We survived one other unhinged 12 months in crypto. Barely.
Now, earlier than we collectively log out and contact some grass, here is a wrap-up of 2025 – the most important tales, the core narratives, and the vibe.
The 12 months of presidential rug pulls
That is the sentence historians are going to underline.
In 2025, politicians found memecoins, and the general public realized why that is a horrible concept.
It began in January, when Donald Trump launched TRUMP. Days later, Melania Trump adopted with MELANIA.
Each adopted the identical arc:
👉 Explosive launches;
👉 Excessive insider focus;
👉 Huge payment extraction;
👉 Then brutal collapses that wiped retail.
And it wasn’t simply the US.
In Argentina, President Javier Milei publicly supported LIBRA, which pumped, crashed, and detonated right into a nationwide scandal dubbed Cryptogate – full with lawsuits, investigations, and worldwide embarrassment.
After these cash launched, presidential memecoins grew to become a style:
👉 Sitting presidents launching tokens;
👉 First households monetizing consideration;
👉 Nationalist branding was on-chain liquidity.
And spoiler alert: most of these initiatives rugged.
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The 12 months governments stopped preventing Bitcoin
Whereas memecoins had been embarrassing everybody, one thing critical occurred on the identical time.
In March, the US authorities formally created a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, treating BTC as a sovereign asset.
That was a big change: Bitcoin went from speculative threat → nationwide balance-sheet consideration.
And others took notes – international locations like El Salvador, Bhutan, the UAE, Pakistan, and Singapore all began positioning Bitcoin as a strategic asset.
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The 12 months Bitcoin broke $100K
Positive, this sounds unusual given the present market scenario – however it was actually an enormous 12 months for Bitcoin.
In 2025, it set a new all-time excessive above $126K.
…. Then actuality checked in.
A brutal liquidation cascade adopted, and it worn out billions + reminded everybody (once more) why leverage is a loaded weapon. Costs got here down exhausting, volatility spiked, and sentiment flipped.
However Bitcoin did not collapse; it reset.
For a lot of the 12 months:
👉 BTC stayed structurally robust;
👉 Dips had been violent, however consumers confirmed up;
👉 The “Bitcoin as a sovereign-grade asset” narrative held.
Altcoins, alternatively? Not so fortunate.
Outdoors some short-lived rotations, most alts by no means reclaimed earlier highs, and liquidity stayed concentrated in BTC.
So, it was a Bitcoin-led 12 months.
The 12 months stablecoins grew up
👉 Within the US, the GENIUS Act was handed, and it gave banks and issuers clear guidelines masking reserves, disclosures, and who’s allowed to challenge stablecoins.
👉 In Europe, stablecoin guidelines below MiCA started taking impact.
👉 In locations like Singapore and Japan, regulators tightened licensing and expanded bank-issued stablecoin pilots.
👉 Throughout rising markets, stablecoins grew to become what they had been all the time presupposed to be: a sensible approach to entry {dollars}.
The outcome was delicate however huge.
TradFi began collaborating. New regulated stablecoins launched. And stablecoins themselves modified standing from area of interest crypto plumbing to precise monetary infrastructure.
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The 12 months hacks hit biblical ranges
Crypto safety had its worst 12 months ever.
$3.4B+ in crypto was stolen in 2025. This contains the Bybit hack, the place $1.5B was stolen (the most important crypto theft on file).
The dominant actors had been state-linked hacking teams, working with endurance, assets, and geopolitical incentives.
All year long, safety incidents expanded past outright thefts to insider compromises, arrests, and cross-border investigations involving a number of legislation enforcement businesses directly.
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The 12 months establishments mentioned “we’re not leaving”
Regardless of the chaos:
👉 Main firms stored shopping for Bitcoin;
👉 M&A in crypto hit file highs;
👉 TradFi did not flinch.
Mainly, retail might panic. Establishments accumulate.
So… what was the general vibe?
2025 was political, extractive, unstable, generally embarrassing, however undeniably historic.
And if this 12 months taught us something, it is this:
2026 is both going to be calmer… or someway much more unhinged.
Both approach –
we’ll be right here 🥹🥂
