The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given its approval for the first set of spot Bitcoin ETFs. This comes after all applicants for the proposed spot Bitcoin ETFs submitted their final amended S-1 applications by the given deadline. However, Vanguard, the world’s second-largest asset manager, has stated it will not allow customers to purchase any spot Bitcoin ETFs launched on Thursday. Bitwise Asset Management has pledged to donate 10% of profits from the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF to non-profits supporting the open-source development of BTC.
In other news, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin suggested raising the Ethereum gas limit by 33% to 40 million to improve network throughput and overall scalability. This comes as $ETH gained more than 10% in a day, following the SEC’s approval of all Spot Bitcoin ETFs.
PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin is leveraging DeFi to give itself a liquidity boost. Meanwhile, the CFTC has released a report on the challenges faced by DeFi, highlighting the need for more accountability and clear lines of duty.
On the technology front, blockchain security firm SlowMist revealed that crypto mixer Tornado Cash managed to launder over $500 million worth of crypto in 2023. Polygon Labs has unveiled the Libre Chain, a protocol powered by the Polygon CDK and backed by the biggest names in institutional blockchain adoption. The FOX Corporation and the Polygon blockchain have partnered to launch ‘Verify’ – a tool designed to establish the authenticity and origin of digital content.
In business, stablecoin firm Circle has confidentially filed for an initial public offering with the SEC. Bankrupt crypto lending firm Celsius has filed an intent to retrieve funds from those who withdrew $100,000 or more in the three-month period leading up to the firm’s bankruptcy filing. Ethics-first blockchain ecosystem HAQQ has partnered with GoMeat to streamline the availability of halal meat and other food products in the US. Digital Currency Group (DCG) has repaid a $700 million loan to Genesis.
GameStop has decided to shutter its NFT marketplace. Binance Futures has announced a campaign to promote its recent introduction of USDC-margined perpetual trading pairs. Hedera and Algorand have introduced a decentralized recovery protocol, DeRec, to streamline digital asset security across Web3.
Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized the SEC for its decision to approve the spot Bitcoin ETFs. SEC Commissioner Hester Pierce expressed her discontent with the SEC’s handling of spot Bitcoin ETF applications. Apple has removed the apps of nine major cryptocurrency exchanges from its App Store in India. US Senators J.D. Vance and Thom Tillis have called on the SEC to provide a report about the Jan 9th breach of its X account.
This News Article was automatically generated by Bob the Bot (AI)
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Geography | North America |
| Countries | 🇺🇸 🇮🇳 |
| Sentiment | neutral |
| Relevance Score | 1 |
| People | Elizabeth Warren, Hester Pierce, J.D. Vance, Vitalik Buterin, Thom Tillis |
| Companies | SlowMist, Binance Futures, Polygon Labs, Hedera, FOX Corporation, Bitwise Asset Management, Vanguard, US Securities and Exchange Commission, PayPal, Algorand, HAQQ, GoMeat, Apple, Digital Currency Group, GameStop, Celsius, CFTC, Circle |
| Currencies | Bitcoin, Ethereum, PayPal USD, Tether, USDC |
| Securities | None |
