Author - James Lim

More than 12k deaths in 2023 road accidents, say cops

A total of 598,635 road accidents were reported nationwide from Jan 1 to Dec 30 last year with 12,417 involving death. Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department deputy director Mohd Nasri Omar told reporters this after conducting an operation at the Jalan Duta Toll Plaza in KL early this morning. According to Bernama, he added that Selangor...

BlackRock designates JPMorgan, Jane Street as Bitcoin ETF authorized participants

BlackRock disclosed JPMorgan Securities and Jane Street as intended participants for its proposed Bitcoin ETF before the SEC decision. The asset management giant is set to collaborate with the participants, pending approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Authorized participants play a crucial role in ETF operations, as they can create and redeem shares. This involves exchanging ETF...

VanEck files updated spot Bitcoin ETF application

The asset manager submitted an amended S-1 Form with the SEC on deadline day, switching to cash-only subscriptions like most issuers seeking spot Bitcoin ETF approval. VanEck’s update did not name the authorized participants for its VanEck Bitcoin Trust, an exchange-traded fund aiming to invest in the largest cryptocurrency by market cap at its spot price. https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1740788284253520368 Several other issuers...

Coinbase appoints new head of custody amid Bitcoin ETF preparations

Coinbase has changed its head of custody, potentially as a strategic decision for handling services related to spot Bitcoin ETFs. The departure of Aaron Schnarch, the former Chief Executive Officer of Coinbase Custody, marks a pivotal shift in the company’s leadership. Schnarch’s position has been filled by Rick Schonberg, who joined Coinbase in 2021 and brings experience from...

Cryptocurrency option trading soars as January ETF expectations escalate

There’s been a noticeable uptick in trading cryptocurrency options and futures since Christmas, primarily driven by traditional financial institutions. This increase is largely in anticipation of a key decision by U.S. regulatory authorities regarding the approval or disapproval of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on direct investments in Bitcoin. As reported by Bloomberg, recent data indicates that Bitcoin...

Singapore’s prime minister issues warning following deepfake crypto video with him

Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong warned the public about a deepfake video, depicting him promoting a crypto scam ‘envisioned by Elon Musk.’ In an X post on Dec. 29, Singapore‘s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has issued a public warning that addressed the emergence of deepfake videos depicting him promoting crypto scams with the help of artificial intelligence...

OKX to delist privacy tokens in January 2024

One of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, OKX, announced delisting several trading pairs at once. According to the Dec. 29 announcement, OKX will delist stablecoin USD Coin (USDC), Tether (USDT), and Bitcoin (BTC) trading pairs with several prominent privacy-focused cryptocurrencies, including Monero (XMR) and Dash (DASH). The delisting will take place on Jan. 4 and 5, 2024. The exact...

Can This Red-Hot Crypto Outperform Bitcoin Again in 2024?

One of the standout performers in the crypto market this year has been Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), which is up almost 1,000% in 2023. On the strength of its recent performance, Solana has become the fifth-most valuable cryptocurrency in the world, and some analysts are even predicting that it could soon surpass Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) in terms of market cap. What's all...

Why Crypto Mining Stocks Booked Double-Digit Gains Today

Despite its nickname, Hump Day did not provide any impediment to the seemingly unstoppable cryptocurrency rally. A top crypto bull made a big move, and in response, his chosen coin's upward momentum continued. Unsurprisingly, investors in altcoins and crypto mining stocks eagerly followed suit. Mining sector bellwether Marathon Digital Holdings (NASDAQ: MARA) closed the day nearly 15% in positive...

MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin Holdings Top $8 Billion With Latest Purchase

(Bloomberg) -- MicroStrategy Inc., the enterprise software maker which has made buying Bitcoin as part of its corporate strategy, increased its total holdings of the cryptocurrency to more than $8 billion through additional purchases this month. Most Read from Bloomberg The Late-Night Email to Tim Cook That Set the Apple Watch Saga in Motion Chinese Carmaker...