Paris-based asset management firm Napoleon AM has announced the launch of a specialized professional fund under French law, the Napoleon Bitcoin Fund. The fund would replicate the price of the cash-settled Bitcoin futures listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. According to the company, this is one of the first regulated products giving exposure to Bitcoin, with which institutional investors can diversify their portfolio. While the firms are launching crypto products for professional investors, not every investor is confident about the future of Bitcoin. Billionaire investor Mark Cuban believes that BTC could never become a reliable currency because “it's too difficult …

China could start its pilot for the central bank digital currency (CBDC) before the end of this year, according to local news outlet Caijing. The article states that the anticipated pilot project “will go out of the central bank system and enter real service scenarios such as transportation, education, and medical treatment,” which will reach the end users. The project will be overseen by the Chinese central bank and will include four major banks and large corporations such as China Telecom. This is a significant step as it will give China a major head start over other developed economies. Daily …

In its “Imagine 2030” report, Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid forecast that by 2030, digital currencies could replace cash. Reid said that in order for mainstream integration to occur, digital currencies will have to convince regulators that they are safe for investors and find solutions for issues such as cyber attacks, electricity consumption and digital war. Cryptocurrency adoption by a large traditional financial institution could also signal that digital assets could one day replace fiat currencies in the future. To counter the possibility of fiat currencies being undermined by cryptocurrencies, several governments are planning to issue their own central bank …

It may seem surprising, but platforms designed for loans and lending through the use of cryptocurrencies are a relatively new development for the crypto industry. Each platform adheres to its own strategy, but the idea shared by all is that users put their cryptocurrency into an automated smart contract as collateral for a loan. The contract tracks accrued interest and credit payments and also prevents anyone from interfering in this process. Unlike traditional lending, there is no need for credit checks and scoring, as well as for the lender to seriously consider the option of physical pressure on the borrower. …

On Dec. 2, open interest on Bakkt’s Bitcoin futures reached a new all-time high. This came just a few days after the daily Bitcoin futures trading volume had hit a lifetime high. These back to back trading volume records show an increasing interest from institutional investors but the majority of the crypto community is still wondering why Bitcon’s spot price is not steadily increasing. Bakkt’s launch of Bitcoin options contracts on Dec. 9 is likely to attract more players to trade the digital asset. As the derivatives market size increases, it could have a greater effect on Bitcoin’s spot price. …

Bitcoin price continues to trade with an advantage to bears but this does not mean investors or miners have capitulated. About 64% of the total Bitcoin mined to date has been dormant in wallets since 2018. This shows that Bitcoin hodlers do not believe in trading for short-term gains, as they anticipate much higher prices in the future. While this might be a feasible strategy for the whales, retail traders can rake up profits if they buy during periods of deep distress and sell their positions during times of euphoria. One of the events that many hopeful investors are anticipating …

A Grin (GRIN) developer funded by the Litecoin Foundation has suggested a solution for fixing the “Achilles heel of Mimblewimble privacy.” David Burkett, a developer at Mimblewimble’s (MW) privacy-centric coin Grin, started a thread on monthly updates detailing progress on both Grin’s development and the integration of MW’s privacy-focused technology into Litecoin (LTC). The developer announced the news on Twitter on Dec. 1: “I'll be posting monthly status updates detailing progress on the LTC MW EB (YAY acronyms). This is geared toward those interested in LTC development, but will also talk a lot about Grin++ changes, so it may be …

The futures market provides good insight into the sentiment of larger players. If the futures volume continues to rise in a falling market, this indicates that a decline is likely to extend further. However, if the volume increases with a rise in price, this shows that the market participants are accumulating positions. On Nov. 27, Bitcoin closed in the green and Bitcoin futures on Bakkt hit a new all-time high volume record which was 60% higher than the previous record. This shows that institutional players have increased their activity during the most recent relief rally. This points to possible accumulation …

The theft of 342,000 Ether (ETH) from South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit could have halted the current relief rally taking place in the crypto market. However, Lee Seok-woo, the CEO of Upbit’s operator, Dunamu said that the company will cover for the losses. This erased some of the initial concerns of the market participants and improved sentiment. When sentiment is negative, the markets fall quickly but take a lot longer to rise. This week a bullish bit of news came from Bitcoin ATM firm Bitstop. The company intends to install Bitcoin ATMs at several Simon Malls locations in the United …

The total crypto market capitalization has bounced from the $180 billion mark. We anticipate a strong support in the $168 billion to $183 billion range because the market cap had consolidated in this range in April of this year, before moving higher. So, on the way down, we expect this range to act as a strong support. Although Bitcoin (BTC) has started this leg of the down move, it is interesting to note that it has not given up its crypto market dominance, which remains above 66%. This shows that the altcoins are unlikely to go against Bitcoin’s main trend. …

Fear gripped the markets on the news that Chinese authorities had raided the offices of the leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance. This negated all the positive effects that had accrued following President Xi Jinping’s endorsement of blockchain technology. Though Binance denied reports of any raids, price action within the sector has remained subdued. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 Naysayers will use these bearish moments to further spread panic among market participants by issuing outlandish targets on the downside. Peter Schiff believes that Bitcoin could plummet to $1,000 as it has formed a head and shoulders pattern. We, however, could not …

The Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell has said that the Fed is not developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), but it is conducting its own research to evaluate the benefits and limitations of such an initiative. On the other hand, Edith Cheung, partner at blockchain-focused venture capital fund Proof of Capital, believes that China will launch its digital currency within the next six to twelve months. A CBDC by a large economy will be an interesting development. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 The crypto markets have been losing ground in the past few weeks due to the …