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Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, has named JPMorgan as a lead authorized participant for its spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). This followed JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon stating in a congressional hearing that bitcoin and cryptocurrency are used primarily for criminal purposes and that he would close down crypto if he were the government. JPMorgan Named Authorized Participant by Blackrock for Spot Bitcoin ETF On the final day of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s deadline , Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, submitted an updated filing for its spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). The SEC gave spot bitcoin ETF applicants until Friday to submit their amended filings in order to be included in the first batch of decisions in early January. Moreover, the securities regulator reportedly said it wants authorized participants (APs) named in amended filings. Blackrock’s latest amended filing shows that it has named JPMorgan and Jane Street as...

The decision by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) not to pursue a second trial against disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has outraged the crypto industry. Crypto exchange Coinbase calls the decision a “miscarriage of justice.” One lawyer opined, “Ask yourself why is this case being dropped in an election year,” noting that SBF gave the Biden administration $10 million and had personal meetings with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler and SEC staff. DOJ’s Decision on SBF Trial Outrages Crypto Industry The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has decided not to pursue a second trial against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). The second trial, which had been slated to start in March, addresses an additional set of criminal counts against Bankman-Fried, including campaign finance charges. Sharing his thoughts in a series of posts on social media platform X Friday regarding “the DOJ’s decision not to pursue campaign finance charges again...

On Friday, Bit Mining Limited declared it had sold the mining pool operations of Btc.com to a Hong Kong limited liability company for $5 million. This transaction is anticipated to bolster the total equity of Bit Mining’s shareholders, contingent upon certain concluding conditions. BTCM Offloads Btc.com Mining Pool for $5 Million Bit Mining (NYSE: BTCM ) has revealed that it divested its mining pool division related to Btc.com for a sum of $5 million. The sale was made to Esport-Win Limited, a firm based in Hong Kong. The company, listed on the NYSE and engaged in mining and blockchain infrastructure, reported that while the pool had generated $593.2 million in yearly revenue, it incurred a net operating loss of $2.6 million over the full year. BTCM expressed anticipation that the divestiture would lead to heightened profitability and a more robust cash standing. Originally known as 500.com Ltd and operating as a sports lottery firm, BTCM shifted focus towards bitcoin mining in 2...

While the meme coin phenomenon bonk (BONK) captivated users on the Solana network, the cryptocurrency recently witnessed a 41% decline over the preceding fortnight, accompanied by a 20.8% descent in the past week. Following its mid-December peak to an all-time high (ATH), BONK has plummeted 57% from its ATH. From Peak to Plunge in the Meme Coin Madness BONK has witnessed a downturn over the past two weeks and on Dec. 30, 2023, it has an intraday trading range of $0.00001387 to $0.00001536, and at the time of writing, it is exchanging hands for $0.00001446, down 4.4% over the past day. While the crypto asset lost 41% over the two-week span and more than 20% this past week, BONK is still up by 272% over the last 30 days. However, with prices at $0.00001446, the value of BONK is down 57% since the ATH of $0.00003416 per unit on Dec. 15, 2023. Despite the loss, BONK is still the third largest meme coin asset by market capitalization under DOGE and SHIB, and its overall valuation to...

The process of life is necessarily dis-equalizing as agents differentiate themselves from the collective. In our quest for its continuation, we must ask ourselves: do we value quality or equality? From “The Primary Issue”. bit.ly/3f7o14k http://dlvr.it/T0mqRh

The CEO of the Chamber of Digital Commerce says the Senate Ethics Committee should launch a full investigation on Senator Elizabeth Warren for making false and misleading statements about crypto. “Senator Elizabeth Warren has misled the American people as well as the U.S. Congress on multiple fronts,” she stressed. ‘Senate Ethics Committee Should Launch a Full Investigation’ Chamber of Digital Commerce founder and CEO Perianne Boring slammed U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for making false and misleading statements regarding cryptocurrency in an interview with Fox Business on Thursday. “Senator Elizabeth Warren has misled the American people as well as the U.S. Congress on multiple fronts,” the Chamber of Digital Commerce chief began. “First, she’s misled us to believe that crypto has an AML [anti-money laundering] problem,” she continued, emphasizing: It does not have an AML problem. The vast majority of illicit finance go through the traditional financial system and legacy...

In recent years, attention has centered on bitcoin mining, particularly its energy usage in securing the network and validating transactions through proof-of-work (PoW). As generative artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a major force in technology, it’s encountering similar environmental concerns. Moreover, advocates of bitcoin are drawing parallels between the criticisms of AI’s energy demands and those directed at cryptocurrency mining. Eco-Impact of AI: Facing the Environmental Challenges of Innovation Although AI has generally received acclaim in the press, its consumption of electricity and water has recently sparked considerable debate. Numerous online articles decry the significant resources AI utilizes, including a Rolling Stone piece alleging that “Microsoft’s global water consumption spiked in a year to nearly 1.7 billion gallons.” The article oversimplifies the intricate issue by comparing AI’s water usage to that of 2,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The digital ...

Argentina’s President Javier Milei has sent a massive new bill to Congress to adopt a scheme of regulations to advance his goal of modernizing the Argentine state. If approved, the bill would allow Milei to legislate by executive order on certain emergency areas and privatize state companies, among other aspects. Javier Milei Proposes Omnibus Bill to Obtain Legislative Faculties Argentina’s President Javier Milei has continued pressing on in his transformative goals for the country. The so-called libertarian has sent a massive omnibus bill to Congress, which touches on or modifies 20 laws. The bill, titled “Law of Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines,” seeks to continue with the ostensibly libertarian reform of the Argentine state, touching on subjects like personal taxes, import laws, justice administration, education, and others. Also, the bill calls for declaring a national emergency in several fields, including finance, economy, financial, fiscal, pensions, ...

In a candid evaluation of the current state of Web3, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin laments the fading vision of a decentralized internet. Buterin emphasizes the stifling effect of rising crypto transaction fees on innovation and broad-based usage of cryptocurrency. He points out the shift towards centralized solutions and the dominance of high-stake players, expressing concern over the changing landscape and culture within the crypto community. From Decentralization to ‘Degen’ Domination: Buterin Reflects on Web3’s Path Vitalik Buterin , the influential co-founder of Ethereum, has recently voiced concerns over the evolving dynamics of the Web3 environment. According to Buterin, the dream of a decentralized internet is being overshadowed by the harsh reality of escalating transaction fees on blockchain networks. These fees are creating a barrier to entry, inhibiting innovations and the widespread adoption of crypto as a means of transaction and saving. Buterin said: The nu...

Less than two weeks away from a potential spot ETF approval, VanEck releases a new Bitcoin commercial. bit.ly/3f7o14k http://dlvr.it/T0l6Dx

Bitcoin's store-of-value proposition makes its spot ETF more appealing than Ethereum's, as the latter's spot ETF does not capture its primary ecosystem utility. bit.ly/3f7o14k http://dlvr.it/T0l5wv

An analysis by crypto intelligence firm Arkham indicates that Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, is selling millions of dollars in ether acquired from selling his non-fungible token (NFT) collections. The analytics firm also revealed that Trump’s highest crypto balance reached $4 million. Based on deposit analysis to date, the former U.S. president has sold 1,325 ETH , totaling over $3 million. Donald Trump Selling Ether, Analysis Suggests Crypto intelligence firm Arkham shared an analysis on social media platform X on Thursday, revealing the amount of ether former U.S. President Donald Trump appears to have sold. “Looks like Donald Trump is selling his ETH ,” the firm wrote, adding that three weeks ago, the former U.S. president started sending his cryptocurrencies to Coinbase after months of accumulating from the sale of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). “His peak balance was $4 million,” the firm added, noting that based on the deposits, Trump has sold 1,075 ETH ...

Elon Musk, the chairman of X, has referred to non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the defects of their implementation, indirectly making the case for inscriptions. Answering a post on X on the topic of NFTs, Musk suggested saving the jpeg (an image format) of the NFT on the blockchain, like inscriptions are currently saved on Bitcoin. Elon Musk Indirectly Nods at Ordinal Inscriptions Elon Musk has given indirect support to Ordinal inscriptions, a series of images and other data saved on the BTC blockchain. In an X post commenting on the issue of non-fungible token (NFT) data, and how it can be linked to content not owned by the issuers, that can be removed, Musk declared : Yeah, at least encode the jpeg on the blockchain! Musk’s complaints about how standard NFTs work are not new. On the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Musk stated : The funny thing is the NFT is not even on the blockchain — it’s just a URL to the JPEG. As Musk explained, earlier NFT implementations featured a link...

In a significant shift within the bitcoin mining landscape, Antpool’s resurgence in 2023 has marked a notable trend in the consolidation of bitcoin rewards, surpassing Foundry USA in blocks mined. The Miner Mag’s recent analysis reveals that Antpool, along with other major pools, has centralized coinbase block rewards, reflecting a deeper, more interconnected mining ecosystem. This consolidation hints at unknown and strategic financial arrangements and evolving power dynamics among leading mining pools. Report Highlights Rising Consolidation in Bitcoin Mining Pool Rewards According to The Miner Mag , ten of the fifteen largest mining pools have been merging their coinbase block rewards since early 2022. This trend includes prominent names like Binance Pool, BTC .com, and Braiins Pool, among others. These pools, initially launched as independent operators, are now regularly sending their block rewards to shared output addresses, indicating a shift towards cooperative, strategic oper...

BlackRock, Fidelity, and other Bitcoin ETFs will hold spot BTC, according to Bloomberg ETF Analyst James Seyffart. bit.ly/3f7o14k http://dlvr.it/T0jLx4

Statistics reveal that the Ethereum layer two (L2) platform Blast now secures over $1 billion within its protocol. The total value locked (TVL) in Blast has expanded more than twelvefold since its launch in late November. Blast’s TVL Hits $1 Billion Initially, on Nov. 22, 2023, Blast’s value locked was recorded at $89.59 million, but as of today, it has surged to $1.135 billion . Currently, Blast ranks as the 17th largest decentralized finance (defi) protocol in terms of TVL, nestled between Juststables and Marinade Finance, according to data collected by defillama.com . The platform is distinguished by its native staking and strategies to amplify yield through ether ( ETH ) staking and real-world assets (RWAs). Pacman, the creator behind the non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Blur, is credited with building Blast. Blast received a boost through investments from Paradigm and Standard Crypto, yet an executive from Paradigm remarked that the Blast debut “crossed lines” concernin...

Bitcoin spot ETFs could soon be approved by the SEC – here's a list of every major Wall Street applicant from BlackRock to Fidelity. bit.ly/3f7o14k http://dlvr.it/T0j2WR

Newly launched platform BRC20.com has raised $1.5 million in funding to build infrastructure for bitcoin-based tokens. bit.ly/3f7o14k http://dlvr.it/T0j2Dm

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s former head of internet enforcement has warned that spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) “will create yet another Wall Street fee-sucking investor scam of epic proportions.” In addition, he stressed that it will likely be the most centralized crypto contraption conceivable. Ex-SEC Official’s Spot Bitcoin ETF Warnings Former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official John Reed Stark issued some warnings about spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in a post on social media platform X Monday. Stark is currently president of cybersecurity firm John Reed Stark Consulting. He founded and served as chief of the SEC Office of Internet Enforcement for 11 years. He was also an SEC enforcement attorney for 15 years. Expressing his skepticism about spot bitcoin ETFs, Stark wrote: “As to whether the approval of a spot bitcoin ETF is a good thing, my view is that it is not.” He cautioned: The very idea of a bitcoin spot ETF rem...

In a recent statement by Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, he noted that the BRICS bloc is set to expand in 2024 with new members including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, and Saudi Arabia. He revealed that approximately “30 countries would like to establish partner ties with BRICS.” Additionally, as November drew to a close, China and Saudi Arabia forged a currency swap agreement valued at 50 billion yuan ($6.93 billion), which some interpret as Xi Jinping’s move to contest the supremacy of the U.S. dollar. Lavrov: ‘30 Nations Aspire to Collaborate With BRICS’ This year, the BRICS bloc, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, garnered significant attention as an intergovernmental organization. During the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, the world observed as the alliance extended invitations to join the bloc to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran. According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Lavrov ann...

Over the past year, bitcoin surged by 153%, with numerous other digital currencies also seeing substantial increases. Yet, assessing the top cryptocurrencies in relation to bitcoin’s performance, the annual shifts present a distinctly varied perspective. 2023 Sees Altcoins Lag Behind Bitcoin’s Rally Despite Overall Market Boom The landscape of top cryptocurrencies has evolved significantly since December 2022 , with the overall market value of the crypto economy soaring from $811 billion to $1.68 trillion, marking an impressive increase of over $909 billion . During this period, while ethereum has witnessed a 95% surge this year, its value compared to BTC has diminished. Specifically, ETH decreased from 0.07237 BTC to 0.05432 BTC , translating to a loss exceeding 24% against bitcoin, the premier cryptocurrency by market capitalization. Ethereum wasn’t the only digital currency to experience a decline relative to BTC . Binance coin ( BNB ) also saw a substantial reduction, falli...

Recent statistics reveal that in the last week, decentralized exchange (dex) platforms built on Solana have surpassed Ethereum in market performance. Data indicates that Solana-based dex platforms achieved a volume of $1.447 billion in the past day, overshadowing the $1.282 billion recorded by Ethereum trading platforms. Solana Surges Past Ethereum in Dex Volume Solana’s recent price surge, coupled with a multitude of airdrops, has propelled the layer one (L1) blockchain’s dex volumes to new heights. Conversely, trade volume for solana (SOL) on centralized exchanges lags behind that of Ethereum. Data from Deflllama.com confirms that both the 24-hour and weekly dex volumes for Solana have exceeded those of Ethereum. Recent data shows Solana platforms’ daily dex volumes have surged to $1.447 billion, marking a 12.87% increase over Ethereum dex applications’ $1.282 billion. Over the past seven days, Solana’s decentralized exchanges have amassed $10.786 billion, overtaking Ethereum’s...

The U.S. SEC is set to approve or deny a Bitcoin spot ETF this January, completing a 10-year journey since the fund was first proposed. bit.ly/3f7o14k http://dlvr.it/T0fjK6

The company now holds 189,150 BTC worth $8.11 billion. bit.ly/3f7o14k http://dlvr.it/T0fj6J

The famous author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki, has shared how he made most of his money. He stressed that the future of stock and bond markets will depend on startups in resources, not Silicon Valley technology startups, predicting that resources will be “the coming boom in the investment world.” How Robert Kiyosaki Made Most of His Money Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki has revealed on social media platform X how he made most of his money. Rich Dad Poor Dad is a 1997 book co-authored by Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. It has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over six years. More than 32 million copies of the book have been sold in over 51 languages across more than 109 countries. The renowned author shared on Dec. 24 that the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) is coming up on Jan. 20-21, where he will be one of the keynote speakers, as per the event’s website. Explaining why he believes this event is the “most important investor conference...

Three days ago, on Dec. 23, 2023, Bitcoin marked its 27th and final difficulty adjustment for the year. This year witnessed 27 shifts in epochs, with the most substantial one on Jan. 15 at block 772,128, seeing a surge in network difficulty by 10.26%. Bitcoin’s Year: 20 Ups, 7 Downs Total 74% Difficulty Surge By Jan. 4, 2024, it’s anticipated that Bitcoin will undergo another uptick in mining difficulty . This metric, changing every 2,016 blocks or roughly two weeks, maintains the average interval between blocks at approximately 10 minutes. It does so regardless of the fluctuating mining power within the network. This mechanism stabilizes the issuance rate of new bitcoins, enhancing network security by making block discoveries more challenging as the hashrate either increases or decreases. Throughout 2023, the network experienced a total of 27 difficulty changes , comprising 20 increases and seven decreases. The most notable hike was on Jan. 15, rocketing by 10.26%. Conversely, th...

A recent analysis indicates that Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s former chief, experienced a near $25 billion surge in his estimated wealth in 2023, while Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong enjoyed a $5.8 billion increase. Yet, topping the list was the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto, whose purported net worth rose by $26 billion this year. CZ and Nakamoto’s Combined Wealth Increased by $50 Billion This Year The flourishing crypto market has significantly enhanced the fortunes of numerous executives in the sector, including Binance’s Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ. On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that CZ’s fortune swelled by approximately $25 billion throughout the year, a sum that eclipses the penalties his company incurred from various U.S. federal bodies, such as the Department of Justice (DOJ). It’s estimated that CZ’s holdings exceed $37 billion, with the bulk of his wealth linked to his stake in Binance. Barry Silbert , the boss of Digital Currency Group, witnessed a $1.5 billion uptick in his...