Crypto Daybook Americas: Massive Selloff Doesn’t Stop Bitcoin Institutional Adoption

By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless indicated otherwise) “I don’t understand how can anyone think BTC is not a bargain at these prices…,” Andre Dragosch, head of research – Europe at Bitwise, said on X Monday as BTC’s price dipped below $90,000. While the comment may appear overly optimistic to macro bears, it is … Read more

One of Italy’s Largest Bank Buys $1M Worth of Bitcoin: Report

Bitcoin (BTC), continues to get further entrenched into the traditional finance system. Italy’s largest bank by assets, Intesa Sanpaolo, has bought 11 BTC for over $1 million, according to a Reuters report. Reuters saw an internal message that said, “As of today, Jan. 13, 2025, Intesa Sanpaolo owns 11 bitcoins”. Intesa Sanpaolo currently has a … Read more

How To Make Cross-Chain Tokens Fungible Again: Part I

Introduction The modular maxis say the future of crypto is a million (or more) interconnected domains and users hopping between blockchains like Alice traipsing through Wonderland. Why stick with one chain if you can access cutting-edge tech, novel applications, moonshot returns on staking/liquidity provision, high performance, and ultra-low transaction fees on other blockchains? But moving … Read more

Bioptimus raises $41M to develop a ‘GPT for biology’

A fledgling French AI startup has raised $41 million to develop a foundational AI model for biology. Just as OpenAI’s ChatGPT has taken the world by storm for a super-smart generative AI tool capable of natural language conversation in text form, Bioptimus is taking that concept but training its model specifically for downstream biological applications … Read more

BTC below $91K, Dollar at 2-year High, AI Crypto faces Deep sell-off

BTC below $91k on strong dollar & inflation fears. MicroStrategy buys $243m more BTC. BTC consolidates below 20-day EMA. BTC dominance rises, XRP outperforms. Two more US states consider BTC reserves. Bessent to divest $250-500k BTC ETF holdings. FDIC official criticises crypto restrictions. FTX to start repaying creditors post Jan 20. Dimon compares BTC to … Read more

Middle East-Based Sigma Capital Unveils $100M Fund to Accelerate Web3 Innovations

Sigma Capital, an early-stage venture firm, has unveiled a $100 million fund focused on Web3 startups. The Dubai-based company is attempting to capitalize on the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) reputation as a crypto hub, according to an emailed announcement on Tuesday. The fund will focus on decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenization and blockchain infrastructure by managing … Read more

Options Tied to BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Surge to Nearly 50% of Deribit’s BTC Open Interest in Two Months

The stateside demand for regulated crypto products is real. The U.S. SEC-approved options tied to BlackRock’s spot bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (IBIT), which debuted on Nov. 19, are already almost half the size of Deribit’s eight-year-old bitcoin options market. On Monday, there were 2.16 million open or active IBIT options contracts, representing a notional value … Read more