News

Major crypto firms donate millions to Donald Trump’s inauguration

January 10, 2025 1 min read

Circle, the second-largest stablecoin issuer, has donated $1 million in USDC to the inaugural fund for President Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. This donation reflects the growing support from the crypto industry for the new administration, which aims to lead in crypto innovation. Other significant contributors include Coinbase, Kraken, Ripple, and Ondo Finance, with Ripple donating $5 million in XRP and the others each giving $1 million. Robinhood

Chainlink Teams Up with Ripple for DeFi — But All Eyes Are on Web3Bay’s Marketplace for Big 2025 Gains!

January 10, 2025 4 mins read

Accuracy and clarity are now pivotal in decentralized finance (DeFi). Ripple’s recent adoption of Chainlink’s Price Feeds boosts the trustworthiness of its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in DeFi settings. While Ripple’s move fortifies its role in the stablecoin arena, Web3Bay emerges with a special offer, creating a decentralized marketplace for digital goods. In contrast to RLUSD’s focus on money movements, Web3Bay merges clear pricing with high return prospects through its

Donald Trump unveils his “Trump Bitcoin Digital Trading Cards” on Bitcoin Ordinals

January 10, 2025 1 min read

Donald Trump has introduced a new NFT collection called “Trump Bitcoin Digital Trading Cards” on the Bitcoin network using the Ordinals protocol. This initial batch consists of 160 cards, with plans for a total of 200. Buyers can obtain 100 cards from the “Mugshot Edition” through the Magic Eden marketplace by linking their Bitcoin wallets. This collection marks Trump’s first NFT project on Bitcoin, following previous releases like the “Trump

A U.S. court approves the sale of $6.5 billion in seized Silk Road Bitcoin

January 10, 2025 1 min read

A U.S. federal court has approved the sale of 69,370 Bitcoin seized from the Silk Road marketplace, concluding a four-year legal battle. Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg denied attempts to block the forfeiture, allowing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to liquidate the Bitcoin, valued at $6.5 billion. This marks the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. history, linked to the dark web platform shut down in 2013. The liquidation process

Bhutan to adopt Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Binance Coin (BNB) as reserves

January 9, 2025 1 min read

The idea of digital asset strategic reserves is becoming popular. Vancouver’s Mayor has proposed making the city Bitcoin-friendly to protect reserves. Meanwhile, the Satoshi Action Fund plans to introduce up to 20 bills for Strategic Bitcoin Reserves across various US states. With the upcoming Trump election and expectations of a crypto bull run, many countries are starting to see the benefits of digital assets for reserve preservation. El Salvador was

Arbitrum awards its largest developer grant to South Korea’s Lotte Grou

January 9, 2025 1 min read

Arbitrum has made headlines by granting its largest developer grant to South Korea’s Lotte Group. This partnership aims to transform metaverse gaming using blockchain technology. The focus is on Caliverse, Lotte’s AI-driven metaverse platform, which will incorporate Arbitrum’s Layer-2 blockchain solutions. This integration promises smoother crypto payments and enhanced virtual experiences. The announcement took place at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. Although the grant’s value is not disclosed, it was

Illuvium teams up with Virtuals Protocol to revolutionize NPC behavior using AI agents

January 9, 2025 1 min read

Illuvium has partnered with Virtuals Protocol to improve NPC behavior in its Overworld game through advanced AI technology. This partnership, revealed on January 7, seeks to swap out conventional, scripted NPCs for smart AI agents that can engage in real-time and create distinct personalities. The Overworld game, released in July 2024, will include NPCs that react to player actions, creating more engaging and personalized gameplay experiences. Virtuals Protocol offers a

Dogecoin drops by over 14% as Bitcoin slides $93K

January 8, 2025 1 min read

Dogecoin (DOGE) experienced significant losses, leading to a decline among major cryptocurrencies as Bitcoin (BTC) fell to nearly $93,000. This drop was linked to new economic data that caused U.S. Treasury yields to rise sharply. DOGE dropped by 14%, while other crypto like Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), BNB Chain (BNB), and Ethereum (ETH) also saw declines of at least 7%. Bitcoin itself fell by 5.5%. The downturn in the crypto

Ripple president says XRP ETF could soon be a reality

January 8, 2025 1 min read

An XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) may soon be approved, according to Ripple President Monica Long in a recent Bloomberg interview. She expressed optimism about the future of crypto regulations in the U.S., suggesting that XRP could be next in line for an ETF after Bitcoin and Ether. Long believes that with the change in administration, the approval process for crypto filings will speed up. Ripple is also launching its new

Riot Platforms mined 516 Bitcoin in December

January 8, 2025 1 min read

Riot Platforms reported a Bitcoin production of 516 BTC in December 2024, which is a 4% increase from November’s 495 BTC. However, this figure represents a 17% decline compared to December 2023, when 619 BTC were mined. Daily production also fell from 20 BTC in December 2023 to 16.5 BTC in December 2024. The company is expanding its Corsicana facility in Texas, completing the first 400 MW development phase. CEO

Gemini crypto exchange agrees to pay $5M settlement in CFTC case

January 8, 2025 1 min read

Gemini, a cryptocurrency exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a case with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The case involved allegations that Gemini made misleading statements about the manipulation of bitcoin futures contracts over seven years ago. The settlement was announced in a letter from CFTC attorney K. Brent Tomer. Notably, Gemini did not admit or deny any wrongdoing.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse calls the 119th US Congress the most pro-crypto in history

January 7, 2025 1 min read

The 119th US Congress is being recognized as a pivotal moment for the crypto sector, with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse expressing optimism about its potential to reshape the industry. On January 3, he highlighted the arrival of 298 pro-crypto legislators from both political parties, indicating a significant shift in Washington’s approach to digital assets. This sentiment is echoed by the crypto advocacy group Stand With Crypto, which anticipates productive collaboration