North Dakota Takes First Steps Towards State Bitcoin Reserve

Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin, and Solana are all experiencing significant price drops, with Bitcoin down 7% to $97,020 and Ethereum plummeting nearly 12% to $3,422. Dogecoin has collapsed by almost 20% to $0.31, while Solana has tanked by 12% to $191.

Pump.fun, a platform for launching crypto tokens, has revolutionized the creation of meme coins, generating millions in revenue and accounting for the majority of decentralized exchange transactions on Solana. Despite criticism, it has democratized token creation, attracting traders seeking quick profits.

Burwick Law has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of investors in the Hawk Tuah meme coin, which plummeted 93% in value shortly after launch. The lawsuit names 12 American plaintiffs collectively claiming damages exceeding $151,000.

Pixelverse is set to launch MemeBattle, a tactical deck builder game featuring characters based on popular cryptocurrency memes like Brett, Toshi, and Keyboard Cat. The game, set to release in January, will include meme coin characters from Base network and other crypto projects.

The total value of cryptocurrency stolen surged 21% this year, reaching $2.2 billion, with over half stolen by North Korea-affiliated hacking groups. North Korea has become notorious for hacking crypto assets to fund state-sponsored activities and evade global sanctions.

World Liberty Financial, linked to Donald Trump's family, swapped $10 million of Coinbase's cbBTC for WBTC. Coinbase delisted WBTC in November, leading to a lawsuit by BiT Global, a WBTC custodian. Justin Sun, associated with BiT Global, faced accusations of fraud and market manipulation.

ASIC has taken legal action against Binance Australia Derivatives for misclassifying retail investors as wholesale, depriving them of essential consumer protections. The regulator alleges Binance failed to provide necessary safeguards, violating obligations under Australian financial laws.

Binance.US plans to reintroduce USD services in early 2025, following regulatory pressure that led to a suspension of fiat trading in 2023. The interim CEO, Norman Reed, emphasized the inevitability of this move, attributing the delay to regulatory challenges faced by the exchange.

Chainalysis has acquired Hexagate, a Web3 security provider, to enhance risk prevention and compliance solutions against crypto hacks. Hexagate's machine learning tools detect and mitigate on-chain risks, safeguarding over $1 billion in customer funds.

El Salvador has reached a $1.4 billion loan agreement with the IMF, which includes provisions that may require adjustments to its Bitcoin strategy. The agreement aims to implement economic reforms to address the country's debt and improve financial stability.