About half of all venture capital funding in the fourth quarter of 2024 went to cryptocurrency startups headquartered in the United States, and an incoming pro-crypto administration could push that further. Galaxy Digital’s Crypto and Blockchain Venture Capital report, filed on Jan. 15, found that 46% of capital invested went to startups headquartered in the US,…

Cryptocurrency businesses in the European Union are subject to new cybersecurity regulations as the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) takes effect on Jan. 17. DORA impacts cybersecurity and resilience practices by virtual asset service providers (VASP) in the region. To comply with DORA, financial entities in the EU are required to have a comprehensive register of their…

South Korean financial authorities have taken action against alleged unfair cryptocurrency trading practices under the country’s investor protection regime. On Jan. 16, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) reported the first case of unfair crypto trading practices under the Virtual Asset User Protection Act, which took effect in July 2024. South Korea’s Virtual Asset Protection Act requires local virtual…

Cryptocurrency-focused pension funds are attracting increasing attention from younger adults, reflecting a shift in how new generations view digital asset investments. Up to 20% of Gen Z and Alpha are open to receiving pensions in cryptocurrency, according to a Jan. 16 Bitget Research report shared with Cointelegraph. Moreover, 78% of the respondents expressed greater trust…

Real-world asset (RWA) platform Tradable has tokenized $1.7 billion in private credit on ZKsync, signaling growing demand for institutional-grade assets. According to a Jan. 16 announcement, Tradable has tokenized nearly 30 “institutional grade credit positions,” which refers to bonds that are rated highly for their credit quality. According to Tradable’s website, its portfolio opportunities target yields…

US President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly expected to sign an executive order designating crypto as a national priority that could come as soon as he re-enters office on Jan. 20. Bloomberg reported on Jan. 17, citing people familiar with the plans, that the order would mean regulatory agencies would be guided to work with the industry. It…

Asset manager VanEck submitted an application to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for the “Onchain Economy” exchange-traded fund (ETF) on Jan. 15, a now-deleted social media comment from VanEck’s head of digital assets research, Matthew Sigel, revealed. According to the filing, the fund will invest in crypto firms across the industry, including software developers, mining companies,…

Republican Senator Tim Scott, recently elected chair of the US Senate Banking Committee, announced that developing a regulatory framework for digital assets would be one of the body’s priorities in the 119th Congress. In a Jan. 15 notice, Senator Scott said the Banking Committee intended to focus on policies for financial inclusion that “create opportunity” in the…

The decentralized launch of the Hyperliquid (HYPE) token may usher in a “new era” for onchain fair launch cryptocurrencies following some disappointing token launch events on centralized exchanges. After staging the most valuable airdrop in crypto history, the Hyperliquid token came into the spotlight for its decentralized distribution, which excluded venture capital (VC) firms and early investors. During…

In the last year, Bitcoin has gained such popularity that lawmakers and regulators across five continents now consider it a potential reserve asset — a transferable store of value held by a central bank that can be used to settle transactions. Czechia has become the latest country to make headlines for considering such a move….