With BTC breaking $19K and Ethereum 2.0 ready to launch, CoinDesk’s Markets Daily is back for your latest crypto news roundup!

This episode is sponsored by Crypto.com and Nexo.io.

Today's stories:

Bitcoin Breaks $19K, New All-Time High Seems Imminent 

Bitcoin, the world's No.1 cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has breached the $19,000 level.

XRP Price Surges to 2-Year High as Airdrop Frenzy Builds 

The December airdrop of 45 billion spark tokens may be fueling XRP's rapid climb to two-year highs, say analysts.

Ethereum 2.0 Deposit Contract Has Enough Funds to Launch 

The smart contract required for triggering Ethereum 2.0 has enough funds to begin activation of its most ambitious upgrade yet.

Gazprombank Switzerland Executes First Bitcoin Trades, Announces Payments Initiative 

The regulated Swiss bank said it is working on developing a standard for cryptocurrency payments between members of the OpenVASP association.