BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Becomes First to Raise $1 Billion in Investments After Launch of Trading

 

BlackRock's spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) reached $1 billion in assets in the first four days of trading, writes Reuters. Last week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved about a dozen Bitcoin ETFs.

 

Since launching spot exchange-traded funds, BlackRock and Fidelity have seen the largest influx of investors.

BlackRock had amassed $1.07 billion in assets under management as of Jan. 17, followed by Fidelity at $874.6 million, according to JPMorgan.

Nine newly launched ETFs attracted $2.90 billion in investment in their first four days of trading.

Meanwhile, the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, which converted from a closed-end fund to an ETF, charges the highest fees compared to recently launched ETFs and saw $1.62 billion in outflows in its first four days.

 

Hedera allocates 5 billion HBAR for ecosystem development

In a strategic move to fuel the growth of the Hedera network, the Hedera Council has approved the allocation of approximately 5 billion HBAR, Hedera's native cryptocurrency Hashgraph, to further develop and promote decentralized governance. This underscores Hedera's commitment to growing its ecosystem and supporting key initiatives critical to the network's growth.

 

Solana Mobile plans to release a second crypto smartphone at a lower price

Solana Mobile, it seems, is not going to stop there. After releasing its first crypto phone, the Saga, to mixed reactions, the company plans to release a second model with improved specifications and a more affordable price. This was reported by a source familiar with the company's plans.

The new model will have the same basic features as its predecessor: a built-in crypto wallet, custom Android software and a “dApp store” for crypto apps – but at a lower price and with different hardware, a source told Coindesk. The original phone cost US$1,000 when it was first launched last year, but its price was later reduced due to poor sales.

The new Solana Mobile phone could help lower the temperature in the red-hot aftermarket for the limited supply of existing Saga smartphones. At the time of publication, the sealed Saga device was receiving bids of $3,200 on eBay, five times its price five weeks ago.

 

Scaramucci predicted Bitcoin's growth to $170 thousand by the end of 2025

The founder of the SkyBridge Capital hedge fund, Anthony Scaramucci, said that the Bitcoin rate could exceed $170 thousand in 2025, writes Reuters. According to the businessman, the price of the first cryptocurrency will increase due to demand for new spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and the upcoming halving in April (halving the reward of Bitcoin miners).

“If Bitcoin was worth $45,000 at the time of the halving, then by mid-to-late 2025 it would be worth $170,000. Whatever the price (of Bitcoin) was on the day of the halving in April, multiply it by four, and it will reach that figure in the next 18 months,” the SkyBridge founder said in Davos ahead of the World Economic Forum.

 

Socket infrastructure protocol lost $3.3 million in hack

The developers of the cross-chain infrastructure protocol Socket reported a hack: hackers managed to withdraw about $3.3 million from users’ wallets. After this, the work of smart contracts was stopped. The Socket protocol is used by a fairly large number of Web3 projects, including Synthetix, Lyra, Kwentra, Superform, Plasma Finance and Level Finance. Apparently, the attackers were able to discover a vulnerability that gave access to funds in the accounts of users who had previously interacted with the protocol. Wallets that issued unlimited or inflated withdrawal permissions were under threat. According to analytics company PeckShield, the new route that was vulnerable to the vulnerability was added to the protocol’s smart contracts just 3 days ago. Most likely, the developers did not test the new functionality enough.

 

The media learned about MetaMask’s work on a new concept for interacting with Ethereum

The team at non-custodial wallet MetaMask is testing “transaction routing” technology that could revolutionize the transfer of value on the Ethereum network, CoinDesk reports.

The publication learned about the new solution from the application developers. Without disclosing additional details, the information was confirmed by the parent company ConsenSys.

The technology is based on the concept of “intents”, which is gaining popularity in the blockchain community. Its essence is to change the paradigm of user interaction with the network. Instead of specifying specific actions for applications (such as “sell X tokens in exchange for Y at price Z”), you will simply need to specify the goal and desired outcome - for example, “get the best price for your coins.”

The technology is being developed by the infrastructure project Special Mechanisms Group (SMG), which ConsenSys acquired in 2023.

 

Donald Trump promised to ban the creation of CBDC

US politician Donald Trump has said he would ban the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) if he is re-elected US president. Coindesk reports this with reference to his statement made during a speech in New Hampshire.

“As your President, I will never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency. It will be a dangerous threat to freedom, and I will not allow it to come to America. A CBDC will give the federal government absolute control over your money. They can take your funds and you won’t even know they’re gone,” Trump said.