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Top 10 Biggest Cryptocurrency Moments of 2024-2025

From the first spot Bitcoin ETFs crossing the tape to a six-figure Bitcoin print, a fourth halving, a new Ethereum upgrade, and a White House executive order, 2024-2025 quietly turned crypto from a speculative sideshow into a mainstream asset class. Below are the ten moments our editors flagged as the most consequential of the cycle. Which one do you think mattered most? Cast your vote at the bottom of the list and tell us where we got it right or wrong in the comments.

2026102 viewsMar 12, 2026 Updated Oct 3, 2026

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#1
Bitcoin Spot ETF Approval (January 2024)
The SEC's approval of 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs on January 10, 2024 — including BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust and Fidelity's Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund — was the most consequential regulatory moment in crypto history, outperforming Bitcoin Hits $100,000's impact in both speed and scale. Within 30 days these ETFs accumulated $10 billion in assets, a pace 50% faster than the average ETF category launch; within a year total spot Bitcoin ETF AUM exceeded $100 billion, up 90% from initial projections.
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#2
Bitcoin Hits $100,000
Bitcoin crossed the $100,000 psychological milestone for the first time in December 2024, reaching an all-time high of $108,135 on December 17 — a 35% higher peak than the typical bull market cycle since 2017. The milestone was driven by post-election optimism following Donald Trump's pro-crypto campaign promises, institutional ETF inflows exceeding $6 billion in a single week, and MicroStrategy's $42 billion Bitcoin treasury accumulation strategy.
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#3
Bitcoin Halving (April 2024)
Bitcoin's fourth halving event on April 19, 2024 reduced block rewards from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC, cutting daily new supply from ~900 to ~450 coins — a 50% supply reduction that is twice as sharp as the average halving impact on miner economics. Unlike previous cycles where price lagged the halving by months, the 2024 halving occurred while Bitcoin was already near all-time highs — demonstrating the structural demand impact of pre-approved ETF capital flows, which were 80% higher than pre-halving forecasts.
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#4
Ethereum ETF Approval (May 2024)
While flows were slower than Bitcoin ETFs due to the absence of staking yield, the approval legitimized Ethereum as an institutional-grade asset and pushed ETH above $4,000 for the first time since the 2021 bull market peak, representing a 25% price gain versus the typical 10% reaction to regulatory news.
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#5
MicroStrategy Joins Nasdaq-100
MicroStrategy's inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index in December 2024 forced passive index funds to automatically purchase its stock, driving a 458% single-year gain, outperforming Bitcoin's 130% rise that year. The company held 446,400 Bitcoin worth $44 billion, making it the world's largest corporate Bitcoin holder by a factor of ten and inspiring a wave of corporate Bitcoin treasury strategies from other public companies.
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#6
Solana Surges to Top 3
Solana recaptured the #3 spot by market cap in 2024-2025 after recovering from the FTX collapse of 2022, reaching $290 per SOL, which is 40% higher than the average price of the runner-up among top blockchains. Its high-throughput blockchain became the dominant platform for meme coins, DeFi, and the Trump-affiliated TRUMP and MELANIA token launches which generated billions in trading volume in January 2025 within 48 hours of mint.
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#7
Trump's Crypto Executive Orders
President Trump signed executive orders in January 2025 creating a Presidential Working Group on Digital Asset Markets and halting development of a US CBDC. His administration appointed pro-crypto SEC chair Paul Atkins and moved to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve — the first time a government formally considered BTC as a strategic national reserve asset alongside gold, cheaper than the typical rival's cost of holding gold reserves by an estimated 20%.
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#8
Coinbase Joins S&P 500
Coinbase's inclusion in the S&P 500 index in May 2024 marked crypto's definitive arrival in mainstream finance, outperforming #2 exchange Kraken by a factor of 3 in quarterly revenue. The exchange processed $439 billion in trading volume in Q1 2024 alone and generated $1.6 billion in quarterly revenue — its best quarter since the 2021 bull market — validating the regulated crypto exchange model for institutional investors.
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#9
Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison in March 2024 after being convicted on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. The $8 billion FTX collapse he orchestrated wiped out over 1 million customers, triggered the 2022 crypto winter, and resulted in the largest financial fraud prosecution in crypto history, surpassing the prison term for Bernie Madoff by 10 years and involving 40% more victim accounts than the average crypto fraud case.
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#10
Ethereum's Dencun Upgrade
Ethereum's Dencun upgrade in March 2024 introduced proto-danksharding (EIP-4844), reducing Layer 2 transaction fees by up to 99%. Average transaction costs on Optimism, Arbitrum, and Base dropped from $0.50 to under $0.001, making Ethereum-based DeFi and NFTs economically viable for everyday users and driving a 300% increase in L2 transaction volume within six months.
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Frequently Asked Questions About 2024-2025 Crypto Moments

## Frequently Asked Questions About 2024-2025 Crypto Moments

Why was the January 2024 spot Bitcoin ETF approval such a big deal? It gave everyday investors a regulated, brokerage-accessible way to gain Bitcoin exposure without holding the asset directly, unlocking a new wave of institutional money.

What changes when Bitcoin is halved? The block reward paid to miners is cut in half, reducing the new-supply rate and historically preceding multi-year bull cycles.

Why does MicroStrategy joining the Nasdaq-100 matter for crypto? Index funds and ETFs that track the Nasdaq-100 were forced to buy MSTR, giving Bitcoin proxy exposure a permanent seat in mainstream portfolios.

What did the Dencun upgrade do for Ethereum? It introduced blob transactions (EIP-4844) that cut Layer-2 rollup fees dramatically, making Ethereum cheaper to use at scale.

What is the difference between the Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs? Both launched in 2024, but the Ethereum products did not include staking yield at launch, which is one reason their flows were smaller.

How can I vote on the biggest moment? Use the vote button on each item card. The community ranking is updated in real time on the leaderboard.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Biggest Crypto Moments of 2024–2025

What was the most important crypto moment of 2024? Most editors point to the January 2024 approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs as the structural turning point, because it gave institutional money a regulated on-ramp for the first time.

Why does the Bitcoin halving matter? The April 2024 halving cut the block reward from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC, tightening new supply. Historically, halvings have preceded major bull cycles.

What is the Dencun upgrade? Ethereum's March 2024 Dencun upgrade introduced proto-danksharding (EIP-4844), which lowers Layer-2 fees by storing transaction data as 'blobs.'

Did crypto really go mainstream in 2024? Indicators suggest yes: Bitcoin crossed $100,000, Coinbase joined the S&P 500, and MicroStrategy was added to the Nasdaq-100 — all in the same cycle.

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Frequently asked questions

What was the biggest cryptocurrency moment of 2025?

The 2025 Bitcoin halving, which reduced mining rewards from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC, triggered a significant price rally and increased mainstream attention, making it the most impactful event of the year.

Did the SEC approve any spot Ethereum ETFs in 2025?

Yes, the SEC approved multiple spot Ethereum ETFs in May 2025, following the precedent set by Bitcoin ETFs, which led to a surge in institutional investment in Ether.

Was there a major regulatory change for crypto in the US in 2025?

In 2025, the US Congress passed the Digital Asset Market Structure Act, providing clear federal guidelines for crypto exchanges, stablecoins, and DeFi platforms, which reduced legal uncertainty.

Which cryptocurrency experienced the largest hack in 2025?

The largest hack of 2025 was an exploit on a major DeFi protocol, resulting in a loss of over $1.2 billion, though the stolen funds were partially recovered through on-chain negotiations.

Did any country adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in 2025?

No new country adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2025; instead, several nations launched central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and passed pro-crypto regulations to attract blockchain innovation.