Grayscale Investments has initiated the process to convert its NEAR Protocol Trust into an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The firm has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to uplist the existing trust shares to the NYSE Arca, marking a significant step towards greater accessibility for investors in the NEAR digital asset.

Galaxy Digital is set to launch a new $100 million hedge fund designed to profit from the volatile price swings of cryptocurrencies. The fund aims to leverage market fluctuations, allowing investors to bet on both rising and falling prices in the digital asset space.

Noble, a blockchain platform primarily focused on stablecoins, has announced a significant strategic shift. The project will migrate from the Cosmos ecosystem to launch its own independent, Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible Layer 1 network. This transition, slated for March 18, 2025, aims to enhance developer accessibility and optimize performance for stablecoin use cases.

The Kingdom of Bhutan is accelerating its digital transformation by deploying a validator on the Sei Network in the first quarter. This strategic move, a collaboration between the Sei Development Foundation and Druk Holding and Investments (DHI) technology division, signifies Bhutan's commitment to strengthening its position in global blockchain innovation and exploring new avenues in financial technology and data valuation.

Solana Mobile is set to distribute nearly 2 billion SKR tokens to holders of its Seeker smartphone and app developers starting January 21, 2025. This significant airdrop marks a pivotal moment in integrating cryptocurrency rewards directly with hardware ownership and fostering the Solana Mobile ecosystem.

Despite reaching record highs and experiencing significant market volatility in 2025, Bitcoin saw a notable decline in online search interest and social media chatter compared to the previous year. This trend persisted even as the cryptocurrency hit new price milestones, suggesting a potential disconnect between price action and public engagement.

Solana's price has experienced a significant downturn, breaking below crucial volume support at the Point of Control (POC). This technical breakdown signals a shift in market sentiment and raises concerns about further price depreciation, with a potential drop towards $117 if current support fails.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is showing signs of a potential rebound, with analysts pointing to a confluence of bullish technical indicators and a significant drop in exchange supply. Despite recent market volatility, the popular meme coin is consolidating, suggesting a possible upward breakout.

Binance Coin (BNB) is showing signs of a potential price reversal, having recently corrected into a significant bullish order block. This critical demand zone, located around the $840-$860 range, is reinforced by multiple technical indicators, suggesting a possible turning point for the cryptocurrency.

Decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Makina Finance has fallen victim to a significant exploit, resulting in the loss of approximately $4.13 million worth of Ethereum. The attack, which saw 1,299 ETH drained in a single transaction, was further complicated by the intervention of a Miner Extractable Value (MEV) builder that front-ran the attacker, capturing a portion of the stolen assets.