Optimism rolled back its fraud proof system to a permissioned fallback mechanism after community-driven audits found multiple vulnerabilities. Two months ago, it reached Stage 1 rollup decentralization when anyone could contest L2 transactions on the mainnet. A proposed network upgrade, including a hard fork named "Granite," is set for September 10, aiming to enhance security without compromising user assets.
2024.08.19·links.tldrnewsletter.com·3 min read·TLDR Crypto Recent financial disclosures reveal that Donald Trump holds between $1 million and $5 million in Ether (ETH) and earned over $7 million through an NFT licensing deal. The Trump trading cards have done over 15,000 ETH in trading volumes. Trump has mentioned plans to launch another NFT collection soon.
This post outlines how builders could execute Jesse Pollak's dream vision using Safe's open-source ecosystem assets, which include various components for managing transactions, recoveries, and account security. It emphasizes the wallet's adaptability through multi-sig capabilities, social and timed recovery options, and subaccounts management, all backed by modules that support diverse functionalities such as flash loans and savings, aiming to provide a robust infrastructure for building next-generation crypto wallets.
The Arbitrum DAO has approved a proposal to introduce ARB token staking, with 91% approval from over 25,000 participants. The initiative will allow ARB holders to stake their tokens in exchange for a liquid staked token (stARB), enhancing governance security and utility while addressing concerns over token underutilization and potential governance attacks.
This comprehensive list of tools for succeeding in crypto, aimed at improving crypto trading and investment strategies, includes on-chain data tools, smart money tracking, data aggregators, dashboards, trading platforms, and various resources for data analysis and project evaluation.
This article examines the effectiveness of liquidity mining (LM) campaigns in DeFi, emphasizing the importance of determining the optimal liquidity depth for sustainability. LM campaigns should aim for a balance where the depth of liquidity attracts users without becoming unprofitable. Deeper liquidity might be justified if it leads to long-term ecosystem growth.
2024.08.19·links.tldrnewsletter.com·10 min read·TLDR Crypto There is a trend where decentralized applications (dApps) are moving to their own sovereign chains, known as appchains, as they believe that they are losing value due to fees being siphoned off by block proposers and sequencers. While becoming an appchain offers control and value capture, it's expensive and not always necessary. There are alternative approaches like deploying on existing Layer 1/Layer 2 chains or implementing app-specific sequencing, each with their own trade-offs. Ultimately, the decision depends on the specific needs and goals of the dApp, as the crypto landscape offers diverse options.
Despite some folks overestimating short-term progress and underestimating long-term impact in the current crypto cycle, significant longer-term adoption is being observed across various industries. Some examples include widespread stablecoin use in/on major payment platforms, record activities in DeFi markets, rising values in tokenized real-world assets, adoption of prediction markets and DePin tech, breakthroughs in blockchain gaming, and the practical use of crypto in everyday financial transactions via debit cards.
The current market sentiment against the modular roadmap is too pessimistic, undervaluing L1s and mischaracterizing L2s relationships with L1s.
Large language models should have crypto wallets to enable AI agents to perform tasks and participate in economic activities on behalf of users - e-commerce platforms will soon need to accommodate AI agents making purchases.
This list of new crypto wallets includes those with account abstraction, tracking features, smart accounts, and large chain support.
Only the top 3% of wallets have made more than $1000 on Pump.fun memecoins, and 0.477% of wallets have made more than $10,000.
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* Lithium will play a growing role in the future of human economic activity—from electric vehicle batteries to sustainable energy storage. * An expected global shortage in lithium [4] presents a massive opportunity to investors, similar to the current rush for AI chips. * EnergyX [4] has made major strides towards unlocking lithium supply. Its patented tech [4] is backed by General Motors ($50M funding round), the U.S. Department of Energy ($5M grant), and POSCO, a leading lithium battery materials company. * Their investment round [4] is currently still open to the public.
Apple recently opened NFC chip access on iPhones to 3rd party app developers, allowing various wallet apps, including Web3 and crypto wallets, to use NFC for transactions and enabling developers to create user experiences where consumers can pay with USDC, potentially transforming direct merchant payments using blockchain technology. This development is significant as it expands payment possibilities beyond Apple Pay, allowing for various applications like USDC transactions, NFTs for tickets, and other digital assets to utilize tap-to-pay functionality on iPhones.
The Trump family has launched a new crypto venture focused on digital real estate, with Eric Trump highlighting its potential to democratize access to financial services by offering instant, math-based loan approvals. This move is part of their broader effort to challenge traditional banking systems, which they claim have discriminated against them and many other Americans.
Eigen Labs, a prominent crypto startup, has come under scrutiny for distributing its employees' wallet addresses to ecosystem projects, leading to millions of dollars in airdrop payouts. While some teams requested this list, others felt pressured to comply, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. In response, Eigen Labs and its associated foundation have since banned such payouts to maintain trust and transparency.
Sweep is a free-to-play platform where viewers can win money by predicting outcomes in their favorite streamers' games, enhancing viewer engagement and interaction. With a focus on creator control and feedback, Sweep has already shown promising results in increasing viewer participation and plans to continue evolving based on community input.
OKX is introducing Solana's "Blinks" technology, which enables shareable URLs that execute on-chain transactions, to all Ethereum-compatible chains via its multi-chain wallet. This innovation allows users to interact with blockchain-based applications directly on websites or social platforms without leaving the site, enhancing the convenience and accessibility of on-chain actions across different ecosystems.
At the 2024 DePIN Summit, it was revealed that while many have heard of Bittensor, only a small fraction understand its subnet operations, due to limited visibility and communication. With the upcoming dTAO incentive structure, subnet teams need to shift their focus toward broader marketing to attract more participants and stay competitive.
Bearish factors for ETH include its underperformance compared to Bitcoin and Solana, a complex value proposition narrative, liquidity fragmentation from L2s, and falling revenue. Bullish arguments highlight its mature DeFi ecosystem, decentralization, security, developer community, and adoption from institutions like BlackRock. This article discusses the upcoming Pectra upgrade, which will improve UX through account abstraction and increase scalability. TVL dominance and ETF flows are key metrics to watch.
The recent announcement of BitGo's partnership with Justin Sun-backed BiT Global, which gives the firm control over 2 of 3 WBTC private keys, has sparked panic in the crypto community due to Sun's controversial history. Concerns about increased custody risk and potential mismanagement have led to calls for WBTC delisting as collateral, with many urging WBTC holders to exit quickly before the situation deteriorates further.
A crypto team unknowingly hired North Korean IT workers with fake identities, resulting in a $1.3M theft from their treasury. An investigation uncovered 25+ projects employing related developers. These workers, who often use fake IDs and coordinated referrals, laundered the funds and are earning up to $500K monthly across multiple projects.
EigenLayer's economic model is fundamentally flawed, particularly in how it bootstraps new decentralized infrastructure protocols. It effectively requires AVSs to forfeit token utility and revenue to restakers, hurting a protocol's ability to grow and sustain an ecosystem. Its pivot towards supporting AVS tokens as restaked assets is an acknowledgment of its “broken” core economic model. EigenLayer will likely remain a subsidized yield farm for ETH stakers.
Cross-chain protocols like LayerZero and Hyperlane are relying on questionable security setups, putting over $10 billion at risk.
The chart shows a series of memecoins and their top market caps.
The upcoming integration of USDC payments via tap-to-pay on iPhones has sparked concerns about privacy and security in blockchain transactions.
Hyperliquid is cheaper for trading than Binance, despite having slightly worse slippage.
DEXscreener is earning $150-250k daily by charging $300 per token for adding details like Telegram links and images.
Crypto founders are growing weary due to a number of factors: stagnant user growth, the dominance of speculative activities, pervasive industry toxicity, and the trade-off between UX improvements and decentralization.
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Retail stores are struggling amidst soaring real estate prices and labor shortages. VenHub [4]—which has opened its current investment round [4] to the public—is developing a new way to cut costs and increase efficiency with robotics.
use AI to anticipate inventory and customer needs. They can fit nearly anywhere and can be opened in just a week. And with over $240 million in pre-orders [4], the market seems to be more than on board.
Coinbase has announced the upcoming launch of "cbBTC" on Base amid community concerns regarding Justin Sun's involvement with WBTC, positioning it as a potential rival to WBTC.
Goldman Sachs' Q2 2024 13F filings revealed holdings in several Bitcoin ETFs. It has $420 million in total exposure, with over half in BlackRock's IBIT product. Hedge Fund Capula Investment Management also recently disclosed $464 million in BTC ETFs. IBIT is by far the best-performing ETF of the year, with $20.5 billion in inflows compared to the next closest non-Bitcoin ETF at $1.3 billion.
MetaMask has launched the world's first Mastercard debit card that allows users to spend cryptocurrency directly from their self-custody wallet with instant conversion to fiat currency for everyday purchases. Initially available to select users in the EU and UK, the card integrates with Apple Pay and Google Wallet, offering a seamless bridge between crypto and daily spending.
Sauce is a new trading platform that combines the excitement of meme culture with cryptocurrency trading, allowing users to trade tokens on Solana, Ethereum, and Base networks without fees. The app, live on iOS and the web, promises fast execution, curated lists for beginners, and a unique point system that rewards active users.
Pendle PTs are zero-coupon DeFi bonds that offer a stable rate. MakerDAO's DAI Savings Rate is largely considered to be the risk-free rate of DeFi at 7%. Liquidity Provision earns trading fees and protocol incentives and can be done in a delta-neutral way to mitigate impermanent loss. A riskier strategy is yield looping, where assets are borrowed and lent multiple times.
OlympusDAO has introduced a leveraged buyback-and-burn program for $OHM, utilizing yield from its $181M treasury to repurchase $83K of $OHM weekly. By borrowing against its own backing, this means a $1 buyback actually acts like $5, making the buybacks much more powerful and helping to boost the value of $OHM while reducing the supply.
Privy is collaborating with Anomaly Games Inc., Fren Pet on Base, and SofaMon XYZ to create a seamless Telegram authorization release. This streamlines the process of account and wallet creation to just one step via a Telegram mini-app, providing users with a much better UX for accessing onchain activities.
Over the next five years, the rivalry between Coinbase and Robinhood will intensify across multiple fronts including trading fees, tokenization, asset staking, stablecoin payments, derivatives, and crypto asset lending as both platforms innovate while TradFi entities await regulatory guidance.
With EigenLayer introducing AVS rewards and permissionless token listing, Symbiotic adding BTC support, Jito launching SOL restaking, and many other developments, the restaking narrative is poised to continue growing throughout the rest of H2 2024.
Solana memecoin creator pump.fun had a higher 24H revenue than all other top 20 protocols combined.
Animoca Brands is considering an IPO in Hong Kong or the Middle East, potentially in late 2025 or early 2026.
Gazelle uses restaking from EigenLayer to secure bridge communication between Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Aleph Zero EVM is an L2 with ZK-privacy that uses the Aelph Zero L1 as a data availability layer.
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Demand for lithium is expected to grow 20x by 2040 [4] as automakers go fully electric, far outstripping supply. For investors, this is an opportunity.
Coinbase has urged the SEC to withdraw its rule requiring decentralized exchanges to register like traditional ones, arguing that it is impractical and based on flawed assumptions. Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal says that DEXs cannot meet the same compliance standards as centralized exchanges, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling to challenge the SEC's broad interpretation of the law.
2024.08.14·links.tldrnewsletter.com·3 min read·TLDR Crypto Kamala Harris is expected to maintain a tough stance on crypto, as indicated by her collaboration with Brian Deese and Bharat Ramamurti, both key figures in Biden's anti-crypto policies. Their involvement suggests that a Harris administration would likely continue the regulatory approach seen under Biden, particularly in the context of "Chokepoint 2.0" and restrictions on stablecoins.
SUN.io has announced SunPump, the first memecoin launch platform on TRON. The platform features streamlined, low-cost, and secure solutions for token issuance and trading to improve the meme token trading experience and help innovate within the meme culture ecosystem.