Welcome to the latest edition of our Market Roundup, where we cover the highlights of the past week in the rapidly evolving world of blockchain and decentralized technologies.
(as of 12:00 PM Singapore Time, January 5, 2024)
The week in crypto has been all about Bitcoin, where the crypto market saw a notable rebound with Bitcoin (BTC) climbing back to $44,500. This follows a recent flash crash following reports of a potential rejection of a U.S. spot BTC ETF. Despite the news, investor confidence appears to remain strong, as the market quickly recovered from the 10% drop, indicating a positive outlook for the approval of spot-based ETFs by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Analysts suggest that the SEC’s final comments on pending applications could lead to imminent approvals.
The anticipation surrounding these ETFs has contributed to a significant increase in investor interest. In 2023, digital asset investment exchange-traded products (ETPs) attracted over $2 billion in inflows, marking it as the third-largest year for net inflows since 2017. The majority of these investments occurred in the final quarter, driven by the growing likelihood of the SEC approving Bitcoin spot-based ETFs in the U.S.
Bitcoin dominated these inflows, accounting for $1.9 billion or 87% of the total, the largest ratio ever seen, surpassing the previous high in 2020. Goldman Sachs, a major Wall Street bank, is reportedly in talks to be an authorized participant for the ETFs proposed by BlackRock and Grayscale, highlighting the increasing mainstream financial interest in cryptocurrencies.
As the crypto market eagerly awaits the SEC’s decision, this heightened interest and the prospect of new investment vehicles signal a potentially transformative period for Bitcoin and the wider cryptocurrency landscape.
For more comprehensive analyses and in-depth insights into the latest market movements, visit the BTSE blog for regular updates.
Web3 News
- India’s Digital Rupee’s Milestone: India’s digital rupee, the central bank’s digital currency, achieved a significant milestone by surpassing one million transactions in a single day on December 27, 2023. This accomplishment was partly driven by several banks that integrated the digital rupee into their operations, including depositing salaries and benefits of their employees into CBDC wallets. This surge in transactions, however, was a one-off event. The RBI’s retail CBDC pilot is currently active in over 15 cities with participation from more than a dozen banks. Despite this success, the digital rupee faces competition from the already prevalent Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system, and it’s still unclear when a full-scale retail CBDC will be rolled out.
- Visa’s Web3 Loyalty Platform: Visa is piloting a Web3-based customer loyalty platform, offering an innovative approach to customer engagement. This platform, named the Visa Web3 Loyalty Engagement Solution, allows brands to create digital wallets for storing reward points and experiences on behalf of consumers. The new loyalty solution is designed in partnership with SmartMedia Technologies and aims to reward customers not just for transactions but for their active engagement. This initiative reflects a shift in loyalty programs towards integrating customers’ values and engagement, offering unique digital collectibles and experiences in various domains like travel, sports, and entertainment.
- Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin Investment Plan: Michael Saylor, the executive chairman of MicroStrategy, has commenced the sale of $216 million worth of the company’s stock, with plans to buy more Bitcoin for his personal account. This move involves selling 310,000 shares, awarded as stock options in 2014, which were set to expire in April 2024. Saylor announced his intention to sell these shares to address personal obligations and to increase his Bitcoin holdings, reflecting his belief in both MicroStrategy and Bitcoin. This strategic sale coincides with a period of rising Bitcoin prices and anticipation of a spot Bitcoin ETF approval by the U.S. SEC, which could further increase investor exposure to Bitcoin.
Stories You May Have Missed
- South Korea’s Crypto Payment Ban Proposal: South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) proposed an amendment to its credit finance act aimed at prohibiting local citizens from using credit cards to purchase cryptocurrencies. This measure is intended to prevent the illegal outflow of domestic funds, curb money laundering, and reduce speculative trading in cryptocurrencies. The proposal is currently open for public feedback and is expected to be reviewed and possibly implemented in the first half of 2024. This initiative aligns with South Korea’s broader regulatory efforts to maintain control over the cryptocurrency market within its borders.
- Ethereum ETF Prospects: The U.S. SEC has implicitly acknowledged Ethereum (ETH) as a commodity, a significant development that hints at the potential approval of a spot Ethereum ETF in 2024. This perspective is based on the SEC’s approval of ETH futures ETFs in October 2023 and its non-interference with the coin’s classification as a commodity by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The classification of ETH as a commodity rather than a security is pivotal, as it impacts the legal requirements and regulatory burdens for ETFs. The SEC’s final decision on spot Ether ETFs, along with other related decisions, is eagerly anticipated in the coming months.
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