[Bitpush Daily News Selection] Reuters: Nasdaq will officially apply for 5×23 hour trading; Trump says he will consider pardoning bitcoin application Samourai developer Keonne Rodriguez; Forbes: Musk's net worth surpasses $670 billions; Bitcoin network activity drops to its lowest level in 12 months

Bitpush editors' daily selection of Web3 news for you:

[Reuters: Nasdaq to Officially Apply for 5X23 Hour Trading]

According to Bitpush, Reuters reported that Nasdaq is planning to submit documents to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday to launch round-the-clock stock trading services. Nasdaq plans to extend the trading hours for stocks and exchange-traded products (ETPs) from the current five days a week, 16 hours a day, to 23 hours a day.

Nasdaq's new "5X23" model will be divided into two main trading sessions:

① Daytime session: Starts at 4:00 a.m. ET and ends at 8:00 p.m. ET. This session will continue to include pre-market, regular, and after-hours trading periods, with the opening bell (9:30 a.m.) and closing bell (4:00 p.m.) for the regular session retained.

② Night session: Starts at 9:00 p.m. ET and ends at 4:00 a.m. ET the next day. Trades executed between 9:00 p.m. and midnight will be considered as trades for the next calendar day.

According to the new plan, the trading week will start at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday and end at 8:00 p.m. on Friday after the daytime session.

[Trump Says He Will Consider Pardoning Bitcoin App Samourai Developer Keonne Rodriguez]

According to Bitpush and Decrypt, U.S. President Trump stated that he is willing to consider pardoning convicted Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez, noting that he is already aware of the case. When discussing Rodriguez's case, Trump told the media: "I've heard about this case, I'll take a look." Trump then told U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was also present: "We'll keep an eye on this, Pam."

Rodriguez was sentenced to five years in federal prison last month for his involvement in creating the Samourai Wallet. This tool allows bitcoin users to ensure transaction privacy without transferring funds to a third party. He is scheduled to report to federal prison this Friday.

[Forbes: Elon Musk's Net Worth Surpasses $670 Billion]

According to Bitpush and Forbes, earlier this month, Musk's rocket company SpaceX launched a tender offer, doubling the company's valuation from $400 billion in August to $800 billion, which boosted Musk's personal wealth by $168 billion, reaching an estimated $677 billion as of Monday.

Reportedly, this tender offer comes as SpaceX plans to go public in 2026, at which point the company's valuation could reach as high as $1.5 trillion. Even without relying on the IPO, based on the current valuation, Musk's approximately 42% stake in SpaceX has become his most valuable asset, worth $336 billion. His 12% stake in Tesla is worth about $197 billion. In addition, xAI is reportedly negotiating a new round of financing at a $230 billion valuation, and Forbes estimates Musk holds a 53% stake in xAI, worth about $60 billion. Musk now leads second-place Larry Page (Google co-founder, net worth about $252 billion) by as much as $425 billion.

[Bitcoin Network Activity Drops to 12-Month Low]

According to Bitpush and The Block, as the end of the year approaches, bitcoin network activity has dropped to its lowest level in 12 months, with the 7-day moving average of active addresses falling to 660,000. Although a seasonal slowdown was expected, multiple network indicators have shown weakness. Currently, the number of active addresses is at its lowest level since December 2024, when network activity peaked due to the speculation frenzy around Ordinals and Runes.

The weakness in network activity has also put downward pressure on miner economics. Miners' daily revenue has dropped from an average of $50 million in the third quarter to about $40 million. Almost all of this revenue comes from block subsidies rather than transaction fees, highlighting the limited demand for bitcoin block space.

Analysts say there have been unusual dynamics in the composition of bitcoin transactions. Rune transactions now account for a larger share of total network transactions, but contribute only 5% to 10% of total fee revenue, raising concerns about block space demand. When half of bitcoin's transaction throughput generates negligible fees, it indicates a mismatch between network utilization and value creation.

[MetaMask Adds Native Bitcoin Support, Continues Multi-Chain Expansion]

According to Bitpush and The Block, Ethereum wallet MetaMask is continuing its multi-chain expansion and now natively supports bitcoin. MetaMask users can now directly purchase bitcoin with fiat, transfer bitcoin on-chain, and swap native EVM assets and SOL for bitcoin.

The latest version of MetaMask will first support native SegWit addresses and plans to add support for Taproot addresses "soon." ConsenSys CEO Joseph Lubin said in an interview in October that the company is actively working on issuing the MASK token, but the specific launch date has not yet been determined. According to an announcement released Monday, users who swap bitcoin on MetaMask will be able to earn MetaMask reward points.

[BlackRock Hires Seven Senior Digital Asset Executives to Accelerate Global Crypto Strategy]

According to Bitpush and Coindesk, global asset management giant BlackRock is strengthening its crypto presence by hiring seven senior digital asset experts, six based in the U.S. and one in Singapore. The U.S. positions will focus on expanding its iShares crypto ETF product line, including the $70 billion bitcoin trust (IBIT); the Singapore position will drive Asian market strategy, focusing on long-term opportunities and "first-mover major investments." This recruitment further demonstrates BlackRock's systematic expansion in ETFs, asset tokenization, and blockchain finance.

[BitMine Added 102,259 Ethereum Last Week, Tom Lee Believes Market Recovery Has Begun]

According to Bitpush and official sources, BitMine announced today that the total value of its cryptocurrencies, cash, and potential investment assets has reached $13.2 billion. As of 6:00 p.m. ET on December 14, the company's crypto holdings include: 3,967,210 ethereum, 193 bitcoin, $38 million in Eightco Holdings (NASDAQ: ORBS) equity, and $1 billion in cash.

BitMine continues to steadily increase its ethereum holdings, adding 102,259 in the past week. BitMine Chairman Tom Lee stated that 2025 will see multiple positive developments in the digital asset sector, including favorable legislation passed by the U.S. Congress, improved regulatory environment, and increased support from Wall Street.