Canada now has its first fully compliant CAD-denominated stablecoin after 
regulators approved the QCAD Digital Trust’s prospectus, marking a notable 
moment for the country’s digital-asset sector. Canada Issues Final Nod to QCAD 
Stablecorp Digital Currencies Inc. disclosed that Canada has officially 
entered the era of regulated digital dollars after the QCAD Digital Trust 
received its […]

QCAD Wins Regulatory Green Light as Canada’s First Compliant CAD Stablecoin

Tether, the entity behind the world’s largest stablecoin by market 
capitalization, USDT, has experienced a downgrade in its rating by S&amp;P Global. 
This decision, made public on Wednesday, stems from what the agency describes 
as “persistent gaps in disclosure” and a growing allocation of “high-risk 
assets” within Tether’s reserves. The assets highlighted include Bitcoin 
(BTC), gold, corporate bonds, secured loans, and other investments, all of 
which entail various risks, including credit, market, interest rate, and 
foreign exchange vulnerabilities. Tether CEO Responds To S&amp;P Downgrade In a 
recent research note, S&amp;P Global detailed that this upgrade came as part of a 
new assessment scale implemented in 2023, ranging from 1 to 5. This scale 
evaluates the risk associated with different stablecoins. Following the 
assessment, S&amp;P rated Tether&#8217;s USDT stablecoin as “5 (weak),” marking it as 
the lowest possible score and down from its previous rating of “4 
(constrained).” S&amp;P expressed concerns regarding the limited insight Tether 
provides into the creditworthiness of its custodians and counterparties. 
Related Reading: Has The Bitcoin Price Hit Its Bottom? Key On-Chain Data 
Signals Potential Rebound Ahead Despite this, Tether&#8217;s CEO, Paolo Ardoino, 
responded in a social media post on X (formerly Twitter) stating, “We wear 
your loathing with pride.” He argued that traditional credit rating methods 
used by agencies like S&amp;P arose from a system that has faltered, leading 
regulators to challenge these legacy models. Ardoino contended that Tether 
stands out as a “overcapitalized” organization within the financial sector, 
claiming it does not harbor “toxic reserves.” He further suggested that S&amp;P’s 
methods are better suited for conventional banks and insurers with opaque 
financial histories, rather than being applicable to digital asset issuers who 
operate under different reserve structures. Ardoino&#8217;s remarks indicate a 
belief that the agency’s downgrade indicates discomfort within traditional 
finance toward entities like Tether that aim to transcend a “broken financial 
system.” The firm’s CEO noted: The traditional finance propaganda machine is 
growing worried when any company tries to defy the force of gravity of the 
broken financial system. No company should dare to decouple itself from it. 
Largest Independent Gold Holder In the aftermath of the downgrade, Tether 
strongly rejected S&amp;P’s characterizations, emphasizing its resilience through 
various financial crises, including banking collapses, exchange failures, 
liquidity challenges, and extreme market fluctuations—all while maintaining 
full stability and the ability to redeem USDT. Tether also pointed to its 
issuance of approximately $184 billion worth of USDT, assuring stakeholders 
that it holds sufficient reserves, including US Treasuries and other assets, 
to satisfy redemptions. Related Reading: Monad (MON) Price Skyrockets 80%, 
Emerges As Best Performer Among Top 100 Cryptos Notably, recent reports from 
the Financial Times reveal that Tether has emerged as the largest independent 
holder of gold globally, highlighting the firm’s increasing exposure to non- 
traditional reserve assets. According to the report, the stablecoin issuer 
bought more gold in the last quarter of the year than any central bank in the 
world. The figures show that the firm bought 26 tons of gold, adding to its 
substantial gold reserve of nearly 120 tons. Featured image from DALL-E, chart 
from TradingView.com

Tether Faces Downgrade By S&P Global Amid Concerns Over Disclosure And Assets Holdings

According to crypto analyst Tony Severino, the Bitcoin price has broken below 
the 50-week Moving Average (MA) for the first time in the current cycle, 
triggering renewed fears of a deeper decline. With price momentum weakening 
and long-term trend indicators flashing bearish warning signals, the 
possibility of a price crash to $38,000 is becoming hard to ignore. 50-MA 
Breakdown To Trigger $38,000 Bitcoin Price Crash The Bitcoin price action took 
a decisive turn this week as the market slipped below the 50 MA for the first 
time in this four-year cycle. Severino noted in his technical analysis shared 
on X this Monday that the 50 MA has historically marked the beginning of 
extended downturns. He stated that following Bitcoin’s launch over 14 years 
ago, every time it has closed below the 50 MA, a prolonged bear market has 
followed. Related Reading: Financial Strategist Debunks Prediction That 
Bitcoin Price Will Reach $220,000 In 45 Days Severino’s price chart highlights 
BTC’s price performance from 2017 to date. In the past three Bitcoin bear 
markets, after the price fell below the 50-week MA, BTC continued to drop an 
additional 61%, 59%, and 67%. On average, the cryptocurrency has lost 62% from 
the break point. Applying the 62% drawdown to this cycle’s 50 MA level, the 
analyst predicts Bitcoin could soon experience a price crash to $38,000. From 
the cryptocurrency’s current price of above $87,000, this represents a 
staggering 60% decline. Additionally, it would imply a roughly 70% decline 
from its all-time high of more than $126,000. Severino warns that traders 
calling for a price bottom may be ignoring how far Bitcoin has historically 
fallen once this long-term trend fails. He indicated that the 50-week MA has 
repeatedly served as a dividing line between bullish and bearish phases, and 
that price slipping below it has more often led to extended periods of 
weakness and capitulation. Bitcoin Momentum Indicator Falls To Historic Lows A 
second analysis presented by Severino focuses on Bitcoin’s daily LMACD, which 
is now near levels not seen in more than 1,250 days. The oscillator has only 
pushed below this level six times since BTC’s 2017 macro peak. These past 
instances correspond to periods of heavy downside momentum where the 
cryptocurrency had yet to complete its bottoming process. Related Reading: One 
Of The Most Popular Bitcoin Advocates Dumps Millions In BTC, Here’s Why 
Looking at Severino’s price chart, the extended period without revisiting this 
lower bound suggests Bitcoin may be overdue for a momentum reset. The LMACD 
indicator’s current reading is also unusually weak historically, signaling 
that market momentum has not yet reached extreme pessimism. The readings 
further indicate that, although BTC remains in a downtrend, price corrections 
remain possible before a true bottom is established. According to 
CoinMarketCap data, Bitcoin is trading below $87,000 amid volatile, choppy 
conditions that have contributed to its 24% decline over the past month. 
Featured image from Pngtree, chart from Tradingview.com

Bitcoin Price Breaks Below 50-MA For The First Time This Cycle, Why A Crash To $38,000 Could Be Coming

Securitize has secured full regulatory approval to operate as both an 
Investment Firm and a Trading &amp; Settlement System (TSS) in the European Union, 
setting the stage for a new onchain market infrastructure built atop 
Avalanche. Securitize Gains EU Green Light to Operate Digital-Asset TSS on 
Avalanche Securitize, which describes itself as the leading platform […]

Dual Markets: Securitize Earns EU Approval for Digitized Market Infrastructure on Avalanche

Ethereum tried to break through a key resistance level this week, only to be 
politely shown the door once more. At last check, the asset is down over 26% 
for the month. See below. The cryptocurrency flirted with its upper…

Cryptocurrency price in MYR