Today in crypto: Coinbase Institutional forecasts a strong year-end rally for Bitcoin, Western Union announced it will roll out a “stable card” for high-inflation economies, and Strategy’s Phong Le addresses why his firm raised a $1.44 billion USD reserve earlier this week.
Bitcoin poised for year-end rally: Coinbase Institutional
Coinbase Institutional forecasts a strong year-end rally for Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency market, driven by a growing global M2 supply and US Federal Reserve rate cuts.
“We think crypto could be poised for a December recovery as liquidity improves, Fed cut odds jump to 92% (as of Dec 4), and macro tailwinds build,” Coinbase Institutional wrote in a recent report.
The firm previously predicted Bitcoin’s October “weakness” based on money-supply dynamics and now expects a “December reversal” to follow.
A year-end rally would align with broader market patterns, as seasonality often contributes to the so-called “Santa Claus rally,” when asset prices tend to rise during the holiday period.
Western Union eyes inflation-resistant ‘stable cards’ as part of its stablecoin strategy
Western Union has unveiled plans to introduce a new “stable card” to protect users in high-inflation economies as part of its stablecoin strategy.
Speaking at the UBS Global Technology and AI conference, chief financial officer Matthew Cagwin said the initiative builds on the company’s investor-day reveal that it is moving beyond traditional cross-border payments and into a multi-pillar digital asset roadmap.
Cagwin pointed to Argentina, where annual inflation recently hit 250–300%, noting that remittances can lose nearly half their value in a month. “Imagine a world where your family in the US is sending you $500 home, but by the time you spend it in the next month, it’s only worth $300,” he said.
“We can see a good utility for our stable card there, which is an increment to our prepaid card we have today here in the US,” he added.
Strategy raised $1.44B to dispel ‘FUD’ amid a Bitcoin down cycle: CEO
Strategy CEO Phong Le said part of the reason for establishing a $1.44 billion USD reserve was to alleviate investor concerns over the company’s health amid a Bitcoin slump.
“We’re very much are a part of the crypto ecosystem and Bitcoin ecosystem. Which is why we decided a couple of weeks ago to start raising capital and putting US dollars on our balance sheet to get rid of this FUD,” said Le during CNBC’s Power Lunch on Friday.
This afternoon, Phong Le, CEO of @Strategy, joined @CNBC @PowerLunch to discuss how $MSTR moves with bitcoin, how our USD reserve addresses recent FUD, the shifting Overton Window, key volatility drivers, and why bitcoin’s long-term outlook remains strong. pic.twitter.com/1t5hsfov0m
— Strategy (@Strategy) December 5, 2025
On Monday, Strategy announced the $1.44 billion US dollar reserve, funded through a stock sale. The reserve is intended to maintain an amount sufficient to cover at least 12 months of dividends, and will eventually expand to cover a runway of 24 months, the firm said.
“And it’s really this FUD,” Le said on Friday.
“We weren’t going to have an issue to be able to pay our dividends, and we weren’t likely going to have to tap into selling our Bitcoin, but… There was FUD that was put out there that we wouldn’t be able to meet our dividend obligations, which causes people to pile into a short Bitcoin bet,” he said.
“We just addressed that in eight and a half days we raised $1.44 billion — 21 months’ worth of dividend obligations, and we did it 1) to address the FUD, but 2) to show people that we’re still able to raise money in a Bitcoin downcycle.”
