After a few days of corrections and sideways action, bitcoin finally went on the offensive on Christmas Eve by skyrocketing briefly to just over $99,000.

The altcoins are also in the green, with notable increases from the likes of SOL, DOGE, AVAX, and TON.

BTC Back to $98K

Bitcoin went through a highly turbulent and painful trading week that started last Wednesday after the last FOMC meeting for the year. Despite the Fed’s rate cut of 25 basis points, BTC headed south and lost $16,000 within days, going from over $108,000 on Tuesday to $92,000 on Friday.

It bounced off during the weekend and even spiked above $99,000, but that was short-lived. BTC started to retrace almost immediately and dumped toward $92,000 once again on Monday.

It managed to sustain that level and recovered to around $94,000 on Tuesday, and then came the Santa Claus rally, which pushed it north hard. In a matter of a few hours, bitcoin’s price jumped from $94,000 to just over $99,000. Although it has lost some traction since then, BTC is still above $98,000 after a 4% daily increase.

Its market capitalization has shot up to $1.940 trillion on CG, and its dominance over the altcoins is back above 54%.

AVAX Up 5%

Most altcoins are slightly in the green today as well. Ethereum has neared $3,500 after a 2% increase, while XRP is up to $2.3 after jumping by a similar percentage. BNB, ADA, TRX, and LINK have posted identical increases.

Solana, Dogeocin, and Toncoin have jumped by around 2-4%, while AVAX has added nearly 5% of value and now sits above $40.

The biggest daily gains from the largest 100 alts come from MOVE (26%), BGB (16%), PENGU (13%), JASMY (13%), and VET (10%).

The cumulative market cap of all crypto assets has added over $100 billion since yesterday and is close to $3.6 trillion on CG.

Credefi is heading into 2025 with ambitious plans to revolutionize decentralized finance (DeFi). After a groundbreaking 2024, the company has laid a strong foundation for the innovations to come. Here’s a closer look at their accomplishments over the past year and their vision for the year ahead.

2024: Laying the Groundwork for Innovation

In 2024, Credefi made significant advancements in technology and strengthened its connection with the community. The year kicked off with efforts to improve platform stability as well as user experience in a bid to ensure the system was prepared to handle its expanding user base. By spring, Credefi reached a key milestone with the $CREDI token being listed on Gate.io which offered users greater opportunities to trade and invest while boosting liquidity and drawing new participants to the ecosystem.

During the summer, Credefi formed strategic partnerships and made significant technological strides. The foundation was laid for the integration of NFT Bonds and Default Swaps with Creditcoin’s EVM chain which paved the way for a closer relationship between traditional finance and blockchain.

Although these features won’t be launched until 2025, the groundwork for a smooth transition has already been set. In the autumn, Credefi showcased its commitment to real-world applications by beta-testing digital IBANs. The service, designed to streamline the movement of funds between fiat and crypto, is currently being tested by the community. It is expected to be fully launched in early 2025.

Credefi ended the year with a major announcement about the upcoming CREDI/RLUSD pair launch on the XRP Ledger. This move leverages XRPL’s high efficiency and low cost to enhance interoperability and liquidity within the ecosystem.

To cap off 2024, Credefi also introduced a sleek new website, which highlighted its real-world impact, including over $5 million in active loans and a strong 12% fixed interest rate. The roll out of community-driven initiatives like the CREDI Whales Club reflected the company’s ongoing dedication to user involvement and sustainable long-term growth.

2025: A Visionary Roadmap

Credefi is poised for a transformative 2025 approach. A key component of this evolution is a complete overhaul of the hybrid fintech platform. The new dApp will eliminate traditional barriers such as KYC requirements, offering permissionless access and ensuring inclusivity for users worldwide.

The redesigned platform will feature an intuitive interface and scalable design which will make it easy for both experienced DeFi users and beginners to navigate and enjoy a seamless, accessible experience.

Staking will become a central focus for Credefi in 2025, with the platform rolling out options designed to meet the needs of a diverse user base. Retail staking pools will provide attractive rewards for smaller $CREDI holders, while exclusive whale pools will offer high APYs and early access to new features. Additionally, collaborative farming will introduce a new dimension that will allow users to stake $CREDI and earn partner tokens.

Meanwhile, Credefi’s Peer-to-Peer lending will undergo a complete transformation to offer borrowers unparalleled flexibility. They will be able to customize loan terms, choose from various collateral options, and engage in trustless, permissionless transactions, ensuring a more inclusive and adaptable lending experience.

TradFi and DeFi: A Seamless Bridge

One of Credefi’s most impactful initiatives for 2025 is its focus on further expanding the merging of traditional finance with decentralized systems. The rollout of digital IBANs will simplify fiat-to-crypto transitions and provide users with secure SEPA transfers and intuitive on/off ramps.

This feature, now in beta testing, is expected to redefine financial accessibility and utility upon full release. The integration of the CREDI/RLUSD pair on XRPL will play a crucial role in expanding Credefi’s ecosystem. By tapping into XRPL’s high-speed, low-cost blockchain, Credefi guarantees greater interoperability and liquidity while opening new doors for its users to interact with decentralized financial products.

Tokenized Bonds and Asset-Backed Instruments

As part of its strategic roadmap for 2025, Credefi is focusing on the tokenization of real-world assets. The introduction of NFT Bonds will offer users secure, flexible, and tradable investments tied to real-world assets, thereby combining the trustworthiness of traditional finance with the revolutionary potential of blockchain. In addition to this, Credefi will offer asset-backed debt instruments, which will package loans from individuals and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) into diversified investment portfolios. This will open up new trading and investment opportunities.

Exploring New Frontiers

Looking ahead, Credefi is exploring the creation of a Real-World Asset Launchpad, a platform that would facilitate decentralized fundraising for projects while offering $CREDI holders exclusive early access to new opportunities. Though still in the planning stages, this development demonstrates Credefi’s focus on empowering its community and further driving the growth of its ecosystem.

The Year Ahead

With 2025 on the horizon, Credefi is ready to change the game in decentralized lending. The achievements of 2024 have set the stage for this transformation, proving that continued innovation and a strong commitment can unlock limitless opportunities.

Featuring permissionless access, next-gen staking, enhanced P2P lending, and the groundbreaking integration of XRPL, Credefi is leading the charge in the evolution of finance. Be a part of Credefi’s revolutionary journey. With an ambitious vision and a strong commitment to its community, 2025 will be a year where decentralized finance shatters expectations and creates endless opportunities for all.

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT has exposed a sophisticated phishing operation that has managed to compromise over 15 X accounts.

The scheme targeted investors in Solana-based meme coins and has resulted in an estimated loss of $500,000.

Solana Meme Coin Fraud

The Blockchain detective revealed in a December 24 social media post that the operation involved impersonating the X team and leveraging phishing websites to gain unauthorized access to high-profile accounts.

The attackers used fake copyright infringement notices to create a sense of urgency, tricking account holders into visiting phishing websites. These sites prompted users to reset their two-factor authentication (2FA) or passwords.

Once credentials were obtained, the hackers used the compromised accounts to push scams targeting meme coin enthusiasts.

Each compromised account shared a specific contract address tied to fraudulent Solana tokens, urging followers to invest using SOL. Posts often featured the caption “Incoming Transmission,” followed by a token announcement and contract details.

The cybercriminals also attempted to obscure their operations by bridging stolen funds between the Solana and Ethereum networks. However, ZachXBT’s investigation uncovered that all the hacked accounts were linked through six deployer addresses used for the scams.

The scheme exploited the trust and large audiences of crypto-focused accounts, many of which had over 200,000 followers. Prominent ones affected included Kick, Cursor, The Arena, Brett, and Alex Blania, with the first reported incident occurring on November 26 involving RuneMine, while the most recent was Kick on December 24.

Growing Threats to Social Media Platforms

This attack is not an isolated incident but part of a broader social media platform exploitation trend by threat actors. X, a hub for crypto projects and creators, has increasingly been targeted for its prominence within the community.

In a similar investigation in November, ZachXBT exposed several account takeovers on X and Instagram, which fueled pump-and-dump schemes tied to meme coins. Victims reportedly lost over $3.5 million during this spree, which began in August 2024.

The pattern of these attacks remains consistent: accounts are breached, fraudulent tokens are promoted, and the proceeds are funneled into anonymous wallets.

Notable examples include the hacking of Symbiotic’s X account in October, where phishing links disguised as airdrop checklists led to tokens being stolen. EigenLayer’s account was hijacked that month to promote a fake airdrop campaign. Truth Terminal AI founder Andy Ayrey’s account was also used to promote fraudulent meme coins, netting the hacker $1.5 million.

Following the latest incident, the on-chain sleuth has advised users to increase their account security by limiting the reuse of email addresses across services and using security keys for 2FA whenever possible.