We've covered and followed the story of the 'Crypto Queen', one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives who's managed to remain free for years regardless of any efforts made by international law enforcement.  Recently they may have gotten closer than ever before - but it's given them more questions than answers.  Video Courtesy of BBC News Subscribe to GCP in a reader

Former president Donald Trump continues to repeat his stance as the crypto-friendly candidate, and it's resulting in votes and donations from the tech world.

Trump has seen the light. 5 years ago he former President saying crypto was “a disaster waiting to happen” but since then has made a number of pro-crypto statements. 

Trevor Traina, ambassador to Austria during the Trump Administration and current tech executive, tells Reuters that Trump said “he would be the crypto president” at a recent San Francisco fundraiser.

Unexpected Support in 'Liberal' Silicon Valley

As someone in Silicon Valley, I never expected to hear that Trump was in San Francisco, raising millions from the tech elite that were clearly against him in the previous two elections.

But just three days ago, Silicon Valley venture capitalists David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya hosted the former president at Sacks' mansion in the wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood, where Trump gave a speech, followed by a dinner and reception. The tickets started at $50,000, and the event sold out, ending in $12 million being raised for the campaign.

Trump Arriving in San Francisco earlier this week.

Crypto is among a list of policies that have 'turned off' those now supporting Trump in a city that voted 85% for Biden.

All Happening While Biden's Administration Continues to Advocate Policies that Aren't Just Bad for Crypto - They Expose a Complete Lack of Understanding of How Crypto Works

For example, the first crypto-related proposals exposed that the Biden administration viewed wallet providers the same as banks, saying they should be required to verify the identities of all users. In reality, wallets are simply software that runs entirely on the user's end, different from a bank in every possible way.

The creator of a legitimate crypto wallet is both blind and powerless when it comes to who uses it and what those users are doing. They cannot help the government seize someone's crypto, even with a warrant, because they literally cannot access it. They also cannot prevent anyone from using the wallet they created - if the file to install it is accessible, anyone can use it.

In other words, it is both completely pointless to require wallet creators to demand information from users they have no authority over, and there is no reason for users to comply when ignoring these new requirements has the same end result - them being free to continue using whatever wallet they want.

No one can be surprised that the industry rightfully fears the end result of people writing new laws intended to regulate something they clearly do not understand.

As Trump Warmed Up To Crypto, His Campaign Made Sure to Show It

In 2022, the announcement that he would be running again came with the launch of Trump NFTs on the Ethereum-based platform OpenSea.

In 2023, his financial disclosure filed with the Office of Government Ethics included a crypto wallet with up to $500,000 worth of assets in it - this wallet's value recently broke $5 million in value. Since the wallet address became known, both random users and projects have gifted or airdropped coins to it.

Then last month, his campaign announced they will accept crypto donations for the 2024 election.

There are Legitimate Reasons Any US Leader Should Support Crypto

One major contributing factor to the US's global power is the strength of the US dollar, and one major reason the dollar is so strong is its status as the global 'reserve currency' as well as the official standard currency for purchasing oil from the world's largest supplier - OPEC in the Middle East.

When the global economy is in turmoil, as seen recently during the COVID pandemic, many nations converted their treasury to US dollars. The Federal Reserve was overwhelmed initially, having to scramble to fulfill other countries’ central banks' demands for what is seen as the world's most stable currency.

That word 'stable' is one crypto investors are familiar with - as the US dollar is finding yet another market where it has become the standard for investors looking for a stable currency to both cash out and re-enter trades from.

In fact, when it comes to cryptocurrencies tied to standard fiat money, the top 16 stablecoins are all based on the US dollar, with 'STASIS EURO' at #17 and less than $1 million in daily transactions. The top stablecoin USDT has done $39 billion in the same 24-hour time period.

While the crypto market trades digital versions, the two that account for the overwhelming majority of stablecoin transactions, USDT and USDC, are both publicly audited companies that verify they hold the money to back up the coin. This means as we've watched stablecoin usage skyrocket over the last few years, offline this created new real-world demand for US dollars.

You would think this would result in crypto having no effect on the election, as both sides would support its continued growth. Regardless of what your opinions may be on other issues - it's a fact that only one candidate seems to be getting this one right.---------------Author: Ross DavisSilicon Valley NewsroomGCP | Breaking Crypto News

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It's over for the infamous Craig Wright, one of Bitcoin's early developers who actually did work with Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, then in recent years begun to claim he was Satoshi himself. A ruling by a High Court judge in London on Monday (May 20) determined that the Australian computer scientist Craig Wright provided false testimony and fabricated documents to substantiate his unsubstantiated assertion of being the inventor of bitcoin.

Judge James Mellor, in a decision rendered in March and with reasons outlined on Monday as reported by Reuters, concluded that the evidence did not support Wright's claim to be the pseudonymous "Satoshi Nakamoto" behind bitcoin's creation. The judge found that Wright had been deceitful and had forged documentation to bolster his inventor claim, and that Wright's legal actions against bitcoin developers as well as his expressed views on bitcoin contradicted his purported status.

Developers Feel Relief Following Ruling...

Wright's legal attempt, had it succeeded, would have given him the right to sue anyone who built anything on Bitcoin's network, as he would become the copyright holder to Bitcoin's code.In a blog post on Monday following the ruling, a Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) spokesperson said that the judgment "forensically demolishes Wright's fraudulent claims."

"This decision is a watershed moment for the open-source community and even more importantly, a definitive win for the truth," a COPA spokesperson said. "Developers can now continue their important work maintaining, iterating on and improving the bitcoin network without risking their personal livelihoods or fearing costly and time-consuming litigation from Craig Wright."

Wright Vows To Appeal...

On X (formerly Twitter), Wright stated on Monday: "I fully intend to appeal the decision of the court on the matter of the identity issue. I would like to acknowledge and thank all my supporters for their unwavering encouragement and support."

Wright first came forward with his claim to be bitcoin's creator in May 2016, making the assertion to three publications — the BBC, The Economist, and GQ — and sending digitally signed messages using cryptographic keys created during bitcoin's early development days.

"These are the blocks used to send 10 bitcoins to Hal Finney in January [2009] as the first bitcoin transaction," Wright stated at the time during his demonstration.

However, by December 2019, when a Florida judge ruled that Wright's late partner was entitled to half of the bitcoins Wright mined through 2013 and half of the related intellectual property, some crypto experts were skeptical of Wright's claims, viewing them as fraudulent.-------Author: Mark PippenLondon NewsroomGlobalCryptoPress | Breaking Crypto News

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 Late Sunday night in the US, Coinbase users were greeted with the following message:

Coinbase is temporarily unavailable. Our servers are busy. We’re looking into it and expect our usual service to return soon. Your funds are safe.

The Outage Began Nearly 3 Hours Ago, and Continues at Time Of Publishing... First reports of the outage began at 9:20pm (US West Coast time, where Coinbase is located) and has continued to the time of writing this article, 12am.   The only update from Coinbase so far was at 11:20pm, stating: We're seeing some services recover. We know customers may still be encountering connectivity problems and we appreciate your patience while we work to correct this. We're still monitoring this closely. However, no one from our team was able to successfully access the exchange via desktop browsers or their mobile app.  -------  Author: Justin Derbek New York News Desk Breaking Crypto News Subscribe to GCP in a reader

In what was billed as the "biggest bitcoin vs gold debate in history," and moderated by Ran of Crypto Banter, the event featured four financial heavyweights squaring off to argue the merits and flaws of bitcoin and gold as potential future stores of value and mediums of exchange. 

In one corner were the bitcoin backers - Eric Voorhees, an early bitcoin adopter and founder of ShapeShift, and Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital and former White House spokesman. They championed bitcoin as a revolutionary, decentralized digital currency outside government control.

"Bitcoin is radical, it's rebellious, it's non-compliant, it's American," Scaramucci proclaimed. Voorhees added "Anything that moves the world away from centralized control of money to market-based control of money is something I would be in favor of."

In the other corner were gold advocates Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Asset Management who famously predicted the 2008 housing crash, and economist Nouriel Roubini. They argued bitcoin has no intrinsic value and is essentially "digital fools gold."

"Bitcoin can't do anything that gold can do...You can't have digital gold, you can't make jewelry out of it," Schiff stated. Roubini bluntly called bitcoin "a damned speculative asset - that's it."Schiff and Roubini repeated the same anti-crypto talking points they've been saying for the last 10 years... unfortunately, in 7 out of those 10 years Bitcoin outperformed all other investments.How can anyone with a track record that includes 7 years of advising investors to avoid the most profitable investment still be taken seriously?

The intense 2+ hour debate covered a wide range of topics around modern monetary theory, inflation, the economic outlook, role of governments, and the fundamental value propositions of bitcoin vs gold.

Voorhees and Scaramucci made the case that bitcoin's fixed supply of 21 million coins and properties like pseudo-anonymity give it immense value as "a non-debasable monetary commodity." As Scaramucci said, "We took [the working class] from aspirational to desperation in 35 years" due to currency inflation.

However, Schiff and Roubini countered that bitcoin fails all the tests of being a true currency. "It's not a unit of account, not a scalable means of payment, and not a stable store of value...it can never be money," Roubini argued.

While no minds seemed changed by the intense back-and-forth, it encapsulated the broader ideological battle between bitcoin's freedom philosophy and gold's traditional role. 

With bitcoin's market cap over $1.2 trillion, this debate is no longer hypothetical. Its outcome will shape monetary systems, investing, privacy and decentralization for years ahead.

I tried my best to summarize the debate that ran slight over 2 hours long, but if you want to see every minute for yourself, you can view an archive of the live stream on Crypto Banter's Youtube Channel. ---------------Author: Oliver ReddingSeattle Newsdesk  / Breaking Crypto News

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As of now, the price of Bitcoin stands around $62k, reflecting robust growth and heightened investor interest. Over the last four years, since the previous halving, Bitcoin has seen an astronomical 800% increase. Just this year, it has already risen by 40%, significantly outperforming traditional safe havens like gold, which has only seen a 7% increase year-to-date. The recent 'halving' isn't an event that happens and it's done, it's a fundamental change that slowly effects the price, pushing it upwards. Some experts suggesting this will begin inching Bitcoin to the $100,000 mark in the next 12 to 18 months. Video Courtesy of CNBC Subscribe to GCP in a reader

The price of Bitcoin has plummeted more than 7.5% in the last 24 hours, plunging to around $62,000 on several major exchanges.

At the time of this publication, Bitcoin is trading at approximately $64,300 per unit.

Bitcoin's downfall was not an isolated event. The S&P 500 index, which comprises the largest American companies, also experienced a significant decline in the past week, accentuated on the last business day. The same occurred with markets in other countries, indicating a global market reaction.

The primary apparent reason for these market movements is the escalating tensions in the Middle East, specifically the conflict in Israel and the potential for a larger-scale conflict brewing, as Iran has launched attacks.

What Could Reverse the Trend?

The imminent approval of Bitcoin ETFs in Hong Kong, one of the world's five largest financial markets, could be a turning point. The impact of such a measure would be substantial, as it could potentially influence the Chinese government to relax restrictions on the use of digital assets.

Additionally, the next Bitcoin halving event, which reduces the issuance of BTC per mined block by half, is just days away. This event typically generates significant media attention and visibility for Bitcoin, serving as a remarkable marketing opportunity.

Furthermore, each halving reminds the market that Bitcoin is a scarce asset and that the available quantity for acquisition will become increasingly limited, which has historically acted as an upward catalyst for its price in the medium and long term.-------Author: Mark PippenLondon NewsroomGlobalCryptoPress | Breaking Crypto News

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Sam Bankman-Fried's sentence of 25 years came down this week, following his lawyers and family making all possible attempts at getting him a shorter sentence.

Here we will review those attempts, knowing that ultimately in the end, they failed. Sam's Parents Fear His Social Awkwardness Puts him in 'Extreme Danger' in a Prison Environment...Sam's family made a desperate plea to the judge, begging for leniency in his sentencing for the FTX cryptocurrency fraud case. His parents, Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman, warned that their son's social awkwardness and inability to read social cues could put him in "extreme danger" behind bars, fearing for his life in a typical prison environment.

In a heartfelt letter, Barbara Fried described her son's touching but naive belief in the power of facts and reason, arguing that his outward presentation and misinterpretation of social cues could lead to potentially disastrous situations with fellow inmates. Joseph Bankman echoed these concerns, cautioning that his son's "odd" social responses could be misconstrued as disrespect or evasion, putting him at significant physical risk.Also included, a letter from Sam's current jail bunkmate, a former NYPD officer arrested after being caught soliciting underage teens for explicit images on twitter, calling Sam the 'least intimidating person here' which has led to other inmates targeting him for harassment. Lawyers Argue for a DRASTICALLY Shorter Sentence...

With the value of crypto increasing, it appears the FTX's holdings are worth enough to fully cover everything owed to customers. Focused on this new factor, Bankman-Fried's legal team also made an effort to secure a lighter sentence, arguing for a prison term of no longer than 78 months, or 6 ½ years. They say the trial largely revolved around the story of a rogue, careless CEO whos actions caused his customers to lose billions.However, this argument inspired the team handling the FTX bankruptcy to write a letter to the judge, where they say removing Sam is the only thing that stopped the bleeding, and that he deserves no credit for the company's ability to pay users back today, because at the time he was spending customers money without their knowledge, he was gambling, and easily could have lost it all.  In the End, All Attempts for a Lighter Sentence FAILED...

All hopes for leniency were shattered when U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan handed down a 25-year sentence for Bankman-Fried's role in the fraud that led to the collapse of FTX. Judge Kaplan firmly rejected Bankman-Fried's statements from the trial when he took the stand in his own defense,  accusing him of lying during his testimony.

"He knew it was wrong," Kaplan said, "He knew it was criminal. He regrets that he made a very bad bet about the likelihood of getting caught. But he is not going to admit a thing, as is his right."

Bankman-Fried was taken away by US Marshalls to begin his 25-year sentence - now living out the worst fears expressed by his concerned parents.

In conclusion...

It's expected that Sam's legal team will appeal, his parents stating they will "continue to fight" for their son, but the odds of that succeeding would be extremely low without some major new information coming to light.  While Sam and his family may find it hard to find anything positive in how things ended, it's worth noting that his crimes gave the judge the option of sentencing him for up to 110 years in prison. While Sam's family and lawyers argued for a much shorter 6 years, getting 25 seems like a huge defeat - but compare to 110 years it seems the judge was still fairly lenient. Sam will probably be free again, at 57 years old. It's widely believed that Sam has a secret stash of Bitcoin tucked away in a wallet no one knows belongs to him - what do you think the price of BTC will be in 2049?------

- Miles MonroeWashington DC NewsroomGlobalCryptoPress.com

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That's what one lucky trader who used crypto exchange Bitmex managed to do yesterday.  As the market was in freefall and clearly intending to 'buy the dip' - the still anonymous user's 'dip' was more like a massive free leading deep under ground, finally landing at a discount of about $54,000! The Obvious Question: How!? It's important to note that there is no official answer to this question, yet. The exchange says they're "investigating the massive sell orders to better understand the circumstances that led to this unusual market activity". We do know someone dumped 400 BTC onto the exchange, which is a lot for any exchange to immediately handle, and in the case of BitMEX they're not even among the top 10 exchanges daily volume. Without any signs of a hack, or bug on the exchanges end, it appears the seller and his poor choice of where to sell his 400 Bitcoin was enough to cause a "flash crash" or a liquidity crisis. Flash crashes occur when there is a large sell order or a cascade of sell orders overwhelming the buy orders in the order book. In Other Words, Someone Messed Up, BADLY... While an exchange like Binance or Coinbase could handle selling 400 BTC  without causing any drastic price movement, BitMEX often doesn't move this much Bitcoin in an entire day. Still, the seller could have at least set a fixed price near market value to prevent selling for much lower.  But this seems to have been a market order - which is designed to sell as fast as possible by accepting every offer on the books until they have nothing left to sell.  It's q both smart enough to have accumulated 400 BTC, but dumb enough to accidently sell them at pric For just a few seconds, Bitcoin drops under $9000, a price not seen since 2018... Without any signs of a hack, or bug on the exchanges end, it appears the seller and his poor choice of where to sell his 400 Bitcoin was enough to cause a "flash crash" or a liquidity crisis. Flash crashes occur when there is a large sell order or a cascade of sell orders overwhelming the buy orders in the order book. In Other Words, Someone Messed Up, BADLY... While an exchange like Binance or Coinbase would have been able to handle a sell of 400 BTC  without causing any drastic price movement, BitMEX often doesn't move this much Bitcoin in an entire day. Still, the seller could have at least set a fixed price near market value to prevent selling for much lower.  But this seems to have been a market order - which is designed to sell as fast as possible by accepting every offer on the books until they have nothing left to sell.  It's so odd when you realize both smart enough to have accumulated 400 BTC, but dumb enough to accidently sell them at price. How You Could Benefit from Situations like This in the Future... Flash crashes are gone... in a flash, and you won't spot one happening until it's over.   So if you want to give yourself the very small chance that one day a flashcrash will benefit your wallet, you need to place low bids for your favorite coins now.  Make the orders are set 'Good Until Canceled' so your offers sit there ready to be accepted if they get the chance. But realistically, you should consider the funds used for this as funds you're simply HODLing, as the end result will probably be the same.  --------------- Author: Ross Davis Silicon Valley Newsroom GCP | Breaking Crypto News Subscribe to GCP in a reader

The USDT (Tether) stablecoin, issued by the Tether company, has exceeded $100 billion in market capitalization for the first time ever.

While used on many blockchains, the Ethereum and Tron blockchains account for 99% of the total supply. 

This achievement not only reinforces USDT's position as the leading stablecoim , but also widens its lead over its main competitor, Circle's USDC , which currently boasts a market capitalization of just $28 billion. 

Tether Says Every USDT Token is Backed 1:1 with the US Dollar - This Was Once a Controversial Claim... 

"A few years ago there were major issues with Tether withholding information and putting off 3rd party audits, all while consistently minting millions of new tokens as they grew. Concerns that Tether had secrets that could crash the market were voiced by dozens of established industry members...."  says Global Crypto Press Association editor Ross Davis "Now this part is just my opinion, but I think these concerns were true at one point, but Tether managed to avoid the issue long enough that with their continued growth, they had the time and money to fix the problem."Tether now undergoes 3rd party auditing, and publicly shares their treasury holdings on their website. Currently, Tether has $5 Billion more in assets than they have in liabilities.A Bullish Signal...More USDT being issued it considered a bullish indicator, showing increased intention to invest in the crypto market - there's really no reason to have USDT unless you plan to turn that into some other coin.- Miles MonroeWashington DC Newsroom / GlobalCryptoPress.com

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Virunga National Park, deep within the Congo, is home to 1,000 mountain gorillas whos population has been on a steady decline for decades, leading to the species officially labeled 'endangered' in 2018.

Now they've launched a two-part plan that implements wildlife conservation, and creates a way for the park to fund these efforts long term.  The economic solution comes in an unexpected form - cryptocurrency mining.

The park was recognized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in a recently published video, praising those involved with finding creative solutions to the challenge of preserving wildlife within it. 

Clean Energy Mining...

Rivers within the Virunga National Park are used run hydroelectric generators, operated by technicians from nearby villages, providing clean renewable energy to Bitcoin mining operations inside the park. 

Another benefit of having this energy source is that they're able to attract miners currently running miners on electricity from coal-burning power plants. Not only highly polluting, coal has become a black market in the region, so the park aims to "reduce the incentive for illegal charcoal trafficking, an activity that has fueled violence led by militias in the region," says Foro from Economic World.

The Park's Hydroelectric Power Supplies the Miners with Clean Energy.

Surplus energy is channeled into cocoa production and nearby communities, while revenue generated from Bitcoin mining maintain the park's infrastructure, and pay their staff. 

Affordable energy is typically the largest expense of the cryptocurrency mining operation, so this is a rare situation where truly everyone wins! In the future we hope to see this new relationship between crypto and nature conservation mirrored in other places around the world!

-------Author: Mark PippenLondon NewsroomGlobalCryptoPress | Breaking Crypto News

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Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein discussing by Coinbase's calls for the SEC to approve Grayscale's application for a spot ethereum ETF, how likely approval will be, and more. Video Courtesy of CNBC Subscribe to GCP in a reader

It wasn't long ago when Riot Platforms launched North America's largest mining farm in Rockdale, Texas - but now they want to go even bigger.

Just announced, they've begun construction at a colossal new site in Corsicana, Texas - once complete, it will become the biggest Bitcoin mining facility in the world!

The new location will be even larger than their existing facility in Rockdale, seen here.

Known as the US State Most Welcoming to Miners, the Infamous Texas Heat Poses a Challenge...

Mining rigs generate intense heat, making cooling a paramount concern, most of the daily work of running a mine revolves around keeping the rigs from overheating. This is why many mining companies seek locations year-round frigid temps - but even in the winter you won't find low temperatures anywhere in Texas.

To combat this, Riot partnered with HashHouse Tech to use immersion-cooling, which surrounds the miners with a flow of liquid coolant, capable of cooling at 20X the efficiency of air. This strategic move ensures they can stay operational even in the Lone Star State's scorching sun. Massive Mining Power...Riot expects their total mining power (hashrate) to hit 20.1 EH/s once the new facility launches by the end of 2024. Crunching the numbers, first taking the next halving event into account, and using $50k for bitcoin's price, at that hashrate the company should earn around $800,000 per day. Of course, that's before they pay the bills, and mining always has a big one huge bill - electricity. It's common for the majority of earnings to be lost to the power bill.  Riot is part of a special program in Texas that involves mining companies pre-paying for electricity, but when the grid is reaching capacity they have the ability to lower their usage and sell some of this power back to the grid. Texas officials have praised the program as a solution that prevents the grid shutting down when overwhelmed on hot summer days. Last year Riot earned over $30 million selling power back to Texas, but remember they first had to buy it up front so only a small portion of that is profit. It's hard to imagine any deal where less than 50% of revenue goes to paying electricity costs.Profit Potential...Last month Riot mined 520 BTC, worth around $250 Million - and this is before the largest mining farm in the world joins in. Along with the additional ability to sell stock (Nasdaq Symbol RIOT)  when they need to raise funds, Riot is quickly becoming a vital member of the industry.-------------------Author: Oliver ReddingSeattle Newsdesk  / Breaking Crypto News 

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Those who are owed funds from Celsius approved this plan themselves, with a total of 98% of creditors voting for it. With approval from their creditors, and now the courts, the final stage of the bankruptcy process begins. Both crypto and fiat funds are among the $3 billion, and to help distribute a sum this large among so many people, both PayPal and Coinbase are assisting with payouts.  Those who had funds in Celsius when it collapsed will be reimbursed in two ways, first is the $3 billion in funds that will be distributed . Then there's the new Bitcoin mining company they're launching with the funds they've been allowed to keep. Under new leadership of CEO Matt Prusak, who already runs Mining company Hut8, the remaining resources of Celsius will launch their new mining company 'Iconic Digital'. Shares of the new mining company will be used cover the rest of what they owe, distributing them before the company intends to go public. Video Courtesy of CNBC Subscribe to GCP in a reader

Since the BTC ETF narrative gripped the market last year, traders have been looking at ether as the next likely candidate to get a spot ETF approval in the U.S.

Will the SEC Approve an ETH ETF? Let's look at the arguments both ways...

Why Some Believe the SEC will DENY The Applications...

JPMorgan's analysts are skeptical. “While we are sympathetic... we are skeptical that the SEC will classify ether as a commodity as soon as May” lead analyst Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou said in a note to clients on Jan. 18, adding that the chances of approval of a spot ether ETF by May this year is “not higher than 50%.”

The main reason - Ethereum’s transition from the proof-of-work to proof-of-stake consensus mechanism in 2022 and the negative impact this shift has had on the blockchain’s decentralization.  

Ether now looks more similar to other altcoins the SEC has classified as securities.

Why Some Think an ETH ETF Will Soon be APPROVED...

The SEC recently sued virtually every major US crypto exchange for selling unlicensed securities, providing all with a list of which coins they believe violate regulations - Ethereum was missing from all of them. 

Another potentially positive sign is the approval of ether futures-based ETFs in September last year, which implies the SEC has officially deemed Ethereum a commodity.

Note that the ETH Futures ETF's that were approved last year are generally used for speculative or hedging purposes - with a 'futures' ETF no party involved needs to actually purchase any crypto. Investors instead buy contracts where they attempt to guess what the price will be on preset dates the contract expires. A true ETF, like what was just approved for bitcoin, requires the company selling shares of the ETF it to truly own the coins the ETF represents, and the only price that matters is the actual price it is trading at.

What You Can Do Now...

Both sides have some very valid points/concerns, so what does that mean? In my opinion, the main takeaway is that there are legitimate reasons to speculate ETH ETF's may be approved. Sure, same goes for it being denied, however, current ETH holders did not invest because they believed an ETF was eventually coming, so the potential of one being denied won't cause current investors to sell. However, the potential an ETF being approved brings in new buyers and causes existing investors to buy more.

This scenario where existing investors see no reason to sell if the ETF news is bad, while the potential for good news becomes a reason for people to buy, can only result in gains as anticipation builds. Of course, a non-ETF related story that overshadows everything could happen as well - but unless it does, there may be a great short-term opportunity regardless of the final outcome.------- Author: Justin DerbekNew York News DeskGlobal Crypto Press Association / Breaking Crypto News

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With the approval of Bitcoin ETF's in the US, many were expecting to see the gains in Bitcoin's price to continue, but despite optimistic forecasts that the long-awaited ETFs would trigger a bitcoin price surge, the opposite happened - now we're learning why. Heavy selling by FTX's bankruptcy estate appears to be a major contributor to bitcoin's price drop since the launch of US ETFs.

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) was among those receiving ETF approval, so they converted their 'Trust' account into an ETF on January 11. FTX had purchased 22.3 million shares of GBTC valued at $597 million in October 2022, but when this converted to an ETF the value of FTX's position jumped to around $900 million.This is when FTX liquidators decided it was time to sell, all of it.  FTX's bankruptcy estate dumped 22 million GBTC shares worth close to $1 billion since ETFs were approved.The irony is painful - Bitcoin ETFs finally receive approval, the crypto world celebrates this 'new gateway for mainstream investors' to get in the crypto market, logically many expected a boost in demand and price. Instead, we're once again helpless and unable to do anything but watch Bankman-Fried's actions lead to consequences for people far outside of FTX. Their liquidation spree officially put a dampener on any immediate ETF boosts to the market. The Bright Side...

Now that FTX has sold its full position, pressure to sell may greatly decrease, bringing back the bull market. 

While heavy selling by FTX's bankruptcy estate seems to be a significant contributor to bitcoin's price drop since the launch of US ETFs. With FTX having exited its position, some analysts think the selling pressure could now subside. But for now, bears remain in control of the bitcoin price.-------Author: Mark PippenLondon NewsroomGlobalCryptoPress | Breaking Crypto News

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The announcement couldn't have happened any weirder, as the Bitcoin ETF's that were approved today were first announced by the SEC on X (Twitter) two days ago... but then they claimed their account was hacked, and stated that no ETFs had been approved. Now that we know the supposed 'hack' simply posted accurate information before it was official, some are questioning if it was an error all along.

But how we found out doesn't really matter anymore, because it's now confirmed and re-confirmed that the Securities and Exchange Commission officially approved 11 applications for Bitcoin ETFs, the largest firms among them include BlackRock, Ark Investments/21Shares, Fidelity, Invesco, and VanEck.

Trading Begins...Now!

Because the SEC must respond to applications  ETF applicants were anticipating an answer from the SEC at any moment, they were ready to go before officially receiving approval - because of this, they went live the next day.In their first day, the newly approved Bitcoin ETFs saw a combined $5 billion in volume, top performers so far are BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust which is trading under "IBIT.O", Grayscale Bitcoin Trust "GBTC.P", and ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF with symbol "ARKB.Z".They Say It's a "Game Changer" - But To Who?

Traders from both the stock and crypto world have repeated the words "game-changer" when describing the impact this could have on cryptocurrencies, citing the new investors who now have exposure to the world's largest cryptocurrency. So who are these investors? If they're interested in Bitcoin, what were they waiting for?

The newly launched ETFs all fighting over what they believe is a large segment of both individuals and companies that are interested in investing in Bitcoin, but hesitated to pull the trigger and buy some. Many potential investors cite their main concern is simply how to securely hold worth of a digital assets, which can be intimidating on a technical level. For a company, acquiring crypto comes with all new cyber-security concerns, where every employee is a potential security hole. Stocks can't really be 'hacked' and stolen, gold and silver can be stored in any bank vault - while storing crypto safely and securely is easy to do, people who aren't experienced with tech are often too intimidated by the risks.Now, individuals, companies, and even smaller investment firms can pass the responsibility of storing Bitcoin securely on to the industry giants, who have the budget necessary for hiring cybersecurity experts and the tech needed to implement multi-level security systems.

A Tsunami of Money Headed Towards Crypto?

Many believe the floodgates are now open for massive amounts of institutional investment funds to enter the market, and their reasoning actually makes a lot of sense.The companies that were just approved to offer Bitcoin ETFs represent $20+ trillion in assets under management - meaning if just 2% of that goes toward crypto we'll see $400,000,000,000 (400 billion) injected into the market.  The crazy thing is, that estimate may be way too small, as we've talked with multiple financial advisors at multiple firms over the past few years when covering various stories about crypto being implemented into their business - one thing we repeatedly heard was that they recommend their client's portfolio to contain anywhere from 5% to 10% crypto.A recent survey of financial advisors conducted by VettaFi and Bitwise found that 88% said they support investing client's funds in bitcoin, but were waiting for spot bitcoin ETF to be approved.Then Why Did Bitcoin DROP Following ETF Approval?With the overwhelming opinion being that the ETFs would be approved, along with the deadline of Jan 10th being public, by the time the ETFs were officially approved every investor who bought more bitcoin with this in mind bought days or weeks ahead. Which is why the quote "buy the rumor, sell the news" is something most in the crypto world are used to seeing.  Most buying relating to a news story happens as speculation grows, once that speculation becomes fact, people sell.Massive Bull Run About to Begin... VERY Soon?

In closing, the only thing we've officially gained this week are new possibilities, a 'reasonable expectation' for Bitcoin's future price just went up.  But if there's one thing I've learned in my 6 years in the crypto world; prepare for what COULD come next, and never believe you know what that will.With that said, prices have returned to where they were before ETF hype took over the headlines - so if the 'sell the news' process is complete, the market is probably about to turn positive. If it does, I believe it'll have some strength behind it - many people recently took some profits, and in the Bitcoin world a lot of selling is followed by lot of buyers looking to buy more at a lower price. ---------------Author: Oliver ReddingSeattle Newsdesk  / Breaking Crypto News

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On January 5th, just two days after Bitcoin's 15th anniversary, a mysterious transaction has the cryptocurrency community scratching their heads. Someone sent 27 Bitcoin (approximately $1.2 million) to the network's genesis address, the very first wallet ever created that mined the first block of Bitcoin's blockchain. This legendary wallet, once controlled by the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto, has become a digital monument to the birth of Bitcoin.

The sender's history reveals only a single transaction: the withdrawal of 27 Bitcoin from the Binance exchange followed by their immediate transfer to Satoshi's dormant wallet. This gesture has sparked speculation and intrigue.

Some interpret it as a symbolic "tribute" to Bitcoin's origins, a fitting commemoration on the anniversary. The genesis wallet already holds 50 original mining rewards, hundreds of small transactions, and now, these 27 new Bitcoins, bringing its total value to nearly 100 BTC worth over $4.6 million.

Overall, there are dozens of wallet addresses created by Satoshi, and they hold over 1,100,000 Bitcoins worth almost $50 billion...

While 27 Bitcoin might be mere pocket change for the mythical Satoshi, for most others, it's a significant investment. 

"Either Satoshi woke up, bought 27 bitcoin from Binance, and deposited into their wallet, or someone just burned a million dollars," Coinbase director Conor Grogan said in an X post.

...or is there more behind it?

Flushing Out Satoshi?

One intriguing theory suggests this could be designed to force Satoshi out of hiding, by testing a new US law requiring all crypto transactions exceeding $10,000 to be reported to the IRS. If Satoshi is a US citizen, even he would need to report the transfer.

Personally, I'm among a fairly large segment of the crypto world that believes Satoshi is long gone, and most likely passed away shortly after Bitcoin's launch.  

As with most Satoshi related stories, I'm not expecting to learn more than what we know now.-------Author: Mark PippenLondon NewsroomGlobalCryptoPress | Breaking Crypto News

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The crypto industry in the United States is making sure their voice is heard before the 2024 elections.  Their primary method of accomplishing this - a Political Action Committee (Super PAC), which is an organization able to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money on political activism - such as funding ads for, or against specific candidates. Going by the name 'Fairshake PAC' they have only one goal - a reasonable and clear regulatory landscape for crypto. This means companies no longer having to guess if SEC believes a 50 year old law written before the internet existed will be applied to crypto.The Super-PAC Already has an Impressive $78 Million Raised, With Elections Nearly a Year Away, the Final Number is Expected to be Much Higher...

The PAC's financial backing comes from a coalition of "20 leading companies and voices in the industry" which includes notable names such as Coinbase, Circle, Kraken, the Winklevoss brothers, Ripple, Messari, Andreessen Horowitz, and others.Fairshake's mission is clear: "To champion leaders who actively support progressive innovation, encompassing blockchain technology and the broader crypto industry." More specifically, the leaders elected in 2024 will be the ones to sign crypto regulations into law, so making sure these regulations will be fair, reasonable, and well-defined is important. 

With 52 Million Americans Now Owning Digital Assets, We Now Have The Power To Sway Elections... 

If just 14% of crypto owners see crypto as their main factor in deciding who to vote for, it would be enough to flip the who won the popular vote in the last 2 elections. They're also willing to extend support to candidates from both political parties, emphasizing the inclusive nature of their agenda.It's Easy To Instantly React Negatively to Anything Involving Money and Politics... 

It's important to consider the details - this is far from some secretive group of wealthy elite quietly pushing for something to bring them even more wealth.  The community of crypto traders and investors is too large to not to have a seat at the table. While the major industry players are funding this Super PAC, crypto's popularly is how they're able to afford it. From companies with hundreds of employees, to the independent crypto trader - we all want crypto regulations that treat us fairly, and are written by people who understand the fundamentals.  Unfortunately an Alarming Number of Lawmakers Lack Even a Basic Understanding...

This isn't a matter of perception, members of the current US Congress are officially part of the oldest congress in entire US history - and nothing seems to highlight this generational gap more than tech related issues. Many lawmakers come from the 'senior citizen' demographic, they have held seats in Congress and the Senate for decades, and on multiple occasions where they were expected to announce their retirement, ended up announcing their run for re-election. If there's any advice I'd give those who will be representing crypto in Washington DC, it would be that they take the time to figure out how to explain crypto to people who don't know how to send an e-mail. These politicians have proven themselves to be a 'high risk' when it comes to believing misinformation and alarmist headlines. In many cases you can find them discussing their struggles with technology in their own words - they called computers and smartphones 'confusing' and 'challenging', and joke about relying on their grandchildren for tech assistance.We Need to Educate Lawmakers, Before They Make Any New Laws...Candidates and their campaign managers will be aware of which industries have the largest budgets in the current election cycle, which is why a couple experts/VIPs from crypto industry can ask for, and successfully setup meetings in various lawmaker's offices. Here the pro-crypto case can be made, common anti-crypto misinformation can be corrected, and the politician can ask any questions they may have. It is essential we the opportunity to present straightforward facts to lawmakers before they cast votes that can significantly impact the future of the crypto industry.

A perfect example of the kind of senseless challenges the industry faces is Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California.  He's been there 10 years, will be running for re-election in 2024, and holds the extreme opinion that crypto should be banned entirely. He is unable to mention 'Bitcoin' without immediately framing it as something only useful in 'illegal activities' -  his anti-crypto statements begun at the same time his largest campaign donor was a credit card processing company facing charges of illegally providing services to black market online gambling sites.For Example, Here's How I would Lobby a Politician who Believes Crypto is Just used by the 'Bad Guys'...

Crypto's use in various illegal activities is a common topic for a politician to have distorted or completely inaccurate information on. This is something where properly presenting the facts shut down  immediately - between paper money, credit cards, checks, and cryptocurrency, crypto is actually the least-used in unlawful transactions. Think crypto fraud has a larger total price tag after seeing multiple headlines over the past year about a hack where losses totaled in the millions?  Well, crypto fraud was the source of about $2.5 billion in losses last year according to the FBI.  Sure, that is a lot...unless you compare it to anything else.  The lowest-tech payment method, paper checks, was used in over $8 billion of fraud last year.  Credit Card fraud totaled around $3.5 billion - meaning crypto fraud was the lowest among all payment methods. Crypto fraud peaked during and shortly after Bitcoin's first major bull run, people rushed to get into crypto, and scammers cashed in on people hoping to get a piece of the action.  After learning the hard way, nowadays, most people know no one can promise 'daily guaranteed profits' and companies that have no information on who owns and operates them may be hiding this info for a reason. This leads to another powerful stat lawmakers need to be aware of - as crypto usage grown, the annual rate of illegal/fraudulent transactions have gone down, for almost 3 years now. The biggest drop is actually this year, 2023 - and the firm that works with the FBI on crypto fraud cases is the source for this data. Once this fact is established, any anti-crypto argument based on fighting crime or stopping fraud  sounds ridiculous... unless they're anti-credit card and anti-check as well. 

In Closing...

The crypto industry is ready to make its voice heard in the 2024 elections, and there is power in numbers. But number more important than the amount of money the industry can spend in Washington DC, will be the 52 million crypto owners in US who will decide what standards, and how much effort  we demand from our leaders. If united, this is who ultimately will determine winners and losers.---------------Author: Ross DavisSilicon Valley NewsroomGCP | Breaking Crypto News

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Do Kwon, founder of the failed Terra and Luna cryptocurrencies, will not be extradited to the United States for now. This is because a Montenegro appeals court ordered the suspension of the extradition ruling and a restart of the court case.

The Court of Appeals Gives Kwon a Small Win...Following an appeal filed by Kwon's defense lawyer, the Podgorica High Court's decision to authorize Kwon's extradition has now been revoked. Kwon's case has been ordered returned to trial court to start a new case against him.

This overturns November's ruling that all legal requirements were met for Kwon's extradition. It also rules out forecasts he would be sent to the US to face fraud and other federal charges, which the Montenegro Justice Ministry had agreed to instead of extraditing him to South Korea.

Kwon's lawyer argued the extradition ruling violated criminal procedure provisions, meaning it was made without due process. The appeals court agreed the Podgorica High Court “acted in contravention of the law on international legal assistance in criminal matters.”

Kwon was Caught Fleeing South Korea, When Spotted in Montenegro in June 2022...He was traveling on false documents and lying about his identity, while attempting to flee South Korea following the failure of his company's collapse.  

Before the collapse, Do Kwon had dozens of companies in the crypto industry to investing, attracting them with high-rate 'guaranteed' interest earnings. Between this, and their massive sell-off of Bitcoin held in reserves while attempting to rescue their stablecoin, the entire market turned red.Do Kwon's failures are blamed for triggering the start of the 2022 bear market.

-------Author: Mark PippenLondon NewsroomGlobalCryptoPress | Breaking Crypto News

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