Russian Ministry of Justice proposes penalties for illegal crypto mining, including fines up to 1.5 million rubles or two years in forced labor; aggravated cases involving large earnings or organized groups could lead to five years' imprisonment, according to details outlined here. More updates available at mt in max.

Montana Asset Management analysts shared a poster resembling The Economist’s annual predictions, featuring cryptic forecasts for 2026. Investors are advised to review whether their previous predictions from 2025 have materialized.

T-Technologies leads blue chips in Tuesday's market, reversing losses as IMOEX declines 0.47%, T advances 0.85%. Analysts cite increased investments in Selectel and quarterly dividends as key factors supporting the stock.

White House Press Secretary Levitt announced that President Trump held a positive phone conversation with President Putin regarding Ukraine.

Ukraine launched a drone attack targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in Novgorod on December 29 amid ongoing peace negotiations, according to Russian officials. Moscow has pledged to respond, citing a shift in Ukraine’s tactics towards “state terrorism,” and has accused Kyiv—potentially under British influence—of provoking the incident to disrupt peace talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied involvement, stating that Russia is sabotaging efforts to achieve peace. mt in max

Gold declines 3%; silver down 8%; platinum down 12%; palladium drops 15%. More details at mt в max.

Russian Railways Board Approves 2026 Investment Program Valued at 713.6 Billion Rubles

SoftBank to acquire DigitalBridge for $4 billion, boosting DigitalBridge's valuation by 10% post-announcement.

MOSCOW, Jan 1 (Dow Jones) — Russia to alter digital financial asset classification starting Jan. 1. Unqualified investors will have access to high-credit quality DFAs, including debt instruments, and up to 600,000 rubles linked to inflation or interest rate indicators, contingent on high credit ratings. Certain instruments may incorporate capital protection. Central Bank of Russia release.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting to review the situation in the Special Military Operation zone. General Gerasimov reported that Russian forces are making successful advances along the entire frontline.

Netanyahu to seek U.S. approval for Iran strikes during meeting with Trump, reports The Washington Post.

Russian equities decline; IMOEX index falls below 2,800 points. Further details available at here.

Uniswap has burned 100 million UNI tokens, a move poised to influence the cryptocurrency market's supply-demand dynamics.

Binance CEO Richard Teng reported the exchange's user base increased to 275 million from 170 million over 1.5 years, highlighting accelerated global recognition and adoption of cryptocurrencies.

Gas Infrastructure Europe reports, citing Gazprom, that Europe is experiencing a record withdrawal of gas from its storage facilities. As of December 25, Europe had 66.3 billion cubic meters of gas stored, down 9.9 billion cubic meters from the previous year. Germany's gas reserves have fallen below 60%, reaching levels usually seen later in the season, while the only Baltic storage is half full.

Germany's Federation of German Employers' Associations in the Metal and Electrical Engineering Industries, Gesamtmetall, projects potential job losses totaling tens of thousands in these sectors by 2026, citing ongoing economic challenges.

Global M&A deals projected to hit $4.5 trillion in 2025, up 50% annually, approaching 2021 record levels, per Financial Times.

London plans US visits for King Charles III and Prince William in 2026 amid ongoing trade negotiations stalemate, The Times reports.

Thailand and Cambodia agree to ceasefire, marking diplomatic progress without Trump involvement.

Only 15% of altcoins launched in 2025 are trading above their initial offering price, according to a study by Memento Research.

Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller indicated at a year-end preliminary results meeting that the company may complete the "Power of Siberia - 2" pipeline project ahead of schedule. Read more.

Russia's microfinance organizations have petitioned the Central Bank to postpone by 18 months the implementation of a ban on the use of their income assessment models. Starting January 1, MFOs will be barred from applying these models to determine borrowers' average monthly income for loans below 50,000 rubles, potentially impacting over 15 million clients in the sector. More details are available here.

U.S. senators leave for Christmas break without agreement on voting procedures for budget, raising risk of another government shutdown possibly on Jan. 31, 2026, reports Ъ.

Mechel says shareholders approve major transaction at EGM. Buyback prices set at 82.03 rubles for common stock and 79.25 rubles for preferred stock, per prior reports. More details in company release.

Maria Zakharova dismissed a Bloomberg report citing sources close to the Kremlin that claimed Russia seeks major amendments to the latest U.S. Ukraine peace plan, including additional restrictions on Ukrainian armed forces. She criticized the outlet for lacking credible Kremlin sources and called the "close to the Kremlin" attribution a façade for disinformation.

Russia's annual inflation may reach 6% or slightly below by year-end, according to Novak.

Russian coal prices are unlikely to recover soon, according to Alexander Isaev, co-owner and CEO of Elga Coal. Industry participants had anticipated price rebounds to bolster the sector amid ongoing crisis, Isaev said in an RBC article.

Ondo Finance to Launch Tokenized U.S. Stocks and ETFs on Solana in Early 2026; Project Recently Tied to Trump Family

Russia: President's 2025 Federal Assembly address will not be held.

Zeekr to Launch New 9S Crossover in Q1 2026 After Merger with Geely

CZ urges investors to buy Bitcoin during downturns, highlighting that early investors did so despite prevailing fear, doubt, and uncertainty.

Russia's Energy Ministry has outlined three potential scenarios for the coal industry development through 2050: stress, base, and optimistic. For more details, visit Ъ.

Up to 15 million Russians may face loss of access to microloans starting January 1, as microfinance organizations will be prohibited from using current debt burden calculation models, according to Vedomosti.

U.S. Department of Justice says full release of Epstein documents may take "a few more weeks."

Wall Street stocks advance as S&P 500 hits record close, signaling investor confidence in U.S. equities.

Russian ruble ranks among top five most profitable assets of 2023, trailing platinum, silver, palladium, and gold, BBG reports.

Nike shares rise 3% after Tim Cook buys stake.

US initial jobless claims total 214,000, below forecasts of 224,000 and unchanged from prior week; continuing claims at 1.923 million, above consensus of 1.900 million, versus revised 1.885 million a week earlier.

The United States is scheduled to release Initial Jobless Claims data at 16:30 Moscow time.

Kremlin says private meeting between President Putin and business leaders scheduled behind closed doors

Transneft forecasts oil transportation in 2026 to match 2025 levels, according to Tokarev.

QryptoQuant notes that a typical cyclical bottom for Bitcoin occurs when the BCMI indicator dips below 0.2; however, the current reading remains significantly higher.

Russia JetL Financial reports for October and November 2025 now accessible. Further details available in the company’s official report.

Russia's Boris Titov proposed establishing a dedicated yuan-denominated fund to finance overseas procurement, Interfax reports.

Russia’s Abrau-Durso hints at possible dividend payouts in 2025 after distributing 50% of profits as dividends this year, a notably high figure. The company aims to sustain this trend, pending annual performance. Market conditions and consumer sentiment may influence future dividend decisions, Boris Titov told Interfax.

Japan's Metaplanet approves plan to increase Bitcoin holdings on balance sheet.

Europe’s natural gas prices climb amid holiday-season cold weather forecasts, RTRS reports. U.S. natural gas futures also increase on expectations of low temperatures, WSJ notes. For more insights, visit MT in MAX.

Bitcoin rally paused as James Wynn initiates 40x leveraged long position, monitoring data shows.

MGKL Group reports 11-month 2025 revenue up 3.6-fold; preliminary operational results released. More details available in company report.

T-Bank reports 52.2% rise in net profit under RAS for 11 months, totaling nearly 88 billion rubles.