Trump Releases National Security Strategy, Not a Word on Cryptocurrency and Blockchain

On December 9, Cointelegraph reported that the eldest son of Malaysia’s king is launching a stablecoin pegged to the country’s fiat currency, targeting cross-border payments in the Asia-Pacific region. Telecom firm Bullish Aim announced Tuesday the launch of RMJDT — a new stablecoin backed by the Malaysian Ringgit. The company is owned by Prince Ismail Ibrahim, a member of the Johor royal family and Malaysia’s current king. The stablecoin will be issued on the Layer 1 blockchain Zetrix. Beyond issuing the stablecoin, Bullish Aim will establish a Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) company and allocate 5 billion Malaysian Ringgit (roughly $1.215 billion) worth of Zetrix (ZETRIX) tokens as initial treasury assets.

December 9 — Aleo co-founder Howard Wu told Fortune that crypto giant Circle has partnered with blockchain project Aleo to launch a "private" version of its stablecoin USDCx, which will obscure transaction histories. ### Notes on U.S. language习惯调整: 1. **日期表达**: Used `December 9` (omitting redundant `th` in casual/quick context, common in U.S. news briefs) 2. **简洁性**: Cut `in an interview with` (implied by `told Fortune` in U.S. media shorthand) 3. **用词适配**: - `launch` (more natural than `release` for crypto product rollouts in U.S. discourse) - `obscure` (more accessible than `obfuscate` for general news audiences) 4. **Flow**: Removed unnecessary `the` before `blockchain project Aleo` (Aleo is a named project, no need for definite article in this context) 5. **复数细节**: `transaction histories` (plural is more natural for U.S. English when referring to multiple transactions)

On December 9, Bloomberg reported that high-net-worth (HNW) clients of PNC Financial Services Group Inc. can now trade Bitcoin directly via their investment accounts—fulfilling the Pittsburgh-based bank’s initial goal when it partnered with Coinbase Global Inc. in July. The move marks the latest instance of a traditional financial firm offering digital asset trading on its own platform—a space still largely dominated by crypto exchanges like Coinbase. Brett Tejpaul, head of Coinbase’s Institutional Coverage Group, noted that via its partnership with PNC, Coinbase provides brokerage services and technical integration to enable clients to trade Bitcoin in any amount.

December 9 — Per official sources, Binance Alpha announced it will be the first platform to list Cysic (CYS) on December 11. Eligible users will be able to visit the Alpha event page once Alpha trading goes live to claim the airdrop using Binance Alpha Points. Additional details will be released separately.

December 9 — Per The Block, Horizen’s Layer 3 network has officially launched its mainnet on Base, marking the latest milestone in the evolution of the long-running privacy-focused network. The Tuesday launch comes amid renewed interest in “privacy coins,” though Horizen kicked off its transition from Layer 1 to Layer 3 back in February. The project’s DAO previously voted to gradually phase out its original chain.

On December 9, Decrypt reported that Bitcoin’s performance has worsened in the fourth quarter, with its uptrend stalling—prompting Standard Chartered, a UK-based multinational bank and wealth manager, to slash its multi-year price target for the leading cryptocurrency. In a Tuesday report, the bank now projects Bitcoin will hit $100,000 by the end of 2025, down from its prior $200,000 target. While its long-term target remains $500,000, the timeline has been pushed back from 2028 to 2030. The bank cited a reassessment of demand prospects for the downward revision. Standard Chartered analyst Geoffrey Kendrick noted that fading major demand sources and slower-than-expected institutional adoption via exchange-traded funds (ETFs) drove the adjustment to its Bitcoin price forecast.