Mind The Block | May Week 4

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

Mind The Block Headlines This Week

• Floki Inu Debuts Trading Bot on Major Networks
• BitMart Introduces Euro to P2P Trading
• Argentina, Salvador Discuss Bitcoin Adoption
• Cysic Raises $12M for ZK Proofs
• nChain CIO Stresses User-Friendly Web3 Tech
• Ronaldo, Binance Launch Fourth NFT Collection
• TON TVL Surpasses $300 Million
• How to Participate in Crypto Presales

News

• Floki Inu has launched its trading bot, “Closed Beta,” on the mainnets of Base, BNB, and Ethereum.
• HYPERCOMIC has announced an exclusive collaboration with zkSwap Finance.
• Spot Ether ETFs have been officially legalized in the US by the SEC, with 19b-4 filings approved from various ETF filers.
• Ethereum Layer 2 Taiko, an Ethereum-based rollup, has been launched on the mainnet after extensive development since 2022.
• The Polkadot community has approved the Join-Accumulate Machine Protocol upgrade, with support from over 31 million DOT tokens.
• SuiPad, a launchpad under Sui Network, has partnered with Solar Dex.
• Mercuryo has announced its integration with Injective, a blockchain forum, to revolutionize the financial sector.
• BlockDAG introduces a new dashboard feature, enhancing user experience.
• FINNOVEX Qatar 2024 will focus on the financial revolution, focusing on Fintech, AI, cybersecurity, sustainability, and the future of payments.
• Binance has announced support for the upcoming network upgrades and hard forks of Sei (SEI) and Kadena (KDA) networks.

Extras By Mind The Block

• Term Structure is set to launch its Mainnet with significant updates and feature integrations.
• Phantom Wallet, a popular crypto wallet, has surpassed Facebook and ChatGPT in the Google Play Store’s U.S. rankings.
• VeChain has announced a bullish partnership with Shanghai Environment Exchange.
• EthosX has launched its new Perpetual Options product, OPerps, in partnership with kanalabs.io.
• Prom is partnering with Fandom, the first Fan-Fi project in its ecosystem, to revolutionize digital culture through NFTs and Web3.
• Orderly Network and Quickswap have partnered to launch QuickPerps: Falkor, a next-generation decentralized Perpetual Exchange.
• Binance Pool has launched a new promotion for BTC and CKB miners, offering an extra bonus of 30,000 CKB.
• Zenit World has revamped its platform to enhance user experience for both seasoned and new crypto enthusiasts.
• USDTlr.com has launched its automated trading platform, now in the beta phase.
• Lista DAO, a permissionless platform for stablecoin lending and liquid staking solutions, has partnered with Stakestone.
• MetaMask is exploring native Bitcoin support, with a potential launch in June 2024.
• The University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration Zurich is set to launch a unique Bitcoin course starting in March 2025.
• VaultCraft has integrated IQ GPT Chatbot, a leading AI VR assistant powered by BrainDAO, into its community.
• Uniswap Foundation has outlined its roadmap for the launch of Uniswap v4.

Major Companies Making Moves

• BitMart has added the Euro to its peer-to-peer (P2P) trading marketplace.
• OKX Wallet has added five new giveaway events to its Web3 Giveaway portal.
• Coinbase, Ripple, Meta, Kraken, and Gemini have formed a coalition called Tech Against Scams to combat online fraud.
• Alchemy Pay is set to launch the Web3 Digital Bank, offering global Web3 businesses an easy conversion of cryptocurrencies.
• Aptos experienced a record throughput of 115 million transactions on May 24, surpassing Solana’s record of 32 million.
• Bybit Web3 has announced an upcoming Initial DEX Offering (IDO) for Aperture Finance ($APTR) on its Web3 platform.
• Marathon Digital Holdings has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kenya’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.

Government, SEC & Regulation

• The European Union (EU) is urged to prepare for the convergence of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
• The CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, introduced by Rep. Tom Emmer, has passed the US House of Representatives in a largely partisan vote.
• Argentine officials and Salvadoran regulators met on May 23 to discuss bitcoin adoption and regulation.
• Russian traffic to global cryptocurrency exchanges has surged, causing officials to warn about the risk of Western sanctions.
• OKX has withdrawn its application for a Hong Kong license, following careful consideration of its business strategy.
• Donald Trump has shifted his stance towards the cryptocurrency industry, stating that the US must be the leader in the field.

• South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre has proposed a directive to tighten rules for crypto asset transfers.
• A UK woman, Jian Wen, has been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for laundering Bitcoin linked to a £5 billion fraud in China.
• Abu Dhabi’s Agriculture and Food Safety Authority has issued an advisory prohibiting cryptocurrency mining on farms.
• Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has restructured its blockchain policy committee.
• The Turkish Parliament Committee is set to review a draft law requiring crypto asset service providers to obtain licenses and register.
• South Korea’s financial regulators are urged to follow the US lead on crypto ETFs after the US SEC approves spot Ethereum ETFs.

Raises & Major Investments rounds

• ZK proof generation layer Cysic raised $12M in a Series A funding round led by Hashkey Capital, OKX Ventures.
• On-chain oracle developer Switchboard raised $7.50M in a Series A funding round led by Tribe Capital, RockawayX.
• Web3 loan and bond marketplace Alphaledger raised $9.50M in a Series A funding round led by EJF Capital.
• Chainge has secured a $13m investment from GEM Digital and Alpha Token Capital to improve cross-chain trading efficiency and accessibility.

Trends & Narrative

• Samson Mow warns that political support for crypto could weaken Bitcoin’s core principles and increase the risk of future failures that could harm users.
• Bitget CEO Gracy Chen plans to challenge the male-dominated crypto industry by becoming the only female CEO of a top crypto exchange.
• UXLINK is transforming social networks with blockchain technology, aiming for mass adoption of SocialFi.
• Christine Leong, nChain’s Chief Information Officer, discussed the importance of making Web3 tech user-friendly.
• SPPG has introduced a blockchain-based certificate verification system to enhance security and transparency of academic credentials.

NFTs, Gaming, Metaverse

• Yuga Labs has adopted the ODK system for computer gaming, focusing on generating better user experiences.
• Cristiano Ronaldo has partnered with Binance to launch his fourth non-fungible token (NFT) collection despite ongoing legal battles.
• GAIMIN aims to become the “Amazon of Web3 gaming” by offering comprehensive solutions for game studios.
• The Sandbox and Bitkub have formed an alliance to expand the network’s metaverse.
• CryptoSlam’s NFT sales chart saw DMarket lead with $857,829, followed by Guild of Guardians Avatars at $825,172.
• Decentralization is transforming the gaming industry by allowing low-end devices to access high-end games.
• Torque Drift 2, a PC drift racing simulator, will be integrated with the Motorverse ecosystem.
• Cosmos is launching Stargaze, a decentralized application chain focusing on NFTs, to expand the interchain economy.

Onchain Data

• Ethereum price chart suggests a potential breakout to new all-time highs, provided it closes the week above the $4,000 mark.
• TON blockchain’s total value locked (TVL) has surpassed $300 million, a tenfold increase since March.
• Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and Chainlink have completed a pilot project, resulting in a 40% surge in LINK price.
• JasmyCoin (JASMY) has experienced an 800% increase in trading volume and price over the past 24 hours.
• Celestia’s price is expected to remain bearish despite a 20% rise as investors optimistically pour money into the futures market.

Educational Guides and Tips from Mind the Block

• Is web3 data storage ushering in a new era of privacy?
• How to Participate in Crypto Presales: Everything You Need to Know.
• What is Chainlink? How does Chainlink solve the ‘oracle problem’?
• Choosing the best Cryptocurrency Payment Gateway provider.
• How to Buy XRP on the Pepperstone Broker and CFD Platform With PayPal.
• This is how crypto traders can get the most crypto for their money.

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

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