Top Stories of The Week
Odds of 2025 US Solana ETF listing top 77%: VanEck research head
The odds of a Solana exchange-traded fund (ETF) listing in the United States this year are even higher than a popular betting market’s optimistic forecast, according to Matthew Sigel, VanEck’s head of digital assets research.
On Jan. 1, cryptocurrency prediction platform Polymarket said the odds of a US Solana ETF listing in 2025 are around 77%. In a post on the X platform, Sigel described Polymarket’s forecast as “underpriced.”
Sigel’s optimism mirrors industry-wide expectations of more crypto ETF listings in the US after President-elect Donald Trump’s November election win. Trump said he wants to make America “the world’s crypto capital.”
Prediction markets work by letting users trade contracts tied to specific events, with prices fluctuating dynamically based on expected outcomes. Polymarket’s projected ETF listing odds increased to approximately 84% as of Jan. 2, according to its website.
Terraform co-founder Do Kwon appears before US judge, pleads not guilty
Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon appeared before a US magistrate on Jan. 2, 2025, and pleaded not guilty to charges in the first legal hearing for the former tech executive since his extradition to the US.
The embattled crypto founder appeared in Manhattan before US Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger of the Southern District of New York on Thursday afternoon to submit his plea and agreed to be held without bail.
The former tech executive faces nine counts of various charges, including securities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering charges and commodities fraud, for his role in the collapse of the Terra ecosystem.
A status conference is set for Jan. 8, 2025, for the defense and the prosecution to share evidence and discuss motions leading into the trial.
The hearing marks a milestone in the legal saga of the former…
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