Stephen Alpher

Stephen is CoinDesk's managing editor for Markets. He previously served as managing editor at Seeking Alpha. A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Stephen went to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, majoring in finance. He holds BTC above CoinDesk’s disclosure threshold of $1,000.

Stephen Alpher

Latest from Stephen Alpher


Markets

How MicroStrategy and Others Are Taking on Billions in Debt to Buy More Bitcoin

Michael Saylor has raised $6 billion in convertible bonds, with $18 billion more to come. His strategy is unprecedented — here’s how it works.

Debt

CoinDesk Indices

CoinDesk 20 Performance Update: XRP Gains 7.9%, Leading Index Higher From Monday

Stellar (XLM) joined Ripple (XRP) as a top performer, rising 6.7%.

9am CoinDesk 20 Update for 2024-12-17: leaders chart

Markets

Bitcoin Holder Semler Scientific's Shares Now Available for Options Trading

The medical device company adopted a bitcoin treasury strategy earlier this year and currently holds 2,084 tokens worth roughly $220 million.

Bitcoin, Semler Scientific

Finance

Tether Invests in MiCA-Compliant Stablecoin Issuer StablR

The crypto company behind USDT, the largest stablecoin, decided to shutter its own euro-pegged stablecoin and back smaller issuers that comply with the EU's MiCA regulations.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino (Tether)

Finance

Ripple to Roll Out RLUSD Stablecoin on Dec. 17, Adds Former Central Bankers to Advisory Board

The stablecoin will become broadly available to crypto users on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum networks beginning on Tuesday.

Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, speaks at Consensus 2024. (Shutterstock/CoinDesk)

CoinDesk Indices

CoinDesk 20 Performance Update: HBAR Falls 11.3% Over Weekend, Leading Index Lower

Internet Computer joined Hedera as a top underperformer, declining 7.1%

9am CoinDesk 20 Update for 2024-12-16: laggards chart

Markets

Ethena Rolls Out Stablecoin Backed by BlackRock's BUIDL Token

The protocol's governance token ENA rallied over the weekend as Donald Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial invested in the token.

(Ryan Quintal/Unsplash, Modified by CoinDesk)

Markets

MicroStrategy to Enter Nasdaq 100, Exposing Bitcoin-Linked Stock to Billions in Passive Investment Flows

The self-described Bitcoin Development Company became one of the 75 largest non-financial firms in the Nasdaq after its explosive growth this year.

MicroStrategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor (CoinDesk/Danny Nelson)

CoinDesk Indices

CoinDesk 20 Performance Update: RENDER Falls 2.6% as Index Trades Lower From Thursday

Solana joined Render as an underperformer, dipping 2.1%.

9am CoinDesk 20 Update for 2024-12-13: laggards chart

Markets

Bitcoin Grapples with $100K as Rally on Trump's Crypto-Positive Comment Fizzles

Altcoins as a group outperformed bitcoin, with AVAX and LINK leading sector gains.

Bitcoin price (TradingView)