Microstrategy adds three new board members, including the former CEO of Binance.US.
On December 22, according to TheBlock, shortly before being included in the Nasdaq 100 index, Microstrategy's board increased its membership by three, bringing the total number of board members to nine. Documents show that the new board members include Brian Brooks, Jane Dietze, and Gregg Winiarski, all of whom have experience handling large companies with crypto assets. Each board member will receive equity worth $2 million, half in options and the other half in RSUs, which will vest over four years.
Brian Brooks served as CEO of Binance.US from May 2021 to August 2021. From September 2018 to March 2020, Brooks also held the position of Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase.
Jane Dietze has served as the Chief Investment Officer at Brown University since July 2018, overseeing the Ivy League school's $7.2 billion endowment fund. Since February 2022, Dietze has also been a board member of Galaxy Digital, a crypto asset company founded by Mike Novogratz.
Gregg Winiarski has served as the Chief Legal Officer of sports apparel and collectibles company Fanatics since February 2023. Winiarski was a senior advisor at Fanatics from August 2021 until taking the top legal position in February 2023.
El Salvador has increased its daily Bitcoin purchases, with a medium-term goal of acquiring an additional 20,000 BTC.
On December 22, according to Bitcoin Magazine, El Salvador's senior Bitcoin advisor Max Keiser revealed that President Nayib Bukele has increased the daily Bitcoin purchase volume, aiming to acquire an additional 20,000 Bitcoins.
Unichain announced its mainnet roadmap, expected to launch in early 2025.
On December 21, according to official news, Unichain released its phased roadmap for the mainnet and announced that the mainnet will launch in early 2025.
Since the launch of the Sepolia testnet in October, the network has completed 50 million test transactions and over 4 million test contract deployments. The mainnet will support permissionless fault proofs from the first day of launch, ensuring that on-chain activities can be verified, further enhancing security and decentralization. The roadmap specifically includes:
Testing phase 1: Currently, the Sepolia testnet is open, and infrastructure providers are conducting tests. The team is focusing on the stability of the chain and user safety, ensuring that critical services on the network maintain over 99% uptime through simulated load testing and rigorous monitoring.
Mainnet launch: The mainnet is scheduled to activate the permissionless fault proof feature on January 6, 2025, and will fully open after feature validation is complete. Users will be able to directly bridge funds to the network and experience the application ecosystem. Meanwhile, Rollup-Boost will launch after the mainnet goes live, providing verifiable priority sorting and rollback protection for transactions.
Testing phase 3: After the mainnet goes live, the testing and development of new features will continue. This includes reducing effective block time to 250 milliseconds through Flashblocks technology and launching the Unichain verification network, inviting the community to participate in node verification testing.
The Unichain team stated that all new features will be fully validated in the experimental testnet and the Sepolia testnet before being migrated to the mainnet for production use.
The crypto czar denies any changes in position: expects to spend half the time in Washington guiding policy.
On December 21, AI and crypto czar David Sacks stated on social media regarding the articles saying his role has changed: 'Some traditional media reported tonight that my role has changed, which is completely wrong. I expect to spend half my time in Washington guiding policy and the other half in Silicon Valley.'
Previously reported by Fortune, insiders from the transition team revealed that last week the position was downgraded from a leadership role to a general advisory position, partly due to Sacks' reluctance to detach from investment firm Craft Ventures and his unwillingness to go through a formal appointment process. In the future, Michael Kratsios will lead the technology policy work, with Sacks providing policy ideas. Despite the change in role, Sacks remains influential, often active in Florida and San Francisco, and meeting with lawmakers. His appointment has sparked controversy over conflicts of interest, but some in Silicon Valley are optimistic, believing it could benefit startups; however, others are skeptical of his expertise, worrying about policy direction.
Rumble secures a $775 million strategic investment from Tether.
On December 21, according to globenewswire, video-sharing platform and cloud service provider Rumble (Nasdaq: RUM) announced it has reached a final agreement with USDT issuer Tether for a strategic investment of $775 million.
The company will use $250 million to support its growth plan, while the remaining proceeds will be used to acquire up to 70 million shares of Class A common stock at the same price as Tether's investment ($7.50 per share). After the transaction is completed, Rumble Chairman and CEO Chris Pavlovski will retain his controlling interest in the company. The investment and tender offer are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
Bank of Russia Governor: We do not plan to invest in cryptocurrencies.
On December 20, according to Walter Bloomberg, Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina stated, 'We do not intend to invest in cryptocurrencies.'
Aptos co-founder and CEO Mo Shaikh will resign, retaining a strategic advisor role.
Aptos co-founder and CEO Mo Shaikh tweeted that he will resign and leave the Aptos Labs team. Avery will take over as CEO to drive the company into its next growth phase. 'One of my true passions is building companies from the ground up, and we have achieved that at Aptos Labs by assembling a world-class team. I leave Aptos Labs with the utmost confidence in the team and firmly believe that the talent and drive at Aptos Labs will realize our shared vision in the near future. I will always support Aptos and its mission. Therefore, I will continue to serve as a strategic advisor to Aptos Labs and look forward to helping Aptos maintain its position as a world-leading blockchain.'
Bitcoin mining company Hut 8 purchases $100 million worth of Bitcoin, with reserves exceeding $1 billion in market value.
Bitcoin mining company Hut 8 purchased $100 million worth of Bitcoin on the open market, approximately 990 Bitcoins, at an average price of $101,710 each. They currently hold 10,096 Bitcoins, with a market value of about $1 billion, and the actual average cost per Bitcoin is $24,485.
Usual has partnered with Ethena Labs, with USDtb becoming the main collateral asset for Usual's stablecoin USD0.
Usual has partnered with Ethena Labs, with Ethena Labs' newly launched stablecoin USDtb becoming the main collateral asset for Usual's stablecoin USD0. Usual will also launch a sUSDe vault for USD0++ holders, allowing Usual users to earn sUSDe APY and Ethena rewards along with additional USUAL rewards.
He Yi: Most memes will go to zero, Binance will place hundreds of hot projects into the Binance Alpha observation zone.
Binance co-founder He Yi stated in X Spaces that 'a few memes will survive, but most memes will go to zero. Whether it's VC coins or memes, we have a list of hundreds of hot projects, but some have problematic token economic models and some platform data may be inflated. For these projects, we have also heard some rumors of wash trading during ongoing observations. Therefore, we will place these hot projects in the Binance Alpha (observation zone). Projects entering the observation zone do not guarantee listing on Binance. A project can only generate income and profits when it is beneficial to society, which may allow it to share profits with users.'
The father of high-frequency trading: A potential Bitcoin crash could lead to a collapse in US stocks next year.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Thomas Peterffy, founder and chairman of Interactive Brokers and known as the 'father of high-frequency trading', expressed that a potential Bitcoin crash is one of the biggest risks that could lead to a stock market decline in 2025, citing the high leverage levels in the entire system as a major concern for a potential drop in US stocks in 2025.
He explained that 'the risk of an economic downturn is very high, as margin balances are growing very, very quickly, and I am very concerned that people are overextending their financial capacities... One area where margin risk has increased significantly is Bitcoin, thanks to the low fees charged by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) for Bitcoin futures.'
Trump: Plans to establish a Bitcoin strategic reserve similar to the oil reserve in the United States.
Recently, in an interview with CNBC, Trump responded to the question of whether the US will establish a Bitcoin strategic reserve similar to the oil reserve, saying, 'Yes, I think we will.' 'We will do great things in the cryptocurrency space... others are embracing it, but we want to be the leaders.'
With a splash of red and a bit of green, what makes USUAL stand out in a rising market?
Over the past week, the crypto market has generally declined, but USUAL has risen against the trend, attracting widespread attention due to its innovative product mechanism and high-yield model. USUAL introduces real-world assets (like US Treasury bonds) into DeFi, launching stablecoin USD0 and high-yield USD0++, and combines dynamic incentives with cross-protocol collaborations (like Pendle and Ethena) to build a system that offers both stability and high returns. This innovative model showcases the potential of RWA and DeFi integration, providing the market with a counter-cyclical investment option.
Hyperliquid: From the most valuable airdrop in history to the warning bell of high valuation.
Hyperliquid has recently sparked market discussions due to the $HYPE airdrop, with its token valuation skyrocketing and breaking Uniswap's airdrop record. However, the short-term speculative frenzy has led to selling pressure, with high valuations lacking long-term user base support. Despite collaborations with Solv Protocol and others to enhance ecosystem potential, the current valuation may face correction risks, and investors should be wary of an overheated market.
When golf meets Web3, uncover how Japan’s chain game GOLFIN disrupts traditional sports.
Golfin is an innovative platform based on Web3 technology, pioneering the 'Golf2Earn' model that combines real golf with blockchain. Players enhance their virtual characters through real competitions and participate in in-game tournaments to earn rewards. Golfin has partnered with over 1,800 golf courses in Japan and well-known events, boasting 210,000 community members, and plans for global expansion. Its upcoming $GON token and unique NFT ecosystem showcase the potential for deep integration of Web3 with real assets, aiming to build the largest golf and Web3 community in the world.
Arthur Hayes' new article focuses on the truth of global monetary policy and the future of Bitcoin.
This article analyzes the potential impact of Trump's possible re-election on the global economic landscape from a macroeconomic perspective, focusing on the responses of the United States, the European Union, China, and Japan. The author believes Trump's policies will reshape the global monetary system through dollar depreciation, financial oppression, and re-industrialization, prompting currency easing and capital flow changes in various countries. The article predicts that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin will benefit from this process, but the market's expectations for Trump's rapid reforms may be overly optimistic, leading to volatility in the short term. Ultimately, the global economy will face a long-term trend of currency depreciation and financial oppression.
Behind the Binance Alpha mix-up: How did the first two batches of tokens perform?
Binance launches a new listing mechanism, Binance Alpha, which provides users with more investment opportunities by screening and promoting potential tokens. However, a mix-up caused by the official mis-sending of a Telegram group link led to significant market fluctuations, exposing transparency and trust issues. Although this mechanism has temporarily increased platform activity, its sustainability and impact on the market ecosystem remain doubtful.
The next 'on-chain casino' after Solana, Hyperliquid's bull market gold mining guide.
Recently, high FDV projects like Magic Eden and Movement have launched on major exchanges, causing supply and demand imbalances that led to increases in Bitcoin and Ethereum prices, while altcoins performed poorly. However, Hyperliquid has shown outstanding performance, with its token HYPE rising significantly since November, entering the top 30 by market cap. Hyperliquid employs a Dutch auction mechanism to filter quality projects and attract top funds. In the future, Hyperliquid plans to launch HyperEVM to further expand its ecosystem, despite risks of centralization and low liquidity with high FDV.
Pudgy Penguins' PENGU airdrop ignites the market; what lies ahead?
Pudgy Penguins announced an airdrop of the token PENGU, which can be claimed by holders and users who purchase Pudgy Toys. The total supply of PENGU is 88,888,888,888, allocated to the community, team, and marketing among others. After the launch of PENGU, the market is watching to see if its market cap can stabilize. Historically, NFT projects issuing tokens often lead to value transfers, and the market anticipates PENGU might repeat a similar pattern. Investors may consider selling NFTs or buying PENGU during market corrections. Pudgy Penguins' parent company Igloo plans to launch Abstract Chain, which may provide more development opportunities in the future.
In-depth analysis of Memecoin: A product of mockery with a hundred billion market value.
With the conclusion of the US elections, Bitcoin breaks $100,000, and the Memecoin market flourishes. Initial Memecoins like DOGE, centered on humor and grassroots spirit, have gradually become vehicles for expressing support and belief. In 2024, the market cap of Memecoins significantly increases, benefiting public chains like Solana and Base due to the Memecoin ecosystem explosion. However, Memecoins also face controversies, such as the argument of technological uselessness and financial bubbles. Nevertheless, the potential of Memecoins in the Web3 ecosystem remains optimistic, especially after combining with AI technology. Investors need to carefully evaluate their narratives, communities, and risks.
