The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has requested that the US SEC allow staking services on the Grayscale #Ethereum ETFs.
In a Friday filing, the market operator submitted a 19b-4 application to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requesting a rule change. The NYSE seeks to amend the provisions of the pre-approved Grayscale Ethereum ETFs to include staking services.
Staking services involve locking up an underlying asset—in this case, Ethereum—to become a validator and contribute to the stability and security of a network. In return, the staked tokens yield passive rewards to participants.

Grayscale ETFs Eyes Staking Services

If approved, the rule change would provide additional rewards for holders of the Grayscale Ethereum Trust and the Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust. Notably, the average staking reward for Ethereum ranges between 3% and 4% APY.
The filing insists that the proposal does not contravene any existing securities law. The exchange noted that the intended staking model differs from delegated staking or staking as a service, which the US SEC currently classifies as a security.
Notably, the securities regulator, under Gary Gensler, suggested that staking activities on the Ethereum network constitutes unregistered securities. Although the agency approved applications for an Ethereum spot ETF last year, it mandated issuers not to stake their Ether stash, citing federal securities law.
Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart suggested that the US SEC will decide on the proposed rule change by the fourth quarter of the year.

4Q 2025 potentially. Lotta moving parts with this one.
— James Seyffart (@JSeyff) February 14, 2025

The U.S. SEC has recognized another #XRP ETF filing, bringing the product one step closer to approval.
On Friday, the regulatory agency acknowledged the XRP ETF application from asset manager 21Shares. This comes just a day after it recognized Grayscale’s XRP ETF application.
This development has sparked significant excitement within the XRP community, as many see it as a sign that approval is imminent. With the latest acknowledgment, the SEC still has three other Form 19b-4 XRP ETF applications to consider.
Notably, Cboe BZX Exchange filed 19b-4 forms for the XRP ETFs of Bitwise, Canary, 21Shares, and WisdomTree seven days ago. Since the SEC has now acknowledged one of these filings, the crypto community may see similar recognition for the other three next week.

What’s Next for XRP ETFs?

Notably, the SEC’s acknowledgment of the XRP ETFs from Grayscale and 21Shares does not equate to automatic approval, nor does it guarantee that the SEC will approve them in the future.
Nevertheless, this development is significant because it signals the SEC’s willingness to consider these products rather than outright rejecting them. Recall that in December, exchanges withdrew their Solana 19b-4 applications after the Gary Gensler-led SEC indicated it would not engage with them.
Under the Mark Uyeda-led SEC, this new acknowledgment essentially gives the XRP ETFs a shot at approval. This opens the path for them to compete with existing Bitcoin and Ethereum products.
Following the SEC’s acknowledgment, a 240-day window—roughly eight months—now begins. Specifically, the 240-day timeline for a decision on the Grayscale and 21Shares XRP ETFs will start once the filings are posted to the Federal Register, which is expected to happen in the next few days, according to FOX Business correspondent Eleanor Terrett.
Essentially, the XRP community could be looking out for a decision on XRP ETFs in the last quarter of the year.

XRP Price Reacts :
XRP jumps 8% to $2.76 today, boosting its weekly gain to 17%.
#CryptoNewsCommunity

Pseudonymous #shiba⚡ Inu lead developer Shytoshi Kusama has highlighted the SHIB ecosystem’s aim to become a global powerhouse in the next five years.
Speaking at the “Bill It Up” with Cypher Capital co-founder Bill Qian, Kusama stated that the Shiba Inu ecosystem is evolving rapidly. While commending the team and its strong community for the substantial progress so far, he insisted that the ecosystem has a larger adoption curve to pursue.
Specifically, he told Qian that the team aims to make Shiba Inu a global powerhouse. He called on the enthusiasts and “normies” to align with this vision of changing the course of history by bringing Web3 to Web2 users.

Kusama Says the Shiba Inu Ecosystem Is All-Rounded

Unlike most meme coins, the lead developer argued that Shiba Inu has utility, a powerful brand, and a technology powerhouse to scale its global adoption. Furthermore, he insisted that its competitors are not meme coins but ecosystems like XRP and Solana.
Kusama noted that Shiba Inu’s global scaling objective is evident with its latest partnership with the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI). The groundbreaking collaboration, which surprised the crypto community, will see Shiba Inu provide the country with Web3 energy, infrastructure, and governance solutions.
Meanwhile, Shiba Inu is not done yet. The lead developer stated that the team’s goal is to see “powered by SHIB” everywhere, working with governments and other strategic partnerships to push the Shiba Inu technology to the global stage.
#cryptonewstoday

#Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse expresses optimism about ongoing progress on crypto regulation following his recent engagement with policymakers in Washington, D.C.
Garlinghouse took to X on Thursday to disclose his recent engagement with top U.S. policymakers. He suggested that there is real momentum toward providing the crypto industry with much-needed regulatory clarity.  
Notably, he acknowledges the bipartisan cooperation, with Democrats and Republicans working to establish a pro-innovation crypto framework. 

Attendees of the Meeting  

In his latest push, Garlinghouse met with key policymakers, including the U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman, Senator Tim Scott, and  Rep. Ritchie Torres. 
Some meeting attendees include Rep. William Timmons, Rep. Bill Huizenga, Rep. Bryan Steil, Rep. Zach Nunn, and Rep. French Hill.
Ripple’s CEO also shared pictures of him with these policymakers, confirming the meeting. Per the pictures, Ripple CLO Stuart Alderoty was also in attendance. 
Aside from Ripple execs, whether other crypto stakeholders attended the meeting remains unclear. 

#CryptoNewss

#shiba⚡ Inu gaming arm, PlayWithShib, announces the launch of a new sprint racing game for mobile users. 
The PlayWithShib team unveiled the game yesterday in an X post. Dubbed Shibridge, the game requires users to compete in a sprint race with other opponents. 

Shibridge Features 

During the race, users are required to collect bricks and use them to build bridges faster than opponents. Players can deploy several tactics to gain an edge over their opponents. 
They can either tackle opponents to slow them down or build over their bridges, potentially blocking their path. Overall, Shibridge is a fast-paced, sprint racing game where speed and strategy determine the winner.
The game is still in mobile version and available for download on Google PlayStore and Apple App Store. Plans are on the way to develop a Web3 version of the game, which will see it integrate with Shibarium. 
This process will commence after the mobile version attracts a significant number of users, with initial glitches identified and resolved. The game is expected to have more interesting features in subsequent upgrades.  
Meanwhile, Shiba Inu’s marketing lead, Lucie, also called the community’s attention to the new game, which she tagged as ‘bricks, brawls, & chaos. 

Number of Shiba Inu Games Soar

The development further expands the Shiba Inu gaming ecosystem, which initially began with Shiba Eternity. With the launch of Shibridge, the number of games in the ecosystem has soared to five. They include Shiba Eternity, Agent Shiboshi, Shiboshi Rush, Lap Dogs, and Shibridge. 
While Shiba Eternity and Agent Shiboshi have been integrated with Shibarium, Shibridge and Shiboshi Rush are still in Web2 and are available only for mobile users. The Lap Dog game is a PC game available for Windows users. 
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Whales shifted substantial amounts of #XRP amid recent bullish development around the XRP ecosystem, sparking speculations among the community.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has acknowledged the 19b-4 filing by the NYSE Arca for Grayscale’s XRP ETF application. Following the recognition, whale wallets shifted millions of XRP to new addresses.
Whale transaction tracker Whale Alert confirmed that about 431,000,000 XRP exchanged hands among five wallets. Notably, the platform acknowledged one of them as a Ripple address and another as a Coincheck exchange wallet, raising speculation among the XRP community.

Transaction Background

At exactly 22:25 (UTC) on Thursday, Ripple moved 300 million XRP to the receiving address “rP4X2hTa.” At the time of the transfer, the tokens were worth a staggering $776.7 million.
Although termed an unknown address, watchers who follow Ripple’s on-chain transactions can readily identify the wallet. The address has been central to most XRP transfers from the cross-border payment giant.
For context, the receiving wallet was involved in another high-caliber XRP shift early last month, receiving the same amount as yesterday’s transfer from the same sending address.
Also, the same address received 380 million XRP from a Ripple wallet in December, confirming its wide use by the firm. Meanwhile, data from Bithomp suggests that Ripple owns the wallet, as the fintech giant activated it with 70 million XRP in October 2023.

#CryptoNews

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (#SEC ) has acknowledged NYSE Arca’s 19b-4 application to list and trade Grayscale’s XRP ETF shares. 
FOX Business Journalist Eleanor Terrett disclosed that the SEC acknowledged the filing yesterday, marking the first step of the approval process. 
This suggests that the SEC is willing to consider it for approval rather than outrightly rejecting it. Terrett recounted how exchanges seeking to list Solana’s spot ETFs withdrew their 19b-4 applications in December after the Gary Gensler-led SEC signaled it would not engage with them. 
The SEC acknowledging the NYSE 19b-4 XRP ETF application indicates a more open-minded approach toward the product. 

Next Step 

Following the acknowledgment, the SEC will review the application to ascertain whether to approve or deny Grayscale’s XRP ETF filing. 
According to Terrett, this process could take up to 240 days from when the regulator posts the filing in the Federal Register. She emphasized that the SEC would make the filing accessible to the public within the next few days. 
For context, other prospective issuers, including Bitwise and Canary, have also applied to launch XRP ETFs in the U.S. Also, exchanges like Cboe and Nasdaq have submitted 19b-4 applications to the SEC to list the XRP ETFs. 
Since the regulator has already acknowledged the Grayscale XRP ETF filing, Terrett expects the commission to also recognize similar applications from other prospective issuers. It bears mentioning that the SEC has around 15 days to acknowledge 19b-4 applications for an ETF. 

Ripple CEO Reacts 
The acknowledgment elicited a reaction from Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, who emphasized that he predicted that an XRP ETF is inevitable and bound to happen. 
According to him, his prediction is now playing out despite many initially being skeptical about his forecast. Notably, the skepticism stems from the regulatory uncertainty surrounding XRP amid the lawsuit between the SEC and Ripple. 
#Crypto

#shiba⚡ Inu price recovery boosts the number of millionaires holding SHIB, with significant gains seen in whale portfolios.
Shiba Inu is recovering quickly from the recent downturn that almost added a zero to the coin’s value. As of press time, Shiba Inu is up 3% today, trading at $0.00001632. Today’s uptrend has improved SHIB’s weekly performance, which is now in the green.
While SHIB remains down significantly by 24% on the monthly chart, the holdings of whales and retail investors are gradually improving.

Shiba Inu Millionaires at Current Price

Notably, at its current price of $0.00001632, Shiba Inu millionaires hold at least a portfolio of 62 billion SHIB tokens. According to data from the analysis platform IntoTheBlock, 1,580 wallets currently hold between $100,000 and $1 million in SHIB. Cumulatively, these SHIB holders control a collective net worth of over $600 million.
Meanwhile, those with a portfolio worth $1 million to $10 million in Shiba Inu now number 880 addresses. Remarkably, these holders command a massive portfolio collectively worth over $3 billion.
For those holding above $10 million, IntoTheBlock shows just 75 addresses in this category. Interestingly, despite their smaller number, their collective worth exceeds $13 billion.
Notably, as of two weeks ago, the number of addresses in this millionaire threshold was slightly higher. For instance, those holding $1 million to $10 million numbered 905 wallets, while those above this range totaled 93 addresses.
The reduction follows Shiba Inu’s price dip to $0.0000123 in the first week of February, with holders cutting their losses by selling some of their holdings. Nonetheless, with Shiba Inu’s price rebounding by over 32% from its low, whales’ holdings are gradually improving.

#CryptoNewsCommunity

#Bitcoin holders recently showed signs of confidence, with both short-term and long-term investors reducing sell-offs. 
Blockchain data indicates traders are selling fewer coins at a loss, suggesting reduced panic. Notably, this trend could set the stage for a potential price rebound, with macroeconomic factors and institutions potentially driving growth.

Short-Term Holders Reduce Sell-Offs at Loss

In one of its latest analyses, Glassnode reported that short-term Bitcoin holders, those who held BTC for less than 155 days, significantly reduced their sell-offs at a loss. 
The seven-day moving average of Bitcoin sold in loss had risen to a high of about 5,500 BTC earlier this month. However, this figure has now dropped to about 3,800 BTC, aligning with the yearly average of 3,500 BTC.  
Although February’s sell-off volume is mildly higher, it stays below the August 2023 top of 7,500 BTC. According to Glassnode, this suggests that short-term holders are under less pressure to sell in comparison to previous market downturns.  

#CryptoNews

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, has sparked speculation within the XRP community after he followed Ripple on X.
With over 14 million followers on the social media platform, Trump Jr. currently follows less than 2,150 users. Interestingly, Ripple’s official X channel is one of the 2,148 accounts Trump Jr. follows. 
As expected, the development triggered a wave of speculation within the XRP community, with many users suggesting that ‘something huge’ might be on the horizon. Notably, some users indicated that Ripple and Trump Jr. could be working on a partnership behind the scenes. 

Trump’s Family Involvement with Crypto 

For context, the Trump family is a crypto advocate and has launched several projects, including the World Liberty Financial (WLF) and Official Trump (TRUMP). 
The launch of World Liberty Financial comes a month after Trump Jr. revealed plans to introduce a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform to address certain issues in the traditional banking system, particularly its inequality concerns. 
In the August 2024 AMA session, Trump Jr. suggested it would take long before the project commenced operations. However, the project launched the following month, September 2024. Since its launch, it has acquired millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum (ETH), Ondo (ONDO), and Tron (TRX). 
#CryptoNewsCommunity

A New York State Senator proposes the creation of a 17-member task force to assess the current impact of the cryptocurrency market in the state. 
New York State Senator James Sanders Jr made the proposal yesterday, February 12, following the introduction of a new bill. Dubbed the New York State Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Study Act, the bill seeks to create a task force to examine the impact of crypto in the state. 

Task Force Composition 

According to the bill, the proposed task force will have 17 members. The governor of New York shall appoint seven of them, including officials from academia, financial services, and environmental. 
In addition, the temporary president of the Senate will appoint four members, while the Speaker of the Assembly will appoint another four. The remaining two group members include the Comptroller of New York and the State’s Attorney General. 

Roles of the Task Force 

If created, the task force will examine the regulatory, environmental, and financial impact of New York’s crypto market. The group will also identify the number of tradeable cryptocurrencies and exchanges in the state. 
Furthermore, it will recommend regulatory measures to boost consumer protection and security and tackle the long-term impact of crypto use.  
Per the proposal, the 17 members will be appointed within 90 days from the date of the bill’s enactment. Afterward, the group will report its findings to the legislature and governor before December 15, 2027. 

#CryptoNewss