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

Ethereum Foundation wants the network to be the trust layer for AI

Davide Crapis, the foundation's AI lead, sees the network acting as a coordination and verification layer in an increasingly AI-mediated world.

Ethereum Logo

Markets

CEO of crypto investment firm Keyrock says bitcoin is undervalued, entering ‘transition year’

Kevin de Patoul argues that 2026 won't be a washout for digital assets, but instead a structural reset as traditional finance quietly moves onchain.

Keyrock CEO and co-founder Kevin de Patoul (Keyrock, modified by CoinDesk)

Markets

Institutional investors may be buying the dip as traders pour $1.7 billion into spot bitcoin ETFs

Fresh allocations to spot bitcoin ETFs suggest investors are growing more comfortable despite the asset still being down 16% this year.

(Ray Juno/Getty Images)

Markets

Bitcoin just cleared $73,000, but skeptical traders are already bracing for a 'bull trap'

Bitcoin has broken above $73,000 after weeks of consolidation, but traders remain divided over whether the move marks a genuine breakout or another trap for late buyers.

(Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Markets

Coinbase, Strategy lead crypto stocks higher as bitcoin spikes above $72,000

Crypto-related equities saw large gains at the Wednesday open, rebounding from Tuesday's selloff.

Black upward arrow in a white circle (Unsplash)

Markets

Bitcoin 'air pocket' above $72,000 could mean quick run to $80,000

Data shows an extraordinarily thin supply between $72,000 and $80,000, suggesting there's little resistance in that range.

CoinDesk

Finance

Stablecoin giant Tether invests $50 million in sleep technology startup Eight Sleep

The firm behind the $183 billion USDT stablecoin is expanding beyond its crypto roots to longevity and artificial intelligence.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino (Modified by CoinDesk)

Markets

Circle shares boosted by Middle East tensions, rising oil, fading rate cut hopes, says Mizuho

The stock has risen about 20% since the U.S. strikes on Iran over the weekend.

(Sandali Handagama/ CoinDesk)

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Tech

AI agents will be primary users of blockchain, NEAR co-founder says

Polosukhin argues that AI will become the primary interface layer for everything online, including crypto, abstracting away wallets, explorers and transaction hashes.

NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin (Margaux Nijkerk/ CoinDesk)

Web3

Aave governance rift deepens as major governance group exits $26 billion DeFi protocol

The conflict centered on a proposal to fund product development and expansion, which ACI opposed due to concerns over self-voting and lack of transparency.

Chess piece being moved (Ahmed/Unsplash+/Modified by CoinDesk)