KEYTAKEAWAYS
- Venture capital investment in crypto reached $13.6B in 2024 and is projected to hit $18B in 2025, driven by lower interest rates and regulatory clarity.
- Bitcoin price predictions remain bullish, with BIT Mining's economist forecasting a peak of $180K-190K in 2025, despite potential temporary market corrections.
- Ethereum ETFs showed strong performance in December 2024, with net inflows reaching $2.1B, led by BlackRock's ETHA contributing $1.432B to the total.
CONTENT
Welcome to the first CoinRank Crypto Digest of 2025. In the new year, CoinRank will continue to provide daily important crypto news in this column series, allowing readers to quickly obtain the latest crucial updates from the cryptocurrency market.
MORNING NEWS
1. Vitalik Buterin Donates 50 ETH to Defend Roman Storm
On-chain data shows that Vitalik Buterin donated 50 ETH to Defend Roman Storm through Juice Box. The raised funds will support the legal defense fund of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm. Earlier reports indicated that Vitalik had also donated 50 ETH to another Tornado Cash co-founder, Alexey Pertsev, through Juice Box.
2. Report: Crypto Industry VC Investment Grows to $13.6B in 2024, Expected to Reach $18B in 2025
According to a DeFi report, blockchain startups received $13.6 billion in venture capital in 2024, representing 4.9% of the year’s total investment of $279 billion. This figure shows an increase from $10.1 billion in 2023 but remains well below the record $32.4 billion set in 2021. Analysts predict the crypto industry will attract over $18 billion in venture capital in 2025, benefiting from lower interest rates and regulatory clarity.
3. Solana Blockchain Records $1B Growth in Stablecoins in December
Solana blockchain added approximately $1 billion in stablecoins over the past month, primarily driven by USDC expansion. According to DefiLlama data, Solana currently has about $5 billion in total stablecoin TVL, with nearly $4 billion in USDC and about $1 billion in USDT.
4. US Dollar Achieves Best Annual Performance Since 2015
The dollar further increased on the last trading day of 2024, reaching its highest level since November 2022. The New Zealand and Australian dollars underperformed other currencies. The Bloomberg Dollar Index rose 0.4%, approaching an 8% annual gain, marking its best yearly performance since 2015, supported by robust U.S. economy and President-elect Donald Trump’s tax reduction and tariff policies expected to keep interest rates high.
5. Bitcoin Miners’ December Revenue Hits $1.41B, Highest Since April This Year
The Block data shows December Bitcoin miners’ revenue reached $1.41 billion, the highest since April this year, increasing by $200 million from November’s $1.21 billion, a 16.5% month-over-month growth. Block rewards accounted for $1.37 billion, while transaction fees contributed $38.91 million.
NOON NEWS
1. PEPE Market Cap Surpasses HYPE and UNI, Rises to 24th in Crypto Rankings
Market data shows PEPE gained 13.9% over the past 24 hours, possibly influenced by Musk changing his social media avatar and name to “Kekius Maximus.” Currently trading at $0.00002038, its market cap exceeded $8.6 billion (reaching $8,601,900,737), surpassing HYPE ($8,040,653,356) and UNI ($7,994,569,764), rising to 24th place in cryptocurrency market cap rankings.
2. Messari Issues Six 2025 Predictions: ETH to Outperform SOL
Messari posted six predictions for 2025 on X platform:
- Hyperliquid’s exceptional performance may have ended
- VIRTUAL FDV will surpass TAOFDV within three months
- Pudgy Penguins will overtake CryptoPunks as the hottest PFP collection
- Peaq will surpass all L2s in 2025
- ETH will outperform SOL in 2025
- AI Agent framework will peak in Q1 2025 and won’t recover
3. Hive Digital Announces Headquarters Relocation from Vancouver, Canada to Texas, USA
Bitcoin mining company Hive Digital announced its headquarters relocation from Vancouver, Canada, to Texas, USA, citing President-elect Donald Trump’s pro-Bitcoin stance as a key factor. In a December 31st statement, Hive Digital Technologies (HIVE) noted that the new Trump administration has demonstrated its commitment to innovation and established a more friendly regulatory environment for Bitcoin miners.
4. New Wallet Address Withdraws 90M PENGU from Binance, Worth $3.13M
According to Lookonchain monitoring, a newly created wallet address withdrew 90 million PENGU from Binance two hours ago, worth approximately $3.13 million.
5. Total Stablecoin Market Cap Falls Below $204B, Decreases 0.54% Over Past Week
DefiLlama data shows total stablecoin market capitalization has fallen below $204 billion, currently at $203.68 billion, decreasing 0.54% over the past week. USDT currently holds a 67.46% market share.
EVENING NEWS
1. Analysis: Bitcoin May Hit $180K-190K Peak in 2025, with Occasional Sharp Corrections
BIT Mining (BTCM) Chief Economist Youwei Yang predicts Bitcoin’s price will range between $180,000 and $190,000 in 2025, while maintaining a cautious outlook regarding potential corrections. He states: “Bitcoin may show significant upward momentum in 2025 with occasional sharp corrections. During market shocks, such as major stock market crashes, Bitcoin could temporarily drop to around $80,000. However, the overall trend is expected to remain upward. Based on these dynamics, Bitcoin is predicted to reach a peak of $180,000 to $190,000 in 2025, aligning with historical cycle patterns and the growing trend of mainstream institutional investment in cryptocurrencies.”
2. Solana NFT Sales Exceed $100M in December, Highest Since May 2024
According to CryptoSlam data, Solana blockchain NFT sales surpassed $100 million in December, reaching $102,196,746.70, marking the highest level since May 2024. Additionally, December saw 1,265,188 NFT transactions on the Solana chain, with transactions conducted across 240,764 distinct buying addresses and 118,664 distinct selling addresses.
3. Ethereum ETF Net Inflows Reach $2.1B in December 2024, Setting Best Monthly Record
According to Trader T’s monitoring, Ethereum ETF net inflows reached $2.1 billion in December 2024, setting the best monthly record to date, with trading volume hitting $14 billion. The breakdown includes:
- BlackRock ETHA: $1.432 billion inflow
- Fidelity FETH: $752 million inflow
- VanEck ETHV: $12 million inflow
- Bitwise ETHW: $10 million inflow
- Grayscale: $93 million outflow (ETHE outflow of $274 million, ETH inflow of $181 million)
4. ENS Registers Over 19,000 New Domains in December
Dune data shows that ENS new domain registrations reached 19,139 in December, the highest since September 2024. Currently, the total number of active domains is 1,773,835, with 862,315 distinct participating addresses, and the number of names set has exceeded 900,000, reaching 908,267.
5. Metaplanet CEO: Asian Countries May Follow if Trump Adopts Bitcoin Strategic Reserve
According to Bitcoin Magazine’s post on X platform, Simon Gerovich, CEO of Japanese-listed company Metaplanet, suggests that if Trump adopts a Bitcoin strategic reserve, other Asian countries might follow suit.
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