Metaplanet ushers in the new year with a bullish sentiment on Bitcoin and 
blockchain technology. After announcing late last year that it had purchased 
¥1 billion worth of Bitcoins, the Japanese company is making headlines again 
by announcing its plans to increase its holdings to 10,000 Bitcoins. Related 
Reading: Dogecoin To Hit $1? Expert Calls It A Realistic Goal For 2025 – 
Here’s Why Metaplanet’s decision to double down on the world’s top digital 
asset comes during favorable political and economic conditions, with analysts 
expecting that Bitcoin may hit $200k soon. Currently, Metaplanet boasts 1,762 
Bitcoins, worth $173.4 million, and is one of the top companies following 
MicroStrategy&#8217;s Bitcoin investing playbook. CEO Announces Target Of 10k 
Bitcoins CEO Simon Gerovich shared the company’s latest investment plan in a 
New Year post for shareholders. In a Twitter/X post last January 5th, Gerovick 
acknowledged the company&#8217;s exceptional performance, where it expanded its 
Bitcoin holdings and solidified its standing as the region’s biggest holder of 
digital assets. In the lengthy message, he reiterated the company’s commitment 
to the asset and boosting shareholder value. Happy New Year to Our Valued 
Shareholders! As we step into 2025, I couldn’t be more excited about what lies 
ahead for Metaplanet. Last year was transformational, as we broke records, 
expanded our Bitcoin treasury, and reinforced our position as Asia’s leading 
Bitcoin Treasury… pic.twitter.com/K2HsOS8TaZ — Simon Gerovich (@gerovich) 
January 5, 2025 Gerovick announced at least four targets for Metaplanet this 
year. The company’s primary target is to expand its BTC holdings to 10k 
Bitcoin. In addition, Metaplanet also plans to boost transparency, leverage 
partnerships to promote Bitcoin adoption and explore other innovative 
opportunities that can grow the company’s influence in the Bitcoin and 
blockchain niche. Investing Plans Come At A Time Of Favorable Conditions The 
Japanese company’s aggressive moves into the crypto space come during 
favorable market conditions and better price prospects. Both Bitwise and 
VanEck predict that Bitcoin will trade anywhere from $180k to $200k this year. 
They believe that the top digital asset can trade at higher price points if 
the US government approves the plan to adopt the strategic digital asset 
reserve. Other analysts are offering bolder price predictions for Bitcoin and 
potentially better performance from altcoins thanks to a second Trump 
administration. According to Gerovich, if the US government pushes with the 
Bitcoin strategic reserves, then others can follow suit. Metaplanet’s CEO 
added that Japan is one of the first countries to follow, and other Asian 
countries will implement the same initiative. Related Reading: Galaxy Digital 
Reveals Bold Dogecoin Price Prediction For 2025 Starting A Movement In the 
same post, Gerovich describes the company’s initiative as a “movement” 
anchored on its commitment to excellence. He then teases his followers, saying 
that 2025 will be another breakout year for Metaplanet in terms of innovation, 
progress, and success. Metaplanet’s Bitcoin holdings are currently the biggest 
in Asia and 15th among global public companies. The company first started 
investing in Bitcoin last year, as Bitcoin surged considerably due to 
increased institutional adoption. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from 
TradingView

Bitcoin Target Locked: Metaplanet Eyes 10,000 BTC This Year

Nasdaq filed to raise the current options contract limit of the iShares 
Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) from 25,000 to 250,000 contracts, representing an 
exercisable risk of 2.89%, according to a Jan. 6 SEC filing. According to the 
filing, the current limit represents only 0.4% of exercisable risk for the 
spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF). […]
The post Nasdaq proposes raising IBIT options contract limit for traders 
appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Nasdaq proposes raising IBIT options contract limit for traders

Coinshares&#8217; asset management report showed that net inflows into global crypto 
funds reached a record $44.2 billion in 2024. Crypto Funds Shatter Record for 
Yearly Net Inflows Digital crypto investment products recorded a staggering 
$44.2 billion in net inflows in 2024. According to the latest Coinshares 
analysis by head of research, James Butterfill, the record […]

Crypto Investment Products Saw Record $44 Billion Net Inflows in 2024: Coinshares

Crypto markets are poised for a dynamic start to the new year, with a series 
of pivotal events set to reshape sentiment and trading volumes. From 
macroeconomic decisions by the Federal Reserve to protocol updates and legal 
proceedings, here are the key developments demanding close attention from 
investors: #1 Crypto Awaits The FOMC Minutes Release (January 8) On Wednesday, 
the minutes from December’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting are 
scheduled for release, offering insights into policymakers’ deliberations and 
possible hints at upcoming rate decisions. The minutes will shed light on the 
Federal Reserve’s latest approach to controlling inflation while supporting 
economic stability. Related Reading: Crypto Trader Nets $17 Million From AI 
Coins: Here’s What He’s Buying Now The Fed cut US interest rates three 
consecutive times after a heated debate in late 2024, though it reduced its 
forecast for total annual rate cuts this year from four down to two. Investors 
also recall Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s statement that “the decision to cut 
rates was a close call.” This underscores the importance of the forthcoming 
minutes for anyone looking to gauge how hawkish or dovish the central bank may 
become throughout 2025. #2 THORChain’s Base Integration Cross-chain liquidity 
platform THORChain has confirmed it will begin supporting Base—currently the 
largest Layer 2 by volume—next week. According to THORChain’s development 
updates, this integration enables more efficient ETH-BTC swaps by 
circumventing Ethereum’s mainnet congestion and unlocking new liquidity 
avenues through cbBTC. Market observers anticipate a notable uptick in trading 
volume as the community takes advantage of cheaper ETH-BTC swaps and expanded 
cross-chain capabilities. #3 Jupiter’s Airdrop Checker Jupiter, a leading 
Solana-based decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator is expected to release 
its airdrop eligibility checker this week. This event is part of “Jupuary,” a 
multi-year airdrop initiative slated for January 2025 and 2026, during which 
the protocol will distribute a total of $700 million worth of JUP tokens to 
its user base. The project has declared that this airdrop aims to “grow the 
pie,” broadening the Jupiter community and boosting participation in one of 
the world’s most significant decentralized autonomous organizations. 
Additionally, Jupiter’s Castanbul conference in late January will feature the 
live burning of 30% of the token’s supply. Related Reading: Altcoins Surge As 
Crypto Market Kicks Off 2025 On A High Note #4 USUAL Fee Switch Activation 
(January 7) In the decentralized finance (DeFi) arena, the USUAL ecosystem is 
set to activate its fee switch on January 7, 2025. This marks a pivotal 
transformation: holders of USUAL who stake their tokens will start receiving a 
share of the protocol’s revenue. By directly rewarding stakers with 
transaction fees, the protocol hopes to foster a more robust and participatory 
user base. #5 Do Kwon’s Second US Hearing (January 8) Terra founder Do Kwon 
faces a critical juncture in his legal battle with US authorities, with his 
second hearing scheduled for January 8. Having been extradited to the United 
States, Kwon now faces a maximum penalty of 130 years in prison if convicted 
on the extensive fraud charges detailed in the Department of Justice’s 79-page 
indictment. The DOJ’s case adds new layers of allegations beyond those 
examined in the SEC’s civil proceedings, including accusations that Kwon acted 
with explicit criminal intent to mislead investors. As prosecutors build their 
argument around five alleged fraud schemes, among others, falsely advertising 
Terra’s stability, manipulating the Luna Foundation Guard and falsifying 
Terra’s use by Chai. #6 GMX Trading Fees Reduction (January 6) Derivatives- 
focused exchange GMX is taking a notable step to encourage higher trading 
volumes by lowering fees across all markets. Effective January 6, 2025, GMX 
will cut open and close fees from 5 basis points (bps) and 7 bps to 4 bps and 
6 bps, respectively. The team stated via X: “To kick off 2025 in style, GMX is 
reducing trading fees across all markets! Starting this Monday, January 6, the 
open and close fees for all positions will decrease from 5 bps / 7 bps to 4 
bps / 6 bps.” However, rather than a blanket rate of 4.5 bps, the new 
structure introduces a sliding scale: traders who enter positions that improve 
the balance between longs and shorts pay the lower 4 bps fee, while those that 
heighten imbalances pay 6 bps. According to GMX, “This adjustment ensures 
balanced open interest, which in turn keeps funding fees and price impact 
low.” Simultaneously, GMX has updated liquidation fees to 20 bps for asset- 
backed markets and 30 bps for synthetic markets. GMX developers believe that, 
together, these measures will reduce trading costs, incentivize balanced 
market participation, and enhance the overall user experience. At press time, 
the total crypto market cap stood at $3.45 trillion. Featured image created 
with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

This Week’s Top Crypto Catalysts: What Investors Need To Watch

Bitcoin (BTC) reclaimed the $102,000 price level on Jan. 6 after climbing 4% 
over the day amid a wider market rally as accumulation continues to outpace 
profit-taking, based on CryptoSlate data. The flagship crypto was trading at 
$101,630 as of press time after failing to sustain upward momentum as US 
markets closed for the day. […]
The post Bitcoin reclaims $102,000 as sell-side liquidity dries up appeared 
first on CryptoSlate.

Cryptocurrency price in USD