January 5 Crypto News: What Happened in the Crypto Industry Yesterday?

Crypto News – With the start of a new year, new hopes have been raised for the crypto sector. However, the new hopes did not get in the way of the sector’s busy agenda.

January 5 Crypto News: What Happened in the Crypto Industry Yesterday?

January 5 was a busy day. While the focus was on ETF approvals, reports on hackers also drew attention.

TRM Labs Publishes Report on North Korean Hackers

Blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs claims that in 2023, hacker organizations connected to North Korea embezzled $600 million worth of digital assets.

Only $600 million of the cryptocurrency that was purportedly taken by North Korean hackers was verified in the report published on January 5. North Korean hackers have taken over $3 billion worth of cryptocurrency since 2017. Before putting the stolen money into wallets under North Korea’s control, these hackers typically target users’ private keys or seed phrases.

Traders Bet on ETF Approvals

Some traders are betting on whether the spot Bitcoin ETF applications will be granted by January 15 during this period of uncertainty, while the cryptocurrency community impatiently awaits the SEC’s decision.

Traders have bet “Yes” or “No” on whether the applications would be accepted at the Polygon-based gambling site Polymarket. As of this writing, bets totaling about $1.5 million had been placed, with the majority of traders purchasing shares in “Yes.” As with the cryptocurrency market, the value of a share, which expresses the likelihood of a yes-or-no outcome, varies.

Analysts Believe ETF Approvals Are Coming Next Week

In social media, there is intense speculation that the SEC will approve a spot Bitcoin ETF on January 5. There has been conjecture that permission could be received within the next day due to a highly shared tweet from a reporter and a tweet from Grayscale’s legal chief indicating he was simply filling out some documents. Nonetheless, several analysts continue to anticipate possible approvals for next week.