BTCNews

MicroStrategy, one of the OG's when it comes to big companies gettin' into Bitcoin, is pushing the envelope again with a crazy move: trying to raise $42 billion to beef up their crypto holdings. This wild plan, they’re callin' it 21/21, is a huge step in their long-term game. Some folks see it as a genius move, while others are shoutin' about the massive risks involved. A Ballsy Strategy to Dominate the Crypto Scene MicroStrategy, a name that’s now totally tied to the Bitcoin world, keeps surprising everyone with their boldness and long-term vision. The company, run by the always-on Michael Saylor, just dropped a massive proposal: to raise $42 billion to buy even MORE Bitcoin. That’s a mind-blowing number that's got people both impressed and skeptical. So, what's behind this giant move? And more importantly, why is MicroStrategy so all-in on the king of crypto? Since 2020, this company’s been a loud and proud Bitcoin supporter, seeing it as way more than just a...

Recent stuff goin' down on the Hyperliquid platform has thrown a spotlight on a growing threat in the crypto world: North Korean hackers gettin' involved. Over $256 million got yanked outta the platform super quick, setting off major freakouts among investors and folks keepin' an eye on the scene. Hyperliquid: Platform in Crisis Facing a Wild Cyber Threat December 23rd, 2024, is gonna be a day that Hyperliquid, the crypto derivatives platform, remembers. That's when they saw a massive exodus of cash, hitting $256 million in net withdrawals. Experts are pointin' at a real shady reveal: hackers linked to North Korea apparently used the platform to pull off some sus trades way back in October. The alarm was sounded by Tay Monahan, a security researcher at Metamask, who dropped an analysis on X (formerly Twitter). According to him, addresses tied to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) ain't just doin' simple trades, they're testing for ...

US President-elect Donald Trump is set to smash the record he set back in 2016 by putting together the wealthiest cabinet ever. Check out the list of billionaires who’ll be part of his crew. Elon Musk The dude who started Tesla and SpaceX? Yeah, he's become like, Trump's main man these last few months. Trump's got him and this other billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy, running the new Department of Gov't Efficiency (DOGE), a kind of advisory squad that's gonna try to "ditch the government red tape, kill the over-regulations, chop the pointless spending, and totally revamp the feds,” according to the big man himself. (Forbes says he's worth like, $430.9 billion). Tilman Fertitta This guy owns the Houston Rockets and Landry’s, the restaurant and entertainment spot. Trump picked him to be the U.S. Ambassador to Italy. (Forbes says he's got about $10.4 billion). Warren Stephens Trump’s pick for U.S. Ambassador to the UK, which still needs Senate approval, is a m...

Nokia, the Finnish telecom giant we all know, is stepping into the digital future with some next-level crypto moves. They’ve just filed a patent for tech that could totally shake up the game for securing crypto assets and blockchain tech. A Bold Crypto Patent: Nokia Ain’t Playing Around So, on December 23, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) dropped the news: Nokia’s got a patent for a device and a computer program that’s all about encrypting digital assets. What’s the deal with this patent? It’s aiming to beef up digital transaction security while making it way easier to handle digital asset indexes—basically organizing and managing all that data like a pro. The patent mentions a device and program packed with features to secure crypto assets. The details are still kinda fuzzy, but one thing’s for sure: Nokia’s not messing around when it comes to tackling the challenges of the digital era. The goal? Straight-up clear: Nokia wants to create a super-secure...

Yo, imagine this—Trump kicks off a whole new game by stacking Bitcoin for the U.S. government. Sounds crazy, right? But if it went down, it could flip the financial world on its head. Let’s dive into this wild “what-if” scenario and see how it might all shake out. Trump’s Big Bitcoin Move: Building the Reserve Picture this: It’s January 20, 2025, Trump’s back in the White House, and instead of playing it safe, he rolls out a massive Bitcoin plan. Senator Cynthia Lummis, a big crypto fan, has already pitched the idea: a U.S. Bitcoin reserve. Trump gives it the green light, and bam—the Federal Reserve starts stacking Bitcoin like it’s the new gold. Oh, and remember those 198,109 BTC seized from shady dealings? Instead of just sitting in evidence lockers, they become the foundation of America’s new Bitcoin stash. Critics? They’re yelling, “It’s risky!” But supporters? They’re calling it genius—a safety net against the dollar losing its mojo and a way to keep the U.S. flexing in the gl...

Coinbase disclosed in a transparency report that it received 10,707 requests from global law enforcement and government agencies over the past year, an 18% decline from the previous reporting period. For the third consecutive year, the US submitted the highest number of requests from law enforcement and government agencies despite a decline this year. Outside the US, Coinbase experienced notable decreases in law enforcement requests from key markets.  Requests declined significantly in Germany, the UK, and Spain, by 33%, 45%, and 35%, respectively. In contrast, Singapore stood out with a 221% increase in requests, jumping from 34 in 2023 to 109 this year. This signaled growing regulatory activity in the region as it emerged as a prominent crypto hub. Criminal enforcement According to Coinbase, 81% of all requests originated from six key jurisdictions: the U.S., the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Australia. The overwhelming majority pertained to criminal enforcement matters...

Galaxy Digital founder and CEO Mike Novogratz believes Bitcoin ( BTC ) could match and eventually surpass gold’s market capitalization within five to eight years, following the crypto’s record-breaking momentum. Novogratz made the prediction in response to a post by Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy, which highlighted that Bitcoin’s market cap has reached 14% of gold’s $17.8 trillion value — a new all-time high. Thorn’s analysis, accompanied by a chart showing Bitcoin’s increasing share of gold’s market cap, emphasized Bitcoin’s accelerating growth. The milestone coincides with Bitcoin’s surge to a new lifetime peak of $108,000 on Dec. 17, ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s anticipated rate cut. Bitcoin’s current market cap of $2.13 trillion now exceeds two-thirds of the $3.13 trillion in gold held by global central banks. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently acknowledged that Bitcoin is a “ digital version ” of gold during recent remarks. However, he added that it re...

BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ( BTC ) exchange-traded fund (ETF) IBIT became the most successful ETF launch in over 10 years, following the $418.8 million in net flows registered on Dec. 16. Nate Geraci, CEO of The ETF Store, highlighted that IBIT had beaten approximately 2,850 ETFs. He added: “In other words, IBIT has more lifetime inflows than any ETF launched since 2014. Did this in just over [11 months].” Since its launch, IBIT has amassed $36.3 billion in positive net flows, surpassing the $36.2 billion in inflows received by US-traded spot Bitcoin ETFs, according to Farside Investors’ data . The amount is nearly 3x higher than the $12.4 billion in inflows received by the second-largest spot Bitcoin ETF, FBTC , managed by Fidelity . Additionally, IBIT holds the record for the most significant daily inflow among the Bitcoin ETFs, with over $1.1 billion captured in a single day. This is over 2x higher than FBTC’s single-day inflow record of $473.4 million, the second-largest ...

Ethena Labs announced the launch of its USDtb stablecoin, which will leverage  BlackRock’s tokenized fund, USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), for 90% of its backing. According to the Dec. 16 announcement, the partnership was facilitated by Securitize. USDtb will operate independently from Ethena’s existing algorithmic stablecoin, USDe, providing users and exchange partners with a stablecoin featuring a differentiated risk profile. Ethena’s Risk Committee has also approved USDtb as a potential backing asset for USDe , enhancing its ability to navigate volatile market conditions.   USDtb design provides flexibility and risk mitigation across Ethena’s ecosystem and beyond, as Spark’s $1 billion Tokenization Grand Prix touts directing incentives towards the stablecoin. The initiative will boost tokenization efforts. Additionally, USDtb is inherently multichain, built as LayerZero’s Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT). Users can transfer USDtb across various...

Bitcoin ( BTC ) could hit a peak of $290,000 in early 2026 if it repeats the price action seen during the 2017 bull run, according to the latest edition of the “ Bitfinex Alpha” report . The projection is based on historical price patterns during bull cycles, institutional adoption, and key technical indicators. Following its bear market low in November 2022, Bitcoin rebounded strongly with a 155.5% gain in 2023. The momentum carried into 2024, with BTC trading between $55,000 and $70,000 for most of the year and posting a 143% year-to-date gain. The current bull cycle began in mid-to-late 2023, bolstered by anticipation of Bitcoin’s 2024 halving event, which historically precedes a bullish year. Additionally, the report attributes the strength of this cycle to institutional buying pressure and the launch of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US, which have provided consistent demand and limited the scale and duration of market corrections. Cycle patterns In the 2...

Ripple CTO David Schwartz has urged potential investors to avoid panic-driven purchases of the Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin before its official launch. In a Dec. 15 post on X (formerly Twitter), Schwartz warned of a possible initial supply shortage, which could cause price fluctuations for the dollar-pegged asset. This caution comes as pre-launch offers for RLUSD have reportedly reached as high as 511 XRP, equivalent to $1,200. He noted that early buyers might pay inflated prices simply for the novelty of owning the first RLUSD tokens. The CTO explained that some buyers might pay a premium for the perceived “honor” of securing the earliest trades on Ripple’s decentralized exchange. Despite the hype, Schwartz reassured investors that the stablecoin’s price would remain near $1, as expected from any well-functioning stable asset. Schwartz stated: “If you want to spend a lot of money to get a tiny bit of RLUSD before anyone else does, you can. But please don’t expect the price t...

US President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering an Executive Order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR), according to Satoshi Act Fund founder Dennis Porter. On Dec. 15, Porter shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that Trump plans to use the Treasury’s Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF) to implement this strategy after his inauguration. Porter stated : “The Treasury, through the Exchange Stabilization Fund, has the authority to stabilize the dollar by buying currencies. Trump will use this fund to buy Bitcoin.” The ESF, typically reserved for stabilizing financial markets during crises, has total assets of more than $200 billion as of October 2024. Historically, the fund has played a key role during events like the 2008 financial meltdown and the COVID-19 pandemic. Porter emphasized the importance of this move for US financial strategy and the urgency of acting before other nations take the lead. If Trump decides against the executive order, Po...

Bitcoin’s price momentum continues to shatter records, with the top crypto reaching a new all-time high. On Dec. 16, data from CryptoSlate showed that Bitcoin peaked at $106,488 during Asian trading hours before settling at $104,771 at the time of reporting. Bitcoin Price (Source: Tradingview) This milestone extends the flagship digital asset’s impressive rally, which gained momentum following Donald Trump’s election victory in November. Over the past month, Bitcoin’s value crossed the $100,000 mark for the first time after rising by more than 15% during the reporting period. When priced in euros, Bitcoin also achieved a new all-time high, hitting €101,212 before retracing slightly to €99,610 at press time, according to CoinMarketCap. This is the first time the top asset’s value has crossed the €100,000 mark. Bitcoin Price in Euros (Source: TradingView) Crypto liquidation The sharp price increase has led to substantial liquidations across the crypto market. Coinglass repo...

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the internet login system is essentially as old as the internet itself. In the 1960s and 1970s, as the first computer networks took shape, so too did the need for user authentication. ARPANET, the predecessor to today’s internet, implemented the first formal login systems when it began operations in 1969. These pioneering systems required users to input a username and password to access network resources, something billions of people would do trillions of times in the years since. With the dawn of the World Wide Web in the early 1990s, web-based logins quickly became a staple, providing a gateway to personalized digital experiences. Yet, these early forays into user authentication were often marred by shockingly lax security standards. Many developers at the time saw little issue in storing passwords as plain text or—astonishingly—embedding them directly within HTML code. As the internet matured, so too did our approach to login security. The introduction of s...

With US presidential elections concluded, Bitcoin has been hitting new all-time highs nearly on a weekly basis during November. Having reached almost $100,000 threshold on November 22nd, Bitcoin reinvigorated the altcoin market, now holding a $1.49 trillion market cap. The common wisdom would suggest that altcoins will follow Bitcoin’s lead, as prior trends have shown. But what types of altcoins should see significant performance? More importantly, are there new fundamentals in play to consider this time? First, let’s revisit the relationship between Bitcoin and altcoins. It is more important than one would think. Why Does Bitcoin Lead the Crypto Market? From the launch of Bitcoin mainnet in January 2009, to Bitcoin price breaching $10k threshold in November 2017, it took nearly 9 years. Although Bitcoin gradually became a household name, it still retained the status of a novel, highly speculative asset. This is understandable in a central banking system, where money is synonymou...