Ethena Labs announced the launch of its USDtb stablecoin, which will leverage  BlackRock’s tokenized fund, USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), for 90% of its backing. According to the Dec. 16 announcement, the partnership was facilitated by Securitize. USDtb will operate independently from Ethena’s existing algorithmic stablecoin, USDe, providing users…

Bitcoin (BTC) could hit a peak of $290,000 in early 2026 if it repeats the price action seen during the 2017 bull run, according to the latest edition of the “Bitfinex Alpha” report. The projection is based on historical price patterns during bull cycles, institutional adoption, and key technical indicators.…

The Stanford Blockchain Club has issued a scathing critique of the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) prosecution of Tornado Cash developers Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, calling it an overreach of outdated federal money transmission laws. In its report, titled “Tornado Cash and the Boundaries of Money Transmission,” the club…

FTX and its affiliated debtors announced on Dec. 16 that their reorganization plan will take effect on Jan. 3, 2025, and distributions will commence within 60 days. FTX has partnered with BitGo and Kraken to manage the distribution process for retail and institutional creditors. According to the claim portal, these…

The Aave community is evaluating a proposal to withdraw the lending protocol from Polygon’s Proof-of-Stake (PoS) chain. In the Dec. 16 proposal,  Marc Zeller, founder of Aave Chan, highlighted potential risks tied to Polygon’s plans to rehypothecate its stablecoin reserves while suggesting Aave should adjust risk parameters for its V2…

Anchorage Digital has received a BitLicense from the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), enabling the firm to operate in one of the most heavily regulated crypto markets in the US. The license, granted on Dec. 16, permits Anchorage Digital to provide institutional clients with access to a…

Ripple will launch its US dollar-pegged stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD), on Dec. 17 on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum. According to the Dec. 16 announcement, each RLUSD token will be fully backed by US dollar deposits, government bonds, and cash equivalents. The stablecoin will initially be available on Uphold, Bitso,…

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has initiated a public consultation aimed at refining regulations for crypto, according to a Dec. 16 statement. The initiative signals the FCA’s commitment to crafting a balanced framework that nurtures innovation while addressing risks in the crypto sector. It seeks to address pressing challenges, such…

El Salvador’s Central Reserve Bank has officially granted Bitget a Bitcoin Service Provider (BSP) license, according to a Dec. 16 statement shared with CryptoSlate. This move grants the exchange legal authorization to facilitate Bitcoin-related services in the country, including converting Bitcoin to fiat currencies, processing Bitcoin payments, and securely managing…

Bitcoin’s price momentum continues to shatter records, with the top crypto reaching a new all-time high. On Dec. 16, data from CryptoSlate showed that Bitcoin peaked at $106,488 during Asian trading hours before settling at $104,771 at the time of reporting. Bitcoin Price (Source: Tradingview) This milestone extends the flagship…