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Latam Insights: Bukele Frontrunned Blackrock’s Bitcoin ETF Move, Bitcoin Lease Contracts in Argentina
14.1.2024
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of Latin America’s most relevant crypto and economic news during the last week. In this issue: El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele states they got into Bitcoin before Blackrock, the first bitcoin-settled lease contract goes live in Argentina...
Spot Bitcoin ETF Approvals, Ethereum’s Outperformance, BTC Mystery Transfer, and More — Week in Review
14.1.2024
The SEC approved spot bitcoin ETFs, sparking a lukewarm market response despite ethereum’s rising prominence. Meanwhile, intrigue swirled around a mysterious $1.19 million bitcoin transfer to the genesis address linked to Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. The launch day of U.S....
Vanguard Deepens Anti-Crypto Stance After Disallowing Spot Bitcoin ETF Trading — Ark CEO Says ‘It’s a Terrible Mistake’
14.1.2024
Investing giant Vanguard has doubled down on its anti-bitcoin and anti-crypto stance after disallowing investors access to spot bitcoin ETFs approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week. The firm has also announced that it will no longer accept the purchase...
Blackrock’s Spot Bitcoin ETF Now Holds 11,439 BTC
14.1.2024
Blackrock’s spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) has acquired 11,439 bitcoin, with a market value of nearly $500 million, within two days of trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Blackrock’s Ishares Bitcoin Trust was among the 11 spot bitcoin ETFs approved by the U.S. Securities...
Terra’s Do Kwon Seeks Trial Delay, Citing Extradition Holdup
14.1.2024
Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon has requested that the judge in his fraud case delay the trial date, currently set for Jan. 29, 2024, because Kwon is still tied up in extradition proceedings in Montenegro. Terra’s Do Kwon Requests Trial Postponement Due to Extradition Issues In a letter...
Binance and Coinbase Hold 11% of Crypto Economy’s Net Value, Leading in BTC and ETH Reserves
13.1.2024
Statistical data reveals that Binance and Coinbase, two titans in the cryptocurrency exchange arena, cumulatively possess 11.85% of the $1.68 trillion digital currency economy. In addition, these prominent trading platforms control 7.83% of the total bitcoin supply, underscoring their significant...
$311 Million in NFT Sales Amidst Fluctuating Blockchain and Collection Performances
13.1.2024
In the last week, the non-fungible token (NFT) market experienced unremarkable sales, totaling $311.31 million. This figure represents a slight uptick of just 0.05% from the previous week. Despite this, Bitcoin NFT sales have consistently outperformed other blockchain networks since November 2023....
GBTC’s Closing NAV Discount and Steep Fees Trigger Outflows, ETF Analyst Expects ‘More Over Time’
13.1.2024
Last week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) greenlit the debut of 11 diverse spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which, in their initial two days on the market, experienced a substantial $7.65 billion in trading volume. Concurrently, while a host of new entrants enjoyed...
Starkware CEO Uri Kolodny Steps Down Due to Family Health Issues
13.1.2024
Starkware faces a leadership transition as CEO Uri Kolodny resigns over pressing family health issues. While stepping down, Kolodny leaves the company in the hands of co-founder and friend Eli Ben-Sasson. Starkware Sees CEO Change as Uri Kolodny Resigns, Citing Family Health Uri Kolodny, CEO...
Venezuelan Petro Reportedly on the Brink of Liquidation
13.1.2024
According to local sources, one of the first state-backed cryptocurrency assets, the Venezuelan Petro, would be facing an imminent liquidation. Asonacrip, a national cryptocurrency association, reported having information about the upcoming liquidation process, including the automatic exchange...
Argentina Registers First Bitcoin Settled Lease Agreement
13.1.2024
Argentina has registered one of its first lease agreements denominated in bitcoin after the application of the emergency executive order issued by President Javier Milei, which opened the door for this kind of settlement. The agreement stipulates that the tenant must pay the $100 USDT worth...
SEC Commissioner Criticizes Delay in Spot Bitcoin ETF Approval — ‘We Squandered a Decade of Opportunities’
13.1.2024
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester Peirce has slammed her agency for the delay in approving spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). “Our arbitrary and capricious treatment of applications in this area will continue to harm our reputation far beyond crypto....
Vanguard Blocks Customers From Trading SEC-Approved Spot Bitcoin ETFs
13.1.2024
Several investment firms, including Vanguard, reportedly block customers from trading spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). “Our perspective is that these products do not align with our offer focused on asset classes such as equities, bonds, and cash,” the firm explained....
Grayscale’s 4,000 Bitcoin Transfer Worth $175M Stirs Market Speculation Amid Record ETF Trading Volume
13.1.2024
Recent blockchain analytics reveal that 4,000 bitcoins, valued at approximately $175 million, have been transferred from addresses believed to be controlled by Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust, commonly referred to as GBTC. Records indicate that these transfers occurred in four separate batches...
Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin Proposes Gas Limit Increase
13.1.2024
Amidst escalating transaction fees, Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin has suggested a substantial gas limit increase, potentially boosting network capacity and reducing user expenses. Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin Advocates for Higher Gas Limit to Improve Network Capacity Ethereum ecosystem...
ECB Member Isabel Schnabel: Bitcoin Is ‘Speculative,’ ‘Unlikely’ to Be Purchased by the Bank
12.1.2024
Isabel Schnabel, member of the European Central Bank (ECB) executive board, has blasted bitcoin’s characteristics, stressing that it is a speculative asset unlike central bank digital currencies (CBDC) like the proposed digital euro. Schnabel stressed it was ‘unlikely’ that...
Coinshares Expands US Footprint Through Strategic Takeover of Valkyrie and Its Array of ETFs
12.1.2024
On Friday, Coinshares International Limited, announced that the firm has acquired Valkyrie Funds LLC, the U.S.-based digital asset manager. The Saint Helier company said the decision comes after a direct result of Valkyrie’s spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) approval. Coinshares Amplifies...
Genesis Global Trading Settles With New York for $8M Over Regulatory Non-Compliance, Forfeits Bitlicense
12.1.2024
According to the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), Genesis Global Trading has agreed to a settlement fine of $8 million and will forfeit its New York state Bitlicense as part of the agreement over compliance failures. Adrienne Harris, the DFS Superintendent said Genesis...
SEC Seeks Court Order for Ripple’s Financial Statements in Ongoing Legal Tussle
12.1.2024
The legal battle between the SEC and Ripple Labs continues, with the SEC seeking court intervention to obtain Ripple’s financial statements and data on institutional XRP sales. SEC’s Legal Pursuit of Ripple Continues With Request to Disclose Financials and XRP Contracts The U.S....
Bitcoin Technical Analysis: BTC in Consolidation Phase as Upper Resistance Strengthens
12.1.2024
The leading cryptocurrency, bitcoin, has remained within a limited price range since yesterday. This followed yesterday’s quick surge to the $49K level, which then declined in the early trading hours of Thursday. Although there was a transient increase to the $47K mark, the value has stayed...