JH Kim

21Shares has launched two new index funds that invest in major crypto assets (cryptocurrencies) such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE). The move is seen as an expansion of the product lineup based on crypto asset indices. On the 13th (local time), crypto-focused media The Block reported that 21Shares launched the FTSE Crypto 10 Index ETF (TTOP) and the FTSE Crypto 10 ex-BTC Index ETF (TXBC). Both products began official trading on Thursday. TTOP and TXBC are based on crypto asset indices calculated by FTSE and include top market-cap assets in their portfolios such as BTC, Solana (SOL), Ethereum (ETH), and DOGE. In particular, TXBC is composed only of major assets excluding Bitcoin, and is considered suitable for investors who want to lower their Bitcoin weighting. 21Shares plans to offer a variety of crypto asset investment options to both institutional and individual investors through these index funds.

Emory University has been confirmed to hold more than 1 million shares of the Grayscale Bitcoin (BTC) Mini Trust ETF. It added more than 500,000 shares during the third quarter alone. On the 13th (local time), according to CoinDesk, a crypto (cryptocurrency) specialist media outlet, Emory University reported that its holdings of the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust exceeded 1 million shares as of September 30. About half of that was newly purchased during the third quarter. Meanwhile, BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF holdings showed no change over the same period. This has been interpreted as some institutional investors adjusting their portfolios to focus on specific ETF products. An increase in institutional ETF holdings is used as an indicator of inflows that indirectly purchase Bitcoin. In particular, the inclusion of ETFs in university endowments is noted as reflecting a flow of traditional institutional capital into the crypto asset market.

Bitcoin (BTC) briefly relinquished 101,000 dollars. BTC is trading at 100,866.10 dollars on the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 01:20 on the 14th, down 0.87% from the previous day.

The non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Magic Eden (ME) has officially launched a buyback program targeting ME tokens and NFTs. The structure uses part of platform revenue to repurchase tokens and NFTs. On the 13th (local time), Magic Eden announced on its official X (formerly Twitter) that "15% of NFT marketplace revenue will be used for ME token buybacks, and an additional 15% will be allocated to purchasing NFT collections listed on the platform." Purchased NFTs will be stored in an on-chain repository called 'Garden of Eden'. The company said, "Buybacks will begin immediately, and NFT purchases will start with Solana (SOL)-based collections and then expand sequentially to the Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Monad ecosystems." The move is described as aiming to strengthen demand for ME tokens and support the NFT ecosystem simultaneously.

Long-term holders (long-term holders) have sold 815,000 Bitcoin (BTC) in the past month. This is the largest scale since January 2024. On the 13th (local time), CryptoQuant said on its official X (formerly Twitter), "Long-term holders are actively selling," and "About 815,000 BTC were sold over the past 30 days, which is the highest level of the year." It also analyzed that "decreased demand has increased selling pressure, which is acting as a factor that burdens the Bitcoin price."

The XRP (XRP) spot exchange-traded fund (ETF), which began trading in the United States, has shown strong demand from the start. On the 13th (local time), Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said on X (formerly Twitter) that the Canary XRP spot ETF 'XRPC' exceeded $26 million in trading volume within 30 minutes of market open. This trading volume is a rapid pace even compared with the early flows of other recently listed altcoin ETFs, and Balchunas said, "It is likely to surpass the first-day trading volume of BSOL, the Solana (SOL) ETF, which was $57 million." The listing of the XRP ETF has attracted investor interest amid a trend in the virtual asset (cryptocurrency) market of growing expectations for regulatory clarity and institutional adoption. Depending on the level of trading volume XRPC records on its first day, it is expected to serve as an indicator of demand for altcoin ETFs in the market.

The crypto asset (cryptocurrency) bridge protocol Hyperliquid (HYPE) has temporarily suspended USDC withdrawals. On the 12th (local time), according to the crypto-focused media outlet U.Today, the Hyperliquid bridge has not been processing USDC withdrawal requests since around 1 a.m. local time. However, assets other than USDC can be withdrawn normally, and deposit functionality remains operational. This measure is analyzed as a consequence of the earlier 'POPCAT incident'. According to the outlet, a user withdrew 3 million dollars worth of USDC from OKX, then opened a long position on the meme coin POPCAT on Hyperliquid and artificially supported the price. The long position later expanded to 30 million dollars, but when the buy wall was removed the price plunged. As the liquidation size became excessively large, Hyperliquid's liquidity pool (HLP), which acts as a market maker, absorbed the position and ultimately recorded a loss of 4.9 million dollars before closing the position.

The Brazilian government has submitted a bill that would allow the sale of virtual assets (cryptocurrencies) seized before trial to block funds for organized crime. On the 10th (local time), according to CoinDesk, a crypto-focused media, Brazil's Congress is urgently reviewing the new bill submitted by the government. The bill is a measure to quickly dismantle the financial infrastructure of criminal organizations and would allow the sale of seized virtual assets such as Bitcoin(BTC) before trials conclude. In particular, the bill stipulates classifying virtual assets in the same asset category as foreign currency or securities to simplify management and sale procedures. This is seen as an attempt by the Brazilian government to establish an institutional basis to respond to cases where virtual assets are abused as tools of crime.

October saw the weakest corporate Bitcoin (BTC) buying this year. On the 12th (local time), crypto asset (cryptocurrency) specialist media Cointelegraph reported, "In October, companies added a total of 14,447 BTC, the lowest monthly purchase since the start of 2025." According to the report, MicroStrategy, which accounted for 75% of corporate Bitcoin holdings, saw its share decrease to 60%. Meanwhile, Japan-listed Metaplanet was the most aggressive, purchasing 5,268 BTC in October alone. As of October 31, a total of 353 companies and institutions held Bitcoin. This is more than double compared to January, showing that Bitcoin still remains part of corporate financial strategies.

USDC issuer Circle hinted at the possibility of launching a new token to expand its own blockchain ecosystem. On the 12th (local time), according to DL News, a crypto asset (cryptocurrency) specialized media, Circle said at its third-quarter earnings announcement, "We are reviewing the issuance of a new token to be used on Arc, its native Layer 1 blockchain." This announcement is interpreted as Circle's move to expand its business beyond a stablecoin-focused model into blockchain infrastructure and the utility token area. Circle is preparing the Arc mainnet and is pursuing various partnerships to support the developer ecosystem and integrate decentralized finance(DeFi).

Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily gave up $103,000. BTC is trading at $102,804.34, down 2.79% from the previous day on the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 06:06 on the 12th.

Grayscale has started options trading for the Solana (SOL) spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) 'GSOL'. On the 11th (local time), according to cryptoasset (cryptocurrency) specialist media Crypto Briefing, the start of options trading is significant in that it opened the way for institutional and individual investors to hedge against Solana price volatility or pursue leveraged investment strategies. Grayscale previously listed the SOL ETF last month, and trading volume surged in a short period thanks to strong investor demand in the market. The addition of options trading is expected to increase the liquidity of the SOL ETF and strengthen Solana's position in the derivatives market.

Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily recovered to the 103,000-dollar level. BTC is trading at 103,232.98 dollars, down 2.41% from the previous day on the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 02:55 on the 12th.

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum (ETH), proposed combining zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs with other crypto asset (cryptocurrency) technologies to strengthen blockchain security and privacy. On the 11th (local time), according to crypto asset-focused media CryptoBriefing, Vitalik said a layered architecture that combines ZK proofs with multiparty computation (MPC), fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), trusted execution environments (TEE), and so on can build "a more powerful and verifiable privacy solution." He specifically cited voting systems as a primary application and emphasized, "ZK technology can achieve both the integrity of votes and the protection of personal information." Experts say this proposal could present a new direction for the development of privacy-enhanced smart contracts and security infrastructure technologies within the Ethereum ecosystem.

A UK court has imposed a heavy sentence on the ringleader who laundered 61,000 Bitcoin (BTC). On the 11th (local time), according to Decrypt, a media outlet specialized in crypto assets (cryptocurrencies), a UK court sentenced Chen Zhi, the ringleader of a large-scale Bitcoin money laundering case, to 11 years and 8 months in prison. Chen Zhi was charged with laundering vast crypto assets obtained through illegal online activities. UK authorities seized 61,000 BTC (approximately $6.7 billion at current market value) in connection with the case, which is one of the largest amounts of crypto assets seized in the UK. The UK Treasury and judicial authorities are reportedly discussing whether to dispose of the seized Bitcoin or retain it as evidence for further investigation.