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Deribit CEO Confirms Strategic Investment Inquiries, Rules Out Takeover Report
Crypto derivatives platform Deribit, has received potential acquisition interest, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing sources.The report added that the firm is working with Financial Technology Partners to review the opportunities. Deribit CEO Luuk Strijers told CoinDesk that the options platform had appointed FT Partners as an advisor for general advisory services and potential secondaries, back in 2023."The interest in Deribit is due in part to the fact that we have continued to be the overwhelming market-leading exchange for digital asset options trading," Strijers said."In short, Deribit has not been put up for sale. Over time, we have received interest in strategic investments from a variety of parties, which we will not disclose," Strijers added.The firm may valued at $4 billion-...
Dogecoin, XRP Lead Crypto Rebound, Bitcoin Tops $96K as Traders Await Key Inflation Data
Crypto prices bounced from Monday's wipeout with bitcoin (BTC) rising as high as $97,300 on Tuesday as traders eyed the latest batch of U.S. inflation data with more to come tomorrow.The largest crypto's dip below $90,000 yesterday was quickly bought up on reports that Donald Trump is preparing first-day executive orders benefitting the crypto industry. The advance continued today, supported by softer than expected U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) readings for December.BTC recently changed hands at $96,500, up 3% over the past 24 hours, while the broad-market benchmark CoinDesk 20 Index outperformed with a 5% gain. Ripple's XRP and dogecoin (DOGE) led altcoin majors with 6%-7% advances.In traditional markets, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the S&P 500 closed roughly flat.Zooming out,...
Spot Bitcoin ETFs Exceeded Expectations in 2024, but Just Wait for 2025
To say that the spot bitcoin exchange traded funds (ETFs) exceeded expectations in their first year on the market is an understatement at best. Instead, it might be more accurate to say that they’ve shocked the industry to its core.“Just how big was the first year for Bitcoin ETFs?” Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst James Seyffart wrote on X. “MASSIVE.”BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) had the most successful launch in the history of U.S. ETFs, accumulating more than $52.3 billion worth of assets in its first year (a combination of large inflows and the sharp rise in the price of bitcoin), according to Seyffart.Three of the other spot bitcoin ETFs, the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin...
Hashed’s Simon Kim Says AI Has a ‘Black Box’ Problem
Hashed's Simon Kim believes the future of artificial intelligence hinges on a radical shift: breaking open the black box of centralized models like OpenAI and building a decentralized, transparent ecosystem powered by blockchain.For Kim, CEO of South Korea’s leading crypto VC fund, the urgency is clear. AI's unchecked centralization threatens to create a "god" we don’t understand, while blockchain offers the tools to reward creators, protect intellectual property, and provide transparency into generative AI – which has been widely criticized for its bias and selective reasoning."AI is being centralized. OpenAI is not open, and it is controlled by very few people, so it's quite dangerous. Making this type of foundational model is similar to making a 'god', but we...
Analysis: Prediction Markets Have a Gambling Problem
Prediction market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi spend a lot of time and money convincing regulators they’re not gambling.Outside of the U.S. authorities are viewing prediction markets as synonymous with gambling. Taiwan, France, and now Singapore have all made moves to block users from accessing Polymarket at the ISP level, calling the prediction market platform an unlicensed gambling operation of some sort.Prediction markets are investment tools, where traders take a position on the outcome to a question.Parties and counter-parties have differing opinions on how to price the the competing sides of the question, and the market engages in price discovery. Should the event occur, each share will be worth $1, or $0 if the event fails to materialize.This isn't a game...