The Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System (LASERS) has taken indirect exposure to Bitcoin by purchasing 17,900 shares of Bitcoin treasury firm Strategy, valued at about $3.2 million within its $15.6 billion portfolio. This move aligns LASERS with other US public pension funds that favor crypto-related stocks and ETFs over direct Bitcoin holdings, while Houston’s firefighter fund continues to stand out for its earlier direct Bitcoin investment.

On December 12, Dubai-based crypto exchange Bybit announced BYUSDT, a proprietary token that represents USDT balances in its Flexible Easy Earn product for 1:1 margin trading. The token is available to VIP users, who can switch between BYUSDT and Flexible Easy Earn without manual swap fees while continuing to accrue hourly yield with daily distributions. The product aims to boost capital efficiency for Tether holders and complements Bybit's broader stablecoin strategy centered on USDT and USDC.