DOJ announced that a jury convicted Virginia man Mohammed Azharuddin Chhipa for charges related to his efforts to provide material support to ISIS by raising funds and converting the money to crypto. According to court records, between 2019 and 2022, Chhipa collected and sent money to female ISIS members in Syria to benefit ISIS in various ways, including by financing the escape of ISIS members from prison camps and supporting ISIS fighters. Chippa would raise funds online on various social media accounts, then convert the money to crypto and send it to Turkey, where it was smuggled to ISIS members.

The SEC has asked a Colorado federal judge to order religious-themed financial literary organization Cast Your Nets Ministries to comply with a subpoena in the agency’s investigation into possibly unregistered securities and crypto assets. The SEC filed suit against Cast Your Nets Ministries, its subsidiary, and their board members, submitting an application to show cause and for an order appealing compliance with subpoenas. The agency said it issued subpoenas in May, August, and September in order to determine the structure and nature of the companies' products, including a crypto asset that promised to double a buyer's retirement savings in five years.

House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Rep. French Hill (R-AR) wrote to Treasury, the Federal Reserve, the SEC, and other financial regulators, warning them against finalizing rulemakings prior to the Trump Administration entering office and demanding the agencies preserve all documents and communications that could be subject to Committee oversight. The letter to the Treasury states, "The Congressional Review Act (CRA) authorizes Congress to disapprove rulemakings, including those finalized toward the end of the Congress. The financial system, its institutions, consumers, and Treasury itself do not benefit from last-minute partisan rulemaking attempts."

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor about actions needed to protect Americans from BTC ATM scams. He also announced plans to introduce legislation to combat fraudulent BTC ATM schemes, by requiring daily transaction limits for new customers and directing operators to scan for fraudulent transactions. Durbin led letters to ATM operators on the issue in September.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued a warning against Solana-based meme coin and NFT project Retardio for promoting unregulated financial services. The FCA stated that the "firm may be providing or promoting financial services or products without our permission. You should avoid dealing with this firm and beware of scams." The agency also cautioned users that if things go wrong, the firm does not fall under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, meaning it would be unlikely for a user to get their money back if the firm were to go out of business.

In a speech before the European Parliament, French lawmaker Sarah Knafo called on the EU to establish a strategic BTC reserve while rejecting the proposed adoption of the digital euro under development by the European Central Bank (ECB). Knafo argued that it is time to stop "totalitarian temptations" by the ECB, calling for a shift away from regulatory overreach in crypto. She also compared crypto regulation developments worldwide, citing El Salvador's adoption of BTC in 2021 and the crypto-friendly agenda of US President-elect Trump's incoming administration.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published the last package of final reports containing regulatory technical standards and guidelines ahead of the entry into force of MiCA on December 30. The package contains regulatory technical standards on market abuse, as well as guidelines on solicitation, crypto asset transfer services, the maintenance of systems, and more. ESMA stated that the guidelines will be translated into the official EU languages and published on the ESMA website. They will apply three months after the publication of the translations.

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) published a policy statement outlining its final approach on the fees payable and the additional information to be reported under MiCA, after taking into consideration the feedback received during the consultation period. The policy statement concerns offerors and persons seeking admission to trading of crypto assets other than asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) and electronic money tokens (EMTs), issuers of ARTs, and crypto asset service providers (CASPs).

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is seeking public feedback on a discussion paper outlining plans to improve the transparency of the country’s crypto markets. FCA said in a press release that it wants “to develop a crypto regime that is fair, balanced and proportionate for all.” The agency is accepting comments until March 14, 2025. FCA stated that this discussion paper is the first in a series following the government setting out its approach to crypto.