Vanguard to Offer BTC ETF – Market Info

The cryptocurrency market has experienced significant fluctuations over the past two weeks, with its market capitalization mostly oscillating between €2.47 trillion and €2.7 trillion. Bitcoin is currently trading at €79,300.

The Fear & Greed Index increased over the past two weeks from 11 points to 26 out of 100. Conversely, the Altcoin Season Index decreased and is currently at 36 out of 100 (a drop of 9 points over two weeks).

Source: Coinmarketcap

Vanguard to Offer BTC ETF

Vanguard, the world’s second-largest asset manager, has made a major shift in its long-standing strategy and, for the first time, will allow trading of ETFs and mutual funds primarily focused on cryptocurrencies. This change comes after years of a dismissive stance that the firm justified by the excessive volatility of digital assets. Starting Tuesday, investors on its platform will be able to trade funds built on Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, or Solana, marking a significant expansion of access to regulated crypto products for more than 8 million clients.

This step was influenced by the growing popularity of spot Bitcoin ETFs, which have seen record capital inflows since their launch in January 2024. Despite the recent declines in cryptocurrency prices, the sector remains one of the fastest-growing segments in the history of the U.S. fund market. Competitor BlackRock manages roughly $70 billion within its IBIT ETF, indicating ongoing strong interest from both retail and institutional investors.

Vanguard admits that cryptocurrency funds have demonstrated resilience during turbulence, met regulatory requirements, and that the processes needed to manage them have matured. However, the company also emphasizes that it is not planning to launch its own crypto products and will maintain the same approach it uses for other specific asset classes, such as gold. Products tied to memecoins, which the SEC categorizes as extremely risky, will continue to be excluded from the offering.

The decision comes more than a year after the arrival of new CEO Salim Ramji, who is known for his positive stance on blockchain. For the crypto community, this turnaround represents a strong signal: even conservative financial institutions must respond to changing investor preferences and the growing importance of digital assets in modern portfolios. Vanguard thus confirms that cryptocurrencies are firmly making their way into the mainstream of global investing. Source

Ethereum Completes Fusaka Upgrade

Ethereum has successfully activated its second major upgrade of the year — Fusaka, which significantly increases the network’s data capacity, reduces transaction costs, and prepares the ground for near-instant user interactions. The update went live on Ethereum’s mainnet on Wednesday (Dec. 3) at 21:49 UTC, with its key component being PeerDAS (peer data availability sampling), a technology that brings essential scaling capabilities to Ethereum and Layer-2 networks.

According to the Ethereum Foundation, Fusaka represents a step toward “near-instant transactions”, meaning that delays in sending transactions may shrink from minutes to milliseconds. Combined with lower fees, this creates a new level of usability with the potential to transform how users interact with the Ethereum ecosystem. For Layer-2 solutions, it means up to an eightfold increase in data throughput, as PeerDAS breaks down large rollup data blocks into smaller pieces that are much easier for nodes to process.

In practice, this means that nodes do not need to download entire data blobs but only small fragments, speeding up processing and significantly reducing operational costs. Rollups thus gain cheaper blob fees, more space for scaling, and the ability to offer users lower transaction costs — all while maintaining network decentralization.

Speculation is growing within the community that Fusaka may become a significant catalyst for Ether. Analysts point out that the previous Pectra upgrade brought a 58% rise in ETH, with Fusaka’s improvements being even more ambitious. Several commentators on social media expect this step to unlock a new growth impulse for the market and reaffirm Ethereum’s ability to scale without compromising its core design.

Fusaka symbolizes a major shift toward a fast, inexpensive, and highly user-friendly network ready to keep up with mainstream adoption and compete with modern high-performance blockchains. Source

Chainlink ETF Makes a Strong Debut

Grayscale has launched the first U.S. spot Chainlink ETF, attracting solid investor interest during its debut. On the very first day, the fund received $41 million in net inflows, which is a strong amount for this popular altcoin’s initial trading day. This is a clear sign that despite a weakening crypto market, investors are still looking for regulated ways to gain exposure to altcoins and are ready to enter products with clear infrastructure and a legal framework.

ETF analysts agree that it wasn’t a “blockbuster” debut, but it was a success that confirms the potential even for less popular cryptocurrencies. The fund currently holds around $64 million in assets, with $18 million coming from the seed allocation. Chainlink shows that even so-called long-tail assets — less liquid and riskier tokens — can succeed in the ETF race if they play an important role in smart contract infrastructure.

Despite the ETF’s positive start, the LINK token has yet to meaningfully reverse its long-term trend. Its price has risen almost 10% over the past week, but it has fallen 39% over the past 12 months. The ETF has so far been unable to reverse this decline, signaling that the market is waiting for a stronger fundamental catalyst. Chainlink remains a key solution for decentralized oracles, data feeds, and cross-chain interoperability, all of which are critical for building complex DeFi protocols and tokenization platforms.

In the context of altcoin ETF debuts, Chainlink ranks among the more successful projects, even though it did not reach the levels of the XRP ETF, which attracted $243 million on its first day. Compared to the Solana ETF, which opened with only $8.2 million in volume, Chainlink’s performance is significantly stronger. Institutional investor interest in regulated products clearly persists, but LINK will need to show further progress if it hopes to break its long-term downward trend. Source

Texas Becomes the First U.S. State to Buy Bitcoin

Texas has made history as the first U.S. state to officially purchase Bitcoin for its state reserves. The $10 million purchase was executed at a moment when Bitcoin’s price briefly dropped to $87,000, which state officials described as a “strategic entry during a sell-off.” The transaction was carried out through BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, as it is a regulated and easily auditable financial instrument for the state.

According to Texas officials, this is the first step in a long-term strategy to diversify state reserves. The state’s financial teams are already working on transitioning from ETFs to direct BTC management in the future — meaning holding their own private keys. This process will take time, as the state must build robust infrastructure for digital asset custody, implement internal control procedures, and establish security standards.

Although $10 million is a relatively small amount in the context of state reserves, the symbolic significance is enormous. This is the first time a U.S. state considers Bitcoin an asset suitable for reserves — similar to gold or government bonds. This move could set a precedent for other states, especially those with technology-driven economies.

Financial analysts note that Texas is sending a clear signal — cryptocurrencies are no longer solely the domain of private investors but are becoming part of official financial policy. If other states begin to follow, this could mark a new trend that brings significant digitalization of reserves and innovative approaches to capital management into the public sector.

Texas has not only reacted to Bitcoin’s price decline but has also set a direction that other U.S. states may follow in the coming years. Source

American Bitcoin Continues Accumulating BTC

American Bitcoin Corp (ABTC), a company backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., has once again expanded its Bitcoin portfolio. The firm purchased an additional 363 BTC, bringing its total holdings to 4,367 BTC. At current prices, this represents roughly $405 million, clearly showing that ABTC is continuing its long-term Bitcoin accumulation strategy regardless of short-term market volatility.

The purchase comes at a time when the company itself faced significant turbulence in the stock market. After the expiration of the lock-up period, which allowed early investors to sell their shares, ABTC’s stock price dropped nearly 40%. This sudden sell-off put strong pressure on the price, but Eric Trump emphasized that the company’s fundamentals remain solid and its long-term strategy unchanged. According to him, the company is well positioned to continue accumulating BTC even during periods of increased volatility.

After the dramatic plunge, ABTC stock saw partial recovery — closing Wednesday’s trading session up 9%. Nonetheless, it remains down roughly 44% over the last five days, reflecting the market’s sensitivity to short-term events and liquidity shifts when large volumes of shares become available.

The recent purchase of 363 BTC can be seen as a clear sign of leadership’s confidence in Bitcoin’s long-term potential. While the market undergoes a correction and long positions are being liquidated in the hundreds of millions, ABTC is using the opportunity to strengthen its portfolio. This move fits into a broader trend where more and more companies are treating Bitcoin as a strategic asset resilient to inflation and geopolitical risks.

For investors, this may serve as a strong signal: even as prices fluctuate, corporate interest in BTC remains — and in the case of ABTC, it is even growing. Source

BlackRock CEO Views Bitcoin as an Asset of Fear

Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, spoke at the DealBook Summit alongside Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong to discuss how his perception of Bitcoin has evolved over the past eight years. Fink admitted that his current stance is “a very visible example of how his way of thinking has changed,” as he shifted from a crypto critic to an active supporter.

Despite this shift, Fink cautioned during the panel that he does not view Bitcoin solely as an investment opportunity or a store of value, but also as an “asset of fear.” According to him, Bitcoin’s price reacts sharply to geopolitical news, including a potential end to the war in Ukraine or developments in U.S.–China trade relations. This makes Bitcoin a highly volatile instrument that, in Fink’s view, requires precise timing — something most investors are not able to do. His comments stand in stark contrast to his stance in 2017, when he claimed Bitcoin interest reflected “demand for money laundering.”

Much has changed since then. In 2024, BlackRock launched its iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which quickly became one of the largest ETFs on the market, at one point reaching around $70 billion in value. However, IBIT saw significant capital outflows in November, exceeding $2.3 billion. According to BlackRock representatives, however, the ETF remains a strong and liquid instrument with a solid long-term role in investor portfolios.

Fink’s comments reveal a pragmatic, cautious, yet open-minded approach to Bitcoin. Although he does not deny its volatility and risks, he acknowledges that Bitcoin has become a significant global asset whose place in the financial system can no longer be ignored. Source

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