The Dypto Times

MicroStrategy rebrands, Berachain finally goes live, and the FDIC has some explaining to do...

Author

Matthew Ruley
February 12, 2025

Most of you don’t remember the show I Love Lucy. It’s 2025 and that show was in black and white. Granted, I only watched reruns as a kid but still…I’m old. There…I said it.

Anywho…whenever Lucy’s husband would come home to one of her shenanigans, he would say…

Now, Dypto Crypto is looking at the FDIC and saying the same thing. So are a lot of other people. Let’s get after it.

From the Dypto Crypto Newsroom

The Ethereum Pectra Upgrade Is Coming Soon

TLDR

  • Pectra is the next Ethereum upgrade.

  • Expect more decentralization, lower gas fees, and an overall more efficient network.

  • Testing is set to begin this month and if everything works, it could be live on mainnet by late March.

The Ethereum Pectra upgrade is officially in motion. By that, we mean the announcements that testing is about to begin have recently gone public. Just a year after the Dencun upgrade, Ethereum’s next big transformation is scheduled for launch in April(ish) 2025, with testing already lined up for February. 

This isn’t just a minor tweak — Pectra is set to improve everything from transaction fees to data storage to staking, making Ethereum faster, more efficient, and friendlier to use. 

Why is the upgrade such a big deal?

If you’re an Ethereum user, here’s what Pectra means for you: 

1. Lower Gas Fees 

Who doesn’t want cheaper transactions? Also, third-party apps and services can cover your gas fees, so sometimes, you may not even need to pay for transactions. 

2. Smarter Wallets 

Say hello to smarter wallets with features like transaction batching, multisig (multi-signature approvals), and social recovery. Lose your private keys? Social recovery lets a trusted circle help you regain access. 

3. It Will Make Layer 2’s Even Better 

With better data management and scalability, Ethereum becomes more efficient, which means fewer delays and lower fees — especially for users of Layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum or Optimism. 

Berachain Finally Launches With a $632M Airdrop

TLDR

  • Berachain is finally live.

  • The airdrop has over $600 million in tokens being allocated to OG believers and diehards.

  • There is a link to check eligibility.

After years of anticipation — and plenty of memes — Berachain is officially here. The proof-of-liquidity layer-1 blockchain launched its mainnet on February 6, bringing with it an airdrop worth approximately $632 million in its native token, $BERA. 

Why new users may be interested.

With the mainnet live and over $632 million in airdrops distributed, Berachain is entering a pivotal phase. The rich ecosystem of decentralized applications and deep liquidity are expected to attract developers, investors, and users looking for unique opportunities in the DeFi space.

Update: Berachain is now the 8th ranked blockchain by TVL, according to DeFi Llama, putting them between Arbitrum and Sui.

MicroStrategy Rebrands as Strategy, Doubling Down on Bitcoin 

TLDR

  • Microstrategy has officially rebranded as Strategy, keeping the same ticker of MSTR.

  • They added the Bitcoin symbol as part of the new logo.

  • Because of the way Strategy raises capital for Bitcoin purchases, the company reported a $670 million loss for Q4 2024.

MicroStrategy, perhaps the most well-known publicly traded crypto-advocate company, has undergone a major transformation. On Feb. 5, the company officially rebranded to Strategy (with a fresh “₿” Bitcoin logo to boot), marking its continued evolution from a data software giant to a Bitcoin-first entity. 

Why this information is important.

For those of you just entering the crypto world, Strategy’s moves might feel like a lot of noise (and numbers). But here’s the simple takeaway — this company is making a long-term bet that Bitcoin is the future. 

Whether you’re stacking sats yourself or still figuring out if crypto is right for you, Strategy serves as a big, bold example of how institutions are leaning into Bitcoin with real money on the line.

Is this a risky play? Absolutely. 

But in the high-stakes world of crypto, risks often come hand-in-hand with the potential for big rewards.

Question of the Week

From a YouTube subscriber - How do you move funds to Lido and other dApps to participate in DeFi?

Meme of the Week

Deep Dive - FDIC Crypto Drama

The FDIC has been making it absurdly tricky for banks to get into crypto. Recently released documents highlight how banks trying to engage in crypto-related activities faced endless resistance. 

We’re talking delays, vague demands for “more information,” and outright advice to hit pause on their crypto plans. Some banks even got ghosted after multiple attempts to follow up. Unsurprisingly, most of them just gave up. Can you blame them?

Acting FDIC Chairman Travis Hill admitted that the agency’s handling of crypto-related requests was basically a big roadblock. However, he hinted at a potential shift in the future. 

The FDIC says they want to reassess their policies, create clear pathways for banks, and team up with the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets. Whether this pivot results in anything meaningful or just more red tape is up in the air.

However, we think it’s a sign of good things to come, and we’re keeping our ears on the ground to see how all of this shakes loose for crypto companies and consumers. We’ll keep you updated as news goes public.

Question of the Week Answer

To participate in DeFi, using Lido as an example, all you have to do is follow these steps:

1. Transfer funds from a bank to a centralized exchange like Coinbase.

2. Next, you’ll need to move those funds to a hot wallet like MetaMask. 

Here’s a tutorial video to show you how to send funds from Coinbase to MetaMask and it should work similarly for most centralized exchanges.

3. Then, You go to Lido’s website, connect your wallet, and participate. 

At Dypto Crypto, we always recommend using a cold wallet in conjunction with your hot wallet. Here are a few articles that can help you with that:

Pro-Tip: Remember, you’ll need to send some extra funds for gas fees. Unfortunately, there's no avoiding them when it comes to using dApps on any blockchain and everything you do in crypto is going to be at least one transaction.

Pro-Tip: Googling a protocol can be dangerous, as scammers typically set up dummy sites that prompt you to connect your wallet and then promptly drain the wallet of all funds. To combat this, only visit the site link on an official page, such as Discord or X, of the project you want to use. Then bookmark it so you don’t inadvertently end up at a scammer site somehow.

Closing Shenanigans

Thanks for reading. Dypto Crypto is a safe place where crypto newbies can learn and ask questions to help them make informed decisions in this exciting and volatile world. We’re having a lot of fun with YouTube shorts and TikTok. 

So check out those videos and some of our website's tools. Feel free to ask questions on our social platforms or the site. Thanks for subbing! We’ll see you next week. We hope you guys are enjoying the newsletter, and we’d appreciate some feedback. Feel free to reach out on social media and let us know how we did on the first try.