BREAKING
- The peaq blockchain has successfully gone live, and the native $PEAQ token trades on 14 exchanges. It forms the technological foundation of the Economy of Things (EoT) — a positive economy in which billions of devices, robots, vehicles and machines interact with one another. This infrastructure enables real-world decentralized applications (known today as DePINs) that run on the peaq blockchain and provide a wide range of services.
MORE
- The bitcoin price broke through the historic $100,000 mark on December 5, 2024, driven by Donald Trump's election victory and his declared goal of making the US the global crypto capital. Bitcoin's value has risen by more than 95% since the start of the year, with a gain of over 40% recorded in the two weeks following the election alone.
- According to Reuters, Trump plans to establish a crypto advisory council reporting to the National Economic Council. It will be tasked with building a strategic bitcoin reserve for the US.
- BlackRock's bitcoin ETF has surpassed the volume of the firm's own gold ETF for the first time. With daily inflows of $1.4 billion, this marks a turning point for the institutional acceptance of bitcoin.
- The resignation of Gary Gensler, known for his critical stance on cryptocurrencies, is fueling optimism in the crypto market. New leadership at the SEC under Trump points to more crypto-friendly regulation.
- The blockchain platform Onyx by JP Morgan will operate under the name Kinexys by JP Morgan going forward. The term "JP Morgan Coin" is being replaced by Blockchain Deposit Accounts. From Q1 2025, FX payments between EUR and USD are also to be settled via the blockchain.
- Fintech giant Stripe is acquiring stablecoin start-up Bridge, signaling the growing integration of crypto into traditional payment services. This is the largest crypto acquisition by a traditional payment service provider to date.
- Stablecoin issuer Paxos is acquiring Finnish fintech company Membrane Finance. This gives Paxos access to the European market and the ability to issue MiCAR-regulated stablecoins. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval.
- Coinbase Wallet users will be able to earn 4.7% interest on their USDC holdings. In the EU, however, this offering is not available due to MiCAR regulation, which prohibits paying interest on regulated e-money tokens.
- BBVA Asset Management and UBS are betting on innovation and have launched funds that use blockchain technology to increase efficiency and transparency in fund management.
- Frankfurt-based 21X is the first company to receive a BaFin license for a blockchain-based trading and settlement system. From Q1 2025, 21X plans to launch a platform for trading tokenized financial instruments such as equities, debt securities and funds, as well as real-world assets (RWAs) such as real estate and art.
SPEAKERS' CORNER
- November was strongly shaped by the election of Donald Trump, who is seen as a crypto-friendly future US president. This led to a marked upswing in digital assets.
- We are seeing rapidly growing interest in digital assets, above all among private clients and owner-managed wealth managers. Our well-attended webinars with Bankhaus Bauer and the strong inflows into the "Bankhaus Bauer x 21 Oaks AI & Blockchain Innovation Fund" (WKN A3EKRN) underscore this trend.
- Institutional investors such as pension funds and occupational pension schemes remain cautious in Germany so far and have not yet included digital assets in their strategic asset allocation (SAA). This shows that the market is still at an early stage of development.
- In the US, however, the first institutional investors are taking the step into digital assets. We expect domestic institutional investors to become active over the medium term as well, once the market becomes further established.
Translated from the German original, which is the authoritative version. Read the German version
