Shares of Canadian crypto provider Neptune surged 40% after it secured a $20 million credit facility from Sygnum Bank to buy Bitcoin.

Neptune Digital Assets Corp., a public Canadian infrastructure provider, saw its shares climb 40% on over-the-counter markets after locking in a $20 million credit line from Sygnum Bank, the Swiss digital asset-focused lender.

The loan, backed by Neptune’s Bitcoin (BTC) holdings, will help it expand its Bitcoin stash as well as buy other crypto-related assets, and fund strategic investments, the firm said in a Jan. 21 press release.

“The loan is structured to give us ample flexibility while maintaining Swiss banking protections over the Bitcoin collateral. At this pivotal stage in our development, the US$20 million positions us to expand our digital asset portfolio, pursue strategic investments, and strengthen our balance sheet — without diluting shareholders through equity issuance.”

Cale Moodie, Neptune’s CEO

Sygnum Bank also pears confident in Neptune’s plans, with head of credit Benedikt Koedel sharing his excitement to support the firm “as they expand their digital asset portfolio.” The market responded fast, with Neptune’s shares surging over 40% on OTCMarkets to a record high of $1.15. The firm also trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker NDA.

The move followed a wave of activity from other public companies rushing to buy Bitcoin under the first pro-crypto administration in the White House. For example, Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited, a publicly listed reinsurance and tokenized asset firm, announced on Jan. 21 that it added Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH) to its treasury reserves as a store of value.

[PRESS RELEASE – Hanoi, Vietnam, January 22nd, 2025]

The mini-app will add new utility for User-Owned NFL Rivals Player Digital Assets on the Mythos Chain , proving the interoperability between two different player experiences across two different platforms

Football Rivals will Onboard Millions of Users to Mythos via Koni Stack’s Telegram Mini App-as-a-Service

Koni Stack, the platform that accelerates next-generation Web3 decentralized applications (dApps), today announced the launch of Football Rivals, a new toss-up mini-app. The Telegram app, built using Koni Stack’s mini app SDK, launched today on Telegram.

As a player experience built to be interoperable with and provide added utility for user-owned NFL Rivals player digital assets, which are also used in connection with the hugely popular game from Mythical Games’ title with over six million active players, the Football Rivals mini-app will enable users to utilize such player assets to combine engaging stats-based gameplay with the power of Web3. Players will use digital assets to compete in weekly challenges, with top performers earning MYTH rewards on the Mythos Chain. The app, launched today, is available worldwide to millions of users, making it one of the most accessible and user-friendly blockchain gaming experiences to date!

By tapping into the global Telegram user base, Football Rivals is poised to introduce millions of new players to the Mythos and Polkadot ecosystems. This collaboration between Koni Stack, Mythos, and Polkadot creates an entirely new use case for the blockchain ecosystem, offering a seamless experience for players to now use their owned digital assets across a new experience and platform, proving the interoperability of digital assets and collectibles.

Koni Stack, developed by the team behind SubWallet – the leading wallet in the Polkadot ecosystem – is designed to simplify the onboarding process for users into Web3 via a developer-friendly SDK. With a focus on user-friendly interfaces, SubWallet first revolutionized access to Polkadot with its easy-to-use wallet. Now, through its Telegram mini app-as-a-service, Koni Stack is helping developers create seamless mini apps with low code thus enabling Telegram’s billions of users to seamlessly interact with dApps and blockchain-based experiences.

“We’re thrilled to enable millions of players to utilize their digital assets and collectibles to bring a new experience, Football Rivals, to millions of users on Telegram, leveraging Koni Stack’s mini app SDK,” said Hieu Dao, CEO of SubWallet and Koni Stack, “This effort not only demonstrates the scalability of Mythos and Polkadot but also opens up a new avenue for further application of blockchain technology, creating more fun, accessible ways for players to engage with Polkadot.”

“We’re excited to see Koni Stack release Football Rivals on Telegram,” said John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games. “By using the Mythos Chain’s robust ecosystem and Koni Stack’s mini-app SDK, this mini-app shows the power of web3 and the ability for one group to build extended value for players through interoperability. The fact that Koni was able to build a new player experience*,* enabling interoperability and allowing players to use the NFL Rivals digital assets they earned and purchased in connection with another application, is what web3 is all about, and Football Rivals makes this a reality!”

As Football Rivals takes off, it is expected to drive significant on-chain activity on the Mythos chain, onboarding millions of users to decentralized platforms. The apps integration with Telegram, combined with Polkadot’s scalability and interoperability, will be a powerful tool for introducing the next generation of users to blockchain technology.

For more information about Football Rivals, users can visit t.me/footballrivalsgame.

About Koni Stack

Koni Stack is an all-in-one platform that accelerates the development and deployment of next-gen Web3 dApps. It enables developers to build intent-based dApps for the masses with zero fragmentation, using two key modules: dApp-as-a-service and mini app-as-a-service. The dApp-as-a-service module allows for seamless, unified dApps that can access users and liquidity across multiple networks with one-time deployment, while the mini app-as-a-service module lets you quickly create and deploy Telegram mini apps by simply plugging in ready-to-use modules.

About Mythical Games

Acknowledged by Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2021 and recently Forbes’ Best Startup Employers (2024), Mythical Games is a next-generation game company creating world-class games and empowering players to take ownership of their in-game assets through the use of blockchain technology. The team has helped develop major franchises, including Call of Duty, Call of Duty Mobile, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Magic: The Gathering, EA Madden, Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery, Marvel Strike Force, Modern Warfare 3, and Skylanders. Mythical’s current games Blankos Block Party and NFL Rivals are already played by millions of consumers worldwide and create a new economy for players allowing them to engage in a new way with games but also directly trade and transact safely with other players worldwide.

The Mythical Marketplace, the first in-game blockchain Marketplace on iOS and Android, provides gamers with ownership and control over the purchase and sale of digital assets, while the Mythical Platform protects gamers that may be new to blockchain through a custodial wallet for their digital items.

Need evidence of the crypto market’s maturation? Look no further than Deribit, the crypto exchange that registered record trading volumes in 2024.

Total trading volume in Deribit’s product suite, which comprises crypto options, perpetual futures, volatility futures, and spot market, rose 95% from $608 billion in 2023 to $1.185 trillion in 2024.

Options alone registered a trading volume of $743 billion, a 99% year-on-year growth, accounting for a giant share of the total exchange activity. Deribit listed BTC options in 2016 and has since cemented its position as the world’s leading crypto options exchange.

“Deribit saw an increase in activity throughout the year, particularly in Q4 as institutional investors demonstrated heightened optimism around the U.S. presidential election, as well as the $100k Bitcoin bull run that followed,” Deribit’s Chief Commercial Officer Luuk Strijers, said in a note shared with CoinDesk.

“The rise in total platform volume and across our offered products indicates that Deribit continues to be the go-to derivatives exchange, particularly as more professional traders enter the space,” Strijers added.

This impressive boom in trading activity on Deribit reflects a maturation of the market, mainly as spot ETFs and options tied to those ETFs went live in the U.S., accelerating institutional participation. It is a sign of a growing shift toward more sophisticated multi-legged trading strategies involving options, futures, and volatility bets.

Crypto influencers face backlash for amplifying a fraudulent U.S. Treasury XRP wallet, revealed to be a scam.

On Jan. 22, several large influencer accounts began posting about a U.S. Treasury XRP (XRP) wallet. The story quickly snowballed as it gained traction on X through reposts. Influencers either promoted the wallet or questioned its credibility. An on-chain analysis conducted through XRPSCAN has now revealed that the wallet is based in the Philippines.

The purported U.S. Treasury wallet, which is connected to major institutions, including Bank of America and JPMorgan, is fraudulent. The wallet address ‘rfHhX6hA54LBqA3j7r7EnCs6qyaRK2Lyfq’ is also KYC verified, which further bolstered people’s belief that it might be a legit source tied to the United States Treasury.

Now, many within the crypto community are voicing their concern. For instance, Zach Rynes, community coordinator of Chainlink, criticized so-called “crypto-influencers” for spreading rampant misinformation in the XRP community. 

He also explained that in 2021, there was a rumor that the Bank of America was executing all internal payments through Ripple. Crypto influencer David Stryzewski, who recently made the false claims about XRP being a Central Bank Digital Currency or CBDC, shared false information on Ripple in a podcast with Former U.S. Senate candidate John E Deaton.

Stryzewski, who is the CEO of Sound Planning Group, also distorted information that Ripple was located in Hong Kong, said Rynes.

Crypto scams on X are on the rise

The proliferation of crypto-related scams has only added to the confusion pervading the industry. There was an 87% spike in daily impersonation accounts in December 2024, according to Scam Sniffer, with numbers rising from an average of 160 in November to more than 300. 

Scam methods are also increasing—from phishing schemes to fake accounts, fraudsters are tampering with duped users on platforms like X.

Recently, Lenovo India and Yahoo News UK were among the big accounts that are having their handles hijacked to promote scam tokens and the losses are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Further sophisticated phishing operations like those mimicking Zoom domains have lifted private keys and wallet credentials, exploiting trust and technical vulnerabilities in blockchain, making it all the more necessary for users to be on their guard.

On Jan. 21, Donald Trump said he had signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, who operated the dark web marketplace Silk Road.

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross,” he stated on his social media platform Truth Social on Jan. 22.

Trump continued to add that “the scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern-day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”

Ross Ulbricht has been freed by President Trump with a full pardon! Thank you for keeping your word to me and others who have been advocating for Ross’ freedom, Mr. President! #freeRoss pic.twitter.com/wOJVFX1DaA

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 22, 2025

Ross Ulbricht Finally Free

The Silk Road founder was serving a life sentence after being convicted of running an underground online marketplace that was used by drug dealers to conduct illicit sales using Bitcoin.

Ulbricht created and operated Silk Road, one of the first modern darknet markets, from 2011 until his arrest in 2013. The site worked on the Tor network and used crypto for transactions, allowing users to buy and sell goods anonymously.

Ulbricht, who used the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts” (DPR), was an ardent libertarian who believed in free market principles and opposed drug prohibition laws.

He was convicted in May 2015 on seven charges, including distributing narcotics, computer hacking, conspiracy, and money laundering. He received two life sentences plus 40 years without the possibility of parole.

“I wanted to empower people to make choices in their lives and have privacy and anonymity,” Ulbricht said at his sentencing hearing.

Supporters have long advocated for clemency, arguing his sentence was disproportionately harsh and that Silk Road reduced violence in the drug trade by moving it online.

Waiting on Crypto EOs

Trump had announced plans to commute Ulbricht’s sentence in May during a speech at the Libertarian National Convention.

“Thanks to President Trump for keeping his word to end Ross’s unjust sentence by granting him a full and unconditional pardon. Prayers have been answered for Ross, Lyn (his mother), and all their family and friends. So happy for them!” commented former Congressman Justin Amash.

The crypto community is still waiting with bated breath for Trump to sign executive orders relating to the industry and pro-crypto regulations. He has been silent on the subject so far.

On Monday, the cryptocurrency market witnessed a significant surge in Chainlink (LINK) prices following a remarkable acquisition by World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the crypto venture associated with President Donald Trump. 

Trump’s World Liberty Financial Propels LINK Price Up 

In a series of rapid transactions completed within just 15 minutes, World Liberty Financial purchased 220,000 LINK tokens, totaling an impressive $5.63 million, according to Chinese reporter Wu Blockchain. 

This strategic move was accompanied by additional acquisitions, including 13,000 Aave (AAVE) tokens valued at $4.41 million and 37.267 million TRON (TRX) tokens worth $8.86 million.

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The buying pressure generated by these transactions contributed to a notable 44% uptrend in LINK’s price over a two-week period, with a more immediate increase of over 11% within just 24 hours. 

But despite this bullish momentum, LINK’s price remains approximately 49% below its all-time high of $52.70, achieved during the 2021 bull run as it is currently hovering little over above the $26 mark.

In a social media post on X (formerly Twitter), WLFI detailed these acquisitions, stating that they were made to commemorate the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States. 

The post highlighted additional purchases, including $47 million in Ethereum (ETH), $47 million in wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC), and similar amounts in AAVE, LINK, TRX, and Ethena (ENA).

How Chainlink Could Double In Value

The involvement of the Trump family in the crypto space has sparked excitement among bullish LINK investors, fostering renewed confidence in the token’s prospects. 

Analysts like Michael van de Poppe have weighed in, noting that LINK has recently experienced a standard 30% correction—a pattern seen more than 15 times in previous cycles. Despite this, van de Poppe anticipates an upward price movement for Chainlink toward the $35 mark as market conditions stabilize.

Adding to the positive sentiment, market expert Ali Martinez reported a significant withdrawal of over 770,000 LINK tokens from crypto exchanges on Tuesday, suggesting that investors are increasingly confident in LINK’s potential and a possible continuation of the uptrend observed over the past month.

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Satoshi Flipper also chimed in on LINK’s price action, expressing optimism about the token’s adoption and future performance. He noted the emergence of a falling wedge pattern that could propel LINK toward its all-time high, suggesting that a price doubling from current levels is feasible. 

Flipper emphasized the importance of Chainlink in the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem, arguing that dismissing the potential for further gains before reaching new highs would be a mistake.

Interestingly, Aixbt recently pointed out that LINK’s monthly Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently at 67, approaching the critical 70 level that previously triggered a dramatic 375% price surge. 

This setup mirrors the conditions that drove the price from $3.50 to $20 in an earlier cycle. If history were to repeat itself, such a surge could push LINK toward the $124.80 mark, nearly tripling its current peak.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com