While headline inflation came in faster than hoped in December, investors for the moment are in buy mode after an unexpected decline in the year-over-year core rate. The closely-watched Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.4% in December, slightly higher than analyst consensus and the previous month’s 0.3%. On a year-over-year basis, CPI was up 2.9%, … Read more
When inauguration day rolls around in the U.S., the first policy domino to topple could be the industry’s banking roadblocks, though the White House may be the wrong place to watch for the most consequential action. The crypto industry will surely cheer loudly over some of the executive-order fireworks when President-elect Donald Trump is sworn … Read more
By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless indicated otherwise) The market is about to be hit with the first big U.S. economic event of 2025: December CPI data. With hawkish Fed fears in the air and bitcoin strengthening its correlation with tech stocks, Wednesday’s report becomes even more significant for the digital assets market. The … Read more
Bitcoin (BTC) and other digital assets have dropped as part of a wider macro-driven sell-off in the market and there is a risk that forced selling could lead to further weakness, investment bank Standard Chartered said in a report on Monday. The market downturn was triggered by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s hawkish press conference … Read more
Bitcoin (BTC) adoption by U.S.-listed public companies continues in full steam. The latest purchase comes from NYSE-listed Genius Group (GNS). On Jan. 10, GNS reported increasing its bitcoin holding to $35 million, which was ahead of its scheduled target of $120 million. In the process, it acquired 372 BTC at an average price of $94,047 … Read more
Bitcoin’s (BTC) rapid recovery from below $90,000 since Monday hints at bullish prospects. However, one factor casts doubt on the sustainability of these gains, indicating scope for significant downside volatility if the impending U.S. inflation data comes in hotter-than-expected on Wednesday. That factor is the supply of major stablecoins, which has stalled, indicating the absence … Read more
Crypto derivatives platform Deribit, has received potential acquisition interest, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing sources. The report added that the firm is working with Financial Technology Partners to review the opportunities. Deribit CEO Luuk Strijers told CoinDesk that the options platform had appointed FT Partners as an advisor for general advisory services and potential secondaries, … Read more
Crypto prices bounced from Monday’s wipeout with bitcoin (BTC) rising as high as $97,300 on Tuesday as traders eyed the latest batch of U.S. inflation data with more to come tomorrow. The largest crypto’s dip below $90,000 yesterday was quickly bought up on reports that Donald Trump is preparing first-day executive orders benefitting the crypto … Read more
To say that the spot bitcoin exchange traded funds (ETFs) exceeded expectations in their first year on the market is an understatement at best. Instead, it might be more accurate to say that they’ve shocked the industry to its core. “Just how big was the first year for Bitcoin ETFs?” Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst James … Read more
Hashed’s Simon Kim believes the future of artificial intelligence hinges on a radical shift: breaking open the black box of centralized models like OpenAI and building a decentralized, transparent ecosystem powered by blockchain. For Kim, CEO of South Korea’s leading crypto VC fund, the urgency is clear. AI’s unchecked centralization threatens to create a “god” … Read more
Prediction market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi spend a lot of time and money convincing regulators they’re not gambling. Outside of the U.S. authorities are viewing prediction markets as synonymous with gambling. Taiwan, France, and now Singapore have all made moves to block users from accessing Polymarket at the ISP level, calling the prediction market platform … 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 3447.59, up 4.2% (+139.62) since 4 p.m. ET on Monday. All 20 assets are trading higher. Leaders: APT (+6.8%) and FIL (+6.8%). Laggards: XLM (+1.4%) and DOT (+2.7%). The … Read more
The runaway success of Base, the Coinbase-owned Ethereum overlay blockchain designed for faster, cheaper transactions, has prompted the creation of a market linked to the fluctuating cost of the total gas needed to power the network, allowing speculators to bet on recurring utility spikes on the layer 2 system. Taking a cue from the way … Read more
The consolidation between $90,000 and $100,000 for bitcoin (BTC), continues to play with investor sentiment, swinging from fear to greed. On Monday, bitcoin fell below $90,000, while it is above $96,500 on Tuesday, up over 8% . Bitcoin bull Tom Lee, head of research at Fundstrat, told CNBC on Monday that he sees this current … Read more
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
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
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
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
Huione, a Telegram-based illicit marketplace that offers personal data and money laundering services has rolled out its own stablecoin, according to report by blockchain security firm Elliptic. The stablecoin (USDH) was created to “avoid the common freezing and transfer restrictions of traditional digital currencies.” The Huione website adds that “USDH is not restricted by traditional … Read more
The crypto industry has a new “unicorn” in digital asset bank Sygnum, which has just closed a $58 million funding round. The Zug, Switzerland and Singapore-based lender closed an oversubscribed “strategic growth round,” which was led by BTC-focused venture capital firm Fulgar Ventures, according to an emailed announcement on Tuesday. The round gave Sygnum “unicorn” … Read more
Gary Gensler’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) branded Binance.US “a cauldron of fraud,” and used its power and influence to choke off the firm’s banking relationships and USD fiat ramps, despite failing to produce any evidence to back up its claims in court, the interim chief of Binance.US told CoinDesk in an interview. In June … Read more
The pressing question on crypto traders’ minds is: Has bitcoin’s (BTC) price weakness run its course, or is there more to come? The former appears to be the case as Monday’s price action, characterized by a swift recovery from intraday lows, contrasted with mid-December when the rally stalled and turned lower from record highs above … Read more
Sony, the 78-year-old Japanese electronics giant, is the latest legacy megacorp to explore blockchain technology. On Tuesday, the company announced that it is officially launching “Soneum,” a general-purpose blockchain platform. The team behind Sony Block Solutions Labs (SBSL), a joint project between Sony Group and Singapore-based Startale Labs, describes Soneuim — technically a layer-2 network … Read more
Until recently, it was “green candle galore” in the crypto markets since Trump’s election win. Bitcoin momentarily broke the all-important $100,00 level, a near 500% recovery from the 2022 Crypto Winter lows, and optimism for crypto is even reaching Congress, where talks of a U.S. National Bitcoin Reserve are gaining serious steam. If stock market … Read more
MoonPay, a crypto infrastructure service provider, has bought Helio, a Solana-powered crypto payment processor. According to Fox Business, the deal is reportedly worth $175 million. The Miami-based company aims to expand its trading and marketplace volume using Helio’s products. “This acquisition is an important step in advancing our vision for the future of payments,” said … Read more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission must now thoroughly “explain itself” for refusing to grant Coinbase.’s formal request that the agency write regulations for how the industry should assess whether crypto assets are securities or not, according to a circuit-court ruling on Monday. A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third … Read more
Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis said Monday it had acquired fraud detection startup Alterya. The deal carried a price tag of $150 million, according to Business Insider. Chainalysis, the largest company tracing illicit crypto flows on behalf of financial institutions and governments, plans to bolster its scam-stopping capabilities with Alterya, CEO Jonathan Levin told CoinDesk. The … Read more
Tether, the crypto behemoth behind the $137 billion stablecoin USDT, is establishing headquarters for the group in bitcoin-friendly nation state El Salvador, the company said on Monday. The firm said the development came after acquiring all the necessary licensing as a stablecoin issuer in the country. The move will see Tether relocate incorporated subsidiaries to … Read more
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will soon be under new management, and the senior Republican there, Travis Hill, has outlined some pro-crypto policy thoughts just before he’ll take over – at least on a temporary basis, if not as the permanent new chairman. FDIC Vice Chairman Hill, who is expected to be among those in … Read more
JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon is nothing if not consistent when it comes to his views on Bitcoin (BTC). “Bitcoin itself has no intrinsic value,” he said in an interview with CBS News on Sunday. “It’s used heavily by sex traffickers, by money launderers, ransomware. So I just don’t feel great about Bitcoin.” Similar … Read more