A bitcoin ETF hopeful has upped its marketing game a few weeks before the US Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to rule on spot bitcoin ETFs.  

An ad posted to X Monday morning by crypto asset manager Bitwise reflects the types of efforts industry watchers have said are likely to be commonplace once such funds launch.   

“You know what’s interesting these days?” says actor Jonathan Goldsmith, known for playing the most interesting man in the world in Dos Equis beer ads. “Bitcoin.”

He adds: “Look for Bitwise, my friends.”

An extended version of the ad, posted later, shows Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan delivering the same line before Goldsmith…

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BONK, the dog coin currently at the heart of the Solana space’s hopes and dreams, holds the record for 2023’s biggest Coinbase pump.

Coinbase listings are a big deal for crypto projects. More users implies more volume, and more volume should mean higher prices, some might say.

But it seems the most bullish thing about making it to Coinbase isn’t the actual listing — but the lead up.

Take BONK. Mid-way through its pearl-clutching 18,000% pump, Coinbase posted on X to say it had added BONK to its listing roadmap.

Markets were taking a breather on BONK at the time. What was a $20 million community coin at the end of October had ballooned to a near-$900 million powerhouse by…

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2023 was a year of transformation for digital sports collectibles.

Several widely hyped attempts to merge crypto with sports entertainment failed to catch on; more than a few Web3 projects pivoted or restructured their offering, responding in realtime to shifting demand. 

But there is a silver lining. Sports platforms that centered on fan culture proved surprisingly resilient. New platforms that focused on gamified experiences found their footing, and even in some cases, significant growth. The truth is, most fans aren’t looking to become team managers via tokens — they’re looking for connections with their favorite players, and new ways to experience the game they love. 

Here…

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Nowadays, everyone has an opinion on artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential risks. Even Pope Francis — the head of the Catholic Church — warned humanity of AI’s potential dangers and explained what needs to be done to control it. The Pope wants to see an international treaty to regulate AI to ensure it is developed and used ethically. Otherwise, he says, we risk falling into the spiral of a “technological dictatorship.” The threat of AI arises when developers have a “desire for profit or thirst for power” that dominates the wish to exist freely and peacefully, he added. 

The same feeling was expressed by the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), which is…

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Zooko Wilcox is stepping down as CEO of Electric Coin Company, the entity behind the development of Zcash. 

Former senior vice president of growth Josh Swihart will succeed Wilcox, the company announced Monday. 

Electric Coin Co. was founded in 2015 with Wilcox at the helm to foster the development of Zcash, which debuted in 2016. Zcash is a privacy-focused crypto that uses opt-in shielded addresses and zk-SNARKs to hide users’ financial information. On Bitcoin, by contrast, transactions are all publicly recorded on the blockchain. 

At launch, Zcash emerged as one of a number of major privacy cryptos, trading well over $1,000 shortly after its release. Zcash (ZEC) was worth around…

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Neobank Revolut will temporarily halt cryptocurrency purchases on its business platform in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the new year, according to a media report. An email informing customers of the decision mentioned only purchasing, implying holding crypto and selling it could go on uninterrupted. 

Revolut said the pause was needed to give it more time to comply with new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules on promoting crypto that come into force on Jan. 8, 2024. Revolut Business will halt crypto purchases on Jan. 3, it said. In a message reproduced in an X (formerly Twitter) post, Revolut Business told customers:

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Revolut is temporarily pausing the ability to buy crypto for UK Business customers. 

According to an email seen by Blockworks, the pause goes into effect on Jan. 3 ahead of a new set of rules from the Financial Conduct Authority which go into effect on Jan. 8. Other Revolut customers will not be impacted by the pause.

The FCA is implementing crypto investment requirements, and Revolut noted that the “requirements aim to enhance the customer journey and provide additional protection for new and existing investors of crypto assets.”

“This pause won’t impact your ability to hold or sell crypto via Revolut Business, or affect any other tools and features you use with us,” the…

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The S&P 500 Index (SPX) rose 2.49% last week, extending its string of weekly gains to seven weeks, the longest such winning streak since 2017. However, Bitcoin (BTC) could not maintain its momentum and succumbed to profit-booking by the bulls. Trading resource Material Indicators said in a X (formerly Twitter) post that “ year-end profit taking and tax loss harvesting” will prevail in the short term. 

However, a crash is unlikely because several analysts expect the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to approve one or more spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund applications in January. If that happens, it could prove to be a game-changer for the sector.

Daily cryptocurrency… Read more on Cointelegraph