Here’s what happened in crypto today
Today in crypto, Wyoming is the latest US state to introduce a bill for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Digital Currency Group and former Genesis CEO for misleading investors, and new data has revealed that Bitcoin-based decentralized finance applications had a breakout year in 2024.
Wyoming proposes bill for Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
Wyoming, in the United States, has introduced a bill to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, joining several other states nationwide ahead of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Jan. 20.
“Wyoming took its first bold step toward a strategic Bitcoin reserve,” Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis wrote in a Jan. 17 X post, following the introduction of the bill titled “State Funds-investment in Bitcoin,” which, if passed, allows a portion of Wyoming state funds to be invested in Bitcoin.
Lummis, a vocal Bitcoin advocate who introduced the Bitcoin Strategic Reserve bill for the US government in July 2024, praised Wyoming representative Jacob Wasserburger for introducing the legislation to “allow permanent funds to diversify into Bitcoin.”
The bill proposed that the Wyoming state treasurer may use the general fund, the permanent Wyoming mineral trust fund, and the permanent land fund to invest in Bitcoin; however, it was said that under each fund, no more than 3% could be allocated to Bitcoin.
SEC charges Digital Currency Group for misleading investors
The US SEC has charged Digital Currency Group (DCG) and former Genesis CEO Soichoro “Michael” Moro with misleading investors about the financial health of Genesis in the aftermath of the Three Arrows Capital (3AC) collapse.
According to the Jan. 17 filing, DCG and Moro have agreed to pay a combined $38.5 million in civil penalties, with DCG liable for $38 million and Moro liable for $500,000.
Moro and DCG agreed to the civil penalties without admitting to or denying any violations of the Securities Act of 1933.
The settlement is the latest chapter in the legal saga of Genesis, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2023 due to a 2022 default by Three Arrows Capital — a former borrower of Genesis.
Bitcoin DeFi TVL up 2,000% amid bumper 2024 for BTC price, adoption
Bitcoin-based decentralized finance applications saw a breakout year in 2024 after the April halving, with the industry’s value experiencing a 22-fold increase driven by infrastructure development and soaring Bitcoin prices.
Bitcoin-based decentralized finance (DeFi), also known as BTCFi, is a new technological paradigm that aims to bring DeFi capabilities to the world’s first blockchain network.
The total value locked (TVL) in the Bitcoin (BTC) network saw more than a 2,000% increase during 2024, from $307 million in January to top $6.5 billion on Dec. 31, 2024, DefiLlama data shows.
The 2,000% increase marked a “breakout year for the sector,” according to Binance Research.
The increase is mainly attributed to growing developments around Bitcoin staking and restaking platform Babylon, which controls over 80% of TVL in BTCFi, Binance Research told Cointelegraph:
Babylon was seen as a significant opportunity for Bitcoin-based DeFi, thanks to introducing Bitcoin-native staking for the first time in crypto history.