Major Crypto Updates: Roger Ver's DOJ Battle, Marathon's BTC Buy, New Stablecoin Approval

**Record Liquidity Injection** U.S. M2 money supply reached an all-time high of $22.3T, accompanied by a $28B Treasury bond buyback. This massive liquidity expansion raises concerns about USD purchasing power and positions Bitcoin as a potential inflation hedge. **Stablecoin Yield Debate at Davos** At the World Economic Forum, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong argued U.S. stablecoins need yield to compete globally, while Bank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau insisted the digital euro should not pay interest. The disagreement highlights how EU restrictions could push activity offshore. **Bitcoin Enters Retirement Channels** - Delaware Life launched a fixed index annuity with BTC exposure via BlackRock's IBIT ETF - F/m Investments applied to tokenize TBIL ETF shares on blockchain - BitGo's IPO priced at $18/share, raising $212.8M above expectations **Geopolitical & Technical Developments** Elliptic reported Iran acquired $507M+ USDT to bypass sanctions. Meanwhile, Vitalik Buterin proposed protocol-level distributed validator technology to simplify Ethereum staking, and the Solana Policy Institute pushed for legal clarity protecting non-custodial developers. [Read full analysis](http://swft.pro/#Download)

The Netherlands has passed legislation introducing a tax on unrealized capital gains starting in 2028. The new law will apply to assets that have increased in value but haven't been sold yet, including: - Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies - Stocks - Bonds This marks a significant shift in tax policy, as traditional taxation typically only applies when assets are sold and gains are realized. The 2028 implementation date gives investors roughly two years to prepare for the change. The move could have major implications for long-term holders of appreciating assets, who may face annual tax bills even without selling their holdings.

Chainlink has launched continuous US stock and ETF data feeds, marking a significant step in connecting traditional finance with blockchain infrastructure. **What's new:** - 24/5 market data coverage including pre-market, after-hours, and overnight sessions - High-frequency, cryptographically signed pricing data - Mid-prices, bid/ask spreads, volume, and last trade information - Market status indicators and data freshness tracking **Technical capabilities:** The feeds deliver real-time, low-latency data across 37 blockchain networks, covering major equities and ETFs like SPY, QQQ, NVDA, AAPL, and MSFT. **Use cases enabled:** - On-chain stock trading - Perpetual futures contracts - Synthetic ETFs - Liquidation and risk management systems Protocols including GMX and Kamino Finance are already integrating these feeds. The infrastructure includes market hours logic and staleness detection, designed to support institutional-grade tokenized asset markets.

The New York Stock Exchange is building an on-chain platform for tokenized securities that will enable round-the-clock trading of U.S. stocks and ETFs. **Key Features:** - 24/7 market access, eliminating traditional trading hours - Instant settlement using stablecoin-based transactions - Fractional share ownership - Full preservation of dividends and governance rights NYSE President Lynn Martin emphasized that tokenization could bring greater efficiency, transparency and accessibility to capital markets. The move represents a significant shift for traditional finance, as the world's largest stock exchange adopts blockchain infrastructure for securities trading and settlement. This development validates years of work by the tokenization sector and could pave the way for substantial capital flows from traditional markets into blockchain-based systems.

**CME Group**, the world's largest derivatives exchange, is planning to launch futures contracts for three major cryptocurrencies, pending regulatory approval. **Key Details:** - Futures planned for Cardano ($ADA), Chainlink ($LINK), and Stellar ($XLM) - Both micro and standard contract sizes will be offered - Move could unlock significant institutional interest and liquidity This expansion represents a notable step in mainstream adoption of digital assets, as CME's institutional-grade infrastructure provides traditional finance players with regulated access to these cryptocurrencies.