The week in crypto saw regulatory developments take center stage, with the U.S. CFTC poised to oversee crypto exchanges and Hong Kong exploring tax waivers to attract crypto investors. Major firms like SOS Ltd, Rumble, and MicroStrategy made significant Bitcoin investments, signaling growing corporate adoption despite market volatility. In other updates, ZA Bank in Hong Kong launched crypto trading for retail users, the Supra mainnet went live, and DeFi and Web3 advancements continued to expand blockchain use cases. Let’s dig deeper. Bitcoin Japanese investment firm Metaplanet has announced plans to raise 9.5 billion yen (approximately $62 million) through a stock acquisition initiative to expand its Bitcoin holdings. With as much as $13 billion in options expired on Friday, the market is closely watching the movement of Bitcoin, which is expected to be highly volatile after the event. In a move that boosted its stock value significantly, Chinese financial services firm SOS Ltd will be investing $50 million in Bitcoin, aligning with a rising trend of corporate adoption driven by favorable regulatory developments. Video-sharing platform Rumble has announced plans to allocate up to $20 million of its cash reserves to Bitcoin, aligning with broader corporate and institutional adoption trends while reinforcing its ties to the crypto community. With an absolutely huge $5.4 billion purchase of $BTC announced on Monday, MicroStrategy stock would perhaps be expected to rise. However, $MSTR is down 25% from its $540 high, and as per pre-trading, a further fall to $376 could take place. Ethereum ZA Bank , the first and largest digital bank in Hong Kong, has become the first bank in Asia to offer trading services for crypto like Ethereum and Bitcoin directly to retail users. DeFi Velar is teaming up with StackingDAO to inject more liquidity into the market to support “ Stackers ” through the launch of a new stableswap trading pair for STX/stSTX tokens, which is available now on its decentralized exchange platform. Altcoins A Dogecoin millionaire has shifted a large chunk into the DTX Exchange at an average of $0.1. His projections calculate a 24,900% rise in DTX price in 2025 as it hits exchanges like Coinbase and Binance. In 2024, the Sui blockchain recorded huge milestones, helping boost its position in the decentralized finance space. Business Tron founder Justin Sun has announced a $30 million investment into President-elect Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial crypto project. Web3 The Supra mainnet was launched, which means it can finally mint its native SUPRA token, which is simultaneously listed on top-tier crypto exchanges like ByBit, Gate.Io, Kucoin, and MEXC. Artificial intelligence research lab YeagerAI launches Intelligent Oracle to provide real-time data access to decentralized applications (dApps). Regulation Donald Trump’s incoming administration is mulling handing over the regulation of crypto exchanges and spot markets for cryptocurrencies deemed commodities to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) plans to implement comprehensive cryptocurrency regulations by 2026, focusing on transparency, market abuse, and decentralized data disclosure while fostering innovation in the growing digital asset sector. Former CFTC Chair Chris Giancarlo has predicted that the SEC will drop the case against Ripple. Hong Kong is considering waiving tax on investment gains from cryptocurrencies for hedge funds, private equity funds, and family offices as it looks to enhance its appeal as a wealth management hub. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
