🔔 MARKET MOVING NEWS! (20/12/24)
1️⃣ Aptos Labs Co-Founder Mo Shaikh Steps Down As CEO 👀
Mohammad Shaikh, the co-founder and CEO of Aptos Labs, has reportedly resigned from his position to "start a new chapter." Shaikh stated that Avery Ching, the firm's co-founder and CTO, will now assume the CEO position "to drive the company into its next phase of growth."
Shaikh wrote,
Today I am stepping away from Aptos Labs to start a new chapter. One of my true passions lies in building companies from the ground up and we have done that at Aptos Labs by building a world-class team. I leave Aptos Labs with the utmost confidence in the team, and strongly believe the talent and drive of Aptos Labs will bring our collective vision to life in the near future.
2️⃣ Bitcoin Miners MARA and Hut 8 Boost Their BTC Treasuries With Big Buys 💰
Bitcoin mining companies MARA (formerly Marathon Digital) and Hut 8 both announced substantial BTC purchases on Thursday. Specifically, MARA stated that it acquired 15,574 BTC for about $1.53 billion ($98,529 per BTC) using proceeds it raised from 0% convertible notes offering in November and December. This brings MARA total BTC holdings to 44,394 BTC, valued at $4.45 billion. As for Hut 8, the firm stated that it acquired 990 BTC for approximately $100 million. This brings the total BTC held in its strategic Bitcoin reserve to 10,096 BTC, valued at more than $1 billion as of Dec. 18.
3️⃣ Investor Lawsuit Filed Against Hawk Tuah Memecoin Creators, Partners ▶️ #hawktuah
Investors in the Hawk Tuah (HAWK) memecoin have reportedly filed a lawsuit against several entities involved in the launch. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants, namely the Tuah The Moon Foundation, OverHere Ltd, Clinton So, and Alex Larson Schultz, engaged in the promotion and sale of an unregistered securities offering. The complaint claims the pre-launch marketing efforts surrounding HAWK provided "reasonable expectation of profits," and the token's success relied on Welch and her project team's efforts. The complaint states that the twelve plaintiffs who invested in HAWK based on this promise, collectively experienced a financial loss of $151,000.
4️⃣ Bitfinex Hacker Makes Plea From Prison for Rapper Wife ❓
Ilya Lichtenstein, the hacker currently serving a five-year prison sentence for stealing billions from crypto exchange Bitfinex, has reportedly made his first public comments since being sentenced. The statement, released as a video on social media, claims neither his wife Heather Morgan nor his father Eugene Lichtenstein were directly tied to the 2016 theft of 120,000 BTC.
Lichtenstein stated,
I planned and executed the Bitfinex heist entirely by myself. And I am the one who bears full responsibility for everything that has happened. Any allegations that my elderly and not-at-all tech-savvy father had any involvement in any hacking activity ever are completely false and frankly absurd […] While it is true that my wife pleaded guilty to laundering a small portion of the funds, she was in no way involved in the hack itself. In many ways my wife, who I love so, so much, is just another victim of my bad decisions.
5️⃣ SEC Approves First Hybrid Bitcoin-Ethereum ETFs From Hashdex, Franklin Templeton ‼️
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reportedly approved Hashdex and Franklin Templeton’s respective Bitcoin and Ether index exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Specifically, the SEC authorised Nasdaq to list the Hashdex Nasdaq Crypto Index US ETF and the Cboe BZX Exchange to list the Franklin Crypto Index ETF. Senior Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas expects the funds to launch in January with an approximate 80% Bitcoin and 20% Ethereum split.
6️⃣ El Salvador Buys 11 BTC Only A Day After Reaching A Deal With IMF 💸 #ElSalvadorBTCReserve
El Salvador’s National Bitcoin Office has announced that it had transferred over a million dollars worth of BTC to its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. A website tracking these purchases shows that it had added 11 BTC to its holdings. Notably, the purchase comes just a day after the country struck a $1.4 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund that stipulated limits on dealing with the asset. Stacy Herbert, the head of El Salvador’s National Bitcoin Office, wrote on X that the country may even continue buying the cryptocurrency at an “accelerated pace” going forward.
