ChainCatcher news, Bitcoin mining company MARA disclosed that it has raised $1.925 billion through convertible notes in November and December, purchasing 15,574 BTC at an average price of $98,529, totaling approximately $1.53 billion, and repurchased approximately $263 million of its existing convertible notes maturing in 2026, with plans to use the remaining proceeds to purchase more Bitcoin.MARA has achieved a QTD return of 22.5% and a YTD return of 60.9%. As of December 18, 2024, MARA holds 44,394 BTC, which is currently valued at $4.45 billion based on the spot BTC price of $100,151.

ChainCatcher message, trader Eugene Ng Ah Sio posted an explanation of why SOL is currently the most关注ed mainstream coin:In all charts (SOLBTC, SOLETH, and SOLUSD trading pairs), we are at or near the "value" level of the high time frame (HTF);The undervaluation below $200 provides a good entry point for today's bulls;The funding rate has been declining and has now entered negative territory, indicating that some form of perpetual contract hedging is taking place, as the open interest (OI) has remained almost unchanged. This is further explained as multiple market participants using SOL as the short part of their hedging portfolio, due to its weakening momentum since $260.As @docXBT mentioned, these are important levels that need to be respected to some extent, especially on the high time frame (HTF). As a bull, I am willing to try to enter at these levels. However, if these levels are lost, we will soon enter a dangerous zone.

ChainCatcher news, according to DL News, has reported that the phenomenon of cryptocurrency companies and their executives being shut out by banks has garnered significant attention from senior officials at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In comments made on Wednesday, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce expressed skepticism about a nearly $400 million budget request for 2025 proposed by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Peirce pointed out that the PCAOB has decided to focus on companies that hold large amounts of cryptocurrency or facilitate cryptocurrency trading. She stated, "In recent weeks, the efforts by regulators to prevent regulated entities from entering the cryptocurrency space have become public."In deciding not to approve PCAOB's budget request, Peirce further questioned how the board could choose its investigation targets while not discouraging auditors, issuers, and broker-dealers from engaging in the cryptocurrency space. However, Peirce's opinion was not adopted, as three other commissioners, including SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, voted against it.Previously, the cryptocurrency industry had accused that it is being collectively pushed out of the traditional banking system for several weeks. Against this backdrop, Peirce made the aforementioned comments. Cryptocurrency venture capitalist Nic Carter referred to this alleged exclusion as "Operation Choke Point 2.0."

ChainCatcher news, according to Trader T's monitoring, U.S. cryptocurrency stocks are rising before the market opens:MICROSTRATEGY +5.1%ISHARES BITCOIN TRUST +1.8%COINBASE GLOBAL +3.4%RIOT PLATFORMS +3.9%CLEANSPARK +5%MARA HOLDINGS +3.7%T-Rex 2X Long MSTR Daily Target ETF +9.3%

ChainCatcher news, according to Morocco World News, the Governor of the Central Bank of Morocco (BAM), Abdellatif Jouahri, announced that the country is about to introduce a regulatory framework for crypto assets. This framework has been developed with technical support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, aiming to balance regulation and innovation.The new framework will align with the latest recommendations from the G20 and will focus on addressing financial risks associated with crypto assets. The bill is currently in the public consultation phase and will subsequently be submitted for government and parliamentary approval.According to a report by Chainanalysis, Morocco currently ranks 20th in the global cryptocurrency adoption index. Research by Insider Monkey in 2023 shows that Morocco ranks 13th among the countries with the highest Bitcoin usage.

ChainCatcher news, Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan expressed his views on X, detailing why he believes the current bullish trend in the cryptocurrency market will continue.Despite the Federal Reserve's latest policy statement causing a short-term shock to the market—reducing next year's rate cut expectations from 4 times to 2 times—Hougan believes this is merely a brief interlude in the bull market process. He pointed out that the cryptocurrency market has developed an endogenous momentum independent of Federal Reserve policy, with four core trends continuously driving industry development:Washington's regulatory attitude has clearly shifted to a more supportive stance.Institutional investors are entering the market at an accelerated pace, with ETF funds continuing to flow in.Government and corporate entities are strategically increasing their Bitcoin holdings.Breakthroughs in programmable blockchain technology.From a technical perspective, Bitcoin's 10-day exponential moving average (approximately $102,000) continues to stay above the 20-day moving average (approximately $99,000). Hougan stated that this classic technical indicator has historically reflected market trends well.Hougan emphasized that the cryptocurrency market is in a new multi-year bull market cycle, and he expects that a 50bps rate cut will not change this.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, a crypto advocacy group is urging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to immediately review all existing crypto-related investigations, Wells notices, and ongoing lawsuits from the first day of Trump's new administration.The Digital Chamber's Token Alliance stated in a release that the new U.S. government will provide the SEC with an opportunity to reset its "historically problematic relationship" with the digital asset industry. Notably, Trump's nominee for SEC Chairman, Paul Atkins, is one of the members of the advisory board of this alliance.

ChainCatcher news, according to SoSoValue data, the cryptocurrency market sector is experiencing a widespread decline, with nearly half of the sectors dropping over 10%. Specifically, BTC and ETH fell by 5.14% and 6.11% respectively in the last 24 hours. The CeFi sector dropped by 5.17%, while the NFT sector, which rose over 20% yesterday, fell by 6.01%.In addition, the Layer 1 sector declined by 8.14%, the Layer 2 sector by 9.37%, the DeFi sector by 10.55%, the Meme sector by 11.33%, and the DePIN and PayFi sectors dropped by 11.48% and 11.69% respectively.Despite the overall market decline, some projects performed well, such as the NFT sector Pudgy Penguins (Pengu) which rose by 9.54%, Moca Coin (MOCA) which increased by 10.25%, and AI Agents' AI Rig Complex (ARC) which surged by 54.22%.SoSoValue analysts suggest that the widespread decline in the cryptocurrency market may be influenced by today's Federal Reserve meeting, which adjusted the pace of interest rate cuts for next year (from 4 times to 2 times), the upward revision of future core PCE inflation rates and GDP growth, as well as Powell's more hawkish statements than the market expected, leading to panic regarding liquidity expectations.

ChainCatcher news, the Delhi High Court ordered a new investigation into the platform on December 18, the same day Binance announced it would delist the exchange's native token WRX. This investigation was triggered by allegations of a previous hacking incident and concerns over financial misconduct.Earlier, lawyer Jaivir Bains submitted a petition calling for criminal charges against WazirX, accusing it of misconduct that occurred in July 2024, resulting in a loss of $235 million in cryptocurrency. The court subsequently issued the above directive. The initial report from the Delhi police deemed the case unviable, but Judge Sanjeev Narula rejected this investigation result and requested an updated status report by February 2025.This investigation highlights the ongoing skepticism regarding the operational integrity of WazirX. Cybersecurity firm Cyfirma led part of the recovery efforts, but the exchange admitted that 43% of customer funds remain unrecoverable.

ChainCatcher news, the European Police Organization collaborated with law enforcement agencies from six countries to dismantle an international drug trafficking group using cryptocurrency.The operation resulted in the arrest of 9 suspects. During the operation, valuable items including gold and luxury goods, €35,000 in cash, and €25 million in cryptocurrency were seized, amounting to $26.23 million. The total value of the seized assets was €27 million, equivalent to $28.33 million.

ChainCatcher news, sources reveal that Elon Musk is hiring staff for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Steve Davis, president of Musk's tunneling company Boring Co., and former U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios are among the main interviewers for potential candidates. DOGE has currently hired about 10 people and is looking for software engineers, including those with artificial intelligence experience.Currently, DOGE operates out of a glass-walled office in Washington, which is rented by Musk's other company SpaceX, located about four blocks from the White House.Some insiders have revealed that Musk and Ramaswamy (another leader) are still working to determine the structure of DOGE, but they are considering incorporating it as a 501(c)(3). One complication is that a 501(c)(3) can be either a public charity (which means it must pass a public support test and at least one-third of its donations must come from a broad base of supporters) or a private foundation, with stricter limitations for private foundations.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the stock of cryptocurrency wallet provider Exodus Movement (ticker: EXOD) has officially listed on the NYSE American this week, rising over 37% on its first trading day, reaching a high of $64.50 during the day and closing at around $53. Exodus becomes one of the few cryptocurrency companies listed on major exchanges in the United States, having previously traded on the over-the-counter market.Previous news reported that Exodus received approval for listing on NYSE American in May 2024. The company stated that this move will enhance its influence in the investor community and improve liquidity. According to the third-quarter financial report released in November, Exodus reported revenue of $20.1 million for the quarter, with a net loss of approximately $800,000. Its revenue primarily comes from fiat exchanges, staking, and consulting services.Founded in 2015, Exodus is one of the oldest wallet developers in the cryptocurrency space and has recently partnered with hardware wallet company Ledger and NFT platform Magic Eden.

ChainCatcher news, FOX Business reporter Eleanor Terrett posted on X that during a meeting this week with staff from SEC commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda, the Token Alliance of the Digital Chamber pointed out that addressing the 2018 Hinman speech is a priority for the Corporation Finance division on its first day, citing its lack of relevance to the Howey test, which has caused market confusion and "improperly created a winner/loser dynamic."Other items marked as "key" priorities for the first day include:Initiating a review of all existing crypto-related investigations, Wells notices, and ongoing litigation, and seeking to pause those cases that do not involve actual fraud or investor harm;Rescinding SAB 121 and publishing a rescission order in the Federal Register;Formally withdrawing and reconsidering the proposed amendment to Rule 3b-16, which proposed to expand the definition of "exchange" to include DeFi protocols;

ChainCatcher message, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell: (The statement adds wording about adjusting interest rates) "Magnitude and timing" indicate that we are at or near a moment to slow down interest rate cuts. The slowdown in rate cuts reflects the rising economic data this year. It is believed that the policy still has substantial restrictive effects.As long as the labor market and the economy remain robust, caution can be maintained when considering further rate cuts. It is believed that inflation risks and uncertainties are high. (Jin Ten)

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews, former South Korean Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-guk is facing legal consequences for concealing a large amount of cryptocurrency assets, reflecting South Korea's strict stance on cryptocurrency regulation.According to local reports, prosecutors have proposed a six-month prison sentence for Kim Nam-guk, on the charge that he intentionally altered the asset declaration submitted to the National Assembly, concealing cryptocurrency assets worth $7.5 million.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, the decentralized AI data chain Masa has announced the completion of a new round of financing, led by Grayscale's parent company Digital Currency Group (DCG), with participation from FBG Capital. The specific amount has not yet been disclosed.It is reported that DCG participated in its seed round financing two years ago. The new funds will support the continued development of a customizable AI framework and the expansion of the AI agent ecosystem using real-time data.According to the Web3 asset data platform RootData, Masa Network is a decentralized network focused on user personal data. Its goal is to create a data platform that allows users to contribute personal data and be rewarded in the form of Masa's native tokens. Developers will be able to access this data for training AI models and creating applications while protecting user privacy.