– Geoff Kendrick, Head of Crypto Research at Standard Chartered Bank, predicts that if Donald Trump is elected President of the United States, the price of bitcoin could triple by the end of 2025, while Solana could see a fivefold increase. The expert believes that a Trump administration would be more favourable towards the Solana ecosystem compared to a Harris administration. Therefore, if Kamala Harris becomes the occupant of the White House, bitcoin is expected to outpace Ethereum in terms of growth, while Ethereum, in turn, would surpass Solana and reach a level of $7,000. Kendrick also suggests that bitcoin could reach $200,000 by the end of 2025, regardless of the outcome of the November 5 elections.
– As promised, the American television network HBO aired the documentary *Electronic Money: The Mystery of Bitcoin* on 9 October. The premiere garnered significant interest from the crypto community, as the filmmakers claimed to reveal the identity of bitcoin's creator, known under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. According to the filmmakers, it was a 39-year-old Canadian, Peter Todd, who was one of the early developers of Bitcoin Core but had never been among the main suspects in the role of Satoshi.
The filmmakers presented a number of arguments, including the use of British/Canadian spelling and a correlation between the timing of Satoshi's publications and Todd's study schedule. The key "evidence" was a message allegedly posted by Todd on the Bitcoin forum in 2010, under Nakamoto’s name. However, the arguments presented in the documentary failed to convince most viewers, with CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju even describing the film as "appalling" and expressing surprise at the extent of the filmmakers' mistaken conclusions.
– Over the past year, the number of Brazilian residents owning digital assets has increased by more than 70%: rising from 14% of the country's population in 2023 to 24% in 2024. Experts believe that citizens are beginning to realise that integrating digital assets into the real economy and everyday life can help reduce costs and security risks when conducting commercial transactions, and may also serve as a means of combating inflation. Analysts at Mercado Bitcoin note that if the current rate of digital asset adoption continues among the Brazilian population, the number of cryptocurrency holders could reach or even exceed half of the country's population by 2030, amounting to nearly 120 million people.
– The crypto investment company Canary Capital, following Bitwise, has submitted an application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch a spot XRP ETF based on Ripple. The Canary XRP ETF is designed to provide investors with access to one of the largest altcoins through a traditional brokerage account, without the risks associated with directly purchasing and holding cryptocurrency. This is undoubtedly positive news.
The application was filed using Form S-1, which means there are no specified deadlines for the regulator to issue a decision. This is the downside, as the review process could range from "lengthy" to "endless." Additionally, the second mandatory step for launching an ETF involves submitting another application, which must be filed with the SEC by the stock exchange where the new product will be listed. So far, the regulator has not received such an application.
– In the United States, not only can authorities file lawsuits against commercial organisations, but the reverse is also possible. For instance, the cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com has filed a lawsuit against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), accusing the agency of overstepping its authority in regulating the crypto industry. This was announced by the platform's co-founder and CEO, Kris Marszalek.
"This unprecedented action by our company against a federal agency is a justified response to the SEC's enforcement actions, which have harmed more than 50 million American cryptocurrency holders," he wrote on his social media page. According to Marszalek, the Commission has exceeded its legal boundaries and now functions as an unlawful entity, labelling nearly all cryptocurrencies as securities. The head of Crypto_com also promised that the company would use "all available regulatory tools" to bring clarity to the industry and to protect the future of the crypto industry in the United States through legal means.
Both economists praised Vitalik Buterin for his significant contributions to the monetary economics of cryptocurrencies, emphasising that his work has far surpassed that of any other economist. According to Tyler, Vitalik built the ingenious Ethereum platform and created a digital currency that challenges Mises' regression theorem.
For reference, the regression theorem posits that the value (or worth) of money can be traced back ("regressed") to the value of goods and services it initially represented.
Cowen and his colleagues also commended Buterin's continued efforts to develop the Ethereum network. They highlighted that he would make an excellent speaker at the Nobel Prize ceremony (if, of course, he is selected), noting his reputation as a very courteous individual.
– According to analysts at MatrixPort, cryptocurrencies could transition from a niche market to a part of mainstream financial systems by 2025. MatrixPort's calculations indicate that, amidst a global easing of restrictions on the buying and selling of digital assets, around 7.51% of the world's population has begun using cryptocurrencies on a regular basis. Bitcoin has emerged as the primary driver behind this adoption, with "digital gold" becoming a major topic of discussion in financial circles, both at the corporate and governmental levels. The MatrixPort report highlights the growing influence of institutional participation, including major banking corporations and asset management firms like BlackRock, which have significantly increased their investments in crypto assets following the launch of spot BTC-ETF and ETH-ETF products.
Analysts predict that if global adoption of digital assets surpasses 8% in 2025, it would serve as a clear signal of a potential shift of cryptocurrencies into mainstream financial systems. However, MatrixPort also notes that achieving such a level of adoption could face challenges from government regulators. The development of the industry is further constrained by the volatility of the crypto market and retail investors' concerns about the security of their assets.
