News & Research

Crypto wallet MetaMask has announced the integration of the prediction market Polymarket into its mobile wallet. This update allows users to trade on Polymarket directly within the MetaMask app, eliminating the need to access it through a separate browser.

Ethereum's price surged over 7% in 24 hours, breaking through the $3,200 resistance level immediately following the Fusaka upgrade on Dec. 3, BeInCrypto reported. The outlet noted that the current trend is similar to the market's reaction to the Pectra upgrade in May, when ETH rallied 56% in seven days. If a similar surge occurs, ETH could potentially reach $4,262. However, BeInCrypto also pointed out that from a technical perspective, $3,200 now serves as the first line of support, and a drop below this level could weaken the current market structure.

Hana Financial Group is partnering with Dunamu, the operator of South Korean crypto exchange Upbit, to integrate blockchain technology into its overseas remittance and foreign exchange services, according to Yonhap News. The two companies announced on Dec. 4 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding for financial service development the previous day at Hana Financial's headquarters in Myeong-dong. Hana Financial plans to first apply the technology to remittances between Hana Bank's headquarters and its overseas branches and subsidiaries as early as the first quarter of next year, with a gradual expansion to follow. The group also intends to introduce new blockchain-based technologies to its broader foreign exchange operations and its Hana Money service.

Cross-border stablecoin remittance company Fin has raised $17 million in a funding round led by Pantera Capital, Fortune reported. Sequoia and Samsung Next also participated in the round.

Russian prosecutors are seeking to seize $184 million in BTC and $30 million in ETH from Georgy Satyukov, a former official at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, DL News reported. The assets were allegedly received as a bribe. Satyukov is accused of accepting the payment between March and October 2021 from an operator of the cryptocurrency exchange WEX in exchange for preventing a criminal prosecution. He is currently a fugitive. WEX, which acquired the BTC-e exchange in 2017, shut down in 2018 after its founder, Alexander Vinnik, was arrested on charges of fraud and money laundering.

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a DeFi project led by the Trump family, plans to launch a product based on real-world assets (RWAs) in January, Crypto Briefing reported. The project focuses on the tokenization of RWAs, aiming to connect the DeFi and traditional financial markets.

Babylon is partnering with crypto lending protocol Aave to enable the use of Bitcoin as direct DeFi collateral without the need for wrapping, CoinDesk reported. The project also plans to expand its BTC collateral framework into the DeFi insurance sector. Under this model, users could deposit BTC into an insurance pool to be used for payouts in the event of a hacking incident, earning a yield if no claims are made.

Strategy is in discussions with Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) regarding its potential removal from an MSCI index, Reuters reported. MSCI is scheduled to make a decision on the matter on Jan. 15. The talks follow a previous analysis by JPMorgan suggesting that Strategy's removal could trigger outflows of up to $8.8 billion. In response, Strategy CEO Michael Saylor confirmed the discussions with MSCI but stated that he disagrees with JPMorgan's estimated outflow figure.

The following are the 24-hour long/short ratios for BTC perpetual futures on the top three global crypto futures exchanges by open interest: Overall: 49.56% long, 50.44% short 1. Binance: 51.08% long, 48.92% short 2. OKX: 52.19% long, 47.81% short 3. Bybit: 52.12% long, 47.88% short

Binance co-founder He Yi has been appointed co-CEO of the exchange, Fortune Crypto reported. She is expected to oversee marketing and customer-related operations, while current CEO Richard Teng will focus on regulatory and legal compliance. The outlet noted that while the appointment marks the emergence of a new female leader in the crypto industry, it could also attract additional regulatory scrutiny. This is due to her having children with Changpeng Zhao, who is prohibited from participating in the company's management. He Yi stated that her personal and business lives are independent.