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Bitcoin is rocketing higher, topping $35,000 for the first time since May 2022. It's up 20% over the past five days.




we will take some profits off the table this weekend , maybe , and convert to precious metals in the hand

wash , rinse , repeat
 
The money quote:
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"Options worth $4.5 billion will expire on Friday. That's a particularly high value of which an uncommon percentage is set to expire in the money (ITM) due to the recent market move potentially prompting some market action," Strijers said.
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Ah... But which direction?
 
MoonPay is thrilled to announce that we’re teaming up with Mastercard to drive innovation and strengthen consumer connections.

Together, MoonPay and Mastercard will explore how Web3 tools can enhance experiential marketing—including across Mastercard's renowned sponsorship portfolio—to connect with consumers in new ways.

MoonPay will also work closely to embed Mastercard products and solutions to drive even more trust, compliance, and efficiency across the industry.

Commenting on the partnership, MoonPay’s co-founder and CEO Ivan Soto-Wright said this is a big step forward for Web3.

“We’re excited to collaborate with Mastercard, a prominent supporter of Web3 and the digital economy, to redefine customer loyalty and engagement,” Soto-Wright said. “Joining forces will create new opportunities to showcase blockchain’s potential in establishing unique connections and meaningful moments while broadening our industry’s overall reach.”

Otherlife, a subsidiary of MoonPay that provides Web3 creative agency services, development, strategy, and experiential services, will play a key role in the partnership.

Mastercard continues to invest in blockchain technology and deliver differentiated experiences to bring trust and transparency into the evolving space.

Earlier this year, the company launched the Mastercard Artist Accelerator, a Web3 and music education platform that empowered musicians to create, collaborate and monetize their work using Web3 tools and resources.

In addition, MoonPay will also leverage Mastercard Crypto Credential, a set of common standards and infrastructure that helps to validate trusted interactions between consumers and businesses using blockchain networks. We will also explore how Mastercard’s leading payments technology, including Mastercard Send and Click to Pay, can be integrated into MoonPay’s Web3 stack.


Moonpay is a pretty big crypto onramp for folks using cold storage wallets (ie. they are a decent sized fish). It will be interesting to see what develops from their partnership.
 
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The indicator powered by CryptoCompare tracks real-time data of more than 5,300 digital currencies and categorizes tokens by their trends on a scale of 1 to 5. A score of 5 means the coin is in a strong uptrend, while zero represents a strong downtrend.

At press time, just 4.7% of tokens are in a strong downtrend, the lowest since January. It shows market breadth is expanding, with more coins participating in the bitcoin rally.

Expanding market depth reflects increased investor risk appetite and suggests the bullish momentum is healthier and more sustainable.

“Crypto breadth is improving, so much so that there are few downtrends left. Uptrends (blue) are on the rise, and you never know, but this could be the one. Halving is just six months away, and the Fed will have to start printing money again soon,” Charlie Morris, founder and chairman of ByteTree, said in a research note sent on Monday.
...

 
Solana (SOL) is on a tear over the last few days.
 
Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller has become the latest veteran of the financial industry to speak positively about Bitcoin (BTC), likening the top crypto to gold and saying that it has now established itself as a brand that could survive for a long time.

Druckenmiller made the comments during an interview with fellow hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones, confessing that he is experiencing a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out) after missing out on buying Bitcoin at lower levels.

“I don’t own any Bitcoin, to be frank, but I should,” he said, hinting at a possible shift in his investment strategy.
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While veteran investors have traditionally turned to gold and silver and times like these, the younger crowd has taken a liking to Bitcoin, which Druckenmiller said is a trend that is not likely to end anytime soon.

“I’m 70 years old, I own gold,” he said. “I was surprised that Bitcoin got going, but you know, it’s clear that the young people look at it as a store of value because it’s a lot easier to do stuff with; 17 years, to me, it’s a brand.”

While gold remains the personal choice for Druckenmiller, he acknowledged that younger investors with value to store are increasingly opting for Bitcoin in the digital age.

“I like gold because it’s a 5,000-year-old brand, but the young people have all the money, certainly the ones on the West Coast,” he said.

Acknowledging that he “should” hold Bitcoin is evidence that the investing landscape is beginning to shift towards the younger generations that grew up as digital natives and are looking to upgrade the way they make payments.

He also noted that he had previously held Bitcoin but sold it in response to tightening measures imposed by central banks. He said people could turn to blockchain and digital assets if they lose faith in the central banking system, praising the technology and highlighting the potential for a ledger-based system to replace the USD as the world’s reserve currency.
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That Saylor is a bitcoin bull will not exactly come as breaking news, but he took note of a number of specific near- to medium-term catalysts.

First among them is what's soon be a sizable reduction in supply coming alongside a surge in demand. Bitcoin miners, said Saylor, need to sell bitcoin in order to keep the lights on, and he noted those sales are currently running at about $1 billion per month. The halving – expected to occur in April 2024 – however, means miners will soon have only half of that available to sell.

"You're going to see $12 billion of natural selling per year converted into $6 billion of natural selling per year," he said. At the same time, he noted, spot bitcoin ETFs are going to be a source of increased buying pressure.

Secondly, there are soon to be new rules implementing fair value accounting for company bitcoin holdings. "Long term," said Saylor, "this is going to open the door for corporations to adopt bitcoin as a treasury asset and create shareholder value with their balance sheets."
...


I wasn't aware of the accounting rules change. Interesting.
 
Nov 3 (Reuters) - The cryptocurrency market is starting to bounce back a year after the collapse of crypto exchange FTX and other big players in 2022 crushed prices, tarnished the industry and prompted a regulatory crackdown.

A jury in New York on Thursday found Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the former CEO of FTX, guilty of defrauding FTX's customers prior to its abrupt collapse in November 2022. He had pleaded not guilty and said that while he mismanaged the company, he did not commit fraud.

 
Solana (SOL) is on a tear over the last few days.

Solana’s SOL has rallied over 50% in two weeks, with Nasdaq-listed digital assets exchange Coinbase (COIN) proving to be a significant source of bullish pressures for the cryptocurrency, according to data tracked by Paris-based Kaiko.

Since Oct. 25, SOL’s cumulative volume delta (CVD) has increased by nearly $1 million on Coinbase, indicating net capital inflows. CVD on Binance and Kraken turned positive early this week, while on the South Korean exchange Upbit, it has been negative and trending south for two weeks.

The CVD metric tracks the net difference between buying and selling volumes over time. It’s a running total of net bullish/bearish pressures in the market, with positive values indicating an excess of purchase volume. Negative values suggest otherwise.

According to Kaiko analyst, Riyad Carey, the median order size on Coinbase has been more significant than other exchanges, perhaps a sign of institutions bidding for SOL through the Nasdaq-listed exchange.

Coinbase’s leadership in the SOL market comes after VanEck, a multi-billion dollar institutional asset manager, published a report detailing a bullish case scenario that could take the cryptocurrency’s price as high as $3,200 by 2030.

The bullish prediction is based on a potential scenario where Solana becomes the first blockchain to accommodate applications with over 100 million users.
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Solana is currently trading at around $40. $3,200 would be an 80x increase (over ~6 years). Seems like crystal ball craziness, but that's how the crypto markets roll I guess.
 
Didn't know if here or America's War on Crypto thread so.................

 
Didn't know if here or America's War on Crypto thread so.........

This thread is the best fit. The SEC, CFTC, FTC, DOJ, etc. efforts to prosecute individuals for fraud are not germane to the War on Crypto thread which is focused on government efforts to chill/choke/kill crypto as an industry.
 
LONDON, Nov 6 (Reuters) - The Bank of England told lenders on Monday that they must avoid any risk that customers might confuse new forms of e-money like 'stablecoins' with standard deposits which are guaranteed against bank failures.

 
60k transfers per second x 60 seconds/minute x 60 minutes/hour x 24 hours = 5,184,000 transfers/day

For context, the ACH bank transfer system was processing 2.4 million transactions a day in 2021.

 
A regulated product that allows U.S. investors to gain exposure to Chainlink’s LINK is trading at a 200% premium to spot prices, suggesting institutional demand.

Prices of Grayscale Chainlink Trust (GLNK) have rocketed nearly 100% in the past week, closing at $39 on Monday from the $21 level on October 31. Each share holds just $12 worth of LINK, making it nearly three times pricier than the actual value of held assets.
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LINK tokens were one of the top-performing major cryptocurrencies in the past 30 days, surging over 76% on the back of technical upgrades and institutional adoption of Chainlink’s services.

Some research firms have pegged LINK as the “safest bet” to profit from the growing real-world asset (RWA) tokenization hype, which may have helped boost the value of the tokens in recent weeks.


I could have had a V8 bought more LINK.
 
NEW YORK, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Crypto lender Celsius Network received U.S. bankruptcy court approval for a restructuring plan that will return cryptocurrency to customers and create a new company owned by Celsius creditors.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn in Manhattan signed off on the restructuring in an order published on Thursday. The reorganized business will be managed by Fahrenheit LLC, a consortium that includes hedge fund Arrington Capital, and it will focus on mining new bitcoin and earning "staking" fees by validating blockchain transactions.

 
The surging price of bitcoin (BTC) has pushed the asset’s largest public holder, business software company MicroStrategy (MSTR), to unrealized gains of over $1.1 billion, 25% more than their cumulative investment.

 
Michael Saylor is like the character Morpheus from The Matrix. He believes 100% with every fiber of his being that Bitcoin is "the one" and nothing is going to dissuade him. He puts his money where his mouth is at - even when he was underwater for a good while. Based upon everything that I'm reading, he's just starting to realize the payoff for his convictions. Bitcoin is going to explode once the SEC's spot ETF approvals and the BTC halving event are actually realized.
 
The ETF is a nothing burger. Lol, like every single commodity has an ETF. Several have even shutdown due to lack of interest or more sinister reasons. And look what they do with SLV and GLD. Those are tools of manipulation only.
 
The ETF is a nothing burger. ...

Blackrock (et al) is setting up these spot ETFs (not futures ETFs) because there is institutional demand for them. Institutional investors want exposure to BTC and ETH without having to mess with token custody (wallets, security, etc.). Market analysts are predicting billions to flow into these ETFs once they are approved.
 
Grayscale's Solana Trust (GSOL) is trading at a premium of 869% to its underlying assets amid a surge in institutional interest in the cryptocurrency industry, CoinGlass data shows.

The trust's shares are priced at $202 following a 653% rise since the start of September, while the SOL token trebled to $58 from $19. CoinGlass shows it holds 115,900 tokens ($6.78 million) on behalf of its clients.
...


Holy shit! So is this trust supposed to buy more SOL to bring the premium back down to Earth? Sounds like there is tremendous institutional interest in SOL.

 
Institutions have MORE ability than individuals to buy cryptos and hire IT experts to figure it out. No reason to wait for an ETF.
 
Institutions have MORE ability than individuals to buy cryptos and hire IT experts to figure it out. No reason to wait for an ETF.
They don't want to deal with the risks associated with self custody.
 
For me personally, I prefer self custody. I'm not an (investment, pension, retirement, etc.) fund though. Institutional investors aren't stackers. They just want to profit on the underlying asset and ETFs will be well regulated products/options that fit within their existing investment frameworks.
 
Nov 14 (Reuters) - Bitcoin miners are making hay while the sun shines.

The business has been yanked out of the doldrums by the cryptocurrency's recent rally - and now mining companies are racing to lock in profits before bitcoin's "halving", when rewards for producing the tokens are cut in half.

The next halving is expected in April 2024, a process designed to slow the release of bitcoin, whose supply is capped at 21 million - of which 19 million have already been mined.

 
^^^ Lot's of people said the price the BTC should drop again before the halving event does it's real takeoff. If the miners dump holdings, that seems to track. However, the logic espoused there doesn't really make sense to me. After the halving, miners will be reaping fewer tokens (half the rate as present), but holding on to BTC already mined seems like the smart thing to do as the price of BTC is set to rise. The longer they can hold off selling for cash flow purposes, the more profit they stand to realize for already mined BTC when the halving price begins rising in earnest.

~~~

Ethereum spot ETF commentary:
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Guy Gotslak, co-founder and president of My Digital Money, was more bullish on the development.

“Billions are bout to pour into the industry's favorite altcoin,” Gotslak said. “According to the 2023 State of the Union in Numbers, the top 1% has as much wealth in stocks and mutual funds as the rest of the top 20%, and the top 20% has more than 10 times as much wealth in stocks/mutual funds as the next 20%, and more than 15 times than the bottom 20%.”

“That is $30.62T of the top 20%'s wealth in stocks and funds,” he noted. “That is the market you are opening to.”

Gotslak said these facts, combined with his expectation that the “economy will really unravel in 2024,” could result in Ether climbing “back to its all-time high of $4,644 by next year.”
...


It's not clear (to me at least) when the SEC would be ruling on the Blackrock spot Ether ETF. But if it gets approved by 2nd quarter, I could see the bullish case playing out.
 
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analysts at VanEck see even greater gains in Solana’s future and have suggested that it could reach a price of $3,211 by 2030.

“By 2030, our Solana valuation scenarios project a SOL price ranging from a bearish $9.81 to a bullish $3,211.28, anchored by varied market shares and revenue estimations across key sectors,” said Patrick Bush, senior investment analyst at VanEck, and Matthew Sigel, VanEck’s head of digital assets research.
...


Well... That narrows it down! 😆
 
Tax Week 2023 ( for anyone interested here's a link to 9 articles on crypto taxes )

 
November 15, 2023

Commerzbank granted Crypto Custody Licence​

  • Commerzbank is first German full-service bank to be granted Crypto Custody Licence
  • Licence allows for custody of crypto assets as enabling factor for further digital asset services
  • Bank is aiming to establish secure custody platform for digital assets

Commerzbank is the first German full-service bank to be granted the Crypto Custody Licence pursuant to Article 1 Section 1a Sentence 1 No 6 German Banking Act (KWG). The licence will enable the Bank to build up a broad range of digital asset services, with particular emphasis on crypto assets.

The first step by the Bank is to establish a secure and reliable platform with full regulatory compliance to support its institutional clients by providing custody for crypto assets based on blockchain technology.

“Now that we have been granted the licence, we have achieved an important milestone. This highlights our ongoing commitment to applying the latest technologies and innovations, and it forms the foundation for supporting our customers in the areas of digital assets,” commented Dr Jörg Oliveri del Castillo-Schulz, Chief Operating Officer of Commerzbank.

 
More Solana (SOL) bullishness:
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SOL crossed $63, reaching a level previously seen in May 2022. Daily trading volumes also spiked to over $3.5 billion, up more than 70% from average levels of $2 billion at the start of November.
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Data suggests institutional investments into SOL tokens may have picked up in the past weeks. Last week, shares of the Grayscale Solana Trust (GSOL) hit a premium of nearly 900% to the spot SOL held in each share – indicative of rampant demand for the token among regulated funds.

Elsewhere, ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood said in a CNBC interview on Tuesday that Solana was possibly a better bet than Ethereum, the world’s most used blockchain, in terms of technical capabilities.

"Ether was faster and cheaper than bitcoin," Wood said. "Solana is even faster and cost-effective than Ether."

 
Money management giant Fidelity is seeking to create an exchange-traded fund that owns Ethereum's ether (ETH), according to a Friday filing, joining rival BlackRock in strengthening its crypto embrace.
...


SEC is going to be busy next year.
 

CRYPTO REGULATIONS IN THE US: REGULATORY INTRICACIES AND ENSURING ADHERENCE TO APPLICABLE LAWS​


Cryptocurrencies represent a class of digital currencies that operate on decentralized computer networks, serving as a means of exchange without the oversight of central authorities, such as banks or governments.

The landscape of digital asset regulation, particularly for cryptocurrencies, has seen a significant uptick in attention from legal entities in recent years. This trend is projected to persist as the sector evolves. Legal experts specializing in blockchain technology are becoming increasingly vital for guiding through the sector’s regulatory intricacies and ensuring adherence to the applicable laws. Since the inception of the cryptocurrency market in 2009, the sector has witnessed a remarkable surge, securing over $55.3 billion in investment by 2019.

More:

 
Crypto exchange Kraken commingled customer and corporate funds while operating as an unregistered broker, clearing agency and dealer, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleged in a new lawsuit Monday.

The federal regulator claimed that the San Francisco-based company violated federal securities laws in a repeat of its suits against other crypto trading platforms. Unique to Monday's lawsuit are claims that Kraken created a "significant risk" by commingling up to $33 billion in customer crypto with its own corporate assets, the regulator said, quoting Kraken's independent auditor.

"Similarly, Kraken has held at times more than $5 billion worth of its customers' cash, and it also commingles some of its customers' cash with some of its own," the suit said. "In fact, Kraken has at times paid operational expenses directly from bank accounts that hold customer cash."

The SEC claims that Kraken simultaneously operates an unregistered broker, clearinghouse and exchange echoes its complaints against Binance and Coinbase, two exchanges the agency sued earlier this year.

Those suits are continuing. The SEC previously settled similar allegations against Bittrex's now-shuttered U.S. wing.

The federal regulator, as it has with those previous suits, listed a number of tokens it deemed to be unregistered securities, including the Algorand token (ALGO), Polygon's MATIC and NEAR. According to the suit, Kraken took a direct role in promoting these tokens to the investing public.

The SEC filing asks to permanently ban Kraken from operating as an unregistered exchange. The agency says it's also pursuing a fine and for Kraken to give back ill-gotten gains.


I held some crypto in a Kraken account a long time ago (never connected the account to my bank or ever sent them money). I used the account just for staking and Kraken had a really good custodial staking system. But when the SEC shut down the custodial staking programs for exchanges, I made the move to self custody and that's when I learned how to stake crypto for real (self custody).

It will be interesting to see if this suit ends up invalidating the SEC's "unregistered security" claims against Algorand (ALGO), Polygon (MATIC) and NEAR (or any others) like their suit against Ripple (XRP).
 
LONDON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Crypto investors have welcomed the prospect of a resolution of a long-running U.S. criminal investigation into Binance, reckoning any deal that allows the major exchange to continue operating would remove a nagging risk to the wider market.

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) is seeking over $4 billion from Binance as part of a proposed resolution of its probe, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

 
The deal is done:
Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao on Tuesday named a new CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange he founded, after pleading guilty to federal money laundering charges and stepping down as the company's chief.

Zhao named Richard Teng, a former CEO of Abu Dhabi Global Market, the UAE capital's financial services regulator, as Binance's new CEO. Teng was most recently global head of regional markets at Binance. He was also previously director of corporate finance at the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

In a post on X, Zhao said he "must take responsibility," and that it was "not easy to let go emotionally." The controversial crypto entrepreneur, who was accused of violating the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions violations, added that he was "proud to point out" U.S. agencies did not allege Binance had misappropriated user funds or market manipulation.

The case against Binance, which was unsealed on Tuesday afternoon, shows that the exchange faces three criminal charges, including conducting an unlicensed money-transmitting business, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as well as a conspiracy charge. The exchange has agreed to $4.3 billion in fines and forfeiture.

The former Binance chief will personally plead guilty to violating and causing a financial institution to violate the Bank Secrecy Act, according to the plea agreement. The DOJ is also recommending that the court impose a $50 million fine on Zhao.
...


Binance will continue operations (assuming they stay solvent after paying their fines and dealing with possible customer flight).
 
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