Coindesk

Crypto markets are experiencing a modest move to the upside following today’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, in which the U.S. central bank left interest rates steady at 4.25%-4.50%Bitcoin (BTC) has risen 4.5% in the last 24 hours and is now trading for $85,500, its highest point since March 9.The CoinDesk 20 — an index of the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization except for stablecoins, memecoins and exchange coins — is up 6%. Ether (ETH) and solana (SOL) have both surged by 7%, while Ripple’s XRP token has risen 10% off the back of CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s announcement that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is planning to drop its case against the company.Crypto stocks are also doing...

Two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking futures in Solana (SOL) are coming on the market on Thursday.According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Volatility Shares LLC is launching two ETFs, the Volatility Shares Solana ETF (SOLZ) which will track Solana futures and the Volatility Shares 2X Solana ETF (SOLT), which offers leveraged exposure.SOLZ will have a management fee of 0.95% while traders will be charged 1.85% for SOLT, according to the filing.The products will be the first-ever funds tracking futures in Solana, which at a market cap of $66.5 billion is the sixth largest cryptocurrency on the market. The token is up 6% over the past 24 hours, in line with the broader crypto market.The launch of...

As expected, the U.S. Federal Reserve left its benchmark fed funds rate range steady at 4.25%-4.50% on Wednesday, the second consecutive pause since three straight rate cuts to end 2024.The Fed's quarterly economic projections showed a sharp decline in expectations for economic growth, with the GDP increase in 2025 now seen at just 1.7% versus 2.1% at the December projection. The growth outlook for 2026 and 2027 was trimmed as well."Uncertainty around the economic outlook has increased," the Fed said in an accompanying statement, which is likely a reference to the tariff regime being threatened by President Trump.Core PCE inflation, though, is now seen at 2.8% this year versus the previous 2.5% projection. The core inflation outlooks for 2026 and...

Welcome to The Protocol, CoinDesk's weekly wrap-up of the most important stories in cryptocurrency tech development. I'm Margaux Nijkerk, CoinDesk’s Ethereum Reporter.In this issue:Hello, Hoodi: Ethereum Welcomes a New TestnetMicrosoft Raises Alarm of Malware Targeting Coinbase, MetaMask WalletsHalliday Raises $20M for AI Protocol to Eliminate Writing Smart Contracts for DeFiSam Altman's World Network and Razer Want to Defeat Gaming's Bot ProblemThis article is featured in the latest issue of The Protocol, our weekly newsletter exploring the tech behind crypto, one block at a time. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Wednesday.Network newsHELLO, HOODI: ETHEREUM WELCOMES A NEW TESTNET: Ethereum developers launched a new test network, Hoodi, this week that will be used to carry out the...

Privy, a provider of cryptocurrency wallet infrastructure, raised an estimated $15 million in a funding round led by Ribbit Capital.The company, which announced the funding on Wednesday, offers application programming interfaces (APIs) for developers to manage and integrate user data, allowing its customers to offer crypto services and other on-chain functions so that end users can buy, sell and hold cryptocurrency."Businesses that emerge from the early adoption of crypto rails will not only thrive but also redefine how value is created and exchanged globally," Privy said. "But this future hinges on one critical factor: making it easy for any developer to build seamless, secure experiences on crypto rails."The size of the round was not disclosed, though Privy said the investment...