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Bitcoin Spot ETF Approval: In an important step that cryptocurrency enthusiasts believe will bring more individual and institutional investors into the market, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has approved the first Bitcoin spot ETFs. Eleven proposals for Bitcoin spot ETFs, including those from BlackRock, Graysclae, Fidelity, and Ark, were authorised by the SEC, and trading could start this week.

Battle for Dominance: Bitcoin ETFs and Management Fees Trillion-dollar asset managers are on the brink of obtaining approval for their Bitcoin ETFs, sparking fierce competition for market share. A pivotal factor in this race is the management fees, representing the annual cost for handling the BTC backing clients' shares.

Ethereum's Dencun Upgrade Targets January Testnet Deployment Ethereum developers are gearing up for a significant milestone in the new year with the Dencun upgrade. Initially slated for the last quarter of 2023, the upgrade has been rescheduled for 2024 due to engineering complexities. The Dencun upgrade introduces "proto-danksharding," a process designed to enhance data storage capacity through layer 2 rollups, reducing fees and scaling the blockchain by accommodating more data "blobs."

Ethereum's Buterin Explores Changes in Layer-2 Functions Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, has proposed a shift in the blockchain's computational load, suggesting the integration of some layer-2 functions back onto the main chain. This proposal introduces the concept of an "enshrined zkEVM," combining zero-knowledge cryptography (zk) with Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

Following the crypto market’s increasing momentum in recent days, 2024 is expected to be a year of excitement for many professionals and businesses; all of whom are looking to keep up-to-date with the rapidly evolving blockchain landscape, and the opportunities on offer with Bitcoin and Ethereum; to name a few.

BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF Gains Momentum with $100K Seed Funding BlackRock is making significant strides in the cryptocurrency space as it recently disclosed receiving $100,000 in seed funding for its proposed Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). The seed investor, who remains undisclosed, purchased $100,000 worth of shares on October 27, 2023, marking a pivotal step in BlackRock's pursuit of launching the "iShares Bitcoin Trust."

Shiba Inu (SHIB) has stood out with an impressive 12% price surge over the last day, as observed on the SHIB/USDT chart. The surge in SHIB's price coincides with a substantial increase in the burn rate volume, potentially marking the most significant burn of the year.

We have now seen 9 consecutive weeks of positive institutional inflows into digital asset-related investment products, indicating a strong demand for digital assets at the institutional level. This year, more than $1.5 billion of institutional liquidity has flowed directly into Bitcoin-related investment products.

BlackRock's Revised Bitcoin ETF Model: A Strategic Compromise with the SEC BlackRock, a global asset manager, recently engaged in discussions with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding its application to launch a Bitcoin spot ETF in the United States. In response to SEC concerns, BlackRock has adjusted its ETF blueprint to find common ground on the Bitcoin redemption model.