Coindesk

Ethereum developers are preparing for Wednesday's much anticipated Pectra upgrade, set to bring the biggest code change to the blockchain since the Merge in 2022.Pectra – a blend of the names Prague + Electra – consists of two upgrades happening on Ethereum’s consensus and execution layers at the same time.The upgrade is focused on making the Ethereum blockchain more user-friendly and efficient. Pectra consists of 11 major code changes, or "Ethereum improvement proposals" (EIPs), that will improve the staking experience on the network, introduce new wallet features, and update the functionality of the blockchain.One of the main changes coming to the blockchain is EIP-7702, which gives wallets smart contract capabilities, moving them towards a technological trend known as “account abstraction.”...

CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index.The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 2699.5, down 2.9% (-80.53) since 4 p.m. ET on Friday.Three of 20 assets are trading higher.Leaders: SUI (+0.7%) and LTC (+0.7%).Laggards: NEAR (-7.4%) and AVAX (-7.4%).The CoinDesk 20 is a broad-based index traded on multiple platforms in several regions globally.Source link

Led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, Strategy (MSTR) added modestly to its bitcoin holdings last week.The company purchased 1,895 BTC for $180.3 million, or an average price of $95,167 each, according to a Monday morning SEC filing.The buys were funded via sales $128.5 million of common stock and $51.8 million of STRK preferred stock. The common stock sale notably used up the remainder of MSTR's 2024 $21 billion at-the-market offering. MSTR last week introduced a new $21 billion ATM offering.Strategy now holds 555,450 bitcoin purchased for $38.08 billion, or an average price of $68,550 each. At bitcoin's current price around $94,000, the holdings are worth north of $52 billion.MSTR is lower by 2.7% in premarket action.Source link

By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless indicated otherwise)The outlook for bitcoin (BTC) looks bullish even after the largest cryptocurrency pulled back to $95,000 from Friday's highs above $98,000 and the total crypto market capitalization dropped under $3 trillionAmong the signals, U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs are rapidly absorbing supply. Last week, the 11 ETFs registered a cumulative net inflow of $1.8 billion, equating to over 18,500 BTC, six times more than the 3,150 BTC mined, according to data sources Farside Investors and HODL15Capital. (See Chart of the Day)On-chain activity has also picked up, suggesting a bullish outlook. According to data source IntoTheBlock, the number of active BTC addresses topped 800,000 on Sunday, "While it is still far from its highs,...

Tether is about to enter the $25 billion crypto artificial intelligence sector, according to a post by its CEO Paolo Ardoino on X.Tether AI, according to Ardoino, is a “fully open-source AI runtime, capable of adapting and evolving on any hardware and device, no API keys, no central point of failure, fully modular and composable, WDK-infused to enable USDT and Bitcoin payments.”WDK is Tether's Wallet Development Kit, a modular software development kit that enables businesses and developers to integrate non-custodial wallets and user experiences for Bitcoin and USDT across any app, website, or device, Ardoino explained in a November post on X.On its Tether.ai website, Tether says its AI platform will integrate Keet, a peer-to-peer chat platform. Not much else...