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


Tech

Coinbase’s Base launches AI tool for ChatGPT to manage crypto wallets and DeFi apps

The product, called Base MCP, connects a user’s Base Account to AI clients such as ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an emerging standard that allows AI systems to securely interface with external tools and applications.

Jesse Pollak (courtesy Winni Wintermeyer/Coinbase)

Markets

TeraWulf jumps 13% on AI data center expansion in Kentucky

The bitcoin miner turned HPC infrastructure developer unveiled plans for a new 1 gigawatt facility in Kentucky aimed at servicing AI workloads.

Bitcoin miners (Shutterstock)

Markets

Live markets: bitcoin leads crypto slide even as tech sector closes sharply higher

Oil prices and bond yields opened the week sharply lower following President Trump's weekend announcement of an imminent Middle East agreement.

Bitcoin price chart on a screen (Behnam Norouzi/Unsplash)

Finance

Bitmine made its largest ETH purchase this year despite Tom Lee's slowdown suggestion

The company bought 111,942 ether last week worth $237 million, ramping up purchases to take advantage of ETH's drop below $2,200.

Tom Lee on the Mainstage at Consensus Miami 2026

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Markets

Strive acquires 1,109 bitcoin, raising total holdings to 16,500 coins

ASST climbs 133% in three months as Strive grows holdings to 16,500 BTC and explores fresh capital raising options.

Strive CEO Matt Cole speaks at BTC Asia in Hong Kong (screenshot)

Markets

Strategy taps cash reserve to retire $1.5 billion in convertible debt

Michael Saylor and team funded the repurchases using cash as it restructures liabilities tied to its BTC treasury strategy.

Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor standing. (Nikhilesh De/CoinDesk))

Finance

Prometheum bets Wall Street distribution is the missing link for tokenized securities

Crypto has solved tokenization, but not distribution and Prometheum says broker-dealers and RIAs are the key to bringing digital assets into mainstream finance.

Road sign saying "Wall Street"

Markets

Hyperliquid is emerging as a challenger to traditional exchanges and prediction markets, says FalconX

A new report shows Hyperliquid is rapidly expanding beyond crypto into pre-IPO markets, prediction contracts, and 24/7 asset trading, putting Wall Street giants on high alert.

REX Shares has launched a first-of-its-kind convertible-bonds exchange-traded fund (ETF). (Unsplash)

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Finance

Coinbase does not fear competition from Wall Street, says exchange executive

A Coinbase executive called on regulators to implement sensible crypto regulation, while announcing the Stand With Crypto event taking place in over 500 locations worldwide.

(Coinbase/Press)

Finance

A massive $1 trillion hidden market is waiting to be unlocked in bitcoin, says new report

Ledn forecasts the bitcoin-backed lending market could grow to $1 trillion within a decade as new research highlights strong borrower demand.

Lending money, bills on a person's hands (Christian Dubovan/Unsplash)