Ethereum’s base layer demand softened in November, but ETH’s underlying price supports and strong layer-2 growth show the network still has momentum despite a drop in fees and TVL. Key takeaways: Ethereum’s base layer activity has cooled, with fees and TVL dropping, showing slower demand despite the recent price recovery. Layer-2 networks are growing rapidly, helping to support Ethereum even as base layer usage weakens and traders remain cautious. Read more
ETF analyst Eric Balchuas said there was a chance that such an investment vehicle “could put up better [returns]” based on BTC price moves after trading hours. A new regulatory filing by Tidal Trust has proposed listing and trading an exchange-traded fund that will hodl Bitcoin during off-market hours. In a Tuesday filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Tidal Trust II filed a Form N-1A registration statement to add two Nicholas Wealth Management ETFs tied to Bitcoin (BTC) to its existing fund. The offerings, which included the Nicholas Bitcoin and Treasuries AfterDark ETF, would only buy BTC when US market trading hours ended and sell it at opening, effectively hodling through the day. Read more
The guidance confirms that facilitating customer crypto trades falls within the “business of banking,” expanding the range of activities that national banks may offer under existing law. The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has affirmed that national banks can intermediate cryptocurrency trades as riskless principals without holding the assets on their balance sheets, a move that brings traditional banks a step closer to offering regulated crypto brokerage services. In an interpretive letter released on Tuesday, the regulator said banks may act as principals in a crypto trade with one customer while simultaneously entering an offsetting trade with another, a structure that mirrors riskless principal activity in traditional markets. “Several applicants have discussed how conducting riskless principal crypto-asset transactions would benefit their proposed bank’s customers and business, including by offering additional services in a growing market,” notes the document. Read more