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

Early 2026 tailwinds for bitcoin miners as hashrate falls, profitability improves: JPMorgan

U.S.-listed bitcoin miners entered 2026 with rising revenues, improving margins and recovering valuations, setting a more constructive near-term backdrop.

Racks of mining machines.

Markets

DTCC aiming to make all 1.4 million securities in its custody digitally eligible

The company's Brian Steele suggests the industry giant aims to redefine the limits of tokenization in capital markets.

Art installation reminiscent of digital ecosystems

Markets

Coinbase fears tokenization rival Securitize, says Citron Research

Tokenization platform Securitize is going public — as soon as the first half of 2026 — through a SPAC deal with Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT)

Coinbase

Finance

Galaxy Digital stock rises 4% after Texas grid operator approves data center expansion

The expansion supports Galaxy's AI and high-performance computing plans, with construction underway on the first phase.

Data center servers (Taylor Vick/Unsplash)

Advertisement

Markets

Bitcoin slides below $96,000 as key crypto bill stalls in Congress

After a brief reprieve, crypto returned to selling off during U.S. market hours on Thursday.

Bitcoin (BTC) price on Jan. 15 (CoinDesk)

Markets

Michael Saylor's Strategy still has major upside despite 2025 plunge, says TD Cowen

Strategy remains an effective proxy for bitcoin exposure, particularly for investors with a long-term view, analyst Lance Vitanza said.

MicroStrategy

Finance

Tom Lee's Bitmine Immersion invests $200 million in YouTube star MrBeast’s company

The investment gives Bitmine a stake in a brand with strong Gen Z and millennial appeal, reaching over 450 million subscribers across its YouTube channels.

Tom Lee of Bitmine. (Coindesk)

Finance

VelaFi raises $20 million in Series B to expand stablecoin payments infrastructure

The LatAm-based company said the funding will support expansion across the U.S. and Asia.

Stablecoin networks (Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Advertisement

Markets

Bitcoin pulls back to $90,000 as early Friday rally attempt fails

U.S. employment data for December was mixed, while inflation expectations edged higher, and the U.S. Supreme Court did not deliver a ruling on the Trump Administration's tariffs.

Lower rates may be behind bitcoin's big move (© Eugene Mymrin)

Finance

Crypto exchange OKX cuts institutional staff amid global restructuring

The exchange has overhauled its institutional business as part of a broader restructuring, with approximately one-third of its sales team exiting, according to one source.

A man runs past a wall-painted exit pictogram toward a door.