One Big Idea

The Banks continue to make Bitcoin exposure more accessible to the masses and other institutions.

1. PNC Bank launched direct spot Bitcoin trading capabilities for eligible clients

PNC Bank, in partnership with Coinbase’s Crypto-as-a-Service infrastructure, has given PNC customers the ability to buy, hold, and sell Bitcoin directly within PNCs banking infrastructure.

2. Russian owned bank, Sberbank, issued first-ever Bitcoin back loan

Sberbank has issued a loan to a Russian Bitcoin mining company, Intelion Data in a first ever financial product to come out of Russia. This shows continued interest at nation state levels for

3. Arizona introduces Bill to exempt Bitcoin from Property Taxes

In bills pre-filed with the Arizona Senate, Senator Wendy Rogers proposed amending state statutes to exempt virtual currency from taxation (SB 1044), prohibiting counties, cities and towns from taxing or fining entities that operate blockchain nodes (SB 1045), and advancing a constitutional amendment to clarify how digital assets fit into Arizona’s property tax framework (SCR 1003).

4. Russia Opens the Door to Bitcoin for Retail Investors

Under the framework, non-qualified, or retail, investors would be allowed to purchase only the most liquid cryptocurrencies, based on criteria to be defined in legislation. This would at first be capped to ~$3800 per year.

5. Ghana passes legislation to permit & regulate the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency.

Over 3 million Ghana’s use some form of crypto with over $3 billion in transactions in 2023 and 2024. This regulatory adoption seeks to improve the visibility of the transactions and accounts for government accounting purposes.

6. Save The Children, launches it’s first Bitcoin Fund to hold Bitcoin donations.

Save the Children, a global humanitarian charity, launches its first Bitcoin Fund, allowing the charity to hold bitcoin donations long term and use Bitcoin-powered tools to deliver aid faster, more transparently, and at reduced expense.

7. French Bill 1649AC proposes a national registry and reporting of self-custody Bitcoin.

The French Bill would require anyone with more than $5k in self-custody to self-report their Bitcoin. This could create an unprecedented target list for personal attacks by criminals seeking Bitcoin. Do NOT disclose your Bitcoin holdings to anyone if you can avoid it.

8. Charles Schwab to launch Bitcoin trading in early 2026

CEO of Charles Schwab, Rick Wurster, confirms that Bitcoin & Ethereum trading will be available to Charles Schwab clients coming in 2026. For context, Charles Schwab’s AUM is a little over $10 Trillion.

9. Vanguard opens up trading to Bitcoin ETFs.

Vanguard reversed it’s long held position against Bitcoin due to demand and new regulatory clarity to allow it’s customers to now buy and sell Bitcoin ETFs. While BlackRock and Fidelity embraced the ETFs quickly, Vanguard has been late to the game and seems to be playing catch up.

10. Bank of America will allow their 15,000 advisors to pitch 1-4% allocation to Bitcoin ETFs.

Beginning January 5, clients using Merrill, Bank of America Private Bank, and Merrill Edge, will be able to invest in four bitcoin spot ETFs. These include Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB), Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC), and BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT).

That’s all for this month folks.

If you have any questions about Bitcoin, the impending conversion of Bitcoin as the world reserve currency, or simply want to chat, let me!

Thanks,
Lucas Bazemore