Crypto news

CFTC’s approval of regulated spot Bitcoin and Ethereum mirrors gold’s 1970s breakthrough, giving the cryptos commodity‑like legitimacy and opening the door for institutional investors. The move removes SEC issuer‑focused rules, lets U.S. traders use regulated exchanges with audited custody, and concentrates liquidity onshore, which should cut volatility. Like WTI oil after its 1983 futures launch, spot trading could spur rapid volume growth, deepen order books, and broaden mainstream adoption.

BPCE will introduce in‑app crypto trading for about 2 million customers of four regional banks, with plans to roll out to its full 12‑million retail base by 2026. Users will trade Bitcoin and other assets via a Hexarq‑managed account, paying €2.99 per month and a 1.5 % commission per trade (minimum $1.16), without the need for external exchanges. The launch places BPCE among a growing list of European banks—such as BBVA, Santander and Raiffeisen—providing in‑app crypto services, amid a competitive landscape that also includes fintechs like Revolut and Trade Republic. Meanwhile, France’s recent wealth‑tax amendment would subject digital assets above €2.3 million to a 1 % flat rate, pending Senate approval.

ProCap BTC, led by Anthony Pompliano, merged with SPAC Columbus Circle Capital (BRR). New company ProCap Financial to trade under BRR on Nasdaq. The deal closed Friday, after months of BRR shares trading near $10 and falling over 50% when merger confirmed. Pompliano pledged modest compensation: $1 salary, no bonus, equity only if price hits $15 per share. He said board and PIPE investors also subject to price targets, aiming for alignment with retail shareholders amid broader decline of bitcoin treasury firms.

Texas has become the first U.S. state to officially buy and hold Bitcoin, purchasing $5 million via an ETF and earmarking another $5 million for self‑custody under the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act, a move made during a market downturn that saw many state treasuries sell or abandon crypto. The purchase underscores Gov. Greg Abbott’s long‑standing Bitcoin advocacy and positions the state as a long‑term strategic holder, treating the asset as a multi‑decade reserve. Texas’s action could reignite state‑level interest nationwide, but its broader influence remains to be seen.

After the Fusaka upgrade, Ethereum validator participation fell sharply as a bug in the Prysm consensus client caused nodes to generate stale states. Prysm released v7.0.0 and warned users to start the client with “--disable-last-epoch-targets” to mitigate the issue. At epoch 411,448 participation dropped to 74.7% voting and 75% sync, close to the two‑thirds threshold that could end finality. The network rebounded by epoch 411,712, reaching 99% voting and 97% sync. The incident highlighted limited client diversity, with Lighthouse holding 52.55% of nodes and Prysm 18%.

XRP spot exchange‑traded funds (ETFs) posted their 13th straight day of net inflows since debuting on Nov. 14, adding $50.27 million on Wednesday to a cumulative $874.28 million, SoSo data shows. The streak places XRP ETFs among the fastest‑growing crypto vehicle class and signals growing liquidity in traditional finance. Solana and older Bitcoin and Ether ETFs have also accumulated hundreds of millions in inflows.

The 21Shares 2x SUI ETF (TXXS) marks the 74th crypto ETF to launch this year and the 128th overall, according to Bloomberg.

SEC approved a 2x leveraged ETF for the SUI token from 21Shares, allowing investors to double gains or losses through derivatives rather than holding the token. The move follows the SEC’s recent cautionary stance, warning against high‑leverage products after a record $19 billion liquidation event that amplified crypto volatility.

Coinbase’s layer‑2 Base now supports a bridge to Solana, powered by Chainlink’s Cross‑Chain Interoperability Protocol. The link lets users move assets between Base and Solana directly from Base mainnet, and is live on Base apps such as Zora and Aerodrome. The bridge lets Solana tokens deploy and trade on Aerodrome in seconds, and other Base‑powered apps can add the open‑source bridge to enable cross‑chain swaps. Coinbase sees the move as a step toward making Base a hub for all assets. Base has grown to the fifth‑largest blockchain by TVL, at $14.89 billion versus Solana’s $29.4 billion. Separately, Solana ETFs saw a record outflow, with 21Shares’ TSOL shedding $42 million on its largest single‑day redemption.

BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) has recorded its heaviest redemption cycle since launch, with more than $2.7 billion withdrawn over five weeks. The ETF, which grew to $71 billion during Bitcoin's peak, has now logged five straight weeks of net outflows, reflecting a broader institutional pullback after the crypto market shock and Bitcoin's bear phase.