BREAKING: $435 million has been liquidated from the cryptocurrency market in the past 12 hours.

Dec. 16 (BlockBeats) — Per Coinglass data, Bitcoin’s cumulative long liquidation intensity across major centralized exchanges (CEXs) will hit $531 million if the token drops below $84,000. Conversely, cumulative short liquidation intensity will reach $559 million if Bitcoin climbs above $87,500. Note: Coinglass’ liquidation chart does not show the exact number or value of contracts at risk of liquidation. Instead, its bars reflect the relative importance of each liquidation cluster compared to neighboring clusters (i.e., "intensity"). A taller bar indicates a more severe liquidity cascade reaction when the underlying asset’s price hits that level.

On December 16, per HTX market data, Bitcoin has fallen below $86,000 and is currently trading at $85,909.

On December 16, Circle—issuer of the USDC stablecoin—announced it has signed an agreement to acquire the Interop Labs team and its proprietary intellectual property (IP). The acquisition is expected to close in early 2026. Circle aims to advance interoperability in the blockchain space, aligning with its vision of an open, interconnected, and scalable chain-based economy. Interop Labs has been a key contributor to Axelar, a leading cross-chain communication and token transfer framework, collaborating with the open-source community to drive Axelar’s core development. Integrating Interop Labs’ talent and technology into Circle will accelerate two core initiatives: - **Arc**: Circle’s enterprise-focused layer designed to become an economic operating system for the blockchain internet; - Cross-chain transfer protocols. Notably, the transaction only covers Interop Labs’ team and proprietary IP. The Axelar network, foundation, and AXL token will continue operating independently

On December 16th, per Coinglass data, total cryptocurrency network liquidations hit $330 million over the past four hours—with $307 million in long positions and $23.2 million in short positions liquidated. Notably, when Bitcoin (BTC) fell to $86,025.37, a $11.5819 million long position was liquidated on Binance, marking the largest single liquidation in the past 24 hours.

On December 16, Coindesk reported that Anchorage Digital—a federally chartered crypto bank—has acquired the "Securitize For Advisors" business unit from Securitize. The unit is a crypto wealth management platform tailored specifically for registered investment advisors (RIAs). Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The deal formalizes the existing partnership between the two firms. Notably, Anchorage Digital Bank already holds 99% of the client assets for Securitize For Advisors, and the business unit has been operating on Anchorage’s infrastructure.

On December 16, Federal Reserve President John Williams said the cooling labor market and easing inflation risks underpinned the Fed’s rate cut last week—his first public comment on the decision. He added he’s increasingly confident price gains will keep slowing. While inflation is currently “stuck” above the Fed’s 2% target, Williams noted it could keep falling next year as the broader economy absorbs tariff impacts. Separately, he noted the labor market hasn’t sharply deteriorated but is gradually cooling—seen in official data, consumer surveys and business polls. Overall, Williams said shifts in pressures on the Fed’s dual mandate (maximum employment, stable prices) backed last week’s rate cut. (FXStreet)