Bitwise CEO: Cryptocurrency Will Be Fully Integrated into Financial Services in the Next 12 Months

Axios reported on December 16 that Elon Musk could run as a Republican in the 2026 midterm elections. He has begun funding 2026 midterm campaign efforts for Republican House and Senate candidates — a sign his relationship with former President Donald Trump has thawed after their rift earlier this year. This summer, amid a dispute with Trump, Musk threatened to launch a third party called the "American Party" to challenge the U.S. two-party system. Now, however, he has firmly returned to the Republican fold.

As of December 16, DefiLlama data shows 24-hour trading volumes for top perpetual DEXs have rebounded sharply from the prior day. Aster leads the pack, with Hyperliquid and Lighter trailing closely. Here’s a breakdown of key metrics for selected platforms: - **Aster** (via https://www.asterdex.com/en-US/referral/aboter): 24h volume ~$9.27B, TVL ~$1.32B, open interest ~$2.5B - **Lighter**: 24h volume ~$7.65B, TVL ~$1.41B, open interest ~$1.72B - **Hyperliquid** (via https://app.hyperliquid.xyz/join/NTOD): 24h volume ~$7.29B, TVL ~$4.33B, open interest ~$7.3B - **EdgeX**: 24h volume ~$4.46B, TVL ~$391M, open interest ~$762M - **ApeX**: 24h volume ~$2.79B, TVL ~$46.34M, open interest ~$87.78M - **Variational**: 24h volume ~$1.52B, TVL ~$66.18M, open interest ~$319M - **Backpack**: 24h volume ~$1.19B, TVL not disclosed, open interest ~$2.02B - **Pacifica** (via https://app.pacifica.fi/?referral=pacbot): 24h volume ~$0.888B, TVL ~$41.45M, open interest ~$59.11M *Note: Me

On December 16, Singapore-based trade finance platform Olea Global closed a $30 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Spanish bank BBVA, with XDC Network, theDOCK and SC Ventures—Standard Chartered Bank’s venture arm and an existing shareholder—also participating. Olea Global will deploy the fresh capital to advance AI-powered analytics and Web3 innovation, as well as scale its operations in high-growth markets.

**December 16 — Perp DEX aggregator vooi announced its airdrop claim window is set to open on December 18 at 8 p.m. Beijing time.** Eligibility snapshots were taken on December 8 at 8 a.m. Beijing time, and the claim period will last 30 days. Airdrops are available to three groups: trading volume holders, V1 legacy users, and winners of the Cookie event. **Tokenomics Breakdown (1 billion total supply):** - 10.53%: Airdrop + community sale - 27.82%: Community development & marketing (including the second-season airdrop) - 17%: Community contributors - 13.65%: Private sale rounds & strategic investors - 31%: The project’s foundation This rewrite uses concise, news-friendly language aligned with American English conventions (e.g., lowercase "p.m./a.m.," clear sectioning, direct phrasing for key details).

December 16 — HTX market data shows Bitcoin rebounded past $87,000, with its 24-hour decline narrowing to 3.25%.

December 16: The U.S. spot XRP ETF has posted cumulative net inflows exceeding $1 billion since its November launch, marking a key milestone for altcoin ETFs. Data shows the fund recorded a single-day net inflow of $10.89 million on Monday, with products from Canary, Grayscale, and Franklin Templeton all seeing inflows. Kronos Research Chief Investment Officer Vincent Liu noted the XRP ETF’s asset size topping $1 billion reflects growing institutional investor interest in assets outside Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) that have regulatory clarity. Meanwhile, the spot Solana ETF posted a $35.2 million net inflow on Monday, lifting its cumulative net inflows to $711 million. Conversely, the spot Bitcoin ETF saw a $358 million net outflow—the largest single-day outflow in nearly a month—while the spot Ethereum ETF had a significant $225 million net outflow. In markets, Bitcoin briefly dropped from around $89,000 to nearly $85,500 on Monday. Analysts cited macro uncertainties, ye