DEX Screener has launched Moonshot, a new platform on Solana for launching meme coins with a streamlined process ensuring contract auditing and limited insider activity. The platform, akin to Pump.fun, allows users to launch tokens with a supply of 1 billion, locking liquidity post a 500 SOL investment. Since its inception, Moonshot has facilitated the creation of 333 tokens, with 27 achieving liquidity on Raydium, though most have witnessed underwhelming market performance.
Interpol has issued a Red Notice for Hex and PulseChain founder Richard Heart, legally known as Richard James Schueler, on behalf of Finland. Heart faces charges of gross tax evasion worth hundreds of millions of euros and a violent assault on a 16-year-old. Additionally, Europol lists him among its most wanted criminals, detailing the allegations. Meanwhile, Heart has publicly responded to the Red Notice, expressing indifference and focusing on his ongoing crypto projects.
Microstrategy has appointed three new members to its board of directors, including Brian Brooks, former CEO of Binance.US, Jane Dietze, chief investment officer at Brown University, and Gregg Winiarski, chief legal officer at Fanatics. The appointments come as Microstrategy prepares to join the Nasdaq 100 and follows its recent acquisition of $1.5 billion in bitcoin, increasing its holdings to 439,000 BTC.
Trust Wallet addressed a glitch that resulted in users' token balances intermittently disappearing, leading to alarm among its users. Although the problem impacted balances, including BNB and TWT tokens, Trust Wallet ensured users their funds were secure and successfully fixed the issue by the morning of the same day.
David Sacks' newly created position as AI and Crypto 'Czar' under incoming President Donald Trump is being scaled back to a more general advisory role. Despite earlier plans for a defined leadership position at the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology, Sacks will instead serve under Michael Kratsios, who leads tech policy. This adjustment responds to Sacks' decision not to divest from his firm, Craft Ventures, and avoid full-time government status, which would require senate confirmation.
Charles Adkins has been appointed as the new CEO of the HBAR Foundation, effective January 1, 2025, with plans to rebrand to Hedera Foundation. This move represents a commitment to enhancing user engagement and promoting financial inclusivity through DeFi and the broader adoption of Hedera's technology. The rebranding will also include the introduction of an on-chain grant management platform and several community-driven initiatives aimed at increasing accessibility to DeFi, supporting decentralized application development, and fostering community engagement.
Mantra, a Layer1 blockchain specializing in real-world assets (RWA), has introduced a proposal to revise the tokenomics of its OM token on the X platform. The proposed changes, currently under community review through Snapshot, include adjusted reward vesting schedules, unchanged token allocations across activities, and decreased on-chain inflation rates. Voting on these changes will proceed to the mainnet next week.
Tether Holdings Ltd., the world's largest stablecoin issuer, is set to end 2024 with over $10 billion in net profits, significantly benefiting from the surge in demand for its USDT stablecoin as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin hit new highs. This increase in demand boosted Tether's market cap to over $140 billion. The company's profit largely derives from its investments in US Treasuries, gold, and other securities. Furthermore, Tether plans to continue diversifying its investment portfolio, including a recent strategic $775 million investment in Rumble and future plans in AI and other sectors.
US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) witnessed record single-day outflows of $680 million, ending a consecutive 15-day streak of positive capital inflows. Major contributors to this unprecedented withdrawal included Fidelity's FBTC, Grayscale's Bitcoin Mini Trust, and the ARKB ETF by Ark and 21Shares. This significant market movement coincided with Bitcoin's price dropping below $100,000 following remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
Discussions about buying the crypto dip have increased significantly, reaching an 8-month high as Bitcoin's price dropped below the $100,000 mark, according to Santiment. The firm recorded a social dominance score of 0.061 on this topic on December 19, the highest since April. This measure indicates a substantial focus on purchasing crypto during price declines, correlating with recent market behavior where Bitcoin hovered around $100,000 and dipped as low as $95,500.
Investors have filed a lawsuit against the creators and promoters of the Hawk Tuah (HAWK) memecoin, including the Tuah The Moon Foundation and individuals Clinton So and Alex Larson Schultz. The lawsuit claims they engaged in promoting and selling HAWK as an unregistered securities offering, misleadingly framing it as a cultural movement with high growth potential. This contributed to the token's rapid market cap increase to $491 million and subsequent 90% collapse, sparking calls for regulatory scrutiny.
Craig Wright, who falsely claimed to be the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, has been handed a one-year suspended sentence and a £145,000 fine by a UK court for contempt of court. The suspension is for two years for violating a court order banning him from filing lawsuits against Bitcoin developers. This sentencing followed a legal complaint by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) after Wright exceeded 100 lawsuits against various firms under his unfounded claims.
In 2024, crypto platforms experienced a significant amount of hacking, with a total of $2.2 billion stolen, marking a 21.07% increase from the previous year. Notably, North Korea-affiliated hackers were responsible for around 61% of the total value stolen, showing a drastic 102.88% increase in thefts compared to 2023. While hacking incidents and associated stolen funds surged in the first half of the year, the activity stagnated post-July following geopolitical developments, including a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The focus of attacks also shifted from decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms to centralized services, with private key compromises being a major vulnerability exploited by attackers.
Ark Invest unloaded $3.9 million worth of Coinbase shares from its ARKF ETF following a significant 10% drop in the stock's price, influenced by a hawkish speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. This move aligns with Ark's strategy to prevent any single holding from dominating more than 10% of the ETF's portfolio, ensuring diversification. Despite this, Coinbase remains the second-largest component of the ARKF ETF.
Crypto prices have plummeted, with Bitcoin dropping dramatically to $97,020 after recently hitting an all-time high above $108,000. Other leading tokens, including Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin, and Solana also saw significant losses, contributing to a broader market downturn that resulted in $1.17 billion worth of positions being liquidated.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell clarified that the Federal Reserve is legally prohibited from owning Bitcoin, aligning with the Federal Reserve Act. This statement was made in response to questions regarding President-elect Donald Trump's proposal for a strategic Bitcoin reserve. Powell indicated no intention to seek changes to this legislation, highlighting the role of Congress in considering such changes.
