The most talked-about token has to be Ripple’s XRP, as discussions on whether it can become the king crypto by dethroning Bitcoin and Ethereum continue to intensify. As stated by Nick from NCashOfficial, XRP has clear benefits in terms of efficiency, scalability, and usage for major transactions. Until now, XRapid, one of the many applications of XRP, has proven to be a better alternative and perhaps the solution to Bitcoin’s problems of speed, lack of scalability, and high transaction costs. Af
A former South Korean legislator from the Democratic Party received a six-month prison term for deliberately withholding significant cryptocurrency holdings from his mandatory financial disclosures, in a case that has drawn fresh scrutiny to the transparency standards for public officials in one of Asia’s major economies.
The conviction, handed down by the Seoul Southern District Court in late October and confirmed by court officials on Wednesday, stems from charges that the onetime National Assembly member concealed nearly 10 billion won (approximately $6.8 million) in digital currency assets during 2021 and 2022. Prosecutors argued that he manipulated financial declarations by converting some of his virtual holdings into traditional bank deposits, enabling him to report only a fraction of his true wealth. The remainder of his crypto investments, according to the prosecution, remained off the books to obstruct a property review by the National Assembly’s ethics committee.
The lawmaker’s name, widely reported in local media as Kim Nam-guk, had previously been known for his involvement in the Democratic Party, one of South Korea’s two major political groups. Observers say the case has caused embarrassment for the party and placed a spotlight on the importance of improving regulatory oversight in an emerging digital economy that has captured the public’s attention and investment capital.
Hong Kong's securities regulator on Wednesday approved four cryptocurrency exchanges in the city's latest effort to stay competitive in a race to become a global centre for digital asset trading. Hong Kong has been promoting itself as a hub for assets such as cryptocurrencies in a effort to maintain its attractions as a financial centre. The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission said it had granted licences to Accumulus GBA Technology (Hongkong) Co., DFX Labs Company, Hong Kong Digital Asset EX, and Thousand Whales Technology (BVI).
This brings the total licensed virtual asset trading platforms in the city to seven. Hong Kong previously approved three trading platforms - HashKey, OSL and HKVAX. The introduction of new participants demonstrates Hong Kong's long-term vision and commitment to digital assets, said Nick Ruck, director at LVRG Research, adding the international race to become the world's crypto hub has intensified as companies have flocked to other jurisdictions, such as Singapore and Dubai.
The securities watchdog said the latest approvals were under its "swift licensing process". In April, Hong Kong launched Asia's first spot bitcoin and ether exchange traded funds (ETFs), following the U.S. debut of its first spot bitcoin ETFs three months earlier. Such ETFs are products that track bitcoin prices. Analysts have noted that increasing the number of trading platforms will help reduce crypto ETF management fees, making the ETFs more appealing.
Bitcoin (BTC) whales are in a buying frenzy. This development coincides with soaring price movement for BTC in the ongoing bull run. According to Ali Martinez, an on-chain analyst, Bitcoin whales have snapped up 70,000 BTC in the last 48 hours.
Bitcoin whale accumulation fuels supply concerns
In a post on X, Martinez placed the value of the purchase at $7.28 billion. With Bitcoin currently trading at $107,687, the volume of BTC accumulated by whales has surged above $7.5 billion.
Analysts suggest that this increased demand by whales has continued to outstrip supply, driving the continued price metric surge. Some have expressed concerns that a huge supply crunch will likely occur if this momentum continues.
Notably, a market supply crunch happens when more investors buy an asset amid a limited supply. For context, Bitcoin has a limited supply of 21 million BTC, and its scarcity is one key factor in driving value.
Additionally, only 450 BTC are mined daily. Hence, the total Bitcoin mined within 48 hours is just 900 BTC, which is insignificant in meeting the demand of Bitcoin whales.
Will scarcity propel prices?
This supports analysts’ views that a supply crunch might occur with the world’s leading digital currency. Although the crypto market always has willing buyers and sellers, observers argue that if participants anticipate a supply crunch, they might become reluctant to sell.
Such a scenario of reduced supply mixed with steadily increased demand can push prices higher.
Martinez suggests that the Bitcoin market is gearing up for further upward movement due to an impending reduction in supply. Meanwhile, institutional players have also increased their demand for Bitcoin recently.
Binance CEO urges caution over chaos and offers pro tip.
The cryptocurrency market is booming, and its growth shows no signs of slowing down. Even though there is a lot of excitement, many people are still wondering about the best time to get involved, the best way to approach it and how to prepare. Richard Teng, a CEO at Binance, has shared his thoughts, offering a different take on the hype.
Long story short, Teng is convinced it is better to plan ahead than to act on impulse right now. His recommendation is simple: do your homework before you jump in. He says it is important to understand the market's details and to think long term when you are considering investing. If you are tempted by quick gains, he suggests you proceed with caution and careful planning.
Binance plays an absolutely crucial role in this ecosystem. As the first crypto exchange to surpass $100 trillion in lifetime trading volumes earlier this year, it is clear that it has a significant influence. With nearly 250 million users, $182 billion in total assets and $26.6 million in daily trading volume, the platform has a huge reach.
These achievements show not only how big Binance is in terms of operations but also that more and more people around the world are interested in digital assets.
Bitcoin surges above $106,000 on strategic reserve hopes By Reuters December 16, 20249:13 AM GMT+8 Bitcoin hits record high amid Trump's pro-crypto stance Bitcoin up over 50% since Nov US election Last traded at $105,309
Dec 16 (Reuters) - Bitcoin surged to a record high above $106,000 in early Asian trade on Monday, boosted by comments from President-elect Donald Trump that suggested he plans to create a U.S. bitcoin strategic reserve similar to its strategic oil reserve.
Bitcoin , the world's biggest and best known cryptocurrency, hit a high of $106,533 and last traded at $105,688. Smaller crypto ether rose nearly 3% to 4,014.
"We're in blue sky territory here," said Tony Sycamore, an analyst at IG. "The next figure the market will be looking for is $110,000. The pullback that a lot of people were waiting for just didn't happen, because now we've got this news."
"We're gonna do something great with crypto because we don't want China or anybody else - not just China but others are embracing it - and we want to be the head," Trump told CNBC late last week.
When asked if he plans to build a crypto reserve similar to oil reserves, Trump said: "Yeah, I think so." Other countries have also been considering cryptocurrency strategic reserves.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month questioned the need to hold state reserves in foreign currencies, saying that domestic investment of such reserves was more attractive.
Putin said the current U.S. administration was undermining the role of the U.S dollar as the reserve currency in the global economy by using it for political purposes, forcing many countries to turn to alternative assets, including cryptocurrencies.
As speculation swirls around the future trajectory of Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader cryptocurrency market, asset management firm VanEck has released a set of predictions that bolster optimism for continued upward momentum.
VanEck Forecasts Bitcoin Soaring To $180,000 VanEck predicts that the crypto bull market will reach a “medium-term peak” in the first quarter of 2025, followed by new all-time highs by the year’s end. The firm estimates Bitcoin could soar to approximately $180,000, while Ethereum (ETH) may exceed $6,000, Solana (SOL) could surpass $500, and Sui (SUI) might reach over $10.
The report further suggests that the United States will begin to embrace Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset, as President-elect Donald Trump promised, anticipating an increase in overall crypto adoption. With anticipated changes in leadership at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), numerous spot crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) are also expected to be approved. This includes Ethereum ETPs featuring staking options, as well as in-kind transaction capabilities for both Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Per the report, the asset manager forecasts that the value of tokenized securities will exceed $50 billion in the coming months, following a 61% growth to $12 billion throughout this year. Most of this value currently resides on permissioned chains, but 2025 is expected to be a breakthrough year, particularly as organizations like the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) explore bridging public and private blockchains. The firm projects that stablecoins will revolutionize payment systems, with daily settlement volumes potentially tripling to reach $300 billion by the end of 2025.
This growth, driven by increased adoption in global commerce, remittances, and integration with major technology and payment networks, would position stablecoins to handle transactions equivalent to 5% of DTCC’s daily volumes.
Bitcoin is at $100,100, with resistance at $102,000 and support at $98,400. It fluctuates between $99,000 and $102,000, while the RSI shows overbought conditions, indicating potential price declines.
Matrixport predicts Bitcoin could hit $160,000 by 2025, driven by institutional interest and ETF demand, with a 60% increase expected following recent volatility and stable market conditions.
The Bank of England mandates firms disclose crypto asset exposure, including Bitcoin, by March. Boyaa Interactive has converted Ether holdings to Bitcoin, and Metaplanet is raising funds for Bitcoin.
BitTorrent is one of the oldest and most well-known decentralized data storage networks. Founded in 2001, BitTorrent initially gained notoriety as a platform for sharing pirated media. Over time, BitTorrent evolved into an entire suite of products, including BitTorrent File System (BTFS).
BTFS is a scalable decentralized storage system designed to reduce storage costs, improve fault tolerance and avoid government censorship. Like other distributed storage networks, BTFS relies on user nodes. One of the elements that distinguishes BitTorrent from some of the other networks, however, is the more than 100 million user nodes in place. Additionally, BTFS is blockchain-based and uses the TRON network. There are more than 1,000 full TRON nodes, with 27 block producers designated as super representatives.
BTFS is a derivative of InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) and is suitable for both file transfer and storage. Unlike the other decentralized data storage offerings, however, BTFS is designed in a way that enables users to remove any illegal or copyrighted media from their nodes.
Trading is a tricky profession. Knowledge should go hand in hand with patience and self discipline in order to prosper.
Listed below are the 10 habits that will destroy your trading portfolio.
1. Over trading
Unless you're a scalper or a professional day trader, never trade several times in a day. Give it a rest. Trading requires a lot of your intellect and sound judgment. Unless you're a genius, the mind can only do so much in a day.
2. Aiming for unrealistic gains
Yup, the ultimate goal of trading is taking profit. Don't delay taking profit just because you're aiming for the 10,000 times. It's actually good if you aim that much, but make sure that the coin has the ability to grow that huge. I mean, a coin that has billions in market cap can no longer grow 10000 times. The world doesnt have that money. Look for a low market cap coin that has good potentials like pitbull token. DYOR.
3. Not putting a stop loss
Stop loss is a must in every trade. Dont skip it.
4. Skipping the trade plan
Before entering a trade, know your take profit point and your stop loss.
5. Executing FOMO trades
Dont catch a coin when its pumping hard. That's like gambling.
6. Not practicing DCA
Dont buy all at once. Always reserve some funds in case you're coin drops. That way, you'll be able to lower your entry price.
7. coin fanatic syndrome
Trading is not about collecting coins and tokens. No matter how cute those dog memes are, you're not buying them for memorabilla purposes. Come on, you're buying them for the profit. Let go and sell when you're in profit already.
8. Skipping the DYOR rule
Don't believe everything you heared or read. Always double check information, check contract, get to know the devs, and check the chart before deciding to put your money in a coin.