Tom Lee: Ethereum could see a “golden moment” in 2026, with $ETH targeting $12,000
Tom Lee, Chairman of BitMine and co-founder of Fundstrat, said at BitMine’s latest shareholder meeting that Ethereum sits at the center of a new wave of financial infrastructure transformation, and that 2026 could become a pivotal year for Ethereum’s full-scale breakout. Lee noted that Ethereum previously set an all-time high in the ETH/BTC ratio in 2021, and with the acceleration of real-world asset tokenization and increasing adoption by traditional financial institutions and users, this ratio could surpass its previous peak in 2026. Standard Chartered has also described 2026 as the “Year of Ethereum” and forecasted an ETH price of $12,000.
Against this backdrop, Tom Lee emphasized that BitMine’s business model would directly benefit from a rise in Ethereum’s price. Based on historical correlations, if ETH reaches $12,000, BitMine’s stock price (BMNR) could theoretically approach $500.
In addition, BitMine is expected to generate substantial cash flow from Ethereum staking rewards and its strong cash reserves. The company currently holds approximately 4.2 million ETH and about $1 billion in cash. Under current conditions, this could generate an estimated $402–433 million in pre-tax revenue. If ETH rises to $12,000 and the company controls around 5% of Ethereum’s total supply, pre-tax revenue could expand to between $2 billion and $2.2 billion.
Chiliz CEO: With another World Cup year approaching, SportFi strategy to be launched
Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of sports entertainment blockchain Chiliz Chain, stated that as another World Cup year approaches, Chiliz ($CHZ ) is preparing to make an important announcement and will officially roll out its SportFi strategy in 2026.
Privacy Coins Break Out Amid Trump–Powell Tensions
Privacy coins leading sector performance
As Donald Trump publicly clashes with Jerome Powell, concerns around the stability and direction of the traditional financial system are resurfacing. Markets are starting to price in policy uncertainty, institutional stress, and trust erosion
Strong short-term momentum across names like $XMR , $ARRR, $ZEC , $RAIL, $XVG
Privacy isn’t just a niche anymore—it’s becoming a macro hedge Worth keeping this sector on your radar
$LISA (AgentLISA) on Binance Alpha just got absolutely wrecked A recent Binance Alpha project, $LISA suffered a brutal dump of nearly 80% in a very short time
After strong early hype and heavy post-launch volume, price collapsed rapidly, catching most participants off guard
24h trading volume remains extremely high, still in the $2–6B+ range, while the community is increasingly calling out a possible rug pull or dev dump
The early airdrop mechanic, 235 Alpha Points for a 230-token FCFS claim, fueled massive FOMO at launch, which has now turned into a full-on bloodbath for holders
As of now, there has been no clear or official explanation from the team
zkPass is an identity verification protocol built on Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs), enabling users to prove the validity of specific claims without revealing the underlying data. Instead of disclosing sensitive information such as email addresses, social media accounts, transaction histories, or personal details, zkPass allows users to verify attributes like age eligibility, ownership of a centralized exchange account, or meeting certain asset thresholds while preserving privacy.
The protocol typically functions by extracting verifiable data from Web2 platforms (e.g., Google, Binance) and transforming it into zero-knowledge proofs that can be validated on-chain. This approach enables Web3, DeFi, and blockchain-based applications to enforce identity or eligibility requirements while maintaining strong privacy guarantees and minimizing data exposure risks
Check out the below inforgraphic to understand further how this protocol works
Solana recorded record-high real-world asset (RWA) tokenization activity toward the end of 2025, creating fresh momentum for growth in 2026. Data shows that the size of RWAs on the Solana blockchain increased by nearly 10% month-on-month in December, reaching a new high of USD 873 million, while the number of RWA holders rose 18.4% to 126,000.
Currently, RWAs on Solana - $SOL are mainly U.S. Treasury-related assets, including BlackRock’s BUIDL fund (approximately USD 255 million) and Ondo’s USD yield products (around USD 176 million). At the same time, tokenized equities such as Tesla and Nvidia, along with institutional funds, are being rapidly deployed on Solana.
Solana has the potential to become the third public blockchain with RWA scale exceeding USD 1 billion, following Ethereum (around USD 12.3 billion) and BNB Chain (over USD 2 billion).
Bitwise recently noted that if the U.S. passes the CLARITY bill related to crypto market structure in 2026, the wave of tokenization will accelerate, and Solana could be one of the biggest beneficiaries. Although SOL’s price remains below its all-time high, the spot Solana ETF has been approved and has attracted around USD 765 million in inflows. In addition, Western Union has chosen Solana to build a stablecoin payment platform scheduled to launch in the first half of 2026, further strengthening its prospects for institutional adoption.