The final week of 2024 witnessed significant news in the cryptocurrency world, highlighted by Vitalik Buterin’s philanthropic move and ongoing legal battles surrounding Bitcoin. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin adopted Moo Deng, a viral pygmy hippopotamus, through a generous donation of 88 Ether, equivalent to around $292,000. His contribution was made to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, which had seen Moo Deng rise to fame due to her lively personality and captivating online presence. Buterin indicated the possibility of future donations to the zoo.
In another development, James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, is in the midst of a legal struggle to regain access to a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins, valued at approximately $773 million. The drive, accidentally discarded in 2013, holds cryptocurrency from the early days of Bitcoin. Newport City Council currently denies access due to environmental concerns. Despite this, Howells remains confident, supported by a robust legal team and advanced AI technology, with plans to reinvest in the cryptocurrency community if successful.
On the geopolitical front, South Korea sanctioned 15 North Korean individuals and one organization for involvement in crypto-related cyber thefts. These actions are linked to activities that finance North Korea’s missile development program. Notably, North Korean hackers are blamed for over half of the cryptocurrency thefts in 2024, including the major Ronin network hack.
The year 2024 also saw a surge in crypto hacks, with losses exceeding $2.3 billion, a 40% increase over the previous year, primarily due to security breaches in centralized exchanges. This increase mirrors Bitcoin’s rise past the $100,000 mark, indicating heightened hacker interest in crypto assets.
In another positive development for the crypto ecosystem, Solana’s Jito staking pool reported over $100 million in monthly revenues from transaction tips and fees in the last two months of the year. This success underscores the growing profitability within the Solana network for its validators.
Market movements also showed strength, with many of the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization finishing the week in positive territory. Notably, Bitget Token and Virtuals Protocol coin emerged as significant gainers, indicating robust investor appetite in this rapidly evolving market landscape.
