In 2020, nearly 500,000 Bitcoin have left crypto exchanges, suggesting a rise in custody over profit-booking. This same dynamic was not evident during the 2017 and 2019 tops. 

Bitcoin has spent only a few days at current price levels in the past. However, traders’ sentiments are significantly different this time around. 

Before 2020, Bitcoin was primarily a high-risk speculative asset. It has breached 13,000 only three times in its lifetime of 11 years, ten months, and four days.

Atari is moving onto the blockchain. 

The video game developer has launched its own cryptocurrency called Atari Token, described on its dedicated crypto website as a “token that will power the future of the interactive entertainment industry.” 

The securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) now qualifies U.S. banks, broker-dealers, and registered futures commission merchants as custodians for digital assets, including both cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and tokenized securities.

Speaking at the annual ECB Forum on central banking, heads of the three central banks said that they are actively exploring the idea of a CBDC. Some predict it will end private stablecoins, like Tether’s USDT.

PayPal is removing its waiting list for crypto services, allowing all United States users to buy and sell Bitcoin. 

The payment service made headlines last month when it announced its plans to support digital currencies. 

Bitcoin continues to rise along with traditional markets as monetary stimulus looks imminent, and optimistic vaccine news stirs the bulls. 

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said in a post-election address last week that “further support is likely to be needed” until the coronavirus curve relaxes. 

Centralized lending platform BlockFi is rolling out its services to users in Europe. Soon, Swiss, Dutch, and Italian citizens can begin earning up to 9% on their crypto. 

Currently, the BlockFi Interest Account (BIA) offers interest rates as high as 9.3% APY, as shown in the interest rate chart. 

Bitfinex Borrow is a new peer-to-peer (P2P) lending service allowing users to borrow dollars or USDT against their BTC and ETH holdings. 

Beam, a privacy-centric crypto project, has announced plans to launch its own DeFi network within the next week. The team cites Ethereum’s lack of privacy as the launch’s key motivator.

Bitcoin exploded past the $16,000 resistance level earlier today, hitting $16,169 and marking a new 2020 high.

The bellwether cryptocurrency has limited technical resistance until $17,250 if BTC bulls sustain the attack above the $16,000 level and finally manage to surpass the 2018 trading high, around $16,174.