Coindesk

The institutionalization of crypto markets means that bitcoin (BTC) is no longer considered a niche investment, and increased adoption is forcing hesitant investors to reconsider the asset class, WisdomTree said in a report Monday, which looked at crypto trends for 2025.The investment manager noted that portfolios with allocations to bitcoin are consistently outperforming those that don't hold the world's largest cryptocurrency.Asset managers need to integrate the digital asset into multi-asset portfolios or "risk falling behind in a rapidly evolving financial landscape," wrote analyst Dovile Silenskyte, adding that bitcoin adoption is expected to grow this year as more clients demand exposure to the asset class.The launch of spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S. helped take crypto more mainstream in 2024....

President Donald Trump didn't mention bitcoin (BTC) during his inaugural speech and crypto was absent from his first batch of executive orders, but Polymarket bettors are confident a pardon for Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht will be coming soon.A Polymarket contract asking who Trump will pardon in his first 100 days in office shot up to 99% after posts on X from Elon Musk, and Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, said that a pardon for Ulbricht was in the works.Trump first promised to pardon Ulbricht during a campaign stop at the Libertarian National Convention last May.“If you vote for me, on Day 1, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht to a sentence of time served,”...

A short-lived Trump family token frenzy has left hopeful investors with steep losses.Official memecoins of U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania are down as much as 60% in the past 24 hours amid heavy profit-taking after Monday’s inauguration. Futures tracking the two tokens have fared similarly bad for traders — with liquidation losses at nearly $70 million for those betting on higher prices.These are not thinly-traded tokens where prices are easy to shift, either. Data shows TRUMP amassed over $19 billion in volumes over a 24-hour period, while MELANIA saw $4.5 billion exchange hands.Major tokens, such as Tron's TRX and Cardano’s ADA did under $4 billion in volumes in the same period, indicative of the high interest in...

Deribit-listed options show a persistent bullish outlook for bitcoin relative to ether, following President Donald Trump's omission of any crypto mention in his inaugural speech on Monday.As of noon Hong Kong Time, BTC call options, which offer a bullish exposure in the leading cryptocurrency, traded pricier than ETH calls across time frames, according to risk reversals tracked by Amberdata. Risk reversal measures the difference between implied volatility for calls relative to puts, with positive values signaling a bullish sentiment.BTC's risk reversals show short-term and near-term calls trading at a four to five volatility points premium to puts. Meanwhile, ETH calls trade at a relatively lesser volatility premium to puts.In other words, the ether-bitcoin ratio is seen extending the downtrend. The...

Commissioner Mark Uyeda will take over running the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as the agency awaits the Senate confirmation on President Donald Trump's pick for the permanent role, Paul Atkins.Acting Chair Uyeda, who has been a clear supporter of relaxing the regulator's pursuit of the crypto industry alongside fellow Republican Commissioner Hester Peirce, once served Atkins as a counsel at the agency. Atkins, who was formally nominated hours after Trump was sworn in on Monday, is a former commissioner who has developed ties to crypto in his Washington consulting business.Uyeda has expressed his own strong views about the SEC's role regarding digital assets. He's routinely criticized the commission's majority on moves to rein in crypto, such as the so-called...