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VanEck seeks SEC approval for Onchain Economy ETF

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Will the SEC approve VanEck’s entry into the growing digital asset investment space?

On Jan. 15, 2025, asset management company VanEck filed an application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the “Onchain Economy” exchange-traded fund. Matthew Sigel, VanEck’s head of digital assets research, disclosed the filing in a now-deleted social media post, revealing the company’s ambitious plans to invest in the rapidly growing digital transformation sector.

The proposed ETF aims to allocate at least 80% of its assets to businesses and products within the digital asset ecosystem. These include software developers, mining firms, cryptocurrency exchanges, infrastructure providers, payment firms, and other crypto-focused companies collectively referred to as “Digital Transformation Companies.”

VanEck outlined a strategic selection process for these investments, emphasizing fundamental research, market trends, valuation, and each company’s role in the broader digital asset ecosystem. While the fund will not directly hold cryptocurrencies, it plans to invest in digital asset products such as commodity futures contracts.

VanEck’s application is part of a broader wave of activity in the ETF market, driven by speculation that the regulatory environment may become more favorable for cryptocurrencies under President Donald Trump’s administration. Bitwise Asset Management applied in November 2024 for its 10 Crypto Index Fund ETF, which tracks leading cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL).

In December last year, WisdomTree joined 21Shares, Canary Capital, and Bitwise in submitting applications for ETFs focused on specific digital assets like XRP (XRP). Grayscale Investments also petitioned the SEC to convert its existing Solana Trust into an ETF, while REX Financial launched the REX Crypto Equity Premium Income ETF, which employs a covered-call strategy to generate income from crypto-related stocks.

These developments reflect the financial sector’s growing interest in digital assets and the anticipation of regulatory clarity. As the SEC evaluates these applications, the industry is poised for a potential shift that could reshape institutional and retail access to cryptocurrency investments.





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Expert Sees Bitcoin Dipping To $50K While Bullish Signs Persist

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Este artículo también está disponible en español.

After rocketing up to the highs of $108,000 in December 2024, Bitcoin now has fallen to about $96,000. This has led to renewed debate among analysts as to what this means for the leading cryptocurrency. Some think that it may all be a warning, but others, such as Fundstrat’s Tom Lee, are still bullish long-term.

$50,000 The Worst-Case Scenario?

Recently, Tom Lee shared his opinions with CNBC during an interview as a response to the fears regarding Bitcoin’s latest retreat. He stated that corrections up to $70,000 or even down to $50,000 can happen. Corrections of this type, he continued, have become extremely frequent throughout Bitcoin’s history; hence long-term investors must consider them opportunities and not as problems.

It was with the mention of $50,000 that eyebrows were raised, but Lee’s confidence in Bitcoin’s strength remains unbroken. He said these corrections often prepares the stage for even stronger price recoveries, especially in a market as dynamic as crypto.

A Bold Prediction Amid Uncertainty

Lee predicted that the price of Bitcoin might reach $200,000-$250,000 by the end of 2025, simply because he is convinced that this cryptocurrency will eventually serve as an economic hedge against instability and increase in adoption rates among institutional investors.

Lee also says the current price point of $90,000 will be an ideal entry point for anyone thinking long term. His reasoning is that Bitcoin’s underlying fundamentals remain strong, and the recent pullback hasn’t dented its broader growth narrative.

BTC is now trading at $96,602. Chart: TradingView

Inflation And Market Dynamics

Lee said that inflation fears are not yet critical, and temporary disruptions, such as natural disasters, can impact data. However, the cautious approach of the Federal Reserve to rate cuts gives room for optimism. A slower pace of inflation and strong earnings from major companies could boost risk assets, including Bitcoin, in the near term.

Investor Sentiment And What’s Next

After Lee’s comment, Bitcoin rebounded a little; it came back to about $96,400. The rebound shows that the market participants were comforted by his analysis.

The lesson for investors is obvious: volatility will probably interrupt Bitcoin’s road of development, but overall the long-term future seems bright. Forecasts for the market range from $50,000 to $250,000, thereby presenting both risk and possibility.

The balancing act between fear and optimism will ultimately shape Bitcoin’s trajectory in the months to come.

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView



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Bitcoin DeFi Is Finding Product-market Fit With Runes

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Over the past year, the Bitcoin Renaissance has brought significant attention to BTCfi, or “Bitcoin DeFi” applications. Despite the hype, very few of these applications have delivered on their promises or managed to retain a meaningful number of “actual” users.

To put things into perspective, the leading lending platform for Bitcoin assets, Liquidium, allows users to borrow against their Runes, Ordinals, and BRC-20 assets. Where does the yield come from, you ask? Just like any other loan, borrowers pay an interest rate to lenders in exchange for their Bitcoin. Additionally, to ensure the security of the loans, they are always overcollateralized by the Bitcoin assets themselves.

How big is Bitcoin DeFi right now? It depends on your perspective.

In about 12 months, Liquidium has executed over 75,000 loans, representing more than $360 million in total loan volume, and paid over $6.3 million in native BTC interest to lenders.

For BTCfi to be considered “real,” I would argue that these numbers need to grow exponentially and become comparable to those on other chains such as Ethereum or Solana. (Although, I firmly believe that over time, comparisons will become irrelevant as all economic activity will ultimately settle on Bitcoin.)

That said, these achievements are impressive for a protocol that’s barely a year old, operating on a chain where even the slightest mention of DeFi often meets with extreme skepticism. For additional context, Liquidium is already outpacing altcoin competitors such as NFTfi, Arcade, and Sharky in volume.

Bitcoin is evolving in real time, without requiring changes to its base protocol — I’m here for it.

Source: Liquidium Landing Page

After a rocky start, Runes are now responsible for the majority of loans taken out on Liquidium, outpacing both Ordinals and BRC-20s. Runes is a significantly more efficient protocol that offers a lighter load on the Bitcoin blockchain and delivers a slightly improved user experience. The enhanced user experience provided by Runes not only simplifies the process for existing users, but also attracts a substantial number of new users that would be willing to interest on-chain in a more complex way. In contrast, BRC-20 struggled to acquire new users due to its complexity and less intuitive design. Having additional financial infrastructure like P2P loans is therefore marking a step forward in the usability and adoption of Runes, and potentially other Bitcoin backed assets down the line.

Source: Liquidium’s Dune Dashboard

The volume of loans on Liquidium has consistently increased over the past year, with Runes now comprising the majority of activity on the platform.

Source: Liquidium’s Dune Dashboard

Ok so Runes are now the dominant asset backing Bitcoin native loans, why should I care? Is this good for Bitcoin?

I would argue that, regardless of your personal opinion about Runes or the on-chain degen games happening right now, the fact that real people trust the Bitcoin blockchain to take out decentralized loans denominated in Bitcoin should make freedom lovers stand up and cheer.

We’re winning.

Bitcoiners have always asserted that no other blockchain can match Bitcoin’s security guarantees. Now, others are beginning to see this too, bringing new forms of economic activity on-chain. This is undeniably bullish.

Moreover, all transactions are natively secured on the Bitcoin blockchain—no wrapping, no bridging, just Bitcoin. We should encourage and support people who are building in this way.

This article is a Take. Opinions expressed are entirely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.



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U.S. Listed Firms Continue Bitcoin (BTC) Treasury Adoption

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Bitcoin (BTC) adoption by U.S.-listed public companies continues in full steam.

The latest purchase comes from NYSE-listed Genius Group (GNS). On Jan. 10, GNS reported increasing its bitcoin holding to $35 million, which was ahead of its scheduled target of $120 million. In the process, it acquired 372 BTC at an average price of $94,047 per bitcoin. The first announcement came on Nov. 12, when it announced its “Bitcoin-first” strategy.

On Tuesday, GNS also reported a rights offering, allowing shareholders to purchase additional shares at discounted prices. If fully subscribed, the rights offering could generate $33 million. GNS founder and CEO Roger Hamilton intends to buy join in the rights offering and buy 500,000 shares.

The firm is also pursuing loan finances to accumulate bitcoin. Shares of GNS closed 7% higher on Tuesday.

Apart from GNS, Nasdaq-listed Ming Shing Group (MSW), a wet trades works service provider, also purchased 500 BTC at an average price of $94,375 per bitcoin. MSW shares were up 43% higher year-to-date.

The new wave of bitcoin treasury adoption surges ahead with four publicly traded companies announcing bitcoin buys and seven companies announcing a strategy, but no acquisition.

Wave 2 BTC Corporate Adoption (PR Newswire)

Wave 2 BTC Corporate Adoption (PR Newswire)

Disclaimer: This article, or parts of it, was generated with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.





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