Welcome to the final edition of Crypto Weekly Digest for 2024! This week, we’re diving into groundbreaking blockchain bonds, massive AI investments, Web3 gaming evolution, and a Bitcoin-friendly Texas.
From Australia’s ambitious AI plans to a Dogecoin drama and stablecoin shakeups in Europe, the crypto and blockchain world continues to push boundaries as we close out the year. Let’s jump in and explore the highlights shaping the future of finance, technology, and innovation! 🌍
In a groundbreaking move, Société Générale and the Banque de France completed a repo transaction on the Ethereum blockchain! 🌐 Using tokenized bonds as collateral and CBDC (central bank digital currency) as cash, this high-tech financial handshake showcases how blockchain can make transactions faster and smoother. 🕒⚡
This isn't just a geeky experiment; it's a glimpse into the future of finance, where digital securities and CBDCs improve liquidity and efficiency. Who knew bonds could be this cool? 🤓
Avalanche just raised a whopping $250M ahead of its game-changing Avalanche9000 upgrade! 🧊 Big names like Galaxy Digital and Dragonfly chipped in, with over 40 companies joining the party. 🎉
The funds will power a bold reimagining of blockchain subnets (now called layer-1s), slashing validator costs and boosting interchain communication. 📡 With AVAX prices climbing and the mainnet launch on the horizon, the crypto world is bracing for a frosty revolution! ❄️✨
Ukraine is gearing up to legalize crypto by early 2025! 🎯 But don’t expect tax holidays—profits from crypto will face regular capital gains taxes when converted to fiat. 💰📈 The plan focuses on financial stability, transparency, and anti-money laundering rules, aiming to make Ukraine a key crypto hub in Eastern Europe. 🌍🔗
With crypto already helping during tough times, like wartime donations and inflation-proofing, this move could bring much-needed structure to the digital frontier. No tax breaks, but hey, it’s still a win for crypto fans! ✨
El Salvador isn’t stopping at Argentina—it’s spreading its crypto know-how to over 25 countries! 🪙✨ A new partnership with Argentina combines El Salvador’s Bitcoin expertise and Argentina’s blockchain innovation to boost the digital asset industries in both nations. 📈
By sharing knowledge and crafting regulations together, El Salvador hopes to set a global example for crypto-friendly policies. It’s like a crypto world tour—training, collaboration, and maybe a little Bitcoin magic along the way! 🚀🌟
Grayscale just launched investment funds for Lido (LDO) and Optimism (OP), giving qualified investors a chance to back Ethereum’s most exciting tech upgrades. 🖧✨ Lido, the liquid staking champ with $40B locked, and Optimism, a layer-2 scaling superstar, are both helping Ethereum go faster, safer, and bigger in the DeFi world. 🚀🌍
With these funds, Grayscale expands its crypto menu, showing they’re all in on making blockchain investments a mainstream deal. Next stop: even more altcoin goodies! 🛠️💼
Circle and Binance are teaming up to boost USDC adoption worldwide! 🌐✨ Binance will make USDC more available on its platform, adding trading pairs and special promos, while Circle brings its tech, liquidity, and connections to the table. 📈🔗
This partnership, unveiled at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, highlights stablecoins as game-changers for global finance—whether for remittances, inflation hedges, or crypto trading. Looks like USDC is getting ready to take center stage in the digital money world! 💵
Sui blockchain and China’s Ant Digital are collaborating to tokenize real-world assets, starting with a Fortune China Top 500 solar materials manufacturer. 🏭☀️ These “notes” will bring green energy investments to the blockchain, making ESG projects more accessible and transparent. 🌍📈
This partnership aims to supercharge regenerative finance (ReFi) by blending cutting-edge blockchain with sustainability goals. Think solar panels, but tokenized—ready to shine on the digital stage! ⚡🌿
For the first time in 8 years, Solana has dethroned Ethereum as the go-to ecosystem for new developers! 🚀 This year, 7,625 new devs joined Solana (boosted by its growth in Asia), compared to Ethereum’s 6,456. 🧑💻
However, Ethereum remains the global king for total developer activity, with 6,244 monthly devs and strong contributions across continents. 🌍✨ As crypto spreads worldwide, from NFTs to stablecoins, developer hubs are thriving in Asia, Europe, and North America.
Coincheck, one of Japan’s largest crypto exchanges, is officially going public on Nasdaq after a $1.3 billion merger with Thunder Bridge Capital. 🚀 The exchange’s shares and warrants will now trade under the tickers CNCK and CNCKW, marking a big step in bridging Japan’s robust crypto scene with U.S. capital markets. 💼
Despite a rocky past (like that infamous 2018 hack), Coincheck bounced back, proving it’s ready for prime time in the global financial spotlight. It’s a win for crypto collaboration between Japan and the U.S.—Web3 world domination, here they come! 🪙✨
Bitpanda, the European digital asset platform, just got in-principle approval from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) to expand into the UAE. 🚀 This move positions Bitpanda to tap into Dubai’s growing status as a global crypto hub and use the UAE as a launchpad for its international ambitions. 🏙️
The approval isn’t a free pass yet—Bitpanda still needs to meet local compliance standards, but it’s laying the groundwork for partnerships and a regional HQ in Dubai. With this expansion, Bitpanda is setting the stage for crypto innovation beyond Europe! 🔗⚡
Gaming giant Ubisoft and Arbitrum Foundation are launching Captain Laserhawk: The G.A.M.E. on Dec. 18—a Web3-enabled top-down shooter packed with characters from Ubisoft classics like Far Cry: Blood Dragon, Rayman, and Assassin’s Creed. 🎮✨ Set in the Ethereum layer-2 Arbitrum network, the game will feature NFTs offering exclusive perks like governance votes and collectibles.
This isn’t just a nostalgic thrill ride; it’s a bold step into Web3 gaming, letting players influence the universe like never before. With blockchain-powered gameplay and competitive leaderboards, Captain Laserhawk is here to level up the gaming experience! 🕹️🌐
AMP, a major Australian superannuation fund, has made headlines by investing $27 million in Bitcoin—a small 0.05% slice of its $57 billion portfolio. 🪙 This bold move comes as Bitcoin hit the $100K mark, riding a wave of post-election price momentum. 🔥
While AMP sees Bitcoin as a diversification tool, other Aussie pension funds remain cautious, labeling crypto as too risky. Globally, though, pension funds are warming up to Bitcoin—Florida, Michigan, and even the UK are already joining the crypto retirement club. 🌎
Blockchain gaming is leveling up as the industry gears up for big AAA launches in 2025, with companies like Ubisoft and Square-Enix ready to dive in. 🕹️ A recent survey shows a surge in C-suite executives, with 73% of respondents holding senior positions—marking a top-heavy trend amid tighter budgets post-crypto winter. ❄️
However, challenges remain: youth engagement is low, and gender diversity lags behind, with only 12.5% of top executives identifying as female.✨
Lido Finance is phasing out its staking services on the Polygon network, citing low user adoption, intense maintenance needs, and a shift in DeFi trends toward zkEVM solutions. 🕹📉 Despite initial hopes, the Polygon ecosystem proved smaller than anticipated for Lido’s liquid staking to thrive. The decision followed a DAO vote, where 99% of the community backed the exit. 🗳️💬
Users can withdraw their staked MATIC via the Lido interface until June 16, 2025, but new staking is no longer available. As DeFi evolves, Lido appears to be narrowing its focus on Ethereum, while bidding goodbye to underperforming chains. 🌐🔗
Coinbase is in hot water with a $1 billion lawsuit from BiT Global, which claims the exchange unfairly delisted Wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC) to promote its own rival product, cbBTC. 💰🔗 The suit accuses Coinbase of monopolizing the wrapped Bitcoin market, making false claims about wBTC's compliance, and causing financial losses. 😠📉
Coinbase says the delisting was due to wBTC failing its "high standards," but BiT Global isn’t buying it, calling the move a power play. This legal battle could set a precedent for crypto exchanges—if the giants can’t play fair, who’s next? ⚖️🚀
Synthetix and app developer Mass are teaming up to launch a sleek mobile DeFi trading app, bringing perpetual futures trading with up to 25x leverage straight to your phone. 📈✨ The app bridges the ease of centralized exchanges with the self-custody of DeFi, featuring Apple and Google logins, cross-chain gas tanks, and fiat on/off-ramps. 🌐🚀
This move follows Synthetix’s recent governance overhaul, signaling a push to streamline operations and expand beyond crypto veterans to a broader audience. With intuitive tools and a global rollout, DeFi trading just got a whole lot more mobile-friendly! 🔗
NFT marketplace OpenSea has set the NFT world buzzing after registering in the Cayman Islands, fueling rumors of a token launch and user airdrop. 🎁✨ The platform has made no official announcements, but the NFT community is hopeful that loyal users—especially early adopters—might finally get rewarded, following in the footsteps of competitors like Blur and Magic Eden. 🖼️📈
Some wonder if the potential airdrop will account for OpenSea’s massive trading volumes during the NFT boom of 2021–2022. While OpenSea promises a revamped platform this December, the community eagerly awaits news that could turn loyalty into treasure. 🪙🌊
Former Paradigm investor Casey Caruso has raised $75 million to launch Topology, a venture firm focused on frontier tech. 🧠✨ Backed by big names like OpenAI founders, Andreessen Horowitz execs, and even Paris Hilton, the firm aims to fund visionaries tackling groundbreaking projects like decentralized protocols, brain-computer interfaces, and futuristic cities. 🌆
Caruso, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, has been a trailblazer since her teenage years, from mining crypto to investing in startups. With Topology now out of stealth, the firm is setting its sights on early-stage innovations that could "bend the arc of human progress." 🌟
ZKsync is racing toward 10,000 transactions per second (TPS) and fees as low as $0.0001 by 2025, promising to supercharge Ethereum scalability with its cutting-edge zero-knowledge proof tech. 🔐 This Layer-2 solution aims to create a developer-friendly, cloud-like blockchain environment, making crypto accessible without sacrificing security or usability. 🌐
Its roadmap also highlights tools like the ZK Stack and Elastic Network, poised to become favorites among blockchain builders. With privacy and performance at the forefront, ZKsync hopes to unlock mass crypto adoption and advance personal financial freedom. 🏗️
Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra has urged Thailand to embrace cryptocurrencies—not by buying them, but by studying and experimenting with digital assets to stay globally competitive. 🧠💻 With more digital currencies than countries, he stressed the importance of sandbox experimentation and understanding crypto’s role in the digital economy. 📊 Thailand is already making moves, from crypto stimulus programs to regulatory sandboxes, but Shinawatra’s push highlights the need to stay ahead in this fast-evolving space. Adapt now, or risk falling behind! 💰
The Bank of England’s watchdog, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), has asked businesses to disclose their crypto exposures and plans by next March. 📊 This move is part of the bank's efforts to monitor financial stability and shape crypto regulations, using the Basel framework to assess risks and capital requirements. 📖
The PRA’s request covers current holdings and plans through 2029, highlighting concerns about permissionless blockchains and settlement risks. With crypto’s role in finance growing, the BoE wants to keep a close eye on this rapidly evolving space. 🔗
Allez Labs has pitched a proposal to put $1.3 billion in stablecoins sitting in Polygon’s PoS bridge to work, potentially generating $70 million in annual yield. 💵✨ The plan suggests depositing USDC and USDT into Morpho Vaults, with the returns funneled through DeFi powerhouse Yearn to boost Polygon’s ecosystem via rewards and incentives. 📊⚡
This move taps into the growing DeFi resurgence, with TVL climbing back toward its 2021 highs. By unlocking idle funds, Polygon could supercharge its ecosystem while cashing in on decentralized finance’s rapid evolution. 🚀
El Salvador has granted crypto exchange Bitget a Bitcoin Service Provider (BSP) license, allowing it to offer Bitcoin-related services such as fiat exchanges, payment solutions, and secure custody. 💰⚡ Bitget is now pursuing a broader license to handle more digital assets, signaling its ambition to expand in Latin America’s growing crypto market. 🌍📈
El Salvador, a pioneer in adopting Bitcoin as legal tender, continues to position itself as a global crypto hub while also revisiting regulations to balance innovation and international partnerships. With this license, Bitget joins the country’s bold push for mainstream crypto adoption. 🚀💼
Outgoing Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das envisions a CBDC-driven economy where the digital rupee transforms India’s financial system. 💡 Praising RBI’s pioneering efforts, he highlighted the progress of India’s CBDC pilot project, positioning the country ahead of global peers still stuck in early experimentation. 📈
Das sees the digital rupee as a game-changer, gradually replacing paper money while bolstering cross-border payments with trading partners in Asia and the Middle East. Though cautious about a full-scale rollout, he believes CBDCs are the future of currency and payment systems. 💳✨
The Eigen Foundation has pledged 1% of its EIGEN token supply to the Protocol Guild, a group of 180 developers who maintain Ethereum’s layer-1 blockchain. 💡 This move aims to fund ongoing work on Ethereum, reinforcing its foundation and enabling innovation. 🚀
EigenLayer, known for its restaking protocol, allows assets like stETH to be restaked for added yields while enhancing network security. With $18.2 billion in TVL, EigenLayer is a key player in DeFi, helping to reduce entry barriers for new protocols and fueling the ecosystem's growth. 💰
A Consensys survey reveals that emerging markets are dominating crypto adoption, with high wallet ownership in Nigeria (84%), South Africa (66%), Vietnam (60%), the Philippines (54%), and India (50%). 📈💸 Meanwhile, countries like Japan and the UK lag behind, where less than a third of respondents have ventured into digital assets. 🛑🔗
Despite growing interest, barriers like market volatility and scams persist, especially in regions where crypto is seen more as speculative or risky. The survey highlights a gender and age gap, with younger men leading adoption while older individuals and women remain less familiar with blockchain tech. 🌐🧠
A Texas lawmaker has proposed the "Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act," aiming to create a state-held Bitcoin reserve funded entirely by voluntary donations from residents and businesses. 💰 The plan avoids taxpayer dollars and instead relies on crypto contributions, with Bitcoin held for at least five years to strengthen Texas’s financial strategy. 📈
This bold move aligns Texas with other states like Pennsylvania exploring similar BTC reserves. As Bitcoin becomes a hot topic in U.S. politics, the Lone Star State might just saddle up as a crypto trailblazer! 🏇
Coinbase is set to delist Tether’s USDT and five other stablecoins in Europe, citing non-compliance with upcoming MiCA regulations. 💶 While users can still trade USD Coin (USDC) and Coinbase’s euro-pegged EURC, the delisted assets could be reconsidered once they align with the new rules. 🔄
This move comes as Europe tightens its crypto oversight, with MiCA aiming to regulate stablecoins and crypto assets. Despite the setback, Tether remains optimistic, exploring new compliant solutions like EURq and USDq for the European market. 💡
Chinese users of Alipay, the country’s largest payment app, have spotted ads promoting funds indirectly tied to Bitcoin ETFs and Coinbase. 🖥️📈 While users can invest up to $137 daily, the ads have sparked speculation about China’s shifting stance on crypto—despite its historical ban on Bitcoin-related transactions. 💰🔗
Though the ads seem to come from third-party loopholes rather than Alipay itself, they’ve reignited hopes of broader crypto accessibility in the region. Will Bitcoin sneak its way back into the mainstream in China? Only time will tell! 🕵️♂️
A hacker exploited the "DogeReaper" vulnerability to crash 69% of Dogecoin nodes, using nothing more than an old laptop. 🖥️🚨 This flaw, described as a “Death Note” for Dogecoin, allowed anyone to remotely crash nodes by triggering a segmentation fault, causing the network to temporarily lose functionality. 📉💔
Though the entire network wasn’t stopped, researchers warned that if this exploit had fallen into malicious hands, Dogecoin could’ve been paralyzed for days. Despite the drama, the bug’s severity was rated low, with the finder earning a modest $200 bounty—not quite moon-worthy. 🌙
AI SPOTLIGHT 🧠
Australia is crafting a National AI Capability Plan to supercharge its AI industry by boosting workforce skills, encouraging innovation, and attracting investment. 💡 With 650 AI companies already operating, the government hopes to position Australia as a global AI leader, contributing billions to the economy by 2030. 📊
However, critics say the timeline—set for late 2025—is too slow for a fast-evolving industry projected to hit $826 billion globally by then. Calls are growing to speed things up before Australia risks falling further behind in the AI race. 🕒⚡
Google’s DeepMind has launched Gemini 2.0, a cutting-edge AI model driving a new wave of smart agents. These experimental assistants can tackle complex tasks like research planning, gaming strategy, and even controlling a Chrome browser to navigate websites.
Projects like Mariner and Jules aim to reshape daily tasks and coding workflows, while partnerships with game developers promise smarter gaming companions. Though still in early testing, these agents hint at a future where AI seamlessly integrates into everyday life—autonomous, adaptive, and ready to assist! 🚀💡
OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever announced at the NeurIPS 2024 conference that the pre-training era of AI is nearing its end. With data resources becoming scarce, Sutskever predicts the future of AI lies in agentic AI, synthetic data, and advanced computation at inference time, paving the way for AI superintelligence. 🌐💡
Emerging models like Google’s Gemini 2.0 are enabling independent decision-making and logical reasoning, signaling the start of a new chapter for smarter and more self-sufficient AI systems. 🧠✨
Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son announced a $100 billion investment in US artificial intelligence infrastructure during a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. The partnership promises to create 100,000 AI-focused jobs, though specifics are still under wraps. 🇺🇸💼
Son, known for bold tech investments, joked with Trump about doubling the amount, reflecting their longstanding partnership. This move is part of Softbank’s AI resurgence strategy, following its $1.5 billion stake in OpenAI and a rocky history with ventures like WeWork. 🌐💡
Activist investor Starboard Value has taken a significant stake in Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms, urging the company to repurpose some of its mining capacity for AI-focused applications like hyperscale data centers. ⚡📊 With AI booming, Starboard believes Riot could unlock greater value by joining peers already transitioning to mixed-use facilities. 🖥️💡
The news lifted Riot’s stock price by over 10%, even as the company plans to raise $500 million for more Bitcoin purchases. Starboard’s involvement signals a potential shift in Riot’s strategy toward the AI bandwagon, aiming to stay relevant in a fast-evolving tech landscape. 📈
Eliza Labs, the developer behind ai16z, is teaming up with Stanford University to explore how AI agents can enhance Web3 ecosystems. The collaboration will use Eliza’s open-source AI framework to investigate how autonomous agents establish trust, coordinate actions, and make decisions in decentralized finance and digital economies. 🌐🧠
With ai16z already boasting a market cap of $850 million and being hailed as the “Aave of the AI world”, this partnership aims to set the groundwork for AI-driven innovations in blockchain. Analysts predict this fusion of AI and Web3 will redefine how humans and autonomous agents interact in the digital age. 🚀✨
Story Protocol introduced a groundbreaking framework, ATCP/IP, enabling AI agents to securely exchange intellectual property (IP) such as training data, creative styles, and strategies on blockchain. 🌐✨ This system addresses a key limitation: AI agents currently lack the ability to perform complex contracts involving IP, making this innovation a leap forward in the crypto AI economy. 💡📜
The framework promises “ironclad” smart contracts for on- and off-chain transactions, with a demo set to showcase autonomous agent trading. As AI and blockchain merge, analysts see a future where AI agents revolutionize Web3 interactions, though some warn of potential risks. 🔒
See You in 2025! 🎉
As 2024 comes to a close, we want to thank you for being part of our journey through the ever-evolving world of crypto and blockchain. This is our final issue of the year, but don’t worry—we’ll be back in 2025 with even more insights, stories, and exciting developments to share. Stay safe, stay curious, and here’s to another groundbreaking year ahead! 🥂
