In the crypto sector, the total market capitalization of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data tokens has fallen by nearly 30% in December 2024, dropping to approximately $50.5 billion from a peak of $70.4 billion earlier in the month. This indicates a significant decline in trader interest, with trading volumes around AI tokens decreasing by nearly 11% to $4.73 billion. On a different note, US-listed Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw impressive inflows in 2024, totaling $38.3 billion, much higher than initial industry estimates. The Bitcoin ETFs accounted for $35.65 billion, led by BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF with $37.31 billion in net inflows, while the Ether ETFs gained $2.68 billion overall. However, these Bitcoin ETFs experienced a notable downturn towards the year's end, resulting in $1.33 billion in outflows since Dec. 19. Additionally, the IRS has classified decentralized finance (DeFi) front-ends as brokers for tax reporting purposes, with regulations set to take effect in 2027, requiring disclosures from platforms facilitating crypto transactions.

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