- The Coin Block
- Posts
- Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos and more Week 4 2025
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos and more Week 4 2025
Keeping you updated on crypto, web3 and blockchain
In partnership with
TL;DR
Bitcoin's $700K Potential Revealed-BlackRock CEO
MicroStrategy Increases Stock for Bitcoin Strategy
Vitalik Buterin Unveils Ethereum Scaling Roadmap
Trump-Linked Project Acquires $48M in ETH
Secret Network Launches Developer AI SDK
Injective Launches $100K AI Agent Hackathon
Trump Pardons Silk Road Creator Ross Ulbricht
Ledger Co-Founder Kidnapped and Rescued
and much more!
Market, Airdrop & Memecoin Update
Before we dive in, make sure to check out our recent Market, Airdrop and Memecoin updates:
Sponsor of the Week
New Decentraland desktop client for Mac and Windows
Enhanced avatars and social interactions
Improved performance and upgraded environments
New features: badges, daily quests, and mini-games
Grab Your 7 Day Free Trial
You're invited to upgrade your subscription to our Premium membership with a 7 day FREE trial!
No catches. No strings attached. Just pure crypto alpha to get you ahead!
Upgrade now for:
Ad-Free Experience 🚫👀
Weekly News Summary 📰🔥
Weekly Market Summary 💸📈
Weekly Airdrop Summary 🎁💎
Weekly Memecoin Summary 💸📈
All for just $15/month after the trial.
Don't miss out! Get your FREE trial today 👇
Bitcoin Highlights of the Week
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, speaking at the World Economic Forum, projected Bitcoin’s price could hit $700,000 if institutions allocated just 1% of their portfolios to the asset. Once a Bitcoin critic, Fink now champions it as a hedge against economic instability, calling it a "currency of fear."
BlackRock, holding over 569,000 BTC via its iShares Bitcoin Trust, has embraced Bitcoin’s potential, citing its value as a store of wealth and inflation hedge. With institutional interest growing and BlackRock driving adoption, Fink’s forecast underscores Bitcoin’s evolving role in global finance despite its volatility.
MicroStrategy shareholders approved amendments to raise the number of authorized Class A common and preferred stock, bolstering the company’s bitcoin acquisition efforts. This move supports its ambitious "21/21 plan," revealed in October, which aims to secure $21 billion in equity and $21 billion in fixed-income securities to expand its bitcoin holdings.
As of January 20, the company reported $5.42 billion worth of shares still available for sale, targeting a total of $42 billion for bitcoin purchases. The approval underscores MicroStrategy’s continued commitment to its bitcoin-focused strategy, signaling strong confidence in the cryptocurrency as a key reserve asset.
Rumble, a $3.6 billion video platform, has entered the cryptocurrency market by purchasing up to $20 million worth of Bitcoin as part of its treasury strategy. CEO Chris Pavlovski confirmed this marks the company’s first Bitcoin acquisition, with plans for additional purchases in the future.
This move underscores Rumble's commitment to integrating Bitcoin into its financial reserves, reflecting growing confidence in cryptocurrency adoption in corporate finance. The announcement has fueled discussions and optimism about Bitcoin's role in business strategies, positioning Rumble as a notable player in the ongoing shift toward digital assets.
Blockstream has launched two Bitcoin-focused institutional funds: the Income Fund and the Alpha Fund. Announced on January 23, the Income Fund provides USD-denominated yields by issuing Bitcoin-backed loans ranging from $100,000 to $5 million. Meanwhile, the Alpha Fund targets portfolio growth through infrastructure revenue streams, such as Lightning Network operations, with an actively managed structure.
These funds cater to growing institutional interest in Bitcoin investments, joining similar offerings from Grayscale and Galaxy Digital. The rising demand aligns with the success of Bitcoin ETFs, which recently reached $120 billion in net assets, further solidifying Bitcoin's appeal in institutional finance.
In the last six days, U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs have seen over $3.6 billion in inflows, signaling growing institutional interest. On January 23, the net inflow was around $188.7 million, with BlackRock's IBIT ETF leading the way, securing $154.6 million.
This trend highlights Bitcoin's increasing acceptance within regulated financial markets. In contrast, Ethereum ETFs saw net outflows of $14.9 million on the same day, suggesting differing investor sentiment toward Bitcoin and Ethereum. This contrast underscores the shifting dynamics in the cryptocurrency market.
Ethereum Highlights of the Week
Despite the Dencun upgrade in March 2024, Ethereum saw a 3% increase in fee earnings, reaching $2.48 billion, the highest among all blockchains. This rise came despite reduced transaction costs on layer 2 networks, signaling Ethereum's continued dominance. Tron earned $2.15 billion, and Bitcoin earned $922 million in fees.
The first quarter of 2024 was particularly strong for Ethereum, contributing nearly half of the total fees. Analysts initially feared the upgrade would hurt mainnet revenue, but Ethereum’s robust performance reflects increased on-chain activity, despite a price decline in ETH.
Ethereum core developer Eric Conner announced his departure from the community, citing dissatisfaction with Vitalik Buterin’s leadership and a lack of decentralization. Conner’s decision follows Buterin’s assertion of sole authority over the Ethereum Foundation until a formal board is established.
After 11 years with Ethereum, Conner expressed disillusionment with the community’s direction, emphasizing the importance of leadership and culture. He has shifted focus to artificial intelligence, starting with the development of Freysa.ai. Meanwhile, Buterin continues to restructure the Ethereum Foundation, aiming to enhance technical expertise and address internal concerns after a challenging year for the organization.
World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture tied to Donald Trump, purchased 14,403 ETH worth $48 million, increasing its holdings to 33,630 ETH ($107 million). The ETH/BTC ratio rose 0.79% to 0.03197 after weeks of decline, signaling a minor rebound.
This development follows the launch of memecoins associated with the Trump family, including a Solana-based token that drove SOL to a $270 peak. Eric Trump hinted at upcoming announcements, fueling speculation about the purchases' intent. Ethereum’s price ranged between $3,133.98 and $3,439.78, with heightened interest reflected in a spike in Google searches for "Ethereum."
Vitalik Buterin outlined a strategy to scale Ethereum through layer-2 growth, blob scaling, and solidifying ETH as the ecosystem's core asset. He emphasized ETH's economic role, advocating for L2 fee integration and interoperability. Blob scaling, including EIP-4844, aims to boost transaction capacity, targeting 100,000 RPS on-chain.
Buterin warned against sacrificing decentralization and utility, urging a balance to maintain Ethereum's foundational principles. He also highlighted the need for unified L2 ecosystems with faster transaction times. Despite reforms, Buterin retains control over the Ethereum Foundation leadership until a proper board is established.
Vitalik Buterin revealed the Ethereum Foundation is evaluating ways to mitigate concerns over staking its ETH. Amid community calls to stake ETH rather than sell it, Buterin highlighted two key issues: regulatory risks and the obligation to take sides in potential contentious hard forks.
Community members proposed staking rewards or DeFi protocols like Aave to fund operations, citing reduced reliance on ETH sales. Buterin acknowledged diminished regulatory risks but emphasized ongoing exploration to minimize the impact of staking on future ecosystem decisions. The debate underscores efforts to balance operational funding with Ethereum's decentralized principles.
Cosmos Highlights of the Week
Secret Network has introduced a developer preview of its AI SDK, designed for secure, confidential AI interactions. Built on the Secret Network using NVIDIA Confidential Computing and Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) capabilities, the SDK ensures privacy-preserving AI solutions. It encrypts user conversations and protects metadata, including payment records and model access, through smart contracts.
Developers can integrate privacy-first AI models into applications, leveraging decentralized, verifiable transactions. The launch promises a new standard in AI privacy by combining blockchain technology and confidential computing, offering developers tools to build secure, transparent AI solutions.
StakeStone's debut LiquidityPad launch for Aria and Story Protocol ecosystems hit its $7 million cap in just 9 minutes, attracting over 1,300 participants. The rapid success of the event highlights strong investor interest and momentum within both ecosystems.
With such overwhelming demand, StakeStone teased further opportunities, urging participants to stay tuned for upcoming launches. Story Protocol also shared the exciting news, noting the quick fill and anticipating more events under the "IP RWA SZN" banner.
Akash Network has enhanced its platform by introducing new developer tools in the Akash Console, aimed at simplifying the deployment process on the Akash Supercloud. Developers can now easily link their GitHub, Bitbucket, or GitLab accounts to the Console, allowing for automatic build and deployment with a few clicks.
Additionally, Akash Console offers a CloudVM-like experience, enabling users to launch Linux containers and SSH into them. Developers also have the option to deploy their own Docker containers from public or private registries, making the platform more user-friendly and accessible for web developers.
Injective has announced its first AI Agent hackathon, powered by iAgent 2.0 and elizaOS, co-hosted by DoraHacks, offering over $100,000 in prizes, grants, and funding. With AI Agents rapidly growing in popularity, this event invites builders to compete for a chance to showcase their innovative projects.
The four-week competition begins on February 4, 2025, with the submission deadline on March 4, 2025, and evaluation by March 18, 2025. The top projects will be presented at Demo Day, where developers and investors in AI-enabled finance will gather. Registration opened on January 21, 2025.
Flow Blockchain has integrated with Axelar, enhancing its connection to the broader Web3 ecosystem. This collaboration makes Flow the first EVM blockchain to connect via Axelar's Interchain Amplifier, powered by the Axelar Mobius Development Stack (MDS).
The integration allows Flow’s dApps, including popular platforms like NBA Top Shot and CryptoKitties, to interact across 70+ chains, facilitating multichain tokenization, liquidity access, and transfers. This move strengthens the interoperability of decentralized applications, opening new possibilities for Web3 developers and users, including seamless cross-chain interactions and advanced tokenization features.
Other Highlights of the Week
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to Ross Ulbricht, founder of the darknet marketplace Silk Road, after 12 years of imprisonment. Ulbricht, originally sentenced to life without parole, was praised by Trump for his mother’s advocacy and the Libertarian movement's support.
Bitcoin advocates had long called for Ulbricht’s release, highlighting his early contribution to Bitcoin’s adoption through Silk Road, despite its illicit use. While controversial, many view Ulbricht as a pivotal figure in crypto history. Trump’s decision fulfills a campaign promise, marking a significant moment for both Ulbricht and the broader cryptocurrency community.
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the former CEO of Binance, has returned to the crypto world after his four-month U.S. prison sentence, now taking on an investment role at YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs). This rebranded venture firm is expanding beyond crypto, now focusing on AI and biotech.
CZ’s involvement includes offering strategic investment guidance to startups. Ella Zhang, co-founder of Binance Labs, will lead the firm. Despite past legal challenges, CZ’s return marks a significant shift, embracing emerging technologies while continuing to influence the evolving regulatory and crypto landscapes.
David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, was kidnapped from his home in Cher, France, on Tuesday and held for ransom. The abductors transported him to an undisclosed location and demanded a significant ransom, though the amount remains unknown.
French law enforcement successfully executed a rescue operation, freeing Balland by Wednesday. It is unclear whether the ransom was paid. This incident highlights increasing security risks faced by high-net-worth individuals in the crypto space, emphasizing the importance of personal security alongside securing digital assets.
Thanks for reading our newsletter!
Upgrade to get premium content below 👇