Bitcoin continued to build on its rising trend witnessed from a day earlier on Thursday. The leading cryptocurrency rebounded to above $7,500 after a weak start to the week.
Here is a wrap of the main news from cryptocurrency and blockchain space over the past 24 hours.
South Korea National Assembly Proposes To Lift ICO Ban
South Korean lawmakers are mulling over allowing domestic initial coin offerings, or ICOs, and the National Assembly reportedly made an official proposal to lift the ban on these cryptocurrency launches that was imposed in September last year. The National Assembly suggested a legislative and policy recommendation to allow ICOs under the purview of investor protection provisions preparation, Business Korea reported. Read more...
Hong Kong Government Rules Out Central Bank Digital Currency
The Hong Kong government has made it clear that it has no plan to issue official digital currency at present but will continue to explore the possibilities. This was stated by Joseph Chan, acting secretary for financial services and the treasury, in the parliament of the Chinese autonomous territory. Read more...
Austrian Regulator Prohibits Operations Of Crypto Miner INVIA Pending Probe
Austrian crypto-miner INVIA has been prohibited from operating under its current business model by Austria's Financial Market Authority (FMA) for violating banking laws by allegedly offering financial services apart from its mining operations. Though INVIA is neither licensed by nor supervised by the FMA, the regulatory authority has taken up the investigations after having received a large number of enquiries from consumers. Read more...
Swissport Taps Blockchain for Airport Ground & Cargo Handling
Swiss aviation services company Swissport has teamed up with two local start-ups, Winding Tree and Olam, to tap the potential of blockchain technology to improve operational efficiency of its airport ground and cargo handling services. The cargo handler intends to launch a pilot program in cooperation with non-profit organization Olam to develop a blockchain-based open source platform for supply chain partners.
ASUS Launches High Space Crypto Mining Motherboard
Computer hardware company ASUS launched a high space Crypto Mining Motherboard targeting cryptocurrency miners. The H370 Mining Master motherboard is introduced as an updated version of last year's B250 Mining Expert, which the company claims to have "redefined the formula for a second generation" of crypto-related products.
Crypto Lexicon - SMART CONTRACTS
A SMART CONTRACT is a self-executing computer code whose pre-set rules run on a distributed and decentralized ledger or blockchain. The terms of agreement are contained in the lines of code which facilitates, verifies, and enforces the negotiation or performance of a contract. Read more... Current Prices
As of 10.39 am ET, Bitcoin was up 0.61 percent at $7,538 and Ethereum was higher by 0.9 percent at $571.70 on Coinbase.
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Economic News
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December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.