Mind The Block | April Week 4

Mind The Block: Your Weekly Dose of Web3 News and Insights

Mind The Block Headlines This Week

  • Bitfinex Conducts Maintenance Update
  • Google Cloud has launched a Web3 portal
  • Australia Plans Bitcoin ETF Approvals
  • Pantera Capital Targets $1B Crypto Fund
  • Robinhood Wallet Adds Polygon Swaps
  • LasMeta Partners with Magic Eden
  • Polkadot Risks Cascade Below $6.5 Support
  • Blockchain Rollups: Types and Functions

News

Extras By Mind The Block

  • Dolomite, a leading decentralized finance lending protocol, will launch its Lending Protocol on X Layer.
  • RWA Inc. has partnered with Plume Network to improve functionality and scalability in the tokenization sector.
  • Friend.tech V2 goes live, with hype building for the 100% airdrop of its FRIEND token.
  • Core Chain has introduced the XLink, a Bitcoin bridge developed by the ALEX Foundation, to facilitate seamless Bitcoin transactions in DeFi.
  • Neo, an open-source blockchain platform, has partnered with Fansland, a fan economy platform powered by Web3 and AI.
  • Mercuryo has partnered with zkSync, a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum, to facilitate fiat-to-crypto conversions.
  • Alephium, a Layer 1 blockchain player, has partnered with Mises Browser to enhance user access to its native wallet features.
  • The SFT Protocol successfully migrated its SFT Chain to Solana, reaching 100% completion by 13:30 on April 29, 2024.

Major Companies Making Moves

  • Google Cloud has launched a Web3 portal, offering testnet tools, blockchain datasets, and learning resources for developers.
  • The Uniswap mobile application has gone live on Android, integrating Blast for faster, cheaper swaps.
  • Apple is in talks with OpenAI to integrate its AI technology into new iPhone features, expected to be part of iOS 18.
  • Bitcoin miner Marathon Digital has partnered with Standard Chartered-backed Zodia Custody.
  • MicroStrategy, the largest Bitcoin holder, reported a Q1 net loss of $53.1 million but continued to accumulate Bitcoin in April.
  • Alchemy Pay has partnered with TOPGOAL to streamline token purchases for Web3 sports enthusiasts.

Government, SEC & Regulation

  • US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Roger Marshall are pressuring the Biden administration to prevent the use of digital assets.
  • Australia is set to approve a new wave of spot Bitcoin ETF launches by the end of 2024.
  • Russian lawmakers have re-introduced legislation to ban cryptocurrency circulation nationwide.
  • Court filings reveal the US SEC and chairman Gary Gensler’s belief that Ethereum is an “unregistered security” under the Howey Test.
  • Binance is facing legal pressure in Canada and the Philippines, with U.S. prosecutors demanding 36 months in prison for founder CZ.
  • South Africa’s crypto regulation remains robust despite political shifts, with the FSCA establishing a licensing regime for 60 crypto firms.
  • North Korea’s Lazarus Group laundered $200 million worth of crypto into fiat currency over a four-year period.
  • BCB Group, a payments processor linking crypto firms to the banking system, has secured a digital asset and electronic money license in France.
  • South Korea is considering establishing its temporary virtual asset investigative unit, the Virtual Asset Joint Investigation Team.
  • Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has implemented comprehensive requirements for the crypto market.
  • Vietnam’s civil societies have launched the Vietnam ABAII to train one million Vietnamese residents in AI and blockchain.

Raises & Major Investments rounds

Pantera Capital is raising $1 billion for a new crypto investment fund.

  • Tether has invested $200 million in Blackrock Neurotech, becoming the majority stakeholder.
  • Spectral, a credit risk assessment infrastructure web3 startup, has raised $23 million in a round led by General Catalyst and Social Capital.
  • LazyBear, a low-fee crypto trading ecosystem, secured 4 million USDT in strategic financing to revolutionize crypto trading.
  • MilkyWay raised $5 million in a seed funding round led by Binance Labs and Polychain Capital.
  • Holograph, an omnichain tokenization protocol, has raised $3 million in a strategic round led by Mechanism Capital and Selini Capital.

  • Robinhood Wallet integrates cross-chain swaps with Polygon network, enhancing global cryptocurrency trading services.
  • Christopher Jensen is optimistic about the future of the bitcoin ecosystem despite recent outflows from bitcoin ETFs.
  • The blockchain industry has a long history of internal support, including smaller investments, grant programs, and big names acting as catalysts.
  • Crypto influencer Raoul Pal predicts a “Banana Zone” for Bitcoin and Solana, a bullish flag formation.
  • Akita Society is utilizing blockchain technology to safeguard dog breeds in Japan.

NFTs, Gaming, Metaverse

  • Immutable has launched The Main Quest, its largest web3 gaming rewards program.
  • Apeiron is now available in open beta via the Epic Games Store and Mavis Hub.
  • Saakuru Labs and Aethir are partnering to revolutionize gaming by utilizing Distributed GPU Infrastructure.
  • Yuga Labs and Moonbirds have introduced enhanced NFT holders’ rights.
  • Europe needs ‘Airbus for the metaverse’ to become a global Web4 leader.
  • LasMeta, the first social virtual reality poker platform with AI, has announced an exclusive partnership with Magic Eden.
  • Animoca Brands and Darewise Entertainment have unveiled the new Bitcoin protocol OPAL.
  • Digital artist Grant Yun’s debut NFT collection, “Life in Japan,” sold out within nine minutes on Solana’s Exchange Art marketplace.
  • Worldshards is currently in its early access phase, with players able to find tradable NFTs in-game.

Onchain Data

  • XRP price prediction shows a weak bullish signal, with a range above $0.5, indicating potential gains to $0.75 and $1.
  • Shiba Inu (SHIB) is experiencing a corrective trend, prompting scrutiny over potential price declines and duration.
  • Polkadot’s price has found support around $6.5, but a sudden break below this could trigger a short-term cascade.
  • Polygon’s MATIC/USD price has fallen 5.76% in the past 24 hours, causing a 5.0% loss from $0.74 to $0.70.
  • Cardano (ADA)’s price has fallen after failing a breakout earlier this week, with investors showing a lack of conviction.

Educational Guides and Tips from Mind the Block

See you in the next edition of the Mind The Block.

Found value in the insights shared here? Check out our YouTube and Twitter, loaded with content meant to educate and entertain.

Follow our Telegram for a sneak peek at alpha; for an even deeper dive, join our Patreon community, where we share exclusive alpha for you to be the ‘early bird.’

Follow us today, and let’s explore Web3 together!

Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *