Bitcoin Soars to New Heights as MicroStrategy Prepares for Nasdaq 100 Listing and Major Crypto Updates Unfold

Bitcoin's New All-Time High

Last week, Bitcoin opened at $101,000, dipped to $94,000, and closed at $104,000. Earlier this week, it reached a staggering new all-time high of $108,100!

MicroStrategy's Bitcoin Accumulation

MicroStrategy continues to stack Bitcoin, having purchased an additional 15,350 BTC, bringing its total holdings to 439,000 BTC, valued at approximately $45 billion. This means MicroStrategy now holds around 2% of the total Bitcoin supply. Additionally, $MSTR is set to join the Nasdaq 100, marking it as the first Bitcoin-focused company listed.

Strategic Bitcoin Reserves

In the political arena, there are discussions about a potential Bitcoin strategic reserve under the Trump Presidency. Key points include:

• Plans for a U.S. Bitcoin reserve to stay ahead of global crypto adoption.
• A reserve could potentially cover 44% of the national debt by 2050.
• Cynthia Lummis' Bitcoin Act proposes the U.S. to acquire 1 million bitcoins over five years.

Global Interest in Bitcoin Reserves

Following suit, Russia is exploring a Bitcoin reserve after Putin's positive remarks about crypto, with Japan and the EU potentially following.

Ripple's New Developments

In Ripple news, the new stablecoin RLSUD officially launched on December 17th. This USD-pegged stablecoin is fully backed by dollar deposits and aims for regulatory compliance under the NYDFS.

• Initially available on platforms like Uphold, Bitso, and MoonPay.
• Designed for seamless integration with DeFi protocols and global financial applications.
• Ripple Payments plans to utilize RLUSD for global payments by 2025, targeting a $70 billion payment volume.
• XRP will be used for liquidity, and users will need a small balance of XRP to utilize RLUSD on the XPRL.

Anchorage Digital's Progress

Furthermore, Anchorage Digital has received a BitLicense from NYDFS, allowing it to operate in New York State as a crypto platform for institutions.