What to know:

• MARA Holdings is lending out 7,377 BTC, about 16% of its total holdings.
• December bitcoin product fell 2% from November to 890 BTC, still the second-biggest output since April.
• MARA, the largest bitcoin miner by market capitalization, now owns a total of 44,893 BTC, valued at $4.2 billion.

MARA Holdings (MARA), the largest bitcoin (BTC) miner by market capitalization, said it is lending 7,377 BTC to third parties to generate a return on its holdings and cover some operating costs.

In a production report released Friday, MARA did not identify the borrowers nor reveal other details regarding the program, which ties up about 16% of its bitcoin. Robert Samuels, the company’s vice president of investor relations, said in a post on X that it is earning a yield of less than 10%.

“There has been significant interest in MARA’s bitcoin lending program,” Samuels posted. “It focuses on short-term arrangements with well-established third parties. It generates a modest single-digit yield. It has been active throughout 2024. The long-term objective is to generate sufficient yield to offset operating expenses”.

The company produced 890 bitcoin last month, 2% fewer than in November, the production report shows. Still, it’s the second-biggest number of BTC since April’s reward halving.

“We mined 249 blocks, the second most blocks in a month on record,” Chairman and CEO Fred Thiel said in the report. “MARAPool achieved an impressive annual hash rate growth of 168% in 2024, exceeding bitcoin’s network growth rate of 49%”.

For all of 2024, MARA acquired 22,065 BTC at an average price of $87,205 and mined an additional 9,457 BTC taking its total held to 44,893 BTC. Bitcoin is currently trading just below $100,000. The company is the second-biggest publicly traded owner of bitcoin, trailing only MicroStrategy (MSTR).

MARA shares rose 2.60% in pre-market trading and have 14% since the start of the year.

The global cryptocurrency market has gained almost $1.7 trillion in value in 2024, as investors rallied in the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory.

According to the latest figures, the combined value of all digital currencies rose to $3.29 trillion on 30 Dec, up from $1.6 trillion in January.

Bitcoin in particular benefitted from the surge, as the so-called Trump bump propelled it beyond $100,000 for the first time. It is now priced at $93,700, reflecting a 122pc increase since Jan 1, when it was valued at $42,200.

The price of ethereum, an alternative cryptocurrency, has also climbed 54pc to more than $3,400.

The crypto market had been growing steadily in the early months of 2024, although it soared after Mr Trump’s election triumph amid hopes that the president-elect will slash regulation.

This fresh wave of optimism also led to increased investment from a wider pool of investors.

According to data from Coinglass, more than $109bn is now invested in bitcoin exchange-traded funds, which are investment funds linked to the price of the cryptocurrency.

Market momentum is also growing in the UK, as the Financial Conduct Authority has signalled plans to fully regulate cryptocurrencies by 2026.

In its latest findings, the regulator reported that 12pc of people in the UK now own cryptocurrency, up from 10pc a year earlier.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s recent support for crypto comes after he previously described bitcoin as a “scam against the dollar”.

This change of heart led to his election campaign attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in donations from crypto executives and companies.

Writing on Truth Social after bitcoin hit a new record on Dec 5, Mr Trump said:

The president-elect has spoken of the possibility of adding a strategic reserve of bitcoin to the US Treasury, describing himself as the “crypto president”.

He has also claimed that he wants to make the US the “crypto capital of the planet”.

Mr Trump recently selected Paul Atkins, a cryptocurrency lobbyist, as his nominee to chair the US Security and Exchange Commission. He will replace crypto critic Gary Gensler.

Philippe Bekhazi, co-founder and chief executive of cryptocurrency business XBTO, said: “As a more pro-crypto administration takes shape, digital assets are likely to become more integrated into the broader economy, fostering increased adoption among market participants.”

Mr Trump’s new-found support for cryptocurrencies has emerged despite concern that they are being used in scams, money laundering and illicit financing.

A report from Chainalysis, published this month, found $2.2bn was stolen from cryptocurrency websites and trading apps in 2024, a 21pc increase on the previous year.

Hackers from North Korea were judged to have been responsible for $1.3bn in cryptocurrency thefts over the year, their most prolific year on record. The stolen funds have been judged by intelligence officials as being used to fund development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

U.S. Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) ended a four-day streak of outflows with a net inflow of $475.2 million on December 26, signaling renewed investor interest.

The inflows followed outflows totaling $1.52 billion between December 19 and December 24, which included a record $188.7 million single-day outflow for BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) on December 24.

Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund led the recovery with $254.4 million in inflows, while ARK 21Shares’ Bitcoin ETF added $186.9 million.

More Funds See Inflows

BlackRock’s IBIT contributed $56.5 million, with Grayscale’s mini Bitcoin ETF and VanEck’s ETF recording smaller gains of $7.2 million and $2.7 million, respectively.

The resurgence comes as Bitcoin’s price slipped 2.2% over the past 24 hours, falling below $97,000.

While Bitcoin ETFs regained momentum, Ether ETFs marked their third consecutive day of net inflows, totaling $301.6 million over that period.

On December 26, Ether ETFs saw $117.2 million in net inflows, led by Fidelity’s ETF with $83 million, followed by BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust ETF at $28.2 million and Grayscale’s ETH trust with $6 million.

Ether, however, lagged behind Bitcoin, dropping 1.7% to under $3,400 and failing to reach a new all-time high in recent months.

In their inaugural year, Bitcoin ETFs have seen significant activity, with total net inflows reaching $35.9 billion and total assets under management (AUM) at $111.9 billion.

Ether ETFs, while newer to the market, have recorded $2.63 billion in net inflows and an AUM of $12 billion

Binance (BNB) Coin Price Triangle Breakout Targets $850

Binance (BNB) Coin Price Triangle Breakout Targets $850

As the bull market regains momentum over the weekend, Binance (BNB) is preparing for a triangle breakout that could lead to a potential new all-time high.

With Bitcoin recently setting a new all-time high of $106,533, the crypto market is seeing a significant surge in buying pressure. Amid this recovery, BNB is gearing up for a potential breakout rally.

Will this breakout rally in Binance (BNB) price result in a new all-time high above $800? Let’s find out.

XRP has been on a bull ride since the U.S. election, with its price soaring close to $3 earlier this month. Currently, XRP is trading at $2.51, having risen 4.52% following the news of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin launch. Analysts believe that XRP has the potential to reach $3.55 if the SEC ends its appeal and clears XRP from regulatory issues. This price target is based on the idea that once XRP’s legal challenges are resolved, the token could experience a significant rally.

Bitcoin hit a new high as markets brace for the Federal Reserve’s final interest rate decision of the year.

The leading cryptocurrency climbed nearly 3% to hit a new record of over $107,000 Monday afternoon. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency by volume, also hit a high of $4,095.

The volatility comes just days before the Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates by another 25 basis points following the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting this week. If the central bank carries out a third consecutive decrease, that would leave rates at 4.25%-4.50% to end the year.

Low interest rates tend to benefit markets, even cryptocurrencies, because they improve investors’ appetite for risk and create excess capital used for investments.

Bitcoin, however, has rallied even amid the high interest environment in the U.S. Since March 2022, when the Fed began raising interest rates in response to pandemic-induced inflation, Bitcoin has risen more than 160%.

But many are expecting a slowdown in in rate-cutting next year, as inflation fears and a softening labor market could throw cold water on earlier expectations about the number and magnitude of reductions. Economists are bracing for quarterly cuts to the federal funds rate starting in March, for a terminal rate in the mid-3% range.

Of course, a pro-crypto White House is also helping fuel much of the crypto boom. In the weeks since Donald Trump’s election win, Bitcoin has hit multiple record highs, including surpassing the $100,000 milestone for the first time.

On the campaign trail, Trump called for a strategic national Bitcoin reserve, declared all Bitcoin should be mined in the U.S., and attached his name to multiple crypto projects.

The president-elect has tapped Paul Atkins, a cryptocurrency advocate, to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission following Gary Gensler’s departure — a move welcomed by the crypto industry. Atkins, who now leads the consulting firm Patomak Global Partners, has chaired The Digital Chamber’s Token Alliance since 2017, which was charged with advocating best practices and recommending legal frameworks that promote the crypto industry.

In an interview with CNBC (CMCSA) last week, Eric Trump said his father plans to “make America the crypto capital of the world,” including introducing “sensible regulation” of the industry.

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