MARA Holdings Sells Bitcoin to Reduce Debt and Improve Financial Standing

GSR, a major crypto market maker, is acquiring Equilibrium Capital Services to fast-track its entry into U.S.-regulated securities activity. This move allows GSR to offer investment banking services to traditional companies and crypto startups seeking to raise funds.

Bitcoin ETFs saw a surge in inflows, with BlackRock's IBIT fund leading with $405.5 million. Ethereum ETFs also attracted investors, with ETH funds receiving $80.9 million on Wednesday alone. Analysts attribute the increased inflows to various macro and market-specific factors.

Polymarket is set to reopen to U.S. users after acquiring a CFTC-licensed exchange and clearinghouse, with the platform potentially launching as early as today. The self-certification of event contracts has cleared the way for the U.S. platform to go live.

Crypto.com plans to introduce DeFi-backed loans for customers through a partnership with Morpho, a decentralized finance lending protocol. The collaboration aims to allow customers to borrow against their crypto holdings without selling them, expanding the DeFi lending market.

Thailand's SEC plans to expand ETFs beyond bitcoin, allowing local institutions to issue funds under new rules. The country aims to include a basket of cryptocurrencies in ETFs to attract young investors seeking diversification.

Bitcoin U.S. ETFs saw a significant inflow of $675.8 million, with BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust leading with $405.5 million, pushing its total net inflows to $61.376 billion. The surge coincided with Bitcoin's 4% gain, climbing over $119,000.

A motion submitted by two Sweden Democrats members proposes examining the creation of a national Bitcoin reserve to diversify state holdings and provide inflation protection. The lawmakers argue that Bitcoin could complement gold and foreign exchange reserves, positioning Sweden for a potential shift in the global financial infrastructure.

Bitcoin's mining difficulty reached a record high of 150.84 trillion, reflecting the network's hash rate surpassing 1.05 ZH/s. The increase in difficulty impacts miner profitability, with hashprice dropping below $50 per petahash per second.

Bitcoin's "Uptober" effect has sparked a market rally, with capital flowing into older altcoins like Litecoin and Stellar. The surge in prices has led to short liquidations exceeding $480 million, flipping market sentiment from fear to greed.

The SEC's ongoing partial government shutdown delays the approval process for various altcoin-based exchange-traded funds, affecting over 90 applications, including those for Solana-focused products. Senate negotiations to resolve the budget impasse continue, impacting government agencies' operations, including the SEC's limited personnel availability.