Trading Signals News & Guides

Shift4, a leading US payments company, introduces a stablecoin settlement platform for its merchants, allowing payments in various stablecoins and networks such as Ethereum, Solana, and Stellar. This global solution supports businesses worldwide to capitalize on the increasing use of stablecoins in the payments industry. This follows Shift4’s prior initiatives in crypto payments including partnerships for enabling cryptocurrency and stablecoin payments for space travel.

US lawmakers propose an amendment to the Internal Revenue Code to ease cryptocurrency tax burden by exempting small stablecoin transactions from capital gains taxes and offering new deferral options for staking and mining rewards. The draft targets everyday crypto users, stipulating that gains or losses on stablecoin transactions of up to $200 need not be recognized, given certain conditions. The proposal also addresses concerns of phantom income from crypto staking and mining, with options to defer income recognition for up to five years.

XRP spot ETFs have achieved 32 straight days of inflows, surpassing 1 billion dollars in assets under management. Despite recent price dips, institutional investors continue to accumulate XRP through regulated ETF products from top issuers like Grayscale and 21Shares. The broad participation and strong liquidity highlight growing institutional confidence in XRP’s long-term potential and the maturing crypto ETF market.

VivoPower partners with Lean Ventures to launch a $300 million acquisition of Ripple Labs shares, offering South Korean investors significant indirect XRP exposure. Discover how this major deal connects traditional finance with digital assets, taps into South Korea’s demand for blockchain investment, and sets the stage for compliant, large-scale crypto-focused financial products in Asia

Shima Capital’s founder, Yida Gao, reportedly plans to step down following allegations of investor fraud by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC alleges that false statements were made to raise nearly $170 million and discrepancies were discovered in profit margins. The future of the fund remains uncertain with potential third-party oversight during the wind-down process.

Aave Labs’ decision to replace ParaSwap with CoW Swap on the Aave platform has ignited controversy in the DeFi community, with critics warning of a potential $10 million annual revenue loss for the DAO and raising concerns about transparency, governance, and the balance of power between centralized development teams and decentralized stakeholders as the protocol prepares for its V4 upgrade

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission affords no-action letters to several prediction market platforms, including Polymarket US, LedgerX, PredictIt, and Gemini Titan, freeing them from swap data reporting and recordkeeping regulations. The move creates opportunities for increased trading volumes in event contracts on outcomes of various events, a growing interest among crypto offerings.

OpenEden, a leading platform for tokenizing real-world assets, secures significant investment from key trading firms and blockchain networks to boost its tokenized US Treasurys. Also aiming at expanding its tokenization services, the firm continues to capitalize on the growing niche of tokenized versions of short-dated government debt. Discover how the funding will fuel its plans for regulated and market-ready products that align with both traditional and decentralized finance standards.

Digital asset treasury companies may face significant challenges if they are excluded from the MSCI Index in January. The index is currently seeking feedback on whether to exclude companies with over 50% of their balance sheet in cryptocurrencies, a decision that analyst Charlie Sherry suggests is likely to fulfil. Companies such as Strategy and Sharplink Gaming stand to be affected, potentially leading to significant losses.

Cipher Mining has secured a landmark 10-year, $9 billion colocation deal with Fluidstack to expand its Barber Lake data center in Texas, delivering 39 additional megawatts of high-performance computing capacity. Backed by Google’s $333 million guarantee, the partnership cements Cipher’s transformation from bitcoin mining to an AI and cloud infrastructure leader, supporting rapid growth in next-generation computing, data analytics, and blockchain innovation.

Seven leading crypto firms have announced the formation of the Blockchain Payments Consortium (BPC) to develop shared standards for crosschain stablecoin transfers. The move follows a successful year in 2024, where stablecoin transfer volumes exceeded those of major payment processors, Visa and Mastercard. The consortium aims to enhance blockchain transactions, integrate traditional payment systems, and collaborate with regulators to create seamless cross-border payments. Members include Fireblocks, the Solana Foundation, TON Foundation, Polygon Labs, Stellar Development Foundation, Mysten Labs, and Monad Foundation.

Bitcoin takes a hit, dropping below $104,000, the lowest level in two weeks, with a $1.37 billion liquidation spurred by ETF outflows, long-term holder selling, and overall market pressure. Despite uncertainties, Bitfinex analysts believe the market has not yet reached a capitulation phase. The article also discusses the performance of altcoins such as ETH, BNB, and SOL.