Coindesk

2025 could be a big year for cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), according to Laser Digital, the digital asset subsidiary of financial services giant Nomura.More than twelve crypto ETFs could be launched in the U.S. this year, if approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Laser Digital said in a report last week.Asset managers have submitted 12 filings to the SEC to date, the report noted, and potential products include a ProShares ETF that denominates the S&P 500's return in bitcoin, a combined bitcoin/ether ETF, and litecoin, XRP and Solana based products.Laser Digital said a bitcoin/ether ETF is likely to get approval first.The launch of spot bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. in January last year was a resounding success. Blackrock's...

Another jurisdiction has Polymarket in its crosshairs. Over the weekend, Singapore's Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) ordered local internet service providers to block access to the prediction market platform, according to reports from users in the city-state."You have attempted to access an illegal gambling site hosted by an unlicensed gambling service provider," the announcement reads, warning that those found guilty of gambling with unlicensed service providers are liable for a fine of up to SGD 10,000 ($7200) or a jail sentence of up to 6 months.The GRA has yet to make a public announcement on the issue, nor have they launched an enforcement action against Polymarket according to a public directory.Taiwan was the first jurisdiction to actively block its nationals from...

The market for alternative cryptocurrencies (altcoins) may see an extra dose of volatility this week, as the impending token unlock schedule will release billions of dollars worth of supply for several coins, including Ondo Finance's ONDO token.Data from Tokenomist show the weekly unlocks calendar, that includes names like ONDO, ARB, STRK SEI and others, is worth $3 billion – the largest amount since November.Decentralized tokenization-focused platform Ondo Finance's ONDO accounts for a giant share of the tally.On Jan. 18, the project will free up 1.94 billion ONDO worth $2.23 billion, equating to over 130% of the token's circulating supply of around 1.4 billion. ONDO's impending unlock is also several times bigger than its daily trading volume, which has recently ranged...

Billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Treasury Secretary, plans to dispose of several assets, including investment in bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETF), to avoid potential conflicts of interest with his new role, according to a report by The New York Times.On Saturday, Bessent, who once worked for billionaire liberal philanthropist George Soros, filed the ethics agreement and financial disclosures as required for the impending Senate confirmation, revealing assets and investments worth over $700 million. The tally includes BTC ETF holdings worth $250,000 to $500,000, according to media reports.The other key investments posing a potential conflict of interest include a margin loan of more than $50 million with Goldman Sachs, an account for trading China's currency...

As bitcoin (BTC) wobbles around the $90,000-$95,000 area, down more than 10% from its all-time high touched a bit less than four weeks ago, a contrast is growing between traders — whose technical analysis tools show the top cryptocurrency may be due for another plunge — and long-term investors who believe the bull run is nowhere near done.That’s according to David Siemer, CEO of Wave Digital Assets, a firm that provides asset management services to funds and high net-worth individuals in the crypto space. The company counts Charles Hoskinson, the CEO of the firm behind Cardano, as one of its clients.“In 14 years of owning bitcoin, I've never seen a dichotomy like this,” Siemer told CoinDesk in an interview. “The...