Grayscale has expanded its list of 20 tokens to watch for Q1 2025. Tokens from AI platforms and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications have been added. The new additions include Hyperliquid (HYPE), Ethena (ENA), Virtuals (VIRTUAL), Jupiter (JUP), Jito (JTO), and Grass (GRASS).

Grayscale highlighted three key trends behind the additions: a friendlier regulatory environment in the U.S., advances in decentralized AI, and growth in the Solana ecosystem.

Virtuals and Grass are AI platforms, Hyperliquid is a high-performance L1 network, and Ethena, Jupiter, and Jito are DeFi applications. Jupiter and Jito are native to the Solana blockchain.

Smart contract platforms like Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, and Sui continue to remain among the competitive segments in the digital assets sector.

Bitget, a leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has launched GIGAUSDT futures trading with 50x maximum leverage. Trading began on December 30, 2024. Users can trade GIGA for USDT. Trades can be made with a step size of 0.00001 and are available 24/7. Bitget can adjust the parameters of the trading pair according to market conditions. Bitget helps users develop their trading strategies by offering a variety of futures types.

Bitget, a leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, announced that it will list the OGCommunity (OGC) token in the Innovation, Web3, and GameFi Zone. OGC is among the innovative projects that integrate gaming, community engagement, and earning opportunities into the Web3 ecosystem. OGC trading will begin on December 30, 2024. Bitget is also holding a PoolX airdrop event with 11,250,000 OGC tokens.

Bitcoin (BTC) traded around $95,000 on Dec. 29. As the weekly close approaches, market movements have been driven by order book liquidity “games.”

- BTC price is facing significant resistance at $97,300.
- Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView show BTC stuck in a tight range.
- Material Indicators noted that a new $86 million bid ladder is pushing BTC higher.
- Q4 performance remains strong; BTC is down just 1.25% in December at $95,000.

The US government will not purchase Bitcoin in 2025, but will maintain its current reserves. Galaxy Digital research unit noted that discussions on Bitcoin reserve policy are ongoing. The US has a reserve of 183,850 BTC. Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis has proposed that Bitcoin be accepted as a treasury reserve asset. This could trigger Bitcoin competition among nation states. Countries such as Japan and China are cautious on this issue.

El Salvador has become the sixth country to hold more than 6,000 Bitcoins (BTC). Under President Nayib Bukele, the country bought another BTC on December 29, bringing its total to 6,000.77 BTC. This represents a 108.02% gain on Bitcoin investments. El Salvador continues to buy Bitcoin despite a $1.4 billion deal with the IMF. The Chivo wallet is planned to be replaced with private sector wallets.

The price of XRP has increased by 300% in the last two months, reaching $2.10 on December 27. However, there is a possibility of a 25% correction in the short term.

- The descending triangle formation signals a potential bearish signal for XRP/USD.
- A drop below $2.10 could push the price to $1.64.
- Whale addresses dumped 180 million XRP.
- The increase in XRP reserves on Binance supports the bearish trend.

Investors should be prepared for short-term volatility.

Turkey announced new cryptocurrency regulations in December 2024. According to documents published in the Official Gazette, users will be required to share their identity information with crypto service providers for transactions exceeding 15,000 TL.

- Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations aim to prevent illicit funds laundering and the financing of terrorism.
- There is no requirement to collect information for transactions under $425.
- The new rules will come into effect on February 25, 2025 and target "risky" transactions.
- Turkey will be the world's fourth largest crypto market by 2023.

Bitcoin has gained 6.5% since its Dec. 23 low of $92,458, but has failed to break the $98,000 resistance level.

Bitcoin futures are trading 12% above spot prices, indicating strong demand.

Traditional financial markets have supported Bitcoin’s rise above $98,000.

Bitcoin’s 64% correlation with the S&P 500 attributes its performance to economic trends.

On OKX, the Bitcoin long-short spread is at 25x.

Russia is actively experimenting with the use of digital financial assets (DFA) in foreign trade. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that the use of DFA and Bitcoin in international trade is approved and will be expanded. Thanks to the legal framework that will come into force from 2024, Russia is increasing the use of DFA by legalizing Bitcoin mining. However, Siluanov warned against using cryptocurrencies as an investment tool.

Bitcoin surpassed $98,000 after the Wall Street open on Dec. 24. BTC/USD reached $98,020 on Bitstamp, according to data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView. The cryptocurrency has gained more than 3% in a day, recovering from lows earlier in the week. CoinGlass reported that $40 million worth of BTC short liquidations occurred in the past 24 hours. Analysts are noting the importance of Bitcoin breaking through key resistance levels.

PancakeSwap, a decentralized exchange (DEX), achieved significant success in 2024. Total trading volume increased by 179% from $111 billion in 2023 to $310 billion.

This increase was attributed to the growth of layer-2 (L2) networks such as Arbitrum and Base. Arbitrum increased by 3,656% and Base by 3,539% YoY.

PancakeSwap grew by 251% on Ethereum and 155% on BNB Chain. The platform became the second largest DEX after Uniswap.

BingX, a global cryptocurrency exchange, has expanded its fiat deposit options by launching SEPA and SEPA Instant payment services for euro deposits. SEPA Instant allows users to fund their accounts instantly and free of charge. This innovation provides BingX users with a fast response to market opportunities and a cost advantage. BingX aims to provide its users with a better trading experience by continuing to improve its services.

MicroStrategy, the company led by Bitcoin advocate Michael Saylor, has appointed former Binance.US CEO Brian Brooks and two other executives to its board of directors. The development coincides with MicroStrategy’s inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index. Brooks previously served as the US Comptroller of the Currency and has deep connections in the US banking system. The appointment is seen as a significant step in the crypto community.

Jump Crypto subsidiary Tai Mo Shan has reached a $123 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a lawsuit accusing it of misleading investors ahead of the collapse of its algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD (UST). The SEC revealed that Tai Mo Shan had reached an agreement with Terraform Labs to purchase Terra LUNA at a discount in 2021, receiving $20 million worth of UST to maintain UST’s 1:1 balance with the dollar. The collapse of TerraUSD had a broad impact on the crypto market.

MicroStrategy, the company led by Bitcoin advocate Michael Saylor, has appointed former Binance.US CEO Brian Brooks and two other executives to its board of directors. The development comes at the same time as MicroStrategy’s inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index. Brooks’ appointment was described as a significant step by Swan Bitcoin. Brooks previously served as the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency.

Bitcoin (BTC) approached the $100,000 threshold on Dec. 21. BTC/USD gained $7,000 in 24 hours. After falling to $92,000, it reached $99,500 at the start of the weekend. Buying pressure increased on Coinbase. Analysts noted that the 50-day simple moving average provided strong support. However, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced net outflows of $300 million on Dec. 20.

Google has announced a new policy that will require digital asset exchange and wallet ads in the UK to register with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) from January 15, 2025.

- Advertisers offering cryptocurrency exchange products and services will be able to advertise in the UK if they meet certain requirements.
- Ads for cryptocurrency exchanges and software wallets will only be allowed by businesses registered with the FCA.
- Ads for hardware wallets will only be allowed if they do not offer additional services.
- Google stressed that advertisers must comply with local regulations in target regions.

This policy change comes amid growing regulatory efforts to crack down on unauthorized crypto promotions.

El Salvador will make Bitcoin acceptance voluntary as part of a $1.4 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

- Private sector Bitcoin acceptance will be voluntary.
- Public sector will limit Bitcoin-related activities.
- Taxes will continue to be paid in US dollars.
- Government participation in the Chivo wallet will be reduced.

The agreement is awaiting approval by the IMF Executive Board.

Binance Futures, the leading crypto derivatives exchange platform, has announced the CGPT/USDT Perpetual Contract. This new contract highlights the importance of AI-driven cryptocurrencies by offering 75x leverage for the ChainGPT token. The perpetual contract format provides traders with flexible trading strategies while providing a stable trading environment with a fixed funding rate of ±2.00% at four-hour intervals. For more information, please visit the Binance Futures website.