Latest blockchain news: December 2025

In December 2025, the blockchain ecosystem didn’t slow down. Far from being a quiet year-end, the month was marked by key technical advancements, mainnet launches, and protocol updates, along with our ongoing efforts at Stakely to bring value beyond validation, which you can explore in more detail in our 2025 Annual Recap.

A report with all the essentials to understand how the year ended and what’s ahead in 2026.

Aztec is a modular privacy layer built on Ethereum that combines zkRollups with private programmability, allowing you to interact with DeFi without exposing your data publicly. Its recent token sale was a huge success: 19,476 ETH raised and over 16,700 participants.

Get AVAIL from Avail, AVAX from Avalanche, BNB from BNB Chain or PHRS from Pharos to cover fees on your favorite networks and keep building without interruptions.

Building on Story? You can now connect your dApps faster, more securely, and at scale using our free API with load balancing.

Aleo partners with Merkle Science to integrate behavior-based risk intelligence, enabling compliance tools without compromising its privacy-by-design approach.

USDCx debuts on Aleo’s testnet as a private and programmable stablecoin focused on confidential finance, launched in collaboration with Circle xReserve.

HoudiniSwap connects over 120 chains with Aleo, driving privacy adoption in Web3 and bringing global liquidity to a zero-knowledge ecosystem.

P2P opt-in mode activated, enhancing decentralization, censorship resistance, and node resilience across the network.

Startup Challenge winners announced, with 10 Algorand-based projects selected from over 220 participants and 75 applications.

Algorand signs letter with over 125 entities, urging Congress to protect the GENIUS Act and promote stablecoins.

xGov contract receives 3 million additional ALGO, strengthening the available grant funding for governance proposals.

Algorand announces upcoming 2026 updates, including a move to the U.S., new board, sustainability paper, AlgoKit 4.0, and Rocca Wallet.

New integrations: Allora activates predictive feeds on mainnet to power DeFi, RWA, and agent-enabled apps; CreatorFi becomes the first USDC-native credit platform supporting creators, studios, and brands with digital IP.

Movemaker and Aptos launch ‘12 Days of Aptos’, a campaign featuring on-chain challenges, social tasks, and exclusive rewards from 12 ecosystem projects.

New versions 7.12.1 of the Aptos CLI and 1.39.1 of the testnet node: adding a fail-fast flag for tests with error suppression options, plus improvements to batch expiration logic and fixes for function cache leaks.

Aptos surges 13.7% to $1.63 on December 20, ranking as one of the month’s top-performing projects.

Avail Nexus goes live on mainnet with support for over 13 ecosystems on day one, including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Monad, Avalanche, Arbitrum, and more.

CredShields completes a manual security audit for Avail’s smart contracts.

Avail’s Monad FastBridge transfers liquidity to Monad in under 30 seconds, boosting cross-layer interoperability.

Avalanche surpasses 10,000,000,000 transactions and grows 500% in RWA, with over $1,250,000,000 in TVL, 20x more developer accounts, 400,000 developers, and 700,000 verified contracts in just 6 months.

New “Powered by AVAX” directory, showcasing projects and custom L1 chains.

Retro9000 awards over $125,000 in retroactive grants to 4 projects, as part of a $40M fund for developers.

New Avalanche competitions: Battle Pass Season 3 offers $25,000 in rewards for completing missions across 30 games; Builder Challenge allocates $25,000 for new L1s focused on payments, RWA, and infrastructure.

Avalanche Foundation launches a DLT foundation in Abu Dhabi to expand its institutional presence in the Middle East.

New Avalanche integrations: WheelX is a bridge and swap aggregator powered by AI, while Invnex brings easier RWA wealth management through tokenized assets.

Summary: Avalanche in 2025

Aztec breaks records with over 3,000 ETH in pre-offers and 11,000 registrations before its public sale even begins.

First live auction held on Uniswap, opening registration to highly active, pre-selected users.

Aztec highlights its Ignition Chain, with 668 validators, over 10,000 blocks produced, and zero downtime.

128 MB blocks are now possible on the Mocha testnet, and Celestia showcases its massive-scale capability by sustaining 100 GiB throughput for four consecutive days, with a 99.97% inclusion rate.

Monthly stablecoin volume hits $3.9 billion, consolidating Celo’s global adoption.

Celo and Opera expand their partnership to boost global adoption of MiniPay, featuring real-time payments, cards, and a MiniApps roadshow across Asia and Latin America.

Ledger integrates swaps for CELO and cross-chain transfers for cUSD, cEUR, cCOP, cGHS, and cREAL, strengthening support for the Celo ecosystem with top-notch security and simplicity.

Celo integrates OP Succinct Lite on mainnet, making transactions faster and more accessible than ever.

Celo program updates: Winners announced for Celo Developers, Cel’EU Cirkvit, and the 3rd Incubator Program. Applications now open for P10 DevNet, and a new Portuguese-language MiniApps bootcamp has launched.

Summary: Celo in 2025

Concordium and Snappy launch private age verification in Brazil, using ZK proofs on a creator platform with over 7,000 users.

Summary: Concordium in 2025

Cosmos SDK releases versions v0.50.15 and v0.53.5: the former patches a critical vulnerability in the distribution module; the latter includes minor improvements with no disruptive impact.

Asset tokenization surpasses $36 billion, accelerating its global expansion across sovereign and interoperable blockchains.

Summary: Cosmos in 2025

Covalent prepares for operational migration to Base, with a new governance proposal raising staking requirements to 350,000 – 1,000,000 CXT and securing 300,000,000 CXT in delegations to strengthen the network.

gSpeed enables creation and deployment of Mini Apps on Base without coding.

Covalent recommends Goldrush’s guide for building a sniper bot on the Monad network.

Ethereum reaches 60M gas per block!

Validator exit queue is cleared, with over 1,000,000 ETH now waiting to be staked.

Ethereum sets a preliminary roadmap for Hegotá, with key proposals starting January 8 and an accelerated timeline: 6-second slots, censorship-resistance upgrades via FOCIL, and new proposals for near-instant finality.

Uniswap now runs on Ethereum, showcasing the power of open, code-based markets through a fully decentralized exchange.

EigenDA reaches 1 GB/s throughput, marking a major milestone for data availability scalability on Ethereum.

JPMorgan launches its first tokenized money market fund on Ethereum, with an initial investment of $100 million.

Lido governance approves the launch of Lido V3 on mainnet, greenlighting its new modular staking architecture on Ethereum.

Summary: Ethereum in 2025

Kusama reduces block times to under 2 seconds via a runtime update with Elastic Scaling, and launches Revive—a unified smart contract platform supporting both PVM and EVM.

Monad surpasses $1.43 billion in Uniswap transaction volume, solidifying its role in DeFi.

Symphony launches the Agentic Funds Marketplace: enabling automated strategies and fund creation on Monad; and Polymarket adds native support for deposits in Monad, expanding accessibility and liquidity in the ecosystem.

Gearbox Protocol integrates Chainlink Price Feeds on Monad, supporting markets like AUSD, earnAUSD, and MON—including the largest USDC pool on the network.

Monad powers its ecosystem with new programs:

• Launches We Are So Back (WASB), a two-week program focused on on-chain entertainment.
• Opens applications for Momentum grants, aimed at user acquisition.
• Kicks off the Survival Season in Lumiterra, Monad’s sandbox MMO.

Namada launches version v201.0.7 on mainnet with permissionless IBC, Ethereum asset support, and key privacy improvements.

NEAR Intents surpasses $7 billion in historical volume in 2025, enabling direct swaps with Solana via Orb Markets.

NEAR Protocol releases nearcore version 2.10.3, optimizing network traffic to improve performance for archival nodes.

The NEAR token is now integrated into Solana, enabling direct cross-chain swaps and unlocking more interoperable liquidity.

New releases:

• AI Cloud and Private Chat: solutions with hardware-verifiable privacy, letting you own your AI.
• Nearcore v2.10: sharded smart contracts on mainnet and record-breaking optimizations of up to 1 million TPS.
• NEAR Chain Status v2.10.3: improved traffic optimization and data syncing.
• TravAI: AI- and blockchain-powered travel platform, built on NEAR AI and NEAR Intents.

NEAR House of Stake and Stanford OpenLab partner to research AI governance with intelligent agents in real-world environments.

Over 11 million OSMO have been burned, accelerating supply reduction.

Osmosis reminds users that staking OSMO in Trust Wallet will end on January 1, 2026; redelegation through the official Osmosis site is recommended.

New PHMN/BTC liquidity pool launched on Osmosis DEX, offering new trading opportunities and deeper markets.

Migration from Coin-Type 750 to 118 was completed on December 31. No changes to the chain itself, but improved wallet experience.

Polkadot resolves a staking incident, restoring the usual set of around 22,000 nominators after an off-chain tool error.

Polkadot launches a new website and unveils a new black logo, aiming for a simpler, more product-focused introduction.

SubWallet now allows voting in Polkadot governance, directly from the wallet without leaving the ecosystem.

DOT now available on PancakeSwap: bridging via Hyperbridge is enabled, and rewards are available in the DOT–WBNB pool on BNB Chain.

Polkadot introduces ELVES, a highly scalable protocol that maintains decentralization and economic security, according to Web3 Foundation.

Annual DOT issuance will be reduced by 50% in 2026, following the approval of a referendum through the OpenGov system.

Phase 2 of Polkadot DeFi Singularity begins, after distributing 795,000 DOT in Phase 1. It sets a new cross-chain liquidity standard and awarded $40,000 to 50 winning projects in the Builder Party hackathon.

Summary: Polkadot in 2025

Secret Network announces a partnership with Engma to strengthen censorship resistance and data sovereignty.

Patches applied immediately to vulnerabilities found in its TEE tech, reinforcing network security.

New launches on Solana: Kora, a new fee relayer and signing node enabling fee-free transactions and payments in stablecoins or SPL tokens; and Harmonic, a new block explorer focused on optimized UX.

Solana takes its first step toward post-quantum security by integrating quantum-resistant signatures on its testnet.

Visa settles USDC payments on Solana, reaching an annualized rate of $3.5 billion, and expands its stablecoin pilot with U.S. banks.

Tokenization Regatta, Solana’s new program, offers up to $500 million to boost tokenized assets and lead on-chain capital markets.

The NEAR token is natively launched on Solana, enabling direct transfers and trading.

Summary: Solana in 2025

Sonic updates its airdrop economy, confirms distribution closed on December 23, and reserves the remainder for 2026–2027 incentives, with no new emissions.

Sonic Labs redefines token allocation for the S ETF, setting a minimum price of $0.50 and a capped supply, prioritizing network health.

Christmas raffle concluded with a $2,100 prize, awarded on the last day of the campaign.

Pectra v2.1.2 upgrade activated, enabling EOA wallets to become smart wallets, use any ERC-20 as gas, log in with email or passkeys, and batch actions into a single transaction.

Sonic enhances developer experience with Envio Indexer integration, providing fast and reliable access to both real-time and historical on-chain data.

New FeeM model in Sonic: 15% for builders, 10% for validators, and the rest burned—aligning usage with holder value.

New Cairo version optimizes hash maps and refactors structures, improving performance on Starknet; and mainnet version v0.14.1 enhances efficiency, predictable fees, and sustainable decentralization.

Starknet integrates with Hyperlane, connecting to over 140 chains and enabling custom bridges and permissionless cross-chain communication.

Native USDC and Circle’s CCTP now live on Starknet mainnet, delivering unified liquidity and better UX for institutional adoption.

Starknet joins NEAR Intents, enabling instant swaps of over 120 assets with no bridging required.

Holyheld launches cashback card on Starknet, offering up to €150 in STRK monthly.

Starknet unveils xyBTC, the first Bitcoin asset with native yield on the network.

New integrations: AVNU adds migration contracts and native USDC pools, automatically optimizing the best rate for users. Xverse and Keplr make USDC.e migration easier on Starknet, with alerts and direct access to StarkGate from their apps.

IP Strategy begins transition to long-term staking after integrating Crypto.com custody, nearly doubling yield and migrating 53.2 million IP tokens in 2026.

Winners announced for IP Challenge 2 and the Buildathon Surreal World Assets.

CopySightAI integrates with Story, offering studios and businesses AI-generated content with legal control, IP protection, and automated royalties.

Story Protocol redefines OG status and introduces a new generation of featured members, driven by the community.

Nana remix contest extended until January 9, 2026, with a $15,000 prize to foster community creativity.

Story Protocol launched a commemorative mint for 2026 intentions, already claimed by its community.

Summary: Story in 2025

Mysten Labs releases mainnet-v1.62.1 of Sui, with protocol upgrades and indexer improvements for greater efficiency.

Sui goes agentic: Beep launches AI trading agents on Bluefin, leveraging Sui’s speed, parallel execution, and real-time on-chain markets.

SEC approves first 2x leveraged SUI ETF (TXXS), set to debut on Nasdaq via 21Shares.

On-chain trading on Sui grows 232% in 2025, marking a strong year-over-year rise in DEX volume and user activity.

JSON-RPC deprecated, with an interactive playground launched to ease migration to gRPC.

Native WBTC now available on Sui, thanks to Wrapped BTC and LayerZero.

SlushWallet integrates automatic yield on Sui, simplifying earning with AlphaFi.

Sui launches a holiday contest for the community, awarding up to 100 SUI for themed Christmas trees.

Summary: Sui in 2025

Union officially distributes BTCfi rewards: participants receive eBABY and eU based on their activity in the program.

Union unveils new visual identity: revamped branding system, iconography, and a Y2K/F1-inspired aesthetic to match its ZK growth.

Union introduces the Z-Asset standard: ERC tokens that can move transparently or privately across chains without losing fungibility.

Tusky announces shutdown, and Walrus facilitates data migration for users wishing to preserve their history and continuity.

Walrus Protocol’s Haulout Hackathon winners announced: 887 participants and 282 projects submitted in this global competition.

DLP Labs launches rewards for EV drivers on Walrus Protocol, promoting responsible and private use of driving data.

We wrap up this report with a quick recap of our 2025 highlights:

✅ Early support for protocol upgrades
✅ Genesis validator for new networks
✅ New open-source tools and products
✅ Renewed ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications
✅ Improved infrastructure and functionalities
✅ 14 new networks added to the Multicoin Faucet
✅ 7 new networks added to the Web3 Load Balancer
✅ Sponsored Web3 events that promoted blockchain education
✅ Contributions to the ecosystem beyond validating

Thank you for being with us for another year. Wishing you a happy 2026 full of gains! 🥂

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