The Daily: Dogecoin investors drop class-action lawsuit against Elon Musk, Michael Saylor plans $100K bitcoin party and more

Quick Take

  • Dogecoin investors have dropped their class-action lawsuit against Elon Musk, which accused him of manipulating the price of DOGE during its 2021 surge from less than $0.10 to around $0.70.
  • JPMorgan analysts anticipate positive regulatory changes for crypto under President-elect Donald Trump, with clearer frameworks likely to benefit the industry.
  • President-elect Donald Trump nominated bitcoin advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services on Thursday.
  • The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.

It's Friday! In today's newsletter, dogecoin investors drop their class-action lawsuit against Elon Musk, JPMorgan analysts see positive crypto regulatory changes under the new U.S. administration, Donald Trump nominates bitcoin-friendly RFK Jr. for Secretary of Health and more.

Let's get started.

Dogecoin lawsuit against Elon Musk dropped

Dogecoin investors have dropped their class-action lawsuit against Elon Musk, which accused him of manipulating the price of DOGE during its 2021 surge from less than $0.10 a share to around $0.70.

  • A fourth amended complaint was originally dismissed on Aug. 29, with the court ruling that Musk's statements were "aspirational and puffery" rather than actionable misrepresentations.
  • However, both Musk and the investors filed cross-motions and appeals last month, according to Reuters.
    "A stipulation dismissing the appeal and both sides' motions was filed on Thursday night in federal court in Manhattan and requires approval by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein," the report states.
  • The lawsuit alleged Musk used social media posts, public statements and an appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" to artificially inflate the memecoin's value for personal gain.
  • Musk and his electric vehicle company, Tesla, denied owning or trading DOGE through the wallets alleged in the insider trading accusations made during the litigation.
  • Interestingly, the lawsuit's dismissal coincided with Musk's appointment as head of President-elect Donald Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency, also known as "DOGE."
  • Dogecoin's price has more than doubled since Election Day, reaching $0.36, with a market cap of $53 billion as of Friday, solidifying its status as the sixth-largest cryptocurrency.
  • Meanwhile, another court filing on Thursday claimed Musk shot down OpenAI's proposed Initial Coin Offering attempt to launch a token in 2018.

JPMorgan eyes six potential crypto market changes under Trump

JPMorgan analysts anticipate positive regulatory changes for crypto under President-elect Donald Trump, with clearer frameworks likely to benefit the industry.

  • Key crypto bills, like the FIT21 Act, which could provide much-needed regulatory clarity by defining oversight roles for the SEC and the CFTC, and new stablecoin laws, may see swift approval, according to the analysts, while CBDC development could be halted.
  • The SEC's enforcement-heavy strategy under the Biden administration could evolve into a more collaborative approach, they said, reducing litigation risks for companies like Coinbase and Uniswap.
  • Furthermore, the repeal of SAB 121 may enable banks to custody crypto assets, momentum could build for additional XRP, Solana and multi-token U.S. spot ETFs, plus venture capital, mergers and acquisitions and tokenization could also surge under clearer regulations, the analysts said.
  • However, they assign a low probability to the approval of the BITCOIN Act, a draft bill introduced by Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), for the U.S. to adopt a strategic bitcoin stockpile.

Trump nominates bitcoin-friendly RFK Jr. for US Secretary of Health

President-elect Donald Trump nominated bitcoin advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services on Thursday.

  • RFK Jr., a former Democrat, shifted his political alignment and endorsed the Republican after initially running as an independent presidential candidate.
  • During his 2024 campaign, RFK Jr. proposed establishing a bitcoin strategic reserve to stabilize the U.S. dollar and exempt bitcoin profits from capital gains tax.
  • He also disclosed that a significant portion of his personal wealth was invested in bitcoin and pushed for a light-touch regulatory environment for crypto in the U.S.
  • It's important to note that high-level nominees for the U.S. federal government, such as the Secretary of Health, require Senate confirmation to assume their roles officially.

South Korea’s Upbit under probe for at least 500,000 KYC violations

South Korea's financial watchdog has accused Upbit of violating KYC rules in more than 500,000 cases, including approving accounts with incomplete or blurred ID verification, according to local newspaper Maeil.

  • Violations of KYC rules can result in fines of up to 100 million won ($71,740), and Upbit could also encounter challenges with its license renewal.
  • Meanwhile, Financial Services Commission Chair Kim Byung-hwan is also investigating the monopolistic structure of South Korean crypto exchanges, a market dominated by Upbit.
  • As South Korea's largest crypto exchange, Upbit processed nearly $50 billion in transactions during October and ranks fifth globally by daily trading volume.

Michael Saylor plans the long-awaited $100K bitcoin party — potentially on New Year's Eve

Preparations for the long-awaited $100K bitcoin party are underway, according to MicroStrategy co-founder Michael Saylor — potentially taking place this New Year's Eve.

  • In a televised interview with CNBC on Thursday, Saylor attributed bitcoin's recent surge to reduced uncertainty following the Republican sweep in the U.S. elections, saying, "I think it's going to go up from here."
  • Following Saylor's newfound bitcoin advocacy and MicroStrategy's adoption of the cryptocurrency as its primary treasury reserve asset in 2020, the prior bull market ran up as high as $69,000 in November 2021, leading to calls for him to host a $100K bitcoin party.
  • However, the subsequent crash into a 2022 bear market meant the idea had to be put on hold. Three years later, with bitcoin surging above $93,000 earlier this week, those plans now seem to be back on the table.
  • "I'm planning the $100K party, and I'm thinking it's probably going to be New Year's Eve at my house, so I would be surprised if we don't go through $100,000 in November or December," Saylor said.

Looking ahead to next week

  • Eurozone CPI inflation data are released on Tuesday, followed by UK CPI figures on Wednesday. U.S. jobless claims numbers are out on Thursday.
  • ECB President Christine Lagarde will speak on Friday.
  • The Madeira Blockchain Conference, Indonesia Blockchain Week, European Web3 Summit and Blockchain Africa all get underway over the next seven days.

Never miss a beat with The Block's daily digest of the most influential events happening across the digital asset ecosystem.

 


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© 2024 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

About Author

James Hunt is a reporter at The Block and writer of The Daily newsletter, keeping you up to speed on the latest crypto news every weekday. Prior to joining The Block in 2022, James spent four years as a freelance writer in the industry, contributing to both publications and crypto project content. James’ coverage spans everything from Bitcoin and Ethereum to Layer 2 scaling solutions, avant-garde DeFi protocols, evolving DAO governance structures, trending NFTs and memecoins, regulatory landscapes, crypto company deals and the latest market updates. You can get in touch with James on Telegram or 𝕏 via @humanjets or email him at [email protected].