Here’s what happened in crypto today

Need to know what happened in crypto today? Here is the latest news on daily trends and events impacting Bitcoin price, blockchain, DeFi, NFTs, Web3 and crypto regulation.


Blockchain research platform Arkham Intelligence reportedly identified the on-chain Bitcoin BTC
$39,107
 addresses of several U.S. spot BTC exchange-traded funds (ETF). United States lawmakers are pressing Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta about whether it plans to use any of its five blockchain and crypto-related trademark filings. Meanwhile, Alamada Research dropped a lawsuit against Grayscale Investments.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs’ on-chain addresses found by Arkham

Blockchain research platform Arkham Intelligence reportedly identified the on-chain Bitcoin addresses of several spot BTC exchange-traded funds (ETF) in the United States.

Spot Bitcoin ETF addresses identified by Arkham. Source: Arkham Intelligence

According to the data, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) currently holds 33,430 BTC, worth around $1.3 billion. The information corresponds to public data on IBIT holdings disclosed on BlackRock’s website. GBTC is the biggest spot Bitcoin ETF among the approved funds, holding 558,280 BTC, or nearly $29 billion at the time of writing.
Despite the benefits brought about by the resultant transparency, some executives have warned about security risks associated with disclosing the on-chain addresses of spot Bitcoin ETFs.

U.S. lawmakers press Meta over crypto and blockchain plans

The U.S. House Financial Services Committee is putting pressure on Meta to open up about any blockchain or crypto-related plans it may have — given a total of five cryptocurrency and blockchain-related trademark applications are still active from 2022.

Committee ranking member Maxine Waters stated in a Jan. 22 letter to Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and operating chief Javier Olivan that the trademark applications — all filed on March 18, 2022 — “appear to represent a continued intention to expand the company’s involvement in the digital assets ecosystem.”

Letter from Congresswoman Maxine Waters to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Waters said the applications show Meta is working on digital assets despite Meta telling Democratic Financial Services Committee staff on Oct. 12, 2023, “that there is no ongoing digital assets work at Meta.”
The trademark filings denote various services for crypto and “blockchain assets” trading, exchange, payments, transfers, wallets and the associated hardware and software infrastructure.

Alameda Research drops lawsuit against Grayscale

The defunct FTX hedge fund Alameda Research has voluntarily dropped its lawsuit against Grayscale Investments less than two weeks after the asset manager converted its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) into a spot ETF.

In a written statement to Cointelegraph, a Grayscale spokesperson said:

“We are pleased to confirm that Alameda Research, FTX’s affiliated hedge fund, has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against Grayscale. Alameda’s voluntary dismissal underscores Grayscale’s position that this legal action was entirely without merit.”

Although no reason was given for the dismissal, it comes as GBTC continues to experience large outflows, which have contributed to the suppression of Bitcoin’s price.
Alameda Research initially filed the lawsuit in March 2023, seeking a court order against Grayscale’s charging of management fees.