Category: crypto

Kingsport City Board of Mayor and Aldermen has approved zoning changes to allow cryptocurrency mining companies and data centers to operate under specific noise and location standards. This comes amid backlash against mining operations in other US states. The ordinance requires a second vote before becoming law, with an emphasis on noise regulation due to…

YZi Labs, backed by Changpeng Zhao, invested in BitGo as the crypto custodian debuted on the NYSE. BitGo offers secure crypto services to institutional clients worldwide and raised $212.8 million in its IPO. YZi Labs believes in the importance of regulated crypto infrastructure as institutional capital moves into digital assets.

Bitdeer has surpassed MARA in total hashrate through its self-mining and hosted capacity, reaching 71 EH/s in December 2025. SEALMINER chips reduced energy use to 6-7 J/TH and increased BTC output to 636 in December. Bitdeer is selling mined BTC to fund AI data centers, while MARA holds over 55,000 BTC.

BitGo made its debut on the NYSE in 2026, raising $213 million at a $2.08 billion valuation. The custodian focuses on institutional wallet, staking, and infrastructure fees to reduce dependence on token prices. Investors compare BitGo’s fee-based model to Circle’s USDC interest-driven revenue amid stablecoin volatility.

Bitcoin and Ethereum are facing a $2.3 billion options expiry today, marking the first major derivatives settlement of 2026. This will test whether the new options-heavy market structure can handle hedging flows without causing high volatility. The market is leaning towards structured hedging, potentially reducing volatility post-expiry.

RALPH, an AI-themed meme coin connected to the “Ralph Wiggum” trend, crashed after developer Geoffrey Huntley’s wallet sold a large amount of tokens in under an hour. This raised concerns about meme coin liquidity, developer incentives, and trader protection. The incident led to a significant price drop and sparked debate in the meme coin community.

Visa Inc. has partnered with Mercuryo to allow users to convert digital assets to fiat currency and send funds to Visa cards using Visa Direct. This enables fast crypto-to-fiat conversions for Visa debit and credit card users, improving settlement speed, reducing costs, and expanding Visa’s digital asset strategy.

JPMorgan Chase donated to a pro-Trump PAC, then Trump filed a $5 billion lawsuit against the bank and CEO Jamie Dimon. This follows Trump’s support for the crypto industry and a clash with Dimon at Davos. The lawsuit alleges improper banking relationship termination post-Capitol riot, despite previous political contributions.

World Liberty Financial, linked to President Trump’s family, partners with Spacecoin to bring decentralized finance to satellite-powered internet. The deal includes a token swap and aims to provide financial services in remote areas. World Liberty Financial also applied for a national bank charter and offers a stablecoin and lending platform.

Cryptocurrency markets saw a modest decline on Thursday, with Bitcoin trading near $90,000 despite gains in equities and record highs in precious metals. Ether also declined, even as BitMine Immersion acquired a large amount of ETH. Most major alternative cryptocurrencies remained flat or slightly lower during the session.