In the final week of 2024, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, adopted a viral pygmy hippopotamus named Moo Deng with an 88 Ether donation to a Thai zoo. This generous act was celebrated on social media, with Buterin hinting at the possibility of further contributions. Meanwhile, James Howells, an IT engineer from Wales, continues his high-profile legal battle to retrieve a hard drive containing private keys to over 8,000 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $773 million, lost since 2013. In other news, South Korea imposed sanctions on 15 North Koreans implicated in numerous cryptocurrency heists, contributing to over $2.3 billion stolen in 2024, a 40% increase from the previous year. Additionally, Solana's Jito staking pool reported over $100 million in monthly revenues for November and December, reflecting its growing usage and validator earnings from transaction prioritization. The broader cryptocurrency market saw the majority of top assets finish the week positively, highlighting a vibrant yet tumultuous year in crypto.

Source 🔗