alongside

According to BeInCrypto, Mastercard has joined the Blockchain Security Standards Committee (BSSC) as a charter-level member, collaborating with members such as Coinbase, Fireblocks, Anchorage Digital, and BitGo to develop a security framework for blockchain networks and tokenized assets.Mastercard will also join a working group focused on security and privacy guidelines, with Claire Le Gal from the security solutions department, responsible for fraud prevention, cyber resilience, disputes, and threat intelligence, representing Mastercard on the BSSC board. The executive director of BSSC stated that Mastercard's payment experience is of significant value in establishing robust blockchain security rules. Mastercard has launched multi-token networks and crypto credential products aimed at embedding trust in blockchain and tokenized infrastructure.

Bitcoin rose to about $74,935 during the Asian session, up 0.7% in the last 24 hours and 5.4% for the week. However, the derivatives market is sending mixed signals. Institutional firm QCP Capital pointed out that this round of increase is mainly driven by spot trading, rather than a broad recovery in risk appetite.Currently, the funding rate for Bitcoin perpetual contracts remains negative, and open interest has decreased, indicating that short sellers are still increasing hedges rather than passively closing positions. The options market is also leaning towards caution: short-term implied volatility is sluggish, with one-month volatility lower than three-month volatility, and the risk reversal indicator shows that the market's demand for downside protection is higher than for upside bets, indicating that traders are more inclined to pay for potential declines rather than chase upward movements. QCP believes this is more of a "bounce" rather than a trend reversal.On a macro level, long-term U.S. Treasury yields and gold prices have not confirmed a recovery in risk appetite, with gold still near high levels, indicating that safe-haven demand remains. Institutions point out that the current market is more driven by expectations of a ceasefire and "emotional repair," rather than a core risk being alleviated. Additionally, Ethereum has shown relatively strong performance, with the ETH/BTC ratio rising to about 0.0315, combined with on-chain transaction volumes and stablecoin supply reaching all-time highs, indicating signs of capital rotating towards high β assets. However, the market still needs to observe the evolution of subsequent risk events to confirm the sustainability of this round of increase.

According to Jinshi reports, U.S. President Trump stated that many countries will send warships alongside the United States to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. He hopes that countries such as France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom will send warships to the area, so that the Strait of Hormuz no longer poses a threat. The U.S. will heavily bomb the coastal areas of Iran and continuously sink Iranian ships. In any case, we will soon open up the Strait of Hormuz.

According to financefeeds, BlackRock, the world's largest asset management company, has made a decisive statement, officially recognizing Bitcoin as the most important investment theme of 2025. This move solidifies the institutional narrative of the current market cycle.The head of the company's iShares division proposed a strategy at the meeting that positions Bitcoin alongside U.S. Treasuries and the "Tech Giants" stocks as the three pillars of a modern diversified investment portfolio. This recognition marks a significant evolution in BlackRock's stance—from initial tentative involvement to deeply integrating digital assets into its core macroeconomic worldview. Its core philosophy is no longer merely to "provide access" to speculative assets but to acknowledge Bitcoin as a fundamental component of the global monetary system's infrastructure.BlackRock's 2025 argument is built on the "macro mirror" thesis, which suggests that Bitcoin's performance increasingly reflects global concerns about sovereign debt and currency devaluation. As the U.S. federal deficit continues to widen and global fiscal imbalances worsen, BlackRock analysts believe institutional investors are seeking "non-correlated" assets that exist outside the traditional banking system.By positioning Bitcoin as "digital gold," BlackRock provides conservative asset allocators with the necessary theoretical framework to justify their large holdings. This shift is expected to culminate in 2026 with the launch of complex "yield-bearing" products, such as Bitcoin premium income ETFs designed to generate returns through covered call strategies.By offering these tools, BlackRock is shifting the market discussion from "why hold Bitcoin" to "how to optimize Bitcoin positions," thereby solidifying its role as a key gatekeeper of the next generation of digital capital.

ChainCatcher news, Bitwise Investment Company's CIO Matt Hougan confirmed that Polymarket has become an important institutional data source alongside Bloomberg.According to Ryan Rasmussen, Polymarket was cited twice within just 20 minutes of the start of a $50 billion RIA investment committee meeting.

ChainCatcher news, RootData has recently been rated as an A++ level product by the crypto research KOL, attracting widespread attention in the industry. In the "Crypto Research Hubs & Media" 2025 graded list released by @the_tradeguru, RootData received the highest rating of A (A++), emphasizing its professional capabilities in data visualization, macro research, and on-chain data interpretation, and is listed alongside top research institutions such as Binance Research, Kaiko, The Block, and Coinbase Institute.The Tradeguru has been well-known in the industry for its systematic tool product grading reviews, with previous lists focusing on crypto research, data analysis, and information platforms, sparking user resonance and discussions.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, cryptocurrency supporters including Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor and Marathon Digital Holdings CEO Fred Thiel gathered in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday to promote legislation that could enable the U.S. to purchase a million bitcoins.On Tuesday morning, more than a dozen cryptocurrency supporters will participate in a roundtable hosted by the bill's co-sponsors—Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis and Congressman Nick Begich. Hailey Miller from the Digital Chamber's affiliated organization DPN stated that cryptocurrency supporters hope the strategic bitcoin reserve will continue to be a priority in Washington. She mentioned that there has been significant progress in the digital asset space, and the fall agenda is yet to be advanced, with the current goal being to ensure that the Bitcoin bill and the strategic bitcoin reserve remain priorities. The bill has been submitted to two committees but has not yet scheduled a hearing. Miller expects the meeting will discuss the next steps for the bill and seek bipartisan support, and DPN will also share briefing documents, referring to it as a "bipartisan cooperation opportunity."

ChainCatcher news, according to sources, the nominee for the chair of the SEC, Paul Atkins, recently expressed a desire to have Republican Commissioner Hester Peirce (known as "Crypto Mom") lead the crypto policy alongside her Republican colleague Mark Uyeda.It is reported that Peirce hopes to lead an internal crypto working group that will reassess the agency's stance on digital assets and engage in open dialogue with the industry. Peirce's term will end in June, and it is currently unclear whether she wishes to be nominated for the position again. Uyeda's term will end in 2028.Paul Atkins has publicly stated the need to establish best practices for digital assets and their trading platforms. Since 2017, he has served as the co-chair of the Token Alliance. The Token Alliance is an industry-led initiative composed of former regulators, industry experts, and lawyers aimed at promoting the mainstream adoption of digital assets. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Digital Chamber of Commerce, a crypto advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

ChainCatcher news, Ethereum Foundation researcher Dankrad Feist stated on X that he recently decided to become an advisor to EigenLayer alongside Justin Drake, under the same conditions, joining in a personal capacity and not representing the Ethereum Foundation, with a focus on risk and decentralization. He mentioned that he has indeed received a large amount of tokens from EigenLayer, but does not believe this will change or affect his stance on the development of the core protocol.He believes that if EigenLayer is developed by a highly trustworthy person, it will bring tremendous benefits to Ethereum. He trusts that the current leaders intend to do this and plan to hold themselves accountable for it. If he believes that this is no longer the case, he will not hesitate to speak out and/or resign.Previous news, Ethereum Foundation core researcher Justin Drake tweeted that he has recently become an advisor to the Eigen Foundation. Although serving as an advisor can yield many EIGEN token rewards, he is prepared to terminate his advisory position at any time if the direction of EigenLayer conflicts with the interests of Ethereum, and he promises to reinvest all advisory income into valuable projects within the Ethereum ecosystem, whether through investment or donation.

ChainCatcher message, cryptocurrency index market Alongside has launched on the Base network.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by CoinDesk, the credit rating agency Moody's Investor Services issued a report on Monday warning that the adoption of tokenized investment funds is on the rise, but the "track record of technology providers is limited," leading to increased risks.It is reported that tokenized funds are investment funds whose units are digitally represented using Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). According to Moody's DeFi and Digital Assets team report, the increasing adoption of tokenized funds—primarily driven by tokenized funds investing in government securities (such as bonds)—marks the untapped market potential.

ChainCatcher message, cryptocurrency index market Alongside announced the release of AMKT V2, featuring or improvements including non-reliance on custodians, on-chain rebalancing, permissionless minting and redemption, and the addition of wstETH components. AMKT V2 will be natively deployed on the Ethereum mainnet and provide liquidity across multiple L2s, including Arbitrum and Optimism.According to the crypto data platform RootData, in February 2023, Alongside completed a $11 million financing round, led by a16z, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Franklin Templeton Investments, Village Global, and Not Boring Capital.

ChainCatcher news, according to TechCrunch, the crypto index platform Alongside has completed a $11 million funding round, led by a16z, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Franklin Templeton Investments, Village Global, Not Boring Capital, and several angel investors.In January of this year, the startup launched its first product, the Alongside Crypto Market Index (AMKT), allowing people to gain broad exposure to the entire crypto asset market through a single token. (Source link)

ChainCatcher news, MetaMask co-founder Dan Finlay expressed on social media his support for the cryptocurrency industry to completely abandon the Apple App Store, stating that its 30% in-app purchase tax is a manifestation of Apple's "abuse of monopoly." Dan Finlay called for the crypto industry to unite, or else MetaMask and all other wallets would be subject to this.Dan Finlay stated: "As of now, Metamask is still listed in the App Store, but we will closely monitor the situation in the coming weeks and months to ensure users continue to access their crypto assets without restrictions."ChainCatcher reported on December 2 that Coinbase Wallet stated that due to Apple's requirement that Coinbase Wallet iOS must use its in-app purchase system to pay for the Gas fees required to send NFTs, in order to charge a 30% fee, the current proprietary in-app purchase system from Apple does not support crypto applications, making this issue unsolvable. Therefore, Apple has blocked the release of its new version, preventing users from sending NFTs using the Coinbase Wallet iOS version. (source link)