A new report from DWF Labs discusses how memecoins have become a major force in the digital asset landscape, highlighting the powerful intersection of social capital and financial innovation. Memecoins were once viewed as humorous offshoots of cryptocurrency.

Morgan Stanley E-Trade is considering adding cryptocurrency trading.

Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, has received regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Brazil.

George Calle Q1 will generally be a disappointment from a price perspective as inflated expectations around monetary policy and regulation will meet reality. BTC price action will continue to trade in line with broader macro assets. Fundraising and venture deployment, however, will remain active.

KuCoin introduced a solution designed to bring cryptocurrency payments into the retail sector. The digital asset exchange's KuCoin Pay aims to bridge “ the gap between traditional retail and crypto, offering contactless and borderless transactions,” according to a news release Thursday (Jan. 2).

A Morgan Stanley subsidiary is considering adding cryptocurrency services to its existing TradFi product suite.

On Jan. 1, 2025, Pump.fun, a Solana-based meme coin launchpad, transferred an additional 120,000 SOL to crypto exchange Kraken, bringing its total deposits to 1,500,893 SOL.

The NFT market saw a modest rebound in 2024, with total sales reaching $8.8 billion, a slight 1.1% increase from the previous year.

Memecoins represent an “unprecedented” opportunity for generating value, DWF Labs wrote in its end-of-year report.

Binance, the largest crypto exchange by trading volume, has secured regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Brazil to acquire Sim;paul, a licensed broker-dealer, according to a Jan. 2 statement. Binance is the first crypto exchange in Brazil to hold such a license.

Cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin just announced KuCoin Pay, which is a new payment platform designed to help merchants accept cryptocurrency transactions. KuCoin Pay is integrated with the KuCoin (KCS) app, which is used by over 37 million people globally.

KuCoin, a leading cryptocurrency exchange with over 37 million users worldwide, has introduced KuCoin Pay, a merchant solution aimed at integrating cryptocurrency payments into the retail sector.

Franklin Templeton Digital Assets recently released their 2025 Crypto Outlook; their predictions highlight significant advancements shaped by regulatory clarity, institutional adoption, and technological innovation. Franklin Templeton predicts the following: Regulatory clarity to lead market growth: U.S. regulators, particularly the SEC, are expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the crypto landscape.

This is a segment from the Empire newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.

In a latest develpment, Binance has secured a major regulatory approval in Brazil to acquire Sim;paul, a broker-dealer licensed in the region. The exchange noted that this achievement marks its 21st global regulatory milestone, further solidifying its status as the cryptocurrency exchange with the greatest number of licenses, registrations, and authorizations across the world.

2025 will see a sea change in the U.S. regulations, acceptance of bitcoin as digital gold and stablecoins as important rails for payments, says EY's Paul Brody.

Binance, the world's leading cryptocurrency exchange, has made a significant move in Brazil by securing approval from the Central Bank of Brazil to acquire a licensed broker-dealer institution. This marks Binance's 21st global regulatory achievement, and it's a big win for the platform in Latin America's largest market.

Binance has fortified its presence in Brazil by bagging approval to take over Sim;paul, a locally licensed broker-dealer.

Binance maintains its dominance in trading volume, outpacing competitors while navigating complex regulatory landscapes. Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, has reached a milestone of 250 million users.

Solana-based meme coin launchpad Pump.fun kicked off 2025 with a major milestone, raking in over $14 million in revenue on January 2 as the meme coin market experiences a fresh bullish cycle.

Telegram's first update of 2025 introduces collectible gifts, enabling users to transfer or trade upgraded gifts on NFT marketplaces.

WeMade is intensifying its focus on blockchain technology, with plans to integrate decentralized social communities and launch new games in 2025, as CEO Park Kwan-ho emphasizes blockchain's role in the company's future growth strategy. The post South Korea's WeMade Expands Blockchain Focus with New Products and Social Communities appeared first on Cryptonews.

Haseeb Qureshi also expects EVM market share growth, a change in token launch strategies, and an explosion of stablecoin use.

DEGN has released a Solana-based NFT that can be redeemed for a physical minting device called the Airmoney DEGN Genesis Edition. The device functions as a DePIN hardware wallet, allowing users to trade directly and print their wealth.

In a latest development, Nate Geraci, the President of the ETF store has taken to X to highlight that crypto ETFs will continue dominating headlines in 2025, emphasizing their growing significance and influence in the market as the year progresses.

MiCA is now live across the European Union, marking a milestone for digital asset oversight. Industry participants now operate under an EU-wide framework that covers stablecoins, token issuances, and services such as custody and exchange.

China's foreign exchange authority has introduced stringent regulations for cryptocurrency operations like Bitcoin.

Crypto exchange behemoth Binance has again achieved a monumental feat, securing regulatory authorization in Brazil. The crypto exchange revealed on Thursday that it had secured approval from the Central Bank of the South American country, primarily for the acquisition of a locally licensed broker-dealer institution.

Indonesia is preparing for a major overhaul of its crypto regulatory framework, with the Financial Services Authority (OJK) set to assume oversight from Bappebti, which currently operates under the Ministry of Trade, according to a report by the Jakarta Globe.

Telegram has launched its first update of 2025, introducing third-party verification and NFT gift features. Verified accounts will display unique icons assigned by trusted third-party organizations.

Popular cryptocurrency-related analytics service CoinGecko has published data about AI-themed meme cryptocurrencies as they have shown amazing growth today, Jan. 2, skyrocketing in market capitalization.

The top five exploits accounted for the majority of losses this month.

Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, just revealed a major achievement for the platform. Binance has reached a massive 250 million users, showing just how much it's growing and gaining influence in the crypto world. This milestone brings the platform closer to its big goal of onboarding 1 billion users.

KuCoin has introduced a payment system that will let crypto holders make direct purchases using their account on the trading platform.

2024 came in full circle with Bitcoin halving, to ETFs breaking the dull crypto market all added to the year-end crypto gift. Bitcoin surged past $100,000, Ethereum saw its ETF launch, and stablecoins further solidified their role in global finance.

Whether it's through dApps, institutional investment, or everyday users leveraging stablecoins, the crypto ecosystem is set to expand dramatically in 2025.

BBVA is set to offer crypto services through Garanti BBVA Kripto amid MiCA compliance issues.

The approval makes Binance the first crypto exchange to have a broker-dealer license in Brazil.

TL;DR DWF Labs highlights the transformative impact of memecoins on traditional financial markets, with a 500% rise in market value from $20 billion to $120 billion in 2024. Memecoins challenge traditional financial metrics, prioritizing community consensus and social capital over revenue or institutional backing.

The crypto industry begins the year with approximately $7 billion in tokens set to be unlocked throughout January, according to data from Tokenomist (formerly Token Unlock). Crypto unlocks are designed to gradually release cryptocurrencies, often to prevent significant sell-offs by early investors or team members.

The AI token cumulative market cap rose by 14.9% in the past 24 hours and hit $49B. To put that into perspective, meme coins, a much older sector, now have a $117B market cap with a +8.9% 24-hour change.

The AI token cumulative market cap rose by 14.9% in the past 24 hours and hit $49B. To put that into perspective, meme coins, a much older sector, now have a $117B market cap with a +8.9% 24-hour change.

Garanti BBVA Kripto, supported by Turkey's fifth largest bank Garanti BBVA, is preparing to launch crypto trading services. The initiative is expected to be implemented through Bit2ME, a Spanish crypto exchange. With the expected development, the future of cryptocurrency services in Europe looks promising.

Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, has kicked off the new year with a significant achievement. Binance has reached a remarkable milestone of 250 million users, highlighting its growing influence and adoption in the crypto space.

The artificial intelligence (AI)-related meme tokens have surged to an impressive total market capitalization near $11 billion. Among these highly speculative assets that are navigating both the AI and the memecoin narratives of 2024, three are leading.

Merchants can integrate KuCoin Pay to process contactless payments via QR codes or the KuCoin app. The platform targets everyday purchases, such as gift cards and mobile top-ups.

Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital, outlined his crypto predictions 2025 via X, forecasting transformative trends that could significantly alter the crypto landscape. Here are the detailed insights from each of the key areas Qureshi covered: Crypto Predictions 2025 By Haseeb Qureshi #1 A Blurring Line Between L1s/L2s: In his crypto predictions 2025, Qureshi forecasts the diminishing distinctions between Layer 1 and Layer 2 networks, forecasting a major consolidation within the blockchain industry.

IRS delays FIFO crypto tax rule until 2025, offering flexibility for investors to reduce tax burdens.