The “official” memecoin of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has boosted interest in Solana (SOL), leading to a surge in both its price and trading volume, which in turn helped the total dollar value locked (TVL) on the network top $10 billion for the first time since the collapse of FTX. Donald Trump’s choice of … Read more
Donald Trump’s official memecoin has jumpstarted fresh speculative activity in the Solana ecosystem nearly overnight. Multiple large-cap tokens based on Solana surged higher Saturday, and the blockchain’s native SOL token set fresh highs above $275 as the incoming U.S. president backed a new Solana-based TRUMP token Friday night, calling it his “official” memecoin. The choice … Read more
The ‘official’ memecoin of the second Donald Trump administration will be listed on major cryptocurrency exchanges including Coinbase and Binance, according to announcements from the companies. Coinbase posted on Sunday that it plans to list the TRUMP token. The announcement came via its Coinbase Assets X account, which provides information on new assets, however the … Read more
El Salvador shook the world in 2021 when President Nayib Bukele made bitcoin (BTC) legal tender, giving the cryptocurrency the same status as the U.S. dollar, the Central American nation’s official currency. Since then, El Salvador has constituted a bitcoin reserve worth roughly $630 million, established one of the most advanced crypto regulatory frameworks in … Read more
Top-performing xrp (XRP) and Ethereum’s ETH saw profit taking early Saturday as a Donald Trump-themed “official” memecoin attracted $3 billion in its first few hours after being issued on the Solana network, driving demand for SOL tokens. Price-action in bitcoin (BTC) and most majors, such as dogecoin (DOGE) and BNB Chain’s BNB, remained muted as … Read more
Is the coin real? That was the question plaguing crypto traders from U.S. to Asia alike as an “official” memecoin linked to Republican Donald Trump was issued in early Asian hours Saturday from his verified X and Truth Social accounts. Prices ran from few cents to $14 in less than six hours amid widespread confusion … Read more
In tuxedos and finery, one of the most famously dressed-down industries celebrated Friday night with a “Crypto Ball” in Washington to welcome the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, which the crowd of digital-assets insiders trusts will lift their sector into U.S. legitimacy. Big names in crypto, such as Michael Saylor, Brian Armstrong, the Winklevoss … Read more
World Liberty Financial, the crypto project backed by the family of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, plans to acquire tron (TRX) tokens for its treasury, according to a person familiar with the matter. The prospective move would deepen World Liberty Financial’s close ties to the Tron empire. Its founder Justin Sun already advises Trump’s crypto project. … Read more
Crypto’s chief political action committee has put money on its picks for the Florida congressional seats vacated by one of President-elect Donald Trump’s closest allies, Matt Gaetz, and the politician Trump tapped as a national security advisor, Michael Waltz. With an extremely tight majority in the House of Representatives, the replacement of the two Florida … Read more
As federal agencies prepare for new executive leadership, an obscure ethics rule threatens to hamstring the incoming Trump administration’s ability to develop sound digital asset policy. Legal Advisory 22-04, issued by the Office of Government Ethics in 2022, has flown largely under the radar as part of the Biden administration’s restrictive approach to crypto. Yet its … Read more
Digital Currency Group (DCG) and Soichoro “Michael” Moro, the former CEO of its now-defunct Genesis subsidiary, have agreed to pay a combined $38.5 million in civil penalties to settle securities fraud charges with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The crypto venture capital firm will bear the brunt of the financial penalty, paying $30 … Read more
Bitcoin (BTC) hit its strongest price in U.S. dollar terms in 2025 on Friday and notched a new record against the British pound as excitement for a new era of crypto-friendly U.S. government mounts ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration next week. BTC topped $105,000 during the U.S. session, surging 5.2% over the past 24 hours … Read more
Ethereum’s developers have finally delivered a timeline for the chain’s next big upgrade, Pectra, which promises to introduce an array of speed and efficiency improvements to the second-largest blockchain. At a developer meeting held virtually on Thursday, Ethereum’s core team set the upgrade’s target release date for March 2025. Pectra combines together eight major upgrades, … Read more
CoinDesk’s coverage kicked into high gear this week as crypto readied for a new presidency and a new regulatorily-friendly era. Some highlights:Senior analyst James Van Straten reported on a wave of companies buying bitcoin for their balance sheets, following a model pioneered by MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor. Markets reporter Krisztian Sandor followed the rise of Solana’s … Read more
Crypto exchange Crypto.com has received in-principle approval for a European Union (EU) Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) license from Malta’s Financial Services Authority, edging it closer to be able to operate fully across the trading bloc. The in-principle license means that the exchange is expected to receive its full CASP license soon, a Crypto.com spokesperson … Read more
CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index. The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 3949.35, up 1.1% (+41.73) since 4 p.m. ET on Thursday. Sixteen of 20 assets are trading higher. Leaders: NEAR (+6.3%) and LTC (+5.9%). Laggards: XLM (-3.4%) and HBAR (-3.3%). … Read more
Crypto will become more deeply integrated into traditional finance (TradFi) through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and corporate holdings this year, according to crypto-trading firm Wintermute. In addition, a large corporate event such as an acquisition or merger will be settled in stablecoins, the market maker and liquidity provider said in an annual review and outlook. Among … Read more
Crypto venture capital (VC) activity remains below the levels seen in previous bull markets despite the recent rally in digital assets, Galaxy Digital (GLXY) said in research report on Wednesday. Total capital allocated to VC funds in 2024 was $11.5 billion, less than in 2023. Galaxy noted that VC activity was highly correlated to crypto … Read more
Boerse Stuttgart Digital, a unit of stock exchange operator Boerse Stuttgart, said it was granted a crypto asset service provider (CASP) license by the German regulator BaFin allowing it to provide services across the European Union under the bloc’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulations. The company operates a brokerage and an exchange and intends … Read more
By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless indicated otherwise) The crypto world is buzzing as President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration nears. Bitcoin is holding above $100,000 and altcoins like SOL, ADA, LINK, XRP and LTC are shining as it’s not just about a potential strategic bitcoin reserve anymore. Reports suggest Trump could announce crypto as a … Read more
Publicly traded U.S. crypto mining companies doubled their bitcoin (BTC) holdings last year, taking the total to 92,473 valued at $8.6 billion as of end-December while the price of the largest cryptocurrency rose 120%, according to data from TheMiningMag. The biggest amount, almost half of the total, is held by MARA Holdings (MARA) with 44,893 … Read more
Bitcoin (BTC) mining stocks tracked by JPMorgan have enjoyed a strong start to the year, with 12 of the 14 companies outperforming the world’s largest cryptocurrency in the first two weeks, the Wall Street bank said in a research report Thursday. The network hashrate has risen 2% month-to-date to an average of 793 exahashes per … Read more
XRP, the third-largest cryptocurrency by market value, has replaced bitcoin (BTC) as the most-traded digital asset on Coinbase (COIN), the Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange that’s seen as a proxy for U.S. demand. Bitcoin retained its position as most-traded crypto asset on Binance, the largest exchange by volume, which is off-limits to U.S. investors. Volume trends are … Read more
Stars cannot align more positively for crypto in the U.S., the world’s largest economy, if the latest media reports are anything to go by. Still, one key indicator shows a lack of excitement among U.S. investors. Late Thursday, Bloomberg reported that President-elect Donald Trump will likely issue an executive order announcing crypto as a national imperative … Read more
A fellow at crypto think tank Coin Center filed suit against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday, seeking a judge’s guarantee that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will not be able to prosecute his forthcoming crypto project for violating money transmitting laws in the future. The lawsuit, filled by blockchain entrepreneur Michael Lewellen, claims … Read more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s top lawyer, General Counsel Megan Barbero, will step away next week, joining the exodus of top agency officials who had been responsible for the SEC’s legal battles with the crypto industry in recent years. “Her measured advice and judgment have been critical to the decision making of the Commission,” … Read more
Republican U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis took aim at two federal agencies on behalf of the crypto industry this week, just days before the wide-reaching transition of the federal government when President-elect Donald Trump again takes office. Lummis warned the U.S. Marshals Office to slow down its crypto asset sales and she cautioned officials at the … Read more
While a litecoin (LTC) exchange-traded fund is still only theoretical, investor demand for the product could soar as high as $580 million if Wall Street adopts it at the same rate it did LTC’s better-known cousin bitcoin. That calculation is based on the roughly 6% of bitcoin’s total supply now locked up in a variety … Read more
Dear President-Elect Trump, In your keynote address at the Bitcoin conference in Nashville last year, you pledged to make the United States the crypto capital of the world if re-elected for a second term. As you return to the presidential office this Monday, we write to you as practicing members of the crypto law bar … Read more
U.S. senators questioning President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, didn’t spend much time on cryptocurrency issues in his nomination hearing on Thursday. But he had a chance to register strong opposition to a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC) and to note that he favors a modern outlook on crypto. The billionaire … Read more