Cryptocurrency exchange Okcoin has reported the number of and trading volume of institutions surged significantly in the last year, driven largely by stablecoins and tokens in decentralized finance. In a report released on Oct. 26, Okcoin said it had seen a 450% increase in the number of institutional customers on its platform between September 2020 and September 2021, as well as a 124% increase in institutional trading volume over the same period. According to the report, 53% of the purchases institutional investors made in September were for altcoins. In addition, the customers showed “a greater appetite for non-Bitcoin crypto assets” …

The share price of the Intercontinental Exchange-backed crypto services company Bakkt ($BKKT) has surged as it unveiled two partnerships with major global payments firms. On Monday 25 Oct., Mastercard announced it would be working with digital asset platform Bakkt to allow its customers based in the United States to buy, sell and hold digital assets through custodial wallets. On the same day, global payment provider Fiserv also announced a strategic collaboration with Bakkt to offer merchant-facing digital asset services. The news drove a bullish day of trading for BKKT, with the stock rallying by more than 50% outside of regular …

Digital asset custodian BitGo has integrated with Stacks to bring Bitcoin (BTC) rewards to institutional investors, a move that could strengthen the already-heightened institutional demand for crypto during the next leg of the bull market. Beginning Monday, BitGo will offer institutional token holders the ability to earn Bitcoin rewards through the Stacks token, which is also known as STX. Through a process known as Stacking, STX token holders can earn BTC rewards directly in their wallets. Unlike other yield-earning services, BTC rewards generated through Stacking are not based on a lending auction, which means STX token holders do not need …

Investors who study Bitcoin (BTC) carefully are eventually convinced to own a stake in the cryptocurrency, according to SkyBridge Capital CEO and founder Anthony Scaramucci. In a Monday interview with CNBC’s Capital Connection, Scaramucci — who also served a 10-day stint as President Donald Trump's communications director — urged investors to “do the homework on Bitcoin” and “understand what it is.” He also suggested that investors read the white paper written by anonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Understanding Bitcoin inevitably leads to growing adoption as many prominent investors around the world realize the potential of the cryptocurrency, Scaramucci said: “Anybody …

Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee turned whistleblower, revealed that her refuge in Puerto Rico is currently being supported by an auspiciously timed cryptocurrency investment. Haugen worked as a Facebook product manager before accusing the company of spreading controversial and insensitive misinformation. She allegedly possesses numerous confidential research documents, which, according to her, shows that “Facebook prioritizes profit over the well-being of children and all users.” Previously, Facebook has been accused of influencing the 2016 United States presidential election with the help of Russian agencies. In a follow-up interview with The New York Times, Haugen was asked about her financial …

The second Bitcoin (BTC) futures-linked exchange-traded fund in the United States began trading on the Nasdaq, opening at a price of $25.52 per share. According to the Nasdaq, digital asset manager Valkyrie’s Bitcoin Strategy ETF, the second exchange-traded fund allowing U.S. investors direct exposure to cryptocurrency futures, opened at a price of $25.52 per share of BTF before dropping 3.3% to reach $24.66 at the time of publication. The exchange-traded fund is aimed at tracking the value of BTC futures listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, or CME. "This Bitcoin Strategy ETF is a major leap forward for this asset …

The pension fund for firefighters in Houston has allocated part of its $4 billion portfolio towards crypto. According to a Thursday Bloomberg report, the Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund used the New York Digital Investment Group, or NYDIG, to execute the purchase of $25 million in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). Public records through the Texas comptroller’s office show the pension fund held more than $4.1 billion in total net assets as of June 2020, meaning the group has allocated roughly 0.6% of its portfolio towards digital assets. “We have been studying this as an asset class to add …

FTX, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, has raised $420 million in fresh funding, bringing its total valuation to $25 billion. The firm officially announced Thursday that FTX’s operator, FTX Trading, has completed a new Series B-1 fundraise involving 69 investors, including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and Singapore’s state investment firm Temasek. Other investors included major venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, Sea Capital, Ribbit Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and funds and accounts managed by BlackRock. According to FTX head of product Ramnik Arora, the new funding will help the company further expand …

As Bitcoin (BTC) marked a new all-time high above $67,000, PayPal co-founder and billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel said he should have bought more Bitcoin. Thiel spoke of cryptocurrencies, central banks and artificial intelligence during an interview in Miami hosted by policy think tank Lincoln Network, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. “You’re supposed to just buy Bitcoin,” Thiel said, adding, “I feel like I’ve been underinvested in it.” The tech investor noted that his only concern about buying Bitcoin was that the investment “secret was already known by everybody.” “I think the answers are still to go long. Maybe it still …

Ark Invest founder and CEO Cathie Wood did not invest in the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy exchange-traded fund (ETF) on opening day, according to Business Insider. Wood said about the ETF’s debut: “No, we did not [invest]. We’re looking at this very carefully […] there are some tax ramifications we’d like to understand more having to do with contango versus more normal backwardation.” The contango of the ETF refers to when the future price of the commodity is higher than the spot price. Backwardation is when the forward price of the futures contract is lower than the spot price in a …

Fixed-income manager PIMCO is planning to increase its exposure to digital currencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) after dabbling in the asset class through crypto-linked securities, offering the latest evidence that major institutions are starting to embrace the emerging asset class. In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, chief investment officer Daniel Ivascyn confirmed that PIMCO already has exposure to “crypto-linked securities” through various hedge fund portfolios. He said the firm plans to gradually increase its exposure to the asset class as part of its “trend-following strategies or quant-oriented strategies.” He further explained: “This will be a gradual process where we …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has likely approved asset manager VanEck’s Bitcoin Strategy exchange-traded fund (ETF), with trading expected to begin on Monday. In a Wednesday filing with the SEC, VanEck said the public offering of its Bitcoin (BTC) Strategy ETF, which offers exposure to the crypto asset through futures contracts, would begin “as soon as practicable” after the effective date of the filing, Saturday. This suggests the company could list its shares on an exchange as early as Monday. Unlike exchange-traded funds offering direct exposure to BTC or Ether (ETH) — which the SEC has …