‘UAE Is All-in on Crypto’: Coinbase and Ripple Align as Market Gravity Shifts Toward the Gulf

XRP price has been in a prolonged bear market, losing significant value over recent months, but recent developments indicate a potential shift as bullish patterns begin to form. The token is currently trading around $2.00, with technical indicators suggesting a possible breakout as it consolidates into a triangle pattern.

Standard Chartered and Coinbase announced an expanded collaboration on December 12, 2025, aimed at developing a suite of services for institutional investors, focusing on trading, prime services, custody, staking, and lending. This partnership is expected to enhance the infrastructure for cryptocurrency transactions and services tailored to institutional needs.

Coinbase is preparing to launch new prediction markets and tokenized equities on December 17, which could reshape the landscape of on-chain finance and trading. This initiative follows a series of developments aimed at diversifying its offerings in the cryptocurrency space. Additionally, a solo Bitcoin miner has achieved a remarkable feat by successfully mining a block against odds of 30,000-to-1.

Standard Chartered and Coinbase are expanding their partnership to enhance trading, custody, and financing services tailored for institutional crypto clients. This collaboration aims to build a robust infrastructure that supports the growing demand for cryptocurrency solutions among large-scale investors.

Bitcoin's price has been fluctuating between $89,000 and $93,000, indicating a struggle between bullish and bearish market forces. Recent on-chain data suggests that this sideways movement is linked to the uneven distribution of Bitcoin's total supply, with analysts like Darkfost highlighting the potential for a decline below $80,000.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has granted Ripple a conditional approval to operate as a national trust bank, a significant regulatory milestone for the cryptocurrency firm. This approval allows Ripple to expand its financial services and integrate more deeply into the U.S. banking system, utilizing its digital asset XRP for payment solutions.

Coinbase is set to launch its own prediction market in collaboration with Kalshi, a federally regulated financial exchange, with a formal unveiling scheduled for December 17. This development follows a period of anticipation, highlighted by a recent social media post revealing a screenshot of Coinbase's prediction markets dashboard.

Circle, Ripple, Bitgo, Fidelity, and Paxos have received conditional approvals from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to operate as national trust banks. This regulatory milestone allows these cryptocurrency firms to expand their services under federal oversight, marking a significant step in the integration of digital assets into traditional banking frameworks.