JH Kim

According to The Block, a cryptocurrency-focused media outlet, on the 17th (local time), Ju Ki-young, CEO of CryptoQuant, stated, "Recently, the inflow of USD into Coinbase Prime is increasing," indicating "this means that institutional investors are increasing their OTC (over-the-counter) Bitcoin (BTC) transactions." He further analyzed, "Many institutions in the United States prefer to accumulate BTC through Coinbase Prime's OTC trading." Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $104,595.92, up 4.87% from the previous day, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 01:31 on the 18th.

Cryptocurrency analyst and trader Ali Martinez reported on the 17th (local time) via X (formerly Twitter) that "Bitcoin (BTC) is breaking out of the cup and handle pattern and is heading towards a potential target price of $276,400." The cup and handle pattern is a bullish pattern that signals the continuation of an upward trend. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $105,544.08 on the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 04:41 on the 18th, up 5.58% from the previous day.

According to the cryptocurrency-focused media Decrypt on the 17th (local time), the Indian exchange WazirX, which suffered a $235 million hacking loss last July, announced that it has frozen $3 million worth of Tether (USDT) that was stolen. WazirX stated, "We are working to track and recover the stolen assets," and "In this process, we have frozen $3 million worth of USDT." Previously, WazirX's parent company Zettai applied for a moratorium (debt repayment suspension) with the Singapore High Court last August following the hacking and proposed restructuring.

On the 17th (local time), Bloomberg reported that "MicroStrategy (NASDAQ ticker: MSTR), which holds the most Bitcoin (BTC) among single companies, is expected to approve a plan to increase the limit of common stock issuance from the current 330 million shares to 10.33 billion shares at the upcoming shareholder meeting on the 21st (local time)." The media added, "If the plan is approved, MicroStrategy will be able to issue common stock on par with Amazon and Alphabet."

Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily recovered the $104,000 level. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $104,196.91, up 6.11% from the previous day, as of 00:11 on the 18th, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market.

Mike McGlone, a senior macro strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, stated on the 16th (local time) via his X (formerly Twitter) account, "Due to changes in the macroeconomic situation and concerns that the US Federal Reserve will cut rates less than expected this year, Bitcoin (BTC) may not be able to turn the $100,000 resistance level into support." He added, "I think $100,000 is a strong resistance level for Bitcoin," and "If Bitcoin maintains a price above $100,000, it could suggest that the virtual asset (cryptocurrency) acts as a store of value like gold, rather than a tech stock exposed to risk." Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $100,328.27, up 0.57% from the previous day, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 05:05 on the 17th.

According to Cointelegraph, a cryptocurrency-focused media outlet, on the 16th (local time), James Seyffart, a Bloomberg ETF analyst, stated in an interview that even with a crypto-friendly U.S. administration, the launch of a Solana (SOL) Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) might not be possible until 2026. He mentioned, "There could be movements related to a Solana ETF after Donald Trump takes office as the U.S. President-elect," but added, "However, due to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) taking 240-260 days to review submitted documents, the timeline could be delayed until 2026." Furthermore, he explained, "Since the SEC is currently pursuing a lawsuit against cryptocurrency exchanges claiming that Solana is an unregistered security, the review process for ETF listing is becoming even more complicated."

According to The Block, a cryptocurrency-focused media outlet, the Solana (SOL) based social graph protocol Tapestry has raised $5.75 million in a Series A funding round. This round was led by Union Square Ventures and Fabric Ventures, with participation from Stellation Capital, Slow Ventures, and Foresight Ventures.

Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily recovered the $100,000 mark. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $100,100.97, up 0.86% from the previous day, as of 02:35 on the 17th, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market.

Eric Balchunas, Bloomberg's senior ETF analyst, stated on the 16th (local time) via X (formerly Twitter) that "Litecoin (LTC) could be the first altcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) to be launched this year," adding that "the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has commented on the S-1 (securities registration statement), and Litecoin is considered a commodity." He further added, "With a new SEC chairman set to take office, I see no reason for the Litecoin ETF to be withdrawn."

Ripple is setting new highs, touching $3.4 on the global cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Meanwhile, XRP is trading at $3.3581, up 15.10% from the previous day, in the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 02:09 on the 17th.

According to the cryptocurrency-focused media The Block on the 16th (local time), Tether (USDT) is using Kraken's proprietary Layer 2 network, Ink, for the first deployment of the cross-chain stablecoin USDT0. The goal of USDT0 is to facilitate easier transfers of USDT across various cryptocurrency ecosystems.

Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily recovered to the $99,000 mark. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $99,003.99, down 0.11% from the previous day as of 00:58 on the 17th, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market.

The virtual asset (cryptocurrency) market insight platform Unfolded reported on the 16th (local time) via X (formerly Twitter) that the Grayscale Helium (HNT) Trust has been registered in Delaware.

Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily recovered the $100,000 mark. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $100,192.90, up 3.94% from the previous day, as of 05:09 on the 16th, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market.

On the 15th (local time), according to the cryptocurrency-focused media Watcher Guru, U.S. Oklahoma State Representative Cody Maynard officially proposed the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act, a bill to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as a strategic reserve asset. Cody Maynard emphasized, "Bitcoin is a decentralized currency that cannot be manipulated or issued by government agencies," adding, "It is the ultimate store of value for those who believe in financial freedom and sound money." The bill is scheduled to be referred to the next legislative session on February 1st (local time).