Bitcoin
Approval of the Spot Ethereum ETF: What is the difference between this milestone and the approval of the Bitcoin ETF?
The crypto industry has completed another step towards mainstream acceptance as spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been approved by the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). But what is the difference between this approval and that of Bitcoin in January?
On May 23, 2023, the SEC approved an Ethereum ETF in sight, meaning that certain investment firms could now offer a cryptocurrency ETF for starters. Although the SEC still needs to sign registration statements to VanEck, Black stone, Fidelity, Shades of gray, Franklin Temploton, ARK 21 Actions, Invesco GalaxyIt is Bit by bitIn theory, it won’t be long before these companies can officially start trading Ethereum ETFs.
Interestingly, the news comes at a time when the regulator is deciding whether to classify the digital asset as a security. Additionally, the approval follows more news in the crypto world, as the United States House of Representatives voted in favor of legislation to provide greater regulatory clarity on digital assets.
Eric Demuth, CEO of Bitpanda
Is rich Demuthco-founder and CEO of Bitpanda, the trading platform, explains how these discussions fit into the broader picture of global cryptocurrency acceptance: “The SEC’s approval of the ETH spot ETF, after months of politically motivated objections, was long overdue but very welcome.” coming. Despite the SEC’s stance that ETH is somehow a security, we are seeing another important part of the crypto industry unlocked for institutional investors.
“It’s another sign of how the crypto industry is changing and another step towards crypto being treated the same as any other asset class. This approval means new US institutional investors, less volatility, and more evidence of crypto’s long-term future in the world of finance. But let’s be honest: even a rejection wouldn’t have changed much about the positive future of ETH and the entire crypto space.”
Another milestone in a year?!
At the beginning of this year, the cryptography The industry rejoiced when the US regulator announced a major milestone that many had been calling for: Bitcoin ETFs. As a result of this change, US investors, both institutional and retail, were able to track Bitcoin movements and make purchases without having to open an account or digital wallet on an unregulated exchange.
With the recently approved Ethereum ETFs, we aim to find out if this has solidified cryptocurrencies as a legitimate investment recognized by the masses, or if they are still seen as a niche and dangerous investment.
Alex Saleh, Head of Partnerships at Coincover
Reacting to the SEC’s first phase approval, Alex Salehhead of partnerships at Coin cover, the blockchain protection firm comments: “This is a welcome surprise given the challenges of Bitcoin ETF approvals and the SEC’s historical hostility toward crypto. The US is the largest ETF market in the world, and where the US moves, others often follow.
“The launch of Ethereum ETFs still needs to go through a second stage of approval, but if given the green light, it would represent a huge vote of confidence in the role that digital assets will play in our financial system and open the floodgates for more such products.”
More exposure
Saleh continues: “The SEC’s action is another sign of the growing appetite for crypto ETFs and could introduce new demand pressure on Ethereum spot prices as exposure to Ethereum would be opened up to a broader group of investors.
“That said, there is still a lot of uncertainty about when Ethereum ETF products will hit the market and which market participants will participate. This uncertainty makes it difficult to predict any changes in demand for the underlying asset that will lead to greater price discovery.”
“This is an exciting time for the crypto community, but there are still risks associated with any new financial instrument. Volatility is a given, and widespread adoption of Ethereum ETFs would lead fund managers to accumulate large amounts of Ethereum through a variety of custody methods. This will be the main target for hacks, attacks and possible human errors. We anticipate higher expectations around risk mitigation and security capabilities, which means security is paramount and should be a top priority for ETF managers.”
Following in the footsteps of the Bitcoin ETF
Daniel Seifert, Country Director UK, EMEA at Coinbase
Danilo SeifertUK national director Coinbase, the global crypto exchange notes how this approval further roots cryptocurrencies into the mainstream investment world. He says: “Coinbase welcomes the approval of this ETF and believes it will have a similar positive impact on the industry as experienced following the approval of the BTC ETFs.
“This move solidifies the fact that cryptocurrency is not just a trend, representing a global transition to digital assets in order to reshape the existing financial system. Expanding the utility of cryptography will have significant effects on innovation and we expect to see an escalation of activity in the market. Coinbase is excited to serve asset managers the full suite of Prime products and drive positive impact on the industry.”
A good step in the right direction, but we need to be cautious
Mona El Isa, founder of Avantgarde Finance
Mona El Isafounder of Vanguard Financea crypto asset management company, explains that while this is a good move for the crypto industry, an ETF takes away part of what makes Ethereum Ethereum.
She explains: “The approval of the Ethereum ETF is a positive development, boosting institutional demand as it is packaged in a way that traditional investors understand. However, the risks lie in the details of how these ETFs will implement, monitor and manage risk, especially if they involve Ethereum staking.
“The centralized nature of these funds contradicts the spirit on which the asset class was built. Owning an ETF makes your investment purely speculative and, ironically, removes some of the key features that originally drove the cryptocurrency’s popularity.
“There are also concerning centralization risks in the current Ethereum staking landscape that need to be addressed. The three main staking pools control more than half of the total staking, leaving just 9% for truly decentralized options. Lido dominates net staking with 85% of the market. It is clear that we urgently need new decentralized and on-chain staking alternatives to break these monopolies.
“While ETFs may increase institutional demand in the short term, the space must resolve these centralization issues to maintain crypto’s value proposition in the long term. The ETF’s hasty timing also appears more politically motivated than grounded in addressing these crucial risks.”
Bitcoin
RIOT, MARA and CLSK shares at risk
Bitcoin (BTC) Mining stocks like Riot Platforms (RIOT), Marathon Digital (MARA) and CleanSpark (CLSK) retreated in pre-market trading as BTC retreated.
RIOT, MARA and CLSK all fell more than 2%, while other crypto-related stocks such as MicroStrategy (MSTR) and Coinbase (COIN) fell 1.5%.
Bitcoin sell-off continues
Crypto-linked stocks retreated as Bitcoin resumed its downtrend on Wednesday. After rising to $63,750 on Monday, BTC is hovering at $60,0000 and it is unclear whether it will recover.
More importantly, Bitcoin is dangerously close to the crucial support at $58,273, which is the 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA). The next support level for Bitcoin is $56,426, representing its lowest level in May.
Bitcoin Price Chart
If Bitcoin drops below this price, it will be a sign that the bears have prevailed, which could take it to the $50,000 level, if not below.
This decline happened after a whale deposited nearly 2,000 Bitcoins to Binance in two separate transactions. While this isn’t always the case, deposits to exchanges often happen when holders are exiting their positions.
The whales’ action coincided with a period in which the German government continues to sell off its Bitcoin holdings. It transferred $52 million worth of coins to exchanges on Tuesday.
As a result, data from CoinGlass shows that the volume of Bitcoin balances on exchanges has started to increase. The volume rose to 2.49 million on Tuesday, from last month’s low of 2.47 million.
Bitcoin balances on exchanges
Bitcoin Mining Companies at Risk
If the Bitcoin sell-off continues, it will put Bitcoin mining companies like Marathon, CleanSpark, and Riot Platforms at risk. These companies have tended to have a close correlation with Bitcoin in the past.
This drop is happening a few months after the halving event, reducing the amount of Bitcoins that miners receive.
To compensate for this drop, most of these companies have added their mining equipment. CleanSpark has reached a hash rate of 20 EH/swhich helped her mine 445 coins in June after mining 417 coins the previous month. She did this after purchasing 5 mining sites in Georgia.
Digital Marathon mined 590 coins in June, down 40% from the same month in 2023 and flat from May.
Riot Platforms, on the other hand, focused on acquiring Bitfarms, a company that mined 189 coins in June.
Bitcoin
Michael Saylor Issues Statement on Bitcoin Amid Crypto Market Sell-Off by U.Today
U.Today – Amid an ongoing sell-off in the cryptocurrency market, Michael Saylor, a prominent advocate and president of MicroStrategy, made a statement on X (Twitter) that reverberated across the crypto space: “Just Bitcoin.”
This two-word tweet comes as the cryptocurrency market faces significant sell-offs as the price of Bitcoin plummets.
Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market value, began its decline in Tuesday’s trading session, hitting $63,223 at one point before falling further.
Losses deepened on Wednesday as investors considered remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, with Bitcoin hitting intraday lows of $59,509. At the time of writing, BTC is down 2.85% over the past 24 hours to $60,274.
According to data from CoinGlass, the sell-off has resulted in a significant amount of cryptocurrencies being liquidated in the past 24 hours, totaling over $166 million. However, this has not deterred Saylor’s confidence in Bitcoin, as he reiterates his longing for the crypto asset in his tweet.
Cryptocurrency market crashes
Cryptocurrencies fell on Tuesday after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank needs to see more progress on inflation before cutting interest rates, which are now at 5.25%-5.50%. Powell revealed at a monetary symposium in Sintra, Portugal, that the United States is moving closer to a disinflationary path.
“We want to be more confident that inflation is moving sustainably downward toward 2% before we begin the process of tapering or easing policy,” Powell said.
Market losses deepened after Wednesday’s economic releases that indicated the labor market is cooling. Recent data showed weaker-than-expected private payroll growth in June, but weekly jobless claims were higher than economists had forecast. The latest figures come ahead of the highly anticipated June nonfarm payrolls report on Friday.
As the cryptocurrency market goes through a period of uncertainty, the coming days and weeks will be crucial in determining the direction of BTC’s price.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin and Ethereum in GTA 6? Still rumors — for now
Rumors that the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto 6 will use cryptocurrency that has been circulating for more than a year now—and they’re spinning again.
On Wednesday, a pseudonymous Crypto Twitter influencer named Gordon — apparently named after Gordon Gekko from the iconic 1987 film “Wall Street” —shared to his nearly 500,000 followers that “GTA 6 will allow cryptocurrency payments” and that “so far only Bitcoin, EthereumIt is USDT [are] confirmed.”
But in reality, no cryptocurrency has been confirmed for Grand Theft Auto 6, despite ongoing chatter about the rumors. Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two have made no such announcements this week on the subject, nor have they made any prior announcements, and official trailers and announcements have made no mention of cryptocurrency being included.
However, the tweet — which also included a fake trailer for the game — quickly went viral, with over 500,000 views as of this writing in a matter of hours. When Twitter users asked Gordon for his sources, he would jokingly respond that his “uncle works there” or say that previous reports on the matter were “old” at this point.
But really, nothing has changed since then. DecipherGG’s reported in previous rumors in May 2023, not even since the first official trailer — which initially leaked with “BUY BTC” stamped on itApparently by the leaker in question—premiered last December.
DecipherGG reached out to Rockstar Games for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Could Grand Theft Auto 6 implement a crypto element when it releases in 2025? It’s certainly possible, and if so, it would be a transformative moment for cryptocurrency adoption by the traditional gaming industry.
Take-Two Interactive has explored the space before, acquiring casual gaming giant Zynga in early 2022, when Take-Two founder and CEO Strauss Zelnick suggested there were “Web3 opportunities” that they could explore better as a team. Zynga has launched its first blockchain game on Ethereum, called Sugartownbut Take-Two has yet to get involved with other brands.
Rockstar Games, on the other hand, prohibited the use of cryptocurrency or NFTs on player-run Grand Theft Auto 5 servers in late 2022, following a rise in the use of NFTs to represent unique player-owned assets on modded game servers.
And given Grand Theft Auto’s satirical tone, the game may be more likely to criticize cryptocurrency and poke fun at caricatures of crypto fans and NFTs, for example, rather than trying to launch its own on-chain currency. But that’s all speculation at this point, as there are relatively few official details about GTA 6.
For now, at least, don’t believe the hype. While Rockstar Games hasn’t officially closed the door on cryptocurrency usage in Grand Theft Auto 6, it hasn’t confirmed anything about it either. However, it’s sure to remain a hot topic in the long run leading up to release, which is currently scheduled for fall 2025.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.
Bitcoin
Crypto President Trump’s ‘Lesser’ Regulation Will Bless Coinbase’s Bitcoin Leverage, Expert Says – Coinbase Glb (NASDAQ:COIN)
Chris SenyekChief Investment Strategist at Wolfe Researchrecently expressed his opinion on the potential impact of a Donald Trump win the 2024 elections in the cryptocurrency market.
What happened: Senyek suggested that a Trump presidency could ease cryptocurrency regulations, benefiting companies like Coinbase Global Inc. COIN due to its importance Bitcoin BTC/USD Leverage.
“Trump would be less harsh on crypto regulation, and Coinbase would be a big beneficiary of that given its influence on bitcoin,” Senyek said during CNBC’s “Last Call” on Tuesday.
See too: Enhance Your Retirement Portfolio: The Benefits of Adding Cryptocurrency
Why does this matter?:Senyek’s comments come in the context of the former president Donald Trump‘s reported plans to participate at the Bitcoin 2024 convention, which could reinforce his image as a “Crypto President”.
Trump’s potential participation in the Bitcoin 2024 convention, a major event on the cryptocurrency calendar, could have significant implications for the industry.
Pratik KalaHead of Research in DigitalX Limitedhe has predicted a Trump victory in the upcoming elections, but warns that immediate cryptocurrency-friendly regulations may not be a priority.
A recent report by 10x Search explore the recent rise in Bitcoin price and its potential connection to Trump’s strong position in the 2024 election race. The report, titled “Is the Bitcoin Trump Pump Sustainable?”, highlights a 4% spike in Bitcoin’s price following the news that the president Joe Biden will remain in the race despite a poor performance in the presidential debate.
Price Action: At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading 2.10% lower at $60,860.66, according to Benzinga Pro.
Read next:
Image created using photos from Shutterstock
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari
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© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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