Italy orders non-compliant VASPs to exit as MiCAR rules kick in

  • Consob has urged VASPs to secure CASP approval or shut down by December 30, 2025.
  • This comes as the deadline for transitioning to new MiCAR policies approaches.
  • Unauthorised operators will halt their services and return user assets.

Italy’s financial regulator Consob has issued an urgent call to digital assets investors and operators as the nation moves closer to adopting MiCAR policies.

According to the late yesterday press release, Consob emphasised December 30, 2025, as the last day VASPs (Virtual Asset Service Providers) operating under the existing regime will be able to serve without full approval.

Consob has warned that operators who fail to follow this transition risk a ban.

Thus, any VASP operating in Italy should adhere to the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation or exit the marketplace.

The press release highlighted:

30 December 2025 is the last day on which Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs, operators currently offering virtual asset services, such as cryptocurrency exchanges) registered with the OAM (the Organismo Agenti e Mediatori, or Agents and Brokers Organisation) can continue to operate.

MiCAR resets Italy’s regulatory rulebook

Italian regulators have only wanted VASPs to secure the OAM (Organismo Agenti e Mediatori) certificate to operate seamlessly over the years.

Meanwhile, MiCAR brings tougher rules, with only fully licensed Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs) permitted to serve the European Union.

Meanwhile, the authorisation procedure involves operational checks, client protection requirements, supervisory controls, and existing monitoring. That’s far stricter than the previous model.

Consob stressed that VASPs will only operate if they apply for CASP certification in Italy or any other European Union Member State by December 30.

Operators who submit applications by this deadline can keep offering services until the final decision, but all entities should adhere to MiCAR by June 30, 2026.

What’s next for investors?

Consob has warned both operators and day-to-day cryptocurrency users.

Investors should promptly confirm whether their desired service provider plans to adhere to the new policies and requirements.

Here, they can monitor two crucial things.

First and foremost, investors should check whether the operator has published its MiCAR transition plans.

Secondly, investors should verify the provider’s regulatory status after the deadline.

VASPs that don’t apply or fail to secure approval will not operate in Italy after December 30, and customers can request a return of their assets upon such developments.

Meanwhile, Consob confirmed warning operators multiple times during the transition phase, highlighting updates in September last year, July 2025, and the October 31 notice to companies still holding only the OAM certificate.

While some operators view MiCAR as the pathway for regulated, international operations, others consider the new regulation as the end of the road.

Meanwhile, digital assets investors should stay alert, check the provider’s regulatory status, and act before the new MiCAR regulations lock them out or pressure them with last-minute withdrawals.

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TAO surges past $300 ahead of first halving, fueling bullish outlook for Bittensor

  • Bittensor price jumped to above $300 as bulls showed signs of recovery.
  • TAO was bullish ahead of the AI token’s first network halving.
  • Gains for Bittensor come as Wall Street also flips bullish on the AI narrative.

Bittensor (TAO) traded green on the day on December 4, 2025, with sentiment bullish as the altcoin breached the $300 threshold.

This surge, occurring just days before the network’s historic halving event, could allow bulls to target recent highs.

Growing confidence in Bittensor’s role as a pioneering platform in decentralized AI and in machine learning incentives has TAO as one of the altcoins traders are watching.

Bittensor price jumps above $300

The cryptocurrency market has witnessed a notable uptick in the past 24 hours.

While bears continue to maraud amid potential profit-taking spikes, bulls are showing strength.

A flurry of activity surrounding Bittensor, a blockchain protocol that decentralizes AI model training and inference through a competitive subnet ecosystem, points to TAO price’s likely short term rally.

Bittensor Chart
Bittensor price chart by TradingView

In this case, TAO’s surge above $300 represents a pivotal moment. The altcoin surged to above $314 on Dec. 4 before paring some of the gains.

Significantly, Bittensor price dramatically jumped from around $300 on October 11, 2025, to hit $500 on November 2.

The rally in a little over three weeks nonetheless fizzled, and the TAO price is down about 28% in the past month.

The token’s correction came amid broader market jitters.

Bittensor and AI sector forecasts

Bittensor is a top AI-related coin by market cap, ahead of NEAR Protocol, Internet Computer, and RENDER.

Growth has included the project’s positioning as the marketplace for machine intelligence.

It’s where validators and miners earn TAO rewards for contributing computational resources and novel AI models. Prices have often spiked amid key AI developments, and that reflects amid latest outlook.

Wall Street giants point out that the AI boom that catapulted Nvidia and other stocks higher is not a bubble.

Noting that the sector could yet explode, BlackRock and Bank of America analysts have forecast a fresh supercycle. Key drivers of this include real corporate investments, major earnings, and productivity gains.

AI is not driven by the irrational exuberance that underpinned the dot-com bubble in the 2000s, the analysts noted.

The TAO price could rally amid the anticipated AI narrative resurgence.

What’s Bittensor’s upcoming halvening?

Bittensor’s inaugural halving, which is about 10 days away as of writing, is about network tokenomics. It mirrors Bitcoin’s supply-reduction strategy, but tailored to AI incentives.

Currently, the network emits approximately 7,200 TAO tokens daily to reward participants in its proof-of-intelligence consensus.

However, the halving will cut the emissions to 3,600 TAO. Bittensor has a total supply of 21 million TAO, and the halving, like in BTC’s case, ensures long-term scarcity as adoption grows.

The halving could thus catalyze price discovery. BTC jumped following its 2024 halving, and TAO bulls are likely to eye a return to $500.

Notably, the coin’s all-time high of $795.6 was reached in April 2024.

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Altcoins today: Grayscale’s LINK ETF debuts; HYPE and ASTER soar up to 13%

  • Grayscale has launched the first US spot LINK ETF today.
  • HYPE rallies after Sonnet shareholders authorize Hyperliquid DAT’s merger.
  • ASTER gains more than 13% on a new collaboration with WLFI.

Cryptos rebounded on Tuesday as the value of all tokens increased by more than 6% to $3.06 trillion.

Bitcoin has reclaimed $90,000 as Ethereum trades above $3,000.

This article evaluates three altcoins, Chainlink, HYPE, and ASTER, that remained in the spotlight today for various reasons.

Grayscale’s spot Chainlink ETF goes live

Grayscale has officially converted its Chainlink Trust to an ETF today, introducing the first-ever US exchange-traded fund.

The debut has met considerable anticipation among the cryptocurrency community as many view Chainlink’s oracle infrastructure as crucial to tokenized real-world assets (RWA) and decentralized finance (DeFi).

Commenting on GLINK’s debut, Grayscale’s ETF official Inkoo Kand said:

Chainlink’s decentralized oracle network is setting the market standard for verifiable data and cross-chain connectivity that underpins tokenization and DeFi across public blockchains. With GLINK, investors can gain exposure to this foundational infrastructure in the familiar ETP wrapper.

Meanwhile, GLINK will simplify institutional access to Chainlink, allowing traditional investors to interact with crypto without directly handling the token.

LINK reacted positively to the ETF news, gaining more than 12% to trade at $13.32.

HYPE gains 10% after key milestone

HYPE soared more than 10% over the past 24 hours after Sonnet confirmed a crucial structural breakthrough.

According to today’s, December 2, press release, the company’s shareholders have approved the decision to introduce Hyperliquid Decentralized Autonomous Treasury (DAT).

The plan involves Sonnet merging with Rorschach I LLC to form a unified entity called Hyperliquid Strategies.

Most importantly, the new firm plans to raise $1 billion to buy HYPE.

The massive bet signals unwavering institutional trust in the altcoin.

HYPE is hovering at $33.03 after gaining over 10% within the past 24 hours.

ASTER rallies after WLFI alliance

Aster’s native coin also recorded impressive price actions, gaining over 13% within the last 24 hours.

The upside momentum coincided with a strategic collaboration with Donald Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial.

Aster founder and CEO Leonard announced the alliance at the fintech and crypto conference in Dubai.

Under this agreement, the decentralized exchange will integrate WLFI’s USD1 – a move designed to enrich the stablecoin’s adoption.

The altcoin is trading above the $1 psychological level after gaining over 13% on its daily price chart.

ASTER eyes further rallies, but declining 24-hour trading volumes highlight weakness.

Meanwhile, the broader crypto market remained elevated today, recovering from sharp dips in the past few sessions.

Bitcoin has gained over 7% on its daily price chart, while Ethereum increased by 10%.

Quantitative tightening ending and renewed ETFs interest fuel the current upside momentum.

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Grayscale to launch first US spot Chainlink ETF through Trust conversion

  • The company is set to launch the first US spot LINK ETF this week.
  • Grayscale plans to convert its existing LINK trust into an ETF.
  • LINK price remains under pressure amid broader bearishness.

The cryptocurrency market is trading in the red on Monday, with the value of all digital tokens down by 5% the past day to $2.94 trillion.

While risk-off mood dominates the landscape, Grayscale Investment is preparing to debut the first US spot Chainlink exchange-traded fund.

ETF expert Nate Gerace expects the product to arrive this week, marking a crucial milestone for Chainlink and the overall altcoin ETF sector.

Notably, Grayscale will create this ETF by converting and up-listing its existing Chainlink Trust, offering traditional investors compliant access to Chainlink.

Meanwhile, this adds to the latest wave of altcoin ETF launches in the United States.

We have had multiple altcoin ETFs, including XRP and Dogecoin, since Solana, Hedera, and Litecoin kick-started the wave in late October.

Now, the first spot LINK ETF is set to debut in the United States this week, reflecting demand for these products despite the broader market turmoil.

More about the Chainlink ETF

A spot exchange-traded fund holds LINK assets instead of derivatives, offering individuals direct and regulated exposure to Chainlink as an investment vehicle.

That’s crucial in cementing Chainlink’s legitimacy among traditional investors, many of whom have ignored crypto due to the associated complexities.

Indeed, a LINK ETF alleviates the need for private keys, wallets, and off-exchange asset storage.

The fund will open Chainlink to individuals who prefer the safety of traditional retirement and brokerage accounts.

The strategic conversion

Grayscale took a notable approach, converting a private trust into an exchange-traded fund.

The strategy has crucial benefits.

First and foremost, the LINK ETF will meet an in-built investor base as trust holders access a more liquid ETF model.

Also, the approach streamlines valuation and custody as the trust already has LINK assets.

Lastly, the move eases regulatory challenges as the trust adheres to compliant standards.

LINK price outlook

Chainlink exhibits substantial selling pressure today.

It has lost more than 6% of its value after a sudden dip on the daily chart, fueled by a broader market crash.

LINK is trading at $12.16, with a 125% uptick in daily trading volume reflecting increased activity from participants, possibly reducing exposure to avoid further losses.

Sellers target the nearest support zone at $11 and $9.8 amid intensified declines.

Failure to hold $8.20 – $8.50 would catalyze deeper slides to $6.80 – $7.20.

On the other hand, bulls should reclaim and defend $13.

Steadying above $15.50 will likely trigger buyer resurgence and stable momentum.

LINK can rally to $19, then $23, and clear the path to $30.

However, prevailing conditions suggest short-term struggles before LINK establishes a decisive directional bias.

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ADA price forecast: Cardano proposes a 70 million budget for key upgrades

  • Core organizations have submitted a 70 million ADA tokens budget proposal.
  • The goal is to fund key ecosystem integrations ahead of 2026
  • ADA remains poised for remarkable breakouts despite short-term bearishness.

Cardano’s major organization has proposed a new budget, calling for 70 million ADA tokens in Treasury funding to supercharge delayed ecosystem upgrades and integration.

Announced yesterday, November 27, the proposal outlines a strategic plan to introduce innovative infrastructure needed for institutional access, cross-chain connectivity, and stablecoins.

Named the Cardano Critical Integrations Budget, the plan received endorsement from key ecosystem organizations, including the Cardano Foundations, EMURGO, Input Output, the Midnight Foundation, and Intersect.

That reflects a unified approach to equip the ADA network with what it needs to thrive in the coming times.

The official blog highlighted:

Cardano needs a set of core infrastructure layers to unlock stablecoins, attract deeper liquidity, support institutional participation, and expand the possibilities for DeFi, RWAs, and DePIN. These integrations cannot be delivered in isolation. They require a shared, ecosystem-wide commitment that brings the right partners to Cardano in a structured and accountable way.

Trader attention remains on the ADA price amidst these developments. Are the coordinated efforts the catalyst that propels this altcoin to its predicted peaks?

Why is this budget crucial?

Cardano’s team is among the most active in the blockchain sector. Meanwhile, the project’s next growth phase now relies on mission or partially developed components.

They include functionalities like enterprise-level custody and wallets, pricing oracles, advanced stablecoin infrastructure, and cross-chain bridges.

The Cardano blockchain has struggled to unlock crucial utility without these elements.

For instance, stablecoins are essential for DeFi liquidity and day-to-day on-chain transactions.

Cross-chain support allows users to move tokens across the platform easily.

Moreover, institutional-grade analytics and custody are crucial for risk management and compliant offerings.

Indeed, Cardano’s long-term potential requires coordinated efforts to unleash.

Therefore, core organizations have been negotiating with top-notch integration partners recently, and their conversations have reached a mature phase, inviting the community to participate in the next steps.

ADA price outlook

Cardano is trading at $0.4311 after gaining more than 6% the last seven days.

The token remained relatively muted the past day, losing a mere 0.08% of its value.

Meanwhile, the 20% slump in 24-hour trading volume signals prevailing selling pressure.

Robust developer activity, especially with the 70 million ADA budget approved, and broad-based recoveries could trigger massive breakouts for ADA.

However, buyers should overcome key resistance at $0.45 and $0.70 and reclaim the psychological level at $1 to shift Cardano’s short-term outlook to bullish.

Surpassing $1.50 would confirm solid reversals and clear the path for higher targets.

ADA can skyrocket to $2 and extend toward $2.20. That would mean a more than 400% rally from the current market price.

On the other hand, continued selling pressure could trigger a roughly 40% decline to the support barrier at $0.25.

A breakdown here would erase all bullish momentum and drag ADA prices to the historical foothold at around $0.18.

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