Introducing current trends based on analysis that considers price, news, and social interest:
1. **Binance Ecosystem** (+1.36% over 30 days) – Expansion of institutional presence in Asia and favorable regulatory changes support BNB's resilience despite overall market decline.
2. **US Strategic Crypto Reserve** (+5.01% over 30 days relative to the market) – Leading in dynamics due to inflows into ETFs and proposals for creating a federal reserve of Bitcoin, stimulating institutional accumulation.
3. **Layer 1 Networks** (+5.64% over 30 days relative to the market) – Divergence intensifies: BNB and TRX show growth, while SOL and ETH face risks of declining user numbers.
## Detailed Overview
### 1. Binance Ecosystem (Leader in dynamics)
**Overview:**
Binance controls 35.4% of the global Bitcoin trading volume, and the number of BNB Chain users nearly tripled in 2025. Key growth factors include CZ's pardon (October 2025), SoftBank's PayPay integration in Japan, and stablecoin reserves totaling $44 billion. BNB stabilizes around $1,128, ahead of BTC by +4.11% over the past month.
**What does this mean:**
Binance's focus on the Asian market and development of CeDeFi (for example, Binance Wallet) make it a leader in regulatory compliance. However, a -24.36% drop in BNB over 90 days indicates ongoing macroeconomic risks.
**What to watch for:**
Approval of licenses in Thailand and South Korea in the first quarter of 2026.
### 2. US Strategic Crypto Reserve (Early growth)
**Overview:**
The idea of creating a federal reserve of Bitcoin (1 million BTC in 5 years) and BlackRock's purchase of Bitcoin worth $115 million (by December 31) support this trend. In 2025, inflows into BTC ETFs reached $21.4 billion, and the probability of BTC reaching above $150 thousand by 2026 is estimated at 27% according to Polymarket.
**What does this mean:**
Institutional demand is structural rather than speculative: 192 public companies already hold Bitcoin. Nevertheless, BTC's return since the start of the year is -6.17%, reflecting volatility amid concerns about Federal Reserve liquidity.
BNB (+22.6% since the start of the year) and TRX (+7.7% since the start of the year) show growth amid sector decline (SOL: -35.3%, ETH: -11.4%). BNB Chain has 59.8 million monthly users, and Tron actively develops AI partnerships, while Solana's user count has dropped by 60%.
**What does this mean:**
Investors prefer blockchains with real utility (payments, stablecoins), rather than only focusing on scalability. The Pectra update for ETH and staking growth (118,000 ETH added on December 31) may indicate asset accumulation.
## Summary
The Binance ecosystem and the US strategic reserve theme reflect market institutionalization, while Layer 1 networks are in the "survival of the fittest" stage. Watch for BNB support at $1,080 and BTC liquidation zones around $80,000 — these could signal asset reallocation. With Bitcoin dominating at 59%, the first quarter of 2026 may mark the long-awaited altcoin season, delayed in 2025.
This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.
Introducing current trends based on analysis that considers price, news, and social interest:
1. **Binance Ecosystem** (+1.36% over 30 days) – Expansion of institutional presence in Asia and favorable regulatory changes support BNB's resilience despite overall market decline.
2. **US Strategic Crypto Reserve** (+5.01% over 30 days relative to the market) – Leading in dynamics due to inflows into ETFs and proposals for creating a federal reserve of Bitcoin, stimulating institutional accumulation.
3. **Layer 1 Networks** (+5.64% over 30 days relative to the market) – Divergence intensifies: BNB and TRX show growth, while SOL and ETH face risks of declining user numbers.
## Detailed Overview
### 1. Binance Ecosystem (Leader in dynamics)
**Overview:**
Binance controls 35.4% of the global Bitcoin trading volume, and the number of BNB Chain users nearly tripled in 2025. Key growth factors include CZ's pardon (October 2025), SoftBank's PayPay integration in Japan, and stablecoin reserves totaling $44 billion. BNB stabilizes around $1,128, ahead of BTC by +4.11% over the past month.
**What does this mean:**
Binance's focus on the Asian market and development of CeDeFi (for example, Binance Wallet) make it a leader in regulatory compliance. However, a -24.36% drop in BNB over 90 days indicates ongoing macroeconomic risks.
**What to watch for:**
Approval of licenses in Thailand and South Korea in the first quarter of 2026.
### 2. US Strategic Crypto Reserve (Early growth)
**Overview:**
The idea of creating a federal reserve of Bitcoin (1 million BTC in 5 years) and BlackRock's purchase of Bitcoin worth $115 million (by December 31) support this trend. In 2025, inflows into BTC ETFs reached $21.4 billion, and the probability of BTC reaching above $150 thousand by 2026 is estimated at 27% according to Polymarket.
**What does this mean:**
Institutional demand is structural rather than speculative: 192 public companies already hold Bitcoin. Nevertheless, BTC's return since the start of the year is -6.17%, reflecting volatility amid concerns about Federal Reserve liquidity.
### 3. Layer 1 Networks (Cooling down, selective strength)
**Overview:**
BNB (+22.6% since the start of the year) and TRX (+7.7% since the start of the year) show growth amid sector decline (SOL: -35.3%, ETH: -11.4%). BNB Chain has 59.8 million monthly users, and Tron actively develops AI partnerships, while Solana's user count has dropped by 60%.
**What does this mean:**
Investors prefer blockchains with real utility (payments, stablecoins), rather than only focusing on scalability. The Pectra update for ETH and staking growth (118,000 ETH added on December 31) may indicate asset accumulation.
## Summary
The Binance ecosystem and the US strategic reserve theme reflect market institutionalization, while Layer 1 networks are in the "survival of the fittest" stage. Watch for BNB support at $1,080 and BTC liquidation zones around $80,000 — these could signal asset reallocation. With Bitcoin dominating at 59%, the first quarter of 2026 may mark the long-awaited altcoin season, delayed in 2025.