese trader reportedly lost $1 million after installing a Chrome plugin called Aggr. That extension stole browser cookies to hijack accounts, including access to the trader’s Binance account.
