Learn what is fueling the surge in XRP ETF filings, the advantages pushing issuers toward XRP and the hurdles keeping other tokens on the sidelines. The cryptocurrency market is now entering a new stage in which large institutional investors are looking beyond just Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). One of the strongest signs of this shift is the rapid increase in applications for US spot XRP (XRP) exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Asset management companies are submitting proposals for XRP ETFs one after another. However, many other cryptocurrency projects remain on the sidelines. There are several reasons for the recent increase in XRP ETF proposals: Read more
Bitcoin mining faces record competition as solo and hobbyist miners stage a comeback using new mining strategies. Thirteen years ago today, Bitcoin experienced its first halving event, reducing the miner block reward from the original 50 BTC to 25 BTC. Now, with Bitcoin (BTC) having completed four halving events and block rewards standing at just 3.125 BTC, the mining industry is continuing to transform, with industrial miners consolidating and diversifying into AI. At the same time, a niche trend of solo mining is emerging, according to Bitfinex analysts who spoke to Cointelegraph. Read more
Despite the market downturn and some OG investors selling, the biggest Ether whales continue their steady accumulation, while Ether ETF buyer sentiment continues to improve. While some Ethereum OGs are cashing out, the top 1% richest Ether holders continue to quietly accumulate the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, despite the market downturn. An Ethereum initial coin offering (ICO) participant sold another $60 million in Ether (ETH) on Wednesday after generating a 9,500-fold return on investment over the past 11 years. During the ICO, the investor purchased their Ether for about $0.31 per token, spending a total of $79,000 on 254,000 Ether tokens, now worth over $757 million, according to blockchain data platform Lookonchain. Read more
New research put the emphasis on stablecoin supply all-time highs as a classic bullish crypto price factor despite the recent market drawdown. Bitcoin (BTC) has retained a key bull signal despite the crypto market drawdown, new research says. Key points: Stablecoin supply trends stay positive for crypto market growth, new research shows. Read more
Nexus wants to be more than just another bridge by turning crosschain chaos into one unified balance so users can move assets seamlessly between blockchains. The Avail Nexus mainnet launched this week, promising to radically rewire how assets move between blockchains. Instead of another bridging tool, Nexus wants to make multichain execution as seamless as tapping a button, sidestepping years of awkward crypto UX and operational headaches. Nexus sets out to solve a nagging question in Web3: Why do users with onchain assets still get stuck, forced to bridge tokens, swap for gas and bounce between apps just to use their funds? Read more
Tether halted Bitcoin mining in Uruguay, reportedly dismissing 30 staff amid increasing energy costs and a $4.8 million debt dispute with state power firm UTE. Tether, issuer of USDT, the world’s largest stablecoin, has halted Bitcoin mining operations in Uruguay because of rising energy costs. “We can confirm that we have paused operations in Uruguay,” a Tether spokesperson told Cointelegraph on Friday, adding that the company remains committed to its long-term projects in Latin America. The confirmation came weeks after Tether denied reports that it planned to exit the country following a $4.8 million debt dispute with a state-owned electricity provider in September. Read more
Turkmenistan has passed a sweeping crypto law that legalizes the industry but tightly controls it through licensing and the potential use of state-run ledgers. Turkmenistan has approved a sweeping law to legalize and tightly regulate the cryptocurrency industry, marking a major policy shift for one of the world’s most closed economies. According to a Nov. 28 report from local news outlet Business Turkmenistan, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov signed a law regulating the crypto industry. The new law, which will come into force in 2026, establishes licensing, know-your-client, Anti-Money Laundering, and cold storage requirements for crypto exchanges and custodial services, and prohibits credit institutions from providing crypto services. The state can also stop, void and force a refund of token issuances. Read more
Economist Saifedean Ammous sparked fierce debate on social media by questioning the importance of privacy-focused cryptocurrencies like Zcash vs. Bitcoin. Bitcoin advocate Saifedean Ammous ignited a lively debate between Bitcoiners and privacy advocates by questioning the perceived importance of privacy as a key characteristic of money in an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph. “This is the question. How much demand is there for money that does not get debased versus how much demand is there for money that allows you to maintain your privacy?” Ammous said. Ammous, the author of “The Bitcoin Standard,” described Zcash as a “shitcoin” and raised concerns about the initial launch of the project, which involved a trusted setup ceremony in 2016 to generate the cryptographic parameters for its privacy features. Read more
Bitcoin needs to regain momentum with higher trading volumes for BTC to clear the next big hurdle at $92,000-$95,000 and return to new all-time highs. Bitcoin’s (BTC) relief rally to $91,000 appears to be cooling, but analysts say the short-term trend for BTC “remains up.” Key takeaways: Bitcoin must next take out immediate resistance between $92,000 and $95,000. Read more