USA Crypto

Lee describes his transition as a natural, perhaps inevitable, progression. At Banking Circle, a regulated financial infrastructure provider servicing payments, FX, and treasury needs for institutions across Europe, Lee worked closely with asset managers, brokerages, and fintech firms who were experimenting with digital assets faster than expected.

“What I noticed was that institutional interest wasn’t theoretical: it was operational,” he said. Private wealth clients were asking about crypto allocation; hedge funds were engaging in high-frequency digital asset trading; pension funds and family offices wanted tokenized exposure.

• Barclays says weakening retail participation and falling spot volumes could make 2026 a down year for crypto exchanges and trading platforms.​
• The bank trims its Coinbase target as spot trading shrinks and costs rise, even as the exchange pushes into derivatives, tokenized equities and diversification.​​
• Barclays highlights tokenization and U.S. reforms like the CLARITY Act as long-term tailwinds, but warns regulatory progress and earnings impact will be gradual.

EMJ Capital CEO Eric Jackson has projected that bitcoin could reach $50 million per coin by 2041, according to a recent interview, positioning the forecast among the most aggressive long-term price targets in the cryptocurrency sector.

Jackson’s projection centers on a thesis that BTC Bitcoin btc 3.05% Bitcoin will transition from functioning as “digital gold” into serving as the primary collateral layer underpinning the global financial system, according to statements made during the interview.

• Crypto VC funding reached $191.3M across 17 projects during the week of Dec 7–13.
• Real Finance and LI.FI led the week, each raising $29M in major funding rounds.
• Infrastructure and interoperability projects dominated crypto VC investment activity.