Bitcoin retreats below $77,000, Tether posts $10B annual profit, DOJ seizes $400M in Helix assets | Weekly recap

In this week’s edition of the weekly recap, Bitcoin pulled back sharply from its October all-time high while trading around $78,000, Tether disclosed record annual profits exceeding $10 billion, and the Department of Justice secured legal title to over $400 million in assets connected to darknet mixing service Helix.

Bitcoin retreats from record highs

• Bitcoin (BTC) declined to approximately $75,000 before recovering slightly to $78,000.
• This correction follows months of price appreciation driven by institutional adoption, spot ETF inflows, and expanding corporate treasury strategies throughout 2025.

Tether reports record $10 billion annual profit

• The world’s largest stablecoin issuer closed 2025 with net profits exceeding $10 billion.
• BDO Italy’s fourth-quarter attestation confirmed Tether maintains $6.3 billion in excess reserves beyond its $186.5 billion in liabilities tied to issued tokens.
• USDT circulating supply expanded by $50 billion throughout the year, reaching over $186 billion.

DOJ obtains title to Helix darknet assets

• The Department of Justice announced Thursday it has secured legal title to more than $400 million in seized cryptocurrency, real estate, and cash connected to the darknet Bitcoin mixing service Helix.

Buterin funds open-source projects from personal holdings

• Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin transferred 16,384 ETH worth approximately $45 million to personally finance open-source security and public technology initiatives.
• The Friday announcement coincided with Buterin describing the Ethereum Foundation as entering a “period of mild austerity.”

Binance converts SAFU reserves to Bitcoin

• The exchange announced Friday plans to convert $1 billion in stablecoin reserves from its Secure Asset Fund for Users entirely into Bitcoin over the next 30 days.
• Binance stated in an open letter that this conversion aims to support the industry through market cycles and periods of uncertainty.

Bybit introduces retail banking service

• The cryptocurrency exchange revealed plans to launch retail bank accounts for users immediately following Know Your Customer verification completion.
• CEO Ben Zhou unveiled “My Bank” during a keynote speech outlining Bybit’s strategic priorities for 2026.

UAE registers first foreign dollar stablecoin

• Universal Digital Intl Limited launched USDU Thursday, claiming status as the first U.S. dollar stablecoin registered under the UAE’s Payment Token Services Regulation.
• The company became the “first Foreign Payment Token Issuer registered by the Central Bank of the UAE.”

Optimism governance approves token-revenue alignment

• The layer-2 ecosystem’s governance passed a proposal linking the OP token directly to Superchain economic performance with 84.4% voting approval.
• The measure passed after several days of discussion among delegates and tokenholders through Optimism’s onchain governance portal.

Fidelity announces Digital Dollar stablecoin

• One of the world’s largest asset managers disclosed plans to launch the Fidelity Digital Dollar, branded FIDD.
• The stablecoin will be issued by Fidelity Digital Assets’ national trust bank and is expected to become available to both retail and institutional customers in coming weeks.

Russia bans WhiteBIT exchange operations

• The Prosecutor General’s Office declared cryptocurrency exchange WhiteBIT “undesirable,” effectively prohibiting its operations within the country.
• Russian authorities cited WhiteBIT’s provision of financial and technical support to Ukraine-linked initiatives. This includes fundraising programs connected to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Strategy moderates Bitcoin acquisition pace

• Strategy added approximately 2,900 Bitcoin to its stockpile last week for $267 million.
• The company now holds 712,647 Bitcoin.

BitMine records largest Ether purchase

• The largest corporate Ether holder executed its biggest single acquisition of 2025 Monday, adding 40,302 ETH worth approximately $117 million following shareholder approval for expanded capital raising.
• Total holdings reached over 4.24 million tokens and represent 3.52% of Ether’s circulating supply.