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Crypto Whale DJ Seedphrase Sells Rare CryptoPunk for $4.4M

The investor-turned-DJ told CoinDesk that he was running low on liquidity and wanted to spark movement during crypto winter.

Updated May 11, 2023, 4:25 p.m. Published Sep 29, 2022, 2:14 p.m.
(CryptoPunk 2924 via OpenSea)
(CryptoPunk 2924 via OpenSea)

DJ Seedphrase, an early bitcoin investor and prominent personality within the non-fungible token (NFT) community, sold his rare CryptoPunk 2924 on Wednesday to a buyer in Texas for 3,300 ether , or about US$4.45 million.

The Punk, one of only 24 Apes punks, was last sold in November 2020 for 150 ETH ($71,300) to DJ Seedphrase, the pseudonym of Danny Maegaard. Maegaard currently owns 20 other punks, including his signature CryptoPunk 8348, which features a top hat, big beard, shades and a cigarette.

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He told CoinDesk that he had been negotiating with a buyer who operates a family office out of Texas for the last week before deciding to sell his coveted hooded Ape punk.

"I was running low on liquidity and NFT sales volume has taken a nosedive recently, so I knew it would take an exceptional grail to get some market movement," he told CoinDesk. "I’ve regularly received private offers for the hoodie ape, so I knew the interest was there. It was just a matter of finding the right price."

The buyer had used a wallet that had been dormant for over five years to purchase the punk, leading some to question the transaction's legitimacy. In October 2021, Punk 9998 was traded between two wallets for 124,457 ETH, worth around $532 million at the time. The trade raised suspicions and ultimately turned out to be an insider deal known as a wash trade.

However, CryptoPunk NFTs, which are widely credited with starting the modern crypto art movement, have been known to fetch millions in resale. In June 2021, CryptoPunk 7523, also known as "Covid Alien," sold for $11.7 million – the highest sale ever for a CryptoPunk NFT.

The sale of Punk 2924 is notable during the current "crypto winter" as cryptocurrency prices have plummeted and NFT sales have stagnated.

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KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

Yang perlu diketahui:

  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

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Agora's Nick van Eck bets on stablecoin boom in enterprise payments

Agora CEO Nick van Eck

Agora CEO Nick van Eck sees stablecoin adoption shifting to real-world business for cross-border payments.

Yang perlu diketahui:

  • Agora, founded by Nick van Eck, is shifting its focus from DeFi growth toward using its AUSD stablecoin for enterprise payroll, B2B and cross-border payments.
  • Van Eck argued that traditional companies will adopt stablecoins slowly due to infrastructure, policy and education gaps, but sees the biggest gains in replacing costly, pre-funded cross-border payment systems.
  • He said he expects corporate-controlled chains like Circle's Arc, Coinbase's Base and Stripe's Tempo to dominate as the market consolidates, and aims for Agora to become a top-five global stablecoin issuer by building tools that feel more like bank accounts than crypto.