
Our weekly updates are put together by folks deep in the crypto scene, giving you a clear picture of what's happening without overwhelming you.

To Watch This Week
AIRDROPS + ALPHADec 20, 2024

Coins
Top College Football Pick Inks Bitcoin Contract With University of South Carolina
Top college football prospect Matai Tagoa’i is set to join football stars like Russell Okung, Odell Beckham Jr., and Trevor Lawrence by receiving his compensation in Bitcoin. The linebacker will be paid part of his earnings via the Strike app after signing a “name, image, and likeness” (NIL) deal with the University of Southern California (USC). The exact details of his package are not known, but some college football players, such as Shedeur Sanders, have received estimated payouts of up to $4....
Dec 20, 2024

Markets
SEC Approves First Hybrid Bitcoin-Ethereum ETFs From Hashdex, Franklin Templeton
After several extended reviews since June this year, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has finally approved the first spot exchange-traded funds combining Bitcoin and Ethereum. The agency has authorized Nasdaq to list the Hashdex Nasdaq Crypto Index US ETF and the Cboe BZX Exchange to list the Franklin Crypto Index ETF, according to a filing released Thursday. "The proportion of bitcoin and ether to be held by each Trust will be based on free-float market capitalizations," the filing...
Dec 19, 2024

Coins
BlackRock Has a New Bitcoin Video Ad—And Bitcoiners Hate It
The world’s largest asset manager BlackRock just debuted a new advertisement proselytizing the virtues of Bitcoin, but rather than cheer on the Bitcoin ETF issuer for its efforts, Bitcoiners aren’t happy. The video, which is housed on the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) ETF page on BlackRock’s website, spends three minutes walking viewers through the evolution of money and key fundamentals of Bitcoin. One of those fundamentals is Bitcoin’s 21 million fixed token supply. While the video explains t...
Dec 19, 2024

Law and Order
Satoshi Pretender Craig Wright Dodges Two-Year Jail Sentence
There he goes again. Craig Wright, the computer scientist whom a UK court ruled in March was absolutely not Satoshi Nakamoto, was found in contempt of court Thursday for continuing to assert his identity as the mysterious inventor of Bitcoin. Wright, who is believed to be in Asia and did not show up for the London hearing, faced as much as two years in the slammer, per UK contempt-sentencing guidelines. High Court Judge James Mellor suspended the sentence for two years, provided that Wright stop...
Dec 19, 2024

Markets
Cathie Wood's ARK Invest Sells More Coinbase Stock Amid Bitcoin Plunge
Cathie Wood’s asset tech-focused investment firm ARK Invest has sold nearly $4 million in Coinbase stock (NASDAQ: COIN)—one of the biggest crypto-related equities—as Bitcoin and the rest of the crypto market take a hit after a period of massive gains. ARK’s Ark Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) offloaded 13,780 COIN shares worth $3.9 million, data from Wednesday shows. COIN is now priced at $274 per share—a 2% dip over the day. Over five days, it has fallen by 13%. Wood’s investment firm is one of...
Dec 19, 2024

Coins
El Salvador May Accelerate Bitcoin Buys Following IMF Deal Concessions
El Salvador may have reached a deal with the International Monetary Fund that will see the tiny country scale back its Bitcoin law—but it’s still going to “HODL.” And it might even step up its BTC buys. That’s according to Stacy Herbert, the head of El Salvador’s National Bitcoin Office, who wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) Thursday that the country may even continue buying the cryptocurrency at an “accelerated pace” going forward. El Salvador in 2021 made Bitcoin legal tender along with...
Dec 19, 2024

Law and Order
'Free Razzlekhan': Bitcoin Hacker Makes Plea From Prison for Rapper Wife
Ilya Lichtenstein, the hacker currently serving a five-year prison sentence for stealing billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin from crypto exchange Bitfinex, sent a message today from his jail cell: It was all his fault, and his wife shouldn’t be punished for his misdeeds. Lichtenstein’s wife, Heather Morgan—perhaps better known by her rapping moniker “Razzlekhan”—was herself sentenced to 18 months in a U.S. prison for helping her husband launder the stolen funds. Last fall, Morgan admitted in f...
Dec 19, 2024

Markets
Bitcoin Miners MARA and Hut 8 Boost Their BTC Treasuries With Big Buys
Bitcoin mining companies MARA (formerly Marathon Digital) and Hut 8 announced substantial Bitcoin purchases on Thursday as more and more firms look to stockpile the leading cryptocurrency within their treasuries. MARA expanded upon a previously announced Bitcoin purchase from last week, boosting the tally to 15,574 Bitcoin at a total price of about $1.53 billion. Last week, the first disclosed the first tranche of the purchase, buying 11,774 BTC for $1.1 billion. Thursday's announcement points...
Dec 19, 2024

Markets
Christmas Sale? Crypto Crash Sinks Bitcoin, XRP and Dogecoin
Crypto prices are plunging again Thursday, with Bitcoin and other major coins shedding a chunk of their recent gains as the market continues a correction that took hold on Wednesday following yet another Bitcoin all-time high price mark. Bitcoin plunged to a current price of $97,020, just two days after rising to that new peak above $108,000. The leading cryptocurrency is now down 7% on the day—but other high-cap coins are seeing bigger losses on the day. Ethereum has plummeted by nearly 12% on...
Dec 19, 2024

Law and Order
El Salvador to Scale Back Bitcoin Efforts Under $1.4 Billion IMF Deal
After four years of negotiations, El Salvador entered a $1.4 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Wednesday. The deal, however, may not be as sweet as it sounds. Provisions on the agreement imply that if approved, El Salvador would have to scale back certain aspects of its Bitcoin strategy, according to a statement from the intergovernmental organization. Initial details of the deal were disclosed earlier this month, with sources previously telling Decrypt the plan i...
Dec 18, 2024

Markets
Bitcoin, Crypto Eye Recovery as Analysts Bet on Resilience Despite Fed’s Hawkish Pivot
Crypto and broader equities fell sharply Wednesday as traders attempted to divine next year’s outlook following a hawkish pivot from the U.S. central bank. While the 25 basis point cut delivered by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday was largely priced in, concerns flared as the bank signaled interest rates may not go down again anytime soon. During a press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that while inflation was “steadily” receding, recent high readings indicated it had been “sl...
Dec 18, 2024

Law and Order
Coinbase Can Delist Wrapped Bitcoin Amid BiT Global Challenge, Judge Rules
A federal judge denied BiT Global’s request for a temporary restraining order Wednesday, finding that the Hong Kong-based firm failed to show an imminent and irreparable harm that would come from Coinbase’s plans to soon delist WBTC, or Wrapped Bitcoin. “Ultimately, I have no evidence from you about what is to come,” U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín told BiT Global’s attorney. “I will not stop Coinbase from delisting WBTC.” BiT Global sued Coinbase last week, alleging the exchange’s p...
Dec 18, 2024

Markets
Bitcoin, XRP and Dogecoin Fall Fast After Federal Reserve Cuts Rates
Bitcoin and other major assets like Ethereum, XRP, and Dogecoin fell fast after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell spoke and announced an expected interest rate cut. The move apparently pushed investors away from “risk-on” assets like crypto and U.S. equities on word that the central bank would not cut aggressively in 2025. The largest digital asset by market cap is now trading for $101,430 after plunging following the Fed press conference. In the past 24 hours, the asset has dropped by nearly...
Dec 18, 2024

Law and Order
'Christmas Tree' Funding Bill in Congress Includes Gifts for Crypto Industry
A spending agreement unveiled by congressional leaders Tuesday—a so-called Christmas Tree stopgap bill packed with various additions before the holiday break—is aimed at averting a government shutdown. But it also includes a relatively novel crypto-related initiative. Tucked within a 1,547-page bill that would keep the government funded through March 14, 2025, the legislative package currently includes the “Deploying American Blockchains Act,” a measure that would enable the U.S. Department of C...
Dec 18, 2024

Markets
Ethereum ETF Hot Steak Continues Amid Trump Regulatory Optimism
Ethereum spot ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, saw a net inflow of $151 million on Tuesday, continuing an uninterrupted net positive capital flow streak that began on November 22. According to crypto market research company BRN, Ethereum ETFs added $151 million on Tuesday, while Bitcoin ETFs collectively added $494 million. Bitcoin ETFs have been hot for most of the year following their January launch in the United States, while Ethereum ETFs saw modest demand out of the gate. BRN analyst Valenti...
Dec 18, 2024

Markets
US Likely Won't Purchase Bitcoin, But Arthur Hayes Isn't Worried
Entrepreneur and former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes fears Bitcoin will suffer a "vicious sell-off" around the time Donald Trump takes office. In a characteristically lengthy blog post (which followed a 300-word introduction about yoga) the trader warned that crypto investors have unrealistically high expectations for what the president can achieve. While Trump has promised to make America "the crypto capital of the world" and establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve, Hayes says his administration will...
Dec 18, 2024

Law and Order
Crypto.com Dropped Its SEC Lawsuit Just as CEO Met With Donald Trump
In a rare moment in crypto history, Crypto.com has voluntarily withdrawn its lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Considering the history of constant tussles between crypto firms and regulators—particularly the SEC—the decision came as a surprise to the crypto community. Filed in October, the crypto exchange’s lawsuit challenged the SEC’s authority and alleged the regulator overstepped its jurisdiction by labeling certain digital assets as “crypto asset securities.”...
Dec 18, 2024

Markets
Metaplanet Stock Tanks After It Converts Bitcoin Treasury to New Business Line
Shareholders did not respond well after Japanese investment firm Metaplanet announced the addition of its Bitcoin Treasury Operations as a new core business line. Building on months of preparation and shareholder approvals, the company is doubling down on Bitcoin (BTC) as both a financial asset and revenue driver as the world’s largest crypto soars to new peaks. Just yesterday, Bitcoin set a new all-time high above $108,000. Despite the ambitious announcement, Metaplanet’s stock, which trades un...
Dec 18, 2024

Law and Order
Ohio Representative Derek Merrin Introduces Bill to Establish State Bitcoin Reserve
Ohio State Representative Derek Merrin is following in the footsteps of other representatives across the U.S., bringing forward a bill that would authorize the state’s treasury to invest public funds in Bitcoin. House Bill 703, known as the Ohio Bitcoin Reserve Act, would establish a dedicated Bitcoin fund within the state treasury while investing the State Treasurer with discretionary power to purchase the crypto. "The U.S. Dollar is being rapidly devalued, and our State Treasurer should have t...
Dec 17, 2024

Markets
Bitcoin Marks New All-Time High Price Above $108K as XRP Jumps
Bitcoin broke a new all-time high on Tuesday morning New York time, smashing past $108,000 per coin before dropping sharply. The biggest coin is now trading for $107,020, CoinGecko data shows. Over the past day, it's only up 0.3%—but over a seven-day period, it's up nearly 12%. The coin's new record price is $108,135. Investors are more interested in Bitcoin than before following President-elect Donald Trump's shock victory on November 5. The Republican promised during his campaign to help the d...