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COINDESK'S LATEST SPOT BITCOIN ETF APPROVAL COVERAGE

Click on the headline for the latest news on the landmark U.S. approval of spot bitcoin ETFs.

Updated Jan 12, 2024, 2:41 p.m. Published Jan 12, 2024, 1:47 p.m.
New York Stock Exchange with banner flagging ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF on the day it started trading.
(Cheyenne Ligon/CoinDesk)

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Pudgy Penguins: A New Blueprint for Tokenized Culture

Pudgy Title Image

Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.

What to know:

Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.

The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.

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Nomura's Laser Digital applies for U.S. national trust bank to offer crypto custody

Nomura's name on an exhibition stand.

The proposed bank would offer cryptocurrency custody, spot trading and staking services under direct federal regulatory supervision.

What to know:

  • Laser Digital, Nomura's digital assets arm, applied for a license to open Laser Digital National Trust Bank, seeking OCC approval to provide digital asset services for institutional clients.
  • The proposed bank would offer cryptocurrency custody, spot trading and staking services under direct federal regulatory supervision.
  • Laser Digital joins other crypto companies including Ripple and Circle Internet in seeking trust bank charters.