BitGo’s Ethereum-based tokenized bitcoin project Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) has expanded to the TRON blockchain, along with a tokenized version of ether, Wrapped Ether (WETH).

WikiLeaks has received a donation of 8.48 BTC, worth over $280,000 at the time it was sent after a British judge ruled that its founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the U.S. to face charges of espionage.

The XRP token has been dropped from the Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund, which is also made up of other top cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin, over the recent lawsuit the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed against Ripple.

Top stories in the Crypto Roundup today:

• Wrapped Bitcoin, Ether Launched on the TRON Blockchain
• WikiLeaks Receives $280,000 Bitcoin Donation After Court Rules Assange Cannot be Extradited
• Grayscale Removes XRP From Its Digital Large Cap Fund
• BTC, ADA, XLM Are Moving in the Crypto Market

Wrapped Bitcoin, Ether Launched on the TRON Blockchain

BitGo’s Ethereum-based tokenized bitcoin project Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) has expanded to the TRON blockchain, along with a tokenized version of ether, Wrapped Ether (WETH).

The firm’s clients are reportedly already minting both WBTC and WETH on the TRON blockchain as TRC-20 tokens, with 100 BTC worth over $3.4 million having already been minted by Alameda Research and CoinList.

The launch comes after a few test mints executed by BitGo in mid-December. Alameda has also minted 1 WETH on TRON. The trading firm has minted WBTC and WETH to meet over-the-counter (OTC) client demand.

BitGo’s original tokenized bitcoin project, ERC-20 WBTC on the Ethereum network, saw nearly parabolic growth in the second half of 2020, peaking above 124,000 BTC being wrapped on ETH, as the decentralized finance sector kept demand up.

WikiLeaks Receives $280,000 Bitcoin Donation After Court Rules Assange Cannot be Extradited

WikiLeaks has received a donation of 8.48 BTC, worth over $280,000 at the time it was sent after a British judge ruled that its founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the U.S. to face charges of espionage.

The organization is known to receive large cryptocurrency donations after it makes headlines. In April 2018, after Julian Assange was arrested at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he had been staying for seven years, Wikileaks received 5.6 BTC in donations, at the time worth about $28,500. Those coins are now worth $177,800.

Assange’s extradition to the U.S. was denied not because of his defense team’s work, as its arguments were shut down by district judge Vanessa Baraitser, who agreed his alleged activities fell outside the realm of journalism, The Guardian reports. Instead, extradition was denied based on medical evidence.

WikiLeaks was one of the first organizations to accept bitcoin donations. In December 2010, Bank of America, VISA, MasterCard, PayPal, and Western Union imposed a financial blockade on WikiLeaks. At the time the bitcoin community was still small and cheered it as an opportunity for the flagship cryptocurrency’s adoption to grow.

Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, argued against WikiLeaks’ adoption at the time, saying it could destroy the crypto community in its infancy WikiLeaks, it’s worth noting, also accepts ETH and ZEC donations.

Grayscale Removes XRP From Its Digital Large Cap Fund

The XRP token has been dropped from the Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund, which is also made up of other top cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin, over the recent lawsuit the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed against Ripple.

Grayscale has dropped XRP from its Digital Large Cap Fund over the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple. The lawsuit was announced on December 22, one day before former chairman Jay Clayton resigned, and names Ripple Labs and its two executives, alleging “they raised over $1.3 billion through an unregistered, ongoing digital asset securities offering.”

Grayscale reportedly still operates a standalone XRP Trust, but stopped accepting new subscriptions to the fund one day after the SEC announced its lawsuit. Before Grayscale dropped XRP from the fund, it made up approximately 1.46% of its component, with BTC making up over 80% and Ethereum making up over 15% of it.

BTC, ADA, XLM Are Moving in the Crypto Market

Several tokens are leading the charge in the last 24-hour period. Some of these are well-known cryptocurrencies with rather liquid trading pairs, so we’ll be focusing on these over low-cap cryptos that may have higher percentage changes.

Bitcoin (BTC) – Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks; managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network. The cryptocurrency hit a new all-time high above $35,000 earlier today and is now trading at $34,600.

Cardano (ADA) – Designed and developed by IOHK in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh, the University of Athens, and the University of Connecticut, Cardano SL (or Cardano Settlement Layer) is the world’s first peer-reviewed Proof of Stake cryptocurrency. Its token Ada is up 24.52% in the last 24 hours.

Stellar (XLM) – Stellar is a decentralized platform that aims to connect banks, payments systems, and people. Integrate to move money quickly, reliably, and at almost no cost. Supported by a nonprofit, Stellar’s goal is to bring the world together by increasing interoperability between diverse financial systems and currencies. XLM is up 61.8% in the last 24-hour period.

State of the Crypto by Top Tier Exchange Volume

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