LATEST: VanEck Launches Solana ETN in European Markets

VanEck, a leading asset management firm, has unveiled a groundbreaking staking option for its Solana exchange-traded notes (ETNs) in Europe. This new offering employs a non-custodial staking method, allowing investors to retain full control over their assets. This approach significantly reduces the risks typically associated with traditional staking practices. As a bonus, investors do not need to take any steps to receive staking rewards; these are automatically integrated into the equity of the Solana ETN.

The firm’s innovative strategy includes automatically distributing all staking rewards accrued in the previous period among investors, after a 25% fee deduction. By enabling SOL token delegation to validators while maintaining custodian oversight, VanEck has enhanced the attractiveness and trust in this novel investment product, boosting confidence among European crypto investors.

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Why the bull run might look different this time around

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Altcoin season might not have officially started — but there are signs.

In October alone, 20 of the top 500 cryptocurrencies by market cap reached new price records, including sui, mantra and fasttoken.

There’s also whitebit, the native token for the Ukrainian crypto exchange of the same name, which has ballooned to a $2.5 billion market cap from under $500 million in February.

And okay, 14 of the all-time highs were set by memecoins — some of which were launched quite recently, like goat and sudeng — so they don’t count as…

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LATEST: Bitcoin Open Interest Surpasses $40 Billion, Setting New Record

Bitcoin’s open interest in futures contracts soared to a new peak of $40.8 billion on October 21, signaling heightened market activity as the cryptocurrency approached the $70,000 mark. This unprecedented level of open interest, reported by CoinGlass, reflects a robust investment in Bitcoin derivatives, suggesting increasing leverage and potential volatility in the market.

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) dominated the futures market, accounting for 30.6% of the total open interest, with Binance and Bybit following at 20.4% and 14.8%, respectively. The surge in derivatives trading is a strong indicator of investor confidence and speculative interest as Bitcoin prices teeter near historic highs.

Bitcoin reached a high of $69,380 in early trading but faced resistance and slightly retreated. Despite this, the strong derivatives market performance points to a sustained bullish outlook among traders, underlining the growing mainstream acceptance and investor enthusiasm for Bitcoin.

CoinGlass

Weekly U.S. Bitcoin ETFs Net Flow Analysis

The weekly net flow of U.S. Bitcoin ETFs from October 14 to October 18, 2024, demonstrated significant inflows, particularly for BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF (Ticker: IBIT), which led the pack with a massive net inflow of 15,951 BTC. Fidelity’s Bitcoin ETF (Ticker: FBTC) followed, adding 6,403 BTC, while ARK’s Bitcoin ETF (Ticker: ARKB) also posted a solid inflow of 4,484 BTC.

On the other hand, Grayscale’s GBTC saw a slight outflow of 32 BTC, showing some investor pullback. However, other funds like Bitwise (Ticker: BITB) and VanEck (Ticker: HODL) recorded positive movements, with inflows of 1,721 BTC and 594 BTC, respectively. Valkyrie (Ticker: BRRR) and Invesco Galaxy (Ticker: BTCO) also saw modest gains.

In total, the cumulative Bitcoin holdings across all listed ETFs reached 953,464 BTC, valued at approximately $65.3 billion. The weekly net inflow amounted to 30,946 BTC, equivalent to $2.12 billion, reflecting strong investor sentiment and growing confidence in the Bitcoin ETF market throughout the week.

Disclaimer: Market capitalizations and data can vary in real-time. The information provided here is intended purely for educational purposes and should not, under any circumstances, be construed as financial advice.

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Funding Roundup: Gaming startup Azra Games raises $42M

Leading this week’s funding wrap is Azra Games, a gaming studio.

The company announced a Series A round of $42.7 million, led by Pantera Capital with participation from a16z Crypto, a16z Games and NFX.

The firm is focused on creating role-playing games specifically on mobile. Mark Otero, who previously worked at Electronic Arts, founded the studio.

“The funding will be instrumental in accelerating the growth of Azra Games and advancing its various projects that are currently in development, including its flagship ground-breaking game, currently code-named ‘Project Legends,’” a press release announced. 

The studio plans to roll out games with the ability to add in technologies…

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