Crypto Long & Short: GameStop, Dogecoin and a New Market Paradigm

We’re not just witnessing the changing nature of market forces. We’re also seeing a shift in the definition of market “fundamentals.”

XRP Posted Biggest Single-Day Gain in 3 Years in a Coordinated Buying Attack

"Traditional Crypto-Pump groups are being copied and legitimized by WallStreetBets," Jehan Chu, co-founder and managing partner at Kenetic Capital, told CoinDesk.

Bitcoin Falls Back to $32K as Elon Musk’s Bio Change Fades Into Memory

The price jump coinciding with Elon Musk's Twitter attention retraced over the weekend.

What Ray Dalio Really Thinks of Bitcoin

A reading of Dalio’s first long-form essay on his thoughts about bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.

Judge Rejects Virgil Griffith’s Motion to Dismiss Charges of Aiding North Korea

U.S. Judge Kevin Castel also denied the ethereum developer’s request for more details about what he’s being charged with.

India’s Proposed Crypto Ban Has Investors Nervous, May Feed Anti-Bitcoin Narrative

The move is bound to make potential and current crypto investors outside the country uneasy as well.

Are Financial Advisors Missing Crypto?

On this episode of the 'On Purpose' podcast, independent registered investment advisor Tyrone Ross digs into the thorny topic of bitcoin and digital assets through the lens of your average Financial Advisor.

Visa May Add Cryptocurrencies to Its Payments Network, Says CEO

The payments company works with wallets and exchanges to enable crypto purchases, and could eventually use digital currencies over blockchain in the same way it processes traditional money.

GameStop, Robinhood and the Failure of Un-Free Markets

The latest in the saga of WallStreetBets vs the world.

The Small Guys Rebel Against their Big Brother Hedge Funds

What the GameStop stock market chaos can teach crypto and why the Bank of International Settlements is pitching central bank digital currencies (CBDC) instead of crypto. Also the privacy concerns around China’s digital yuan.

Voyager Reports Multiple ‘Service Disruptions’ After Encouraging Users to Trade Dogecoin

Angry users are taking to Twitter, putting the platform in the DOGE house.

Beyond Coinbase: 8 Other Ways to Buy Bitcoin

Buying bitcoin for the first time? Coinbase isn't the only game in town.

In Retrospect, It Was Inevitable: Elon Musk Pumps Bitcoin to Space

The price action is fun, but the larger significance is about decentralized alternatives to today’s financial system.

Top 5 Dogecoin Pumps Through the Ages

What started off as a parody project is still shocking the crypto world with wild price gains and celebrity endorsements.

After GME, Dogecoin and Bitcoin, Chinese Traders Are Betting What Will Pump Next

For Chinese investors, including Justin Sun, FOMO has surpassed fear of losing money.

Blockchain Bites: DOGE, Musk, Robinhood, GameStop and Crypto’s ‘Populist’ Revolution

A renewed the pitch to create open access and decentralized standards is much bigger than what's happening to a few stocks.

India Would Ban Private Cryptocurrencies Under Proposed Legislation

A ban on cryptocurrency trading had been in effect for almost two years before it was overturned by the Supreme Court in March 2020.

Ripple Responds to SEC Lawsuit Over XRP Sales

In a Friday filing, Ripple Labs pushed back against the SEC’s allegations.

Crypto Lender BlockFi Registers Bitcoin Trust With SEC

BlockFi is the latest firm to go up against Grayscale's behemoth bitcoin trust.

Money Reimagined: Narratives Wall Street Can’t Control

It used to be Wall Street dictated the big stories around finance. It’s unclear whether that’s still the case.

Strange Bedfellows: The World Economic Forum and Crypto

A look at the challenging task of integrating the radical crypto world into the establishment with Adrian Monck of the World Economic Forum.

Kraken, Coinbase Suffer Outages Amid Market Volatility

Spillover from market drama on Wall Street is crippling U.S. crypto exchanges.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 29, 2021

With BTC shooting back up above $37K and a look into the aftermath of the GameStop moment, CoinDesk’s Market Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

Japan to Have Blockchain-Based Stock Exchange in 2022

The exchange reportedly planned by SBI and SMFG is expected to be the first of its kind in Japan.

First Mover: Elon Musk #Bitcoin Moment Adds to Dogecoin, GameStop Wackiness

The GameStop-galvanized "bear raid" by retail stock traders appears to have terrified Wall Street, but crypto-industry marketeers are salivating over the prospect of new customer leads, and more demand.

Portfolio App Blockfolio Adds Crypto, Stock Trading to Capitalize on GameStop Drama

The app offers trading of crypto assets as well as tokenized stocks listed on derivatives exchange FTX.

Elon Musk-Prompted Bitcoin Price Surge Causes Liquidation of $387M in Shorts

The shorts were liquidated after Elon Musk added "Bitcoin" to his Twitter bio and prices rose by over 15%.

Robinhood Limits Cryptocurrency Trading Citing ‘Extraordinary Market Conditions’

Users still have some crypto trading functionality, per a Friday report from CNBC.

FTX Exchange Lists WallStreetBets Futures to Capitalize on Investing Movement

The futures contract is based on a basket of stocks being targeted by WallStreetBets and dogecoin.

Gemini Survey Finds Over 40% of UK Crypto Investors Are Women

The survey data shows that cryptocurrency investing is becoming more diverse, said Gemini in its new trends report.

Dogecoin Becomes Most Mentioned Crypto on Twitter Ever as Price Soars

Tweet volume for the shiba inu-themed cryptocurrency surpassed previous records for bitcoin, according to TheTIE.

Bitcoin Surges to $37K After Elon Musk Adds Crypto to Twitter Bio

Is Musk just teasing the crypto community again?

Robinhood CEO: We Weren’t ‘Forced’ to Limit Stock Buying Amid Reddit-Driven Surge

Robinhood's CEO said the platform's decision to halt buy orders on GME, NOK and AMC was based on a "technical and operational" one, not outside pressure.

Retail Traders Sue Robinhood Over Meme Stock Restrictions

Robinhood faces suits in Chicago in New York just hours after it's GME buy freeze.

China, Singapore Look Ahead to CBDC Future at World Economic Forum

A former deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China compared notes with the chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Longtime Bitcoin Developer Jonas Schnelli Receives Open-Source Grant

Jonas Schnelli joins other Bitcoin developers who are sponsored by high-caliber Bitcoin companies.

Blockchain Bites: DOGE Chases After GameStop, Guggenheim Doubts $30K Bitcoin

Following a tweet from “WSB Chairman" inquiring about the meme cryptocurrency dogecoin prices went haywire.

OCC Halts Fair Access Banking Rule

The rule would have prohibited US banks from denying services based on ideological factors.

Bitcoin Rebounds From Early Losses, Markets Still Distracted by GameStop

GameStop's stock drama has had a galvanizing effect on stocks, bitcoin and even dogecoin.

Inside Iran’s Onslaught on Bitcoin Mining

Iran has been clamping down on mining farms, but it also wants to use crypto mining to boost the sanctioned nation's revenue stream.

Who Let the DOGE Out? Meme-Based Cryptocurrency Soars 250% to Record High

A large chunk of the gains had retraced by mid morning, however.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 28, 2021

With digital-market traders taking GameStop’s stock gyrations as a moment for self-reflection, CoinDesk’s Market Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

Dalio Expects to Soon Offer Alt-Cash Fund, Says ‘Bitcoin Won’t Escape Our Scrutiny’

"Bitcoin looks like a long-duration option on a highly unknown future that I could put an amount of money in that I wouldn’t mind losing about 80% of," Dalio said.

Prime Trust, tZERO Partner on Digital Asset Custody, Trading

The integration will enable Prime Trust to manage the custody of digital securities and cryptocurrencies for its customers using tZERO for trading.

Scarcity Gives Bitcoin Value, but Not the Way You Think

Bitcoin is "scarce" (and therefore valuable) when demand for it exceeds the available supply, not because of its 21 million hard cap, says our columnist.

WallStreetBets Reddit Group: What Is It?

How an army of amateur traders from the WallStreetBets Reddit channel is turning the tables on traditional investors.

First Mover: Crypto Gawks at GameStop, Sees Shades of Self

Digital-market traders found amusement in the GameStop saga. They also saw an opportunity for self-reflection. Here's what Niall Ferguson, Caitlin Long, Mati Greenspan and Jonathan Mohan said.

Europol, Spanish Police Bust Alleged Scam Posing as Crypto Investment Training Firm

Europol worked with Spain’s Civil Guard and Catalan police to arrest six suspects aged in connection with the scheme.

Algorand Teams Up With Crypto Custodian Curv for ‘Trusted DeFi’

The firms aim to build technology that "appeals to traditional institutions, payment providers [and] governments."

Hard-Hit Argentinian Farmers May Get Boost From Trading Platform for Tokenized Produce

Farm assets like soybeans will be tokenized on a platform from CoreLedger for trading against other assets like cattle or fiat currency.

‘The Squeezening’: How the Gamestop Backlash will Curtail Freedom

Gamestop's "squeezening" is likely to increase calls for curbs on "memetic disturbances." That could be dangerous for free speech.

Digital Asset Manager Grayscale Eyes DeFi Space With New Trust Filings

Trusts for aave, cosmos and polkadot, as well as privacy coin monero and cardano, have been registered in Delaware.

WallStreetBets Fever Hits Dogecoin, Price Soars 142% After Twitter Mention

A Twitter account not officially affiliated to WallStreetBets prompted DOGE's latest social media-based price boost.

Australian Crypto Exchange to Delist BSV Over ‘Bullying’ Threat to Bitcoin Developers

The exchange's CEO said "Recent talk of legal action against developers working to improve the Bitcoin ecosystem proved to be the final straw."

Guggenheim CIO Says Institutional Demand Not There to Sustain Bitcoin Above $30K

Scott Minerd said he doesn't believe bitcoin's investor base is "big enough" or "deep enough" to keep price at current levels.

Mark Cuban on Bitcoin, NFTs and What Comes Next: ‘The Upside Is Truly Unlimited’

"You can sell anything digital using NFT," says the Dallas Mavericks owner. "Virtual Mavs gear, sneakers, art, pictures, videos, experiences, anything our imagination can come up with."

Bitcoin Doesn’t Care About Your Politics: Why Bitcoin Has More Ideological Flexibility Than We Think

NLW is joined by three philosophy professors for a discussion of bitcoin, ethics and politics.

DeFi’s UNI Token Jumps 92% in One Week, Passes $15

Uniswap's UNI token has nearly doubled its price in 7 days. The decentralized exchange is seeing volumes higher than last summer, too.

Reddit Joins With Ethereum Foundation to Build Scaling Tools

The social media firm will dedicate developer resources to support scaling efforts for Ethereum.

Federal Reserve Holds Rates, Asset Purchases Steady as Economic Activity Moderates

The U.S. central bank said interest rates will remain close to zero.

Miami Uploads Bitcoin White Paper to Municipal Website

Mayor Suarez once again pledged to turn Miami into a "hub for crypto innovation."

GameStop-Style Revolts Spread, Prompting Halt by TD Ameritrade, Nasdaq Monitoring

Nasdaq and TD Ameritrade are taking a mob of Reddit traders head on.

Blockchain Bites: Scaramucci on GameStop and Bitcoin; Why Flamingo DAO Dropped $762K on an NFT

Anthony Scaramucci sees recent GameStop price action as proving Bitcoin's larger thesis of decentralizing and democratizing finance.

The Bitcoin Paradox

Bitcoin may not be a financial bubble. But, when Bitcoiners reject inconvenient information, it is an epistemic bubble.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 27, 2021

With BTC breaking below $30K and the tether (USDT) saga gaining fresh attention, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

Former Bitspark CEO George Harrap Joins Crypto PR Firm as Head of DeFi

"I've been around crypto for a decade now and DeFi has me as excited as when I mined my first bitcoin," Harrap told CoinDesk.

Silver Lake Co-Founder Tells Davos Cash Is Used Far More in Crime Than Bitcoin

Glenn Hutchins said up to 90% of $100 bills are "used for organized crime and tax evasion."

South African Regulator Seeks More Crypto Powers After Alleged Ponzi’s Collapse

“At the point something becomes a Ponzi scheme, we have lost our jurisdiction,” a regulator told Bloomberg.

First Mover: Risks Nobody’s Ever Seen, From the Fed to Tether (and GameStop)

Risks surrounding the stablecoin tether (USDT) have been known for years, but they're commanding fresh attention as the amount outstanding swells to $25B.

Crypto Exchange 2gether Says It Can’t Fully Reimburse 9% of Users After 2020 Hack

After a successful fundraising effort, the company said it can now reimburse most, but not all users.

‘Pomp’ Launches Crypto Jobs Board With Gemini, Coinbase and BlockFi

Morgan Creek’s Anthony Pompliano aims to list 10,000 openings by the end of the year.

Bitcoin Drops, Dollar Bounces Ahead of Federal Reserve Rate Announcement

Bitcoin would likely extend losses further if Fed Chairman Jerome Powell drops hints of a gradual unwinding of stimulus programs later today.

Valid Points: What to Expect When Ethereum 2.0 Undergoes Its First ‘Hard Fork’

Here's what the impending Eth 2.0 hard fork means, and why Ethereum devs are still debating the “Ice Age.”

Lawsuit Against Israeli Crypto Entrepreneur Moshe Hegog Fails in US Court

A Washington judge threw out the lawsuit after the plaintiff failed to make a case.

American Cancer Society Launches $1M Cryptocurrency Fund

The first cryptocurrency donor to contribute $250,000 or over will have the opportunity to choose a name for the fund

GameStop Investing Craze ‘Proof of Concept’ for Bitcoin Success, Says Scaramucci

A campaign by members of a Reddit investor forum have caused GameStop stock to spike to record levels in the last week.

US Man Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling $20M of ICO Investors’ Funds

San Francisco-based Jerry Guo represented himself to clients as an ICO consultant, then embezzled funds now worth over $20 million.

EY’s Paul Brody Expects Consumer DeFi Ignition in 2021

Welcome to the world of boomer DeFi.

Cathie Wood: Bitcoin ETF Approval Unlikely Until Market Cap Rises to About $2T

"The flood of demand has to be satisfied" for the SEC to feel comfortable with a bitcoin ETF, said Wood.

Four Ways Blockchain Could Catapult Into the Mainstream

Blockchain technology adoption has largely been a top-down story. Here are some ideas that could get more bottom-up traction.

Union Square Ventures to Allocate 30% of New $250M Fund to Crypto-Related Investments

Planned investments "will include holding tokens directly as well as equity in early-stage blockchain-related projects."

Colombia, Estonia Upload the Bitcoin White Paper to Their Governmental Websites

More sites are hosting Bitcoin's founding white paper since Craig Wright's threatened copyright infringement lawsuit.

‘Coin Signals’ Trader Arrested on $5M Crypto Fund Fraud Charges

24-year-old Jeremy Spence bilked his investors of $5 million, according to a criminal complaint.

Blockchain Bites: Universities Are Gaining Bitcoin Exposure as Institutional ETH Appetite Grows

Meanwhile, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey said crypto qua crypto fails as currency qua currency, though dissidents like Alexey Navalny might disagree.

What Tether Means When It Says It’s ‘Regulated’

Representatives say the $25B stablecoin is "regulated" but the issuer doesn't look like a financial institution bound by norms and laws.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 26, 2021

With bitcoin hovering around $32K for a fourth straight day and top Ivy League universities said to be accumulating crypto, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

State of Crypto: Unpacking the Trump Presidency’s Crypto Legacy

Donald Trump may have been anti-crypto but his appointed regulators ushered in a largely industry-friendly regime.

Bitmain Co-Founder Exits, Resolving Years-Long Power Struggle as Mining Firm Preps IPO

Bitmain co-founder Jihan Wu is stepping down from his role as part of a settlement.

Questions About Tether Just Won’t Go Away. Does the Crypto Market Care?

Is the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies inflated because the backing of tether may not be as strong as people think it is?

Secure Messaging App Signal Reportedly Toying With Crypto Payments

Staff at the firm are said to be worried the addition would bring bad actors and unwanted regulatory attention.

Big Guns Back $10M Investment in DeFi’s dYdX

The funding round, led by Three Arrows and DeFiance Capital, was also joined by Andreessen Horowitz, Polychain Capital and Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam.

Galaxy, Coinbase Bet $25M on DeFi Using Terra Stablecoins

The backing will help Terraform Labs build more apps on its Tendermint-based blockchain.

First Mover: The Smart Money (Literally) Buying Crypto as Harvard Said to Be Holding

The brain trust has blessed cryptocurrencies, with endowments for Harvard and other universities reportedly lapping up digital assets. For bitcoin marketeers, it's a new $600B money pot.

FinCEN Further Extends Comment Period for Controversial Crypto Rules

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is further extending a comment period for a controversial proposed rule that would require crypto exchanges to gather and store counterparty information for transactions to unhosted wallets. FinCEN announced the move Tuesday, saying all comments are due 60 days after the change is submitted to the Federal Register, the […]

Traditional Lenders Extended Millions in Loans to the Crypto Space Through Genesis in Q4

The average loan size for a first time lender on the platform is $3.2 million, Genesis said.

Stellar Development Foundation Invests $5M in Crypto Payments Firm Wyre

A Wyre integration will introduce a variety of APIs that can be used by financial apps on the Stellar network.

US Man Installs Crypto Mining Rig in Hybrid BMW Sportscar

While it can be powered by the hybrid car's battery, the boot needs to stay open to avoid overheating.

South Korean Tax Agency Carries out Irregular Audit on Crypto Exchange Operator

The team of investigators requested past data and transaction details from Korea Digital Exchange.

Overstock Turns Medici Ventures Into a Fund to Reap Value of Blockchain Assets

“We remain bullish on blockchain technology but are changing the way we interact with these asset," said CEO Jonathan Johnson.

Philippines Issues Crypto Industry Guidelines to Guard Against Money Laundering

New guidelines bring the nation's digital asset industry in line with Financial Action Task Force standards.

Gemini Exchange Adds Local Currency, DeFi Tokens in Singapore Expansion

The exchange has increased the trading options for Singapore users, including several DeFi tokens.

What Is Guggenheim Partners?

Guggenheim Partners is part of the next wave of institutional investment firms looking to step into Bitcoin.

We Have Entered the Age of Anonymous Crypto

Spurred by an information crisis and compounding global unrest, privacy has entered public consciousness.

The Bitcoin Whales Won’t Stop Buying

According to a number of different data points, bitcoin whales saw last week’s volatility and price declines as a chance to accumulate.

Large Bitcoin Options Positions May Boost Price Volatility This Week

As long as these options remain open in the market, the next couple of days could be volatile for bitcoin.

Gaming Company The9 Agrees to Buy 26,000 Bitcoin Mining Machines

The company says a "majority" of the ASICs are already deployed.

Bank of England Governor Insists Digital Payments (but Not Crypto) Are Sticking Around

BoE Governor Andrew Bailey said cryptocurrencies "as originally formulated" are not the ideal form of digital currency.

The Future of Money in the Multiverse

It's 2028 and central banks, Big Tech companies and the "deplatformed" are establishing their own worlds of digital money.

Blockchain Bites: ETH Pumps, Coins Leave Exchanges

With ether whales and small holders rising, some analysts are speculating about a potential ETH supply crunch.

Vietnam’s Oldest Bitcoin Exchange Adds Support for Lightning Network

With VBT's integration, the Lightning Network now has support from half a dozen Bitcoin exchanges.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 25, 2021

With bitcoin bouncing and ether hitting a new all-time high, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

CFTC Attorney Who Let Regulators Trade Crypto Joins Private Law Firm

Daniel Davis oversaw the CFTC’s legal division while he was at the agency, including administrative actions.

New Regulators in Town: What’s Next for Crypto in DC

In this episode, Anna Baydakova, Tanzeel Akhtar and Nik De discuss to expect from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration regarding crypto, how QuadrigaCX users are doing and trying to predict the future for Ripple.

Grayscale Donating up to $2M to Crypto Advocacy Group Coin Center

A web page has been set up for the donation matching campaign that runs through February.

Collateralized Debt Obligations Make Their Way Into DeFi Lending

The future of finance apparently involves Wall Street’s ghosts.

First Mover: Bitcoin Flushes ‘Weak Hands’ as Ethereum Hits New All-Time High

Last week's rout in bitcoin market looks like "weak hands" selling out – since bidders appeared to materialize whenever prices fell to $30K.

Bank of Singapore Says Crypto Could Replace Gold as Store of Value

Cryptocurrencies need to overcome a number of hurdles first, though, according to a research note.

Ethereum-Based ConsenSys Quorum Partners with China’s BSN Blockchain

The first partnership for Quorum since leaving JPMorgan is a big one.

Crypto Miner Marathon Patent Group Buys $150M in Bitcoin

The Nasdaq-listed mining company wants to become a "pure-play bitcoin investment option" for Wall Street.

Two Arrested for Orchestrating Escape of Wirecard Exec Accused of Fraud

The collapsed financial firm had previously supplied cards to several cryptocurrency companies.

Shariah-Compliant Crypto Exchange Wins License From Bahrain Central Bank

Launching soon, CoinMENA said it will offer spot trading in five major cryptocurrencies.

Big Investors Stacked up Ether as Price Rose to Record High

Strong hands backed ether's rally to record highs, on-chain data suggests.

Russian Public Officials Banned From Holding Cryptocurrency

Russian government officials must dispose of any digital asset holdings before April 1, a letter from the Ministry of Labor states.

Former UK Cybersecurity Chief Says Laws Needed to Stop Ransomware Payouts

“People are paying bitcoin to criminals and claiming back cash” via insurance claims, Ciaran Martin said.

Ethereum’s Ether Cryptocurrency Sets New All-Time Price High Above $1,450

The price of ether (ETH), the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain network, soared to record levels on Sunday.

Crypto Long & Short: No, Bitcoin Was Not a Response to the Financial Crisis

In spite of the timing, bitcoin wasn't created as a result of the 2008 crisis – and this misunderstanding matters.

BOE’s Bailey, Western Union CEO Part of Davos Panel on Digital Currencies

The session will focus on the diminishing role of cash and the emergence of central bank digital currencies, moves accelerated by the pandemic.

Famed Investor Bill Miller Explains Buying MicroStrategy Debt: It’s the Bitcoin

"Not owning any Bitcoin has been a massive mistake, and we expect that will continue to be true," the famed value investor wrote to clients.

A Reading of Satoshi’s Bitcoin White Paper

The document that started it all, in audio form.

Chainlink’s LINK Cryptocurrency Hits New Record Price High

The cryptocurrency is now up 105% since Jan. 1, 2021.

Beijing, Shanghai to Join Wider Testing of Digital Yuan in 2021

The wider effort to promote the digital currency precedes a launch in the "near future," per a state media report.

Early CryptoPunk Digital Collectible Sells for $762K in Ether

Flamingo, a DAO for NFT investments, bought the ultra-rare “Alien” in a Saturday auction.

Valkyrie Digital Assets Files for Bitcoin ETF

The Valkyrie Bitcoin Trust would be listed on the NYSE and Coinbase Custody Trust Co. would serve as custodian.

Another Pro-Crypto Appointment in the Biden Administration?

Reports are that Chris Brummer – author of a volume on crypto assets and frequent speaker on digital currencies – will chair the CFTC.

Bitcoin Policy in Biden’s Washington, With Kristin Smith and Amy Davine Kim

As the Biden Administration gets underway, what can we expect for cryptocurrency technologies alongside an ascendent bitcoin?

Bitcoin Exchange LVL Launches Mastercard Debit Card

The card can spend crypto and fiat around the world.

Samsung Discussing $10B Chipmaking Facility in Texas: Bloomberg

Samsung plans for its foundry to manufacture 3nm chips.

At Least One Key Huobi Executive Is In Custody in China: Sources

The Chinese police appear to have intensified their crackdown on crypto exchanges’ OTC trading services in the last year.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 22, 2021

With bitcoin back above $30K and analysts calling for a deeper correction, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

Singapore Exchange, Temasek Launch Digital Asset Business for Capital Markets

The new venture seeks to partner with fixed income issuance platforms for their post-trade infrastructure.

Ethereum’s Road to $2K: 3 Reasons to Be Bullish

Ether recently broke above $1,400 for the first time in two years. Here are three events that could push the price even higher.

Russia’s Sber Bank Files to Launch Its Own Stablecoin

Russia's largest retail bank has applied to become a licensed digital assets issuer.

BIS Plans Platform for Testing Central Bank Digital Currencies in Cross-Border Payments

The new platform was announced as part of the BIS Innovation Hub's priorities and programs for 2021.

MicroStrategy Buys the Dip, Adds $10M to Bitcoin Treasury

CEO Michael Saylor bought the coins for an average price of $31,808.

First Mover: Bitcoin Newbies Get Volatility Lesson as Old Pros Lament FUD

A mixture of bearish price-chart patterns and ill-understood news items combined to cause bitcoin's biggest price plunge since March, in a demonstration to market newcomers of the cryptocurrency's notorious volatility.    

Tether’s Bank Deltec Says Stablecoin Is Fully Backed by Reserves

"Every tether is backed by a reserve and their reserve is more than what is in circulation," said Gregory Pepin, Deltec Bank's deputy CEO.

OKCoin to Integrate Bitcoin’s Lightning Network in Q1

The feature, added to alleviate fee pressure during Bitcoin’s bull market, could be live within a month's time.

Social Networks Are the Next Big Decentralization Opportunity

We have the core tech to enable radically more ethical and beneficial social media networks. Here's what we'll need.

Hut 8 Completes $11.8M Financing for New Bitcoin Mining Machines

The new machines will add 475 PH/s to Hut 8's hash power.

Grayscale May Have Laid Groundwork for 5 More Potential Crypto Trusts

Trusts for Chainlink, Basic Attention Token, Decentraland, Livepeer and Tezos were all recently registered in Delaware.

Bitcoin Faces Further Losses Before Rally Restarts, Say Analysts

Despite a bounce earlier on Friday, bitcoin may yet see further losses in the near term.

Class Action Filed Against Listed Bitcoin Miner Bit Digital Over Fraud Allegations

Defendants allege the mining company made false and/or misleading statements and failed to disclose the true extent of its mining operations.

30 Charged in Japan With Trading $96M-Worth of Crypto Stolen in Coincheck Hack

The around 30 individuals are suspected to have traded cryptocurrency stolen during the $560 million exchange hack in 2018.

Digital Asset Manager Komainu to Provide Custody of Crypto Seized by UK Police

Komainu will be responsible for providing police across the U.K. with a more "robust" means to store cryptocurrencies.

SEC Calls Out Suspicious Crypto Companies Targeting Global Traders

The securities regulator added eight suspect crypto entities to its watchlist Thursday.

Bitcoin Breaks Below $30K, Erasing Almost All of 2021’s Gains

Bitcoin gains in 2021 dropped below 1% as strong selling continues.

Bitcoin Price Sees Largest Daily Loss in 10 Months

Bitcoin ended Thursday down 13% amid continued selling.

Increased Mainstream Adoption of Bitcoin Cuts Diversification Benefit, JPMorgan Says

Bitcoin's correlation with traditional markets could "erode" its "diversification value over time."

Bitcoin Worries `Fading,’ as Crypto Goes Mainstream, S&P Says

S&P sees "a lot of similarities" between bitcoin and gold, and says concerns about theft of cryptocurrency have diminished with greater mainstream acceptance.

Bitcoin Slumps to $31K on Sell-Off in US and Europe

Uncertainty is leading many to take short-term profit, according to the "Coinbase Premium" indicator.

Blockchain Bites: Crypto in the Red, BlackRock Green Lights Bitcoin Futures

The world's largest asset manager will allow two of its funds to get into bitcoin futures, as Guggenheim speculates a market pullback in the near term.

Why Everyone From Square to Facebook Is Now Hosting the Bitcoin White Paper

The uploads come in response to legal threats by Craig Wright.

How Cultural Differences Drive User Adoption in DeFi

Despite being virtually identical products at launch, SushiSwap and Uniswap have taken divergent paths as they respond to users, says Multicoin's principal.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 21, 2021

With bitcoin dropping as traders turn bearish, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

Chinese City Plans Third Digital Yuan Pilot, Giving Away $3M in Prize Draw

Lottery entrants can apply to win 200 digital yuan each.

Microsoft, India’s Tanla Launch Encrypted Messaging Infrastructure Built With Blockchain

The edge-to-edge encrypted platform is built on Microsoft Azure and accessible by clients via an API.

Signature Bank Adds $2.5B in Non-Interest Bearing Deposits in Q4

These deposits are seen as a proxy for growth among crypto-industry clients.

Trading Bitcoin in Africa Is a Way for Some to Escape Poverty

Learning to trade bitcoin has become a valuable skill set for Africans looking to boost their income.

Guggenheim CIO Says Bitcoin May Have Topped Out for Now

Guggenheim Partners CIO says bitcoin could retrace all the way back to $20,000.

Kraken Adds 26 Crypto Trading Pairs to Capture Growing UK, Australia Markets

Kraken's biggest-ever expansion of trading pairs is aimed at growing its presence in the two promising markets.

eToro Survey Finds Pensions and Endowments Are Finally Waking Up to Crypto

The exchange quizzed 25 institutional players about crypto investing, including a couple of pension funds.

Russian Court Takes Crypto Exchange Binance off Website Blacklist

A court in the Arkhangelsk region ruled last summer Binance should be blocked, but the exchange wasn't notified until months later.

First Mover: As Bitcoin Flips Bearish, Neither Biden Nor BlackRock Brightens Mood

There's a lot of long-term bulls in the bitcoin market. But in the short-term? Pretty much everyone has suddenly turned bearish.  

Silvergate Took Nearly $3B in Deposits From Digital Currency Customers in Q4 2020

The majority of the new deposits came from cryptocurrency exchange clients.

Nebraska Lawmaker Introduces Bills That Would Permit Banks to Custody Crypto

Senator Mike Flood hopes to pass the bill in order to make Nebraska a financial technology hub and create new jobs.

Bitcoin Option Traders Hedge Against Downside Risk as Price Dips to Near $32K

Options traders look to be preparing for further falls in bitcoin's price in the short-term, according to put-call skew data.

Bitcoin.org Rebuts Craig Wright’s ‘Meritless’ Copyright Claim on Bitcoin White Paper

The open-source project said it would not comply with Wright's demand to take down its copy of the iconic founding document.

Former Ripple Board Member Tapped to Lead Biden’s OCC: WSJ

The Wall Street Journal is reporting former Treasury official Michael Barr will replace Brian Brooks as Comptroller of the Currency.

Proposed Crypto Wallet Rule Among Those Frozen by Biden Pending Review

Crypto advocates, fiercely opposed both the proposed rule and the initial attempt by the previous administration to rush it through.

‘Let’s Not Be Bitcoin’: Yearn Finance Considers Minting $200M in New YFI Tokens

Turns out the "no inflation" meme may not be here to stay.

Bitcoin Sells Off on Bearish Sentiment, Yellen Worries

The sell-off also led to major corrections for other cryptocurrencies including ether, stellar, xrp and chainlink.

The Relationship Between US Government Debt and Bitcoin, Explained

Bitcoiners are looking for persistent USD inflation to validate their favorite asset. That’s unlikely to happen soon, economists say, but low interest rates are still a boon for BTC.

Bitcoin Miner Bit Digital Hits Back at ‘False Accusations’ of Fraud

The company shed $130 million in value after J Capital’s report.

BlackRock Gives 2 Funds Go-Ahead to Invest in Bitcoin Futures

The world's largest asset manager appears to be getting into the bitcoin game.

Blockchain Bites: Bitcoin Bubble, Toil and Trouble

Also: "Market professionals" think assets are overheating while Yellen voices concern over bitcoin.

Dear Crypto Derivatives Industry, Let’s Not Repeat 2008

As the crypto derivatives industry begins to take off, it needs to avoid the lack of transparency that plagued the industry in the 2000s, when the financial system collapsed.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 20, 2021

With the price of BTC down and a new report out on the decrease in criminal crypto activity, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

Ether’s Rise to Record Highs May Propel Cryptocurrency to $10.5K: Fundstrat Global

Fundstrat strategist David Grider based his bullish prediction in part on the promise of Ethereum's technology.

Bitpanda Launches Debit Card That Lets Users Spend Fiat, Crypto and Precious Metals

Users can select any investment in their Bitpanda account to fund payments with the physical Visa card.

Salesforce, Lime Execs Join Board of Polkadot-Inspired Cere Network

Cere’s new board members don’t want a “half-assed approach” to enterprise blockchain.

Privacy Coin Firo Currently Experiencing 51% Attack

Users should not make transactions at this time.

First Mover: What’s Next for Ethereum After Cryptocurrency Hits All-Time High

The Ethereum blockchain is growing fast thanks to DeFi, and some traders say the ether cryptocurrency could notch further gains.

Lightspeed, Pantera Join $20M Raise for Crypto Market Maker Wintermute

The Series B will fund a push into Asia and the launch of a derivatives business.

Thai SEC Tells Bitkub Crypto Exchange to Improve Platform After Trading Outages

The financial regulator ordered the Bitkub exchange to close and fix issues that caused several outages as prices spiked this month.

European Commission, ECB Unite to Consider Potential Pitfalls of the Digital Euro

The digital euro project may get underway in mid-2021 after a period of reviewing any "policy, legal and technical questions" by the two institutions.

Valid Points: Why Ethereum 2.0 Shifts How Investors Value ETH

The use case of ether has shifted with the launch of Ethereum 2.0. Here’s why that matters.

Bitcoin Falls 5% Despite Continued Accumulation by Investors

Bitcoin fell from $36,000 to $34,000 Wednesday morning, despite continued buying from investors.

Thai Stock Exchange Launching Digital Asset Trading in H2, Cryptos Excluded

Listing cryptocurrencies could harm the stock exchange’s image and lose investor confidence, an executive said.

Over Half of Investors Think Bitcoin, Tesla Stock Are Biggest Bubbles: Deutsche Bank Survey

While many respondents saw bitcoin as a major bubble, 25% believed it could double its price tag to north of $70,000 by the start of 2022.

BMW, Ford Advance Standard for ‘Tamper-Proof’ Blockchain Identities for Vehicles

A new standard developed in a MOBI working group is aimed to tackle used car fraud with verified car histories.

Trustee of Collapsed Exchange Moves to Resolve Crypto vs. Fiat Creditor Claims Tussle

Bankruptcy trustee EY is trying to resolve a dispute over how to value cryptocurrencies recovered from QuadrigaCX.

Trump Pardons Ripple Board Member Ken Kurson; Ulbricht, Snowden Not on List

Silk Road’s Ross Ulbricht was not among the 143 individuals to receive clemency from the President, despite reports he was being considered.

Dan Larimer’s Departure Brings EOS Disappointments to the Fore

Every company is eyeing bitcoin, including the one that launched EOS.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Hangs at $36.4K While Ether Flies to Over $1.4K

The price of bitcoin has traded in a tight range Tuesday.

Bitcoin Is Aiding the Ransomware Industry

We are living in a world where the second-order effects of permissionless money – like the greater use of ransomware – are already evident.

Coinbase Buys Blockchain Infrastructure Startup Bison Trails

Bison Trails already partnered with Coinbase through its custody service.

Goldman Sachs Can No Longer Dismiss Bitcoin

According to a Goldman insider, the investment bank will leap into crypto custody soon.

Blockchain Bites: ‘Crowded’ Crypto Traders, Ether All-Time High, the Bitcoin Battery Proposal

Bitcoin's environmental impact has become top focus for some critics as traders go "long BTC" and Dunamu reveals a “fear and greed” index.

Janet Yellen Says Cryptocurrencies Are a ‘Concern’ in Terrorist Financing

The U.S. should examine how it can curtail the use of crypto for illicit financing, the former Fed Chair said.

The US Can Make Bitcoin Mining Greener

With companies like Square announcing environment-focused mining initiatives, the U.S. can take the lead in reducing bitcoin's carbon impact.

French Central Bank Trials Digital Currency for Interbank Settlement

The pilot involved the settlement on a private blockchain of around €2 million.

Brave Becomes First Browser to Offer Native IPFS Integration

IPFS integration gives Brave users easier access to the protocol while improving the overall resilience of the internet.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 19, 2021

With more traders betting on bitcoin than tech stocks and ether briefly reaching an all-time high, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

Criminal Activity in Crypto Transactions Fell Sharply in 2020, Says Chainalysis

Partly offsetting the positive trend is an explosion in ransomware attacks, which rose 311% from 2019.

Saddle Raises $4.3M for Slippage-Free DeFi Trading

Silicon Valley's Saddle is solving the stablecoin spread that currently dogs DeFi.

Extremism and Cryptocurrency: The Story Too Big to Ignore

In this episode, Anna Baydakova, Danny Nelson, and Tanzeel Akhtar discuss livestreaming the insurrection on a blockchain, Iran taking the mining industry under control, and if Europe can regulate bitcoin.

State of Crypto: What the Crypto World Should Watch for in the Biden Era

The incoming president has already announced he would tap pro-crypto, pro-regulation Gary Gensler to lead the SEC, but a number of other names and issues remain outstanding.

First Mover: Ether Steals Limelight With New All-Time High Price as Bitcoiners HODL

Crypto traders shift focus to ether as second-largest cryptocurrency surges to new record price, but bitcoiners aren't going anywhere.

Thieves Grab $451K in Cash From Hong Kong Crypto Trader

The robbers lured a female cryptocurrency trader into an office and threatened her with a weapon, according to a report.

Ethereum’s Ether Cryptocurrency Sets New Price Record on Major Exchanges

Ether (ETH) has broken its previous all-time high set in January 2018 with a rise to $1,439.

UK’s NHS Taps Blockchain Tech to Monitor Coronavirus Vaccine Cold Chain

Hedera Hashgraph's blockchain platform will provide the health service with a tamperproof record of vaccine temperatures, the firm said.

Bitcoin Becomes Most-Crowded Trade After Passing ‘Long Tech’: Bank of America Survey

Bank of America's January survey of fund managers indicated bitcoin is now seeing the most capital inflow.

South Korea’s Dunamu Launches Bitcoin ‘Fear and Greed’ Index to Guide Traders

The tool is aimed to help traders make better decisions based on market sentiment.

Enjin Coin Becomes First Gaming Cryptocurrency Whitelisted for Use in Japan

ENJ has been given the official nod by the Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association, a self-regulatory body.

Bitcoin’s Price Must Pass $40K to Halt Exodus of Traders: JPMorgan Analysts

A bearish outlook may be triggered if bitcoin doesn't claw its way back over $40,000, the analysts said.

India’s Largest Crypto Exchange Launches User-Friendly App, Eyes 50M New Users

Aimed to appeal to crypto newcomers, CoinDCX Go allows users to trade smaller denominations of 14 of the industry's top assets.

CoinShares to Launch a Bitcoin ETP on SIX Swiss Exchange

It joins several other ETP providers on the exchange, including ETC Group, with its own physically backed bitcoin product.

Lyn Alden on Why the Dollar System No Longer Serves the US or the World

At the end of an 80-year global debt supercycle, who benefits from having the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency?

Blockchain Bites: Goldman Sachs Investigates Crypto Custody, Solving the Blockchain ‘Trilemma’

Also: Coinbase plans infrastructure updates to prevent outages during periods of volatility.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 18, 2021

With BTC hovering around $36,000 and Iran's government blaming miners for recent blackouts, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest news roundup.

Nvidia May Restart Production of Crypto Mining GPUs if Demand Sufficient

Selling dedicated crypto cards would alleviate pressure on Nvidia's consumer models.

Gary Gensler Confirmed as Joe Biden’s SEC Chair Pick

Gary Gensler has taught courses about blockchain at MIT.

Huobi Global Connects to European Banking System via UK’s BCB Group

The crypto exchange is partnering with BCB Group to get instant GBP and euro settlement for its customers.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Lists Bitcoin as Possible Future Reserve Currency

Stephen Harper said "the number of things that people use as reserves will expand," but the U.S. dollar will still retain its dominant role.

Chainlink Hits Record High, Altcoins Rally Amid Bitcoin Consolidation

Chainlink's LINK token set a new record price early on Monday, and other altcoins are seeing solid gains.

Livecoin Exchange Announces Closure After December Hack

Following an alleged December breach, the trading platform now says it will close and repay users any remaining funds.

Australian Bitcoin Trader Takes Banks to Tribunal After Sudden Account Closures

The trader had operated a registered digital currency exchange, but said he was unable to continue operating without banking services.

Publisher of ‘Infinite Fleet’ Game Kicks Off Token Offering With $1M Tether Investment

The security token offering enables investors in select EU countries to share in future profits, Exordium says.

Bitcoin Struggles to Recover After Biggest Weekly Price Loss Since September

Prices fell by 6% in the seven days to Jan. 17, a weekly fall not seen since the first week of September.

Coinbase Joins $6M Funding Round for Licensed Middle-East Exchange Rain Financial

The $6 million Series A round was led by Middle-Eastern VC firm MEVP Capital.

Iran Reportedly Seizes 45K Bitcoin Mining Machines After Closure of Illegal Operations

The mostly ASIC devices used to mine bitcoin are said to have been consuming 95 megawatts per hour of electricity at a reduced rate.

Offline Travel App Maps.Me Raises $50M in Seed Funding Led by Alameda Research

The funding will go toward the launch of a multi-currency wallet on Maps.me and enable a decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem.

Crypto Long & Short: No, Bitcoin Is Not in a Bubble

Commentators and analysts who say bitcoin is in a “bubble” show they don’t understand what the term means.

China’s Blockchain-Based Service Network to Integrate Central Bank Digital Currency

The BSN expects to complete integrations with a total of 30 public blockchains this year.

Grayscale Raises $700M+ in a Day, Its Largest Daily Asset Raise Ever

In Q4 2020, the company raised $3.3 billion across its cryptocurrency investment vehicles.

Ripple is Hiring Director of Engineering for RippleX Platform

The planned new hire along with a recent expansion show Ripple does not seem deterred by legal troubles in the U.S.

Bitcoin’s Massive Swings Give Pause to CFOs Mulling Reserve Investment: Bloomberg

Bitcoin’s 30% price correction was enough to give some CFOs second thoughts.

Coinbase Redoing Infrastructure to Prevent Outages During Peak Times

The exchange also said it's working to improve its customer service response time, another source of complaints.

‘You’re Starting To Democratize Access.’ Arca’s Jeff Dorman on Crypto’s Impact on Organizational Structure and Other Big Trends to Look for in 2021

A leading crypto investor on the year-ahead for bitcoin, NFTs, India and DeFi community tokens. Your host is Ben Schiller.

‘America and Sound Money,’ the Most Important Bitcoin Essay of the Last Year

A reading of the “Stone Ridge 2020 Shareholder Letter” by Ross Stevens.

Central Bank Digital Currencies Not a ‘Fad,’ MetLife Investment Says

The investment giant predicts CBDCs will continue gaining steam, although Western central banks have more outstanding questions than answers.

Russian Metals Firm Norilsk Nickel Backs IBM’s Responsible Sourcing Blockchain Pact

The technology is aimed at tracing commodity flows in near real-time and cut paperwork.

Crashes, Rallies and Stimulus: A Normal Week for 2021 Bitcoin

The second full business week of January has demonstrated many trends that NLW argues will shape bitcoin and crypto throughout the year.

3iQ’s Canadian Bitcoin Fund Hits C$1B in Market Cap

The digital asset manager also reached C$1 billion in net asset value this week.

K-Pop Sensation Mamamoo to Mint Digital Collectibles on Polkadot

The popular K-Pop girl band's parent company RBW is now selling its singers' digital products on the blockchain.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Dips to $34.4K as Big-Name DeFi Tokens Trounce ETH

Bitcoin may be down now but there is still growing demand for crypto assets, one analyst said.

Goldman Sachs to Enter Crypto Market ‘Soon’ With Custody Play: Source

Goldman, JPMorgan and Citi are all said to be looking at crypto custody.

Wireline Settles SAFT Suit With SEC; Peirce Partially Dissents

Wireline is now barred from distributing the tokens it promised investors in its 2018 SAFT sale.

Will Mayor Suarez’s Miami Be the First Major City to Buy Bitcoin?

The entrepreneurial mayor brings his recruitment of tech talent to the crypto space with the potential of a 1% investment of the city’s reserves into BTC.

Fixing Crypto’s Silos

Our fragmented status quo - thousands of tokens, hundreds of dapps - will not work indefinitely without interoperability.

Mt. Gox Creditors Can Claim 90% of Bitcoin Left in Bankruptcy: Bloomberg

The agreement is subject to creditor acceptance.

Why Celsius Thinks CEL Won’t Receive the Same SEC Treatment as XRP

In an interview with CoinDesk TV, CEO Alex Mashinsky explained why CEL has drawn recent interest from altcoin investors.

Blockchain Bites: Coinbase Wants to Crowdsource Asset Listings; What’s Up With Tether’s Bank?

Deltec invested some clients' funds in bitcoin, but not Tether's, the bank confirms. So what exactly is backing tether?

Money Reimagined: Bitcoin’s Warning for Central Banks

Bitcoin's rising price reflects declining faith in the existing financial system. Will central bankers like Christine Lagarde take notice?

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 15, 2021

With the price of BTC bouncing off $40K and the Fed in no rush to issue its own token, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest crypto news roundup.

Crypto Infrastructure and the Internet Age, With Christopher Giancarlo and Marvin Ammori

An insiders look at how new, disruptive technology and government interact.

First Mover: Biden’s $1.9T Plan Shows ‘Blue Wave’ Bitcoiners Saw Coming

The Federal Reserve might need to print money to help finance Biden's coronavirus relief proposal, to keep Treasury-bond interest rates from climbing.

MahaDAO’s Algorithmic ‘Valuecoin’ Goes Live on Ethereum

ARTH tries to maintain its value over time compared to other stablecoins that lose value as the dollar is inflated.

Bittrex Won’t Disclose Why It Withdrew Support for Dash, Zcash, Monero

As of today, zcash, monero and dash won’t be included among Bittrex’s tradable assets.

Advisers Allocating Crypto in Clients’ Portfolios Rose 49% Last Year: Survey

The number of advisers allocating to crypto in client portfolios rose from 6.3% to 9.4% in 2020.

Biden’s $1.9T Relief Package Proposal Fails to Stir Bitcoin Market

The U.S. dollar's rise on the news maybe be playing spoilsport to the bitcoin bulls.

JPMorgan Provides $100M Financing Facility for Blockchain Mortgage Platform Figure

The facility covers both conforming and jumbo mortgages – loans in excess of the traditional lending restrictions.

Bitcoin ETP Trading at Levels Seen by Top European ETFs: FT

Only one major ETF was trading at volumes slightly higher than the BTCetc ETP in the first 11 days of January, says the FT.

Ripple Tech to Power New Malaysia-Bangladesh Remittance Corridor

Malaysia's Mobile Money and Bangladesh's bKash will leverage RippleNet for wallet-to-wallet transactions.

Bitcoin Worth $1.2M Seized From India Hacker

"Shreeki" allegedly hacked government portals, bitcoin exchanges and poker sites.

Liquidators of South African Bitcoin Trading Club Request Greater Probe Powers

Placed under provisional liquidation last month, Mirror Trading had claimed to be able to offer returns of 10% a month using bots to trade client's bitcoin.

EU Parliament Receives Petition Seeking to Establish Crypto Crime Victims’ Fund

The petition asks the EU to take a tiny fee on crypto transactions to be pooled into a fund for victims of fraud and hacks.

Lido Protocol Does Eth 2.0 Staking but With a DeFi Twist

There's a new yield farm for those backing Ethereum 2.0.

Sci-Hub Leaves Handshake Blockchain After 2 Days, Citing Centralization Concerns

Sci-Hub, a pirate library of academic papers censored by Twitter, PayPal and domain systems, left the distributed domain platform Handshake after two days, unsatisfied by the level of decentralization.

Coinbase Wants to List Your Crypto Asset

"Our directive is to list every compliant asset possible," the exchange wrote Thursday.

Privacy Coin Firo Launches ‘Privacy by Default’ Protocol on Mainnet

Lelantus introduces “on-by-default” privacy while also allowing partial redemptions of Firo’s burn-and-redeem model.

Latest Music Act to Launch a Social Token: Portugal. The Man

The Grammy Award–winning band is turning to Rally to join the ranks of musicians launching fan engagement tokens.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 14, 2021

With bitcoin bouncing back up and approval of the first federally chartered crypto bank, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest crypto news roundup.

Grayscale’s Crypto Products Raised Over $3B Last Quarter, the Most Ever

Grayscale's popular bitcoin trust once again led the pack with over $200 million in inflows every week.

Paxos Makes Fresh Push for DeFi Market With New Oracle Integration

Fresh off its partnership with PayPal, Paxos is making a new push into the decentralized finance market.

Bitcoin Briefly Revisits $40,000 as Bulls Pare Week’s Losses

Bitcoin has rallied nearly 15% in the past 24 hours. Ether hits $1,200.

DC Magistrate Judge Calls Unhosted Wallet ‘Horror Story’ a ‘Fiction’

“Indeed, cash poses a greater challenge to law enforcement than cryptocurrency in unhosted wallets," wrote Judge Zia Faruqui in an opinion on a forfeiture case.

First Mover: Forget Facebook’s Stablecoin. Now It’s $700B Bitcoin In the Crosshairs

Bitcoin's powerful move over the past couple months to a market value of more than $700 billion is suddenly commanding more attention from global financial regulators. 

FinCEN Extends Comment Period for Controversial Crypto Wallet Rule by 15 Days

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is providing an additional 15 days for comments on the proposed reporting requirements regarding unhosted crypto wallets.

Fireblocks Rolls Out Staking Rewards for Eth 2.0, Polkadot and Tezos

The institution-focused crypto custodian is bringing staking services to its 165-plus customers.

Twitter, Trump and the ‘Private Company’ Fallacy

Defending deplatforming as the right of private companies assumes that truly private companies are possible. They may not be.

Winklevoss Twins Considering Taking Gemini Public: Report

"We are certainly open to it,” Cameron Winklevoss said in the interview.

OKEx Adds More Coin-Margined Perpetual Swaps for Real-Time Settlement

OKEx adding more swaps to its real-time settlement function that went live on Dec. 29, 2020.

UK Man Offers Council $72M If He’s Allowed to Search Dump and Finds Discarded Bitcoin Trove

A UK IT engineer who mistakenly threw away a hard drive with around £210 million ($288 million) of bitcoin on it is applying to the local government to search wasteland for the device. Read more: UK Treasury Calls for Feedback on Approach to Cryptocurrency and Stablecoin Regulation

Bitcoin Bounces as Options Market Sees 20% Chance of $50K at Month’s End

While a 31% rally to $50,000 in two weeks may be challenging to envision, it is far from impossible, given bitcoin's prior rallies.

Winklevoss-Founded Gemini to Offer Credit Card With Crypto Rewards

Gemini, the cryptocurrency exchange and custodian founded by the Winklevoss brothers, has launched the Gemini Credit Card offering cryptocurrency rewards. Read more: Gemini Donates $50K to HRF to Help Fund Another Round of Bitcoin Developers in 2021

Deribit Exchange Raises Maximum Bitcoin Options Strike Price to $400K

The eye-watering strike option supplants the company's previous $300,000 maximum offering listed on Jan. 9.

Crypto Buyers Face ‘Possible Limitations’ on eToro This Weekend

The company cited issues relating to poor liquidity in the face of heightened demand.

Bitfarms Closes Its Second $15M Private Placement in a Week

Bitfarms was able to sell far few shares for the same amount of proceeds thanks to a 45% rise in its stock price in the last week.

‘Was This Correct?’ Twitter’s Dorsey Asks About Banning Trump and Then Says ‘Yes’

He then praised Bitcoin as a "technology that is not controlled or influenced by any single individual or entity."

‘Was This Correct?’ Twitter’s Dorsey Asks About Banning Trump and Then Says ‘Yes’

He then praised Bitcoin as a "technology that is not controlled or influenced by any single individual or entity."

‘No Middle Ground’: Inside Colombia’s Race to Become A Major Regional Crypto Market

In 2020, Colombia saw a major boost in crypto use, both as a store of wealth and as a means of transaction.

Financial Censorship After Capitol Riot ‘Truly Chilling,’ Says OCC Chief Brian Brooks

“Money might be controlled by a handful of elites,” the departing bank regulator said at a Wednesday event. “Crypto is about freedom.”

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 13, 2021

With BTC looking at gloomy short-term price predictions and altcoins on the rise, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest crypto news roundup.

Digital Asset Manager Arca Raises $10M

Asset management firm Arca has announced Wednesday the closure of a $10 million Series A round of funding led by RRE Ventures. Read more: Arca Labs Launches Ethereum-Based SEC-Registered Fund

Ex-Ripple CTO Can’t Remember Password to Access $240M in Bitcoin

Just call it Schrödinger's bitcoin.

Compute North, Foundry Team Up to Target North American Bitcoin Miners

The partnership is designed to lower the high cost of entry for would-be bitcoin miners.

Chinese Hospital Issues First Electronic Bill on Blockchain

Hainan is one of the few provinces that have successfully incorporated blockchain technology into their public institutions’ online administrative platforms.

CrossTower Launches Capital Markets Desk to Bring Institutions to Its Spot Exchange

“Ultimately we end up with something that looks and feels a little bit like what you see in the prime brokerage space.”

Ledger Adds Bitcoin Bounty and New Data Security After Hack

Ledger was also targeted by hackers in Shopify's data breach.

First Mover: Don’t Like $34K Bitcoin? Stellar, Litecoin Yet to Conquer Old Highs

Though bitcoin's rally has lost some steam, many traders are still in a bullish mood – and shifting to alternative cryptocurrencies known as "altcoins" whose prices have yet to clear all-time highs from years past. 

US Navy Commissions $1.5M Blockchain System for Tracking Critical Weaponry

Blockchain firm SIMBA Chain won a contract to build a system to anticipate demand for "critical" military weaponry parts.

New Bitcoin ETP Launches on Swiss Stock Exchange SIX

The BTCetc bitcoin ETP (BTCE) tracks the price of bitcoin and is physically backed.

New Bitcoin ETP Launches on Swiss Stock Exchange SIX

The BTCetc bitcoin ETP (BTCE) tracks the price of bitcoin and is physically backed.

Valid Points: Price Dips, 60K Validators and Eth 2.0’s ‘Graffiti’ Messages

The price of ether dove hard last weekend, but the number of validators joining the Eth 2.0 network continues to grow, regardless of price movements.

Analysts Are Gloomy About Bitcoin’s Short-Term Price Outlook Right Now

Some are now forecasting an extension of Monday's 20% price drop as more bitcoin moves onto exchanges and institutional demand cools.

Bitcoin Miner Marathon to Raise $250M in Direct Stock Offering

The Las Vegas company has agreed a direct offering of 12.5 million shares of common stock at $20 per share.

BitGo Taps Former Coinbase Exec Jeff Horowitz as Chief Compliance Officer

Jeff Horowitz led Coinbase’s global compliance program until his departure in October.

Winklevoss’ Gemini Would Back New Bitcoin ETF Application in Canada

The ETF is planned to be listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the ticker "BIT.U.”

ECB’s Christine Lagarde Says ‘Speculative’ Bitcoin Needs Regulation

In a speech at a Reuters online event Wednesday, Lagarde said bitcoin was a speculative asset.

Owner of Crypto Exchange RG Coins Gets 10 Years in Prison for Laundering $5M

The 53-year-old Bulgarian national was convicted for laundering funds via cryptocurrency for a fake online auctions gang.

Goldman Sachs Exec Says More Institutional Investment Would Calm Bitcoin Volatility

Global head of commodities research Jeff Currie believes the amount of institutional money in bitcoin needs to grow to mature the asset.

Largest Dark Web Market Taken Offline as Alleged Operator Arrested in Germany

The DarkMarket site was thought to be the world's largest illegal online marketplace.

Coinbase Apologizes to UK and EU Customers Hit By Regulatory Lockouts

The mea culpa was mum on Coinbase's broader troubles in keeping global trading running smoothly.

Brian Brooks, Crypto-Friendly Bank Regulator, Expected to Step Down This Week: Report

The Acting OCC head will reportedly end his brief tenure running the federal banking regulator by the end of the week.

Acting SEC Enforcement Director Berger to Step Down

Berger presided over the enforcement division when it launched the Ripple lawsuit.

Blockchain Bites: Bitcoin Rebounds, Addresses Above 2017 Peak, Sci-Hub Decentralizes

Content moderation decisions from Amazon, Shopify and Twitter following the Capitol riots in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 have put efforts to “decentralize” the web into sharp relief.

Bitcoin Options Volume on Deribit Already 25% of 2020 Total

$14.5 billion in bitcoin options have traded on Deribit in the first two weeks of 2021.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 12, 2021

With BTC regaining lost ground and a special feature on what long-timers in the crypto industry think about this year's rally, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest crypto news roundup.

Fidelity International Invests $6M in Firm Behind Hong Kong’s OSL Crypto Exchange

BC's OSL exchange is the first crypto brokerage to receive Hong Kong regulators' blessing.

UK Treasury Calls for Feedback on Approach to Cryptocurrency and Stablecoin Regulation

The U.K. government is focusing on stablecoins for the next phase of its development of crypto regulations.

Tron Is Out, Dai Is Back: CoinDesk 20 List Updates for 2021 Q1

Volume on eight trusted exchanges used by CoinDesk hit $239.98 billion in Q4 2020, up from $90.08 billion in the prior quarter.

Anchorage Hires Celsius’ Asaf Iram as Head of Risk

Digital asset custodian Anchorage has hired its first Head of Risk.

First Mover: Market Signs Look Healthy as Bitcoin Sell-Off Subsides

Record trading volumes have accompanied bitcoin's rally this year, and subsequent swoon, offering a healthy sign of just how much price discovery is taking place in rapidly growing (to $3T?) cryptocurrency markets. 

Grayscale Once More Accepting New Clients for Most Crypto Trusts

Grayscale's ether and XRP trusts are still closed to new investors.

Bitcoin Whales Kept Accumulating During Monday’s Crash

Larger investors, or whales look to have reacted differently than retail investors amid this week's bitcoin price drop.

NYDIG Taps Fintech Firm Moven to Bring Bitcoin to Your Bank

“If PayPal and Square can do it, then community banks should be able to do it too,” said Moven founder Brett King.

HashKey Capital Invests $5M in Decentralized Storage Project Filestar

The $5 million grant will go towards funding the day-to-day operations of Filestar's foundation.

FinCEN’s Crypto Rules Aren’t as Unfair as Jack Dorsey Says

Crypto companies complain about FinCEN's new "unhosted wallets" proposal. But the rules aren't unreasonable, says our columnist.

As Bitcoin Regains Lost Ground, Options Traders Bet on $52K Move By Late January

Some bitcoin traders are buying bullish call options at $52,000 and higher strike prices.

New Zealand’s Financial Watchdog Warns on Crypto Investment Risks

The warning comes a day after the regulator's U.K. counterpart, the Financial Conduct Authority, also raised similar concerns.

Avatar Social Platform IMVU Launches Ethereum Token to Power Its Virtual Economy

The VCOIN token launch got the green light from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission late last year.

Ethereum-Based Nexus Mutual Expands Its Decentralized ‘Insurance’ to Centralized Exchanges

A way to be covered in the event of an exchange hack.

Shanghai Government Invests $5M in Blockchain Startup Conflux

The Shanghai government has invested over $5M in public permissionless blockchain startup Conflux while putting the project in the list of 57 companies that focus on emerging technologies such as 5G and aerospace.

Babel Finance Is Letting Crypto Mining Firms Use Machines as Loan Collateral

A clever way for bitcoin miners to get better loan terms.

Pirated Academic Database Sci-Hub Is Now On the ‘Uncensorable Web’

Sci-Hub, a pirate database of academic papers using bitcoin for funding, has joined the distributed domain names network Handshake.

GemCoin Founder Sentenced to 10 Years for $147M Crypto Scheme

The judge scheduled a restitution hearing for victim investors this summer.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Plunges to $30.3K as Options Traders Bet on Sub-$800 Ether

Bitcoin’s huge sell-off by over $8,000 in the past 24 hours while options traders clearly are betting that ether is overvalued.

Did This Bitcoin Cycle’s FUD Phase Just Begin?

As the price crashes more than 20% in 24 hours, NLW describes the “wall of worry” around regulation that might characterize this cycle’s FUD.

Institutions Use This Strategy to Hide Their Bitcoin Orders

Having smaller orders in essence fools the market into thinking there is not much interest at those price levels when in fact there is.

Now Is the Time to Advance the Decentralized Web

After the U.S. Capitol insurrection and Twitter's unilateral ban of President Trump, decentralizing the web has never been more necessary.

NYDIG Acquires Digital Assets Data

The acquisition bolsters NYDIG's data offerings as it continues to build out an institutional client base.

Bitcoin Erases Most of New Year’s Gains Amid Short-Term Profit-Taking

Monday's plunge has erased almost all the gains the leading cryptocurrency had achieved in the new year.

Blockchain Bites: Crypto Market Cap Drops Below $1T as Dollar Gains

Also: Bakkt will go public through a SPAC merger, JPMorgan weighs in on a bitcoin ETF and Dan Larimer is leaving EOS-incubator Block.one.

Aragon One CEO Jorge Izquierdo Resigns in Protest of ‘Governance’ Decisions

Aragon One CEO Jorge Izquierdo has resigned, becoming the highest-profile departure in a recent flurry of resignations.

Binance, Blockchain Firm Orbs to Sponsor New Accelerator for DeFi Innovation

The two firms have become core sponsors of the DeFi.org accelerator, which will provide grants for innovative startups working in decentralized finance.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 11, 2021

With the price of BTC down by more than $8K and an opportunity to trade your crypto for a NYC bar (or two), CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest crypto news roundup.

Tether Mints Record 2B USDT in One Week

The previous record of 1.5 billion USDT was set the week before last.

Aragon Acquires Voting Project Vocdoni to Flesh Out Decentralized Governance Stack

The Aragon Association has acquired Vocdoni, a decentralized voting project born out of the Catalan independence movement.

US-Listed Chinese Lottery Firm Plans $14.4M Move Into Bitcoin Mining

Shares of the company traded up 11% on the news of the deal to purchase miners later this year.

First Mover: Cryptocurrency Euphoria Hits Breaking Point as Miners Lose Nerve

Crypto euphoria gets reality check as bitcoin and ether tumble, though XRP is still trading with market value near Ford Motor's as SEC-inflicted damage proves limited.

Bitcoin Exchange Bakkt Agrees Merger, Will Become Publicly Listed on NYSE

The combined company will be called "Bakkt Holdings" and will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange with an expected valuation of $2.1 billion.

Bitcoin’s Big Drop Again Coincides With Dollar Bounce in Forex Markets

Bitcoin's crash Monday came alongside a bounce in the Dollar Index.

Chinese Bank Trials Digital Yuan Services at ATMs: Report

Trials of China's central bank digital currency continue, with ATMs now starting to be used in Shenzhen.

Scaling Solution Hermez Network Adds Tether Token to Tackle High Ethereum Fees

Hermez Network sets out to provide faster and cheaper transactions on Ethereum.

Crypto Custody Firm Leaves Singapore’s Regulatory Sandbox With License, ISO Rating

The firm exits the sandbox with what it claims is the first ISO 27001 certification for a crypto custody provider.

UK’s FCA Warns Investors of High-Risk Crypto Investments and Scams

The Financial Conduct Authority said investors in cryptocurrency products offering high returns should be prepared to lose "all their money."

Bitcoin Plummets as Miners Sell Inventory, Spot Markets Panic

Bitcoin fell sharply early on Monday, having failed to establish a foothold above $40,000 over the weekend.

Biconomy Raises $1.5M in Seed Funding for Bid to Simplify Blockchain Transactions

Biconomy aims to enable blockchain developers to provide a simplified onboarding and transaction experience for users of Web 3.0 and blockchain projects

Bitcoin Miner Bit Digital Passes $1B Market Cap

The company had a total value of $6.2 million a year ago.

Crypto Long & Short: Traditional and Crypto Markets are Starting to Converge

The latest OCC statement, which opens the door for banks to use blockchains to validate payments, hints at more than just better services.

European eToro Traders Call Foul Over Closure of Leveraged Crypto Contracts

Traders in Europe are threatening legal action against eToro for allegedly closing their leveraged crypto positions without enough notice.

A NYC Bar Could Be Yours for Only 25 Bitcoin or 800 Ethereum: Report

The bar owner says he's hoping "to catch one of these crypto dudes who always wanted to own a bar."

CTO Dan Larimer Announces Departure From EOS Builder Block.One

Dan Larimer has left Block.one, the company that raised $4 billion to build the software behind the EOS blockchain.

Why I Changed My Mind on Bitcoin

A reading of two recent essays by former bitcoin skeptics who have changed their tunes.

Apple Suspends Parler From App Store, Amazon Kicks It Off Web Hosting Service

The tech giant had reportedly given the service 24 hours to address its concerns.

Bitcoin Miners Saw 33% Revenue Increase in December

Miners earned an estimated $692 million last month.

Wrapped Bitcoin ‘Burns’ Outpaced Minting for the First Time in December

BitGo “unwrapped” over 11,600 WBTC last month.

Long-Desired Bitcoin ETF Could Actually Hurt Price in Short Term: JPMorgan

An ETF could draw institutional money from the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, a support for the price of the cryptocurrency, the report said.

Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Hits Record High Amid Miner Revenue Surge

Mining difficulty passed 20 trillion Saturday morning.

Was This The Craziest Week in Bitcoin History?

Transformative regulatory guidance, important macro tailwinds and, of course, a stunning run-up past $40,000.

eToro Seeks to Deter New Traders in Sign of Surging Retail Demand for Crypto

The platform, which mainly caters to "social" or beginner traders, raised its required deposit level to $1,000 from $200.

Think How Well Bitcoin Would Be Doing if You Could Actually Buy It

Bailey Reutzel on the frustrations many newbie investors must be facing right now.

Donald Trump Banned From Twitter in Final Days of Presidency

Twitter has banned Donald Trump's account (@realDonaldTrump) permanently just days after supporters broke into the Capitol Building, citing a review of recent tweets that the social media platform says could lead to further violence.

Morgan Stanley Boosts Stake in Bitcoin-Laden MicroStrategy to 10.9%

Morgan Stanley now owns 792,627 shares in the company best known for using its treasury funds to load up on bitcoin.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Crosses $41.9K as Ether Futures Interest Grows 85% So Far in 2021

Bitcoin hit a brand-new all-time high as traders are piling into ether futures.

The Smart Way to Talk About DeFi’s $22B

"TVL isn't the best indicator when ETH and all other crypto is green for weeks," one observer said of DeFi's recent growth.

Asia’s Retail FOMO Could Be Behind XRP’s Rally Despite SEC’s Lawsuit

Data and traders reveal the source of XRP's recent price rally could be Asia.

BRRR: Biden Readies a New $3T Stimulus Package

What a new package including more direct payouts to citizens plus big infrastructure spending mean for bitcoin and markets as a whole.

Square Crypto Funds Bitcoin Developer to Improve Mining Pool Software

Square Crypto’s latest grant will fund a developer’s work on software that could improve how mining collectives pool hash power.

Bitcoin Is ‘Less Risky the Higher It Goes,’ Says Investor Bill Miller on CNBC

"That's the opposite of what happens with most stocks," the mutual fund legend added.

Money Reimagined: Bitcoin’s Road to Gold

Bitcoin may not be "digital gold" just yet. But, with institutions accepting the business case and the price rising, it's well on the way.

Blockchain Bites: Bitcoin’s Rich List, Coinbase’s Latest Acquisition

Also: Grayscale reports an a rise in participation from pensions while Ripple's Garlinghouse reveals he attempted to settle charges with the SEC ahead of its XRP suit.

Charity’s Centralization Problem, Feat. Matthew Davie and Alpen Sheth

They call it the charitable-industrial complex: a system where money for development, for humanitarian needs and for improving the lives of billions is controlled through a top-down process, run by U.S. charities and shaped by U.S. tax rules and regulations.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 8, 2021

With BTC hitting another record high of $41K plus a look at the ongoing rise and where it could end, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest crypto news roundup.

Cryptocurrency Miner Hive Blockchain Passes $1B Market Value

Hive last had a $1 billion market value in November 2017.

Bitcoin’s Market Value Now Exceeds That of Facebook

Bitcoin is currently more valuable than all but six of the world's publicly traded companies.

Ethereum 2.0 Explained in 4 Easy Metrics

With the launch of every new blockchain comes a new block explorer website to understand.

Kyrgyzstan Has Proposed Its First Regulatory Framework for Crypto

Kyrgyzstan's central bank wants to regulate cryptocurrency – licensing exchanges and barring its use in payments.

First Mover: It Might Be Getting ‘Silly’ as Bitcoin Passes $39K, $40K, $41K

It's taken just eight days in 2021 for bitcoin prices to surge more than 40%, and some analysts are starting to handicap the chances for a correction.

Internet Shutdowns Cost India $2.8B in 2020: Report

A 2020 report by Top10VPN found India to be the country that suffered the most economic damage from internet disruptions.

Why Joe Biden’s $3T Stimulus Package Could Add Fuel to Bitcoin’s Rally

After Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, an expected raft of new stimulus measures may further boost bitcoin's rally, say analysts.

Grayscale CEO Says Crypto Interest Is Rising From Pension, Endowment Funds

Michael Sonnenshein said institutions are also making larger allocations to its crypto products.

Over $41,000: Bitcoin Continues to Forge New Highs

Another day, another record high for bitcoin's price.

Tron-Owned Video Platform Criticized for Hosting Extremists, U.S. Capitol Rioters

A legal non-profit accuses the platform of failing to moderate accounts and allowing extremists to collect donations.

US Judge U-Turns on Ruling in Overstock Digital Dividend Lawsuit

The plaintiff may now file an amended complaint against Overstock and former CEO Patrick Byrne.

Crypto Exchange Bakkt Nears Merger With Victory Park SPAC: Bloomberg

A deal could be announced as soon as next week, the report said.

Why Is Bitcoin Going Up, and Will It Crash Soon? What’s Next as Price Doubles to $40K

Crypto pros and newbies alike are asking why bitcoin prices keep hitting new all-time highs, and if prices are due to crash. Here's what the experts say.

Finland Pushes to Sell Tainted Trove of Bitcoins Worth Tens of Millions

Finland's customs agency plans to sell nearly 2,000 bitcoins agents seized in drug raids.

Coinbase Acquires Routefire to Beef Up Institutional Bitcoin Offering

Leading U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase has acquired trade execution startup Routefire. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Blockchain Bites: Sustainability and Uncertainty as Crypto Crosses $1T Benchmark

Amid political chaos and global uncertainty, one bitcoin is now worth more than $39,000 as the value of all cryptos passes $1 trillion.

Ignoring Outages, Coinbase Futures Set Record Highs as Bitcoin Rally Continues

CBSE futures on FTX hit $311 Thursday afternoon.

65K Comments and Counting: Crypto Industry Fights ‘Arbitrary’ Treasury Rule

The crypto industry says a proposed rule to collect personal data from private wallet transactions is being rushed, might be challenged in court and could be difficult to implement.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 7, 2021

With the price of bitcoin up another $2K and the cryptocurrency sector now valued at more than a trillion dollars, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest crypto news roundup.

Coinbase Suffers ‘Connectivity Issues’ Again as Bitcoin Hits Another Record

Bitcoin suffered the same issues yesterday, which lasted six hours.

Crypto Investment Firm Grayscale Names New CEO, Plans to Double Staff in 2021

Grayscale's managing director, Michael Sonnenshein, has now been appointed CEO.

Institutional Custody Will Challenge Retail-Oriented Crypto

The bearer nature of digital assets presents challenges to institutions getting into crypto. The need for greater security will likely impact the whole industry.

Crypto Derivatives Exchange BitMEX Says All Users Are Now Verified

After getting in hot water with U.S. regulators last year, the exchange has rolled out mandatory verification for all users.

Bitcoin Miner Bitfarms Closes $15M Brokered Private Placement

Bitfarms announced the placement Sunday.

First Mover: $1 Trillion of Cryptocurrencies Shows Booming ‘Asset Class’

It took just a few months for cryptocurrencies' market cap to double to $1 trillion. That compares with eight years for U.S. junk loans.

XRP Climbs Back up Crypto Rankings With Near 50% Rise

With the sudden rise, XRP has replaced litecoin as the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap.

Oasis Protocol Adds Shyft Network in Bid to Attract Institutions to DeFi

Oasis Labs, creator of Oasis Protocol, appears to be looking to build an institution-friendly version of Ethereum's DeFi ecosystem.

PayPal, Coinbase Invest in Crypto Tax Automation Startup TaxBit

PayPal Ventures, Coinbase Ventures and Winklevoss Capital invested an undisclosed amount in the firm.

South Korea’s 20% Crypto Tax Now Coming in 2023: Report

The cryptocurrency tax was originally planned to be implemented in late 2021.

Bitcoin Tops $38K for First Time, a Day After Blowing Past $36K, $37K

The leading cryptocurrency hit a new-all time high of $38,286.65, before settling down to $36,004.99, up 5.93% over the last 24 hours.

CME Becomes Biggest Bitcoin Futures Exchange as Institutional Interest Rises

Chicago Mercantile Exchange now tops the list of the biggest bitcoin futures trading platforms, accounting for nearly 20% of all open interest.

Record Expected Ether-Bitcoin Volatility Points to Altcoin Season Ahead: Analyst

Peaking implied volatility spreads suggest the emphasis in the markets will shift to ether and other alternative currencies in the short term.

Coronavirus Vaccines Certified With VeChain’s Blockchain Tech in Cyprus

The medical certification app was developed by VeChain and I-Dante last May.

FiCAS’ Actively Managed Crypto ETP Gets Green Light for European Expansion

The first actively managed crypto ETP, the BTCA was launched in Switzerland last July.

Trump Signs Order to Ban Ma’s Alipay, Other Chinese Apps

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday banning the Alipay payment platform and seven other apps with links to the Chinese, saying the apps can access private information from their users. Separately, U.S. officials are considering banning U.S. citizens from investing in Alibaba Group, an affiliate of Alipay’s parent, and Tencent Holdings, […]

Total Cryptocurrency Market Value Hits Record $1 Trillion

During 2017's bull run, the market peaked at a $760 billion total value.

This Elusive Malware Has Been Targeting Crypto Wallets for a Year

With custom domains and apps, advertising and a social media presence, the ElectroRAT malware operation targeting crypto wallets is extensive.

Iranian Authorities Close 1,620 Illegal Cryptocurrency Mining Farms: Report

The illegal mining operations will be disconnected from the national power grid and the miners will face prosecution.

Bitcoin Investment Make Sense in Current Economic Climate: Former Fed Governor

"I guess if you are under 40 bitcoin is your new gold," Warsh said.

Crypto Exchange Voyager to Suspend Trading of XRP

Voyager said it will suspend trading in XRP, effective Monday, Jan. 18, at 12:00 p.m. New York time.

Kimchi Spreads, ‘Rat Poison,’ Shape Shifts: What You Need to Know in Crypto Today

Bitcoin hit a fresh all-time high above $35,000 while former Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler lost her U.S. Senate seat.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 6, 2021

With BTC topping $35K and JPMorgan predicting even higher long-term gains for the cryptocurrency, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest crypto news roundup.

Bitcoin Lightning Startup Zap Goes Global, Adding Multiple Fiat Pairs, Stablecoins

Visa partner Strike is adding support for multiple fiat currency pairs plus stablecoins as part of its journey to become a “Bitcoin neo-bank.”

What Does It Cost to Become an FCA-Approved Exchange? EXMO Execs Explain

The U.K.-registered EXMO exchange is one of the many crypto startups to go through the FCA approval process. Execs detailed the work it took to get there.

Kraken Users Are Staking More Than $1B in Crypto

The value reflects the many long positions investors are trading in cryptocurrencies.

Coinbase Is Down, Experiencing ‘Connectivity Issues’

The homepage of the popular cryptocurrency exchange is currently inaccessible.

Enterprise Blockchain Is at a Private-Public Crossroads

The big players in enterprise blockchain face a decision: stay with underwhelming consortia projects, or invest in public networks like Ethereum.

First Mover: Bitcoin Hits Record as ‘Blue Wave’ and ‘Kimchi Premium’ Look Bullish

Bitcoin surges above $35K for first time with U.S. Democrats poised to take full control of government and 'Kimchi Premium' back in force.

ShapeShift Is Going Full DeFi to Lose KYC Rules

Erik Voorhees’ ShapeShift is morphing into a decentralized exchange (DEX). It's losing the KYC restrictions at the same time.

Valid Points: New Year, New Price Gains For ETH

Bullish price activity has tipped the total value of ETH locked into Ethereum 2.0 past $2.4 billion.

Google Cloud Seeks Blockchain Expert for China Division

Google Cloud is hiring a manager for its team to sell enterprise accounts to C-level executives.

Stellar’s XLM Token Rallies to 2-Year High on XRP Woes, OCC Ruling, Ukraine

The token is at the highest level since November 2018 in what one observer called a "perfect storm."

Hong Kong-Listed BC Group Raises $90M as Institutional Crypto Demand Soars in Asia

The offering represents 13% of the company's issued share capital.

Veteran Investor Bill Miller Calls Bitcoin a ‘Rat Poison,’ but for Cash

In 2018, legendary investor Warren Buffett referred to the cryptocurrency as "probably rat poison squared."

UK’s Ban on Crypto Derivatives Goes Into Effect Today

The Financial Conduct Authority ban on the sale of derivatives and exchange-traded notes was passed in October.

Former Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler Loses Senate Seat

Former Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler lost her Senate seat to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a special election Tuesday night.

Bitcoin Sets New All-Time High Above $35K

Bitcoin bulls pushed the leading crypto to fresh all-time highs above $35,000 Tuesday night.

Origin Brings Back Interest-Earning OUSD Stablecoin Following $7M Hack

Origin is relaunching its yield-generating stablecoin following a November attack that drained OUSD holders of $7 million.

BitGo Launches Wrapped Bitcoin, Ether on Tron Blockchain

Nearly 100 DeFi-friendly WBTC have already been minted as TRC-20 tokens on Tron.

Blockchain.com to Stop XRP Trading Next Week

Blockchain.com is the latest crypto exchange to delist XRP.

Gambling Tech Giant IGT Patents Way to Fund Bets With Bitcoin

IGT's bitcoin funding patent comes as the gambling tech giant's plans for cashless wagering move forward.

Ethereum: The Last Bastion for Yield

U.S. Treasury and corporate bonds are returning lower yields than ever. Ethereum's currency ether (ETH) presents an alternative.

Most Important Crypto Regulation Yet? Banks Can Treat Public Blockchains Like SWIFT and ACH

A new interpretive letter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency paves the way for stablecoins and public blockchains to be fully integrated in the financial infrastructure.

Bitcoin Retail FOMO Brings a Heap of ‘Kimchi Premium’ to S. Korea

Bitcoin's price premiums on South Korean exchanges have returned amid the latest bitcoin bull market.

Tetragon Sues Ripple to Force Stock Redemption

Tetragon was one of Ripple Labs' big financial backers.

The Pandemic Was Just the Catalyst

Harry Dent predicted 2020's economic upheaval several years in advance. The coronavirus pandemic was just a trigger to a long-term reckoning over public debt.

Blockchain Bites: JPMorgan’s $146K BTC Target, Crypto Responds to US Treasury’s Proposed Wallet Rule

PLUS: The OCC's green light for banks to use stablecoins, Brazil's booming crypto sector and the bitcoin mining machine supply crunch.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 5, 2021

With BTC back above $32K and a billion dollars worth of bitcoin exiting Coinbase, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest crypto news roundup.

Swedish Bankers Air Concerns Over E-Krona Digital Currency Plan

While the Riksbank appears keen to launch the e-krona, bankers are worried about how the digital currency might affect their industry.

CoinDesk Acquires TradeBlock, Adding Indexes and Pricing to News, Events Offerings

With the acquisition CoinDesk said it’s positioned to be the leading source of crypto news, information and data for the rapidly growing sector.

Grayscale Drops XRP From Large Cap Crypto Fund Following Ripple SEC Suit

The digital asset manager announced that it ditched XRP on Dec. 31. No word on the fate of the Grayscale XRP Trust.

First Mover: As Bitcoin Rally Pauses, DeFi Keeps Astounding

Don't even think of using the term "DeFi winter," because DeFi might be hotter than last year's summer of DeFi. 

Voyager Digital Reports 75% Revenue Rise in Q4, Cites Increased Crypto Adoption

The Canadian crypto broker said its revenue growth was due to the growing adoption of cryptocurrency.

LCX Exchange Gets Licensed in Liechtenstein to Help Banks Create Their Own Digital Assets

LCX has been granted eight out of the 11 crypto-related licenses in Liechtenstein.

Argentina’s Ripio Acquires Second-Largest Crypto Exchange in Brazil

Ripio has acquired BitcoinTrade in a bid to increase its footprint across the frothy Latin American crypto market.

Bitcoin Trader Robbed and Pushed Out of Car in Hong Kong

The trader exchanged 15 bitcoin for HK$3 million before being robbed of both.

Bitcoin Bounces Back Above $31K After Monday’s Drop

Analysts say the bitcoin market now looks less overheated than it did on Monday.

Former Canaan Directors to Guide Chinese Gaming Firm’s Pivot to Crypto Mining

Former directors of Canaan Inc. are investing in the Shanghai firm and will help launch its new mining subsidiary.

Square’s Jack Dorsey Hits Out at FinCEN’s ‘Burdensome’ Proposed Crypto Wallet Rules

"The burdensome information collection and reporting requirements deprive U.S. companies like Square of the chance to compete on a level playing field," Dorsey said.

JPMorgan Predicts Bitcoin Price Could Rise Over $146,000 in Long Term

Bitcoin is increasingly competing with gold as an investment asset and has scope for substantial gains over coming years, according to JPMorgan strategists.

Crypto Markets Jump on OCC Approval for Banks to Use Blockchains

The price of bitcoin and native tokens for other stablecoin-supporting blockchains jumped after the OCC approved banks to use public blockchains.

US Federal Regulator Says Banks Can Conduct Payments Using Stablecoins

Banks can act as nodes on a blockchain or conduct payments using stablecoins, the OCC said Monday.

SkyBridge’s Bitcoin Cache Rises to $310M

SkyBridge's bitcoin investment has already climbed to more than $300 million, mostly due to price appreciation in the past couple of months.

Market Wrap: Bitcoin Briefly Drops Close to $28K as Ether Futures Heat Up

Profit-taking helped lead bitcoin lower Monday while more investors are eyeing ether with great interest.

Why I’ve Changed My Mind on Bitcoin

Ritholtz Wealth Management's COO Nick Maggiulli on why he reversed positions on bitcoin.

Understanding Bitcoin’s Blistering Rise Past $30,000

Bitcoin has started 2021 off with a bang. Here’s what investors and analysts think is driving the rise (and today’s dip) as well as predictions for what happens next.

Blockchain Bites: $10B in Bitcoin Futures, Price Wobbles and Liquidations

A correction in bitcoin's price (from all-time highs) led to $1 billion in liquidated options positions. Ukraine announced a Stellar-based CBDC experiment and a much-awaited Ethereum layer 2 set a tentative launch date.

Bitcoin Mining Machine Shortage Worsens as Bitmain Sells Out Through August

Bitmain pre-sold over 3 months of inventory in December.

We Don’t Need a New Regulator to Have Better Crypto Regulation

Contrary to popular wisdom, the U.S.' distributed regulatory structure is good for digital assets in the long run.

Bitcoin News Roundup for Jan. 4, 2021

With the price of the top two cryptocurrencies exploding into the new year, CoinDesk’s Market’s Daily is back with the latest crypto news roundup.

Bitwise’s Crypto Assets Under Management Rise Fivefold in Just 2 Months

Bitwise, a provider of crypto index funds, said it has now surpassed $500 million in assets under management.

Julian Assange’s Extradition to US Blocked Over Mental Health Concerns

A judge at the U.K.'s Central Criminal Court ruled Monday that there would be a "high risk" of suicide if Assange was sent to face charges in the U.S.

Bitcoin Miner Marathon Patent Group Completes $200M Capital Raise

Nasdaq-listed Marathon said it will use the funds to pay for recent hardware purchases from Bitmain and to expand its business.

First Mover: Bitcoin’s Plunge to $31K Shows How Bullish Market Had Become

It's anybody's guess where cryptocurrency markets might end 2021, but so far all signs point to further gains.

Ukraine Government Picks Stellar to Help Build National Digital Currency

The Stellar Development Foundation's work with Ukraine's government to digitize the hryvnia will officially launch this month.

Blockchain Platform Telos Launches Crypto Tokens That Act Like Treasurys

The "T-Bond" non-fungible tokens will allow cryptocurrency projects to sell tokens that are locked until maturity conditions are met.

DeVere Group CEO Sold Half of Bitcoin Holdings at Christmas Highs

"It’s better to sell high and re-buy in the dips,’ Nigel Green said.

Bitcoin Suddenly Drops 13% as Altcoins Continue to Rise

Bitcoin is charting a typical bull market correction amid increased expectations for price volatility.

Shenzhen to Double Digital Yuan Giveaway in China’s Latest Lottery Test

The latest digital currency giveaway is aimed to gauge user experience ahead of an expected launch.

Ether Price Passes $1,150 to Hit Highest Since January 2018

Ethereum's native cryptocurrency, ether, jumped to its highest level since early 2018 following a 43% gain last week.

Crypto Long & Short: Looking Back on a Monumental Year

Four crypto industry experts share their biggest insights from 2020 and what they mean for 2021.

DOGE’s Gone Wild! Meme Coin Soars After Adult Star Says She’s a HODLer

The price of dogecoin has soared 150% since the start of the new year since an adult star tweeted that she's been an investor since 2014.

It’s Genesis Block Day. Do You Know Where Your Bitcoin Keys Are?

"Not your keys, not your bitcoin." This week, two events want to help you on your road to financial self sovereignty.

This Is What Global Open-Source Money Seems Like

Some insist bitcoin simply can't be money because it has no basis in the material world. But the argument owes more to semantics than reality.

The Unorthodox Trades That Will Drive Value in 2021, feat. Tony Greer

The macro analyst looks at unexpected sources of strength in the economy.