From cointelegraph by Cointelegraph

Today in crypto, Donald Trump made a last-ditch effort to appeal to crypto voters, Bitcoin’s foundational document, the white paper written by its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, turned 16, and BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) recorded its largest day of inflows since it launched.

Trump wishes “Happy 16th anniversary” to Satoshi's white paper

With less than a week until the US presidential election, Republican candidate Donald Trump took to social media to commemorate the 16th anniversary of Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin white paper. 

In a social media post on Truth Social, the former president wished a “Happy 16th Anniversary” to the Bitcoin white paper and reminded pro-crypto voters that he has pledged to work in their favor. This includes ending “Kamala’s war on crypto” and ensuring that “Bitcoin will be made in the USA,” he said. 

With the presidential election looming, most polls show Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump competing in tight races in key battleground states. Early voting will end on Nov. 1 in several states, including the battlegrounds of Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. 

In addition to his pro-crypto campaign, Trump has promised to release Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht from prison if he’s elected president. 

“If you vote for me, on day one I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht,” Trump said in May.

Silk Road was shut down by the FBI in 2013, with Ulbricht convicted two years later on various charges. He was sentenced to two life sentences, plus 40 years and no potential for parole.

Bitcoin at 16: From experiment to trillion-dollar asset

On Oct. 31, 2008, Nakamoto shared the “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” white paper with a cryptography mailing list, proposing a decentralized, peer-to-peer network capable of preventing double-spending through proof-of-work consensus.

Just three months later, Nakamoto mined Bitcoin’s first block, known as the genesis block, rewarding 50 Bitcoin BTC$69,298, and launched what is now the world’s largest cryptocurrency network.

Sixteen years later, Bitcoin has reached a market value of over $1.42 trillion, making it the 10th largest asset globally, according to CompaniesMarketCap.

Bitcoin’s growth has been boosted by investor confidence and institutional adoption for its role as a store of value, according to Mithil Thakore, co-founder and CEO of Velar. 

Velar told Cointelegraph:

“Bitcoin has evolved from a niche digital experiment to a global asset class that rivals traditional stores of value like gold. But unlike gold, which has taken thousands of years to establish itself, Bitcoin managed to capture institutional attention, spark regulatory debates, and drive a global decentralized finance movement — all in just 16 years.”

Bitcoin’s maturity, according to Thakore, is evident through rising long-term holdings by institutions, deeper integration with traditional financial markets and growing adoption as an inflation hedge.

BlackRock Bitcoin ETF scores huge $875 million inflow amid crypto rally

BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) has recorded its biggest day of inflows since its launch in January as crypto markets surged.

On Oct. 30, BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) recorded inflows of $875 million, according to CoinGlass data. This marks the highest inflow day for IBIT since its launch on Jan. 11.

The figure has surpassed IBIT’s previous high of $849 million set on March 12, as per Farside data. It also marks the thirteenth consecutive inflow day for IBIT, totaling approximately $4.08 billion in inflows during the period.

Traders are speculating that a billion-dollar inflow day could be imminent.

“I said billion dollar inflows, it was NOT a joke,” crypto trader Trading Axe told their 70,300 X followers.

Meanwhile, crypto trader Cozy The Caller opined to their 164,100 followers that it is going to be “above 1B the day we break ATH for sure.”