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Why 2025 Will Be a Year of M&A in DeFi

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The final quarter of 2024 marked a surge in cryptocurrency mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, signalling that the post-election sentiment shift could spark even more deals in the new year.

M&A has already been on the rise, and the recent acquisition of Bridge by Stripe marked a significant milestone that highlights a trend of the increasingly blurred lines between traditional finance and digital assets.

According to The Block Pro data, activity in 2024 was still behind 2022’s all-time high of 271 deals, signaling steady yet restrained growth but there are signs that the record may be broken in 2025. With major institutions including BlackRock, Fidelity, and Grayscale launching Bitcoin and Ethereum ETPs, and the Trump election fueling optimism, the stage is set for a renewed M&A wave.

The key question now is — what does M&A mean for driving innovation in the DeFi space?

Bridging the Gap

Recent high-profile acquisitions, such as Stripe’s purchase of Bridge and Robinhood’s acquisition of Bitstamp, underscore the undeniable intersection between traditional finance and digital assets. These deals aren’t just about expansion, they’re a clear signal that firms are looking to strengthen their offerings to meet the growing demands of institutional clients who want secure custody and robust risk management.

A lot of discourse has focused on pitting DeFi against TradFi, but the recent M&A activity suggests we may be entering a new era where finance is finally a unified, evolving ecosystem. Traditional finance has hurdles to clear in its DeFi transition, especially around regulatory compliance and accessibility. To navigate these waters, TradFi needs enterprise-grade solutions that not only meet regulatory standards but also simplify the user experience. DeFi platforms, while powerful, can sometimes be challenging for non-crypto native users due to their complex interfaces

Those looking to branch into crypto should focus on platforms like Enzyme with transparent on-chain infrastructure, that combines automated features like smart contracts, automated investment strategies, and risk management tools within a user-friendly interface. This approach simplifies the management of digital assets, ensuring compliance without the usual complexity of blockchain technology. By adopting these tools, traditional financial institutions can transition into the DeFi space more easily, minimizing risk while maintaining control.

Composability as a Catalyst for Change

For builders and managers, consolidation caters to the convenience of accessing a wider pool of resources within a secure, integrated infrastructure, making it easier to innovate. This global movement bridges the gap between Web2 and Web3, gradually dissolving the boundary to form a unified, innovative space. It’s also happening within the decentralized space itself.

M&A plays a key role in driving composability in DeFi by enabling the consolidation of resources, technologies, and expertise from multiple projects, which can strengthen interoperability between different protocols. Composability is the ability for different protocols and apps to integrate and work together, enabling users to build complex financial solutions and acting as a catalyst for growth in the DeFi space. This increasing consolidation and merging of different protocols and resources empowers builders to build new financial products. This reduces barriers to entry, meaning developers can create powerful applications without starting from scratch, while users benefit from easy access to interconnected services.

Liquid Staking Tokens are a prime example of composability and a key trend that is predicted to grow in 2025. Earning staking rewards while also being used as liquidity or collateral, they strengthen capital efficiency and maximize the utility of assets across the DeFi ecosystem.

The Future of DeFi in 2025

The future for decentralized finance is bright. Established Ethereum protocols have been consistently building and improving. These advancements, combined with a more favourable regulatory environment and enhanced user experiences, are setting the stage for significant growth.

The future of decentralized finance lies in composability and interoperability. Networks should not be an obstacle to investment, but navigating them can sometimes be complex. Simplified interfaces that bridge the complexity of multiple networks allow users to focus on opportunities rather than technical barriers.

As M&A activity continues, crypto firms will have to balance the innovation of DeFi with the practical realities of regulation, governance, and market competition. This consolidation is key to building secure ecosystems and meeting the increasing expectations of investors and builders.

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Tesla Reports $951M in Crypto Holdings as it Misses Earnings

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Tesla (TSLA) still holds almost $1 billion in bitcoin, according to the automaker’s latest earnings report.

The electric vehicle firm reported digital asset holdings worth $951 million as of March 31, down from $1.076 billion on Dec. 30. Tesla currently holds 11,509 bitcoin in its balance sheet, according to Bitcoin Treasuries data.

The change is almost certainly due to bitcoin’s price depreciating between the two quarters. Data from Arkham Intelligence indicates that Tesla did not perform any transactions in the last three months. Arkham marks Tesla’s holdings as being currently worth $1.049 billion.

A new rule from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) requires corporate holders of digital assets to begin marking those assets to market each quarter.

Tesla also reported $19.34 billion in revenue for the first quarter of the year; analysts had expected the carmaker to rake in $21.37 billion.

The TSLA shares were up more than 2% in after-hours trading.

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Bitcoin Tops $91K as Trade Optimism Fuels Crypto Rally But Demand Headwinds Remain

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Bitcoin (BTC) surged past $91,000 on Tuesday, climbing nearly 5% amid renewed investor optimism and fresh hopes of a thaw in U.S.-China trade tensions, but headwinds persist that could cap further upside, analytics firm CryptoQuant cautioned.

The largest crypto by market capitalization hit $91,700 in the U.S. afternoon, its strongest price since early March. Altcoins followed BTC higher, with Ethereum’s ether (ETH) rising 8% over the past 24 hours above $1,700, and dogecoin (DOGE) and Sui’s native token (SUI) gaining 8.6% and 11.7%, respectively. The broad-market crypto benchmark CoinDesk 20 Index advanced 5.2%.

CoinDesk 20 Index performance on April 22 (CoinDesk)

Markets were buoyed by remarks from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who reportedly told investors at a closed-door JPMorgan event that the tariff standoff with China was unsustainable. Bessent said de-escalation would come “in the very near future,” characterizing current conditions as a “trade embargo.” However, he cautioned that a more comprehensive deal between the two nations could take even years.

Stocks recovered from yesterday’s decline, with the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq finishing the session 2.5% and 2.7% higher, respectively. Gold, meanwhile, sharply reversed from its record price of $3,500 during the day and was down 1%.

«As capital rotates into safe-haven and inflation-hedging assets, BTC and gold are proving to be key beneficiaries of the exodus from USD risk,» analysts at hedge fund QCP Capital said in a Telegram broadcast.

They highlighted rejuvenating inflows to spot U.S.-listed BTC ETFs and the return of the so-called Coinbase price premium, suggesting demand from American institutional investors. BTC ETF booked over $381 million net inflows on Monday adding to Thursday’s $107 million, according to Farside Investors data.

But not all signs point to a sustained breakout.

Despite the price jump, on-chain data points to fragility beneath the surface, CryptoQuant analysts said in a Tuesday report. Bitcoin’s apparent demand has decreased by 146,000 BTC over the past 30 days—an improvement from the sharp drop in March, but still negative. CryptoQuant’s demand momentum metric, which tracks new investor interest, has deteriorated further to its the most bearish level since October 2024, the report noted.

Market liquidity remains soft, with the report using USDT’s market cap growth as a proxy for crypto liquidity. USDT grew $2.9 billion over the past two months, below its 30-day average. Historically, BTC rallies coincided with USDT growth above $5 billion and above trend — a threshold not yet met.

Adding to the caution, bitcoin is now facing a key resistance zone between $91,000 and $92,000 at around the «Trader’s On-chain Realized Price» metric, a level that has often served as resistance in bearish conditions. CryptoQuant’s on-chain bull score classified current market conditions as bearish, suggesting a pause or pullback could follow if sentiment weakens.

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Unicoin CEO Rejects SEC’s Attempt to Settle Enforcement Probe

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Unicoin has rebuffed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) attempt to negotiate a settlement agreement to close an ongoing probe into the Miami-based crypto company, its CEO Alex Konanykhin revealed in a Tuesday letter to investors.

SEC enforcement cases (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

In his letter, Konanykhin said Unicoin was given an “ultimatum” by the SEC to attend a settlement negotiation meeting last week, on April 18.

“We declined to show up,” Konanykhin told CoinDesk, adding that the SEC had made demands ahead of the meeting that he found “unacceptable.” He declined to share specifics, telling CoinDesk that the communication between Unicoin’s lawyers and the SEC was confidential.

Unicoin received a Wells notice — a sort of official heads-up from the SEC that it intends to file an enforcement action against the recipient — in December, shortly before former Chair Gary Gensler stepped down, alleging violations related to fraud, deceptive practices, and the offer and sale of unregistered securities. No official enforcement action has yet been filed.

Since President Donald Trump took office, the SEC has reversed its once-aggressive stance toward crypto regulation, backing off from many of its open investigations into crypto companies, including blockchain gaming firm Immutable and non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea, and even some of its ongoing litigation, including against Coinbase and Cumberland DRW.

Other SEC enforcement cases against crypto companies, including its cases against Binance and Tron, have been paused while the parties attempt to negotiate a settlement. The agency recently reached a settlement agreement with Nova Labs, the parent company behind the Helium blockchain, that saw Nova Labs pay a $200,000 fine to settle civil securities fraud charges, and the SEC dropped its claims that Helium (HNT) and other related tokens were securities.

In his letter to investors, Konanykhin claimed that the SEC’s probe has caused “multi-billion-dollar damage” to the company and its investors.

“We would likely be a $10B+ publicly traded company by now if the SEC had not blocked our ICO, stock exchange listing and fundraising,” Konanykhin wrote, adding that the SEC had prevented Unicoin from acting on the “very favorable market opportunities.”

“We were forced into a standstill,” Konanykhin wrote.

The SEC did not respond to a request for comment.

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