Morning Crypto Roundup: Ripple’s Massive Burn, Bitcoin’s $100K HORIZON, and Zcash’s ETF Gamble

As 2025 races to a close, the crypto market is buzzing with developments that could set the tone for 2026. Ripple’s jaw-dropping stablecoin burn, Bitcoin’s tantalizing approach to a six-figure price, and Bitwise’s bold ETF filing for Zcash are not just headlines—they’re signals of a sector grappling with maturity, innovation, and inevitable friction. Let’s break it down.

• Ripple Torches $21.8M in RLUSD: A major supply cut raises questions about strategy and stability.
• Bitcoin Nearing $100K in January 2026? At $88,800, a 12.6% jump feels within reach amid ETF frenzy.
• Zcash ETF Filing by Bitwise: Privacy coins might get a mainstream boost—or a regulatory slap.

Setting the Scene: Crypto in Late 2025

The crypto market in late 2025 is a beast of contradictions. Bitcoin dominance hovers strong, with a total market cap pushing past previous highs, fueled by institutional adoption and the lingering glow of the latest halving cycle. Stablecoins are everywhere, powering cross-border payments, yet they’re also under a regulatory magnifying glass as governments debate their systemic risks. Privacy coins, long sidelined, are creeping back into conversations as financial freedom clashes with compliance demands. This trifecta of stories—Ripple’s burn, Bitcoin’s rally, and Zcash’s potential breakthrough—reflects a broader push for mainstream relevance while navigating the same old pitfalls of volatility and oversight. Let’s dig into the details.

Ripple’s RLUSD Burn: Stability or Strategic Posturing?

Ripple, a heavyweight in blockchain payments, just pulled off a staggering burn of 21,804,950 RLUSD tokens on the Ethereum network. For those new to the game, RLUSD is Ripple’s stablecoin, pegged 1:1 to the US dollar, meant to enable fast, cheap transactions with the stability of fiat. This burn—recorded on December 31, 2025, and the largest in two weeks—involved sending 21,654,950 RLUSD to a null address, a kind of digital incinerator where tokens are permanently destroyed, with another 150,000 RLUSD burned earlier that day. With a circulating supply of roughly 1.33 billion tokens, ranking RLUSD 52nd by market cap, this isn’t pocket change—it’s a deliberate move. But why? Check out the latest crypto market update for more on this massive supply reduction.

Burns like this are typically about supply control. By reducing the number of tokens in circulation, Ripple ensures the $1 peg holds firm, avoiding the kind of depegging disasters we’ve seen with other stablecoins. It could also signal redemption activity—users swapping RLUSD back for fiat or other assets, prompting Ripple Treasury to shrink supply accordingly. On-chain transparency is a plus here; anyone can verify the burn on Ethereum’s blockchain, a nod to trust in a space often lacking it. But let’s not drink the Kool-Aid just yet. Stablecoins are a regulatory hot potato—governments worldwide are itching to clamp down, fearing systemic risks if these digital dollars scale unchecked. A burn might look like responsible management, but it doesn’t address deeper trust issues or shield against a policy hammer. Is this a preemptive strike ahead of 2026 regulations, or just a flashy PR move to calm jittery markets after recent volatility? Either way, Ripple’s playing a high-stakes game of optics and economics.

Bitcoin’s $100K Target: Hype with a Side of Hard Reality

Bitcoin, the undisputed king of crypto, sits at $88,800 as I write this, with market chatter crescendoing around a $100,000 price tag by January 2026. That’s a 12.6% leap from current levels—not exactly a moonshot, but not a gimme either. Historical data from CryptoRank fuels the optimism: Bitcoin’s January returns average 9.76%, with a median of 9.54%, often driven by fresh-year capital and post-holiday bullishness. Then there’s the institutional juggernaut—since January 2024, Bitcoin ETFs have gobbled up 710,777 BTC, while the network issued just 363,047 BTC through mining. That’s a supply squeeze of epic proportions, contributing to a 94% price surge over the same stretch. Think of it like a rare collectible: when demand outstrips supply, prices soar.

As a Bitcoin maximalist at heart, I see this as validation of BTC’s role as the ultimate store of value—a decentralized bulwark against fiat erosion. Post-halving dynamics (we’re still riding the scarcity wave) and corporate treasury adoption paint a rosy picture. If ETF inflows keep pace, $100K could be the floor, not the ceiling, for 2026. But let’s slap some cold water on this fever dream. Bitcoin’s ascent is never a straight line. Miner capitulation could flood the market with sell-offs, especially if operating costs spike. Macro headwinds—like Federal Reserve rate hikes or geopolitical flare-ups—could crush risk assets, crypto included. And don’t forget October 2025’s liquidation carnage, a stark reminder that leveraged hype can implode overnight. I’m rooting for six figures as much as the next HODLer, but a rogue tweet from a regulator or a global market wobble could turn this fantasy into a gut punch. Bitcoin’s strength is its resilience, not its immunity to chaos.

Zcash ETF Filing: Privacy’s Risky Dance with the Mainstream

In a plot twist no one saw coming, Bitwise, a titan in crypto asset management with a track record of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, has filed for a Zcash Strategy ETF among 11 proposed strategy funds covering assets like AAVE, UNI, and TRX. Zcash, or ZEC, currently trades at $526.59 (down 0.57% daily), with support levels at $520.12 and $492.27, and resistance at $560 and $680. For the uninitiated, ZEC is a privacy coin, leveraging zero-knowledge proofs—a cryptographic trick that verifies transactions without revealing sender, recipient, or amount. Imagine proving you paid a bill without showing the receipt; that’s the magic of Zcash.

This filing is a big freaking deal. Privacy coins have been crypto’s outcasts, often delisted from major exchanges (think Monero’s struggles) due to fears of money laundering and regulatory non-compliance. Bitwise’s move suggests a shift—either in their risk appetite or in the regulatory climate by late 2025. If approved, a ZEC ETF could drag privacy tech into traditional finance, letting mainstream investors dip into financial anonymity via a regulated vehicle. As someone who champions decentralization and freedom, I’m thrilled at the prospect; Zcash embodies the cypherpunk ethos of resisting surveillance, filling a niche Bitcoin doesn’t touch with its transparent ledger. But here’s the flip side: approval is a long shot. Regulators aren’t exactly throwing welcome parties for privacy coins, and past crackdowns signal a tough road. Even if greenlit, compliance strings could neuter ZEC’s core appeal. Bitwise might be banking on a precedent for altcoin ETFs, but are they underestimating the bureaucratic buzzsaw? This gamble could redefine privacy in finance—or crash spectacularly.

Peering into 2026: Revolution or Reckoning?

As we barrel toward 2026, these stories weave a narrative of crypto at a tipping point. Bitcoin’s potential $100K milestone could cement it as the backbone of decentralized money, a middle finger to traditional finance if it sticks. Stablecoins like RLUSD face a gauntlet of policy debates—burns and transparency are steps forward, but they’re no match for a determined regulator. ETF filings for niche assets like Zcash hint at broader access and adoption, yet invite scrutiny that could backfire. Mid-year liquidity shocks or regulatory overreach loom as spoilers, but I’m an effective accelerationist at heart; let’s push the pedal on innovation and force the system to adapt. Crypto’s maturation is messy, but that chaos is the crucible for true financial revolution. The fight for freedom, privacy, and disruption is heating up—2026 will be the battleground.

Key Questions and Takeaways

• What’s driving Ripple’s $21.8M RLUSD burn?
  It’s likely a blend of supply control to maintain the $1 peg and redemption activity from users cashing out, possibly a strategic play to build trust or preempt regulatory heat in 2026.
• How feasible is Bitcoin hitting $100,000 by January 2026?
  A 12.6% gain from $88,800 is achievable, backed by historical January trends and ETF-driven scarcity, but miner sell-offs, macro pressures, or sudden volatility could derail it.
• Can Bitwise’s Zcash ETF filing mainstream privacy coins?
  It’s a potential game-changer, offering regulated exposure to ZEC, but regulatory resistance and compliance hurdles could block or dilute its impact on financial privacy.
• What’s the biggest wildcard for crypto in 2026?
  Regulatory clampdowns and liquidity crises pose the gravest threats, risking mid-year corrections despite bullish momentum from ETFs and institutional adoption.
• Why should we care about these developments?
  They reflect crypto’s push for legitimacy—Bitcoin as value, stablecoins as utility, Zcash as freedom—while testing the limits of innovation against centralized control.