Yeah, we like gambling. Really, betting of any kind.

It started when we were kids, betting we could hold our breath for 60 seconds or jump off the roof.

And now we’re in Vegas, going double or nothing and adding our house keys to our rapidly dwindling pile of chips.

But you don’t have to bet with us, you could bet with Google.

That’s right, the world’s biggest search engine wants to get in on the action, don’t you want to hear the stakes?

Espresso Shots

☕️ Bitcoin and Ethereum Get Interest Rates Bump 📈 🪙

Both Bitcoin and Ethereum saw some upward momentum following the announcement that the Fed would leave interest rates unchanged.

"The [Federal Open Market Committee] seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run," said the FOMC in a statement on Wednesday. "In support of these goals, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 5.25% to 5.5%."

After the news Bitcoin picked up .8%, back past the $42,000 mark and Ethereum shot up 1% to around the $2,234 range.

Both currencies have stumbled slightly since the development, but, like the Fed, our hope and interest remain unchanged.

☕️ SEC’s Fresh Take? 🏛 ✨

In a Thursday interview with CNBC, Chairman Gary Gensler of the SEC announced the regulatory body would be taking a “new look” at the wave of Bitcoin Spot ETFs.

"We had in the past denied a number of these applications, but the courts here in the District of Columbia weighed in on that," said Gensler.  "So we're taking a new look at this based upon those court rulings."

Gensler emphasized that the process was still ongoing and didn’t want to “pre-judge,” but certainly had no problem doling out his old judgments on the state of American crypto.

"There's been far too much fraud and bad actors in the crypto field," Gensler continued. "There's a lot of noncompliance, not only with the securities laws, but other laws around anti-money laundering and protecting the public against bad actors there." 

In addition to taking a “new look” at the ETF applications, Gary Gensler will also be debuting his own new look in 2024: bangs.

☕️ Waves of BONK 🌊 🪙

BONK, Solana’s Memecoin, has had a rocky and exciting road this week.

BONK surged 11% after the news that Coinbase would be listing the token on its platform.

But just a day later, BONK fell 20%. It’s currently sluggish, but just last week, BONK hit an all-time high and briefly dethroned FLOKI, the Elon-Musk-inspired memecoin, becoming one of the top three dog-themed memecoins by market capitalization

Unrelatedly, BONK is also the most popular memecoin among those suffering from Christmas-decorating-related head injuries.

Spilling the Beans

Google’s All In 🔎 👇

Yes, we’re still waiting on an outcome for the current wave of twelve Bitcoin Spot ETF applications.

We know that when or if they’re approved, they will drastically change the landscape of both TradFi and DeFi.

It will mean a lot more attention, and a lot more money, not just for institutional investors, but for everybody even tangentially involved.

We feel reasonably confident that at least one of these applications can work its way through the rocky examinations of the SEC and into the warm, giving fields of approval.

And part of that confidence derives from the applicants themselves.

These aren’t “disruptive” applications from some ambitious, young startups, these applications are backed by some of the largest asset managers in the world, Blackrock, Fidelity, Ark Invest, and Grayscale, just to name a few.

But maybe those names don’t mean that much to you, you’re not a Wall Street trader, you’re just an average American.

It’s one thing for insiders to feel confident, but where does your confidence derive from?

Well, as advertisers have long known, there’s no more effective advertising method than a referral from a friend.

Yeah, you went on vacation and saw way more Teslas than you’re used to, but what about when your neighbor Paul starts leasing one?

All of a sudden, a lofty idea is practically in your backyard. And is there any company that’s closer to the equivalent of your next-door-neighbor Paul, than your old pal Google?

In popular culture, Google’s moved so far beyond just the search engine of choice, even if your mom’s using Bing, when she says she’ll “google” it, she means she’ll look it up online.

And based on a new development, Google, the internet of everything, feels just as confident as we do that these ETF applications are going to come out sunnyside up.

Google has just announced a restructuring of its current, crypto ad restrictions.

The update will permit advertisers to place ads for “Cryptocurrency Coin Trusts”, and will go into effect on January 29th of 2024.

In an email to Blockworks, Google defines those trusts as “financial products that allow investors to trade shares in trusts holding large pools of digital currency.”

Naturally, the ads will only be permitted to be placed with proper certifications, and will only allow  “crypto coin trusts to serve ads targeting the United States provided they complete our certification process and have voluntarily registered with the SEC by filing Form 10-12g.”

Google has emphasized that at this time, the new guidelines don’t include ETFs, and the coin trusts are only meant to be advertised to institutional investors.

That being said, the timing does seem a little convenient. It doesn’t take a tin foil hat to jump to the conclusion that Google’s making room for a coming crypto boom.

But hey, if you’re still feeling less than certain, just give it a Google.

Crypto 101

Zero-Knowledge Proofs: In essence, Zero Knowledge proofs are protocols in which a statement can be proven true without revealing critical information or revealing why it’s true.

In crypto, these protocols are essential in verifying transactions without disclosing private information.

The Last Sip

The Last Sip: In addition to those who sustained head injuries putting up Christmas lights, BONK is also the go-to memecoin of cavemen everywhere.

Stay Caffeinated,

Coffee & Crypto Team

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.presi