As the year comes to a close we wanted to recap some of the top stories and datapoints of 2024. It was a seminal year for crypto markets. In spite of hostile regulatory conditions persisting it was also a monumental year for regulatory development with the launch of BTC and ETH ETFs alongside impending regime changes.

Bitcoin hit a new all-time high early Monday, surpassing $106K on some exchanges amid US BTC strategic reserve buzz. In other news, Microstrategy secured Nasdaq-100 inclusion, the parent company of Japanese exchange Coincheck began trading on Nasdaq, and USDC issuer Circle announced a strategic partnership with Binance.

As the year winds down, we’ve analyzed global crypto market trends, spotlighting key figures driving adoption across various countries. This regional deep dive highlights successes, challenges, and how unique market drivers, regulations, and structures shape crypto usage in each country.

Bitcoin finally crossed $100k in the early hours of Friday morning. It has since whipsawed either side of that number amid heightened volatility. Elsewhere, Donald Trump chose Paul Atkins to lead the SEC, following confirmation by the senate.

Bitcoin ended the week higher despite market jitters from President-elect Trump’s tariff threats on China, Canada, and Mexico. Meanwhile, Tether announced it will discontinue its EUR-backed stablecoin (EURT) due to regulatory challenges, while a U.S. court overturned sanctions on the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash.

Bitcoin closed the week within touching distance of the highly symbolic level of $100k. Meanwhile, Cboe BZX Exchange filed four Solana spot ETF proposals, SEC Chair Gary Gensler announced plans to step down in January, and a Shanghai court ruled that individual cryptocurrency ownership is not illegal in China.

Bitcoin maintains a strong momentum despite whipsawing either side of $90k over the weekend, after briefly surpassing $93K last week. Meanwhile, Bitwise filed for a multi-crypto ETF and SEC Chair Gary Gensler hinted at resigning.

This week, we’re diving into the anatomy of BTC’s latest rally and its broader market implications. On Wednesday, BTC surged past $93K as post-election momentum gained traction. Meanwhile, memecoins are booming following the announcement of the creation of D.O.G.E., the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency.

Bitcoin broke above $80K over the weekend after Donald Trump’s U.S. election win last week spurred a broad market rally. ETH is also up by over 30% since November 5, outpacing BTC for the first time in months. Meanwhile, a consortium of crypto companies launched a USD-backed stablecoin, and the U.S. SEC delayed its decision on spot ETH ETFs options.

Ahead of the US election, this week we’re revisiting the topic as a follow-up to our Deep Dive coverage from last week. We’ll examine key metrics to monitor as the election night approaches and explore the following:

Bitcoin’s price regained ground in the early hours of Monday after pulling back on Friday, following a WSJ report that U.S. regulators are investigating Tether, the issuer of the largest stablecoin. Meanwhile, Kraken announced plans to launch its own Layer 2 solution by 2025, and Robinhood debuted presidential election betting.

This week we’re peeling back the data on the upcoming US election. For the first time in 2024 digital assets have been a talking point during the Presidential campaign. Republican candidate Donald Trump promises to embrace Bitcoin and blockchain technology, while Democrat Kamala Harris has begun to address the crypto lobby.

Bitcoin gained more than 5% last week despite Tesla moving $765 million of its BTC holdings to an unknown wallet. Meanwhile, DeFi protocol Radiant Capital halted lending after $50mn exploit, Singapore’s largest bank introduced tokenized banking services, and Robinhood announced it will launch BTC and ETH futures trading.

This week, we’re looking at wash trading on cryptocurrency exchanges, focusing on the FBI’s recent investigation, and exploring the metrics to use for raising concerns about market manipulation in crypto markets.

Last week saw significant regulatory developments in the cryptocurrency space. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Cumberland, one of the oldest liquidity providers in crypto, with operating as an unregistered broker-dealer. In a separate case, the SEC, in conjunction with the Department of Justice (DOJ), took action against several companies and individuals allegedly involved in wash trading.

Altcoins joined the rally last week after China announced its largest stimulus package since the pandemic, boosting risk-on demand. In other news, BNY Mellon has received approval from the US SEC to offer crypto custody.