Dear PointPay Family,
The holiday season didn’t “pause” the market - it just changed how it moves. Liquidity is thinner, reactions are slower, and the biggest drivers are often derivatives flows, headlines, and risk management. Here are the five stories that shaped the week.
Record BTC Options Expiry: $23.8B - $27B Reset
The biggest year-end derivatives event landed on Dec 26, with roughly $23.8B in BTC options (and total BTC+ETH expiries nearing ~$27B). A large share of open interest was clustered around $85K and $100K, which matters because price often “gravitates” toward heavy strike zones into expiry. In practical terms: even if the spot looks calm, options flows can temporarily amplify moves - especially in holiday liquidity. That’s why this expiry was treated as a potential volatility trigger, not just a calendar event.
Crypto M&A Hits a 2025 High: $8.6B Across 267 Deals
Crypto dealmaking in 2025 reached $8.6B across 267 deals, a record pace that signals something important: big players are still building in “quiet” weeks, not waiting for perfect market conditions. The pattern is clear - exchanges, infrastructure, and regulated rails are the main targets. It’s less about hype acquisitions and more about positioning for 2026 scale.
Market Stayed Stable - Even as Total Cap Drifted
This week’s backdrop was “controlled movement,” not panic. Reports tracked global market cap roughly in the $2.96T–$3.04T zone, with BTC trading around the high-$80Ks to low-$90Ks range. What stood out wasn’t a single breakout - it was rotation. Capital attention kept circling themes (AI, DeFi, privacy), even while overall activity slowed for the holidays.
Trust Wallet Hack: ~$7M Lost - CZ Promised Coverage
A real reminder that security doesn’t take holidays: Trust Wallet users reportedly lost about $7M tied to a compromised Chrome extension incident. Public messaging emphasized that losses would be covered and users should update/avoid affected versions. Market takeaway: incidents like this don’t just hit one wallet - they increase scrutiny around browser extensions and supply-chain risk, especially for retail-heavy tools.
Altcoin Micro-Trends: NIGHT +61%, BCH +8% on Speculation
Even in a slow week, some altcoins moved hard on narrative bursts. NIGHT was cited as jumping ~61%, while BCHsaw an ~8% lift tied to speculation around a large transaction (despite pushback on the rumor). The signal here is simple: holiday liquidity makes these moves easier - upside and downside. If you’re trading alts in this period, execution and risk limits matter more than usual.
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