Crypto Lessons

Despite recent bearish trends, funds and influencers predict SOL could reach $520 or higher by year-end.

In 2024, BTC distribution shifted significantly: 🟠Retail investors sold 525,000 BTC, with most of it flowing into crypto ETFs, which gained 519,000 BTC 🟠Companies were major buyers, increasing their holdings by 374,000 BTC 🟠Governments reduced their reserves by 62,000 BTC 🟠Despite these shifts, nearly 70% of Bitcoin remains in the hands of retail investors, reinforcing its decentralization

By the end of Q4 2024, 1,576 professional firms held U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF exposure, with total AUM reaching $26.8bn, a 113% increase. Institutional investors now account for 25.4% of AUM, up from 21.3% in Q3, driven by strong IBIT activity.

Struggling companies are buying Bitcoin in hopes of avoiding bankruptcy, not investing in business development but rather seeking to draw attention to their stocks.

Bitcoin reserve legislation gains momentum across the U.S.: 🟠20 states are initiating Bitcoin reserve legislation, with 15 already in formal legislative review 🟠Utah’s HB0230 is leading—passed in the House and now under Senate consideration 🟠If approved, HB0230 could allow Utah to allocate up to $70m into BTC 🟠California’s pension funds already hold $150m+ in MSTR stock, highlighting institutional demand

TON’s TVL has declined, but staking participation is at record highs, with a rising TON / Staking TVL ratio indicating a shift toward staking. This suggests growing interest in stable staking rewards over riskier DeFi investments.

Unlike the previous bull cycle, where liquidations led to sharp drops, the market now stabilizes even after $600m in BTC and ETH liquidations: 🟠Leverage levels are lower than in 2020/2021 🟠Traders are more cautious, using stop-losses effectively 🟠Market confidence has grown, with SEC approval of spot BTC ETFs reinforcing trust

Mastercard moves beyond crypto experimentation, focusing on real solutions: 🟠Mastercard has enabled stablecoin settlements between financial institutions 🟠The company introduced Crypto Credential, a key initiative for P2P transactions using unique identifiers (UID) 🟠Mastercard sees asset tokenization (RWA) and stablecoins as essential to the future of crypto 🟠Efforts are underway to enhance on-ramp/off-ramp solutions and expand Crypto Credential functionality, with 2025 as the target timeline 🟠The company aims to bridge traditional finance (TradFi) and Web3 🟠Mastercard is collaborating with Binance and exploring new partnership projects 🟠Executives believe simplifying user interaction with crypto technology is key to mainstream adoption 🟠In 2025, Mastercard will focus on strengthening connections between the crypto industry and banking, advancing stablecoins, and developing new tokenization-driven business models

JP Morgan analysts warn that weakening institutional demand for CME Bitcoin and ETH futures signals downside risk for crypto markets.

Banks are making a massive move into RWA: 🟠Braza Bank (Brazil) is launching a stablecoin pegged to the Brazilian real on the XRP Ledger 🟠BlackRock has already launched the world’s largest tokenized fund on Ethereum, worth $1.3bn 🟠JP Morgan is developing blockchain solutions for asset tokenization through its Onyx platform and recently tested tokenized deposits 🟠State Street is exploring bond and fund tokenization to provide clients with access to digital assets via traditional markets 🟠EIB and the World Bank are working on issuing blockchain-based digital bonds to reduce costs and improve transaction transparency

According to the data, digital asset investment products experienced their first significant outflows after a 19-week post-election inflow streak, totaling $415m: 🟠Bitcoin saw the largest outflows at $430m, reflecting its sensitivity to interest rate expectations following Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s hawkish stance and higher-than-expected U.S. inflation data 🟠 U.S. led the outflows with $464m, while Germany ($21m), Switzerland ($12.5m), and Canada ($10.2m) recorded notable inflows 🟠Solana, XRP, and Sui attracted inflows of $8.9m, $8.5m, and $6m respectively, making them the best-performing assets 🟠Blockchain equities recorded $20.8m in inflows, bringing year-to-date inflows to $220m

On March 1, 11.2m SOL from FTX’s bankruptcy liquidation will be unlocked, currently valued at $2.06bn. Previously, FTX sold 41m SOL across three auctions—here are the biggest deals: 🟠Galaxy – bought 25.52m SOL at $64 (+187% profit) 🟠Pantera & Co – bought 13.67m SOL at $95 (+93% profit) 🟠Figure & Co – bought 1.8m SOL at $102 (+80% profit) What's happening in the Solana ecosystem? 🟠Total SOL supply – 588m coins, no hard cap 🟠Transaction fees – on November 13, fees hit $14.34m, growing 266% MoM in October 🟠Burn mechanism – 50% of fees are burned, with $3.52m SOL destroyed on November 13 (23.9% of all fees)

Tether is developing BrainOS, a project aimed at creating brain-computer interface technologies similar to Neuralink’s chips, in collaboration with scientists and investments in BlackRock Neurotech. The project’s mission is to make innovations accessible to everyone, not just wealthy corporations.

🔅 How To Invest In Crypto Complete Beginner's Guide Video Outline 00:00 Intro 01:27 What You'll learn 03:23 Chapter 1: Introduction 07:24 Chapter 2: Cryptocurrency Basics 30:45 Chapter 3: Crypto Types & Terminology 37:30 Chapter 4: Wallets vs Exchanges - Which is best? 48:56 Chapter 5: Coinbase Tutorial 56:06 Chapter 6: How to Research Cryptocurrencies 1:04:20 Chapter 7: Building Your Crypto Portfolio 1:08:48 Chapter 8: Crypto Taxes 1:12:11 Chapter 9: Best Crypto Tips 1:16:46 Chapter 10: What's Next? 1:19:21 Chapter 11: Beginner Resources for Crypto Investing

Mastercard tokenized 30% of its transactions in 2024 and recognizes stablecoins' potential to disrupt traditional finance.

The TON Teleport BTC testnet has been launched.

The volatility gap between Nasdaq and Bitcoin is narrowing quickly.

One-third of central banks have delayed their CBDC plans due to regulatory concerns, with legislation and exploring alternative solutions as key reasons. Some also expressed concerns over regulatory and governance frameworks.

Meme and AI token indices have fallen nearly 60% from December peaks, while U.S. and DeFi indices show more resilience, down 29% and 38% respectively.

69.4% of Bitcoin's total supply is held by individual investors, creating scarcity for institutional buyers, with only 5.7% remaining to be mined.