Stephen Alpher

Stephen is CoinDesk's managing editor for Markets. He previously served as managing editor at Seeking Alpha. A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Stephen went to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, majoring in finance. He holds BTC above CoinDesk’s disclosure threshold of $1,000.

Stephen Alpher

Latest from Stephen Alpher


Markets

Solana Staking ETF Opens for Trade, Becoming First Such U.S. Crypto Staking Product

The vehicle from REX Shares and Osprey Funds has selected Anchorage Digital as the exclusive custodian and staking partner.

Nathan McCauley, co-founder and CEO of Anchorage Digital at Consensus 2025.

Markets

Genius Group Adds 20 Bitcoin, Targets 1K BTC Within Six Months

The previously roughed-up shares have been on a tear in recent weeks, now sporting more than a 100% year-to-date advance.

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Finance

Italian Banking Group Banca Sella Pilots Stablecoin Custody With Fireblocks: Bloomberg

The trial focuses solely on crypto custody, with no plans for trading services, according to the report.

Italy's biggest bank Intesa Sanpaolo (JamesQube/Pixabay)

Markets

Bitcoin Pulls Back to $106K After Record Monthly Close

Altcoins also posted losses Tuesday as profit-taking and weakness in tech stocks dragged crypto markets lower.

Bitcoin price chart (Messari)

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Markets

Litecoin Slides as ETF Optimism Battles Wider Market Slowdown

Technical analysis suggests a potential "golden cross" pattern, which could precede a multi-week rally.

LTC price chart (CoinDesk Data)

Finance

MARA Holdings Nears 50K Bitcoin Treasury Milestone

The company in June saw a 25% decrease in blocks won mostly due to weather-related curtailments.

Bitcoin ASIC miner (CoinDesk Archives)

Markets

Circle's Valuation Not Stretched, Says Citi, Starting Coverage With Buy Rating

Citi's $243 price target suggests roughly 34% upside from last night's close just above $181.

Major banks' logos light up the night atop skyscrapers. (Miquel Parera/Unsplash)

Finance

Crypto Investors Lost $2.5B to Hacks and Scams in the First Half of 2025: Certik

The majority of incidents took place on the Ethereum network, followed by Bitcoin.

Under a low-light red lamp, a pair of hands types on a keyboard. (Wesley Tingey/Unsplash+)

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Finance

Circle Applies for National Trust Bank Charter

A federal trust charter would bring Circle under direct federal bank regulator oversight, aligning it with how traditional financial institutions are overseen.

Circle's logo and name (Sandali Handagama/ CoinDesk)

Markets

Bitcoin Carried Crypto Markets in 2025's First Half as Altcoins Crumbled. What's Next?

Crypto stayed flat in a volatile first half of the year thanks to bitcoin. Meanwhile, Ethereum's ETH, Solana's SOL and small caps endured steep losses.

Bull and Bear (nosheep/Pixabay)