Crypto Surges Today: December 26, 2025 Market Rally Explained

Crypto markets are flashing green across the board this December 26th, 2025. What's fueling the unexpected holiday rally?

The Institutional On-Ramp Widens

Major traditional finance players are finally dropping the 'digital gold' act and diving into real utility. New custody solutions and regulatory clarity—or at least, the absence of new crackdowns—are letting big money move off the sidelines. It's not just speculation anymore; it's strategic allocation. Wall Street always follows the money, even if it pretends to have discovered blockchain 'just yesterday.'

Protocols Eating the World

Underneath the price action, key networks are processing record transaction volumes. DeFi yield mechanisms are attracting capital seeking alternatives to paltry traditional savings rates—because who doesn't want more than 0.5% APY? Layer-2 scaling solutions are finally making fees negligible for everyday use, not just for whales.

The Macro Tailwind

A softening dollar and shifting global liquidity conditions are creating the perfect tide for risk assets. Crypto, with its 24/7 trading, often moves first. Traders are positioning ahead of anticipated policy shifts, betting that digital assets remain the ultimate hedge against monetary shenanigans. After all, trusting central bankers has a worse track record than most memecoins.

Sentiment Flips on a Dime

Fear has evaporated, replaced by the familiar FOMO of a bull cycle. Social volume is spiking, and dormant wallets are suddenly active. This isn't just a technical bounce; it's a psychological reset. The crowd remembers the last run and is desperate not to miss the next one—human nature is the most reliable indicator in finance.

So, is this sustainable or another head-fake? The smart money is building while the talking heads on financial news debate the 'bubble.' They said the same thing about the internet. The infrastructure being built today will outlast the hype cycles, proving that sometimes, the cynical trade is to believe in the technology everyone else laughs at.

Crypto Winners & Losers

At the time of writing, 9 of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization have posted gains over the past 24 hours.

is up 1.4%, trading at $88,681, as it continues to hold above the $88,000 level after recent consolidation.

has climbed 1.3% to $2,964, extending modest gains as it remains just below the $3,000 psychological level.

is slightly higher, up 0.1% at $840, whilehas added 0.1%, trading at $1.87.rose 0.7% to $122.80, recovering some ground despite remaining lower on the weekly timeframe.

Among the top 10,was the weakest performer, down 1.2% on the day and trading at $0.1257, extending its short-term pullback.

Looking beyond large caps, several smaller tokens posted sharp gains.led the market with an 86.5% surge, followed by, which jumped 65.6%. zkPass also stood out, rising 46.3% and ranking among both the top gainers and trending assets.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Selby, head of research at CF Benchmarks, said Bitcoin remained pinned under a key level as markets drift into the seasonal lull.

Bitcoin hovered NEAR $87k in thin holiday trade as Asian stocks edged higher, with analysts saying low liquidity kept prices pinned despite a steady risk mood.#AsiaMarketOpen #BitcoinPrice https://t.co/Burg9tFUDM

“Bitcoin has struggled to break above the $90k level during a busy schedule of macroeconomic data releases, and price action appears to be forming a bearish wedge with downside risk,” he said.

“As we head into the holiday period, trading volumes are following their usual seasonal lull, which typically reinforces the choppy, high-resistance environment currently observed.”

Bitcoin Near Inflection Point as Options and Volatility Signals Align — 10x Research

Bitcoin has spent weeks moving sideways, masking deeper shifts in market positioning that could set up a decisive move. According to 10x Research, a rare alignment of options positioning, compressed volatility, and technical exhaustion is forming, a combination that has historically preceded sustained trends rather than short-lived price spikes.

Bitcoin triggers a bullish breakout – if sustained, then a multi-week uptrend is in the cards.

Bitcoin has spent weeks drifting sideways, testing the patience of both bulls and bears, while the forces shaping its next MOVE quietly evolve beneath the surface.

A rare convergence… pic.twitter.com/8t7az7HytJ

The firm notes that capital largely stayed sidelined after the Oct. 10 crash, with ETF outflows accelerating following the hawkish Oct. 29 FOMC meeting. While the technical sell-off appeared mostly complete by late November, bitcoin failed to rebound as investors rotated into year-end outperformers, leaving BTC without meaningful inflows.

As year-end positioning resets and fresh risk budgets come into play, 10x Research argues that several overlooked indicators are beginning to line up. If the current breakout holds, the setup points to a potential multi-week uptrend, making the next signals on key charts critical for confirming whether a broader trend is underway.

Levels & Events to Watch Next

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading around $88,681, up roughly 1.7% over the past 24 hours. Price action has improved compared with recent sessions, with BTC pushing higher after defending the mid-$86,000 area earlier this week.

On a broader view, Bitcoin remains well below its October peak near $125,000, following a sharp November correction and a consolidation phase through December. Over the past week, BTC has traded within a relatively tight range, with short-term support forming around $86,000–$87,000.

A sustained move above $89,000 WOULD likely open the door for a test of $90,500, followed by resistance near $92,000–$93,000. On the downside, a loss of $86,000 could expose BTC to further weakness toward $84,000, with deeper support closer to $82,000.

Ethereum is currently changing hands at approximately $2,967, posting a stronger daily gain of about 2.2%. ETH’s rebound has been more decisive than Bitcoin’s in the latest session, with price reclaiming ground after several failed attempts earlier in December.

Despite the bounce, ethereum remains capped below the key $3,000 psychological level. Over the past week, ETH has traded unevenly, reflecting low conviction as volume stays moderate.

A firm break and hold above $2,980–$3,000 would likely shift near-term momentum in favor of bulls, with upside targets around $3,150 and potentially $3,300 if follow-through buying emerges. If sellers regain control, ETH could revisit support near $2,850, with a deeper pullback exposing the $2,700–$2,750 range.

Meanwhile, crypto market sentiment remains firmly in the fear zone, according to the latest CoinMarketCap data. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index stands at 27, broadly unchanged from the previous day, signaling continued caution among investors.

While sentiment has improved slightly from last month’s extreme fear reading of 15, it remains well below neutral levels.

Since US stock markets were closed for Christmas, there were no ETF FLOW updates for Dec. 25.

For Dec. 24, US spot Bitcoin ETFs extended their losing streak, recording $175.29 million in net outflows. Selling pressure was broad-based, led by BlackRock’s IBIT, which saw $91.37 million exit.

Grayscale’s GBTC followed with $24.62 million in outflows, while Fidelity’s FBTC lost $17.17 million. Bitwise (BITB) and ARK 21Shares (ARKB) also posted smaller redemptions.

US spot Ether ETFs also turned negative, posting $52.7 million in net outflows and snapping a short inflow streak. Grayscale’s ETHE led the declines with $33.78 million in outflows, followed by BlackRock’s ETHA at $22.25 million. Grayscale’s ETH trust (ETH) was the only product to see inflows, adding $3.33 million on the day.

Total trading volume across US ETH ETFs reached $689.44 million, while net assets stood at $17.86 billion, representing roughly 5% of Ethereum’s total market capitalization.

Meanwhile, Sberbank is exploring crypto-secured lending as Russia’s financial sector accelerates its push into digital assets ahead of the country’s mid-2026 regulatory deadline.

Russian President Putin said that the US is interested in crypto mining at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.#ZaporizhzhiaNuclearPowerPlant #CryptoMining #Ukrainehttps://t.co/jbG9w0pouG

Deputy Chairman Anatoly Popov told TASS the bank stands ready to collaborate with regulators on developing infrastructure for such services, potentially expanding Russia’s crypto ecosystem beyond trading into collateralized finance.