Bitcoin’s identity crisis came roaring back into focus this weekend after Galaxy Digital (GLXY) announced that it had facilitated a $9 billion sale of more than 80,000 bitcoin for a Satoshi-era investor. The firm said the sale — one of the largest notional BTC transactions ever — was part of the seller’s estate planning strategy. … Read more
Welcome to The Protocol, CoinDesk's weekly wrap-up of the most important stories in cryptocurrency tech development. I'm Margaux Nijkerk, CoinDesk’s Tech & Protocols reporter. In this issue: Ethereum Validator Exit Queue Tops $2B as Stakers Rush to Quit After 160% Rally Jito Launches BAM to Reshape Solana’s Blockspace Economy Ethereum Validators Signal Intention of Upping … Read more
David LaValle, the global head of ETFs at Grayscale Investments, is set to leave the crypto asset manager at the end of July, Unchained reported, citing people familiar with the matter. LaValle joined Grayscale in July 2021 as the firm was grappling with investor dissatisfaction over the widening discount of its flagship Bitcoin Trust (GBTC). … Read more
Ethereum’s validator exit queue swelled on Tuesday to its longest wait time in more than a year, that could signal a rush among stakers to pull funds after a major price rally in ether (ETH). There was nearly 519,000 ETH as of Tuesday U.S. afternoon, worth $1.92 billion at current prices, in line to exit … Read more
Video game company Epic Games said on Thursday its popular title Fortnite will be returning to Apple’s iOS systems in the European Union soon, amid a long-winded legal battle with the iPhone maker. Epic Games has been attempting to expand the distribution of its games beyond smartphone companies’ official app stores, opposing steep commissions on … Read more
All things being equal, easier monetary policy tends to be good for risk assets — crypto surely among them. Bitcoin rallied to above $120,000 for the first time ever over the weekend as pressure on hawkish U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to step down or be fired amped even higher. Coincidence? To review, Jerome … Read more
Microsoft‘s Pavan Davuluri will lead a team focused on Windows software, devices portfolio and semiconductor chips, the company said on Monday, while announcing the departure of longtime product chief Panos Panay. The team led by Davuluri will “build silicon, systems and devices that span Windows, client and cloud for an AI world,” according to a … Read more
HMD Global, the company that manufactures Nokia-branded smartphones, is significantly scaling back its operations in the United States, effectively ending the sale of Nokia phones in the US. This decision is attributed to a, “challenging geopolitical and economic environment,” presumed to include factors like tariffs, which have made the US market apparently difficult for budget-focused … Read more