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THE DAILY INDEX

Technology, AI, software, security, crypto and business

MARKETS & BUSINESS

TLDR Crypto

ASCEND: THE GAME TO UNLOCK YIELD FROM NFTS

Crypto game Ascend has launched, aiming to unlock untapped yield potential in NFTs. MetaStreet, the company behind Ascend, raised $25 million to fund what it is calling Liquid Credit Tokens (LCTs) to create scalable capital markets for on-chain illiquid assets. Its aim is to democratize access to high-yield credit, inviting institutional and individual investors to participate equally. The company expects $3.5 billion of sustainable new yields from the NFT market with LCTs.

BREAKING BFT: QUANTIFYING THE COST TO ATTACK BITCOIN AND ETHEREUM

Researchers used the Total Cost to Attack model to assess the feasibility of 51% attacks on Bitcoin and 34% attacks on Ethereum. This model incorporates the operational and capital expenditures required for such attacks, considering both profit-driven and ideologically motivated attackers. They found that the security mechanisms in place make these attacks economically impractical, providing evidence of Nash Equilibrium in the networks. The research questions the assumption that network security linearly correlates with fee revenue, suggesting that miner speculation on fee cycles actually enhances security.

U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE GOV. WALLER SAYS DEFI COULD BOOST DOLLAR'S GLOBAL STRENGTH

Fed Governor Christopher Waller argues that the majority of stablecoins, which are largely tied to the dollar, could actually strengthen the dollar’s hegemony. His basic position on this is that stablecoins are pegged to the US dollar, they are central to DeFi, and DeFi activity is continuing to grow at a rapid rate. While acknowledging potential risks if a shift from dollars to digital currencies occurs, Waller dismissed these fears, reiterating that the dollar will continue to stay central to economic activity no matter what technology that activity is leveraging.

COINBASE IS SO BACK (IN PROFIT): STOCK JUMPS 11% AS CRYPTO EXCHANGE POSTS BULLISH RETURNS

Coinbase bounced back from losses in Q3 to report a better-than-expected Q4 largely driven by higher interest income on its stablecoin reserves and other products. The markets responded positively to these surprising income numbers and to the efficiencies created on expenses within the business. What was most interesting about this quarter’s report for Coinbase were the signs of retail volumes coming back with higher-than-expected volumes in that segment of the business.

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