Key takeaways: Bitcoin evolves on two clocks: slow, consensus-driven changes at the base layer and fast experimentation at the edges. Major upgrades (such as Taproot) arrive through cautious soft forks after long review. Rapid shifts such as Lightning payments and Ordinals happen without changing Bitcoin’s core rules, which is why headlines move faster than the…
Key takeaways Square is enabling 4 million merchants to accept fast, low-fee Bitcoin payments through the Lightning Network. The rollout turns Bitcoin into a practical checkout option with instant settlement and no processing fees until 2027. Bitcoin payments can expand customer choice, cut costs and streamline cross-border transactions for online sellers. Merchants must still consider…
Key takeaways Bitcoin’s rise past $100,000 in 2025 marked a shift from speculative trading to long-term institutional adoption. Banks and governments began viewing BTC as a strategic reserve asset. The GENIUS Act established a unified US framework for payment stablecoins, mandating 1:1 reserve backing, stricter issuer qualifications and stronger consumer protections. Real-world asset tokenization surpassed…
Key takeaways The Fed’s Dec. 9-10 meeting carries unusual weight as markets wait to see whether another rate cut will arrive before Christmas, shaping bonds, equities and crypto. After two cuts in 2025, rates now sit at 3.75%-4.00%. Labor weakness and softer inflation support further easing, but officials remain divided because inflation risks have not…
Key takeaways: Ripple is spending about $4 billion to combine prime trading, treasury tools, payments and custody into a single integrated setup. RLUSD trials aim to settle real card payments and corporate payouts onchain, then sync results back into ERP and TMS systems. To scale, Ripple needs strong controls with clear reserves, strict compliance checks…
Key takeaways: Bitcoin gifts aren’t immediately taxable. The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, so recipients generally don’t owe income tax on the gift. Stay within the 2025 exclusion limit. You can gift up to $19,000 per person, or $38,000 for spouses splitting gifts, without triggering Form 709. Recipients inherit the donor’s cost basis. Future taxes…
Key takeaways 2025 marked a turning point for crypto, as investors prioritized real utility and institutional integration over hype-driven speculation. Bitcoin’s performance was supported by US spot ETFs, keeping it near or above the $100,000 mark for much of the year despite market pullbacks. Ether rebounded after an early-year slump, supported by growing institutional interest…
Key takeaways Tether operates a Treasury- and repo-heavy balance sheet, holding $181.2 billion in reserves against $174.5 billion in liabilities, leaving $6.8 billion in excess. High interest rates have turned those reserves into profit, generating more than $10 billion in interest income so far in 2025, which is uncommon for a typical crypto issuer. It…
Key takeaways Token burns are a key part of many projects’ tokenomics. They permanently remove coins from circulation, but supply cuts alone don’t guarantee price gains. Burns work best when supported by strong fundamentals, meaningful burn volume and rising demand. Market trends, investor sentiment and burn transparency all shape price impact. Tokens with high burn…
Key takeaways: Privacy-focused cryptocurrencies have rallied sharply, with sector value up nearly 80% by November 2025. Zcash hit a seven-year high and Dash a three-year peak as traders rotated into privacy assets. Technical breakouts, derivatives positioning and an upcoming Zcash halving fueled the move. Despite the hype, privacy coins face tightening global AML rules and…