Coinbase gains India regulatory clearance for CoinDCX investment

  • Coinbase has been an investor in CoinDCX since 2020 and disclosed the latest infusion in October.
  • The approval follows Coinbase’s reopening of user registrations in India after a two-year hiatus.
  • CoinDCX reported a $44.2 million wallet-related security breach in July without customer fund losses.

India’s competition regulator has cleared Coinbase’s plan to deepen its ties with CoinDCX, marking another step in the US-based exchange’s renewed engagement with the Indian crypto market.

The approval allows Coinbase to acquire a minority stake in DCX Global Limited, the parent company of CoinDCX, at a time when global exchanges are reassessing their exposure to high-growth but tightly regulated jurisdictions.

For India, the decision signals a willingness to permit foreign participation in the digital asset sector under formal regulatory scrutiny, even as policy uncertainty and elevated taxes continue to shape market behaviour.

The clearance was issued by the Competition Commission of India on Wednesday, following a review of the proposed transaction.

It comes shortly after Coinbase reopened user registrations in India, ending a two-year pause in local onboarding.

Together, the developments point to a cautious but deliberate attempt by Coinbase to rebuild its presence in one of the world’s largest potential crypto markets.

CCI clears Coinbase CoinDCX deal

The Competition Commission of India approved the transaction involving Coinbase Global Inc. and DCX Global Limited, enabling the acquisition of a minority shareholding.

The regulator confirmed the decision through an official disclosure shared on social media platform X, stating that the proposed combination had received approval.

Coinbase has been associated with CoinDCX since 2022, having invested in the Indian exchange during its earlier expansion phase.

The latest approval formalises an additional capital infusion that was disclosed by Coinbase in mid-October, but required regulatory sign-off before completion.

Coinbase India return strategy

The investment approval aligns with Coinbase’s broader effort to re-enter India after scaling back operations in 2023.

Last week, the exchange resumed onboarding Indian users, initially enabling crypto-to-crypto trading.

According to company plans, a rupee on-ramp is expected to follow in 2026, expanding access beyond token swaps and improving local usability.

This phased approach reflects the constraints of operating in India’s regulatory environment, where compliance requirements and payment restrictions have previously limited foreign exchanges.

By strengthening its stake in CoinDCX, Coinbase gains indirect exposure to local market infrastructure while maintaining regulatory distance from day-to-day operations.

CoinDCX security and market context

The approval also comes after a turbulent year for CoinDCX.

In July, the exchange disclosed a $44.2 million security breach involving one of its wallets.

The company said at the time that customer funds were not impacted, but the incident added pressure in an already cautious market environment.

India continues to pose challenges for crypto platforms due to high transaction taxes and unresolved regulatory frameworks.

Despite these hurdles, the competition watchdog’s decision suggests that authorities are prepared to accommodate global firms, provided investments are structured and subject to oversight.

For Coinbase, the clearance offers a regulated pathway back into India.

For the broader market, it highlights how foreign exchanges may increasingly rely on minority investments and partnerships to navigate complex local rules.

The post Coinbase gains India regulatory clearance for CoinDCX investment appeared first on CoinJournal.

XRP price loses $1.90 support as altcoins bleed further

  • XRP price is down 5% to trade near $1.80.
  • The altcoin’s losses come amid overall bearish market sentiment.
  • Ripple token could dip to $1.50, but a bounce is also likely.

Ripple token XRP fell 5% as the cryptocurrency market saw fresh selling pressure in early trading on December 18, 2025.

With major altcoins extending recent declines, Ripple’s cryptocurrency dipped to lows of $1.81.

Amid this broader risk aversion, XRP, one of the top-performing assets earlier in the year, risks slipping further.

XRP bears push price towards $1.80

The XRP token traded around $1.83 at the time of writing.

After breaking lower on Tuesday, prices were down 5% in the past 24 hours as sellers rejected advances at $1.98.

It looked as though they could test bullish sentiment around the $1.80 support zone.

On Thursday, the altcoin touched lows of $1.81, declines that put prices at risk of downside acceleration.

As market data shows, falling price action is accompanied by elevated trading volumes.

Normally, this suggests active distribution rather than isolated panic selling.

This decline aligns with weakness across the altcoin sector, as Bitcoin hovered below the key threshold of $90,000.

Negative sentiment across traditional risk assets is contributing to the selling pressure. Headwinds include macroeconomic uncertainty.

Ripple price forecast

The breach of $1.90 flips the former support at $2.00 into potential overhead resistance.

XRP’s recent moves reinforce bearish control in the near term.

Technical indicators, including a downward-sloping 50-day exponential moving average and downsloping RSI readings, indicate waning momentum.

Meanwhile, derivatives markets have seen increased liquidations on long positions, further exacerbating the downside pressure.

Whale activity also remains mixed.

Despite some large holders accumulating during dips, overall on-chain metrics show heightened distribution from older cohorts.

This dynamic has contributed to the failure of recent rebound attempts, and the reason XRP bulls have found themselves pushed below the $2.00 psychological mark.

From a technical standpoint, the outlook for XRP means bears have an upper hand.

Veteran trader Peter Brandt has issued a bearish warning for XRP, identifying a potential “double-top” reversal pattern on its price chart.

This technical setup suggests a possible trend reversal if the asset fails to breach established resistance levels.

Brandt’s caution highlights a growing divergence between technical indicators and Ripple’s strengthening fundamentals, which include recent stablecoin expansions and new institutional tools.

While acknowledging the pattern could fail, Brandt maintains that the current formation signals waning momentum.

Consequently, market focus shifts to XRP’s key support levels as investors weigh technical risks against the ecosystem’s long-term adoption efforts.

A sustained break below current levels could see bears targeting the next major support area at $1.70 and potentially $1.50.

However, counterfactors could provide relief for buyers.

Notably, spot XRP ETFs have maintained consistent inflows.

XRP ETFs saw $9.84 million worth of inflows on December 17 according to data by Coinglass.

Confidence in XRP’s long-term outlook means reclaiming $2.00 would open the door for a sentiment flip.

If there’s a rebound toward $2.30, further upside momentum potentially has $3.00 into play.

XRP continues to wait for a breach of the $4.00 mark.

The post XRP price loses $1.90 support as altcoins bleed further appeared first on CoinJournal.

MSCI index exclusion puts crypto treasury companies at risk of forced selling

  • Analysts estimate forced outflows of up to $15 billion if passive funds are required to sell.
  • Strategy accounts for nearly three-quarters of the impacted float-adjusted market capitalisation.
  • MSCI’s final decision is due by Jan. 15, with possible implementation in February 2026.

Crypto treasury companies could face heavy selling pressure if MSCI proceeds with a proposal to exclude them from its equity indexes.

Campaigners and analysts warn that removal from widely tracked benchmarks could force passive funds to offload billions of dollars worth of crypto-linked exposure.

The debate has intensified as markets digest months of declining prices and as index providers reassess how to classify firms with large digital asset holdings.

With MSCI’s decision timeline now clear, companies and investors are closely watching what could become a defining moment for crypto’s place in mainstream equity benchmarks.

Potential selling pressure builds

BitcoinForCorporations, a group opposing the proposal, estimates that exclusions could trigger between $10 billion and $15 billion in passive outflows.

The calculation is based on a verified preliminary list of 39 companies with a combined float-adjusted market capitalisation of $113 billion.

Analysts reviewing the same universe put potential outflows at around $11.6 billion across all affected firms.

The largest exposure sits with Michael Saylor’s Strategy (previously known as Microstrategy), which represents 74.5% of the total impacted float-adjusted market cap.

JPMorgan’s analysis suggests that Strategy alone could see $2.8 billion in outflows if removed from MSCI indexes.

Such forced selling could add pressure to crypto markets that have already been trending lower for nearly three months.

Why MSCI rules matter

MSCI announced in October that it was consulting investors on whether companies holding the majority of their balance sheet in crypto should be excluded from its indexes.

These benchmarks are used by passive investment funds worldwide to decide which stocks they must hold.

As a result, inclusion or exclusion can directly affect a company’s access to capital and shareholder base.

For crypto treasury firms, index membership has become increasingly important as institutional ownership grows.

Any rule change that leads to exclusion would not be a technical adjustment but a structural shift in how these companies are treated by global asset managers.

Balance sheet debate intensifies

BitcoinForCorporations argues that using balance sheet composition as a deciding factor is flawed.

The group says a single metric does not capture whether a company operates a real business with customers, revenue, and ongoing operations.

Under the proposed approach, firms could be removed even if their core business model remains unchanged.

The group has urged MSCI to abandon the proposal and continue classifying companies based on business activity, financial performance, and operational characteristics rather than crypto exposure alone.

The concern is that the rule would effectively penalise companies for holding digital assets without assessing how those assets fit into broader corporate strategy.

MSCI is expected to publish its final conclusions by January 15.

If approved, implementation would be scheduled for the February 2026 Index Review, setting the stage for potential large-scale reallocations by passive funds.

The post MSCI index exclusion puts crypto treasury companies at risk of forced selling appeared first on CoinJournal.