Latest news with #Bitcoin-only
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ledn dumps Ethereum — goes back to its Bitcoin-only roots
Ledn dumps Ethereum — goes back to its Bitcoin-only roots originally appeared on TheStreet. In an interview with TheStreet Roundtable, Ledn co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer Mauricio Di Bartolomeo explained why the firm is abandoning Ethereum-based lending and concentrating exclusively on Bitcoin. He noted that '98% of Ledn's loan book was made up of Bitcoin-backed loans. Ethereum only made 2% of our loans.' Di Bartolomeo said client feedback drove the decision: 'Our clients, we listen to our clients and our clients love focus. Our clients are also very Bitcoin centric.' Bitcoin lending allows individuals to use their Bitcoin holdings as collateral to borrow cash or stablecoins, without having to sell their Bitcoin. Platforms like Ledn offer this service by holding the borrower's Bitcoin in secure custody while issuing a loan based on a percentage of its current market value. Di Bartolomeo described Ethereum as a network trying to 'fight too many fights. they want to be the internet computer, they want to have programmability, they want to be proof of stake, they want to be energy efficient, it's trying to fight too many fights as far as the things that it wants to be known for.' He warned that competing rails such as Solana and Cardano already 'start eating some of Ethereum's lunch,' making the native token's investment case 'unclear.' In his view, 'You don't have to own a part of the highway. You will just pay the toll the moment you want to get on and when you get off and that's it.' Di Bartolomeo argued that Ethereum's programmability complicates its narrative as a store of value. 'Bitcoin is supposed to be simple and easy to understand. And by adding that complexity, you start messing with that narrative about simplicity.' Without clear token value accrual — unlike Bitcoin's defined role as 'sound money' — Ethereum's native asset faces uncertainty even as its rail remains strong. By contrast, Di Bartolomeo highlighted that major investors like Paul Tudor Jones and corporations such as MicroStrategy view Bitcoin as a reserve asset. El Salvador and Bhutan have adopted Bitcoin treasury strategies. He believes Bitcoin-backed loans represent a 'multi-billion dollar' opportunity that will '10 X over the coming years.' Ledn can underwrite Bitcoin loans globally — with uniform rates and funds delivered 'within 24 hours' — offering legal agreements, customer support and tax statements that DeFi platforms cannot. Di Bartolomeo said, 'Investors seeking long-term stability should favor Bitcoin lending through regulated, centralized channels. Ledn dumps Ethereum — goes back to its Bitcoin-only roots first appeared on TheStreet on Jun 6, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Crypto Lender Ledn Goes Full Bitcoin Maxi as It Seeks to Reduce Client Asset Risk
Cryptocurrency lender Ledn is removing support for ether ETH and will begin offering a bitcoin-only loan model starting July 1 as it looks to simplify its product and sharpen its focus around bitcoin BTC. The Cayman Islands-registered company may be attempting to broaden its appeal among the corners of the crypto community that say BTC is the only cryptocurrency that is needed. Such BTC advocates are often referred to as "Bitcoin Maxis." 'With our new hyper-focus on Bitcoin-only lending, we're going back to our roots and principles that inspired Bitcoin to begin with,' co-founder Adam Reeds said in an emailed announcement on Friday. Ledn will also stop lending client assets to generate yield as it seeks to remove risk from its business model. Bitcoin offered to Ledn as collateral for loans will remain fully in its custody or that of its partners, Ledn said. "Traditional finance relies on constantly reusing client assets to create leverage and, ultimately, inflation," Reeds said. "Bitcoiners instinctively reject that model." Cryptocurrency lending was a major casualty of crypto winter in 2022, with the companies including BlockFi, Voyager, Celsius and Genesis going to the wall. Ledn managed to survive and is now attempting to resurrect the BTC-backed lending sector, with its simplified product offering and helped by the friendlier regulatory approach to crypto in the U.S, co-founder Mauricio Di Bartolomeo told CoinDesk in a recent interview.
Business Wire
23-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
DDC Enterprise Announces First 21 Bitcoin Purchase, Reinforces Commitment to Bitcoin Accumulation Strategy
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DDC Enterprise (NYSE: DDC) today announced the completion of its initial 21 Bitcoin (BTC) acquisition as part of its corporate strategy to integrate Bitcoin into its treasury reserves. As the first female founder of a U.S. publicly traded company to spearhead a Bitcoin-only treasury strategy, I am energized by the immense potential this initiative holds for our shareholders. Share First Tranche of 21 BTC Acquired via Share Exchange The Company has completed the first transaction with an investor group, issuing 254,333 of DDC class A ordinary shares in exchange for 21 BTC, valued at approximately USD 2,283,667 in current market price. Remaining 79 BTC Purchases to Accelerate DDC expects to finalize two additional purchases in the coming days to acquire the remaining 79 BTC under this initial phase. Upon completion, DDC will hold 100 BTC as part of its expanding BTC treasury. Shareholder Letter Highlights Record Growth and BTC Accumulation Strategy This announcement follows last week's shareholder letter by Norma Chu, chairwoman, founder, and CEO of DDC, which detailed the Company's record financial and operational growth in 2024. The letter also outlined an ambitious Bitcoin accumulation plan, targeting up to 500 BTC within six months and 5,000 BTC over three years, positioning DDC to be an innovator among NYSE-listed companies in adopting such a transformative bitcoin treasury strategy. 'Today marks a pivotal moment in DDC's evolution. As the first female founder of a U.S. publicly traded company to spearhead a Bitcoin-only treasury strategy, I am energized by the immense potential this initiative holds for our shareholders. Our initial acquisition of 21 BTC, alongside the accelerated execution of our broader plan, reflects our confidence in Bitcoin as a store of value and our unwavering dedication to innovation. We are fully committed to ensuring the success of this strategy, which aligns with our vision to drive long-term value for our shareholders,' said Norma Chu. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements, including, for example, statements about our BTC purchases and strategy, issuance of shares to purchase BTC, NYSE and SEC compliance, estimated revenue, margins, growth and expansion. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company's current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are also based on assumptions regarding the Company's present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as 'may,' 'will,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'aim,' 'estimate,' 'intend,' 'plan,' 'believe,' 'likely to' or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company's registration statement and other filings with the SEC.
Associated Press
21-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
TMR Capital Sends an Open Letter Regarding Opportunistic MBO of WM Technology, Inc. (MAPS) and Urges Company to Buy Bitcoin Instead and Become the MicroStrategy (aka Strategy) for Cannabis
TMR Capital (hereinafter referred to as 'we' or 'our firm') is a shareholder of MAPS. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: We believe that WM Technology, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the 'Company') proposed privatization dramatically undervalues the Company and is not the best path to maximizing shareholder value. Instead, in our letter, we urge the Company to announce and implement a Bitcoin Treasury Strategy, following in the footsteps of Strategy (MSTR), Tesla (TSLA), MetaPlanet (3350), and KULR Technology Group (KULR) who have since become the best performing stocks in their category. This would be a bold plan that will shock the capital markets, enhance the Company's balance sheet and free cash flow, and put them on the map in terms of sell side and buy side interest. Since Strategy adopted its Bitcoin strategy in August 2020, its stock has vastly outperformed all relevant benchmarks. Prior to MSTR adopting its Bitcoin strategy, MSTR's stock was flat for over a decade. MSTR's adoption of its Bitcoin strategy has also resulted in significantly more institutional and retail interest in the company. The strong performance of MSTR's convertible bonds issued to buy Bitcoin has attracted institutional investors. Metaplanet adopted its Bitcoin strategy in early 2024. The stock is up almost 40x. Prior to April 2024, the stock was declining for the past decade+ and headed towards bankruptcy. Of the 55,000 listed companies globally, Metaplanet ranked #1 for % return in 2024 among those with a >$250M market cap and >$50M average daily trading volume, delivering a ~2600% return. Metaplanet delivered the highest percentage return in Japan in 2024, demonstrating the strong interest in a Bitcoin-only strategy in one of the world's most dynamic markets. The growing global acceptance of bitcoin is still in its early stages. Companies, financial institutions, governments, and the capital markets are recognizing and incorporating block chain technology, and specifically, BTC into their overall economic toolkits. Given the unique characteristics of BTC, it provides long term appreciation and a bulwark against geopolitical, inflationary, and other macro-economic and political trends affecting all developed economies. The Trump administration has signaled a significant shift towards a more crypto-friendly stance in the United States, marking a departure from the previous administration's approach. On January 23, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled 'Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology'. This order establishes a federal policy to support the responsible growth and use of digital assets, blockchain technology, and related technologies across all sectors of the economy. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming) introduced a proposal for a national strategic bitcoin reserve, and President Trump recently highlighted the possibility of establishing a national bitcoin stockpile. Repurchasing shares and/or issuing a dividend will not be enough to get the Company out of its disastrous start in the public markets. M&A is difficult and has a high failure rate. Companies that adopt the Bitcoin strategy can trade at a premium to NAV which enables highly accretive share issuances to buy more Bitcoin. The Bitcoin strategy provides a path for sustainable growth and acts as an immediate catalyst for the stock, something that shareholders desperately need. Therefore, we urge the Company to immediately purchase $21M worth of Bitcoin, adopt Bitcoin as a primary asset in its treasury program, commit to allocate up to 90% of its surplus cash into BTC, and commit to the Bitcoin strategy of buying BTC and issuing shares at a premium to NAV to buy more BTC. We can help accelerate this by potentially doing a $30M+ PIPE. We have made this open letter public to raise awareness among other investors about this problematic MBO and to start the discussion around adopting a Bitcoin strategy. SOURCE: TMR Capital Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 02/21/2025 11:24 AM/DISC: 02/21/2025 11:24 AM
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Could XRP Reach $5 in 2025?
There's arguably no hotter cryptocurrency on the planet right now than XRP (CRYPTO: XRP). It's now up more than 140% during the past three months, and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. In 2025, it's already up 14%, making it the top-performing major cryptocurrency. But does XRP have enough gas in the tank to reach $5 in 2025? Given its current price of about $2.65, it would require XRP to almost double in price within a relatively short period of time. It's not impossible, but here are three things that would need to happen. The company that created the XRP crypto token is Ripple, a San Francisco-based blockchain technology company. Unfortunately, for more than four years, Ripple has been locked in an epic court battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In December 2020, the SEC claimed that XRP was a security and that company sales of it violated securities laws. Ever since, there have been dark regulatory clouds hanging over XRP. That's why the pro-crypto approach of the Trump administration is so important to the future of XRP. It's leading to the types of regulatory changes -- such as a big shakeup at the SEC and the creation of a new regulatory framework for crypto -- that are presumably going to make it much easier for Ripple to get back to business as usual. Indeed, we're already starting to see what's possible if the regulatory shackles are removed. In 2025, Ripple is once again lining up new financial services partners for its XRP-powered payments and transfers network. It's launching new financial products to bolster the integration and adoption of XRP, and it's once again actively hiring in the U.S. If you're bullish on XRP, this is exactly what you want to see happen as proof of continued expansion and growth. Another important catalyst that might spur XRP to double in price this year is the launch of new crypto spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs). A growing number of investment firms have already filed spot XRP ETF applications with the SEC, including some that already offer spot Bitcoin ETFs. So it seems to be a no-brainer that at least one of those applications is eventually going to get approved. The big question is: When? The original thinking was that the Trump White House would open the floodgates for new SEC approvals, and some thought that spot XRP ETFs might be arriving as soon as the first quarter of this year. The current thinking is that new spot XRP ETFs might start trading by mid-2025. If they do, they have the potential to unlock a torrent of new money for XRP. According to JPMorgan Chase, as much as $8 billion in new money might flow into XRP. If the bulk of that money comes from long-term institutional investors, all the better, since it will help to drive out the short-term speculators trying to make a quick buck on XRP. One of the most interesting crypto storylines of 2025 is the potential creation of a U.S. digital assets reserve. Originally, this was going to be a Bitcoin-only stockpile known as the strategic Bitcoin reserve. But a number of top crypto executives are now advocating that this strategic reserve also hold other top cryptocurrencies that are vital to America's long-term interests. No surprises here, but top Ripple executives have been in contact with the Trump White House, making the case that XRP -- as a U.S. crypto token helping to power payment flows with other nations -- should also be part of the stockpile. If the U.S. government does decide to add XRP to the mix, that would be huge, given the sheer size of the proposed national digital assets stockpile. The current thinking is that the U.S. government will commit to buying 200,000 Bitcoins per year, for the next five years. At today's Bitcoin price of about $100,000, that's roughly $20 billion per year. Now imagine the U.S. government also buys $20 billion worth of XRP each year! That probably would dwarf any money flowing into XRP via the new spot ETFs. One way to get a quick sense of the market sentiment surrounding XRP is by checking out the activity on online prediction markets such as Polymarket. There, participants are risking actual fiat money (not crypto funny money) on the outcomes of various events. This makes these predictions much more reliable than the typical ones you see on social media, where there is no cost for being wrong. Right now, only 17% of people think that XRP will be added to a national digital assets stockpile in 2025. When it comes to new XRP investment products, only 45% of people think that a spot XRP ETF approval will arrive before July 31. Based on these numbers, you shouldn't be putting too much trust in XRP hitting $5 in 2025. After all, two of the key catalysts that could boost the fortunes of XRP have a less than 50% chance of happening this year. While XRP will likely continue to outperform the crypto market this year, definitely keep your expectations in check. Before you buy stock in XRP, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and XRP wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $850,946!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 959% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 178% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list. Learn more » *Stock Advisor returns as of February 7, 2025 Dominic Basulto has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Could XRP Reach $5 in 2025? was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
