The December 2024 report highlights key developments in market cap, the rise of Bitcoin, the growth of Ethereum, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

the a report from Binance Research Highlights the significant changes that occurred in the cryptocurrency sector in December 2024. On December 17, 2024, the market cap of cryptocurrencies reached a high point of $3.91 trillion, driven by institutional adoption and regulatory confidence.

Due to further acquisitions and MicroStrategy's inclusion in the Nasdaq 100, Bitcoin (Bitcoin) reached an all-time high of $108,000. The rally was further fueled by speculation that the US may adopt Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset. The $500 billion drop in market capitalization resulted from the Federal Reserve's announcement later in the month that it would reduce its planned 2025 interest rate cuts from four to two.

With an increase in market value of 123.4% Bitcoin It overtook Saudi Aramco and silver to become the seventh largest asset globally. Its expansion has been supported by the BTC halving, spot ETF approvals, and a broader market recovery. Given the 10% mortgage yield and added as a collateral asset on Aave, Ethena's USDe stablecoin, which is based on Ethereum (Ethereum), becoming the third largest stablecoin with a market capitalization of $5.9 billion.

Spot and perpetual decentralized trading volumes reached all-time highs of $326 billion and $356 billion, respectively. The total value of liquid lending and mortgage protocols rose to $55 billion and $71 billion, respectively. Solana (Sol) The DeFi ecosystem has faced challenges, including a $1.1 billion TVL decline and a 7% decline in daily active addresses. In contrast, Sui's TVL rose to $1.8 billion, driven by major protocols such as Suilend and NAVI Protocol.

With startups like Virtual protocol With ai16z receiving multi-billion dollar valuations, AI agents have gained traction. As AI and cryptocurrencies become more integrated, these autonomous agents are being used for tasks such as market analysis and trading.

In December 2024, total NFT trading volume on ETH reached $888.2 million. With the introduction of the PENGU token, Pudgy Penguins enjoyed massive growth, while sales of classic sets like CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club declined. Decreased activity was also observed in the respective NFT markets through other chains, such as SOL and BNB Chain.

As the cryptocurrency ecosystem enters 2025, the report focuses on how it will change through changes in market dynamics, advances in regulations, and advances in decentralized systems.