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Vitalik Buterin Challenges Michael Saylor’s Dismissal of Bitcoin Centralization Risks

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Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has added his voice to the chorus of condemnation facing MicroStrategy co-founder Michael Saylor following the latter’s comments advocating for institutional Bitcoin (BTC) custody.

Buterin’s critique came after Saylor suggested in a recent interview that large institutions holding Bitcoin can reduce the chances of asset seizure, which lawless crypto holders could more likely cause.

Saylor Advocates for Institutional Custody

In the October 21 sit down with Madison Reidy, the self-described Bitcoin maximalist discussed a wide range of issues, including the potential for broader asset adoption among companies and governments. He also advocated for the need for user-friendly BTC investment products, suggesting they are crucial for the cryptocurrency’s mainstream acceptance.

However, it was Saylor’s response to Reidy’s question regarding the potential risk of making Bitcoin more centralized by putting it in the hands of a few large institutions that drew the ire of the community.

She suggested that such a scenario could increase the risk of seizure and confiscation, as happened with gold in the 1930s. Saylor dismissed the concern, calling those who held it “paranoid crypto-anarchists.”

“People say that, but it’s mostly paranoid crypto-anarchists. It’s a myth and a trope that repeats itself. First of all, the government didn’t really seize gold back then; people voluntarily turned it in,” said MicroStrategy’s former CEO.

Saylor argued that regulated entities such as BlackRock and Fidelity, rather than individuals or small custodians, should be the primary holders of Bitcoin. He claimed this would protect the cryptocurrency from government seizure while ensuring its stability in the broader financial system.

Further, he declared that these same anarchists could actually originate a Bitcoin seizure event due to their disregard for the rule of law:

“I think when Bitcoin is held by a bunch of crypto-anarchists who aren’t regulated entities, who don’t acknowledge government or don’t acknowledge taxes, or don’t acknowledge reporting requirements, that increase the risk of seizure.”

Buterin’s Stance on Self-Custody

But Vitalik Buterin disagreed. In an October 23 response to a post by crypto security expert Jameson Lopp, the Ethereum co-founder said Saylor’s argument effectively promotes centralization, which Bitcoin was designed to avoid.

In his opinion, trusting institutional players with the asset’s custody erodes the very foundation of decentralization on which cryptocurrencies are built.

Buterin also took aim at his earlier involvement in the “mountain man” stereotype surrounding BTC self-custody, calling the notion outdated. He stated that advancements such as zero-knowledge proof and account abstraction have evolved the security trade-offs for self-custody.

The developer maintains that Saylor’s vision of institutional custody is dangerous, suggesting that self-custody, while not without challenges, is important to Bitcoin’s long-term security and integrity.

Buterin’s Ethereum has also had its own issues with centralization. A report from 2023 showed that more than 60% of its nodes were run through centralized entities like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud. It prompted the co-founder to suggest using stateless clients as a possible workaround for the issue, although he acknowledged it may take between 10 and 20 years to get there.

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Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin Hits Fresh All-Time High as Saylor and Kiyosaki Want to Buy More

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After a brief two-day hiatus, the primary cryptocurrency stepped on the gas pedal once again, hitting a fresh peak at over $119,400.

The latest price surge came after Strategy’s former CEO hinted about another purchase, while the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad said he is going to buy more asap.

BTCUSD. Source: TradingView
BTCUSD. Source: TradingView

The new peak came minutes ago when BTC jumped to the aforementioned level of $119,400 after slipping back down to $117,000 yesterday. Today’s surge seems somewhat unexpected, at least when viewed from a macroeconomic point of view.

After all, the US imposed a new set of tariffs against the EU and Mexico yesterday, at a rate of 30%. Similar instances in the past resulted in price declines, not new peaks.

However, bitcoin seems immune to Trump’s global policy at the moment. The cryptocurrency added more than $11,000 since Wednesday, when it stood calmly at $108,000. In the following days, the asset broke into uncharted territory on multiple occasions, including the Friday peak of almost $119,000. You can check some of the possible reasons behind this impressive conclusion of the entire week here.

Earlier today, Michael Saylor, the co-founder and bitcoin champion of Startegy, hinted that the company had made another purchase recently after failing to announce a new buy last Monday (which is a rare occasion). Strategy’s purchases since the US elections are announced each Monday, so please make sure to check our site tomorrow for updates.

Before that, Robert Kiyosaki urged people to study bitcoin as it could be “your path to becoming a millionaire.” Additionally, he praised the asset for trading above $117,000 (at the time) and said he was “going to buy one more bitcoin asap.”

The author of the bestseller Rich Dad, Poor Dad has become a prominent and vocal proponent of BTC, advising people to invest more in it for several years.

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Cryptocurrency

Czech Central Bank Loads Up on Palantir, Buys Coinbase Shares

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TL;DR

  • Czech National Bank enters crypto, adding 51,732 Coinbase shares worth over $18 million.
  • Palantir stake expanded as stock rises 80% in 2025, far outpacing the S&P 500.
  • Coinbase growth continues with Deribit and Liquifi acquisitions strengthening crypto market presence.

Coinbase Added in $18 Million Investment

The Czech National Bank added 51,732 shares of Coinbase in the second quarter of 2025. The position is worth over $18 million, based on recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Meanwhile, this is the first time the bank has disclosed a position in a U.S.-listed cryptocurrency exchange. Coinbase joined the S&P 500 earlier this year and has since gained attention from institutional investors.

Palantir Holdings Expanded

The central bank also raised its stake in Palantir Technologies. It added 49,135 shares during the quarter, bringing its total to 519,950 shares by the end of June.

Palantir’s stock rose 80% during the first half of 2025. Its gains have been supported by earnings growth and increased demand for its AI-driven data tools.

By comparison, the S&P 500 rose 5.5% over the same period.

Coinbase Growth Through Acquisitions

Coinbase has been expanding its services through acquisitions. In May, it announced a deal to buy Deribit, an exchange on crypto options, at $2.9 billion. Earlier this month, it bought Liquifi, a company that creates token management and billing tools.

Consequently, these purchases give the company more reach in crypto trading and infrastructure. It is also expanding its capabilities of supporting spot and derivatives trading and budding token projects.

In the first quarter, Coinbase reported $2 billion in revenue, down 10% from a year earlier. Despite the decline, its earnings per share were posted at 1.94, exceeding analyst expectations. The decrease in revenues had a crypto holding unrealized loss of $596 million.

The Czech National Bank’s recent moves reflect a broader focus on digital assets and emerging technologies. Coinbase stock is up 41% for the year and has gained another 10% in recent weeks. Over the past month, shares have risen about 60%, according to Google Finance data.

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Cryptocurrency

XLM, HBAR Extend Massive Gains as BTC Stands Still Despite Trump’s New Tariffs: Weekend Watch

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Bitcoin’s muted price actions during the weekend continued in the past 24 hours as the asset calmed following the explosive rally observed from Wednesday to Friday.

In the meantime, many altcoins have extended their gains, with XLM, HBAR, and BONK emerging as today’s top performers.

BTC Stalls at $118K

Recall that bitcoin’s price volatility had largely disappeared since the start of the month, as the asset was confined within a relatively tight range between $105,000 and $110,000. Following a few unsuccessful attempts for a breakout, though, came Wednesday evening when the bulls took full control of the market.

During the first wave north, they pushed the cryptocurrency beyond $110,000 and all the way up to $112,000, which set a new all-time high. While bitcoin retraced slightly on the next day, its rally couldn’t be contained yet, and it shot up to $116,000 on Thursday.

Friday saw another impressive leg up that drove the primary digital asset ot almost $119,000, which became its latest all-time high. This meant that BTC had added over ten grand in less than 48 hours to set a new record. You can check some of the possible reasons behind this mindblowing surge here.

Saturday saw little to no action, even though Trump slapped the EU and Mexico with 30% tariffs and warned there would be more if they responded.

BTC slipped slightly to $117,500 but has managed to recover the losses and is back to $118,000 as of press time now. Its market cap remains close to $2.350 trillion, making bitcoin the sixth-largest global asset.

BTCUSD. Source: TradingView
BTCUSD. Source: TradingView

These Alts Keep Rocking

Most altcoins have stalled similar to BTC over the past day or so, but XLM and HBAR stand in a league of their own. The former has added another 17.5% in the past day, extending its weekly gains to over 85%.

HBAR has surged by nearly 15% daily and almost 50% weekly, which has pushed its price well beyond $0.22. BONK completes the double-digit price pump club, with a 12% surge of its own.

Other big gainers from the larger-cap alts include ALGO, IMX, and MNT, but their increases are noticeably smaller.

The cumulative market cap of all crypto assets has gained around $20 billion overnight and is up to $3.760 trillion on CG.

Cryptocurrency Market Overview. Source: QuantifyCrypto
Cryptocurrency Market Overview. Source: QuantifyCrypto
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Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.

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