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Over 10 Crypto ETF Proposals Filed as SEC Chair Gary Gensler Prepares To Step Down

On Jan. 17, just days before Gary Gensler's final day as SEC chair, a flood of cryptocurrency ETF filings were submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

thedinarian

16 hours ago

On Jan. 17, just days before Gary Gensler's final day as SEC chair, a flood of cryptocurrency ETF filings were submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The filings come as the crypto industry anticipates a shift in regulatory approach with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, expected to adopt a more crypto-friendly stance.

ProShares, a well-known asset manager, filed for a Solana Futures ETF, aimed at offering investors exposure to Solana’s native cryptocurrency, SOL, via futures contracts. This marks a significant development as Solana’s futures contracts are not yet widely available. ETF analyst James Seyffart expressed uncertainty over whether Solana ETFs would launch in the U.S. before 2026. This filing follows a similar one from Volatility Shares in December, highlighting a growing interest in the asset.

CoinShares, formerly Valkyrie Funds, also submitted a proposal for a “CoinShares Digital Asset ETF,” which would track its proprietary Compass Crypto Market Index. Meanwhile, ProShares submitted filings for additional leveraged, inverse, and futures ETFs tied to XRP. Other firms like Bitwise, Canary Capital, 21Shares, and WisdomTree had already filed proposals for spot XRP ETFs.

Tidal DeFi, a firm focused on decentralized finance, filed for the Oasis Capital Digital Asset Debt Strategy ETF (DADS). This fund is set to invest in debt instruments related to crypto firms, including miners, utilities, and payment platforms. On Jan. 15, VanEck submitted its application for the “Onchain Economy” ETF, aimed at investing in a range of crypto-focused companies such as software developers, mining firms, and payment providers.

Gensler’s exit on Jan. 20 comes after a tenure marked by high-profile regulatory actions, including lawsuits against Coinbase and an aggressive crackdown on unregistered securities offerings. These filings were seen as a strategic move by the crypto industry to take advantage of the expected changes in the regulatory environment under the new administration.

The sudden surge in ETF filings came as Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst, noted, “Gensler wasn’t even out of the building for five minutes, and the ETF industry unloaded a massive crypto filing frenzy.” Alongside Gensler’s departure, SEC Chief of Staff Amanda Fischer announced her resignation, and IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel is also expected to step down on Trump’s inauguration day.

These developments indicate that the crypto industry is bracing for a potential shift in regulation, with many looking to seize opportunities in a more crypto-friendly environment.

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thedinarian@thedinarian

15 hours ago

🍿This will make the XRP people very happy🍿

🚨🍿There’s some talk. This will make the XRP people very happy. There is some talk that XRP could be utilized and or ordered to be used for a central bank digital currency or as the base layer for national banking”🍿🚨 Clip played by ⁦@AbsGMCrypto @johnnykrypto00.

00:01:24

thedinarian@thedinarian

January 18, 2025

Customer Spotlight: DZBANK

Customer Spotlight: DZBANK launched a secure custody solution for tokenized bonds and crypto assets.

With Ripple Custody, they’re simplifying digital asset management and driving efficiency.

Explore this customer case study: https://on.ripple.com/426djFY

ON.RIPPLE.COM

DZ BANK Digital Asset Custody for Capital Markets Case Study

Learn how DZ BANK, the largest German depository bank, went live with a digital custody platform in less than year using Ripple's custody solution.

00:00:58

thedinarian@thedinarian

January 17, 2025

RIPPLE 🤝 SWIFT

🌍 Ripple’s Role in Shaping Financial Connectivity 💳

How Ripple Stands Out: Ripple collaborates with SWIFT and its network of banks, fostering interconnectivity within the global financial ecosystem.

🔗 Key Takeaway: Ripple and SWIFT are poised to interlink or share a common platform for seamless currency exchange, paving the way for a future of interoperability and the breakdown of silos.

🚀 The shift toward a more unified and borderless financial system is underway. 🌐 #Ripple #SWIFT

00:01:45

thedinarian@thedinarian

October 31, 2024

👉 Coinbase just launched an AI agent for Crypto Trading

Custom AI assistants that print money in your sleep? 🔜

The future of Crypto x AI is about to go crazy.

👉 Here’s what you need to know:

💠 'Based Agent' enables creation of custom AI agents
💠 Users set up personalized agents in < 3 minutes
💠 Equipped w/ crypto wallet and on-chain functions
💠 Capable of completing trades, swaps, and staking
💠 Integrates with Coinbase’s SDK, OpenAI, & Replit

👉 What this means for the future of Crypto:

1. Open Access: Democratized access to advanced trading
2. Automated Txns: Complex trades + streamlined on-chain activity
3. AI Dominance: Est ~80% of crypto 👉txns done by AI agents by 2025

🚨 I personally wouldn't bet against Brian Armstrong and Jesse Pollak.

thedinarian@thedinarian

8 hours ago

👀The US Treasury has just created an $XRP wallet 👀

Look at what they are messing around with 👀 Bank of America.
There is even a Bank of America wallet that is connected with their domain as well... and remember that in order for a domain to be connected to a wallet, the domain owner needs to add the TOML file themselves willingly. Yes, even Blackrock has an XRP wallet.

Kudos to @XRPDropTop for finding these.

thedinarian@thedinarian

14 hours ago

Trump just revoked security clearance for the 51 intel agents who lied about Hunter Biden's laptop

President Donald Trump has announced plans to suspend the security clearances of 51 former intelligence officials who, in 2020, suggested that reports about Hunter Biden's laptop had "the classic earmarks" of Russian disinformation.

This action is among a series of executive orders Trump intends to sign upon resuming office.

The officials affected include prominent figures such as former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan.

Legal experts anticipate that this move may lead to court challenges concerning procedural and substantive due process.

thedinarian@thedinarian

14 hours ago

🇺🇸 President Trump officially withdraws the United States from the World Health Organization.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing concerns over the organization's handling of global health crises and the disproportionate financial contributions from the U.S.

This decision initiates a 12-month withdrawal process, during which U.S. financial contributions—currently accounting for approximately 18% of the WHO's funding—will be halted.

The move raises concerns about the potential impact on critical health programs worldwide, including those addressing tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and emergency responses.

This action mirrors a similar attempt in 2020, which was later reversed by President Joe Biden.

thedinarian@thedinarian

14 hours ago

CoinDesk Indices Rolls Out New Index That Diversifies Exposure Beyond the Top 20 Digital Assets

CoinDesk's parent company Bullish has already listed a perpetual futures contract tied to the new index, in its platform.

Summary:

CoinDesk Indices debuts the CoinDesk 80 Index to cater to the growing demand for diversified exposure.
Bullish Exchange has launched perpetual futures tied to the new offering.

CoinDesk Indices, a subsidiary of CoinDesk, has introduced the CoinDesk 80 Index to address the increasing institutional demand for liquidity across diverse digital assets.

NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CoinDesk Indices is proud to announce the launch of the CoinDesk 80 Index, designed to track the performance of the next 80 leading digital assets after the CoinDesk 20 Index. This innovative index provides seamless and diversified exposure to the evolving digital asset landscape, meeting the growing demand from institutional trading firms for liquidity on a larger breadth of digital assets.

As the digital asset market matures, institutional participation continues to accelerate. Investors are increasingly seeking opportunities beyond bitcoin and ether to diversify their portfolios. Since its debut in January 2024, the CoinDesk 20 Index has become the industry benchmark for larger-cap digital assets, driving over $12 billion in total trading volume and underpinning more than a dozen investment products globally. The CoinDesk 80 Index builds on this success by capturing the next tier of large and liquid digital assets.

To support this launch, Bullish Exchange, one of the fastest-growing regulated digital asset exchanges, has listed a CoinDesk 80 Index Perpetual Futures Contract (CD80/USDC-PERP). Bullish, which has surpassed $1 trillion in cumulative trading volume since its launch in November 2021, continues to expand its offerings to meet institutional and retail demand. In 2H 2024, the platform recorded average daily trading volumes exceeding $2 billion.

Maxime Seiler, CEO, STS Digital Ltd, Bermuda said, "The CoinDesk 80 Index Perpetual Future will enable us to efficiently manage market exposure arising from our wide-ranging altcoin option offering to our clients. It is another innovative product from Bullish, enhancing their strong product suite and bringing index derivatives forward."

"CoinDesk Indices is committed to creating tradable and trusted benchmarks," said Alan Campbell, President of CoinDesk Indices. "With the CoinDesk 80, we're addressing institutional demand for exposure beyond the top 20 digital assets. This index provides a scalable solution for trading, risk management, and allocation. We're thrilled to see early adoption and growing liquidity as we expand our suite of regulated indices."

The next tier is here. Key Features of the CoinDesk 80 Index:

Liquidity and Scalability: Focused on assets with high liquidity and significant market size.
Minimal Exclusions: Stablecoins, wrapped, pegged, staked, and gas tokens.
Comprehensive Liquidity Screening: Evaluates /USD, /USDC, and /USDT pairs on top-tier exchanges ranked by CCData, an affiliate of CoinDesk.
Market Cap Weighting: Constituents are weighted by market cap, with a 5% cap per asset to ensure diversification.
Quarterly Reconstitution: Aligns with CoinDesk 20 reconstitutions, using buffers to reduce turnover and adhering to a robust governance framework.

"The demand for index products is growing as digital assets become an established part of global financial markets," said Tom Farley, CEO of Bullish.

"We are excited to launch the CoinDesk 80 Index Perpetual Futures Contract on our platform, leveraging our tight spreads, deep liquidity, and robust regulatory framework to support market participants."

To learn more about the CoinDesk 80 Index, please visit coindesk.com/price/cd80.

For more information on CoinDesk 80 perpetual futures offered by Bullish, please get in touch with a Bullish Relationship Manager.

About CoinDesk Indices

Since 2014, CoinDesk Indices has been at the forefront of the digital asset revolution, empowering investors globally. A portfolio company of the Bullish Group, our indices form the foundation of the world's largest digital asset products. Through the recent addition of CC Data Limited, an FCA regulated benchmark administrator, CoinDesk Indices now offers BMR-compliant products across multi-asset indices, reference rates, and strategies. Flagships such as the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index and the CoinDesk 20 Index set the industry standard for measuring, trading, and investing in digital assets. With tens of billions of dollars in benchmarked assets, CoinDesk Indices is a trusted partner.

Discover more at coindeskmarkets.com.

About Bullish

With a focus on developing products and services for the digital assets sector, Bullish has rewired the traditional exchange to benefit asset holders, enable traders and increase market transparency. Supported by the Group's well-capitalized treasury, Bullish's digital asset spot and derivatives trading services utilize high-performance central limit order matching and proprietary market making technology to deliver deep liquidity and tight spreads within a compliant framework.

Launched in November 2021, the exchange is available in 50+ select jurisdictions in Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Bullish prioritizes compliance and safeguarding customer assets through robust security measures and regulatory oversight. The business is licensed by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission. For more information on Bullish, please visit bullish.com and follow LinkedIn and X.

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thedinarian@thedinarian

15 hours ago

EU Regulator ESMA Orders Crypto Firms to Delist Non-Compliant Stablecoins by January 31, 2025

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has urged crypto asset service providers (CASPs) to act immediately on stablecoins.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has urged crypto asset service providers (CASPs) to act immediately on stablecoins that do not comply with the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). ESMA's call, made on Jan. 17, gives firms until Jan. 31 to restrict or delist non-compliant stablecoins. MiCA, which will come into full effect on June 30, 2025, governs the issuance of asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) and electronic money tokens (EMTs) in the European Union, making it illegal for firms to offer stablecoins from non-authorized issuers.

While ESMA has not named specific stablecoins, major players such as Tether's USDT could face restrictions as it does not have MiCA authorization. According to the European Commission's guidance, any stablecoin issuer not authorized within the EU cannot legally offer their products in the region. Non-compliant stablecoins must be delisted or restricted to a "sell-only" basis by the end of Q1 2025.

Tether’s USDT, the largest stablecoin by market capitalization, has particularly come under scrutiny. A member of the MiCA Crypto Alliance, Juan Ignacio Ibañez, stated that USDT is considered non-compliant due to its lack of MiCA authorization and that CASPs would need to delist USDT by Jan. 31, 2025, except for "sell-only" services. Tether has acknowledged the evolving regulatory environment but has assured that discussions with local national competent authorities (NCAs) are ongoing and they do not expect immediate changes for users.

The deadline for compliance remains a pressing issue for CASPs. While ESMA has allowed firms to keep non-compliant stablecoins on a "sell-only" basis until March 31, 2025, the situation’s urgency has led to calls for quicker actions. ESMA has also emphasized the role of EU national regulators, or NCAs, in ensuring crypto firms adhere to MiCA regulations. These regulators are responsible for overseeing firms’ compliance with MiCA’s requirements. Firms that fail to comply by the end of Q1 2025 could face stricter regulations or penalties.

While the MiCA regulations aim to bring clarity to the crypto market, some uncertainty remains within the industry. Executives have expressed concerns about the interpretation of the rules, particularly about which stablecoins are compliant. As MiCA’s enforcement date approaches, many in the crypto sector seek clearer guidance from regulators.

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thedinarian@thedinarian

January 20, 2025

Theta EdgeCloud continues its US momentum with the addition of customer Michigan State University

We’re thrilled to announce that Michigan State University (MSU) will be adopting the EdgeCloud platform for AI research, joining University of Oregon as the second US academia customer. MSU’s Secure and Intelligent Things (SEIT) Lab, directed by Associate Professor Qiben Yan, will leverage Theta’s decentralized GPU infrastructure to drive innovation in AI, cybersecurity, and distributed systems.

As a major Tier 1 research institution, Michigan State University adds a new dimension to Theta’s academic collaborations in the US. EdgeCloud will soon expand its US cloud-based GPU infrastructure with locations in California, Texas and the Midwest. June 2025 will also see the release of the Beta of EdgeCloud’s fully hybrid cloud-edge computing platform, incorporating an edge network of over 30,000 edge nodes operated by community members globally. The US and North America account for nearly one-third of these nodes, providing significant synergy to US-based customers.

About Professor Qiben Yan and the SEIT Lab

Professor Qiben Yan, the director of MSU’s Secure and Intelligent Things (SEIT) Lab, is a renowned expert in IoT security, AI privacy, blockchain resilience, and cybersecurity. His lab conducts pioneering research on safeguarding connected devices, systems, and networks from advanced cyber threats. Professor Yan’s work has been featured in top conferences, including USENIX Security, ACM CCS, and IEEE TIFS, and his projects have earned prestigious funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

“Theta has achieved significant customer traction in Asia with some of the top South Korean universities like KAIST and Seoul National. They’re our respected peers in the academic circle and we’re excited to have SEIT Lab join Theta EdgeCloud’s platform. We believe that EdgeCloud can help us scale various AI projects that require high-performance computing cost efficiently. We think in the long-term this will help us push the boundaries of decentralized technology as we expand research in secure, intelligent systems for IoT and AI applications.” — Professor Qiben Yan

The SEIT Lab specializes in developing secure, intelligent systems for IoT and AI applications, with an emphasis on distributed systems, federated learning, and blockchain-powered platforms. Recent achievements include an NSF-funded project on adversarially robust AI for speech recognition and groundbreaking research on secure transaction frameworks for smart contracts. Prof. Yan’s leadership has positioned the SEIT Lab as a hub for innovative solutions in cybersecurity and decentralized computing.

Advancing AI and Blockchain Research

By adopting Theta EdgeCloud, the SEIT Lab gains access to a decentralized cloud platform that enables efficient training and deployment of AI models. EdgeCloud reduces the time required to spin up GPU resources by up to 5x compared to traditional cloud providers, accelerating research in secure AI, federated learning, and blockchain-powered systems.

This partnership strengthens Theta’s growing academic network, which includes top-tier universities in the United States, China and South Korea. These collaborations underscore Theta’s commitment to supporting academic research tackling complex challenges in media, healthcare, bioinformatics, and finance.

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