Digital Assets
Digital assets are about more than just Bitcoin. The global adoption of blockchain, expansion of cross-border payments, new investment vehicles tied to intellectual property, and more, could one day establish a global market of digitized assets worth $50 trillion. This channel provides access to the latest developments, opportunities, risks, and thought leaders in the growing Digital Assets space.
Top Story
Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD) has launched its Crypto app in the European Union (EU), allowing eligible customers to engage in crypto trading with the added incentive of earning Bitcoin rewards. Customers stand to receive up to 1 BTC as a reward when signing up and can earn an additional 1 BTC for each successful referral. The platform claims to be the sole custodial crypto platform in the EU offering customers a percentage of their trading volume back every month, paid in Bitcoin.
Get Daily Updates
Subscribe to DailyAlts Today to get Alternative Investment news, insight, and commentary delivered straight to your inbox every day.
More Stories on Digital Assets
Digital Assets: Bitcoin Surges Past $50K, Promise Of Weekend Histrionics?
Bitcoin made two lows over the past week, both around $45,700. It now appears to be on an uptrend after touching that double-bottom, and in a sudden move over the past couple of hours, penetrated the psychological resistance of $50,000, and is positioned at $50,580.19 at writing. But will it sustain above the $50K level?
Digital Assets: Manasquan Bank Enables Crypto Transactions Via Bakkt
Manasquan is a New Jersey-based mutual community bank established in 1874, currently having assets of $2.7 billion. Manasquan Bank will soon allow its clients to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrency through its mobile banking app via an arrangement with digital asset platform Bakkt Holdings (NYSE: BKKT). Bakkt’s platform allows banks to easily integrate a crypto…
Digital Assets: Dubai World Trade Centre To Be Key Zone And Regulator For Crypto; Binance Signs Cooperation Agreement
The Government of Dubai on Monday designated the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) as a comprehensive zone and regulator for virtual assets and crypto including digital assets, products, operators and exchanges. Seen as one of the most crypto-friendly administrations the world over, the Dubai government is looking to create new economic sectors, and sees digital assets as “progressive.”
Alternative Investments/Digital: Japanese Finserv SBI Group To Offer Multi-Crypto Fund
Tokyo-based financial services company SBI Group (TYO: 8473) has announced the launch of a crypto asset fund that will invest in seven different cryptocurrencies. Touted as “Japan’s first cryptocurrency fund for general investors,” the fund will allow exposure to bitcoin (BTC), ethereum (ETH), polkadot (DOT), chainlink (LINK), litecoin (LTC), xrp (XRP), and bitcoin cash (BCH).
Digital Assets: Swiss SEBA Bank Launches Gold-Backed Token
Investors can now buy physical gold in the form of a digital token from SEBA, a Swiss entity that is a fully integrated, FINMA licensed digital assets banking platform. The token, also termed a ‘stablecoin,’ represents ownership of responsibly sourced gold.
Digital Assets: Ledn Lands $70M For World’s First Bitcoin-Backed Mortgage Product
Global digital asset savings and credit platform Ledn announced a $70 million Series B funding round led by 10T Holdings and joined by new investors Golden Tree Asset Management, Raptor Group and FJ Labs. The company also announced its new bitcoin-backed mortgage product, the first product of its kind that will enable Ledn clients to use their bitcoin (BTC) holdings to purchase a property while continuing to benefit from potential price appreciation of both assets.
Digital Assets: Deutsche Börse Eyes Crypto Assets, Buys Majority Of Crypto Finance AG
Deutsche Börse (ETR: DB1) announced today the completion of a transaction to acquire a majority stake in Crypto Finance AG, a regulated provider of services in respect of digital assets including trading, custody and investments. The deal allows Deutsche Börse to set in place an ecosystem for digital assets under a European regulatory framework.
Alternative Investments/Digital: A New ETF From Valkyrie Invests In Companies That Own Bitcoin
Valkyrie Funds, LLC announced Wednesday the launch of the Valkyrie Balance Sheet Opportunities ETF (Nasdaq: VBB), an exchange traded fund (ETF) that would invest in forward-looking public companies with exposure to bitcoin.
Digital Assets: Bitcoin Jumps As Fed Accelerates ‘Taper,’ Mulls Three Rate Hikes In 2022
At the conclusion of its two-day confabulations, the Fed said it will step up the rate of reduction (‘taper’) in its bond purchases. Further, projections showed that the central bank could hike interest rates as many as three times in 2022, twice in the year following, and again twice in 2024. However, at the latest meeting, the Fed kept rates on hold. The FOMC’s decisions were approved by members unanimously.
Digital Assets: Institutional Digital Asset Platform Anchorage Lands $350M In KKR-Led Round
Anchorage Digital, the institution-focused digital asset company that offers custody, secure trading, financing, staking, and governance, announced today its $350 million Series D funding round led by global investment firm KKR that valued the company at over $3 billion.
Digital Assets: Dogecoin (DOGE) On A Moonshot After Musk Says Tesla Will Accept It In Payment For Merchandise
“Tesla will make some merch buyable with Doge & see how it goes,” tweeted Elon Musk today, lighting a fire underneath the hitherto somnolent DOGE cryptocurrency. The comment led to an initial spike of over 25% (over 24 hours) in the price of DOGE. At the time of writing, it is trading at 0.1928, still up over 20%.
Digital Assets: Mubadala Investing In The Ecosystem Around Crypto, Says CEO
In a huge plug for the growing acceptance, adoption and legitimacy of digital assets, cryptocurrencies and blockchain, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the CEO of Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company said the fund had started to invest in “the ecosystem around crypto.”
Digital Assets: Coinbase Allows Customers To Earn Yield On The DAI Stablecoin
Eligible customers in over 70 countries can now access decentralized finance services through crypto exchange Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN). Holders of the DAI stablecoin issued by Makerdao may earn attractive yields on their coin.
Digital Assets: Kickstarter’s Crowdfunding Platform To Move To Blockchain
Kickstarter PBC, the crowdfunding platform founded in 2009, will rework its technological process and base it on the blockchain in a bid to “create a decentralized version of Kickstarter’s core functionality.” More details of the move would be available in a white paper to be released in the coming weeks. However, the new decentralized protocol would reside on the Celo blockchain, an open source and carbon negative blockchain platform.
Digital Assets: Bitcoin PermaBull MicroStrategy Loads Up On Another $82M
MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor tweeted about the company’s latest purchase of bitcoin. MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR), which is led by bitcoin evangelist Michael Saylor, has reeled in a fresh tranche of 1,434 bitcoins, paying about $82.4 million in cash at an average price of approximately ~$57,477 per bitcoin, according to a tweet from Saylor. (CryptoNews) After…
Alternative Investments/Digital: First Trust Advisors Files For The Indxx Metaverse ETF
The metaverse is catching on fast with stories of plots of virtual land selling for millions of dollars and digital artworks getting snapped up for tens of millions of dollars. The metaverse is, as simply defined by Facebook: “A set of virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren’t in the same physical space as you.”
Digital Assets: Blockchain.com Integrates NFT Transactions Inside Its Wallet
Blockchain.com, a block explorer, crypto wallet provider, and digital asset exchange platform, announced its Blockchain.com NFT, a marketplace that will allow users to buy, sell, and store NFTs right inside their Blockchain.com Wallet.
Alternative Investments/Digital: Defiance Launches The First NFT-Focused ETF
Defiance ETFs has launched the Defiance Digital Revolution ETF on the NYSE’s Arca platform. The ETF, which has the ticker symbol NFTZ, will track the performance of the ‘BITA NFT and Blockchain Select Index,’ which comprises NFT, blockchain and crypto stocks, including NFT marketplaces and issuers such as Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN), Playboy (NASDAQ: PLBY), and DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG). The index is rules-based and rebalanced quarterly.
Digital Assets: El Salvador Ecologist Warns Of Disaster Mix From Bitcoin, Volcanos, And Drug Lords
El Salvador’s leading ecologist Ricardo Navarro, who runs a non-governmental organization CESTA (Salvadoran Center for Appropriate Technology), said in an interview with the Telegraph that President Nayib Bukele’s plans to use geothermal and volcanic energy to mine bitcoin were ill-advised.
Digital Assets: Renowned Investor Charlie Munger Sides With China On Its Crypto Ban
Charlie Munger has shot off another broadside against bitcoin, endorsing China’s action in banning cryptos. A long-standing bitcoin skeptic, Munger was speaking in an interview for the Sohn Hearts & Minds Investment Conference, as reported by the AFR and cited by Yahoo News.
Alternative Investments/Digital: Fidelity Canada Launches A Bitcoin ETF And Mutual Fund
Fidelity Investments Canada ULC has launched the Fidelity Advantage Bitcoin ETF and Fidelity Advantage Bitcoin ETF Fund (Mutual Fund) for investors seeking exposure to the largest cryptocurrency in the world.
Digital Assets: Bank Of America Strategist Views The Metaverse As a Massive Opportunity
Haim Israel, strategist at Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), said to Markets Insider that the metaverse represented a huge opportunity for the crypto ecosystem, blockchain and cryptocurrencies because there would be a huge rush to set up the platforms that underpin the new virtual world.
Alternative Investments/Digital: Crypto ETPs From WisdomTree And Bitcoin Capital List in Europe
Asset manager WisdomTree listed on December 2 the Crypto Mega Cap Equal Weight ETP on Euronext exchanges in Paris and Amsterdam under the symbol MEGA. Meanwhile, Bitcoin Capital AG launched the FiCAS Active Bitcoin ETP (BTCB) and FiCAS Active Ethereum ETP (ETHB) on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
Alternative Investments/Digital: Two Canadian Fund Managers Launch Metaverse Themed ETFs
Canadian fund managers Horizons ETFs and Evolve Funds have launched the Horizons Global Metaverse Index ETF (“MTAV”) and the Evolve Metaverse ETF (“MESH”) respectively, on the Toronto Stock Exchange.