Weekly Market Highlights - Russia to Buy Bitcoin?

13 December 2024Macro/TradFiA Russian State Duma member proposes a national Bitcoin reserve to counter economic sanctions and ensure financial stability.Donald Trump pledged not to remove Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell before his term ends in May 2026, while promising sweeping tariffs, mass deportations, and tax cuts in his first days in office.El Salvador and Argentina have teamed up to boost the cryptocurrency industry in Latin America.At the annual meeting, Microsoft shareholders rejected a proposal to add Bitcoin to the company's balance sheet.CryptoL1/L2:MicroStrategy announced another US$2.1B Bitcoin purchase this week, marking its fifth consecutive Monday of digital asset purchases.Treasure's ZKsync-based gaming L2 blockchain is now live.Alchemy Pay plans to launch its own layer-1 blockchain for large-scale business applications.DeFi:World Liberty Financial Initiative (WLFI), backed by US President-elect Donald Trump, acquired 2,631 ETH for $10 million, plus 41,335 LINK and 3,357 AAVE, investing $1 million in each.Sushi CEO Jared Grey has revealed plans to roll out several new products by 2025, including an integrated Solana-based trading platform and an on-chain perp DEX. NFT:After announcing their imminent $PENGU token, Pudgy Penguins NFTs have surged to become the world's second most-valued set, with floor prices exceeding $100,000.Magic Eden, a top NFT marketplace, launched its $ME token airdrop on December 10.Stablecoins:Hong Kong advances stablecoin regulations with a new bill published on Dec. 6, setting a clear framework for issuers and marketers.Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced that the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has approved its stablecoin, RLUSD.Others:Binance introduced the “Seamless” Binance Wallet upgrade, alongside a $5M Airdrop CarnivalFrax Finance launched AIVM, a tech stack using AI and proof-of-inference to validate blockchain transactions.Latest Binance Research Publications Check out our latest publications:The ETH Value DebateMonthly Market Insights - December 2024The Fed, Interest Rates, and the Economy: A PrimerExplore our Binance Research website for more project and macro research.For more frequent market updates and insights, follow us on Twitter @BinanceResearch.That’s a wrap!Binance ResearchAbout Binance Research: Binance Research is the research arm of Binance, the world's leading cryptocurrency exchange. The team is committed to delivering objective, independent, and comprehensive analysis and aims to be the thought leader in the crypto space. Our analysts publish insightful thought pieces regularly on topics related but not limited to, the crypto ecosystem, blockchain technologies, and the latest market themes.General Disclosure: This material is prepared by Binance Research and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities, cryptocurrencies or to adopt any investment strategy. The use of terminology and the views expressed are intended to promote understanding and the responsible development of the sector and should not be interpreted as definitive legal views or those of Binance. The opinions expressed are as of the date shown above and are the opinions of the writer, they may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by Binance Research to be reliable, are not necessarily all-inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by Binance. This material may contain ’forward looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. This material is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell in any securities, cryptocurrencies or any investment strategy nor shall any securities or cryptocurrency be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the laws of such jurisdiction. Investment involves risks.