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Talks of bitcoin spot ETF approval flow into as India blocks change websites and crypto is seeing extra optimism

Welcome again to Chain Response.

Pleased New Yr! The crypto house has been off to a robust begin for 2024 as reporters and ETF analysts have reported {that a} bitcoin spot ETF approval within the U.S. might be coming as quickly. In consequence, bitcoin’s value went over $45,000 on Tuesday, hitting its highest stage since April 2022. It has since retracted barely to $44,000 on the time of publication. The full cryptocurrency market capitalization is rising at $1.68 trillion, the very best stage since Might 2022.

In different information, Monetary Intelligence Unit, an Indian authorities company, stated final Thursday that it has issued a discover to 9 international crypto exchanges — together with Binance, Kraken, Kucoin and Mexc — that they’re allegedly working “illegally” within the nation and have blocked their web sites. Extra particulars beneath.

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This week in web3

  1. Crypto optimism in the age of the doomer
  2. India to block crypto exchanges Binance, Kraken websites
  3. Love ’em or hate ’em, NFTs can survive thanks to the communities that drive them (TC+)
  4. Crypto losses declined over 50% in 2023 (TC+)
  5. Hackers stole $2 billion in crypto in 2023, data shows
  6. Why I’m modestly crypto-bullish in 2024 (TC+)
  7. Why Puma is sticking to its web3 bets as crypto shakes off a long winter (TC+)

The most recent pod

For this week’s information episode, Jacquelyn dove again into the newest developments on spot bitcoin ETF functions within the U.S. as anticipation builds.

Fred Thiel, the CEO of Marathon Digital Holdings, a digital asset expertise firm and largest publicly traded bitcoin mining agency, joined to assist break down the newest developments on spot bitcoin ETFs.

Because it stands, there are 14 asset administration corporations, together with BlackRock, Constancy, Grayscale and VanEck, hoping to individually win approval from the U.S. Securities and Change Fee for his or her spot bitcoin ETFs. And a few studies at the moment are saying it'd occur quickly given the frequent conferences and up to date filings in current weeks.

We additionally mentioned what a spot bitcoin ETF might imply for traders, establishments and miners, in addition to bitcoin’s value.

Subscribe to Chain Response on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite pod platform to maintain up with the newest episodes, and please go away us a evaluation in case you like what you hear!

Comply with the cash

  1. Arkon Power raises $110 million to develop U.S. bitcoin mining capability, launch AI cloud service in Norway
  2. Web3 gaming firm Portal closed a strategic spherical for an undisclosed quantity
  3. Lending platform Tonka Finance raised $2.5 million in funding
  4. Animoca Manufacturers invested into racing esports startup Veloce in pre-IPO funding spherical

This checklist was compiled with data from Messari in addition to TechCrunch’s personal reporting.

What else we’re writing

Need to department out from the world of web3? Listed below are some articles on TechCrunch that caught our consideration this week.

  1. 23andMe tells victims it’s their fault that their data was breached
  2. I guess I’m a projector person now?
  3. Remembering the startups we lost in 2023
  4. No, spiders don’t want to mate with your viral body butter
  5. More than 40 investors share their top predictions for 2024 (TC+)

Comply with me on Twitter @Jacqmelinek for breaking crypto information, memes and extra.

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