Author: Michelle Lazo

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Bitcoin bounced back from sharp losses triggered by escalating geopolitical tension, regaining ground as the situation eased. After plummeting over 6% to $59,643 earlier on Friday, the digital asset stabilized around $64,450 as of 8:53 a.m. in London. Other cryptocurrencies like Ether, Solana, and Dogecoin also found stability.

Israel’s retaliatory strike on Iran, following Tehran’s recent rocket and drone attacks, rattled global markets. However, reports reassuring the safety of nuclear facilities in Isfahan helped alleviate some concerns. Traditional safe-haven assets like bonds, gold, and the dollar pared gains, while stocks and US equity futures recovered from session lows.

Amidst the Middle East conflict, the spotlight remains on Bitcoin’s halving event scheduled for later on Friday, which will reduce new token supply.

Historically, halvings have driven up the price of Bitcoin. However, this time, Bitcoin hit a record high in mid-March prior to the event, raising questions about whether its potential impact has already been factored into the market.

Stefan von Haenisch, head of trading at OSL SG Pte, noted that ongoing Israel-Iran violence could create a “general risk-off sentiment across crypto.” Nonetheless, he believes it would require a “significant move lower” to reverse the bullish sentiment surrounding the halving.

Analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Deutsche Bank AG have suggested that the quadrennial halving is already largely priced in by investors. Ahead of the event, a group of three-month-old spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the US have witnessed five consecutive days of net outflows.

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In the volatile world of cryptocurrency, timing is everything. A recent example highlights the missed opportunities faced by some traders, particularly one long-time Dogecoin investor.

This investor, whose wallet had been accumulating DOGE since 2013, made a crucial decision to sell their tokens in late 2023, just before a significant price surge. Let’s delve into the details.

Initially investing a modest $146.87 in late 2013, the wallet amassed over 274,000 DOGE. Throughout 2014, further investments totaling around $5,000 were made, culminating in a final investment of $195.61 in early 2015.

During the subsequent years of dormancy, DOGE experienced a meteoric rise, particularly in 2021, fueled by social media hype and Elon Musk’s endorsements. At its peak, the wallet’s holdings soared to over $4 million.

However, the crypto market downturn in 2022 and 2023 saw DOGE’s value plummet by over 90%. Despite signs of recovery, the wallet’s owner chose to liquidate all tokens on Oct. 28, 2023, generating proceeds of $370,000.

Unfortunately, this timing proved suboptimal, as DOGE rallied soon after. Year to date, DOGE has surged over 60%, and since the sale date, it has soared more than 120%, reaching a peak of 23 cents in 2024.

Had the wallet held onto its tokens, it would have garnered an additional $450,000 in gains. Selling at the 2024 peak could have resulted in total proceeds of $1.25 million, underscoring the missed opportunity for significant profit.

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Aptos Labs, creators of the Aptos layer-1 blockchain, announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft(NASDAQ:MSFT), Brevan Howard, and South Korean telecommunications giant SK Telecom(NYSE:SKM) to provide institutional access to decentralized finance.

The partnership introduces Aptos Ascend, a comprehensive suite of institutional solutions facilitating regulatory compliance, privacy in transactions and accounts, and streamlined know-your-customer  processes.

In response to the growing demand for DeFi integration among large institutions, various layer 1 blockchain platforms, including Avalanche and NEAR, have pursued similar enterprise partnerships.

Utilizing Microsoft Azure and Azure OpenAI services, Aptos Ascend leverages cutting-edge technology to deliver financial solutions.

Brevan Howard will leverage its industry expertise to explore digital asset management opportunities for institutions and their clients, with support from Boston Consulting Group in implementing these solutions.

Mo Shaikh, co-founder and CEO of Aptos Labs, highlighted the collaborative effort’s goal of providing financial institutions with a secure, compliant, and scalable gateway to DeFi on the Aptos platform.

Aptos previously announced its utilization of Microsoft’s infrastructure to introduce innovative AI and blockchain-powered solutions, such as the Aptos Assistant chatbot.

Founded by former Meta(NASDAQ:META) employees, Aptos Labs continues to innovate at the intersection of AI and blockchain technology.

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In just three days, Bitcoin will undergo its next halving event, a significant occurrence in its price history. Scheduled approximately every four years, this event, ingrained in the cryptocurrency’s source code, aims to introduce anti-deflationary features to Bitcoin. While past halvings have contributed to price appreciation, the dynamics this time around might differ. Here’s what to consider.

At present, each block mined rewards miners with 6.25 new Bitcoins. Following the halving, this reward will halve to 3.125 BTC per block. In theory, this reduction should alleviate selling pressure on Bitcoin. Miners, who receive new BTC as rewards, often sell these tokens promptly, potentially decreasing daily token sales post-halving. This scenario could create a demand-supply imbalance, potentially driving prices upward. However, the market’s response is far more intricate.

Past halvings sparked debates and uncertainties. Some argued that market anticipation already factored in the halving’s effects, undermining its impact. However, history proved otherwise. Preceding each of the last three halvings, Bitcoin experienced minor price surges, followed by significant increases in the ensuing year, leading to new highs.

While this trend prevailed in the past, it’s not guaranteed for this halving. With previous halvings and market cycles informing investors, forecasts might be more accurate, potentially altering the usual cycle dynamics. Notably, BTC reached new all-time highs before the halving for the first time, possibly indicating investors pricing in the event’s impact beforehand, possibly influenced by factors like ETF approvals.

In this unprecedented market cycle stage, various outcomes are plausible, challenging investors’ ability to predict BTC’s trajectory post-halving. Only time will reveal the true impact of the upcoming halving on Bitcoin’s price.

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Kraken, the second-largest U.S.-based crypto exchange, has unveiled its own crypto wallet, joining the ranks of competitors such as Coinbase(NASDAQ:COIN) and MetaMask in the saturated market.

The newly launched self-custodial “Kraken Wallet,” debuting on Wednesday, offers support for eight blockchains including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Dogecoin. Notably, it is the first wallet from a major exchange to be open-sourced, allowing developers to access and contribute to the code. Kraken also incentivizes developers to identify vulnerabilities through its open-source grant program.

Focused on user privacy, Kraken Wallet collects minimal data necessary for functionality, shielding IP addresses and protecting users’ identity and location information. This emphasis aligns with the principles of the crypto space, emphasizing self-custody and privacy.

While Coinbase’s Coinbase Wallet remains popular, other major exchanges like Binance and OKX also offer wallets integrated into their ecosystems. Kraken’s move into the wallet space reflects its commitment to providing users with access to on-chain ecosystems and maintaining a user-centric approach.

Kraken has been expanding its product offerings, including discussions with layer 2 teams to explore building its own layer 2 blockchain. The development of Kraken Wallet underscores the importance of self-custody in the crypto ecosystem, particularly in light of the risks associated with leaving assets on centralized exchanges highlighted by past incidents such as the collapse of FTX crypto exchange in 2022.

Eric Kuhn, Product Director for Kraken Wallet, emphasized the significance of the “your keys, your crypto” ethos and expressed Kraken’s commitment to building the best all-in-one crypto wallet that is open-source, secure, and private.

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Centrifuge, a decentralized finance platform, revealed its intentions in a Wednesday blog post to establish a lending protocol for real-world assets  aimed at institutions on Base, an Ethereum layer-2 network developed by crypto exchange Coinbase.

According to the post, the protocol will enable verified institutions to onboard RWAs and borrow against their RWA holdings.

Anthony Bassili, Coinbase’s head of allocators and tokenization, remarked, “We continue to see significant interest from our institutional clients for easier access to tokenization solutions on-chain.”

This development coincides with Centrifuge’s announcement of raising $15 million in venture capital investment in an “oversubscribed” fundraising round. ParaFi Capital and Greenfield spearheaded the investment, with participation from multiple firms including Arrington Capital, Circle Ventures, Gnosis, The Spartan Group, and Wintermute Ventures.

Following the announcement, CFG, the protocol’s native token, surged by as much as 14% before moderating gains, as per CoinGecko data. Despite a slight pullback, the token remained up by 5% over the past 24 hours, surpassing the sector benchmark CoinDesk DeFi Index’s  1% decline during the same period.

This development occurs amid intensifying competition in the RWA tokenization realm, as digital asset firms and global banks endeavor to migrate traditional financial products like bonds and credit to blockchain infrastructure to enhance efficiency, settlement speed, and transparency. Asset management firm 21.co projected the market for tokenized assets to reach $10 trillion by the end of the decade.

Centrifuge specializes in bringing structured credit products to blockchain, with rwa.xyz data indicating $270 million in active loans on the protocol.

Ben Forman from ParaFi Capital expressed confidence in institutional adoption, stating, “The Centrifuge team is a leader in real-world asset tokenization, taking a deeply thoughtful approach to design decisions around legal, regulatory, and smart contract architecture.”

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Bitcoin Depot, the largest Bitcoin ATM operator in the United States, has demonstrated remarkable resilience in its revenues despite the volatile nature of cryptocurrency prices.

According to its recently filed 10-K annual report on April 15, the company disclosed revenues of $689 million in 2023 and $647 million in 2022, indicating a strong performance unaffected by Bitcoin’s price fluctuations.

Bitcoin Depot’s Robust Revenue Amid Market Volatility

Despite the tumultuous movements in cryptocurrency prices, Bitcoin Depot has maintained steady revenue growth, showcasing its stability amidst market turbulence. Even during periods of extreme volatility in Bitcoin prices, the company’s revenues remained resilient and unaffected. For example, despite Bitcoin’s 155% surge in 2023, Bitcoin Depot’s revenue growth was a modest 6% year-over-year.

This resilience is attributed to Bitcoin Depot’s strategic focus on non-speculative services such as money transfers, international remittances, and online purchases. Unlike entities heavily involved in cryptocurrency trading or mining, Bitcoin Depot maintains a relatively low balance of Bitcoin, typically less than $1 million, at any given time.

Additionally, the company minimizes its exposure to Bitcoin’s volatility by purchasing Bitcoin through reputable liquidity providers like Cumberland DRW or Abra, rather than engaging in mining activities. This proactive approach to risk management sets Bitcoin Depot apart from its competitors and ensures effective management of principal risk.

Bitcoin Depot’s operational model involves maintaining Bitcoin balances to fulfill user demand from kiosk or BDCheckout transactions, rather than acting as an agent or exchange for users. As users receive Bitcoin, the company replenishes its balance through purchases from leading liquidity providers, ensuring smooth operations and stability.

Furthermore, Bitcoin Depot’s success extends globally, as it leads the Bitcoin ATM market with a network of over 7,000 BTMs worldwide. Despite a decline in Bitcoin ATM installations globally in 2023, Bitcoin Depot remains optimistic about the industry’s future, anticipating a rebound following the upcoming Bitcoin halving event.

Bitcoin Depot’s CEO, Brandon Mintz, remains confident in the industry’s prospects, expecting increased market activity and interest in cryptocurrencies post-halving.

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