GM. Vitalik Buterin opened 2026 with a call to refocus Ethereum on its founding purpose as a neutral, censorship-resistant world computer rather than chasing hype or token trends.

Meanwhile, Strategy shares slide despite steady Bitcoin buys, Base’s creator coin push draws backlash from builders, and a judge dismisses Voyager’s case against Mark Cuban.

Here’s how the week wraps up across crypto. 👇

Vitalik Reframes Ethereum’s Path Toward World Computer

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin used a New Year’s message on Thursday to assess Ethereum’s progress and restate its founding mission beyond market hype. He said 2025 upgrades made the network faster, more reliable, and better prepared for scale.

Buterin warned technical milestones mean little if Ethereum chases token fads, memecoins, or artificial usage instead of purpose. He rejected winning the next meta, urging focus on Ethereum as a neutral world computer for society broadly.

That vision centers on applications resisting fraud, censorship, and control, passing the walkaway test even if original builders disappear. Users, he said, should not notice failures when major infrastructure providers go offline or are compromised suddenly.

Buterin argued Ethereum must scale globally while remaining decentralized across nodes, software, user tools, and applications built atop the network. He framed recent upgrades as groundwork for durable finance, identity, and governance infrastructure tested through real-world adoption.

Strategy Shares Sink Despite Ongoing Bitcoin Accumulation

Strategy shares declined for six consecutive months in 2025, marking the first such streak since August 2020 adoption. Data shared by analyst Chris Millas shows uninterrupted monthly losses from July through December, totaling nearly 50%. The stock sharply underperformed Bitcoin and the Nasdaq 100 despite continued treasury purchases.

By year end, Strategy closed at $151.95, down 49.35% annually, while Bitcoin fell just 9.65%. Strategy added 1,229 BTC for $108.8 million in December, raising holdings to 672,497 BTC. The Nasdaq 100 gained 20.17% in 2025, widening relative underperformance of one of the most popular crypto stocks.

Base Creator Coin Strategy Sparks Builder Backlash

Base’s growing focus on creator coins tied to Zora has triggered criticism from builders across the ecosystem. Community members argue the strategy favors a narrow narrative while sidelining established Base native projects. Base operates as a Coinbase built layer two network using Ethereum and the OP Stack.

Onchain activity remains strong, with Base averaging over 10 million daily transactions and high token mint volumes. Builders on X say official promotion increasingly favors Zora aligned initiatives over earlier contributors. Critics warn continued sentiment erosion could push developers toward competing chains like Solana or Sui.

Judge Dismisses Voyager Lawsuit Against Mark Cuban

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by Voyager Digital investors against Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks. Judge Roy Altman ruled plaintiffs failed to establish personal jurisdiction in Florida. The case stemmed from a 2021 partnership promoting Voyager before its August 2022 bankruptcy filing.

The court found insufficient evidence that Cuban or the Mavericks conducted targeted business activities in Florida. Plaintiffs alleged misleading representations downplaying crypto investment risks during market expansion. Voyager’s collapse followed the 2022 downturn triggered by Terra, which erased roughly $40 billion across crypto markets.

Data of the day

Santiment data shows whale accumulation in Solana related tokens as the top crypto discussion entering 2026. Large wallets repeatedly purchased batches of at least 10 SOL despite recent market weakness. Behavioral confidence scores near 70% suggest steady accumulation expectations among large holders.

Solana has declined about 46% over three months, yet onchain flows signal positioning for rebound scenarios. Santiment also flagged debates around Strategy’s Bitcoin accumulation and major TradFi leadership shifts. Analysts expect ETFs, stablecoins, and tokenization to accelerate broader crypto adoption through 2026.

More breaking news

• Japan and South Korea led Asia’s pivot toward local-currency stablecoins in 2025, launching yen- and won-backed tokens amid tightening regulatory frameworks.

• Trust Wallet’s Chrome extension was temporarily removed after a major exploit, delaying its update to reimburse users affected by the $7 million hack.

• Ethereum overhauled leadership and activated Pectra and Fusaka upgrades, expanding privacy, interoperability, and scalability while cementing its biannual hard-fork cycle for 2026.

• Bithumb revealed $200 million in dormant crypto across 2.6 million inactive accounts, underscoring forgotten assets and unrealized liquidity on centralized exchanges.

• Flow’s Dec. 27 exploit froze NFT-backed loans and repayments, leaving borrowers and lenders in limbo as the network’s recovery remains incomplete.

• Tether added 8,888 Bitcoin worth $780 million, closing 2025 with over 96,000 BTC while expanding its gold reserves and hard-asset diversification.

• Crypto policy experts warn 2026 may pit Wall Street against digital assets as firms like Citadel prepare legal challenges to crypto’s new regulatory gains.

For the latest updates on digital asset markets, follow us on X @Datawalletcom.

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