By Kapil Rajyaguru
BlackRock, MARA Holdings, Whale Buy Nearly 10K Bitcoin As Price Retreats.
BlackRock and MARA Holdings, two Bitcoin-stacking firms, purchased a total of 9,173 Bitcoin, while an unidentified individual purchased 600 Bitcoin during the decline in the cryptocurrency’s price to $92,957 on December 5.
BlackRock bought a whopping 7,750 Bitcoin as buyers scooped up shares of its spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, taking the firm’s total Bitcoin holdings to $48.9 billion at current prices, Arkham data shows.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin miner MARA Holdings bought 1,423 Bitcoin—worth $139.5 million—across four transactions on Dec. 5 and 6, blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain noted on X.
Meanwhile, an anonymous crypto whale seems to have also taken advantage of Bitcoin’s price slump on Dec. 5, snaring 600 Bitcoin worth almost $58.9 million, Lookonchain noted in a separate X post.
Australia To Crack Down On Crypto ATM Providers, Citing Money Laundering Risk.
Australia’s national financial intelligence agency flagged crypto as a priority for the year ahead and is creating a task force to crack down on crypto ATM providers that may be flouting Anti-Money Laundering laws.
In a Dec. 6 statement, Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) CEO Brendan Thomas said the government agency is shifting its focus to the cryptocurrency industry in 2025.
According to AUSTRAC, the task force will focus on ensuring crypto ATM operators meet minimum standards to negate the risk of illicit cash passing through the machines.
Leading crypto ATM providers in Australia include Coinflip, which has 680 ATMs in its stable; Localcoin, with 465; and Cryptolink, with 75.
USDC Becomes First Stablecoin to Meet Canada’s New Regulations.
Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, announced that its United States dollar-pegged token achieved compliance with Canada’s forthcoming listing requirements set by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA).
This milestone positions USDC as the first stablecoin to meet the criteria under the CSA’s Value-Referenced Crypto Asset (VCRA) framework, which allows it to remain listed on licensed Canadian crypto trading platforms beyond the Dec. 31, 2024 compliance deadline.
This latest development is part of Circle’s broader global expansion, which includes its French subsidiary achieving compliance with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework. This allows it to issue both USDC and the euro-backed stablecoin, Euro Coin (EURC), across the EU.
Ethereum ETF Records 4,363% Increase In November 2024.
During November, which was considered to be the most bullish month ever, the nine Ethereum ETFs reportedly increased their holdings of ETH tokens to 362,474, worth ~$1.42 billion. Moreover, this marks a 4,363% increase compared to the previous month of October. Notably, the ETFs added only 8,121 ETH tokens worth $31.8 million during October. With this rally, the largest altcoin by market cap witnessed a surge of 64% in its valuation.
With a trading volume of $65.56 billion, the price of Ethereum is currently $3,856.
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